"You Look Like A Ray Of Sunshine"

Yesterday Sarah of Zzouzi Vintage and I had an excellent Saturday stuffed full of vintage, good food and (finally) sunshine. We attended the Modern Vintage version of the Randolph Street Market and I'll be posting photos from the market tomorrow. For now I'm sharing a few outfit photos that we took after we had brunch at Birchwood Kitchen in Wicker Park. They're one of my go-to spots for a tasty, affordable brunch and since they rotate their menu by season and often have daily specials it keeps the options fresh.

The first photo of this post is technically an "outtake" as I nearly pulled a Marilyn (ie the subway vent scene in Seven Year Itch) due to the high winds and a particularly full skirt on my 1950s dress.



We took photos around the block from Birchwood Kitchen on a street lined with Victorian Era mansions and brick row homes. Yes, that's a real cannon in someone's front yard. I actually took photos on this same street with Maranda back in February.





Sarah and I joked that while wearing this bright yellow 1950s dress I could be spotted a mile away. Oddly enough I was the girl that owned 10 black shirts back in high school and often wore nothing but black. All that changed when I started wearing vintage, I'm usually now the girl in the most colorful outfit in the room!

One of the Randolph Street Market vendors remarked that I looked like a "ray of sunshine" in my outfit, definitely one of the best compliments I've gotten in a while. Chicago could definitely use more spring-like weather right now.

OUTFIT DETAILS
1950s cotton swing dress: Haystack Vintage, Chicago (closed about 3 years ago)
1950s/60s Marshall Fields Hat: Belle Jar Vintage, Los Angeles
1950s beaded cashmere sweater: Estate Sale, Chicago
Gray leather t-strap heels: Buffalo Exchange, Chicago



As the weather gets warmer my accessories get bigger and more wild. I purchased 2 rings at Randolph and decided to pile them on to what I was already wearing. The bracelets were thrifted on my birthday last month and the yellow ring was from last week's rummage sale haul.









Sarah also purchased some jewels at Randolph including the two large rings she's wearing and the trio of tangerine hued 1970s plastic bangle bracelets. The scarf she's wearing on her purse is an Oscar de La Renta (designer vintage!) that we thrifted a week ago. Doesn't it look kind of like a Cub Scouts scarf?







Miraculously most of the Wicker Park/Bucktown Victorian era and Arts & Crafts era mansions still remain as family homes and haven't been cut up into apartments. I'd love to live in the home above!



There was a 20-minute wait for a table at Birchwood Kitchen so we drank free coffee on the back patio and took a few Instagram photos.



Excuse the weird perspective on the above photo, I wanted to show off my rings-- the square wood ring is from Dethrose Vintage and the rectangular metal Modernist (1970s?) ring was also bought at Randolph Street Market.



Sarah had a vegetarian version of a croque madame (French style breakfast sandwich) with a side salad for brunch.



I indulged in one of the weekend specials, "The Flannel Hash", Birchwood's take on the traditional corned beef and potato dish. It included house cured corned beef, fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, onions and two sunny side up eggs. I dipped the toast into the egg, YUM.



After brunch we decided to hit a few thrift stores so Sarah could find a birthday gift for a friend. We spotted this adorable 1970s cat pillow/door stopper and thankfully Sarah chose it for her friend's gift.