Heart of Haute Blog

Which is your favorite - kitties or puppies? We're giving away two skirts with our cutest animal inspired prints in this month's giveaway! Join us on Facebook and Instagram for your chance to WIN!

Need an easy and quick halloween costume this year?

We're showing our appreciation for our loyal Haute Honeys by giving you a $25 Honey Money Giftcard when you spend $100 or more this month!!

It's time to bundle up on separates or snag that dress you've been waiting for!  Then use your $25 Honey Money Giftcard for your holiday fashion needs!  This is a limited offer that ends Sept 30th, so act quickly!

     -Alisa <3

Who doesn't love stripes?  I sure do!  Our lightweight, stretchy striped fabrics come in blue and in red.  These garments are versatile, comfy, and flattering on all body types!   One of my favorite dresses is the Lou Lou -We’ve alternated the stripe pattern to make Lou Lou just as interesting and fun as you are! This dress features a drop skirt for that classic vintage beachy look. It’s sleeveless with a cross v neckline, and is soft to the touch with a slight stretch. The Terri Top!  A quarter length sleeved top with small rouching in the bust.  In the words of lovely retro fashion blogger Teer Wayde - "The lightweight, curve hugging and super soft Terri Top is the best stripe top I've worn in years! Usually having a curvy body you tend to fear horizontal stripes but not me, I love them. This top is beautifully constructed and works so well with my body shape." You can read her full review of the Terri Top here.   A new addition to the collection - we've taken the ever so popular Marilyn Tee and made it in stripes!  Red, or Blue! (Can you see we've got a theme going here?) Also, the Gigi Tee, a close cousin to the Marilyn, has a rouched elastic neckline for a peasant style feel.   We didn't forget the feetsies!  The "Effie" Stripe Sandal from Bettie Page Shoes is an adorable canvas open peep toe sandal with adorable bow design!  Available in all the versatile favorites - Red, Black, and Navy. What do you think, Haute Honeys?  Have you got enough stripes in your life? ;) Shop our whole collection! -Ali for HoH  

Sunday nights are one of our favorites now that Mad Men is back! Few television shows have had the style impact of Mad Men - from the Banana Republic collections to the ubiquitous Joan Holloway Halloween costumes - Mad Men renewed an interest in retro style.

Mad Men began set in 1960, and the current season of Mad Men is set in 1969. American culture (and clothing styles) changed radically in those 10 years. The cinched waist and full skirt of the 1950s and early 1960s gave way to shift,  A-line, and babydoll dresses with much shorter skirts. Patterns ruled late 1960s and early 1970s fashion, from ethnic boho paisleys too bold mod optic pattern and stripes. Traditional patterns like florals were still around, but they got bolder and more abstract. Colored and patterned tights were popular, and costume jewelry became bigger and brighter, from brooches to earrings.

If you want to rock a hip late 1960s look at work or out on the town, Heart of Haute has the vintage inspired essentials that you need. Our Ruby Dress has an A-line shape and peter pan collar - the Mini Daisy print is a graphic floral that any SCDP employee would love. Our tie-neck Estelle Blouse is an office essential - newly promoted Dawn would approve! 

Follow Heart of Haute's board Retro Style at Work on Pinterest.

As the new season approaches, we're all taking a look at our wardrobes to see what we need to pack away until next winter.  But some pieces stay in through all seasons!  What might that be - basic staple pieces. I'm not talking about t-shirts (although I do accept their importance as sleepwear items), those are boring! I'm talking about making sure your solid separates are vintage inspired to match all those cute outfit pieces! Who loves circle skirts? I know I do - they remind me of when I used to play dress up in my mom's old retro clothes.  Not only do circle skirts bring us back to an awesome time in fashion, they're still just as flirty and flattering as ever.  The all NEW Haute Circle Skirt in Black Sateen goes with just about any top, you can dress it up or down. This true circle skirt has lots of gathered fabric to twirl around in!   The Lily Top is made of the same slightly stretchy fabric you love on our classic Super Spy Dress, which is a little warmer so it works for ladies in cooler climates.  It's a quarter-length sleeved top adorned with a cute square knot tie around the collar. The Lily Top is a Haute Honey favorite because it goes so perfectly with our Gypsy Skirts. There's one to match all our fun prints!   Pencil Skirts are great for ladies that work in an office!  Whether you like yours short, long, with a slit on the side, or belted, these vintage style skirts flatter all the right places. Our New Pencil Skirt in Teal is a staple for bright hue lovin' gals. Easily paired with florals or solids.   The Marilyn Tee is a classic off-the-shoulder top that comes in quite a few colors, even prints! Made from soft cotton, it's stretchy and curve-hugging. Wear totally off the shoulder for the classic pinup look, or bring the sleeves up, whichever look you prefer! Available in Black, Magenta, True Blue, Red, White, Slate Blue, Leopard, Spring Argyle, Aqua and Aqua Dot.   The secret to a wonderful wardrobe is to stock it with the right staple pieces.  Great separates last through all seasons and work well with all your special pieces.  Check out our entire selection of knit tops, blouses, and skirts!   <3 Ali for HoH    

With trusty video cam and tripod in hand, Jennifer of a Vintage Vanity was ever-so ready to interview me about Heart of Haute. In this 13 minute video, you'll learn a little bit of the history behind this company, more about myself, and how we do things around here!

Hello! Katrina Marie here! (How's it going?) I don't normally like to get too serious, or post entries that can read like a novel, but I really wanted to take a moment to bring up a topic that happens to be very near and dear to my own heart: body positivity (YAY!) I know from my own experience that there seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what body positivity actually is. Some have even dared to argue that body positivity promotes unhealthy lifestyles and obesity (Nope! Keep reading, please.)   Body positivity focuses on self-love, and learning to be comfortable in your own skin, regardless of what number the scale happens to hit.  It's also about educating people (including yourself) about body autonomy by helping others realize that no one really has the right to comment on or judge someone else's body.  Unfortunately, the media has an idea of what beauty should look like, and they have no qualms constantly reminding us that we, the every day Janes of the world, do not fit their mold.  We're constantly shown images of women in their photoshopped “perfection,” and then we're told what steps to take in order to achieve said “perfection.”  This is not only damaging to women (for obvious reasons,) but men are affected as well.  We live in a society where women everywhere are kind of tricked into working to achieve some spoon-fed notion of what beauty is, and men are holding women to the same, unrealistic standards.  This doesn't just apply to overweight women of today.  Back in the 1950s, women were often criticized for being underweight, and for bodies lacking in curves (wait, what?!)

 Vintage weight gain ads.

Let's take a moment to break down what that tells us:  The media has been dictating to women how we should look, and teaching men what they should find attractive in a woman's physical appearance for decades! Let that sink in just for a second. I don't know about you, but realizing that alone, was enough for a lightbulb to go off inside my ever-analytical brain.  I thought, “No amount of energy I spend trying to make others happy with my body image will do, because there will always be someone who will object. You can't make everyone happy. So, why not focus on making sure you're happy with yourself?” Now, I'm not saying I've managed to get to that point of ultimate and complete self-love.  In all honesty, it will likely be a lifelong fight. What I have learned so far, is that once you get to the point where you can accept your body for all its perfect imperfection (see what I did there?), then other people's opinions don't matter so much. If it doesn't bother you, other people can't use it against you. This is why I look up to the women (and men) that constantly defy and rebel against the media to remind us that beauty truly does come in all shapes and sizes.  Mindy Kaling, Tess Munster, and Christina Hendricks are just a few that come to mind.

Mindy Kaling, Tess Munster, Christina Hendricks

  While it's awesome that celebrities, and others in the public eye, make a point to take a stand for body positivity, it's just as important for us to take a stand to make a difference in our everyday lives. (This is the part where I tie everything together, I promise!) One of my favorite things about pinup culture, is that pinups are known to have voluptuous, hourglass curves.  (Of course, this may have been indicative of what the media's idea of beauty was at the time, but that's another point for a different day.) This aesthetic has managed to withstand the test of time, and is seen in modern pinup culture today. That being said, the difference is that with modern pinup culture, even women with less than hourglass curves can dip their pointed toes into the “pinup world” by picking out their favorite vintage inspired looks (Heart of Haute dresses included, of course!) and booking a pinup photo shoot with a local photographer. We've had the pleasure of working with Miss Tara of Tara O. Photos. While Tara is a talented photographer all around, she specializes in pinup photography, and always proclaims that ANY woman can try pinup modeling (and she's right!)   While plus size fashion seems to have really only adopted contemporary trends in more recent years, it's still an area of fashion that I believe is often overlooked. Luckily, it's really caught on that “the chubby girls” have as much fashion sense as anyone else. So, plus-size girls (myself included) are starting to have more options when it comes to self-expression through clothing. Heart of Haute is proud to offer several styles in our plus-sizes (1XL and 2XL.) We're also proud to feature plus-size models who are not only rocking our clothing and working it in front of a camera, but who are also doing really awesome things to makes waves in the industry and beyond it.     Miss Shana Nicole hails from Houston, Texas. In addition to the numerous pinup magazine covers on which she's been featured, she is also the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Atomic Bombshells Magazine. She's also proud to be a founding member of Benefit Betties, a Houston based, non-profit pin-up charity group.  You can even catch this bombshell as a guest performer for the Houston Burlesque Revue.

Shana Nicole in the Diner Dress in Black (Photo Credit: Paper Moon Photography by Charlie Girl)

Shana Nicole in the Sailor Dress in Navy (Photo Credit: Paper Moon Photography by Charlie Girl)

Shana Nicole in the Beverly Dress in Black Gingham (Photo Credit: Paper Moon Photography by Charlie Girl)

    Miss Teer Wayde is a freckled beauty from down under, Melbourne, Australia. She is a fashion and editorial model signed with Bella Model Management in Australia, and she also runs the popular fashion blog Curves to Kill. You may remember her from an interview with Mandie Bee that was featured here on our blog in the past.

Teer Wayde in the Hillary Dress in Black Dot (Photo Credit: Nic Doncon)

Teer Wayde in the Monte Carlo Dress in Lake (Photo Credit: Nic Doncon)

Teer Wayde in the Marilyn Top in Stripey & the Vogue Pencil Skirt in Black (Photo Credit: Nic Doncon)

Teer Wayde in the Marleen Dress in Black (Photo Credit: Tara O. Photos)

  Two different ladies on opposite ends of the globe with at least one very important thing in common (aside from their killer fashion sense, of course): they know they're beautiful (inside and out) and they know that no one's opinion of them will change that.  So the next time you look at yourself in the mirror (whether you've decided to strut your stuff in Heart of Haute that day or not,) take a moment to remember that you are wonderfully unique, and your perfectly imperfect awesome self is top notch, Heart of Haute loveliness!  You go, girl! ;)     With Love & No Regrets, Katrina Marie   **Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Heart of Haute or any of its other employees.**

With September not too far off, we'll soon be saying “So long!” to Sweet Summer.  Warm nights will turn into crisp evenings as Autumn makes its way in.  To ease the transition into the next season, add a bit of fashion heaven to your wardrobe with our Angelica Collection.   Summer doesn't officially end until the Autumnal Equinox on September 22^nd, so there's still plenty of time to take advantage of “bare shoulder weather.”  The Sweetie Dress, in Angelica Purple (top) and Angelica Pink (bottom) is perfect for enjoying the still warm evenings at the end of summer.  Show of your tanned shoulders with this halter dress which has princess seams and ties in the back for a great fit.     Though our Sweetie Dress is one of our best-selling styles.  Don't worry, we have other styles to choose from!  The Hillary Dress in Angelica Pink also has princess seams and ties in the back.  This dress also has an empire waist (for an even better fit) and a bow tie at the collar for a finishing touch (I don't know about you, but I LOVE bows!)   Not a fan of an empire waist?  Or maybe you're looking for a more simple silhouette?  The Monique Dress in Angelica Turquoise might be more to your liking.  This dress has a bateau neckline with an A-line skirt – simple, but equally as flattering.  It even comes with a matching belt!     Once the summer heat starts to fade, the cooler air might have you wanting a bit more coverage.  Pairing these dresses with a cute cardigan usually does the trick, or you might opt for a style that will cover your shoulders.  The Beverly Dress in Angelica Purple has those same features for a great fit – princess seams, ties in the back, and an empire waist – all in one fantastic dress (with sleeves!)  Another one of our best-sellers, this dress also has a rounded collar with a cute self tie.     Want even more coverage? Then the Mallory Dress in Angelica Turquoise is the dress for you. This dress has a full skirt, empire waist, and ties to cinch in the middle. Its overlapping V-neckline is also great for Haute Honeys with a more voluptuous figure. It even has cute little bows at the sleeves for an added detail (more bows!)   My favorite part about this line, is that the fabric itself has a subtle metallic detail that shimmers in the light.  Whether it reflects the sunlight during summer when the days are longer, or glows under the moonlight in the crisp fall air, the Angelica Collection will have you looking heavenly.     With Love & No Regrets, Katrina Marie

Model, Stephanie Jay from the United Kingdom, wears our infamous Diner Dress in Olive on the cover of Delicious Dolls magazine!