Heart of Haute Blog

It's officially December. You have parties lined up. You have places to be and people to see, but more importantly, YOU need to be seen wearing nothing but the best. We've compiled some of the best Holiday looks for you this season. So easy to dress up, dress down, wear to work, or wear on a night out. You decide how to accessorize, honey. Just leave the festive frocks up to us! First, let's talk about the Stefani Dress.  It's simple, stylish, and incredibly comfortable! With a sweet cowl neckline and full skirt, you can't go wrong. And while your Bestie is fiddling with her girdle, you can find comfort in this forgiving ponte knit dress.     Next, The ever popular Milan and Monte Carlo Dress!!! These particular dress bodies have become a best seller in the last 2 years. We offer it in a variety of prints and colors, but featured here we have it in Red Cotton Sateen and our new Ivory Regency Damask print (which has a lovely subtle metallic sheen in the print). If you're looking for something a little less formal or dressy, you can still be festive and cute in our Lily Tops! A 3/4 sleeve knit top, also a customer favorite here at Heart of Haute! And for that Candy Cane look, we suggest our Red Stripe Terri Top! Happy Holidays my Haute Honeys!! -Mandie Bee  

Does anyone else feel like 2014 is already over when you look at your calendar? I have an endless series of festive events - both great fun and required obligations. Here at Heart of Haute, we have looks for all of your holiday duties. A Casual Family Holiday Party: I tend to end up on the floor with my nieces and nephews, or climbing on the counter to get a bottle of brandy down for grandma. I like to be comfortable, cozy, but still presentable. A knit dress is a great choice. Our vintage inspired plus size Anna dress has a waist tie and long sleeves, and our Stefanie dress has a draped neckline and a belt tie for the perfect fit. Don't forget our warm flannel dresses and skirts - perfect for opening gifts by the fire!   A Work Event: A dress for a corporate Christmas party has to walk a fine line – and we're not talking about a Mad Men inspired conga line!  Of course you want to be festive, but still appropriate. Try our Monique, Mitzi (the Monique with sleeves) or Beverly dresses - available in perfect holiday reds and metallics. A more casual work party? Try our Twirl Skirt in gold dots with a black knit top. Creme De Menthe in the water cooler is optional.   A Fun Retro Cocktail Party with Friends: At home or in a bar, you can rock a merry holiday look. Find your perfect vintage inspired cocktail party dress in our sparkling Shimmer Gold and Slate collection. Our Fantasy print is a winter-worthy floral with silver accents on a bold black background.   A Winter Wedding Dress: Our Milan and Monte Carlo (a vintage inspired dress with sleeves) dresses are customer favorites for a reason. These dresses combine an amazing, customizable fit with striking retro styling. This high quality, timeless design will be one that you wear again and again. These two dresses also work great for a night at the symphony or ballet with family (or a date).   New Year’s Eve Outfit Ideas: Our best selling Sweetie dress is ready to party past midnight in festive fabrics like our gold stars and starry night.  In a colder climate? Don't forget to pick up the perfect sweater or shrug to stay warm while looking great!

Are you planning a winter wedding for 2014 or 2015? Do you have a few to attend? Whether you are looking for retro bridesmaid dresses or something to wear as a guest, Heart of Haute has amazing vintage-inspired looks that you actually will wear again. Choosing colors for your wedding can make planning much easier. Wedding color trends can come and go (brown and robin’s egg blue, anyone?), but there are a few classic combinations (and boards) that work perfectly for a winter wedding.

 

• Ice Blue or Periwinkle and Dark Blue: This sophisticated combination of blues evokes winter without being Christmas-y, and is a great balance of feminine and masculine.
• Red and Black: Winter holds a lot of holidays associated with red – Christmas, Valentine’s Day. Red and black are strong wedding colors that can offer a touch of holiday flavor without going overboard.
• Metallics: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Platinum – these precious metals can add sparkle your ceremony. Make the most of winter lighting options like candles or fairy lights with reflective fabrics and finishes.
• Black and White: A common theme for New Year’s Eve parties, this bold and graphic combination is a striking choice for a retro or modern wedding. This look is particularly strong in polka dots and stripe. Do you dare to dress your bridesmaids in black?

All Heart of Haute dresses are unique and made in the USA for your bridal party. We can custom create dresses in any size, including maternity cuts and children’s sizes for flower girls or other young members of the wedding party.

Follow Heart of Haute's board A Red and Black Winter Wedding on Pinterest.

Every year there is a ton of commentary on how women's Halloween costumes have become too sexy. Whether you think it is fun or foolish, retro or pinup Halloween costumes often fall into the super sexy category. If you are looking for a vintage inspired costume that is bold while still being modest, a piece from Heart of Haute can be a great investment. We have been sharing our retro costume ideas all month - here are even more! Get your Disney Villain on with a slinky black dress that will make a great base for Cruella DeVille, Maleficent, or even Ursula. Take the Evil Queen from Snow White in a creative pinup direction by adding a cape and crown to our rich royal purple Maxine Dress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell," Carmen Miranda was a Portugese singer, dancer, and actress who had great popularity in the 1930s through 1950s. Known in no small part for her wild outfits and accessories, it is an identifiable and fun retro costume idea. Along with all of your costume jewelry and a fruit and flower headdress, your Carmen Miranda costume needs some platform sandals and an off the shoulder top. Our Hilda Dress has adjustable off the shoulder sleeves, and comes in bold Samba-worthy florals. Looking for a retro couples' costume idea? How about Popeye and Olive Oyl, or Pee Wee Herman and Miss Yvonne? Planning a Mad Men group costume? We have your Joan, Peggy, Betty, and Megan looks. Try Mary Poppins for a fun (and work appropriate) vintage inspired costume - our Estelle Blouse and Circle Skirt with definitely become staples of your everyday wardrobe long after Halloween ends. Find a blazer, hat, umbrella, and floral bag at a thrift store and you are ready to go!

With Halloween only a month away, we are already planning loads of costume ideas for the vintage-inspired girl. Heart of Haute has attention-getting retro looks that can pull your costume together, but will still be staples in your closet long after Halloween is over.

Roy Lichtenstein was an American artist who found fame in the 1960s pop art scene. His stark, high contrast paintings captured a typically pedestrian form of visual art - the comic strip. In recent years, inventive makeup artists have brought his flat, graphic images to three dimensional life as a striking halloween costume idea. This memorable look can be created with a few inexpensive makeup products combined with what you might already have. Check out this pinterest board of pop art makeup ideas (for girls and guys), or a tutorial.  An outfit heavy on the polka dots completes this retro costume idea, and we have tons of options.  Whether you need a top, a skirt, or a dress - this pop art costume has a bold vintage look.

Need an easy and quick halloween costume this year?

Did you catch "Get on Up," the James Brown bio movie? The reviews of the slightly abstract film have been mixed, but I really enjoyed it. See it if you are a fan of soul music, and want to see a creative exploration of James Brown's evolution and influence from gospel to funk. "Get on Up" had great acting, and lots of amazing vintage American fashion - from the early 1950s to the powerful styles of the 1970s.  Costume designer Sharen Davis knows retro well - she also worked on soul movie favorites "Dreamgirls" and "Ray." James Brown was known in part for his bold style, but you don't have to throw on a gold cape to recreate some of the awesome looks from this era. If you want a retro look with power, Heart of Haute has 1960s styles with big payback. Try our Jenni Dress with puffed and swinging bell sleeves - go go boots and backup dancer moves unfortunately not included. Our Carina Dress has a more structured 1960s shape, and comes in two strong optic prints. You can find the same super bad prints on our Coco Skirt. Our Doreen Dress is another bold 1960s shape - perfect on stage or for dancing to records at home! Don't pay too big of a cost to be the boss - get an American made retro look for less than $100 from Heart of Haute.

Tiki Oasis is one of the biggest and best-known tiki weekenders in America. Every year they have a vintage-appropriate a theme, and in 2014 it was Beatniks. Even if you didn't make it to Tiki Oasis, you can still dig this crazy retro style with Heart of Haute.

Beatniks was the nickname given to those who participated in the subculture based around the Beat Generation, a postwar movement in art and literature. Author Jack Kerouac coined the term Beat Generation in 1948 as a way to describe the new anti-materialistic counter culture groups that were forming around the country. Like most subcultures, it eventually became a stereotype and Halloween costume joke, but not before inspiring many great artists, musicians and writers.

Beatnik style for women might not look that transgressive or exciting to us today, but try to remember what mainstream style was like in the late 1940s and early 1950s. For women, it was full skirts, elaborate details, heavily styled hair and makeup - overall extremely feminine. In contrast to this, the beatnik girl's simple hair, androgynous black and stripes, and flat shoes were very rebellious. If you want to work this lesser-known 1950s style, we have the groovy knits and dark shades that you need, beret not included!

Try our classic Super Spy Dress, the Spy Top, or Trixie top. Put on some iconographic beatnik stripes with our Tara top,  Ella Top, Janie Top, or our Cropped Cardigan.  Try the Sassy Skirt in black for a sleek, daring look - with no frills! Beat dullsville and stay cool with Heart of Haute! 

Retro style back to school fashions by heart of haute, from geektastic chemistry prints to glow in the dark constellations! Heart of Haute has you covered for all of your vintage inspired fall fashion needs.