Pastel Pearls

As much as I love crazy all out sparkle, just like Marie Antoinette I have a real soft spot for pearls.  Lustrous, luxurious, but also natural and understated. There is a gentle beauty to them. They always make a girl look her best. They flatterer our complexions, and go with every single outfit in our wardrobe!

I have a box with 3 full faux pearl parures, but over the weekend I was able to add to my jewels wardrobe a demi parure of real large fresh water pearls.

This set is already so special to me. The pendant was a Christmas present from my husband and features tiny diamonds and and a sizable pink amethyst that glitters so beautifully.

The style is so classic and elegant, but the pastel candy colors I hope give it personality and make it a little more fun and rococo feeling.

Get the Look Sale

If you want to pick up some pearls of your own, there is a sale on pearls over on the Vivcore shop, so you can save big and pick up a full or demi parure of your own too, even pearl wearing dolls are on sale!!

Dolls are Moving House

My dolls have seceded from the main blog here, and made themselves a fresh home here on the new Dolly Daydream blog.

For the most part my doll adventures tend to focus on vintage and retro themes which made them fit with the vintage lifestyle focus here at Quaintrelle life. But I was holding back posting about them when I hadn't had chance to post about other things in between.

So from now on I'll be dolly blogging over at Dolly Daydream, and fashion and lifestyle blogging over here (probably with a few cross overs)

Sunday Best: Sewing to Victory Week

Been an action packed past few weeks, lot's of work, so again lot's of trousers! I guess this weeks work ensemble was kinda inspired by the hard working girls of the 1940's

• Outfit Rundown:
• Cardigan: EC Star
• Blouse: Riviera Blouse from Cute Salad
• Trousers: Handmade high waist swing pants
• Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell
• Accessories: Vintage faux pearl beads, and Pretty You scarf
• Hair: Big bun on top, and the front was left over curls from the day before.

Carmen Miranda Feet

I have a case of Carmen Miranda feet! No I can't dance up a storm, but I am currently crushing on over the top wedges and platforms as a fun and fabulous accent to my retro fashion wardrobe!

As a style icon people tend to remember Ms Miranda for lavish headdresses stuffed with colors and fruit, but top to toe she was just as iconic for her insane platforms as she was her hats.

With Summer coming it's a fun time to think about getting some Carmen worthy platforms on all  our feet, and add some sparkle to our usual Summer shoes!

I'm currently rocking these new snakeskin and metallic wedges with pretty much anything and everything. They have heaping serving of red carpet glamor a lot of my usual retro wedges lack, which makes them great for evening wear as well as day wear. They fit perfect with a vintage look, but are a little different from the styles we usually associate with the style, and it's always fun to try something a little unexpected every once in a while.

So with that I say as the weather warms up, spice up your feet as well this year and keep your eyes peeled for the kinds of shiny, skyscraper, statement platforms and wedges that would have made our favorite Brazilian actress swoon!

(check out the shoes especially at the 4:46min mark)

Happy Soda

One of my favorite flavors in the world is Pandan. I've run into it a lot in Vietnamese and Indonesian cooking. it's kinda of like a more floral vanilla flavor. I love it in deserts, and I love it even more in soda!

One of the most delicious sodas I've ever had was listed as "Happy Soda" at my local Indonesian restaurant. called Soda Gambria in Indonesia it's a little bit like a richer NY egg cream. a similar idea, flavor syrup, soda water, and instead of just regular milk, it's made with sweetened condensed milk which gives it a much thicker creamier taste.

You can make it with pretty much any syrup that tickles your fancy but my favorite flavor is either pandan (green) or cocopandan (pink). Here's how to mix one up at home...

Ingredients:

• 15ml Cocopandan syrup
• 1tbs Sweetened condensed milk
• 8oz Soda water

Drop your syrup and condensed milk into a regular 8oz glass, fill it up with soda water and stir stir stir!!! Once it's all mixed in you have your self a dream if a drink! I'm not much of a sweet tooth, so you might want to try it with more syrup or condensed milk to make it sweeter and/or richer. However you mix it up though I know you'll love it!

Sunday Best: Back from the Dead

Forgive me blogger it has been much too long since my last Sunday Style post... After a rough year that lead to lots of stress, weight gain and hair loss, I'll be honest I hadn't really been feeling the stye. I was using clothes more as a way of hiding than shining, and felt anxious at the mere though of a camera.

 I decided this week was the week to turn things around and say "welcome back" to my old self again. I am who I am, and no matter what's going on in life, I think I'm a pretty decent human being. It's time get back out of the shadows. (Managing to score a pair of Jeffrey Campbell Lindy shoes in my size was a helpful starting off point too, no matter how I feel about myself those shoes deserve some air time) So here's what I hope will be the first of many more regular style posts again!...

Outfit Rundown:
Cardigan: Target Kids
Top: David and Goliath (says Zombies need love too and glows in the dark!)
Trousers: Handmade high waist jeans with argyle denim pockets and turn-ups
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell
Accessories: Cultured pearl and gemstone necklace, Vivienne Westwood orb earrings and silk Moschino scarf (with a cute Olive Oil from Popeye design on it)
Hair: Not much going on really, rolled under "bangs" and an puff in the pack using one of my ponytail hair pieces for volume.

Cats Meow

I looks like the wonderful world of fashion is still as in love with the glorious cat eye sunglasses as we are. I'm thanking my stars and squirreling away enough pairs to match every outfit, and to tide me over when the inevitable quality cat eye drought returns.

A while back Polaroid launched their heritage collection with handmade reproductions of their most iconic sunglasses designs from every decade they've been in business.


This week I picked up a couple of pairs in the Broadway style that has just the right mix of mid century glamor and late 50's wackiness! They are smaller than most modern styles, and the cut away scroll work is a nice change from the usual rhinestone details we tend to see on modern repros.

For anyone looking for a pair of period perfect sunglasses at a less than bankrupting price point 6pm.com have these and other Polaroid heritage shades at close to half off. I've been tempted by the Marylin style as well but they are maybe a bit too close to the Tres Noir Ultra Luxs I have in red... If you're out looking for some saucy new sunglasses ready for Summer, it's a sale worth checking out!