Affordable Fall Coats

After a pretty bad summer, we're now having a beautiful fall here in Sweden. The leaves have just started changing color, and it's not until mid-October it has started to get really cold outside. A nice, warm fall coat will come in handy right now, so today I want to give you a few tips on affordable, yet stylish coats from ModCloth!

Tender Loving Carriage Ride Coat

City Lovin' Coat

Central Park Sashay Cape

The Importance of Being Onyx Coat

You Don't Know Jackson Coat in Plaid

Preferred Pairing Coat in Croissant

Winterberry Tart Coat in Burgundy

Fab at the Fundraiser Coat

Eccentric of the Eye Jacket

Symphonic State of Mind Cape

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Christmas Gift Ideas

Shopping for Christmas gifts can be both fun and stressful. Ordering your presents online is a bit less stressful than running around town with all the other shoppers though. So here are a few tips for what to put under the tree!

Lady Love Song Dress in Merlot Velvet

Endless Enchantment Dress

Two gorgeous dresses perfect for both Christmas and New Years! Both are from ModCloth.

Stockings is something you always need more of - especially if you're into the vintage style, like me, and wear them on a daily basis. These are fully fashioned ones from What Katie Did!

You find all sorts of usable things in Mrs Murphy's webshop. This is a very good...um...water bottle, for example...

Jewelry from Garland Row. I really want one of these diamond studded star rings - in white gold - please...

We can never have too many pairs of shoes! These very 40s-looking babies are from Daisy Dapper!

The problem about doing these gift-help posts is that I end up wanting everything I write about myself! Think I need a glass of red wine and a massage now...

Kendra's Miami Fashion Challenge!

This week we'll take a break from Fabergé Friday. The reason is I just took on my first blog challenge, and this is pretty much the last day to enter. So, here we go! I received a mail from American travel expert Kendra Thornton, telling me she is planning a romantic getaway to Miami with her husband. To get some new ideas about what to wear on this trip, she is now challenging different fashion bloggers to help her pick out some new outfits. This is what Kendra wrote to me about the upcoming trip:

"I love South Florida because of its coastal towns, natural parks, beaches and gorgeous art galleries. You can really get inspired by the art deco buildings, palm trees, gardens and various cultures that have made Miami so different from other parts of America. Part of my excitement for this trip is a fashion challenge that I want to present to the amazing fashion bloggers out there. I need some help picking out a few outfits to go for Miami. Fashion houses and designers flock to Miami, and from the pictures I've seen, everyone could be in a fashion spread on South Beach alone. Here are a few details about our trip to help you select some items I can wear to the beach or even out to a romantic dinner date on the beach.

When I began planning this trip, I wanted to find a hotel that could really let my husband and I relax. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel is perfect for this. It's located right on the Atlantic Ocean and just three miles from South Beach. The Lincoln Road shopping district is also nearby, which gives it a great location to explore the areas around Miami without needing a cab!

One night of our trip I want to have a romantic dinner with my husband. There are 11 restaurants and bars at the hotel alone, so we may end up enjoying a night here. I know that we definitely want to go to Lapis, which is the 40,000 square foot spa located at Fontainebleau. They have 30 different treatment rooms and specialize in thermal therapy.

I know that most of my trip will be spent on the beach. I definitely want a casual yet posh swimwear look that can be comfortable at the beach or eating at one of the cafes along the shore. We will likely spend a lot of time at the Fontainebleau beach because they provide private cabanas, drinks and beach service if you get hungry. I can't wait to be pampered like that! I hope that my trip inspires some gorgeous selections. The fashion bloggers out there have so much talent, and I want to show off all your selections around Miami and in pictures! Im so happy and thankful you are helping me find the perfect look!"

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This is Kendra - blond, gorgeous, and with a lovely bustier! If she decides to wear that one for her and her husband's trip, they might get stuck in the hotel room though... Haha! To make sure they get out a bit, I have made two moodboards, with two different outfits - one for the beach, and one for the evening. Let's start with the beach!

Some people might think black is boring during the summer. But no, it isn't! Black is elegant ant it always work! Plus, you can match it with pretty much anything. So, for her days at the beach I chose a vintage inspired bikini for Kendra. It's called the Ester Williams Bathing Beauty, and you can get it at ModCloth. When you need to leave the sand for a while to go get something to eat, it can be nice to throw something simple on over your bathing suit, and I found the perfect thing at H&M - a dark green, sequin-embroidered chiffon kaftan. I want this one myself!!! Then we have vintage looking, golden shoes from Swedish Hasbeens, and good sized straw beach bag and shading straw hat - both from ModCloth. And Kendra darling, please don't forget sunblock!!! A tanned girl might look healthy, but a white girl is prettier than a red one...

And then we have my pics for evening wear:

First, I went looking for a perfect dress. And this is the one I'd like to see Mrs Thornton in! It's from Zac Posen's Resort 2014 Collection, and it reminds me of the foam that rides with the waves up on the beach. The shoes and the clutch are both from Jimmy Choo, and as they are dark blue they go very well with the ocean-theme that started with the dress. I think this outfit fits very well for any fancy restaurant, but also for that romantic dinner at the beach - just take the shoes off and walk barefoot in the soft sand...

So, that's it! My first blog challenge! I hope I have helped Kendra at least a little bit with her outfit-decisions, and I also hope she and her husband has a great trip with lots of romance! I'm not jealous at all... And if anyone out there feels like buying me the foam-dress, that's completely ok...

Playsuits! Yay!

Summer is coming even this year - I hope... And with that, temperatures that requires less fabric on our bodies - like, for example, playsuits! Or rompers as they are also called. I like the word romper. It sounds fun, and a bit naughty somehow. The romper appeared in the US in the early 1900s as playwear for younger children. In the 1950 they became very popular among grown women too, who wore them as leisure- and beachwear. During the last few years they have come into fashion again, and can be found in both modern and vintage inspired versions. Nowadays people even wear them to parties, matched with high heels and clutch bags. Here are some of my favorite pics from the web!

This one, from Emmy Design, comes in different colors. But I like it in light pink. It doubles as a swimsuit, has sewn in bra padding, a skirt-like detail at the front, and is made of bengaline - which is true to the swimsuit materials of the 40s.

Here is one with a cat in lace on it! Perfect for crazy cat lady-picnics! It comes from ModCloth.

Another one from ModCloth, the so called Romance Columnist Romper.

This is actually a bathing suit. But together with it's removable faux sarong skirt, I think it works very well as a romper too! It also has a built in bra. You find it at Revamp Vintage.

Another bathing suit that fits equally well as a romper. Also from Revamp Vintage. It has a boned bodice and a removable skirt.

Now I feel like having a romper party! Cocktails for everyone!!!

Two More Christmas Presents

I know I'm really bad at doing outfit posts. But here comes one, showing off two more things I got for Christmas  - a skirt suit, and a pair of shoes!

The New Look-inspired skirt suit is vintage, from the late 40s, in a black and brown fabric woven i tiny stripes. It has a bit of a sheen to it which made it look a bit stained in the photos - which it's not in reality. The jacket has a fitted bodice with a peplum, and brown velvet cuffs and neckline. There is a label inside that shows it was made by Jonathan Logan - a brand which, by 1966, was one of the biggest ready-to-wear companies in the USA. It was bought from DearGolden on Etsy.

And here are the shoes! Unfortunately, my old, black and very comfortable - but still good looking - favorite shoes died in November last year, when I was in Rome performing. That was a sad day... But I knew the time would come for us to part sooner or later. They had faithfully been walked and danced around in for many years... And then I found these perfect replacements, which I was happy to find under the Christmas tree! They are from ModCloth, and the brand is Chelsea Crew. I love a T-strap on shoes, that make them sit tight to my slender feet. Let's hope they will be with me for many years to come!

Last Moment Christmas Gifts

Soon it's CHRISTMAAAAAS!!! If anyone had forgot I mean... My Christmas shopping is done *phew*... But if you need some last minute tips, I have a few for you!

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Bra, panties and garter belt from What Katie Did's Coco series. I just love that bra! And the brown color is a nice alternative to the "normal" black.

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French knickers - also from What Katie Did. These come in black or peach!

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The Black Currant Scones Heel from ModCloth. Vintage style shoes with a heel low enough for not getting feet aches during long parties. Yay!

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The Goodnight Kiss Gloves, also from ModCloth. Long, warm gloves with diamond-shaped cutouts decorated with red lips!

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The Fan Seashell Bag, from It's Vintage Darling. Kizzy of the blog The Dainty Dolls House, posted a picture of this bag a few days ago, and now I want one myself!

Pearl necklace in a variety of colors, with matching bracelet, from Daisy Dapper!

Come to think of it, I actually want all these things myself! Better write Santa another letter. Haha...

Beach 2013

Summer is on it's way, and whether you like basking in the sun on a sandy beach, or rather prefer sitting in the shade of a parasol beside a pool, with one colorful drink in each hand, a stylish bathing suit might soon come in handy. So here are a few I wouldn't mind dressing up in myself!

The Bow Bikini from What Katie Did.

The A Lace To Call Your Own bathing suit from ModCloth.

The Moonlit Swimsuit top and bottom, ModCloth.

The Lacy Days one piece, ModCloth.

The super sweet two piece Cutie Pie Picnic, ModCloth.

The Bathing Beauty in emerald green. Love this color!...

...and it also exists as a two piece! Both from ModCloth.

Same style as above, but in another color. This one is called the Snack Bar Beauty, ModCloth.

For the cherry lovers there is also this one from Daisy Dapper. If you prefer getting a tan but with no tan lines, I recommend you go to a nudist beach though! Never been to one myself, but heard it can be quite fun... But don't forget sunscreen!!!

PS. Since many of the bathing suits in this post come from ModCloth, I might as well mention that right now ModCloth is giving away free grab bags with stuff for 50 USD to everyone who places an order over 125 USD! The supplies for these grab bags are limited though, so get them while they last! Click on the banner below to get there quickly!