give•a•way (give-wa) | randolph street market passes

One of my favorite things about Chicago summers is the Randolph Street Market.  It's not only the place that I score one of a kind jewelry pieces that always have my friends asking, "Where did you buy that?", but it's a great way to enjoy the wonderful Chicago weather and soak up some of the most unique finds in the city.  At the market you not only can walk away with great one of a kind pieces, at amazing prices, but you'll enjoy great food by local restaurants and live entertainment.  Even though I do have a handful of my favorite vendors, I discover something new with every visit and never walk away empty handed.

Typically entrance to the market is $10 per person at the door and $8 if you order in advance, BUT the Randolph Street Market is giving one of my lucky readers a set of FREE passes to the next event June 23 & June 24th.  That's a $20 value for a set of tickets to one of the hottest outdoor events in Chicago that gives access to over 250+ of the best vintage vendors in the Midwest. 

Entering is simple.  Fill out the form below for one entry.  Additional bonus entries if you follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook.  So mark your calendar, save the date and cross your fingers that you win these passes!  

A winner will be selected and notified on Monday, June 18th.  Good luck!  Giveaway open to local residents who are able to attend the market only.

fash•ion (fash-uh n) | archives vintage

I love how blogging has introduced me to the most inspiring people.  I met Lisa a few years ago at a blogger brunch and after spotting her in a wickedly fierce vintage outfit, I knew I had to be friends with her.  Over a year ago she left her full-time gig and opened an extension to her blog, Archives Vintage, that sells one of a kind vintage goods.  It's been so fun watching her grow this business, that was a huge risk at the time, and is so inspiring to see her follow a career path that she is truly passionate about. 

Lisa's shop has tons of amazing vintage finds from unique clutch purses to one of a kind coats, but what she's got a keen eye for are dresses. Her shop is always stocked with a great selection, so when she decided to host a yard sale to sell some of her inventory, there's no way I was going to pass it up.  Shopping, catching up with a buddy and brownie bites.  Need I say more?  

Lisa had so many great things and definitely didn't disappoint.  I could have walked away with TONS more than I did, but my ever growing bump refrained me from doing so.  She had so many fun dresses, but where I scored was the $1 bin filled with shoes. Since she is phasing shoes out of her shop, there were tons of pairs to get rid of.  I nabbed a bunch of great stuff, but my favorite?  2 pairs of super cute flat suede sandals that I can't wait to sport.

Even though you missed Lisa's fantastic yard sale the good news is, Lisa's online shop is always accessible no matter where you live.  Definitely check out her goods - there's plenty of great treasures to choose from.

fash•ion (fash-uh n) | amsterdam

So it's a no brainer that Paris is a mecca when it comes to fashion.  Duh - so me sharing the great boutiques and amazing designs, not to mention the street style, wouldn't be any different from what we already know.  Paris is fabulous - old news.  However, what came to me as a surprise is the amount of amazing vintage and thrift stores there are in Amsterdam.

Now if you've never been to Amsterdam, you would be shocked to find out that it's so hipster.  In fact, it's so hipster that it puts folks in Portland to shame.  They take the cake on skinny jeans, oxford shoes, retro bikes and groomed (but looked to be ungroomed) facial hair.  On our first day, as we were on our way to eat at The Pancake Bakery, we stumbled upon this adorable store I Heart Vintage.  The cute little boutique was packed with tons of great vintage pieces, especially dresses, and the back is where they housed a studio where they shot all their images.  Prices were very reasonable from both the Euro and vintage aspect, and the best part - they ship internationally.  Which means even if you don't have a trip to Amsterdam coming up, the items can come straight to you.

The other place I couldn't resist going to was Rumors Vintage.  The window displays sucked me in and their collection of vintage sunglasses had me at first sight.  The place was very well organized and the one thing I couldn't pass on was sifting through each of the well kept coats.  Unfortunately (for me at least) the Netherlands seem to have the worlds tallest people so for those shorties like me, there was no hope of finding a coat that would be the right fit.

We came across so many other vintage stores just walking the neighborhoods and I was pleasantly surprised with the selection that each store offered.  All pieces were so unique and well maintained that really justified the relatively decent cost.  Even though I withheld from buying any sort of clothing, I thoroughly enjoyed window shopping in all the boutiques.  I'm pretty sure Matt was sick of me complaining the whole trip about not being able to buy clothes, but he was surely a trooper for sifting through all the stores.  I'm just glad that he was able to make some good clothing purchases that let me live vicariously through his excitement about it.  Luckily I already love this baby or else I would have been really upset about not being able to buy any clothes.

fash•ion (fash-uh n) | vintage braidbands

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Green Eyed Maven which is a vintage and upscale resale shop run by Aubrey D'Agostino in a cute suburb outside of Chicago called Elmhurst.  Aubrey runs Green Eyed Maven from her home and as soon as you walk in, the front part of her place is set up with racks and racks of vintage, as well as consignment pieces that you would never think you were shopping in the comfort of her home.  Her inventory appeals to ladies of all styles with a wide range of items from a vintage Pendleton coat to a reasonably priced DVF wrap dress, but one thing that really caught my attention are Aubrey's vintage braidbands.

Made from vintage silk scarves like Carolina Herrera, Oscar De La Renta and Bill Blass, these braidbands are unique handmade headwear different than anything I've stumbled upon before.  She started making these braidbands from vintage scarves and ever since, these cute pieces have been in high demand.

Unlike traditional headbands, these braidbands offer a variety of ways to wear them.  The layered excess fabric allows ladies with longer hair to add a little more volume by weaving the ends as part of a hair braid or making it a part of cute messy bun.  But, there's more - the braidbands don't just have to be used as a piece of headwear.  It's versatility allows the braidband to be used as a cute neck-ssessory if fastened with a brooch, a nice little accent if tied onto your favorite purse and much more.  Aubrey's braidband adds such cute depth to any hairdo and I had so much fun figuring out ways to wear it beyond a traditional headband.

If you're looking for something cute to add to your normal do, definitely check out Green Eyed Maven's Vintage Braidbands and if you happen to be in the Elmhurst neighborhood, give Aubrey a shout and stop by her store - you're guaranteed to leave with something absolutely adorable.