Vintage Ensemble 1: Professional Chic

This is the first in a new weekly series of posts I want to do, kind of like a little inspiration board for some outfits with a little retro flair. Whether its vintage through the entire outfit or putting a modern day twist on something retro-inspired, I love looking through my favorite shopping haunts and putting together cute outfits in my head. I guess I figured, why not do it here instead? lol Sometimes I see an outfit that I just love, but its way out of my budget and I can't wear it. I see it as a challenge to put together a similar outfit that I can see purchasing as a splurge, which can be a lot of fun.

Let's start the show!

This dress is only $50 from ModCloth

The more pricey version from Stop Staring is $166

This cute dress from ModCloth is perfect for a Monday at the office. It's got a modern twist on an otherwise very vintage dress, is very simple and no-fuss, and has a modern trend of peplum around the waist without taking away from the rest of the dress. Because its basic black, you can choose to keep it all black, or you can accessorize it with some color. Either one works for this dress, there's no way you can go wrong. It is also a wonderful fakeout for this Stop Staring! dress to the right that I featured in my Clothing LB! a few weeks ago.


There are so many variations you can do with this outfit. You can keep everything black, or you can choose a color, any color really, and the dress will complement them nicely. I wouldn't go for flats with this dress, though. The dress is wiggle-ish, so I would pair it with a cute pair of kittens or simple strapped heels. Nothing higher than 3" though--remember, we are at work here. :-)

These RVD shoes are $30

These Pinup Girl pumps are $44

If you want to stick with black, I'd go with these shoes to the left by Retro Vintage Dresses. They're simple but with a little bow detail on the bottom have just enough personality to avoid being completely boring. The heel is manageable and if you're a seasoned vet at wearing heels you shouldn't have sore tootsies at the end of the day. Again, an awesome fakeout for these shoes from Pinup Girl Clothing; a very similar looking shoe for about $15 less.



           Below I've included some jewelry and accessory options if you want a little color inspiration. Weirdly enough, I wouldn't do white as the color piece with this outfit. Eh, seems a little too safe to me. I'd prefer some actual color, but if I were to use white at all it would have to be with some color, like in these bracelet sets. I think even a colored watch could work in lieu of the bracelets. All of the jewelry below is from Rue 21; you can get away with so many cute pieces for a really affordable price. For some reason I really like shades of peach and pink with this dress. Can you tell? lol

Bracelet #1
Watch
Bracelet #2

Because of the neckline of the dress, I wouldn't go with certain types of necklaces as it would be a bit much for me. I'd stick with a simple necklace for this outfit; nothing too long, large or busy as--for me, anyway--it would take away from the collar. A necklace with a simple design should be enough to be ladylike and say something without making a loud statement. That's what the color, bracelets, and shoes are for. Even the earrings can be the statement pieces, but for me, the necklace doesn't need to be that piece for this outfit. That's why all the pieces below are simple in design, again all from Rue 21.

Necklace #1
Necklace #2
Necklace #3

At first I was going to say a thin belt as well so the dress doesn't look so plain, but not only might that take the vintage feel out of the garment but with the bracelet, color, shoes and even earrings if you choose, it may be a bit much. I'd leave it out and settle for a simple brooch instead if you must add something to the dress.

So that concludes this week's Vintage Ensemble. Next week it'll be a more casual outfit; I've been eyeing a pair of shoes I'd love to put together an outfit with. lol