adventure: camp hollywood 2017

photo credit: @keeganmullin

Sorry for the weeklong absence from the blog! I was in recovery mode from the wonderful adventure over Labor Day weekend at the National Jitterbug Championships at Camp Hollywood.  Camp Hollywood is one my favorite swing dance weekends of the year - amazing music, competitions, dancers from all over the world, and a joyous time of celebrating as a community!

For those of you who have never experienced a swing dance weekend, each day basically goes like this: classes in the mornings from 10am-3pm, then competitions from 3pm-6pm, a break for dinner and then social dancing, more competitions, and partying from 9pm-6am!  Then you crash for a few hours, wake up, and do it again! My friends and I decided to skip classes this year to use that time to catch up on sleep, lounge by the pool, and socialize some more.

In the pictures above, you can catch a couple shots of me competing, which as you can tell from my expression is a complete bore to me. *ahem*

Of course, I am kidding.  As these are the National Jitterbug Championships, people travel from all over the world (including Sweden, France, even South Korea) to compete, so the competition is pretty fierce.  Even so, my incredible partner (and great friend) Juan and I made finals in the Classic division and alternates for the Strictly Lindy division.  Translating that into non-dancer speak, the Strictly Lindy division is the fast moving, aerial-filled dancing that you probably think of when you think of swing, and the Classic division is to medium-tempo music and is more about style and musicality rather than flash.  I felt really proud of how we performed, and had a ton of fun to boot! I always leave Camp Hollywood inspired and ready to work even harder for the next year!

And while the competitions are a huge part of the weekend, the best part is seeing friends from out of town, hanging out, and being silly!

A huge thank you to everyone who made it a Camp Hollywood to remember!  Back to regular scheduled programming on Thursday! ;)

outfit: the summer/autumn transition

sweater - thrifted/eBay, jeans - modcloth, shoes - b.a.i.t. footwear

I put that last picture in not only to show the shoes, but also to remind everyone that I am a complete spazz.  @keeganmullin, my best friend and photographer for the blog, does a great job of capturing some beautiful pictures of me, but he can never fully escape the fact I am definitely a dweeb-y hummingbird.

Ok, now some thoughts behind this outfit.  Autumn is my favorite time of year - the colors, the food, the weather getting colder, the feeling that the magic of the holiday season is soon approaching.  Unfortunately we still have a bit more time before fall hits, despite what the stores already pushing Halloween products want to you think.  So this sweater is the perfect transitional item - short sleeves and not too heavy.  Paired with my high-waisted capri jeans from modcloth and some adorable mint oxfords from b.a.i.t. footwear, I gave it a 1950s flair, and it's a pretty effortless look!

 Outfit Details:

• Thrifted Sweater
• Modcloth High Waisted Jeans
• B.A.I.T. Footwear Mint Oxford Shoes

outfit: garden party

dress - unique vintage (similar), shoes - restricted (similar)

I'll be honest - I really don't like wearing halter tops.  Actually I hate them.  I always feel extremely exposed and generally not flattered.  I pretty much avoid them at all costs.

For that reason, I have only worn this dress one time since I purchased it last year from a sale at Unique Vintage. And that one time I did wear it, I covered the top half with a shirt to hide the halter part.  However, it has been sitting in my closet for over a year I decided it was time to stop letting this beautiful print collect dust and, instead get over my fear.

And I have to say, after seeing these pictures - I feel so pretty! I may have been wrong about my halter top prejudice.  Plus it helps when an amazing photographer like @keeganmullin is taking your picture!

I am guessing most everyone who is reading this knows of Unique Vintage, but what you might not know is that at least once, if not twice a year they have an amazing sale where they sell dresses like this for as low as $25! As much of a vintage shopaholic as I can be, I am usually pretty good at waiting for sales and finding good deals.  So if you are trying to get vintage style without breaking the bank, I encourage you to be patient - keep an eye out for sales on sites like Unique Vintage or Modcloth and keep your eyes and ears open for vintage warehouse or yard sales - especially in LA! We have so many events happening here in southern California, and it's all a matter of patience and determination to find the best deals. :)

photo credit: @keeganmullin

Outfit Details

• Unique Vintage Dress (similar here) 
• Restricted Shoes (similar here)

SaveSave
SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

outfit: 30s vibes

dress - loco lindo (old, similar here), shoes - modcloth, necklace - vintage

One of the nice things about having long hair is versatility it provides.  You always have the option to fake a short haircut, without having to commit to it.  So occasionally when I see a gorgeous dress like this with butterfly sleeves and a ruffle detail, I embrace my inner 1930s and pin my curls up.

I haven't spoken about this company on my blog before, but let me introduce you to a wonderful brand Loco Lindo which specializes in vintage reproductions - especially for swing dancers! I first discovered them because they are sponsors of The Hollywood Hotshots, a dance company I am a part of that primarily specializes in preserving American Vernacular Jazz dance from the 1920s through the 1950s.  So I have luckily gotten to wear many Loco Lindo outfits when performing on movie sets, live shows, or private parties!

In the case of this particular dress, I got extremely lucky and found it at a vintage warehouse sale in great shape and for an amazing price (I think around $28!).  I am obsessed with this mustard color and the wrap style of dress is one of my favorite silhouettes.  It's easy to wear, flattering, and gives an outfit a vintage flair.  One nice thing is that wrap dresses are coming back into vogue and now you can find them at most modern department stores like this or this or this or this.

Let me know how you wear your wrap dresses!

Photo Credit: @keeganmullin

Outfit Details

• Loco Lindo Dress (old, similar here) 
• Modcloth T-strap Shoes
• Vintage Necklace 

SaveSave

outfit: modern does vintage

shirt - old navy, skirt - forever21, sunglasses - kate spade (similar), shoes - modcloth (old)

The number one question people ask me (other than, Grace, how can you possibly eat that much sour candy?), is "where do you buy your clothes?"  And while I do love shopping at vintage reproduction companies like Unique Vintage or Modcloth, I actually get a lot of my clothes at modern stores at the mall.  The trick is looking for vintage inspired items - for instance, a striped or floral print, a detail on the collar, or a silhouette that has a natural waist line.  This outfit is the perfect example!

This super cute blue/white striped collared shirt is from Old Navy, who by the way have really stepped up their game.  And this skirt is from Forever 21 is so easy to wear that I bought it in both colors.  Plus it is only $15.90! It really is possible to find cute vintage-inspired pieces on the cheap.

Now despite what I literally just wrote in that last line, I am also wearing Kate Spade sunglasses to complete this look, and those definitely are an investment.  Thankfully these were purchased during the brief window of time my sister worked there, so with her discount even that wasn't so much of a splurge. ;)

Let me know how you style your modern pieces with your vintage ones!

photo credit - @keeganmullin

Outfit Details: 

• Old Navy Striped Shirt
• Forever21 Midi Skirt
• Kate Spade Sunglasses (old, similar here)
• Modcloth shoes (old)

adventure: oc fair fun!

This past weekend, I experienced my very first Orange County Fair! It was a super fun day filled with adorable animals, silly dancing, and all the fried food we could eat, as you can tell from the video above.

A special shout out to one of my favorite swing bands around - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander for the awesome music I used in the video! If you liked it, you can check out more of their music here.

Yes, that is me feeding and holding a chicken! It was magical!

I didn't have it in me that day to get all vintaged-up, so a bright blue t-shirt and an easy skirt, and I called it a day.  I am a firm believer that vintage fashion should be fun, so there are definitely some days where it is too much work to do full hair and makeup, and I just feel like keeping it simple and enjoying the day. Sometimes it is about the adventure - enjoying the experience and not caring what you look like!

photos by @keeganmullin

adventure: disneybound #1 // LILO

romper - trashy diva (similar), hair flower - old, shoes - american eagle outfitters, stitch bag - zulily

oh my gosh, you guys, I finally did it - my first disneybound! I have been wanting to make this happen for so long - and now that I have a disneyland annual pass, it's as if heaven's gates have been open to me! (hmm, too dramatic?)  For those of you who don't know, Disneybounding is basically wearing an outfit inspired by a disney character.

Anyway, ever since I bought this romper from Trashy Diva, I knew it would be perfect for a Lilo inspired disneybound. I love this romper because it generally reads more like a dress, and the cactus rouge print is so fun and summer-y. Of course, I had to put my vintage twist on Lilo so I added a hair flower and some flats.  I finished it off with this cute little Stitch bag I got on Zulily (which I highly recommend for finding cute Disney merchandise without breaking the bank!). Other than that, I spent the day enjoying some sun by the pier at DCA and some dole whip and silliness by the Tiki Room in DL!

And of course what would a disneybound be without a pic or two by the blue wall?

photo credit - Keegan Mullin

Outfit Details

• Trashy Diva Romper (similar)
• American Eagle Outfitters Flats
• Hair Flower (old)
• Stitch Envelope Bag

wishful wednesdays #3

Welcome back to Wishful Wednesdays, where this vintage hummingbird posts wishlists, pretty things, inspirations, or anything she is wishing that week!  This week's Wishful Wednesday is full of beautiful vintage summer silhouettes that are also easy to wear. When it is super warm out, I still want to have a touch of vintage to my look without the hassle of having to set my hair everyday or do a full face of makeup.  I love the idea of throwing a hat or hair scarf on and calling it a day.  Or just some red lips and cute sunglasses, and bam, instant vintage flair.

1 - bird print dress, 2 - bangles, 3 - tiki print shoes, 4 - hair scarf, 5 - colourpop lipstick in avenue, 6 - red crop top, 7 - tiki print shorts, 8 - pineapple brooch, 9 - nude sunglasses, 10 - diving beauties stoneware bowl set

I was apparently feeling very tiki inspired this week! I am dying over the new Birds of a Feather print from Trashy Diva. It is SO PRETTY.  Plus there are so many colors to pull out of it to accessorize with. Other than that, give me pineapple print and hawaiian floral inspired everything else! Til tomorrow!
SaveSave

outfit: let's backtrack

dress - letsbacktrack, shoes - restricted (similar), acorn necklace - enchanted leaves

Summer is in full swing in southern california, and I for one have been doing my best to stay indoors and avoid the heat.  Generally when it comes to the sun, you will find me grumbling and avoiding it at all costs.  ...and yes, my doctor did prescribe me Vitamin D supplements because it turns out not ever going outside has caused a vast deficiency.  But you know what, I burn in like 5 seconds, so a pill works fine for me! 

Despite all of that, when you are wearing a dress this pretty, you are left with no choice but stop the grumbling, get out, and show it off!

LetsBacktrack is an etsy clothing store run by Hannah Taylor-Anderson.  Not exactly sure how I came across it, but I am so happy I did because her stuff is amazing!  This day dress is my first purchase from her, and it is so impeccably made, so flattering, and so easy to wear.  Plus whenever I wear it, people always ask me if it is real vintage. I cannot recommend her shop highly enough!  The blue gingham fabric is just stunning and does most of the work, so I completed the outfit by throwing on some super comfy and vintage-inspired green flats by Restricted Shoes (similar here), putting my hair up in a bun (because nobody got time for a fancy hairdo when it is 90℉), and grabbing a parasol on the way out the door (because this hummingbird still wants some shade)!

photo credit: keegan mullin

Outfit Details:

• LetsBacktrack Dress
• Restricted Shoes (similar)
• EnchantedLeaves Acorn Necklace