Lilli Ann Coat

Fall is here!

One thing that I do kind of like about the fall is the opportunity to top off a cute outfit with a beautiful coat.

And the best vintage coats? Why, they're Lilli Ann of course! Like many other vintage gals, my most prized coats are my Lilli Ann coats. This turquoise one from the 1960's was my very first and probably the one I reach for the most.

 

Okay, fall, bring it on!I'm ready for you!

Ven

This summer's last journey on our "staycation" in Sweden was to the island of Ven. This idyllic island located in the sound between Sweden and Denmark is a perfect little getaway. 

We overnighted there and spent our two days biking around the island and through golden grain fields, stopping to pick wild cherries, catch some sun at the beach, try some locally produced cheese, and admire panoramic views of Denmark and Sweden from high atop the cliffsides.

We even found the perfect place for a gourmet sunset dinner: Restaurang Ella! Here's the view from our table. Just gorgeous!



Such a beautiful little island! I'm already planning on going back next summer!

Göteborg

I usually go home to Hawaii in the summertime (as well as the winter!), but this summer I decided to stay in Sweden. It gave me the chance to see parts of Sweden I haven't spent time in before. I've been living in this country for years and still had not really seen Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg!

We took a quick trip up the coast and spent two days there. One thing I love about the major Swedish cities is that they are all coastal cities. Having grown up on an island, I feel that a close proximity to the ocean is essential. Scenic, relaxing...what more could you want?

So naturally my absolute favorite part of the trip was our day at Aspholmen. Perched up on a hill of boulders, we had an incredible view of the archipelago which was teeming with life, both human and animal. I even got to take a dip in the water, which was just the icing on the cake for my day out!

When I was last at Lindex, I happened to find the perfect matching floral tank top and high waisted shorts combo that looks like a playsuit, and it has become my go-to beach outfit this summer. It may not be vintage, but it's cute and comfy and saves my real vintage from the wear and tear of beach days. You'll be seeing more of this one, trust me!

Unfortunately I didn't have time to do any vintage shopping in our short stay, but I did take in the gorgeous old architecture and charming vintage signage around town, like these beauties!

And of course, when on the Swedish west coast, you have to have some seafood! We went out to or a fancy seafood dinner at Sjöbaren in Haga.

The next day, we found ourselves back in Haga and we had to have a Swedish classic - shrimp sandwich at Hemma Hos before we got back on the train for Malmö. 

All in all, it was a great trip. Hope to see you again soon , Göteborg!

Country Gingham

Sweltering summer heat has made its way to Sweden, and I couldn't be happier! Cool, airy clothes are the order of the day, and I'm a Hawaii girl, so I've got lots of those. Since I'm out in the country, what's better for a hot summer day than some cotton gingham?

Trashy Diva has a super cute line of vintage-inspired gingham dresses and tops. I got not one but two dresses from this collection and one of them is this Lucy dress.

People have literally stopped and asked me where I got this dress from. Luckily for them, this is a reproduction, not one of my nearly one of a kind vintage dresses, so they can get one of these lovelies too!

Outfit roundup

Hello all!

I hope you are enjoying your summer. My vacation has just begun and I'm looking forward to just relaxing. During my last week of work, I had more time to share more of my outfits on Instagram. I got such a great response that I thought I'd make a post just to share them on my blog. 

Vintage 1950's dress with matching bolero from FN92

BBQ print Paris dress from Bernie Dexter

Lena Picnic dress from Trashy Diva

Vintage 1960's shirtdress from Xtabay Vintage

"1940's Dress" in Crimson Clover from Trashy Diva

Traced Swirls dress from Girls from Savoy

Again, the 1950's dress with matching bolero from FN92

That's all for now...until next time!

Pretty Pastels

One of the many things that I love about summer is that I can bring out all my most colorful dresses. This sweet pastel dress is so flattering, and it's airy and comfortable too. Perfect for warm weather!

My pastel purple Swedish Hasbeens needed their own closeup. Purple shoes are rather uncommon in general - it just makes me love this pair of Hasbeens even more!

 This is one of the few pastel pieces I own. I usually go for bright colors since those tend to better flatter my skin tone, but this dress is too cute not to wear! I feel great in it, and that's what counts.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thank you all for the birthday wishes last week! I've been so busy with work that I didn't really get to celebrate, but at least I celebrated with a new dress on my birthday!

There's a dress I've been holding on off on wearing until it was lilac time again, and here it is! The Bernie Dexter Paris Dress is a vintage-inspired dress, and this one has lilacs on it! It's perfect since the lilacs bloomed early this year - just in time for my birthday!

One of my favorite things about this dress is the 1950's style shelf bust. It's super comfortable and sits perfectly if you're not big-busted. I know that some girls have a problem getting this dress to fit right, but for me, this is the best Bernie Dexter dress style, fit-wise. Some of the others have a bit too much room for my shape.

Thank goodness it's finally warm again so I can color coordinate my Swedish Hasbeens with my dress. I swear, they are the cutest summer shoes around.

And of course I've already found something I want to get myself for my birthday.

Trashy Diva has a great new 1940's shirtwaist-style dress out in a fun rooster novelty print. It's the Sweetie Dress in "Ruffled Feathers." It looks super '40s and the roosters remind me of Portugal. I have to get me one soon!

Sunny days are here again!

The sun and warmth has finally decided to grace southern Sweden with its presence, and I am not one to waste an opportunity to soak up the sunshine!

To me, that also means an opportunity to bust out the colorful summer dresses I love and wish I could wear year round.

So we headed out to the country to enjoy the spring sunshine.

Hanging out with my favorite little fashionista. 

She loves to pose!

And my Dolores Doll Pineapple print dress from Collectif's summer 2015 collection got to make its debut for 2016. 

One thing I really like about repro vintage-inspired dresses is that you can wear them out and about in the summertime and not worry about ruining your vintage!This dress is so easy to throw on, I love it. It makes me feel so tropical...and makes me look so tan!

Maybe pineapples are too summery for the springtime but I don't care. I'll take any warm, sunny weather I can get!

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii!

I hope you all had a lovely May Day! In Hawai'i, May 1st isn't the workers' holiday it is here in Europe - it's Lei Day. Since the 1920's, May Day has been a celebration of Hawaii's culture and flora and especially our traditional lei!

Members of the May Day Court at the University of Hawaii in the 1940's decked out in a variety of lei. 

Today my mother strung a plumeria lei for me in honor of the holiday. Mahalo mom! I wish I could wear it today - plumeria smells so good!

Midcentury Kapa Print Dress

Aloha!

I'm back! It's been an incredibly busy spring for me and so I'm glad to finally have the time to get back to my blog.

This is one of my favorite Polynesian-style dresses from the late 50's - early 60's. When I bought it from Geronimo Vintage, it was brand new with its tags still on! This dress features a wonderful blue tone kapa-inspired print. This was a popular motif for island themed dresses during that time period.

When I was in Madeira last year, I got myself this brooch as a birthday present to myself from the Orchid Gifts of Madeira. It's a real orchid dipped in metal!

The first time I put up a picture of myself in this dress, someone asked what this print is. The design is inspired by Polynesian kapa fabric. Kapa (as it's known in Hawaiian) is made from the pounded bark of the paper mulberry plant. The patterns used on traditional kapa varies from culture to culture. Hawaiian papa is very different from that you would find in Samoa which is different from what you'd see in Tahiti. This is a sample of Hawaiian kapa.

Of all the kapa styles of the Pacific Island cultures, I think the dress' fabric most closely resembles Fijian masi. (For the record, Fiji isn't in Polynesia - it's in Melanesia.) Here's a sample of masi. Do you see the resemblance?

Vintage Hawaiian clothing lovers will recognize these prints on dresses or shirts they own but might not be aware of what it really is. Well, now you know - it's vintage midcentury fabric inspired by traditional, indigenous fabric designs. Here's another dress of mine, a Kamehameha, that also features a kapa-inspired print.

I collect so many Hawaiian/Oceania-inspired dresses that aren't really suited to being work outfits, so it's great to have a dress that is not only perfectly work appropriate, it's vintage and island-inspired to boot!