Well, today I decided to visit one of my favorite thrift stores. They are having a big sale on Monday and I decided to scope it out. This is a big store, I can spend hours here. I ended up buying some items, I couldn't wait for the sale. I found this great vintage party dress, lots of lace, sequins and ruffles. It is from a store called Montaldo's and is fabulous. I will be adding it to my shop, vintagestyle101.etsy.com, as soon as I get some better pictures. Then I checked out the books and found these great vintage craft books from the 70's. They are from Time-Life and are called the art of sewing. But they have a lot more than just sewing. The covers are beautiful too. Great coffee table books or an addition to your sewing room. After I look through them, I will probably list them on my site also. At check out I found this great pair of vintage eyeglasses. The frames were made in France and have the prettiest rhinestones around the lens. Too cool! When I got home my new felting machine that I just ordered on Tuesday was sitting on my steps. I can't wait to try it. I have it set up and looking for something to practice on. Tonight I have some sewing to finish, a fabric choker and a velvet vest that I stamped.

Projects I'm working on.

Here are three projects I'm working on. One is a vintage cotton slip that I dyed in Kool Aid and now I'm adding vintage lace, ribbon, and trim to the front and hem. The other is a plaid scarf that I'm embellishing with vintage lace, ribbon and fringe. The other is a little girl's dress that I have added vintage ruffle trim and new ribbon to the sleeves to create a cuff and to the hemline. I have more colors and styles in this dress and will be adding different embellishments to them. All of these will be for sale when I finish.

Fall Forecast

Since I buy vintage and also knit, crochet and sew, I like to watch what the designers are showing on the runway. Of course, a lot of it is for show, but you can pick up trends. Designers seem to be looking to the past, 50's thru the 80's, with an emphasis on tone, texture and color. Unlike antiques where mixing different periods or eras is ok, when dressing stick to one decade at a time.
Here are some of the top looks to watch for:
1. Lace, on just about everything, including handbags
2. Plaid, don't wear too much, better on top
3. Ruffles, again, wear in moderation. Around the neck, on the sleeves, just not everywhere at once.
4. Purple, one of my favorite colors
5. Menswear, think vests, pinstripes, cuff links

Here are some other trends:

1. Big necklaces and lots of bracelets
2. Feathers on headbands, belts, scarves and trims.
3. Fringe on boots and bags, just don't wear both at the same time.
4. Any size belt, skinny, wide, chain, leather, you name belts are hot.
5. Patent leather in bags, shoes, and belts,

Hope this helps. Check out my shops for reasonable priced items to add to you fall wardrobe.
I have a great red patent leather belt, a faux animal print jacket, purple scarves, menswear vests, cuff links, lots of lace, big necklaces, and belts.

10 must-have items according to Nina Garcia

Nina Garcia's (Project Runway) new book is called "The One Hundred:A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own". The Charlotte Observer listed the top 10:

1. Animal print
2. Cashmere
3. Evening gown
4. Investment bag
5. Jeans
6. Knee boots
7. Little black dress
8. Stilettos
9. Trench coat
10. Wide-leg trousers

I agree with several of these, but the evening gown and stilettos are something I never wear. Some of these items can be found in my shop, vintagestyle101.etsy.com, check it out!