Sal's in Sun Prairie // Bad in Bed

Dress: Striped Sweater Fit & Flare Dress by ECI New York (size L), thrifted 

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: Fluevog, Look Out: Mesmerize 

All Jewelry: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

How fun is this dress?! I found it thrifting...I love a good fit & flare sweater dress & every one of these colors is spectacular together. And the fit was spot on. It started snowing as we were snapping these pictures...spring in Wisconsin. 

These fuchsia tights were a nearly identical match to the stripe in the dress...

& the shoes...they were made for each other. 

The only not-quite-perfect component here was the jewelry...I just didn't have the right style or colors...but I think these vintage Sobral necklace & earrings do well enough...what do you think?

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline, Bang lipliner & lipstick from UD, & OPI nail polish in Suzi & The Seven Düsseldorfs. 

I wore this dress for one time only...I had no Gwynnie Bee OR Nuuly at home...so I had to resort to my own closet. I picked this beauty because it was a winter dress & the nail polish I had on already matched. On this day I had a lymphatic massage with Courtney & grocery shopped. I came home to this pretty Effie's Heart dress from Poshmark. Then, because I didn't feel like cooking, we drove to Sun Prairie to have dinner at Sal's in a bit of a snowstorm. Upon entering...I was SO excited to see they were still offering The Muffuletta as their featured pie as I had seen it on their Facebook a week before...sadly, when we ordered it...our server said it was no longer their special. SO sad. We started our meal with their calamari (which is my favorite ever) with fried broccoli (not as good as Brussels sprouts, but a good second choice).

David sipped on a Mexican Firing Squad Special (Lunazul Reposado tequila, house made pomegranate grenadine, bitters, lime)...while I took a chance with Retired Emo Kid (State Line London dry gin, simple syrup, Fernet Branca Herbsaint, bitters)...which I was happy I tried, but don't need to order again. 

David decided on a Farmer John's Pizza (Wisconsin Mozzarella, heirloom tomato, bacon, mushroom, roasted garlic, Farmer John's smoked gouda, caramelized onions, black pepper, fresh basil), while I had Canestri & Cheese (house made canestri pasta, Hook's 2 year cheddar cheese sauce, bacon, Calabrese chili, breadcrumbs, Sarvecchio, scallion)...it's my favorite thing on their menu right now. For round 2 of cocktails, David had their take on a classic, Corpse Reviver no. 2 (State Line London dry gin, Lillet Blanc, Clockwork Orange, lemon, Herbsaint) & I went for a Tell-Tale-Heart Mule (house made cherry grenadine, Lunazul Reposado tequila, lime, Peychaud's, ginger beer)...superb. 

There was too much snow to walk around in fancy Fluevogs, so I switched to Docs. After a quick trip to the best Vinny's around (Sun Prairie)...we headed back to Madison where we had tickets to Bad in Bed. This was a world premiere of this play, written by a Madison woman that starts out taking place in Madison, but then the majority of it happens in Marquette...my 2 home towns. It was fabulous...such great dialogue & acting...& funny. I'm glad we took a chance on this one. There is an incredible amount of wonderful community theatre out there...check it out. It's one of my favorite things to do when traveling too. 

SP Vinny's scores...

 

Sierra Ferrell // Jaime Wyatt // Thrifting

Dress: Popover Elastic Waist Tiered Midi Dress by London Times (size 10) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Me Too, thrifted 

Purse: Mohop

Earring & Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

The color combo in this dress was spectacular...but I wasn't a fan of the dress itself...it was shapeless, the fabric was itchy, & the split neckline was awkward. Also, it didn't help that I got this a size up from my typical size...I'm learning. The pattern & colors made this fun to wear anyway. 

I adore orange & purple together...I had better purple shoes I could have paired with this dress, but these are cute & I've never worn them. 

I love the heel on these suede shoes...a thrift store find.

Urban Decay eyeliner in Viper; Twilight, Amethyst, & Blazing eyeshadow from Huda Beauty; NYX lipliner in Pumpkin; Mimosa lipstick from Bite Beauty; Nectar lipstick by Sugarpill Cosmetics; & OPI nail polish in Suzi & The Seven Düsseldorfs.

I wore this dress to work & do LOTS of thrifting. Because part of me will always be 12...Teenie Weenie is a weird name for a men's brand...but it definitely caught my eye. 

Check out those Constantly Varied Gear leggings in the skull mermaid scale pattern! I follow them on Instagram & they had a pair of jellyfish leggings I really wanted...but $60 seemed like too much to spend on leggings that would have only fit me for a year. 

Checking out the Sun Prairie Vinny's after Pilates. That teal sweater is an extra small Effie's Heart & now I'm obsessed & want them in more colors, but haven't found any more like it online. Orange tiger stripes...meow. I'm wearing a sports bra, so not the best for trying on clothes. 

If it's velvet...I'll probably try it on. 

My first trip to the Waunakee Vinny's...small, but a good selection.

This orange velvet dress caught my attention...orange AND velvet...you've just got to try everything on because women's sizes are so wonky...it was an XL & fit great. I bought everything from an XS to XL that day. After a day of shopping...I headed home to change into the dress from these outfit photos & took myself to lunch...Indian buffet...which I hadn't been to since before the pandemic. It was not as good as I remembered...not flavorless...but weak...I make better Indian food at home with higher quality ingredients. Going out to places I remember fondly has not been working out for me & I think that's why. I'll stick to the restaurants that buy their food from the same farmer's I do. It makes a difference in taste. 

After lunch, Ulta, I needed to stock up on eyebrow pencils & check out what's new in person...even though I don't buy the make-up I used to...I have more than I'll ever use. I'm always excited to find mustard cardigans...it's a color I love that doesn't show up so often.

Blue Velvet sequined dress from Free People. Dinner...Ginger Chicken with Sesame-Peanut Sauce, served with roasted broccoli & cauliflower. 

I may have gone a bit bonkers at the Sun Prairie Vinny's...a lot of fuzzy pretty things to wear around the house/to bed. Shirts for David.

Dresses & skirts for me...

Cardigans & clothes to wear to the gym.

Around the house outfits...I threw out all the too big stuff I'd been wearing because it made me feel dowdy & I prefer to feel pretty...stop by & see me anytime...I'll look cute.

Sierra Ferrell...finally...this show was rescheduled 3 times. 

Music in the lounge...& all the selfies. 

The opening act, Jaime Wyatt, was wonderful...I only knew her from the one song they play on Outlaw Country, Neon Cross, & it was great to hear more. 

And finally...Sierra Ferrell...worth the wait. She's amazing...& look at all those strings *swoon*.

 

Davina & the Vagabonds

Dress: Miranda Mock Neck Fit & Flare Dress by Leota (size M) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: We Love Colors 

Shoes: Fluevog, Hi Choice: Jennifer 

Earrings & Necklace: Heidi Daus

Bracelet & Purse: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

Midnight blue velvet dreamy dramatic dark floral dress with birds on it. I'm not usually into birds, but these were pretty...it felt like a Christmas holiday frock. My only complaint about this dress was that it ran big, at least one size (look at how the waist hits me low & awkward...it was too big & heavy to blouson out there)...otherwise, it was lovely to look at & easy to wear. 

Bringing out the burgundy & green.

In person, there was a green this shade in the dress...although it doesn't show up in photos...I chose these shoes because of their color & velvet ribbon. Notice the adorable heart-shaped heels. 

The high neckline made it possible to wear this longer Heidi Daus necklace that I've had for a few years...this was my first wearing of it...

Accessories...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner & eyeshadow in Mildew, Sonic eyeshadow by UD, Natasha Denona eyeshadow in Giving, MAC Burgundy lipliner, & Black Metal Dahlia Lip Tar & nail polish by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.

I first wore this dress to work, thrifting, & bellydance class. Chartreuse heels I was happy to find...those will be cute this summer. Green tags, 50% off & many cardigans were only $1.99. 

The big winner of the day was David...I found all these Jos. A. Bank wool pants...& they all had green tags...so they were about $4 each! I rarely look at pants for him, but these Cutter & Buck plaid shorts caught my eye...& the pants were right there. I scored 10! pairs of nice pants. 

I found these Chie Mihara heels for a screaming deal on Poshmark...my intension is to paint the beige area orange...but will that ever happen? They are charming & retro as is...but definitely need more attractive (ribbon?) laces. The hot air balloon dress from Effie's Heart was also a Poshmark purchase. Back during lockdown, I sent money to Michael Waite on Indiegogo to get his vinyl when he made it...but you know how long it takes to get a record pressed these days. I would think now that vinyl has made a comeback...there would be more places churning them out. I made a shrimp curry for dinner before heading out to Stoughton. 

Davina & the Vagabonds! Ced in the lounge before the show. Look, it's a girlie! Kate & Jason met me there. It was fun to be at a show with other people sitting next to me that I know. 

Davina always puts on a fantastic show...but she seemed extra on fire this night.

 

Shining in Misery // MSO Organ Series

Dress: Wren Floral Midi Dress by MINKPINK (size L) via Nuuly

Boots: Fluevog, Light: Canopus 

Earring: Heidi Daus via Ebay 

Necklace: Green Goddess Vintage

Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

Warm earthy tones always make me shine...& brown is a color I just don't wear often enough. This would be a fantastic spring or fall transitional dress...with its long billowy sleeves & sheer flowy fabric...I could see wearing this to APT or anywhere really. The fitted elastic waist with 3 ties was a pretty detail & the neckline, just provocative enough. Runs one size small. 

I could have worn a cardigan over this for warmth, but I didn't want to cover up the top, which had all my favorite bits...however, the sleeves were light enough to accommodate that. 

My first wearing of these beguiling boots...they are so beautiful...I can't believe they are mine. 

Also, my first wearing of this necklace...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Bourbon, Sting & Amber eyeshadow by UD, MAC lipliner in Chicory, Gothica lipstick from Kat von D, & OPI nail polish in (? the labels fall off way too easily). 

I first wore this dress to work...& voting with Super Boo...

David was busy getting ready to fly to California...so I ran to Costco (that's usually something he does...it's too big & overwhelming for me)...I was definitely too sexy for Costco & no one there appreciated my fabulous boots. I wore this dress a second time to attend a play at Overture (where Jesus Christ Superstar was also being performed). 

Shining in Misery...sounded fun...

I left at intermission. The final time I wore this dress was back at Overture...where I again got spectacular parking...both times, less than a block from the venue. 

This time I was there for Madison Symphony Orchestra's Organ Series, with Greg Zelek & Mark Hetzler (trombone)...what a wonderful show...I can't believe I'd never attended any of their organ concerts before. Because of the weather...I wore leopard Docs with this outfit. Back at home...more liver, mushrooms, & onions.