Before and After: The Secretary Dress

Sometimes I buy something for the shop and I am sure it's going to sell right away but instead it sits in the shop forever, overlooked for one reason or another, in favor of other dresses. Such was the case with this brown leafy secretary dress. (Excuse the poor 'before' photo quality, it was late and all I had was my phone!).

 I loved this little dress before but with it's long sleeves and even long hemline, I think it was just too matronly for your average Portland gal. I shortened the length and removed the sleeves and now it's the perfect thing to wear to a summer BBQ or out for drinks with your friends. If you want to come by the shop and pick it up for yourself, I'm putting it out tomorrow. It's a size large (dress size 8-12) and $22.

A disclaimer: Normally I don't condone the altering of vintage dresses but since this dress was made in the late 1970s/early 1980s it's 'new' enough that I feel comfortable making this a more wearable dress by altering it a bit. If it's something from 1969 or earlier, I will mend it to the best of my abilities but I would never completely redo a dress that old.

Vintage Inspiration: The Maxi

It's been a while since I've done a Vintage Inspiration post and coming back with 'the maxi' now seemed appropriate. You see, last Summer I couldn't sell a long dress or skirt to save my life. I had a gorgeous long lace dress sit in my shop for months! But this year it's a completely different story.

I've always had a thing for the 70's and if the print and color is right, I think a maxi looks more easy-going-bohemian than costume. In previous years it seemed like everyone thought 'costume party' when they saw a brightly colored long skirt but now, it's all anyone wants!

We have a few great ones in the shop (and some I've been hoarding for the opening of the new location). It's been a shift for me to think that long dresses are no longer 'off limits' when I'm out buying for the shop but I'm happy they're coming back in style.

A maxi is comfortable, breezy and you don't have to worry if you forgot to shave your legs. What more could you ask for?

Sun, Work, Cute Clothes

It's easy to get use to the sun. We've had such an early Summer this year, most of May has been sunny and 70-plus degrees. Yesterday the rain finally returned and it was rough! Everyone went back into hibernation and we ended up closing the trailer an hour early because North Williams was so dead.

I'm also getting nostalgic for our little Williams lot, even though we're still open there. I'm going to really enjoy this last month next to Lodekka and in our little space.

Our official plan is to move the trailer off the lot at the end of June, opening our new brick-and-mortar location with an opening party July 7th and then we'll be taking the trailer to the Mississippi Street Fair July 14th.

I'm going to add some more items to our online Etsy shop later this week as well so keep an eye out for that. There's a few super cute things I can't wait to show off!

Instagram Week

Today I'm sharing some fun Instagram photos I snapped this week. I've been working so hard on various shop-related things and it's nice to look back on these photos as a 'recap' of everything I accomplished. (Our user name is 'ShopWanderlust' on Instagram, if you use the app!)

This last Instagram is of our little trailer shop on the front page of msn.com. They picked up a recent story from Conde Naste Traveller on the '11 Mobile Stores to Visit' and MSN used Wanderlust as the main photo for the story! What an honor. I had extended family and friends coming out of the woodwork to congratulate me on this one. It really made my whole week!

I also wanted to mention that we're now opening at 10am on Saturdays and Sundays. There's a big 'brunch crowd' on North Williams (thanks, Tasty & Sons!) and my hope is people will stop by to get some shopping done while they're waiting. Come by and see us!

Mother's Day Event and The Velvet Bird Trunk Show

 We had a fantastic time on Friday evening at our Mother's Day event and first trunk show with The Velvet Bird. I got to chat with Vanessa for a while which was awesome. I'm so happy to have her adorable dresses in the shop!

We were also serving up yummy cocktails with Dry Soda and vodka or gin which was super refreshing on a sunny May day. And Anna Mara Flowers had mini-bouquets set up for mom, which looked super cute!





Thank you so much if you were able to stop by! It was fantastic to have our first event of Spring/Summer be such a success. It was a little bittersweet since I'm not sure if Erin and I will have another event before I open my new retail store, but all the smiles, hugs and good times helped me forget about that for the night and enjoy everyone's company! 

The Velvet Bird Trunk Show!

As I mentioned last week, we're hosting our first Trunk Show on Friday to coincide with the Williams Avenue Mother's Day event. We're hosting the lovely and talented Vanessa who runs The Velvet Bird. The two of us have been chatting over email for sometime and when the opportunity to host a trunk show came up, I thought of her first. Lucky for me this very busy lady decided she could fit it into her busy schedule.

Vanessa will be bringing some dresses and hopefully a few other sample pieces and one-off accessories. It's a great opportunity to see some of her beautiful designs in person, I think we're the first shop in Portland to carry her things!

Come by Friday May 11th from 5-8pm. We'll have some great cocktails with mixers provided by DRY soda, 20% off everything in the Wanderlust shop (Velvet Bird items are excluded from this) and some bouquets from Anna Mara Flowers to pick up and take to your mom on Sunday.

Mother's Day Shopping Event

Hi there! Today I wanted to share the details of this awesome event happening on North Williams NEXT Friday evening. A bunch of our neighbor shops are participating and we'll ALL be offering 20% off your purchase. I'll have new jewelry, scarves, hair accessories and more that are just perfect for Mother's Day.

In addition, we'll be hosting our first ever trunk show the same evening with Velvet Bird. More details on this to come, but needless to say I'm VERY excited. Dan gave me one of her caplets for Christmas this year and it's absolutely gorgeous. I'm so honored that we'll be the first business in Portland to carry her amazing dresses.

I hope to see some of you out for this next Friday May 11th.