This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Disneyland attraction Pirates of the Caribbean. And with that, the Walt Disney Archives decided that their exhibit at D23 would be dedicated to pirates of all sorts! From early shorts to the latest in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. And since this was an amazing exhibit, thar be plenty o’ pictures ahead! Ye been warned!
Over the weekend Patrick and I attended the D23 Expo, an event that happens every other year that is basically Comic Con, but just Disney, or rather Disney owned things, because Star Wars and Marvel are also represented. There are panels to watch, exhibits to see, celebrities to meet, and lots of shopping.
Patrick and I attended several panels over the three days of the event, most of the ones we attended were at the Disney Archives Stage, which focuses on Disney history. Sadly the Archives Stage does not allow photography at their panels, I was seriously crushed, especially when one panel was about the 1950s Disney television show Zorro, which, in case you didn’t know, I’m obsessed with. For the day of that panel I wore my Zorro skirt that I made eons ago back in 2011. The skirt hadn’t received a proper California debut for several reasons, but after much debate, and encouragement from Instagram followers I decided to wear it for the panel. I also piled on as much wearable Zorro things as possible, and it turned into this 50s Zorro bobby-soxer look. I don’t own super full petticoats anymore, but I wanted some fullness for this skirt (as it is a full circle skirt), and I ended up layering up with three thinner petticoats, but I managed to match all of the colors in my outfit! This was the only outfit I properly photographed over the weekend, although the other two were not all that impressive, and one was a repeat of my Disneyland ticket book bound that I recently wore.
Another great thing the Walt Disney Archives did was an exhibit showcasing the long history of Disney featuring pirates in their films and parks, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland. I took loads of photos and will share that in my next post.
Outfit
Hat: Thrifted by my dad!
Blouse: Jet Rag Vintage, Los Angeles, California
Skirt: Made by me
Shoes: Olvera Street
Zorro Brooch: Match Accessories
Zorro Charm Bracelet: Ebay
Zorro Handkerchief: Sweet Ludie’s Vintage
Zorro lunchbox: Christmas gift from my dad
When I asked what you wanted to see on the blog, someone asked to share our transition to Southern California from Oregon, and discuss if there were any regrets, differences between the two locals, and any tips for those thinking of moving. I’ve been working on this post for awhile, but was on the fence about actually posting it. But I got another request today, so I decided to move forward and publish it.
Without getting too political, the last couple days have been rough, culminating in yesterday, with Independence Day. I’ve been getting back in touch with my love of the American Revolution, and recently took a quick visit to the replica of Independence Hall at Knott’s Berry Farm. Some of you may recall my visit last July, well, I had so much fun with that, I decided I wanted to have a tradition of doing 70s (because the fashion that emerged during the Bicentennial was amazing) inspired patriotic outfits and shooting them there around this time every year.
To learn more about Knott’s replica of Independence Hall, please check out my first post on it here. If you are in the Southern California area, I highly recommend visiting this unique attraction. It’s free to visit, and is open every day (except Christmas Day), from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
I hope all of my American readers had a wonderful and safe Independence Day!
Outfit
Dress: Red Light, Portland, Oregon
Shoes: Buffalo Exchange
Necklace: Junk 4 Joy, Burbank, California
Bracelet: Flea market
Last Friday Patrick and I went to Ladies’ and Gents’ Night Out on Magnolia in Burbank. The monthly event is like one big party, with food trucks, live music and lots of sales at the amazing shops along Magnolia. So I swung by some of my favorite shops, and then headed over to Pinup Girl Clothing‘s boutique. They always have a theme, along with treats, drinks, and games. This month’s theme was Tiki vs. Western Showdown, as PUG recently released a new western collection as well as a new tiki collection. I of course went western.
And with the games come prizes! I won the hula hoop contest, and received a gift certificate and one of their new colored whicker purses.
Honestly, I have been meaning to share these shoes for eons, because I freakin’ adore them! But I was waiting for the perfect outfit to debut them on the blog, and I only recently altered this skirt, and realized it was perfect for a cacti themed ensemble! Miss L Fire continues to make the most darling novelty shoes.
Outfit
Peasant Top: Pinup Girl Clothing
Skirt & Tooled Leather Purse: Buffalo Exchange
Shoes: Miss L Fire
Cacti Earrings & Brooch: Match Accessories
Some of you may already know of my love of the mythical creature the jackalope, so it was no surprise when Erstwilder released a jackalope brooch I just had to get my hands on one!
Now unlike so many of my vintage loving friends, I’m actually not the biggest fan of Erstwilder’s stuff, as I feel like their use of varying patterned plastics creates too much texture within a brooch. I’m also super picky about the jackalope stuff I buy, because there is some weird, not so cute stuff out there, but thankfully, this jackalope only featured limited use of patterned plastics, and overall was a really cute design.
During a recent visit to Knott’s Berry Farm, I began talking with one of the women who works at Leather Shop, where I am now fully addicted to their leather barrette. Seriously, they offer an amazing selection of unique stamps (most of which are western themed) and they make you your very own custom leather barrette right there! I spied a rabbit stamp and talked about how I wish it were a jackalope, and the girl said “I can do that.” And she did! I was so excited! And it turned out super amazing! It was the perfect addition to my outfit.
She shared with me other custom ones she had done, and we got talking and soon I settled on wanting to make one featuring an element from my favorite show The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., and she was able to complete that as well, so I hope to share it soon!
I want to thank all of you who commented on my last post. It was very wonderful to hear your thoughts, struggles, and encouragement. I really love the community blogging creates, and hope to continue to be a part of that. I’m also working on how I want to share my charm bracelet collection, as that was a highly requested collection to share. It may be a two or three part post, as I do have quite a few charm bracelets, and like with the linens post, I’ll want to take close-ups of some of my favorite charms.
Outfit
Dress: I don’t remember…
Belt: Found by my dad
Boots: Buffalo Exchange
Jackalope Brooch: Erstwilder
Hair Barette: Knott’s Berry Farm
Lately I’ve been in a battle with myself and my blog. With what I want my blog to be, and what my time allows for.
I realize part of the problem at the moment is the time of the year. The later parts of spring and the first half of summer are always rough for myself and Patrick, as it is the time that leads up to a huge work conference for Patrick, which leaves us with limited time to go out. Also, since moving to California we have found ourselves with extremely busy social schedules. Birthdays, random social events, etc. cut down on the time we have to visit unique destinations and museums, often leaving me with just an outfit post here and there, which is something I’ve wanted to work on shying away from. However, recently I had a bit of a revelation.
My recent post Saturday at Knott’s received zero comments. Nada. Zilch. Goose egg. None. This outfit honestly ranks among one of my favorites that I’ve shared, so the lack of comments was a hard blow. It made me feel like my favorite styling was one of zero interest to my readers. But here is the thing…I know that western attire, or even my personal style that I’ve developed, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But what I hope any of my outfits do is inspire. You don’t have to like what I wear, but I would hope that the out-there-ness of my style choices inspires you to go out there and create your own personal style.
No matter what I have on my body, I just want to inspire you to be yourself, wear what makes you happy, and what makes you feel good. That’s the point of clothing; show off your personality. If you’re out there reading this, and you want to start wearing a certain kind of style, I want you do be inspired, to be bold, and do it. Rock whatever kind of style you want, no matter what anyone else says. It’s okay to be different and to stand out. The Harry Potter character Luna Lovegood said it best, “Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.”
My biggest piece of advice on fashion is the following: do not listen to trends. It’s seriously one of the biggest disservices you can do to yourself. Do not allow some random magazine dictate what you should and should not wear. You will be nothing but unhappy, and you will spend more money on clothing, buying items that will be “out of style” in a matter of months, and sometimes you’ll end up talking yourself into buying something you don’t actually like just because it’s what’s “in” this season.
I started out wearing vintage on a regular basis because I liked its styling, and quality. I focused on being period perfect for a very long time, but honestly, that got boring and stressful. I realized I was still allowing something else dictate my fashion choices, albeit sources from decades past. I chose to ignore the desires I had for some elements from current fashion, because I was so hyper focused on looking like I stepped out of a 40s magazine. Today I just shop and when I see something I like, I just get it. I don’t care anymore if it’s vintage or not. I must admit I often still prefer vintage garments, because their craftsmanship and fit is often superior to that of contemporary clothing. However I have found many newer, quality items second hand at various resale shops, like Buffalo Exchange. The purchasing of clothing brand new has been an issue for me in recent years, and not just because of quality, but because of ethics. Books like Overdressed and news stories about working conditions and sustainability make shopping an ethical act. While this isn’t necessarily a style or fashion choice, it is one that plays into my shopping habits, and reinforces my desires to buy used clothing.
Now, as I’ve said before, I still want this blog to be more than just outfit posts, but sometimes that’s all that I have time for. I really think this blog comes down to sharing and inspiring. The United States is one great big amusement park, full of bizarre roadside destinations that I am just chomping at the bit to explore and share, historical locations that offer people chances to reach out and touch history, museums that work to preserve that history, and offering my unique style as a form of inspiration to those who may be struggling and fearful of wearing whatever they want to. At the end of the day, I want people to learn from history, support their local economy, and be inspired to be themselves, and I hope that is what this blog does for you.
