Viewing entries tagged
vintage

st. louis symphony + cameron silver

st. louis symphony + cameron silver

Friends and family (and really, who else reads this?!) know that the only other passion I've stuck to as long as fashion has been classical music. I started playing the violin in the 5th grade, switched to bass in 7th, and have played ever since. While in the end, it turns out it's not the best career path for me (too stressful, not much one-on-one interaction in the orchestral setting, and oh yeah, I never won a job), it's still been a huge part of my life. Music has taken me all over the world, from Japan to Italy, and is how I met mr. mindful closet. 

Miran Halen Four Seasons of Fashion

I haven't found too many ways to combine my two passions. I've written about what to wear to a classical music concert. I have this big idea to have local boutiques dress St. Louis Symphony musicians and soloists. But until I find the extra hours in the day to work on that one, it'll have to hold. Luckily, Miran Halen (above), the wife of St. Louis Symphony concertmaster David Halen and local fashionista, actually put her great ideas to work and created an amazing event called Four Seasons of Fashion, happening on April 4th at Powell Hall. Cameron Silver (below), the iconic vintage fashion expert and owner of Decades vintage boutique in L.A., is bringing an array of fabulous gowns from his collection and members of the St. Louis Symphony led by David Halen will provide musical accompaniment from Vivaldi's Four Seasons while the looks walk the runway. 

Cameron Silver St. Louis Symphony

Of course when I heard about this, I had to get involved somehow. I mean, it's my husband's employer celebrating my new industry. Oh yeah, and the proceeds go to support the education programs of the St. Louis Symphony and the great work my former colleagues are doing. Miran's organized an entire weekend of fashion events from trunk shows to lectures, all involving Cameron. Since I volunteered to be an extra set of hands, I get to be Cameron's St. Louis guide (i.e. chauffeur) and help whenever needed with trunk shows, model fittings, and production details. The evening includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, a champagne reception, dessert and fashion viewing.  I can't freaking wait. Buy tickets here and I'll see you there! 

nights out

nights out

Hey, long time, no blog. Things got so hectic around here that my mom actually came into town to help with childcare. One added bonus of that is that all of a sudden, we had a babysitter and were able to have some nights out! 

equipment silk dress mindful closet

This dress was a gift from my husband for our anniversary last year (fourth anniversary = silk/linen). And yes, I do pick out my own gifts. ;) I love that it's a simple base for cool jewelry, (like this necklace from Blush Boutique), but I will probably eventually get it hemmed evenly to make it a more classic look. 

mindful closet: african mud cloth dress

The weather this spring has been cooler than usual, which has been nice. I wore this when we met some friends at Old Standard (great vibe, decent food). I'll be honest, this dress/tunic/thingie is always on the chopping block for me. I last wore it here (and loved it), but for non-fashion-crowd events, it always seems like a little much. Maybe I'll chop it down even more and make a top? Thoughts?

Anyway, I have been taking outfit photos and saving ideas for posts, so hopefully I can get back to regularly scheduled programming soon!

 

vintage boots and skirt for spring

vintage boots and skirt for spring

I love boots and I love warm weather. I get to combine these two loves when it's cool enough to wear boots but warm enough to go without a coat.  Denim skirts showed up all over the runways for Spring 2015, and got me excited to pull out this vintage denim wrap skirt I thrifted years ago. It keep surviving closet purges, so I better wear it!

I found this awesome pair of vintage boots at Savers last fall. They usurped the place of a very similar, less comfortable pair of tall brown boots. No need to keep both. I first paired the skirt and boots with a Theory silk sleeveless blouse, but for some reason wasn't very happy with it (I don't know, looks fine in these pics, right?)

...so I changed into this striped tee before actually leaving the house.
Which version do you like best?

 

 

more summer skirts

more summer skirts

They're just so cool and easy - so here are a couple of other summer skirt looks I've worn recently... 

h&m skirt st. louis personal stylist

This skirt is from H&M and I just love the tangerine color. I'm wearing it with a zipper detail belt from Express, Old Navy tee, and Nine West sandals. 

vintage denim skirt st. louis personal stylist

This is a thrifted vintage denim wrap skirt, worn with another Old Navy tee, Old Navy necklace, and Target sandals  - a recent purchase, here's a close-up: 

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These won my exhaustive summer sandal search and I'm really happy with them! 

The style is pretty trendy (ankle straps and low wedges are everywhere this season!), so I'm fine with spending less on them and saving my money for classics.  

Have you purchased any new sandals for this summer yet? 

what i wore: summer skirt

what i wore: summer skirt

When the weather finally heated up here in St. Louis, I felt an itch to wear all my skirts that have been hiding in storage all winter. They could all be worn during the winter as well, but I just prefer to wear pants and jeans in the winter, so they don't usually get much play. 

Darn it, if it weren't for my t-shirt (from H&M), this whole outfit would be thrifted! The skirt is originally from Old Navy, but it's too big (shh, don't tell anyone) and needs to be taken in. I could easily do that, and just haven't gotten around to it myself, so it's safety-pinned in the back! Oh yeah, and it has pockets - yay!

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This thrifted belt is one of my absolute favorite things I own, it's adjustable, so it'll always fit, and I just love the woven, 70's vibe.

Easy and comfortable for work - can't go wrong! 

confession: i'm a clutch hoarder

confession: i'm a clutch hoarder

It's time that I came clean - I have an addiction to clutches. Even though I rarely use them, I can't stop buying them. I know, I know, it goes against all my rules. I call it "collecting". ​Last Sunday, I found myself with some free time and decided that I needed to look at handmade handbags on Etsy. After a frenzy of pinning to my wish list board on Pinterest, I finally came to and realized that I do not need any more clutches!  Taking these photos brought me to my senses.

All thrifted.​

​All thrifted, except for the snakeskin chevron, which is vintage via Etsy.

​From left: vintage Carlos Falchi - thrifted, very old from Old Navy, thrifted (actually a jewelry bag), Forever 21, gift from husband via Etsy, gift from husband via Etsy.

And now you know.​