Letter Writing

Hello, everyone! Today I'm going to address the art of letter writing, which is sadly becoming more and more obsolete.

Letters from recent months.

                Just think about when you receive something in the mailbox addressed to your name. I know I feel a little pop of happiness in my heart when I see ‘Jessie Link’ written on an envelope or a package. It’s always a surprise, as it isn’t always clear when a letter or package is going to arrive. Who doesn’t love surprises?

My letter writing kit: Brown envelope, "J" stickers for sealing, stamps, a white sheet of paper, and my go to pen.

                Also noteworthy is the effort that one has to employ when writing a letter. You really have to sit down and think about what you are going to write. After all, who knows when a response will come? It’s not just blind writing in an attempt to make conversation. You really write from the head and the heart, and that in and of itself is becoming less common.

                If you have the time, I encourage you to compose a letter to someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Or send a thank you card to someone after you receive a gift. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? I assure you that you will feel relaxed and happy while penning the letter or card, and receiving a response will make you feel absolutely wonderful.

What to Watch

Hello, lovelies!

This afternoon I think it would be fun to delve into what I've been watching lately and what I think you should watch too! I find that with my lazy days of summer coming to a close, it has just been wonderful to sit back and kick up my feet for a bit. After all, University is extraordinarily time consuming. I know that my favorite movies and shows will soon take the back burner as I focus on my studies and other activities.

What's up first on the list?

The War Bride (2001)

This movie looks at the life of a British woman who finds herself caught up in a romance during World War 2. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will tell you that the majority of the film chronicles the woman's life in Canada waiting for her husband to return from Europe. I found this movie particularly interesting because the topic itself was different from the usual World War 2 flicks that I stumble across. Romance in movies is not uncommon, but I had never watched a movie that detailed a woman's growth and adaptation in a foreign country while waiting for her husband. To be honest, I never really thought about women having to relocate in masses to their husbands' home countries (so many quick marriages took place during the War). For me, it's hard to even imagine making such a drastic change in such a short span of time. I highly recommend giving it a watch if you find yourself with some spare time. 

Foyle's War (2002-2015)

This is one of the best television shows to grace television. For hours this past year, I found myself engrossed in the complex mysteries presented every episode. The series takes place during World War 2 and part of the Cold War, and every episode there is a new mystery that has to be solved. Sometimes it's a murder; sometimes it's just petty theft. But it's always well-acted and extremely believable. I could go on for hours and hours about how remarkable the show is, but I think it would be far better if you guys just watched it yourselves. When it ended this past year, I cried. I will openly admit that I am still in denial about the whole thing. That's how good the show is. If you haven't seen it, watch it right away! And if you have seen it, it never hurts to re-watch an episode or two!

Mr. Robot

Switching genres completely, I thought I'd discuss one of the newer television shows that is out. I know, it's surprising to see me talk about a show based in modern day, but this show is too relevant to not discuss. Mr. Robot takes on the modern day problem of money and wealth distribution. A lot of its themes cover modern day corruption, and the main character (Elliott) and a group of hackers decide that it is time to do something about these issues. Even if this sounds like it might not be your thing, I urge you to at least give it a chance. The central actor, Rami Malek, is absolutely brilliant in addition to an outstanding supporting cast. Plus, it has a 9.1/10 on IMDB. So why not give it a shot?

That's all for today, folks. Thanks for reading, and cheers!

What I'm Wearing

Hi everyone! Today I'm going to make a quick post about what I'm wearing. This is one of my favorite tops that I own.

This top is definitely one of my favorite thrifted purchases. Where I live, there is this really cool bus called Gogo's Retread Threads. The lady who owns the business (Stacey) sells lots of really interesting vintage pieces inside her bus! How cool is that? I was able to score this lovely cherry top for a mere $15. I definitely recommend checking out her website here. She travels around the Maryland area a lot, so if you are in the area, I would certainly pay her a visit. Did I mention that she's also a sweetheart? 

My favorite thing about this top (other than the adorable cherry print) is the shoulders. The shoulders are much broader than what you would usually see in modern day clothing, much more 40s-esque. The striped red and white trimming that runs along the collar and down the rest of the shirt also adds interesting artistic detail to the blouse.

To complement the shirt, I chose a pair of modern day blue jean shorts and a pair of G.H Bass & Co light navy wedges. I wore a classic pair of pearl earrings so as to not overdo the blouse. The lipstick color is Certainly Red by Revlon, basically a classic cherry colored red.

As a quick tangent, don't you just love the Revlon Lustrous Lipstick packaging? So classic and elegant. At the Target near my house, this lipstick only costs five dollars a tube! You can believe me when I say that I have all of my favorite colors in this formula!

I hope you guys like my outfit and pay Stacey a visit sometime soon! Cheers!

   

Style Icons

Hello, everyone! Today I am going to write about some of my favorite fashion icons and what my takeaways are from their individual styles.

The first gorgeous lady whose style I will explore is Audrey Hepburn.

First of all, I just want to say that I absolutely love Audrey Hepburn. She was not only a great actress but also a wonderful human being as well. Having said that, there are lots of things that we can take away from her seemingly impeccable style.

My favorite thing about Audrey's style is that is was so simple but so incredibly chic. Whether it was a perfectly tailored pair of pants or a headscarf, she always looked so put together. I also love the elegance that she had about her on the red carpet. The dress above seems so simple with white flowers and a belt (Givenchy), but it has become one of the most iconic red carpet looks of all time. Part of that is due to the way she carried herself. She was always so poised. 

My takeaways? Clothing that fits well is a must. Sometimes simplicity is key. And finally, timeless elegance never fades.

Next we have up Grace Kelly. How breathtaking was she? 

Grace Kelly's style has many similarities to the style of Ms. Hepburn, but there are also many differences. 

My favorite part of Grace Kelly's style is definitely her accessories. She already wore beautiful clothing, but her accessories brought all of her outfits to the next level. Her sunglasses, earrings, scarf, and hat in the top picture allow for the simplicity of the jacket to shine. I also really like the range of outfits that she wore on a regular basis. Whether she wore a pair of trousers or a full circle skirt, Kelly was always so stylish and chic. 

Takeaways from Ms. Kelly? Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Accessories can make a simple outfit polished and red-carpet ready.

Ms. Dita Von Teese is the last style icon I will discuss in this post.

Now, this style icon is quite different from the other two.

Dita's style is certainly more eclectic than Ms. Hepburn's style or Ms. Kelly's style. But that is what I love so much about it. I think that Ms. Von Teese's devotion to dressing in vintage clothing in modern day is absolutely amazing. 

Focusing on her fashion choices, I love the dresses that Dita wears. Many of the colors are lovely, and even the neutral colored dresses speak for themselves in the way that they fit her body. Everything that she wears flaunts her figure, and her red lipstick and accessories elevate everything she's wearing (like Ms. Kelly).

Final takeaways? Red lipstick can be paired with any color. Form-fitting clothing should be a staple in the closet. And finally, it's awesome to venture outside of the box.

Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of the day!

What I'm Listening To

Happy Monday, Friends!

To start off the week, I thought I'd tell you about what I have been listening to lately. If you don't know me very well, you probably don't know that my love of everything vintage applies to my taste in music as well (hint, the blog title). Thus, I'm going to give you a glimpse of what I've been playing repeatedly these past couple of days!

The first song is called "All the Things You Are", and it is sung by Sinatra. I absolutely adore this song; it has definitely become one of my favorites. The way his voice hits the high note at the end makes my heart swoon. Sinatra's Columbia years are definitely some of the best.  

The next song that has been stuck in my head is "Take the 'A' Train" as performed by the Delta Rhythm Boys. It is the very first song that appears in the video. Something about the deep register of Mr. Gaines' voice has earned this song a semi-permanent place in my head!

The last song that I highly recommend as of late is "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)", particularly performed by The Swingfield Big Band. I also love Sinatra's 1945 recording of the song, but this instrumental version is just so beautiful. It's another very romantic song that makes me feel as though I have been transported back to the 40's, if only for a moment. 

I was just thinking the other day about how sad it is that I'll never be able to see Sinatra perform in real life. Not only Sinatra, but also all of the other band and performers circa 1950 that I am so fond of. I can only be thankful for the lovely recordings and videos that are still around for me to listen to and watch. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday and week ahead! Cheers. 

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Have a great day!

Happy VJ Day!

Can you believe that 70 years ago yesterday, this iconic photo was taken?

                     

             Can you believe that 70 years ago this weekend, World War 2 was over?

It's so hard to fathom what it must have felt like to be part of such a jubilant moment. Yesterday, I went to New York City to try to experience a little bit of the joy that everyone experienced in 1945.

                                     

I tried to dress 40's-esque with my Forever 21 Wide-Leg Sailor Pants. Purchase here.

I even had the pleasure to listen to a World War 2 veteran give a short speech about what the war meant to him and to America. Here's a clip:

To close, I just wanted to remind everyone how important it is to honor and remember those who served during these very treacherous times. Without their efforts, the world may quite possibly be very different than it is today. Don't forget to thank a veteran!

Thanks for reading my first post!