Bringing in the New Year with Vintage Sequins

With New Year's Eve right around the corner, I've got sequins on the brain.  For the holiday season I love sequins dresses from the 80s.  I'm not a girly girl, so I love balancing what otherwise might be super feminine with power shoulders.  And to avoid looking like a member of The Golden Girls or ironic hipster, I like to wear 80s dresses with modern pumps and booties.

If you're looking for the typical sexy New Year's Eve dress, you can stop reading this post now.  If you're open to trying something fun and funky, I hope you'll enjoy some of the vintage dresses I found on Etsy and the new shoes I've paired them with.

Vintage Adrianna Papell silk sequins dress, $88

Dolce Vita Kemp, $179.99 on sale (retail $189)

Vintage Laurence Kazar silk sequins dress with collar, $65

Eric Rothberg Rolv, $260

Rebecca Taylor Skylar, $149 on sale (retail $295)

Vintage Laurence Kazar silk peacock sequins dress, $49

Seychelles Nothing But Trouble, $120

Vintage blue dress with shoulders pads, $50*

Nine West Haywire, $82.99 on sale (retail $119)

*Use "MUKKILOVESME" at checkout for 15% off, and if you love vintage, be sure to check out the rest of Mukki Shop.  This Chicago-based Etsy shop has some really unique pieces, and their styling is awesome!

Now Riding...

Photos by James Rand

Yes, I ride a moped or what some call a "mini motorcycle with pedals".  A few months ago, with the help of my good friend Mikey I bought a moped!  It's a vintage 1970s Pinto, manufactured by Puch and sold at JCPenney.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to mechanics.  I'm constantly asking Mikey questions and searching forums for answers, and it's quite fun and rewarding.  The moped community in Chicago is really friendly, and a shop opened up on Western this past summer - MOPED!

You can see my moped in action in this sweet video by Leo Burnett featuring my friend Roberto.  Right around 2:49, you'll see my friends flying by and a nice long shot of the city... then a quick appearance by yours truly.

Moped - vintage 1970s JCPenney Pinto

Gold jacket - Secondhand

Floral helmet - AGV

Color block dress - Pixie Market

Boots - Justin Roper

Oh you know, just me and the gang.  While James was snapping pictures, these kids asked if they could jump in the photo and there you have it.

Recycled Fashion: Vintage Finds

I love vintage shopping. Correction, I'm obsessed with vintage shopping.
1. Fashion recycles itself. Many runway trends borrow from previous decades.
2. It's fun. It's like a treasure hunt, and you can end up with something that feels one-of-a-kind.
3. It can be affordable. With some dedication and good luck, you can score some great deals.
In my last shopping post, I wrote a bit about the shopping in Chicago. The vintage shopping here is pretty great. It's less picked over than New York and full of gems. There are plenty of curated boutiques to browse and thrift stores to scour.
Here are a couple of my recent finds, inspired by items from my wishlist.

Whistles Hilda Leopard Collar Cardi, $170.72

I've become a bit obsessed with Peter Pan collars, specifically leopard, so I decide to buy a detachable collar that I could wear with a variety of cardigans and sweaters.

1940s collar from Etsy.com, $30
You can plenty of faux fur leopard collars on Etsy, both vintage and newly handmade for $20-$50. ModCloth has one that's a bit bigger than I would like, but priced under $20, it's an affordable option.

Collar of the Wild, $17.99
The other item on my wishlist was a pair of finely studded flats. Knowing that wearing heels daily isn't healthy, I find myself wearing heels more often than I'd like, so I've been on the hunt for a pair of classy flats.

Pour La Victoire Radley, $125.95 sale (retail $229.00)

Loeffler Randall Blaise, $325.00
Last weekend while I was helping my coworker search for jewelry to wear to a wedding, I came across these adorable vintage Anne Klein flats at Buffalo Exchange. They fit perfectly, so they were definitely meant to be!

1980s flats found at Buffalo Exchange Wicker Park, $14.00
For more vintage shopping tips, check out this old video from me and Erin entitled "How to Shop Vintage". It was one of our first videos, so it's a bit dated and sound quality isn't the best but the tips are still relevant!