vintage | Her Philly

We all know I’m not a fashion blogger. We also all know I thoroughly enjoy shopping. I often fall victim to quantity over quality, so when I do give myself the opportunity to splurge on something special for myself, it better be amazing.

I had been passing Bettie Page (1605 Walnut Street) with lustful eyes since it opened. I had popped in a few times and twirled among the gorgeous dresses, but could never bring myself to declare that I deserved to treat myself (dresses start at about $130) to a dress like this. It was not until my friends & I were planning our New Year’s Eve party that I stopped in to Bettie Page for real. To buy.

I had always been greeted by sweet associates during my visits before, and this time was no exception. I had stopped in near closing, but the employees, dressed like little vintage bombshells themselves, couldn’t have been sweeter. They helped me with sizing, similar styles, and checked on me frequently in the dressing room.

I tried on a few different styles, but the sizing was not right for me. One of the associates told me the brand designs for taller women, so to my petite Philly ladies, just be aware. When I first tried on my (winning) dress, I thought I resembled Sailor Moon. But after talking it over with the Bettie gals, I realized this was just a different look for me. I took the dress home, entire shopping process done and over in less than 25 minutes. What . . . I said I came to play, didn’t I?

After some minor buyer’s remorse (about the price tag, only) combined with some mirror shot selfies to my buds in the weeks leading up to the event, I decided to keep the dress, and I am so thrilled I did. I wore my dress to our New Year’s Eve party and got compliments all night. It was different & unique, but it made me feel sexy & happy, and to me, that is worth a few less pieces from Forever 21 and a few more dollars saved for dresses like these.

The gold color of this dress is not available online, but the Glitter Red ($158) is. Bettie Page sizing runs from a 0 – 18 and the associates are truly fantastic to work with. Hey hey, Valentine’s Day is coming up, ladies! And whether you have a date or not, I say treat yourself this year, you’re so worth it! xx

When I say that nearly my entire jewelry collection is vintage, I mean it. Years upon years of visits to flea markets, thrift stores and consignment shops (plus a few digs through my Nana’s jewelry box) have resulted in quite the collection that I am consequently quite proud of! There is literally no better feeling than getting a compliment while wearing a one of a kind piece that they are not mass producing at Forever21 (love you, though, F21). But accumulating a collection like mine takes, frankly, a lot of time, effort, and passion. So if you’re looking to quickly add some snazzy vintage pieces to your wardrobe, my way is not the way to go. But I have a solution. Obviously.

Sweet & Spark is an online curated vintage jewelry shop founded by Jillian Bremer. Her adorable website, which mainly sells gold jewelry from the 1940’s – 1990’s, is just under a year old. Jillian enlisted the help of her father, Howard, to work as Sweet & Spark’s head buyer (too cute). Howard scours flea markets, yard sales, and antique shops up & down the east coast, finding the best jewels for the site. They offer free shipping & the pricing is reasonable.

I took a peek around Sweet & Spark and picked out some of my favorite one of a kind pieces. Check them out:

70’s chunky classic id bracelet // 80’s edgy statement link earrings // 80’s cream shield bar flat link necklace

80’s open cream & gold bar bib necklace // 70’s etched cuff // 80’s bold striped circle earrings

So cute, right? Well, now for the fun part. Sweet & Spark, in conjunction with Philly Blog Love, is hosting a trunk show in Rittenhouse this weekend! I can’t wait to see all of the pretty jewelry in person – and get 10% off my purchase!

The trunk show is open to the public, so if you’d like to join us, you can RSVP here. I hope to see some of you there! Oh yeah, and Sweet & Spark, you had me at “gold.” xx

{Pin-Up Style} My First Bettie Page Dress

#ShareTheSpark with Sweet & Spark and Philly Blog Love!