My Closet

 

My shoes are not organized, but that is always the case...

      So, I have this obsession with reading blogs from their very beginnings (anyone else find the need to do this?), and the past week or so I have run across several posts regarding simplifying your closet (your posts matter, they will always be inspiring to people). I began to think about my closet, which has issues holding my abundance of clothes, and how I don't even wear most of what is in there on a regular basis. Therefore, I am downsizing and organizing. I wanted to find three different categories, and get rid of things from all but 1:

1. Hand sewn
2. Thrifted
3. Store bought

I don't have a before picture, but there is seriously so much more space in here now. The bottom of the closet looks worse than it is, that big mess is my cloth hamper being annoying.

     I have way more hand sewn and thrifted than store bought at this point, and it was time to downsize even more. I feel like all of my store bought clothes have been holding me back. They are a bit of a handicap, because I can always fall back on what looks 'normal'. I want to eventually reach the place where I can honestly say that my whole closet is either thrifted or hand sewn, with more hand sewn than not (most of what I thrift is sweaters, and I don't make those so I don't mind that so much). I need to do a lot of work on my fall/winter wardrobe. I have a lot more hand sewn summer clothes than winter, so when the weather gets cold again I feel like I don't have anything hand sewn to wear. Considering how much I wear sweaters, I really should start knitting and crocheting more. It's just that the last sweater I tried to make ended so sadly. The sleeves were far from big enough for my arms, and they were supposed to be baggy! Dumb pattern... Anyway, if I can find cheap yarn, then I will probably give it another go. I went through and rid myself of several dresses and skirts that I couldn't part with before, simply because there was nothing wrong with them. I have them all in a bag now, waiting till I can sell them at the end of the school year. I am just done holding onto things that do me no good, and could benefit someone else immensely. By the by, would any of you be interested in buying some of my clothes if I put them on Etsy? They aren't vintage, but they are in very nice condition. If anyone is interested, I can get more information out there.

      I feel so much better about my closet now, I actually have extra hangers! Even with everything I purged, I feel like there is more that should go. It is hard to get rid of some things, like tshirts, because I wear those when I am lazying around the house or working out, but I have too many. I want to clean out my closet regularly, to avoid the overdose of stuff that I hate so.
     I have found some definite methods for purging my closet, and maybe they will work for you too. First I make sure that I don't have clothes laying around (to avoid accidentally getting rid of something), and I designate a space for clothes I am getting rid of, and a space for clothes that need to be fixed/revamped. Next I make a first run-through of the closet, grabbing everything that I am just done with. I repeat this at least five times. It is surprising to me that I am able to grab more each time, it's like the more I get rid of the easier it is to let go. When I have gotten rid of everything I can in this way, I go through and try on everything left in my closet (except for obvious things, like the dress you wear three times a week. It obviously fits and works.) You can get rid of even more through this process. Try on anything you aren't sure of. Also, don't be afraid to get rid of that ratty old t-shirt that you wear constantly. If it is basically an addiction to wear it all of the time, then the only thing to do is stop cold-turkey; plain and simple as that. Make sure that while you are trying on things you hang them up right away, or put them in your 'gone' pile. Keep things clean while you go, and you will thank yourself later.

We made extra closet space under one of the beds and have all of our jackets and coats hanging here. This is both my sister and my clothing.

     Well, after getting rid of so much stuff I now have room for some things I have been wanting again! On that list are:

• Vintage style jeans (women's or men's; either would have been worn)
• Cigarette pants (and shorts too, though I don't know that they are actually called that. You know, the ones that come to the knee cap and are worn with tall socks)
• Pajamas
• Vintage style workout clothes would be fantastic
• Cold weather skirts

     This is not an exhuastive list, but these are things that I find myself wishing that I had. I have to be able to move easily in my clothes every time that I have a theatre class, which is four days a week. This often means that I can't wear skirts at all, so I need to get more pants and such that fit my style. Next semester I will only have a theatre class two days a week, so it will be a bit easier to deal with. The main problem is that these classes are in the middle of the day, so I don't change back into my prettier clothes after that class. Often I change into sweats instead. Things must change people! Who's with me? Are you ready to stop being lazy about your daily wardrobe with me? I am going to make an effort to stop wearing the same clothes over and over, and start exploring my closet a bit more. Also, the fact that I will only be wearing an outfit for my first class and chapel (which ends by 11) is no excuse to not wear those clothes. I love wearing my style, and I hate leaving it all of the time. Now that my closet is so much clearer, maybe I'll be able to look and grab faster!

Flashback Summer Giveaway Winner

     Good day lovelies, allow me to introduce you to Helen Mae.

     Lovebirds Vintage is a very charming blog; I just explored a little bit, and I am quite smitten. She has lots of pretty outfit posts (seperated into their own private tab), makeup tutorials, she is learning to sew, and she is a reenactor. I absolutely adore reenacting, and I am for sure going to be exploring her blog a bit more. If you are in the mood for some great inspiration, definitely go on over and give her blog a look.
Lots of love!

Flashback Summer Giveaway Winner Product Highlight

     Hey all; I am here to speak about Anna from 2Day I Choose. She was the winner of one of the prizes over at Flashback Summer, which included a product highlight post here on Vintage Perfect. Her beautiful portraits on vintage book paper would make a wonderful gift for a loved one.

      I think that it would be darling to have these of your children to decorate living rooms or play spaces. Anna is able to finish these very quickly, with an average turnaround of 5-7 days. If you have any beautiful pictures that were ruined by the background or other people, this is a great way to save that moment for all time. You can find this beautiful product listed here.
Lots of love!

Making a Home, Wherever You Are

My bed next to the window. The curtains were my Christmas gift to Rachael last year, and the twinkle lights just make life better.

     I am a clean person. It drives me crazy if my living space is not in pristine condition. I cannot concentrate on anything. Some may say that's a good trait, some that it is a bad trait. I think it's a combination; so long as I don't force my standards on others it is great. Well, moving onto a college campus and living in a room made of cinder blocks with fluorescent lighting was something I knew was going to be hard for me. I am rooming with my sister, and we both have the same ideas regarding how to live. We started planning over the summer, realizing that we would not be happy if our room looked like a dorm room.

This is the view from our door.

Our bookshelf, which frankly needs to be bigger.

      We wanted to have more of a little house. So, we started working on that. We kept the planned aesthetic in mind when we were packing, and we have been thrifting several times at home and here. Our parents gifted us with an old couch that was in the basement, which was wonderful.

The couch has tears in the cushions, so we put this throw over it, which is nice, since it's cream instead of red.

My beautiful lamp that I thrifted.

      One of the most important things for me is lighting. I cannot stand fluorescent lighting, it will give me a headache faster than anything else in this world. Other things that I need are cleanliness, smell, and general color scheme. I had bright colors when I was 13, and I just don't want them any more. I love beautiful things that have an old feel to them (whether they are actually old or not). I believe in making the most of whatever you have, and living as simply as possible. Nothing in this room has cost either of us more than ten dollars, and anything more expensive was a gift. I love to find things second-hand for several reasons: they are cheaper, they often are in perfect condition, everyone else doesn't have the same thing, you find vintage/antiques sometimes, and it helps the environment (many of these reasons are the same for why I thrift and sew my wardrobe). I am beginning to work now for what my goal is for the future, when I have my own home. I want to furnish it with beautiful, personal things. I don't want to go to a furniture store and buy all of the cheapest things I can find, I want to work a little harder and find things I really love. This is not to say that I will never buy anything new, because I already have. My stand-alone mirror for doing my makeup and my little table for my spider-plant are both from Ross, and I love them.

The view from me bed. We added curtains to the closets to hide the ugly plastic doors.

We are coffee addicts, and therefore love mugs :)

My desk, which usually doesn't have a sandwich and  computer on it...

    Small touches like books, plants, lighting, organization, and just making ordinary things pretty make all of the difference between a room and a home. If you have a clean space that is welcoming to visitors (having things like coffee and tea on hand to offer is a huge step towards making people feel comfortable), then it doesn't matter if you have all of the 'things' that you may want. Beauty can be had at any price tag, if you just look hard enough. Do you have any special tricks for making your space feel homey?

Feeling Shallow for Wearing Vintage

Studying; a few months ago

     So, I don't know if anyone else deals with this, but sometimes I feel embarrassed by my adoration of vintage clothing. I know that there are people who consider any interest in clothing shallow, and it can be hard to deal with those feelings sometimes. I am a Theatre and History major, and if I move on in my education, I plan to get my Masters/PhD in Fashion History. I hate telling people that. They always give me this look that means "Really, you're going to waste your money on that?". I feel the need to justify myself for not wanting to be a mathematician, nurse, teacher, or something 'worthwhile'. It is ridiculous to feel this way, but it is true. The really sad part is that if I just say 'Theatre and History', they think it's great. Somehow, getting a Masters in Fashion History sounds worse than just a bachelors in Theatre and History. Dear me. Of course, I am preaching to the choir right now, but it is good to write things out sometimes.

    

      My clothing is a big deal to me. I have so many reasons why I dress the way that I do. My clothes make me feel pretty, this is the most obvious reason. I find that if I try to wear modern clothing I feel awful. The reason for this is that modern clothes are catered to curve-less people. I have nothing against girls who are built like this, but I feel that the lack of attention to such a huge part of the population is ridiculous. It is my personal opinion that vintage clothing is a million times more flattering; and to every body type at that. Another reason I wear vintage is that I want the world to see that I am a woman, and I am not ashamed of it. I am getting into dangerous territory now, but here goes. Everyone wants to empower women; great, but they go about it all wrong. For starters, I fail to see how acting and dressing like a man makes a woman better. Isn't that the exact opposite of what empowering women should be about? I have no issues with women wearing jeans, working, getting equal pay, or anything like that; but what about homemakers? What about the women who want to be old-fashioned? The fact of the matter is that men and women are different, and this has nothing to do with equality. The problem is that people have equated equality to be sameness.

Not creepy, just my Greek theatre mask! (I made it myself)

     Women are nurturers, and as such it is a natural desire within us to want to take care of our families. Likewise, men have the desire to provide. The problem is that society has dictated to us that this model of living is somehow not good enough; that in order for a woman to have any worth she has to be like a man. When I wear my vintage clothing I am declaring to the world that I am a woman, I am old-fashioned, and I am not afraid to go against the flow. I will be who I am, I will believe what I believe, and I will not back down. I have been realizing recently that I am far too easily silenced. For the sake of avoiding conflict I do not voice my opinion. I realize that there is wisdom in silence, but only when it does not declare that you agree with the opposite side of an issue from your true convictions.

My new Navy trousers, fixed! More on them later.

      Please understand that I am not against women's rights. I am against the notion that women should talk, think, and act like men in order to be their equals. As far as I can see, that is far more degrading to women than thinking that they should be subservient to men; because it makes the statement that women can only be equal to men if they become like them. Personally, I am going to be equal on my own terms. (I am not a 'skirts only', 'all women should stay in the home' type of person; I do believe in women being women though, wherever they are).

One of my most worn outfits since I've been here. 

 
     Well, this became a bit of a rant! I apologize if I have offended anyone, but please believe me when I say that I am not opposed to women's rights. I also realize that the wisdom of writing a post like this is somewhat questionable, but some things need saying sometimes. I would love to hear from you in the comments, just keep things polite :)

Giveaway

Hey everyone! So sorry I have been gone for so long! Drop on by Flashback Summer for a giant giveaway. Vintage Perfect is in on some of the prizes, including a scarf crocheted by myself, some highlight posts here, and some vintage handkerchiefs! The giveaway ends October 25, so go on over and enter. Also I have now created a Facebook page, so go on over and like it. I will be coming back tomorrow with a real post, so stay tuned.
Lots of love!

A Beautiful Pair of Trousers

     So I was in a movie this weekend. My University makes a movie every semester, and I tried out a while back (I spoke about it here). Now, I was rather hopeful that I would end up with a line, and indeed I did. It was so much fun, and I get to be in another scene. One of my biggest dreams is to be an actress, so this is a fantastic experience. Well, I went to get my costume and found out that I was only receiving a police shirt. That meant that I had to find trousers, a belt, and shoes; and I had about half an hour. So I rushed over to my favorite thrift store with two friends in lieu. We were on a mission and found all three items plus a pair of rather remarkable trousers, all for thirteen dollars. I love this store. This is also the same store where I found my vintage stockings (same post as above).

 I had about a split second to examine them, so I thought that they were possibly reenactment trousers. They fit me except for the waist, and since they have the lace up back I knew that I could easily fix them. When I got them home I was absolutely shocked to find out that they are part of a navy uniform. They are 100 % wool, the perfect length, and probably never worn (there is no name or service number written inside), and they cost all of three dollars. That is what I call a deal. I have tried looking up similar items online, and they are not exactly in my price range. I was so thrilled when I found this out. I am having major issues dating them though, since uniforms don't really change. If anyone has any knowledge on this subject, please tell me.

Lots of love!