Outfit Details:

vintage leisure suit – Hello Tallulah

J.Crew velvet sandals (old)

vintage scarf

yellow beret (I believe originally from modcloth; it’s old)

Past Lives of Future Heirlooms

I love the look of suits, but not the fussiness of them. Which, of course, is why I’m really into vintage leisure suits (and matching sets, whether vintage or modern). I used to have an orange blazer like this, which my mom got from an elderly man who wanted to give her some of his late wife’s things. Back then, I altered a lot of my vintage clothes — and I made it into a short sleeve blazer.

I look back on that and get a little mad at myself for altering an already awesome piece — especially because now I would prefer it as it was — but back then I just wanted to make things into something I would wear all the time. And to be fair, I really did wear that thing a lot. I think I eventually sold it, when I needed some money. I used to do that a lot, too — wear my vintage clothes for awhile and then sell them to help pay my rent.

Needless to say, I won’t be altering this perfect vintage leisure suit. I’ve already worn it several times and want to find some others to join the party. Double knit polyester doesn’t lend itself well to Florida heat, but I spend most of my time indoors, anyway. It’s like when I think back to my high school years and wonder how I wore corduroy blazers and bell bottoms with button up shirts and ties (I went through a menswear phase)…and then remember I was indoors, in frigid classrooms. That’s how.

Vintage Home Furniture

Quite in line with the sentimentality of that super old post I linked to above, I bought this vintage sofa on a total whim and the family gave me several other items that belonged to the woman who was the original owner. This lamp, which need some TLC, and the side table were a couple of the pieces. I set them up and wondered if she could see that her well-cared for furniture from her time capsule home were getting a new life and lot of appreciation. It may be on white tile (hopefully on its way out soon) instead of her amazing coral (yes, coral!) shag carpet, but the overall vibe is there.

Lately, Bobby has been swearing he smells a ghost in the hallway — he says he catches wafts of “old lady perfume” — and I keep wondering which one of the ladies [whose old sofas I bought] is lingering in our home, checking on her things. Whomever she is, I hope she’s not too disappointed that they’re currently residing in a 90s home.

Maybe it’s because I’m very sentimental that I love vintage as much as I do. I romanticize every inanimate object’s origin story. It’s just what I do. At the very least, it makes the idea of lingering ghost ladies feel quite a bit less scary.