A Day in Milwaukee: Antiquing // Thrifting // Restaurants // Theatre

Dress: Romantic Garden Velvet Dress by Farm Rio (size L) via Nuuly

Tights: ?

Shoes: Fluevog, Enneagram: Peacemaker 

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Green Goddess Vintage

Bracelet & Purse: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I adored this red velvet dress...& what better month to wear it in than February, the month of love. Close up, there were colors in the floral pattern that might not be obvious here...olive, pink, & orange. Such a luscious dress in a great maxi length for me...which I define as being given the choice of wearing heels or flats. Enrobing myself in velvet always makes me feel special & I enjoy being extra, so I wasn't afraid to wear this dress everywhere. I especially liked the leg-of-mutton sleeves with all the seeded raspberry-like buttons at the wrist...which hid my bracelet, but looked pretty doing it...there was also a bit of padding in the shoulder to make the poof more pronounced. The neckline is plunging, but not obscenely so & it went well with the empire waist. There is no stretch in this dress & a side zipper...it runs a tad small & I'm glad I got a large instead of my usual medium. I felt beautiful wearing this dress, so that's all that matters. 

Flouncy layers in the skirt with lots of flow.

This red was very warm without being orange & I didn't have an exact match in shoes...but I think these Fluevogs worked & they were comfortable to walk in all day long & they tie with red velvet ribbons. 

This was my first time wearing this gorgeous stunner from Gayle at Green Goddess Vintage...I love the jewelry she creates & I felt it was just the right Regency era vibe for this outfit. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Stash, Venetian Red & Primavera eyeshadow by Anastasia, UD lipliner in Bang & 714, Russian Red lipstick from MAC, Make Up For Ever lipstick in Hypnotic Rust, & ILNP nail polish in Penny.

I first wore this dress for a day of fun in Milwaukee for David's birthday weekend...I gave him a menu of options...& he chose what he wanted to do. We began at Stone Creek Coffee. I enjoyed a pistachio cardamom latte & David had an espresso before heading off to Riverview Antique Market...where we were just going to look, ha! 

Oh, the magnificent things...so lovely, so overpriced (compared to Elkhorn). We were surrounded by beauty at every turn. I tried on sooo many fabulous vintage coats, dresses, & shoes. They had a huge section of clothing. I always enjoy a good freak show circus poster...I spied some stunning metal oak leaf & acorn bookends...& David tried on a hat in the vintage clothing section. Silk ties. A collection of over a dozen leopard coats, & none of them were exactly right...I don't have one specific style I'm looking for, I just knew these were not the leopard coats I was looking for. David found these matching shoes & purse...they fit, but needed to be a 1/2 size larger for comfort...I was sad to leave them behind. I tried on this marvelous green dress...but it was meant for an extremely tiny person. I am learning to say no to things that fit, but are still not perfect...because there is oodles of clothing that come in my size now...I don't have to settle. We found this magnificent frame that is *perfect* for the painting in our bathroom...we've been on the lookout for a few years. It just needs a fresh coat of gold paint. On to the next place...Antiques on Pierce...where we dropped our pretense of browsing & went all in. This place was overwhelming...I'm not sure what made it more so than the last shop...but there just seemed to be so much to take in that I couldn't possibly look at it all. We came at a good time, most of the booths were having a 20% off sale. There was a locked glass closet full of clothes & accessories. I couldn't figure out what these swans were...I've seen the smaller one before & it was a salt cellar...but what is the large one for?! I fell in love with this teal wool coat...even though it was way too large...it still came home with me.This tufted burgundy leather sofa caught my eye, but it wasn't in the best shape for the asking price. After SO MUCH shopping...we went to one of the few pizza places on my list open for lunch, Transfer. I'm not sure what people like about this place...the drinks were good...the pizza was blah. It was the only disappointing thing about the whole day. David ordered a Jungle Bird (Gosling's dark rum, Campari, pineapple, lime) & I chose a Goldline (ginger brandy, ginger whiskey, Goodland orange liqueur, Angostura bitters). Our pizzas *sounded* good, but managed to be bland...La Bella (garlic sauce, cheese, artichokes, onions) & Thai Chicken (peanut sauce, cheese, chicken, onion, cilantro). After lunch we wandered over to Retique (an upscale Goodwill)...OMG...how have we never been here before?! Boutique never worn or barely worn clothing, carefully curated. David found several pairs of pants & shirts...I got endless dresses...as well as skirts & sweaters. The only sadness was this size 2 plaid sequin skirt that I didn't even bother to try on...it was amazing. We were enjoying ourselves so much...we left to take photos of my outfit just before sunset...& came back for more. They were having a 1/2 off sale on yellow tagged items, as well as David getting 25% off for his birthday month.I'm obviously feeling myself here in the dressing room...I like my big booty, belly, & the shape I have. More pizza...it was David's birthday weekend & it's his favorite food. Again, we chose what was nearby on my list & hoped...Flourchild was spectacular...the pizzas were cleverly created & the cocktails were outstanding. To start, David had a Puddle Jumper (apple brandy, pomegranate, heirloom Genepy, apple Saba, lime) & I went for a Point Beach Break (pear brandy, Benedictine, Kummel caraway liqueur, salted agave, lemon, tarragon oil). We ordered 2 pizzas & more drinks. David sipped on a Baller Ass Margarita (Don Fulano Blanco, Grand Marnier, salted agave, lime) & I had a King Crimson (Ford's gin, amaro nardini, blackberry, lemon). We had a difficult time narrowing our pizza choices down to two...they all sounded amazing...we settled on Goldeneye (jerk BBQ pork shoulder, white sauce, smoked mozzarella, pickled jalapeños, pineapple, jerk ranch, housemade Funyuns & Seoulja Boi (Korean BBQ short rib, aged mozzarella, housemade kimchi, gochujang aioli, scallions, toasted sesame dressing). Our final cocktails...for me, Nine Types of Light (bourbon, vanilla, orange, Faccia Bruto Fernet, honey, lemon)...& the woman next to us ordered an Espresso Martini (not on the menu) & that sounded good (& nostalgic) to David. I would come here repeatedly & there wasn't a thing we ordered I wouldn't happily enjoy again (& as I was looking at the menu pic to write this out...I noticed they have Crab Rangoon Spring Rolls!). Not only was our dinner delicious...it was adorable in there...thanks, Flourchild & the folks of Reddit that recommended it. Cute barber shop on our stroll to the theatre...& The Pfister.Which I couldn't resist taking a brief jaunt through...such a grand ornate old hotel (1893). Our entire day was spent in the historic Third Ward district & most of our destinations were within walking distance. Our final stop on our delightful 15 hour Milwaukee tour...Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (which neither of us had ever seen!)? It had caught my attention several months back because James Ridge, an APT actor, was staring in it. We thoroughly enjoyed this classic darkly devastating play...& it was superbly cast...we couldn't have asked for a better performance. Don't sleep on those small 100 seat theatres...they put on some of the best shows I've ever seen. I was so grateful for this amazing day. Some of our spoils of the day...2 vintage silk ties, heavy metal oak leaf & acorn bookends, glasses, silverware, a vintage lambswool jacket...Various bits of jewelry, a tapestry bag, a leopard belt...I also wore this dress to work, to get a lymphatic massage with Courtney, errands, & bellydance class. I told Courtney I was thinking of going to Leopold's on Wednesday to listen to jazz...when I looked it up, I was surprised to see they have music most nights. I ended up staying home, but I will definitely check them out in the future...they are a great local bookstore that is also a coffee & cocktail bar. Carwash photo for David. I watched season 3 of Handmaid's Tale while David was in California visiting his parents...I'm not sure if it has a purpose other than pretty warmth...but this fire in the kitchen!