Square Dancing Golden Goddess

This is one of my favorite outfits. Main reason why, is that it is a vintage square dancing skirt and top. I can honestly say that I didn't even know there was such a thing as a square dancing outfit. But of course now that I have researched what it is, I am seeing so many beautiful square dancing outfits and it completely makes sense that they exist.

Throw back time....Did you have to square dance in middle-high school during gym class?? I did and man I wouldn't have complained as much if I was able to wear this bad ass square dancing outfit. LOL

I remember when I saw this set for the first time. It was hanging up on a rack with 100's of outfits and I wasn't really in the mood to go digging but I saw the gold ever so slightly sticking out, so I went in for a deeper look. Once I had her in my hands I knew she was coming home with me and I was going to find her a new mamma. Don't you just love the gold? Its all over this outfit and it is so shinny and bold. When we were walking through the Venetian taking photos, this dress was a show stopper. One twirl in this skirt and jaws will drop. 

For both shoots I styled the outfit more formal with heels and hair down. However, you can style it so many ways. You can wear it has a complete set, you can separate the two and wear the top and the skirt separately. You can pair with sandals, cowgirl boots and lots more to create your custom Melange Style. 

I hope you enjoy this look at much as I do. Keep checking back for more vintage goodies. 

XOXO - Renee

Models: @jodymarie_offical & @ohdarlingaurora - instagram

Photographer: @hazukiphotography - instagram 

Flower Dress ideal for all four seasons

Over Valentines Day, I went to Las Vegas, NV for the Magic Fashion Convention and decided to have a few photo shoots with our offerings. It was so much fun and I am now addicted to traveling and shooting and networking and getting out and meeting everyone and sharing my love for vintage and fashion. I will be sharing various looks over the upcoming weeks and I hope you enjoy them.

The model we used for the shoot was Kayla Kalisz who is a wonderful dancer, model, aerialist and actress based out of Vegas and California. You can book Kayla at kaykaykalisz@yahoo.com The Photographer is Carrier Pollard and she creates some amazing work. You can contact carrier at carrie@carriepollardphotography.com

This dress is great. It is form fitting and has the cutest flower pattern. When I saw Kayla in this dress, my heart melted. 

This dress can be styled year round. You can wear knee high brown boots in the fall, low white sneakers or boho sandals in the summer and ankle boots in the winter and spring. In the winter you can also toss a cute sweater over top of the dress to stay extra cozy. 

 I hope you enjoyed this look. 

How would you style this look? What hair would you rock and where would you wear this dress?

Chat with you soon.

XOXO

Renee 

Stop and Smell the Flowers

I just love this dress. I mean who doesn't love a maxi / hostess dress, especially when its vintage. They are just so versatile and flattering on all body types. 

One of the features that I love on this dress is the V-neckline which then draws attention to the diamond on the chest. The flowers on the dress are so bright and pretty you just want to stop and smell them. This is such a fun dress.

For this look, we styled the dress more formal with black high heels and more dramatic hair and make-up, done by the amazing ladies over at Mint Salon. 

What a lovely time. They opened the salon an hr early to fit us all in, last minute. Such a blessing to have them in town. Kendra (3rd from left) is also my stylist. Love me so Mint!

My Personal MelangeStyle would be to style this look with Nike Chuck Taylors, Frye Erica Stud Oxford, or DollsKill Dr. Martens Iced Metallic Pascal Boots. I would pair all shoes with the ModCloth Hell Bunny Spell It Like It Is Bomber Jacket and toss my hair in a messy bun and call it a day. 

I hope you enjoy the look below and the styles I suggested for my own MelangeStyle. Please leave me a comment with what you would style along with our Stop and Smell the Flowers Dress.

If you are interested in buying this dress you can purchase it here but don't delay too long, there is only 1 available. 

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Peace, Love & Confidence

Writing this blog post is bitter sweet and making me a little emotional as I begin to type.

The model in this blog has been a life long friend and somewhat of a little sister to me and she has recently moved away to PA. I miss her but am so happy for her to be taking this journey in her life. I am blessed to have had such a great model and supporter and if you want...please leave a comment below with some kind wishes for the beautiful Kim in this next phase of her life! XOXO

Okay now on to the less emotional part of this blog.....the FASHION!

I stumbled upon this vest while in Cleveland OH. I saw a thrift store on the side of the road, pulled a U and before I knew it I was elbow deep in all kinds of funky vintage...so much that I had to ship all of it back home via UPS. I just HAD to.....

I fell in love with this vest because of the amazing colors and design from the various colors used to make the vest. The purple is so neat along side the green....not a color paired up too often which is why it caught my eye. You then have my favorite color....burnt orange...a staple color in home décor in the 70's.  I could go on and on about the color pattern and the overall design, I just find it so funky and unique. If this vest was in my size it would be a keeper for sure but score for the size Small as this ones for you.

We decided to keep it nice and natural and let the vest stand on its own...open or closed. Kim preferred it open as her confidence has been off the hook as of late and as a Boutique that supports strong confident females, I 100% supported her flying that confidence flag and styling herself for her final Mélange Shoot.(awe typing that made me sad)

We also paired this killer vest with a light wash vintage pair of blue jeans with cute seam/stitching detailing on the bum and thighs. I too got this while in Cleveland but it was a different thrift store than where I picked up the vest.  A Mélange tip: always stop in  antique and thrift stores while traveling. Their clients may be different from your or your to go to boutiques, clients and you may stumble on a wonderful hidden treasure and $1000.00 worth of vintage goodies for a faction of the cost.

While I’m writing this blog I keep thinking about how else I could have styled this look and what kind of other items I have in my inventory to pair this beauty with. I'm thinking: 1) black skin tight jumpsuit with some killer black boots and a purple clutch. 2) long white boho skit, floppy brown hat, leather tooled bag, slouch boots with cream tights and finally 3) Cream Blouse with puff sleeve detailing, skinny jeans, open toed wedged shoes and oversized sunglasses...are a few options for styling this vest.

Thank you so much for taking time to check out my blog and this fun and funky vest. Please leave a comment below and let me know you are here and if there is anything specific you would like me to cover..

Also share some love for Kim and her new adventure. She is a free wild spirit and this is her first big leap and I know it won’t be her last. Love you Girl!

Spring is just around the corner

Next week it is going to be in the mid 60's... in Chicago... in February. That's just crazy and to celebrate all this awesomeness, I wanted to put one of my FAVORITE Spring outfits on the blog.

Mix - Blend - Mingle patterns and eras to create your signature Melange Style

As you know I LOVE Goodwill and surprise, surprise, this entire outfit (minus the shoes) is from my local Goodwill.  Really, if you haven't checked out your local thrift store and estate sales, please do. I promise you wont be disappointed.

For this look, I paired a pair of vintage 1980's elastic waist and ankle pants that had a super feminine pink fabric with flowers, with a vintage crochet top with flower detailing on the sleeves, and a faux fur vest which matched perfectly with the flowers on the pants.

To accessorize the look, we paired sea foam green oversized sunglasses and a vintage tooled leather purse from Mexico. The purse had flower detailing, which also played well with the pants and top.

I love playing dress up, especially when the entire outfit was purchased for under $30. Like I said check out your local thrift store and estate sales, you can create beautiful and unique outfits with a little effort and a little budget.

Below I have provided a few more photos of the completed look. Please let me know what you like, what you don't like, what you would pair with the outfit and what you would like to see me blog about in the future.

XOXOXO - Renee

Rock Star

This entire outfit makes my heart melt and leaves me wanting to hug my family. I know you are probably thinking...okay weirdo this outfit makes you feel like that!? So let me just elaborate a little.....

This Rock Star outfit has bits and pieces of wonderful memories from my childhood and honeymoon. AWE LOVE.

This amazing faux leather puff jacket was purchased in London on my honeymoon, 7 years ago. I took one look at the puff on the shoulder and just had to have it. The vintage red gloves and purse were my mothers from the 80's and I remember her wearing them with some killer red boots. The black oversized sunglasses were a super sweet Goodwill find along with that amazingly bold vintage scarf....just imagine the creative ways to wear that scarf...we will save that for another blog post. AND...the black sequin dress was a dress that my older sister Brianna wore to one of our family Christmas vacation dinners when we were young teens. 

I grew up in a small Illinois town, made up of 3500 people and my parents felt that it was important to take trips each winter to the BIG City...aka Chicago, to help make sure that we understood that there was more to our future than a small town. We would get 2 rooms at the Palmer House and live like princesses for a day or two, walking all over Chicago and trying new types of foods and go to the theater dressed up like we were going to prom.  I believe this was the best thing they every could have done for us and it created wonderful memories year after year, after year. And because I love my family so much...watching Meisha model this outfit, just melted my heart.

How amazing are those EXTRA tall heels!? If you were in an environment where heels are not the best option or you are anti heels, I would pair this outfit with black suede wedges, sequin boots, combat boots or a cute pair of black or red flats.  

For Meisha's make up, we decided to keep it fun and bold. We drew attention to her beautiful eyes with gold liquid eye shadow around the outside, which highlighted her amazing bone structure and paired well with her bold purple hair.  

We also went with a smokey eye with black and a bright pink eye shadow and created even more of a rock star look by giving her a little wing with eye liner.

Because her outfit, hair, and eyes were so bold, we decided to keep her lips and cheeks neutral. With a model this beautiful, we could have done just about anything and she would have looked like a Rock Star!

The dress, jacket and scarf are available for purchase through our Etsy shop and Instagram page. Or just shoot me an email and we can chat about what you are looking for.  

XOXOXOX - Renee

Girl Boss

While wearing this outfit, I felt like the pimpiest of pimps...pimping out my vintage wears that is.  Add a walking stick with a gold hawk on the top and BAM, I'm the most bad ass Girl Boss in all of the lands!

For this look, we paired my jumpsuit, which I found on Groupon, with a vintage perfume necklace from Avon, which now holds my good luck crystals and stones. A vintage all black hat and faux fur coat with beautiful copper colored lining and collar, which was a Goodwill find.

We also decided to go big on the arm candy, by pairing a cluster ring, which used to be my mothers, with a copper color similar to the jackets lining,  A really neat vintage XXL ring with the most interesting detailing and the most chunkiest bangle I have ever owned. I felt like wonder woman while wearing it. Both the ring and the bangle were a Goodwill find. Yes....I spend many hours sorting thought Goodwill Bins.

I also have another addiction I haven't told many about, but you will find out soon anyway, so why not hear it from me. I am addicted to vintage American Tourister Bags. I travel with them, use them for my laptop, take to the gym...they are bright, leather and stunning. I just LOVE them. So guess what....we decided to pair one with this Girl Boss outfit.

One of my favorite parts of owing a Boutique, is coming up with the look, the hair, the make up...everything...its what keeps me ticking day after day. So, for this look we were blessed with two amazing artist from Jean Marie Salon www.jeanmariesalonandspa.com Check the salon out! @hair_by_richelle on instagram or ask for Richelle at the salon.  

We decided to go with a more BOHO vibe with two fishtail braids which were pulled and tugged to create this carefree hairstyle, with ringlets surrounding the face.

Being that the outfit made me feel mega bad ass, we decided to go with bold make up. I rocked this same makeup at a few music festivals this past summer...fun times. For the make up, we used basic scotch tape to create a design and then add color where needed. We outlined the lips in a darker red and utilized a light pink lipstick, to create more drama. I love this look, just love love love it!

The jacket and some accessories can be found on our etsy page. We also have some vintage jumpsuits still listed at this time. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach on out. www.etsy.com/shop/DiscoverMelange

TGIF - Have a wonderful and safe Super Bowl weekend!

xoxoxox - Renee

Good Morning Charlie

Good Morning Charlie....let me finish modeling this bad ass jumpsuit and then I will be over to kick some butt! POW! BAM! SLAM!

This vintage jumpsuit is to die for. The creamy yellow color is flattering on all skin tones and the cut is extremely figure flattering. Also, check out that belt...it provides the shape a lady needs when wearing such a power suit.

We decided to pair many fun vintage and modern accessories with this bitching jumpsuit to create a little pop of color as well as keep the look feminine.

The 3 bracelets on the left are from (top down): Avon , Goodwill and a Faux Tortoise Shell bangle that used to be my mothers from the 70's. The bracelet on the right was from Riot Fest 2015 in Chicago. It had areally cool hand and ring combo, but I hula hooped too hard and broke the chain. Then decided tokeep the owl bracelet and rock it on its own. We also paired a beautiful vintage broach with fan and chain detailing.  The broach was a light green and gold and matched perfectly with the rest of the accessories. The ring was also a vintage find from Goodwill. Oh gosh... I'm telling you my shopping secrets...LOL.

So I am saving my favorite accessory for last. Did you see those sunglasses. Okay that's a silly question...why wouldn't you have noticed those glasses.!? The oversized frame and abundance of rhinestones just scream Charlie's Angels. I wish I could wear these sunglasses all the time, even now while typing this in my fuzzy slippers, bathrobe and hair in a half bun.

With this being my 5th blog post in a row about jumpsuits and do have 1 more still to come, you can see that I have a weakness for jumpsuits....or is a weakness for strong powerful confident women, because that's what you are when wearing a jumpsuit. Either way, I love them, I love you and I love bringing you fun vintage fashions.

Keep being beautiful! Keep being strong! Keep being you!

xoxox

Renee

Party Girl Attitude

This jumpsuit screams "Party Girl Attitude"!

As we all know, I have a weekness for jumpsuits and pockets. Unfortunately this jumpsuit does not have pockets....but did you see what it does have!!?? GOLD STUDS....and those gold studs are what instantly drew me to this jumpsuit. Not to mention the sheer material over the arms. SEXY!

To highlight this amazing jumpsuit, we highlighted the deep-V neckline with a Vintage faux Leopard and Gold chunky necklace. This necklace is light and the faux fur is SO soft.  Also, available for sale in our Etsy shop.

This jumpsuit is perfect for all types of events, going out with the girls, date night with your man and more. Don't be afraid to show a little Attitude, your outfit made you do it. :-)

Contact me for more details and how to purchase.

XOXOX

Renee

Blue Skies Smiling At Me

When I saw this Amazing Blue Vintage Jumpsuit, I fell madly in love and had to have it. Not for myself....well kind of...I HAD to wear it once...ya know...make sure the quality is up to par. LOL. All joking aside, I had to have it so I can share it with the vintage community. I love finding vintage but it is not always my size, style or color but I still buy it. I think I may have a vintage shopping addiction. I truly hope to find this bad ass jumpsuit the perfect home.

This jumpsuit can easily be dressed up or down. It can also be used for many different styles. For this outfit we made it more late 80's early 90's by adding this bold pattern jacket with oversized shoulder pads and collar. This jacket will have a blog post all to itself. I just love it. but lets save that for another day.

If the jacket was removed, you would find two front breast pocket with snap closures as well as two front pockets over your thighs. I'm a sucker for pockets so this is kind of a big deal to me. The other big deal when it comes to jumpsuits is that is gives a good shape. This Blue Jumpsuit has an elastic waistband. Yes you heard me...ELASTIC WAISTBAND!! To me this means two things. 1) Because the band is elastic that means it will fit a wider range of sizes and 2) you will have a nice tapered waist. Which is important when working with a vintage jumpsuit.

If you haven't worn a jumpsuit before, its worth giving them a try. It may take a minute or two to find your ideal jumpsuit, but its worth the search. Jumpsuits can empower you while still making you feel femanine. You will feel like you can conquer the world and take on whatever it is life throws your way.  

For more information please visit my Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/469566700/blue-1980s-jumpsuit?ref=shop_home_active_41

XOXOX

Renee