Update: Vintage Black Pumps

It seems as if every day brings more goodies.

Last week? Black suede pumps from Jabot's "Holly Vogue" Vintage Boutique. (You might remember that I was "researching" accessories for our photo shoot back in June and had narrowed my choices down to four pairs.)
These are the shoes (#4 and a pair similar to #2) that I'll be sporting for our photo shoot and with my getaway outfit.

ProTip: When purchasing vintage shoes don't rely on the size marked in the shoe. Get a pair of shoes you wear that are similar in style - if you're buying heels with a pointed toe, grab a pair of heels with a pointed toe. Measure the inside length - this is more reliable than the shoe size as to whether the shoe will fit. Measure the widest part of the inside of the footbed.

Choosing: The Right Shoe

Ever since I was introduced to thrifting last year, I've become addicted to shopping for vintage outfits and accessories. By now you'll probably know I'm primarily focused on the 1940s and 1950s.

For our photography shoot and my getaway outfit I wanted a pair of cute eye-catching pumps. Juicy suggested pink. Initially I wasn't sold on pink. But then I found an adorable pair of Via Spigas. The downside? Completely sold out in my size. The Betsey Johnson shoes might have worked, but I have a problem paying over $100 for shoes that I might just wear once. (My fav designer shoes and boots that I sport at the moment? All from local thrift shops, less than $15 a pair.)

Unfortunately finding the "right" pink vintage shoes in my size is even more of a challenge.

$32.50 from Bee Hive Treasures (Etsy)

3/4 of an inch too long. Boo.

So back to basics. Black pumps. Here are the options in my size.

Which do you like?

Where I Found the Shoes

1. Sexy Kitten Heels with Charcoal Lucite Buckles and Bows from Yosemite Village (Etsy) $32.00
2. Pumps from Midnight Sparkle Vintage Clothing $60.00
3. Naturalizer Suede Leather Dress Shoes with Bow (#17) from Jabot's Holly Vogue Vintage $38.00
4. Soft Illutions Suede Leather Dress Shoes with Cross Bow (#22) from Jabot's Holly Vogue Vintage $38.00

Dressing the Bride: Another Something Old

Growing up I was frequently told I looked like either my mom or my dad (it depended on which parent I was standing next to at the time). As you know I'm wearing her dress at our wedding. It's one of our "Something Old"s.

We'd initially had this idea that I'd leave the venue in my wedding dress. After the final fitting and my first corset fitting, this idea was left in the dust. The dress is much easier to get into than out of. I need at least two people, with three preferred, to assist. New idea... A getaway outfit.

I asked my mom if she had any photos of her getaway outfit. Her answer? Even better - she still had the dress! And the color? Navy! One of our wedding colors.

Here's a photo of my mom and dad at my dad's brother's wedding.

Here I am in my mom's getaway dress. I love that it's got an empire waist (see my last Dressing the Bride post). I'm shorter than my mom, so I think I'll need to shorten the dress by 2 to 3 inches, but other than that what do you think? Even if it isn't the dress I wear for my getaway, it will be making an appearance.

Have you found an unexpected "Something Old"? What are you doing for your "Something Old"?

Dressing the Bride

Today after work I'm going for my first corset fitting. It's a big deal because I'll also be trying on my dress (which I absolutely love) and getting to share this with another friend. cubes reads and contributes to our blog and as we both agreed to keep the dress a secret until The First Look I can't post sneak peeks as some other brides have.

And... seriously I've been DYING to show off the dress. By now everyone knows I can't keep secrets very well - as evidenced by sneak peeks of our Save the Dates and Invitations before they went in the mail. I also can't show pictures of other dresses I tried on, because I didn't try on any others. I always knew I wanted to wear my mother's dress. I always knew that I wanted Miss Velvet Cream to reconstruct the dress for my silhouette. Well I can show you what's inspiring my getaway look as well as our photo shoot for the cover of our wedding favors.

First let me tell you about (or remind you of) our wedding favors. We're creating a cookbook with our favorite recipes - recipes that we've made and shared with friends and family throughout our relationship. We'd initially thought we use "The Kiss" for the cover. That was quickly abandoned when we saw ourselves kissing on absolutely everybody's refrigerators. Next idea (courtesy of Iris) was a photo shoot of us cooking in the kitchen. We thought we'd ham it up with pots and colanders on our heads for hats and spaghetti boiling over on the stove. Then with all of us gathered in Andy and Mella's kitchen the idea morphed again as we admired their 1950s stove.

I grew up watching Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, and Leave it to Beaver. I always remember the mom smiling and looking beautiful (as if she's ready to step out on the town) as she puts dinner on the table for the family.

(Source)

In junior high and high school I wore 1950s inspired outfits - dresses with the wiggle skirt or a full circle skirt. As we were talking I saw cubes and I standing in front of Andy and Mella's stove pulling a roast or tray of baked cookies from the oven. I was dressed like Donna Reed and cubes was in a smoking jacket looking distinguished.

So here are peeks at the dresses (and aprons) I'm inspired by. I can't wait to begin working with Juicy to bring the look to life.

(Crafty Crow Vintage)

(Planet Claire Vintage)

(Classic Bride)

(Planet Claire Vintage)

(Timeless Vixen Vintage)

(Dear Golden Vintage)

Are you doing a photo shoot before your wedding? Did you decide to style it in the theme of your wedding?