Then and Now: Sheer Beaded Blouse

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Victoria

The old me, revisited.

2013

2018

Is there a moment when you realize you’ve grown into a different person? Maybe it begins with something as small as a change in food preferences. Then you notice that you’ve picked up new habits and routines, or maybe you find yourself hanging with a different crowd. A shift in interests replaces old ones. Many things in life can spur change – some abrupt and traumatic (a bad breakup, the passing of a loved one), others dramatic (having a baby! relocating to another country!), but sometimes, the change is banal and happens gradually through the years that’s as natural as the changing seasons.

Urban Outfitters Beret (similar) | vintage blouse (similar) | Gap jeans (similar) | Sam Edelman shoes (similar) | LBD trench coat (similar) | vintage scarf (similar) | Dooney & Bourke bag (similar)

Call it growing up, or call it getting old, sometimes I feel like I’m going through a coming of age phase, if one exists for someone in their thirties. Climbing up that career ladder, green thumbing it in my new house, and settling into married life, coupled with more-homebody-less-homies means this is the most adulting I’ve ever done – and I know it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Just when I think I’ve got my personal style down forever, life happens. The change in my perspective trickles down to affect all facets in my life, OOTD included.

Whether it’s a fit and flare floral frock, a shifty business shift, or a brimmed hat bohemian lifestyle, I love taking my readers on a journey to different decades of dress along with a fashion history lesson. After blogging for six years, instead of visiting decades past, how about going back to the first year of Chic Vic?

2013

2018

Then: I first blogged about this 1950s blouse five years ago on my birthday, in the first year of Chic Vic. The tuxedo blazer I still have (a classic!), but the statement red pants have gone to the donation bin, and heels I no longer wear anymore. This is definitely an OOTD that I’ve outgrown.

Now: I chose to style this blouse with how I’ve been dressing lately – neutral colors, menswear-inspired flats, and a timeless trench topped off with my favorite Frenchie beret. Oh, and you’ll be seeing a lot more mom jeans on the blog, because, well, they’re awesome.

Sometimes I look back and have donator’s remorse, regretting selling or giving away some of the things I used to love so much. But I guess shedding my layers just means I gain more closet space to make room for a new and improved me. My sense of style will never be what it was when I first started blogging, but one thing remains constant: vintage undertones will always put the chic in Chic Vic.

One Shift Dress, Two Ways

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Victoria

Fashion Style Shift Dress

When is a shift dress not just a shift dress? I ponder the all-important question of whether or not I should keep my pants on for some shifty business.

Look 1: H&M dress (similar) | necklace (similar) | pashmina (similar) | vintage Levi’s (similar) | bangles (similar) | vintage clutch (similar) | vintage heels (similar) | Urban Outfitters sunglasses (similar)

Look 2: H&M dress (similar) | H&M necklace (similar) | pashmina (similar) | Me Too heels (similar) |Urban Outfitters sunglasses (similar)

Fashion Style Shift Dress

I love shift dresses for their easy shapeless silhouette, which seems to be made for a not-so-easy shapeless silhouetted gal such as myself. I wore this dress to a summer wedding a couple of years ago, and it was the best decision ever. While everyone else was restricted by their fitted frocks, I was able to let myself go at the buffet line until I passed out from sheer gluttony.

Recently, I was rifling through my closet searching for something summery to wear when I heard the familiar croak of my feathered friend. I had so much fun at that wedding – won’t you please wear me again?

Fashion Style Shift Dress

With a blueprint of a tropical paradise serving as the backdrop, the orange-beaked toucan and two birds of a feather in flight invite me into their lush oasis. Flowers and fruit come alive in tangy color pops as juicy as fresh squeezed orange juice on a hot summer day. Oh yes, I rediscovered this dress just in time for summer. But I have different plans for you this time around, my dear toucan.

I’m taking the “dress” out of the shift dress and ditching shaven legs for a roomy pair of mom jeans. The hem of my tropical shift meets my vintage Levi’s in a concrete jungle combination. I wrap my head around a head wrap with stacks on stacks on stacks of bangles upon my wrists. Meanwhile, the toucan is tucked snuggly against my waistband, his orange beak just barely peeking out to observe the world around him.

A tropical paradise in a pair of mom jeans. Shifty business indeed.

A Turtleneck for the Spring

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Victoria

As far as turtlenecks go, I’ve never been a huge fan. When I was young, my mom forced me to wear turtlenecks in hideous shades of pink and fuchsia. Maybe she believed they would prevent me from catching a cold. Or perhaps she was setting precedent for a modest way of dress that I came to embrace without question.

Urban Outfitters beret (similar) | vintage turtleneck (similar) | vintage Levis 501 (similar) | vintage Cameos pumps (similar) | vintage necklace (similar) | vintage bangle (similar) | vintage watch (similar) | vintage Coach crossbody (similar) | Urban Outfitters sunglasses (similar)

In my early 20s, I ventured down the turtleneck road again, and incorporated the high neckline into my working girl’s office wardrobe. I am willing to suffer a little discomfort in the name of fashion, but the turtleneck was in a class of its own. I gave it up after one season, as if its constricting nature was stifling my style.

But nowadays, turtlenecks aren’t as restrictive as they used to be, with looser necklines available in a variety of materials. Whether it’s cozy wool for the winter, lightweight drapey cotton knits for the spring, or even sleeveless ones in the summer, there’s a turtleneck for every season.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Like romantic relationships, you shouldn’t feel smothered by your turtleneck. I stole this vintage top from my momma’s closet, and while I can’t decide if it’s a turtleneck, funnel neck, mock, or maybe all of the above, alls I know is that my neck can breathe again like Toni Braxton. The loose fit and thinner material make it appropriate for this transitional weather, as we’re experiencing temperature swings left and right like hot flashes.

In keeping with the mom theme, I tucked my mom’s turtleneck into a classic pair of mom jeans, none other than the original Levi’s 501 button fly. A slim pair of pointy pumps helps streamline the otherwise dowdy mom look, while golden embellishments and a beret add a little flair to this turtleneck affair.

Mom Jeanetics

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Victoria

I’m not planning to be a mom anytime soon, but that won’t stop me from wanting to sport the “mom jeans.”

If you’re lucky to get it from your momma – a pair of hand me down jeans – then you’re already one step ahead of the trend. I call it jeanetics. But what exactly are these so called “mom jeans”? They are characterized by a high waist, slight bagginess in the crotch area with optional pleats, and a tapered leg opening. In other words – they are quite unflattering in that they make your butt look bigger than it is, while simultaneously flattening it. Call it pancaking.

All of this sounds like bad news bears, but oddly enough, it is precisely the ill-fitting unflattering way of the mom jean that makes it so charming.

The tomboyish cut makes it a perfect candidate to juxtapose with feminine elements, such as high heels and a girly top.

Or, you can embrace the boyish look with a cropped tee and sneaker flats, with the hem of the jeans rolled up to show some ankle.

I may have gotten my single dimple from my momma, but mom jeans I did not. However, I did score this vintage Levis jeans upcycled into a pencil skirt. I imagine that they were a pair of mom jeans in their previous lifetime, and so I styled them accordingly: with a soft knit top, wedge heels, a fancy belt to accentuate the high waist, and a healthy dose of girly accessories.

To all you mothers out there: wear those mom jeans up high, loud and proud! Happy Mother’s Day!

vintage top (similar top) / upcycled vintage Levis (similar denim skirt) / Natural Comfort shoes (similar shoes) / vintage belt (similar belt)