The leaves have fallen

Its a beautiful day in Chicago, its estimated to be a high of 55 and sunny. Walking around this morning, I noticed that all the leaves have pretty much fallen off the trees. So, in honor of the final falling of the leaves, I am going to share some photos of this super cute vintage skirt I found while visiting Milwaukee.

The pattern is abstract so I am pretty sure not all of you will see leaves but this skirt 100% reminds me of falling leaves. The skirts ankle length with a tapered waist with button closure. It has pleating in the front and back near the top to create more of a figure. This skirt is just so super cute and I am so happy to be sharing it with you. 

We paired this skirt with a white tank top and suede vest with wool lining as it was 85 the day we took this photo. You could however pair this with a blouse, turtle neck, t-shirt, boots and lots more. It's super versatile so its all about being creative and playing around to discover new looks. I would also wear this skirt for work, girls night, shopping, date night and pretty much anywhere else.  

I hope you enjoy this skirt as much as I do. What would you pair this skirt or vest with?

 - Renee -

P.S. don't forget, most items in my blog are for sale in my boutique. Email for pricing and sizing 

Vintage Hostess

I often scour the web for vintage and i find it so interesting how some items can go undetected and how other sell for hundreds of dollars or hit their reserve within minutes of going out to bid. As a business owner I often have to take my buying experience and build that into your shopping experience. The one thing that any online company will tell you, is that the product photos need to be clear and cohesive for a shopper to click on it. My best friend when shopping is that disgustingly bad photo that no one wants to click on. I live and breath for those ugly photos. Which is exactly why I choose this Dela-Ann Creations Hostess Dress to feature for this post. 

I will have to admit that at first, I passed this dress by. The photo was so bad and had a yellow tint to it but after a few minutes of searching something told me to go back to the dress. It had zero bids and just over an hr until the bid ended so I clicked and I am so glad I did. Look at how beautiful she is. 

I have lots of favorites when it comes to the Dela-Ann dress but my absolute favorite is the pockets. I am a sucker for a dress or skirt with pockets. I don't often want to switch out purses or even bring one so pockets are ideal. But in my experience pockets only work on heavier fabrics as the contents in your pockets stick out too far if the fabric is too light.

My second favorite part of this dress and yes even i am surprised its not my favorite is, the skirt. The colors are to die for. The colors and the design are bold and scream 60/70's. What may be difficult to see in the photos is that this skirt is quilted. So, its super soft and great for those cooler seasons. God bless Meghan for humoring me and wearing this dress in August. Love ya girl(kisses).

Now another neat detail is the detailing on the zipper pull. Its so retro and I can just imagine wearing this and having a dinner party with hard drinks that require olives or sugar cubes and music playing on the record player and finger foods being passed around. You know...when times were a little more simple and good conversation is all one needed to get dressed up and to have a get together. All without leaving the house. 

Another win, win for this dress is that its a size 16. Vintage is difficult to find in plus size or even a average size and this dress is true to size, even with todays sizing charts. It also has a built in belt that ties so its perfect for adjusting to different body types. 

So, as you can see, I love this dress and I am so happy that the original seller had lower quality photos and that I was able to gobble up this beautiful piece of history and share it with the world.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. Please leave me a comment below and let me know if there is anything that you would like me to cover as a fashion blog topic.

xoxoxo

For the love of Fringe

I have missed you guys!!!!

I want to apologize for not posting last week, but there are times when being on vacation means....no cellular networks and truly taking a break from Technology. So please...forgive me...pretty please with lots of vintage fringe on top!

Todays blog post is highlighting something you will find a lot of in my wardrobe. Be it on a sweet pair of shoes,  leather jacket, belt, dress, or jewelry. Fringe is one thing that I cannot get enough of. I think I even like Fringe better than truffles...and man do I love me some truffles....but this is a fashion blog not a food blog so I need to reel myself back in.

When I saw this jacket at....of course Goodwill, I just had to have it for the shop. The jacket is in great shape with very little wear or fading and the fringe is all there and still moves with ease. It is also this amazing camel brown color which goes perfectly with all types of fabrics, patterns and color pallets.

For this outfit, we styled the jacket with oversized tortoise shell sunglasses which I secretly took from my little sister...its not technically stealing if she is family right....lets just hope she isn't reading this post. shhhhhh

We also decided to dress up the jacket with this great layered necklace. The necklace is just so precious. Its vintage and it was my grandmothers. Check out those amazing gold and cream swirls and the beautiful coloring of the beads. This necklace is sure to dress up any outfit.

We also paired with an oversized brown cluster ring to help carry the darker colors of the necklace throughout the outfit. My mother had a healthy obsession with cluster rings so I have a few available in my shop now. Ya know...I'm always happy to help one with an addiction..espically a vintage shopping addiction.

To give the final feminine touch, we styled this look with an amazing crochet dress. The dress is not vintage but it is vintage inspired and I truly believe that this dress completed the look. This dress is hot, hot, hot! It created this carefree style that would be perfect for work, dinner, festival and more.

Don't you just love this jacket!!?? Fringe on the front. Fringe on the back. Its just perfect!

Thank you for stopping by. Please share this blog to inspire others and please do not hesitate to share blog ideas with me.

Renee XOXOXO

Spring is just around the corner

Next week it is going to be in the mid 60's... in Chicago... in February. That's just crazy and to celebrate all this awesomeness, I wanted to put one of my FAVORITE Spring outfits on the blog.

Mix - Blend - Mingle patterns and eras to create your signature Melange Style

As you know I LOVE Goodwill and surprise, surprise, this entire outfit (minus the shoes) is from my local Goodwill.  Really, if you haven't checked out your local thrift store and estate sales, please do. I promise you wont be disappointed.

For this look, I paired a pair of vintage 1980's elastic waist and ankle pants that had a super feminine pink fabric with flowers, with a vintage crochet top with flower detailing on the sleeves, and a faux fur vest which matched perfectly with the flowers on the pants.

To accessorize the look, we paired sea foam green oversized sunglasses and a vintage tooled leather purse from Mexico. The purse had flower detailing, which also played well with the pants and top.

I love playing dress up, especially when the entire outfit was purchased for under $30. Like I said check out your local thrift store and estate sales, you can create beautiful and unique outfits with a little effort and a little budget.

Below I have provided a few more photos of the completed look. Please let me know what you like, what you don't like, what you would pair with the outfit and what you would like to see me blog about in the future.

XOXOXO - Renee

Girl Boss

While wearing this outfit, I felt like the pimpiest of pimps...pimping out my vintage wears that is.  Add a walking stick with a gold hawk on the top and BAM, I'm the most bad ass Girl Boss in all of the lands!

For this look, we paired my jumpsuit, which I found on Groupon, with a vintage perfume necklace from Avon, which now holds my good luck crystals and stones. A vintage all black hat and faux fur coat with beautiful copper colored lining and collar, which was a Goodwill find.

We also decided to go big on the arm candy, by pairing a cluster ring, which used to be my mothers, with a copper color similar to the jackets lining,  A really neat vintage XXL ring with the most interesting detailing and the most chunkiest bangle I have ever owned. I felt like wonder woman while wearing it. Both the ring and the bangle were a Goodwill find. Yes....I spend many hours sorting thought Goodwill Bins.

I also have another addiction I haven't told many about, but you will find out soon anyway, so why not hear it from me. I am addicted to vintage American Tourister Bags. I travel with them, use them for my laptop, take to the gym...they are bright, leather and stunning. I just LOVE them. So guess what....we decided to pair one with this Girl Boss outfit.

One of my favorite parts of owing a Boutique, is coming up with the look, the hair, the make up...everything...its what keeps me ticking day after day. So, for this look we were blessed with two amazing artist from Jean Marie Salon www.jeanmariesalonandspa.com Check the salon out! @hair_by_richelle on instagram or ask for Richelle at the salon.  

We decided to go with a more BOHO vibe with two fishtail braids which were pulled and tugged to create this carefree hairstyle, with ringlets surrounding the face.

Being that the outfit made me feel mega bad ass, we decided to go with bold make up. I rocked this same makeup at a few music festivals this past summer...fun times. For the make up, we used basic scotch tape to create a design and then add color where needed. We outlined the lips in a darker red and utilized a light pink lipstick, to create more drama. I love this look, just love love love it!

The jacket and some accessories can be found on our etsy page. We also have some vintage jumpsuits still listed at this time. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach on out. www.etsy.com/shop/DiscoverMelange

TGIF - Have a wonderful and safe Super Bowl weekend!

xoxoxox - Renee

Good Morning Charlie

Good Morning Charlie....let me finish modeling this bad ass jumpsuit and then I will be over to kick some butt! POW! BAM! SLAM!

This vintage jumpsuit is to die for. The creamy yellow color is flattering on all skin tones and the cut is extremely figure flattering. Also, check out that belt...it provides the shape a lady needs when wearing such a power suit.

We decided to pair many fun vintage and modern accessories with this bitching jumpsuit to create a little pop of color as well as keep the look feminine.

The 3 bracelets on the left are from (top down): Avon , Goodwill and a Faux Tortoise Shell bangle that used to be my mothers from the 70's. The bracelet on the right was from Riot Fest 2015 in Chicago. It had areally cool hand and ring combo, but I hula hooped too hard and broke the chain. Then decided tokeep the owl bracelet and rock it on its own. We also paired a beautiful vintage broach with fan and chain detailing.  The broach was a light green and gold and matched perfectly with the rest of the accessories. The ring was also a vintage find from Goodwill. Oh gosh... I'm telling you my shopping secrets...LOL.

So I am saving my favorite accessory for last. Did you see those sunglasses. Okay that's a silly question...why wouldn't you have noticed those glasses.!? The oversized frame and abundance of rhinestones just scream Charlie's Angels. I wish I could wear these sunglasses all the time, even now while typing this in my fuzzy slippers, bathrobe and hair in a half bun.

With this being my 5th blog post in a row about jumpsuits and do have 1 more still to come, you can see that I have a weakness for jumpsuits....or is a weakness for strong powerful confident women, because that's what you are when wearing a jumpsuit. Either way, I love them, I love you and I love bringing you fun vintage fashions.

Keep being beautiful! Keep being strong! Keep being you!

xoxox

Renee

Party Girl Attitude

This jumpsuit screams "Party Girl Attitude"!

As we all know, I have a weekness for jumpsuits and pockets. Unfortunately this jumpsuit does not have pockets....but did you see what it does have!!?? GOLD STUDS....and those gold studs are what instantly drew me to this jumpsuit. Not to mention the sheer material over the arms. SEXY!

To highlight this amazing jumpsuit, we highlighted the deep-V neckline with a Vintage faux Leopard and Gold chunky necklace. This necklace is light and the faux fur is SO soft.  Also, available for sale in our Etsy shop.

This jumpsuit is perfect for all types of events, going out with the girls, date night with your man and more. Don't be afraid to show a little Attitude, your outfit made you do it. :-)

Contact me for more details and how to purchase.

XOXOX

Renee

Blue Skies Smiling At Me

When I saw this Amazing Blue Vintage Jumpsuit, I fell madly in love and had to have it. Not for myself....well kind of...I HAD to wear it once...ya know...make sure the quality is up to par. LOL. All joking aside, I had to have it so I can share it with the vintage community. I love finding vintage but it is not always my size, style or color but I still buy it. I think I may have a vintage shopping addiction. I truly hope to find this bad ass jumpsuit the perfect home.

This jumpsuit can easily be dressed up or down. It can also be used for many different styles. For this outfit we made it more late 80's early 90's by adding this bold pattern jacket with oversized shoulder pads and collar. This jacket will have a blog post all to itself. I just love it. but lets save that for another day.

If the jacket was removed, you would find two front breast pocket with snap closures as well as two front pockets over your thighs. I'm a sucker for pockets so this is kind of a big deal to me. The other big deal when it comes to jumpsuits is that is gives a good shape. This Blue Jumpsuit has an elastic waistband. Yes you heard me...ELASTIC WAISTBAND!! To me this means two things. 1) Because the band is elastic that means it will fit a wider range of sizes and 2) you will have a nice tapered waist. Which is important when working with a vintage jumpsuit.

If you haven't worn a jumpsuit before, its worth giving them a try. It may take a minute or two to find your ideal jumpsuit, but its worth the search. Jumpsuits can empower you while still making you feel femanine. You will feel like you can conquer the world and take on whatever it is life throws your way.  

For more information please visit my Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/469566700/blue-1980s-jumpsuit?ref=shop_home_active_41

XOXOX

Renee

And so it begins

My name is Renee and I am the owner of Discover Mélange; an online vintage and vintage inspired boutique

 I was raised by two amazing parents both with a passion for family, food, The Arts, being "BOLD" and being "YOU".  I truly couldn't have asked for two better people to gather genes from.

Like most children of the 80's, we were the poster children for bad trends. I know I am not the only one to fall victim to French rolled jeans, teased hair, applying WAY too much Aqua Net or the dreaded oversized shoulder pads! I think it is safe to say that we had to learn how to own, rock, and survive our childhood wardrobes.

Throughout my childhood, I saw my mom getting dressed in modern bright bold colors and patterns while paring them with her vintage hats, shoes and accessories. I always found it so fascinating how she could mix, blend and mingle different eras and trends and come up with this one of a kind style that seemed to make everyone gravitate towards her. She was truly the first #melangegirl and inspired what I like to call #melangestyle

Mélangestyle is about being BOLD and being YOU. Taking your favorite trends from the past and blending them into present day life, resulting in a Mélange style that you can call your own. The purpose of my blog and Discover Mélange is to provide exciting recipes, vintage fashions, home furnishings and entertainment, creating the synergy needed for a happy, healthy, well balanced soul.  

I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you! Keep checking back for more Melange Tips.

XOXO - Renee