Class Photo: Strawberry Point Elementary 1973-74

I'm not sure how it started, but a few weeks ago I went on an obsessive google search for 50's, 60's, and 70's yearbook photos. At first I was looking for 70's college inspiration, but by the end, I was far more into all the outfits that the kids were wearing. Within a matter of thirty minutes, I had a desktop folder full of vintage yearbook photos! I thought it would be fun to start posting them every now and then, along with commentary on my favorite outfits.

I chose to start with Mr. Glenn's 5th grade class of 1973-74 from Strawberry Point Elementary, mostly because I'm in love with the little girls outfit on the front row.

How perfect is this dress she's wearing! It reminds me so much of something I saw from an independent designer a few seasons back, but I haven't been able to put my finger on it yet. I was thinking Samantha Pleet at first, but somehow that doesn't seem right. Any guesses? 

I think more than the dress, I really liked this girls smile! She looks so happy. The dress is something sort of great too. With the oh-so-obvious 70's print and the white cuffs and collar, I can't help but think of my favorite print designer, Orla Kiely – I have a feeling I'll be mentioning her a lot with these old yearbook photos! It's kind of tough to tell, but it looks like this girl is wearing some tights or pants in a nice rust color too which, in my opinion, is spot on styling for the colors in the dress.

This one doesn't seem so obvious, but surprisingly, Mr. Glenn inspired me a lot too! He's sporting three things that I'm really loving for fall. First up is navy! I'm feeling a little navy-obsessive for the fall – since I'm not too big on black – and I'm still on the lookout for the perfect navy jumper to wear over and over again with all my vintage blouses. Seeing this photo makes me want a pair of navy pants too!

The next love I have here is the brown shoes. That's a given though! I've been a fan of brown accessories ever since I was old enough to pick out my own clothes. Can't you just picture the Chung's with this outfit?

The final inspiration is Mr. Glenn's patterned sweater. Although I'm really into a more Aztec-inspired pattern right now, I could see myself wearing this navy one a whole lot once it gets cold!

Etsy: The Sixties & The Seventies

1.Zebra Romper
2.Wooden Love/Faith Signs
3.Sunglasses
4.Deadstock Polka Dot Maxi Dress
5.Psychedelic Slit Dress

6. Falling Flowers Dress
7. Lime Shift Dress
8. Tooled Wallet
9. Mad Men Coat Dress
10. Peter Pan Collar Floral Blouse

11. Yellow Fondue Pot
12. Hand Screen Printed Paisley Print Sweater
13. Orange Nylon Blouse
14. Orange London Fog Trench Coat
15. Yellow Snap Shoulder Blouse

16. Red Zipper Front Dress

17. Striped Shirt Dress

18. Mexican Embroidered Blouse

19. Liberty Print Dress

20. Red Jumper Dress

21. Red Coat Dress

22. Polo Blouse

21. Vibrant Spring Florals Dress

22. Pink Bubble Hem Nylon Blouse

23. Ivory Peter Pan Collar Victorian Lace Blouse

I finally added some more pieces to the shop last night, but this time I went with a  60's/70's inspired theme! I know it's kind of a stretch from my own personal style, but when I first started thrifting for my store a couple years ago, this seemed to be the vintage I was drawn to. Maybe it's because it was so obviously vintage and easy for me to recognize, but whatever the reason, it's been hanging on my dress rack for way too long and desperately needs to find a home before Goodwill gets a hold of it. I priced everything super low for that reason. Most things are under $30! It seems like I get a lot of really retro pieces given to me too, either from friends parents or grandma's, or sometimes even because they saw it at the thrift store and thought about me. I never sell any gifts though! I'll only sell an item if they bought it with the intention of me putting it in the shop. When I posted these photos on Facebook last night (you should friend me, btw!) I had a girl offer to give me 25 vintage dresses that she was planning on dropping off at a thrift store. You already know what I said.

Since these looks were so far away from my style and since I was super duper busy leading up to this shoot, I got really lazy with the styling and put the girls in the same shoes and socks the whole way through. I'm a cheat and ripped the black shoe/sock combo off from the Orla Kiely fall lookbook, but then again, who could blame me?