Thursday, February 20, 2014

Wearing Vintage ~ Real world vs. Blog land


Vintage in the real world | Lavender & Twill

I feel like a princess ~ I have donned my petticoat, pretty 50s style dress, floral heels and softly gleaming pearl jewelry.   Then I step out the door and all of that changes….  I walk with my head high, conscious of the stares and double takes.  Yes, I know I am dressed differently from the average person, but is it really that strange?

I have heard other vintage bloggers talk about their fashion choices and the effect it has on public when they walk out the door in head to toe, era perfect wear.   To be honest, I thought I knew what they were talking about.  I’ve had my fair share of odd looks ~ I haven’t really dressed in ‘normal’ clothing for sometime, but then again I have never gone the full head to toe of any style in particular ~ i.e. Goth, punk, Lolita, vintage etc.

Apparently outfits that are slightly off magazine trendy are unique and edgy, but a completely non~fashionable style such as vintage is peculiar.  I say this because the general public response to my vintage outfits and to my ‘interesting’ arty outfits is not the same and this surprises me for some reason!  Therefore, I am wondering if my expectations of people’s reactions is slightly warped perhaps?

You see, what I see on my computer and what I experience in the real world are two very different things.   You might say there are almost two separate worlds that I wear vintage in, one is the internet in vintage~friendly blog land and the other is my life; amongst real strangers with real judgments and preconceived ideas.

Dancing through life | Lavender & Twill

If you are wondering what I mean by saying that, let me say that this is how I see it:

In internet~blog land we read and visit blogs that we are interested in; so if you are into food you will read food blogs, and if you are into IT development you will read developer’s blogs.  It’s much the same with fashion blogs ~ if you are obsessed with runway fashion, you will read blogs that focus on that, and if perchance, you happen to like vintage fashion, those are the blogs you will focus on and immerse yourself in.

So everyday in your feed reader you will see gorgeous ladies dressed in 50s tea length dresses, 20s flapper outfits, 30s, 40s, 60s ~ you name it.  Every era, every style, every part of history is represented online.  And the thing about that is, you not only see bloggers themselves excited to wear these gorgeous clothes, but their readers eager to see them wear those clothes too ~ to me, these blogs are communities built around expressing yourself through your clothes. 

Therefore, in the online world vintage clothing is an acceptable mode of dress; and not just vintage, but pretty much any style of fashion distinct from main stream is okay.  I think that this acceptance creates an idea that dressing in vintage is a part of normal life.

But the thing is, in reality, that’s not the case.  Sure, anyone that wears vintage, or other subversive styles of dress, are really just ordinary people with different ways of expressing themselves.   However acceptable and ‘normal’ this is in the online world, it’s pretty unusual to see someone in everyday life wearing unordinary, un~everyday clothing!

Authentic style is sometimes hard to wear | Lavender & Twill

I forget that.   I walk out in vintage clothing and I forget that the majority of people around me may think that queer, bizarre or even odd. 

Because of that I find it easier to post pictures of my vintage outfits than actually wearing them, because in one world uncommon fashions are admired, but in the other, they are just plain weird.

Does anyone else have this problem when they make daring fashion choices?

xox,

bonita

~ ♡ ~

Find me:

Instagram | missbjvear
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Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

~ They Call It The Blues ~

Casual glam with pedal pushers and jelly flats | Lavender & Twill 
Love a collered shirt for cool summer wear | Lavender & Twill 
Jazz up a slicked french braid with a pearl hairband + bow combo | Lavender & Twill 

Melissa jelly flats with gold accents and a bow on the toes ~ cute and comfortable | Lavender & Twill

I must confess, this post title has nothing to do with anything much. I just thought that it sounded good with the whole blue jeans, blue background thing I had going on.

Plus, I guess it does sort of fit with the glam-western theme my outfit seemed to develope! ヽ(。◕ˇωˇ◕)ノ

This was my look for playgroup ~ a little more fancy, and a little more accessorized than you might expect for a playgroup morning, but I just can’t seem to help myself!

It’s just what I do. I get dressed to go out and suddenly, without much deliberation, I’m all dressed up. I don’t mind; actually a funny thing that happened to me the other day ~ I met someone new and almost the first thing she said to me was that she liked my style and had been wanting to meet me because I looked interesting!

I’ve got to say, that’s one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever had. I tend to get concerned that my style is too fancy and way too dressed up compared to most fashion, and because of that, I worry that how I dress will put people off.

It’s kind of silly, because I can get really hung up about it, and feel anxious about making friends, but at the same time I can’t bear to compromise my fashion sense just to fit in! So I try to smile a lot and look friendly, in hopes that it will off-set my over-the-top look! (~ ̄▽ ̄)~ ・・・

I don’t know if it works, but I suppose it might have in this case! It’s so strange, because dressing vintage in the real world is a totally different experience from dressing vintage online… But more about that in my next post!

xox,

bonita

~   ♡  ~

Pearl + Bow Hairband | Woolworths
Pink Floral Western Shirt | Thrifted
Shaped Western Belt | Thrifted
Pedal Pushers | Freddie’s of Pinewood Lana Pedal Pushers
'Mel' by Melissa Bow Flat |  ASOS


~ ♡ ~

Find me:

Instagram | missbjvear
Pinterest | bjvear
Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear

~ ♡ ~

P.S. ~ My sister thinks that I pout and prance around when I take outfit photos, so this one’s for you Ali! {and for some laughs!}

Pulling out my pin-up pose | Lavender & Twill

Cheeky much?  (─‿‿─)ノシ

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

~ With Flowers In My Hair ~


This Lindy Bop dress is perfect for running around in | Lavender & Twill

1940's style with a flower crown; love it | Lavender & Twill

Color palette - teal with splashes of coral, red and watermelon | Lavender & Twill

Swing dance, dress dance | Lavender & Twill

I have never understood the song lyrics “I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair” because since when do puck rockers wear flowers in their hair? Gel, spiky things, or dye streaks yes, but flowers? ╮(- o -)╭ *shrug*

I have discovered, however, flower crowns work perfectly for a early 1940’s look. I found this coral and white wreath at a thrift shop and simply couldn’t leave it behind, and today I found an outfit to wear it with!

This teal dress has coral-ly pink polka dots and bright pink flower-shaped buttons, as well as a belt that ties at the back. It’s one of the brightest/most saturated colored clothing item in my wardrobe ~ unless you count my red tops and shoes. I usually pick out pastel or more neutral colors for summer wear, so I feel very conspicuous in this bright dress, but it’s quite comfortable and the style is very flattering so I have been wearing a lot anyway.  °(^ᴥ^)°

Paired with my watermelon, rainbow glitter, floral jelly wedges {yes, such awesomeness actually exists in the form of one pair of shoes! (♡▽♡) ~ ❤!} and I have an outfit I am re-wearing constantly. I only wish I could have half-a-dozen of these dresses in different colorways so I can repeat this look in a variety of shades.

What about your color style? Bright colors or pastels for summer wear? Do you change preferences as the seasons change? I know I do; my preferred wardrobe palette consists of jewel tones for winter, and pastels for summer. Which do you favor?

xox,

bonita

~   ♡  ~

Coral & White Flower Crown | Thrifted
Lindy Bop ‘Ionia’ Swing Dress | eBay
Watermelon Jelly Wedges | eBay

~ ♡ ~

Find me:

Instagram | missbjvear
Pinterest | bjvear
Ravelry | BJVear
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Youtube | Bonita Vear

Thursday, February 6, 2014

~ My Life List ~


Just a girl and her horse | Lavender & Twill 
Inspired by Carrie Anne, from Little Big, a life list is just like a bucket list. I’ve had my own bucket list for a while now, but what I liked about Carrie Anne’s Life List is how she updates it and crosses things off on an annual basis!

This seems like such a good idea to me; to re-evaluate and update your life goals, as well as working towards actually completing some of them. So here’s is my revised bucket Life List.

    ~ Bonita’s Life List cira 2014 ~

  • Publish a book

  • Learn another language

  • Ride a cow, an elephant, a camel and a hot air balloon

  • Sky dive

  • Travel to Japan

  • Snowboard in Canada

  • Ride a horse on a beach

  • Learn how to kick a soccer ball harder and more accurately

  • Learn how to sew pants

  • Achieve my Riding Instructor’s certifications

  • Get my small business up and running

  • Become a lady of grace


What I am doing to achieve this:

Well, some of these goals have to wait. We need money, or the timing is all wrong, but I am working on the first goal and will hopefully be able to tick that one off before the end of the year. Yay! (≧ ∀ ≦ ) ♡。゚.*

Also, I will be working on the sewing pants thing ~ that ties into my small business goal. Isn’t it fun when you can work on two things at once!

Do you have a bucket list? Or life goals? I’d love to hear if you have special achievements you are proud of, or things you would like to do.

xox,

bonita

Monday, February 3, 2014

~ Rambling ~

 
Light floral dresses for summer weather | Lavender & Twill

A simple structured shoulder and A-line skirt provide a lovely 1940's silhouette | Lavender & Twill 
To complete a 40's look, a sleek styled updo is a must | Lavender & Twill

Pink and cream spectator wedgies to match the soft pastel print of the dress | Lavender & Twill

Recently I’ve been so tired that I just feel like I am rambling on, and on, and on, and ~ well, you know. We have been in the middle of a rather spectacular heat wave which has seen the thermostat wavering between 36°C-40°C {which I believe is around 96.8°F to 104°F}.

With no air-conditioning, and no insulation for our fibro walls, this results in over 40°C temperatures inside the house. Turning our living quarters into an oven makes sleeping a doubtful proposition, let along getting in the required eight hours that I seem to need!

So I am stumbling around in a fog, with a zombie-fried brain that seems to like rambling…….

…..(「・Д・)「 *arraggh*

And when I get tired enough, I get “sleep-drunk”. This is a random stage of being half awake and half asleep which has me acting like I am drunk {or drugged!} ~ slurring my words, as well as giggling uncontrollably and discoursing in an extremely random manner!
(¬_¬)’

The Mister finds this amusing, which at least is some benefit to being exhausted. Meanwhile, I think this post might be suffering from some of these sleepy side-effects… So I will finish off with a random question ~ what are some of your habits when you are tired? Do you have any funny things that happen? Or are you sensible and just go to sleep on time? ヾ(^∇^)

xox,

bonita

~   ♡  ~

White Lace Flower Hair Clip | Equip
Pastel Floral 40’s Shirtwaist | Etsy
Shoes | B.A.I.T. Ione in Rose

~ ♡ ~

Find me:

Instagram | missbjvear
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Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear

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