Guest Post - Junebugs and Georgia Peaches

Hey y'all!  We're June + Amelia from Junebugs and Georgia Peaches!  If you don't know us, we're a couple of quirky, southern, big dress wearin' bottle redheads who are an amalgam of retro + modern style.  Amelia lives in Augusta, Georgia and June lives in Nashville,Tennessee and we co-write our blog long distance.  We absolutely love Jana, she is incredibly stylish and always has the sweetest things to say if you're having an "off day" so we were totally flattered when she asked us to guest post on her blog.  Also, we've been lurking her wedding photos on instagram and they are AMAZING!

It just so happened that we got to see each other over the weekend because June is currently planning her wedding so we decided to celebrate the 4th of July a little bit early!

Happy ((Early)) 4th of July!

Meet the Tie Sleeve Lucy Day Dress

We both got one of these adorable dresses from Le Bomb Shop (they look like something Lucy + Ethel would wear!) and decided we would play with some sparklers in the park, it'd been about a month since we'd gotten to see each other, so we were excited to say the least!

Say hello to the Tie Sleeve Lucy Day Dress in Red + White Polka Dot and Blue + White Polka Dot.  We love shirt-dresses, because they seem so effortlessly "put together".  When you're a busy lady, it's nice to have pieces in your wardrobe that you know will be stylish and are still sensible for a hectic schedule.  When I (June) first got into buying vintage, I bought a ton of shirt-dresses because they were so easy to find and very inexpensive.  Even if it's a reproduction,  I feel like there's nothing better or more figure-flattering than a good, patterned shirt-dress.  One thing we noticed with this dress is that it is a tight fit across the bust. So depending on your bust and waist measurements you may have to size up accordingly.

We wore shorter petticoats under this dress for a 50s style, but could definitely see rocking it without a petticoat for a more 40s vibe.  We loved the puff sleeves the tie detail on the cuff and it's awesome that you can adjust the ties to your arm size.

We had such an amazing time hanging out in the park, celebrating the 4th of July a few days early and almost catching our hair on fire.  We left with sore thumbs because it was windy and we couldn't get the lighter to work, and went through 3 boxes of sparklers while taking photos, but it was totally worth it haha.

Sideote: this company offers free U.S. shipping on all orders (no minimum) and free international shipping on orders over $250 and Melissa + Ben were also sweet enough to give us a promo code to share with y'all so for 10% off until July 3rd use promo code "JBGP10".

We hope we see you around Junebugs and Georgia Peaches! What are you wearing for the 4th of July?

Guest Post - The Soubrette Brunette

Hi there, all you faithful readers of small town, BIG SMILE!  It's Sammi from The Soubrette Brunette!  For those who may not know me, I'm a singer and actress with a love for all things retro, kitschy and girly.  I also love cats, teatime and novelty prints and bags.  I absolutely adore Jana and her always-impeccable style, so of course, I said that I would be delighted to do a guest post while she is celebrating her wedding!  Since Jana and I share a love of vintage reproductions, I thought I would share my little collection of dresses by one designer in particular: Bernie Dexter!  I'm sure most of you are probably at least a little familiar with Bernie (or at least with her wonderful dresses), but for those who might not be, Bernie is a gorgeous pin-up model turned designer.  She focuses on 1940's and 1950's-inspired dresses (and has some of the most fantastic novelty prints around, in my opinion!), though she has also designed pants, tops, jumpsuits, skirts and even swimwear.  I have found her dresses to be incredibly flattering and well-made -- and they almost always have hidden lipstick pockets (this is always a plus for me, even if I don't actually use them for anything!).  They are also ideal summer dresses, since they are typically unlined and are made of 100% cotton.  Although Bernie Dexter dresses are a bit of an investment, I've found them to be a solid addition to my wardrobe; they're actually incredibly versatile pieces, and I value quality over quantity.

I have to talk a bit about my absolute favorite Bernie Dexter dress.  It was actually my very first Bernie dress, and it remains a staple for me -- not only because of how flattering it is, but also because the print is of beautiful lilacs (my favorite flower!).  This is the only Bernie dress I have in this particular silhouette (referred to as the "Paris Pin Up" style on her website), but I should make an effort to add another in this style to my collection.  It's the perfect fit-and-flare dress, and hits my frame in all the right places.  Another thing I like about Bernie's dresses is that her size chart is pretty consistent for me; fit varies by silhouette, but I wear the same size in all her dresses, which is very useful when you do a bulk of your shopping online and need to take as much guess work out of the equation as possible!  This dress is on sale on Bernie's website right now, and I can't recommend it more!

As I mentioned before, I think Bernie's dresses have a lot of versatility.  I've worn them both with and without petticoats, and many times, they look equally-good either way!  Although I love the look of a crinoline, it's certainly not always a practical option, so I love that either choice is a possibility.  In addition, there are a couple of her dresses (one that I own, and one that I borrowed from Jana) that look better on me without the addition of a petticoat.  These are usually dresses with a less-full skirt than some of her other designs.  Here are some of her dresses that I opted to style sans petticoat:

This Parisian print dress has a much more 1940's look to it (especially with the knotted sailor collar).

Jana's adorable rocket print Bernie dress seemed a little shorter and less full than others I have,
so I nixed the crinoline for a breezier summer look.

Although I decided not to wear a petticoat with either of these, they work both with and without one!

I've also discovered that her dresses can be great for layering.  Two of my favorite layered looks involve Bernie's dresses.  I love when dresses can magically transform into skirts!  It allows you to get so much more longevity out of your wardrobe, and it's always fun to create a new use for something.  It's also a great way to achieve a more casual look.  I used to get a lot of questions from people, asking why I was so dressed up; although I dress for myself and like dressing up, this can still be a really good option.  It also allows these dresses to get some wear in the cooler seasons, which is always nice!

My favorite layered look with my beloved Clueless sweatshirt!  Very '90s meets '50s.

I loved this as a winter option!  This winter was so drab that I needed a springy reminder.

Although my favorite pieces are Bernie's dresses, I also own a couple of other separate pieces.  Bernie often sells her pieces on eBay when they're being discontinued, and this is a great way to score something you've had your eye on.  I purchased an adorable red gingham playsuit and a lovely off-the-shoulder red top from Bernie's eBay store (I also got one of my dresses this way!), and both pieces definitely live up to her normal standards of construction and cuteness!  I chose to wear the playsuit underneath a skirt I already had, and although I often wear the red top with a pair of high-waisted jeans, I chose here to wear it with a poodle (well, kitten) skirt for a make-shift sock hop Halloween costume!

I've accepted the fact that there will always be a Bernie dress on my wish list!  I've been eyeing these two lovelies for what seems like forever!  Both are available at ModCloth (though the dog print one is currently out of stock).  I'm also eyeing this fox print dress and this bee print one (available on the official Bernie Dexter website)!  What about you?  Are you a fan of Bernie Dexter?  If you own any of her dresses, which ones?  I love living vicariously!  

Thanks so much to Jana for allowing me to (hopefully) entertain you all for the day!  Thanks for checking out my post, and I hope to see you around The Soubrette Brunette sometime!  Have a wonderful Monday!   

Guest post: Never Fully Dressed (Without a Style)

Hey all! I'm Kristian from Never Fully Dressed (Without a Style), taking over Jana's blog for a day while she's away. Since Jana is busy getting hitched, this seems like a perfect time to talk about what to wear to a wedding! Blogging builds up these friendships; now I'm so excited and happy for Jana and her man, that I just wish we could all be there to see the magic too!

But as it happens, I did just go to a wedding the other weekend, and here is what I and some of the other guests wore! This pink number was given to me courtesy of eShakti and is perfect for a wedding- it's comfortable but still has some twirl to the skirt when you get on the dance floor (and we were on the dance floor- the chicken dance, the Macarena, the YMCA- all the goofy but fun, stand-by group dances were going on).

It was a wedding for an friend I grew up with, and the wedding cake baker was another friend from childhood. We were tickles to match just a bit! Doesn't Ginger look wonderful in that floral number? We were tickled to be unintentionally coordinating (must have been all those "dress like a twin" days in elementary school!). Didn't get the chance to check if the bride was okay having her photos on a blog but, be assured she was absolutely resplendent- just like Jana will be!

Best Wishes to you, Jana, on your Big Day!

Guest Post - Swing The Day Away

Hey there Small Town, Big Smile readers! My name is Sara and I blog over at Swing The Day Away. I am a budding librarian who loves all things nautical, bookish, and vintage. I'm also a devout tea drinker. While Jana is busy preparing for her wedding (eep!), she asked me and a bunch of other awesome bloggers to fill in for her. I thought I'd share my strawberry picking adventure with you all since fruit picking is one of the best parts of summer. :)

If you aren't familiar with me and my blog, then you don't know how much I love fruit picking. It's one of my favorite things to do and I always look forward to when the pick-your-own season begins. It always starts in mid-June with strawberries! While strawberries are the least pleasant to pick (they are low to the ground, so there's a lot of squatting involved), I still love picking them. There is nothing like fresh fruit! 

My boyfriend Chris and I went a couple of days after the season started, so we got a lot of good berries since they weren't all picked over yet. My method was to head a ways back down the rows since people probably tend to start in the front. It turns out that there were a lot of big and ripe strawberries back there! I didn't mean to pick as much as I did, but I couldn't help it. I kept finding really great ones!

I just got this shirt a couple of months ago at a vintage clothing expo. It's vintage, and it was only $5. I couldn't pass it up, especially with the strawberry print. It's way too big, so I figured I could just wear it like this with it tied at the waist. When I got it, I knew I'd have to wear it while strawberry picking. :)

I think I ended up picking about 4 pounds of strawberries. Yeah...I went a little overboard. I thought maybe I'd bake something with them, but I ended up just snacking on them for a week. Hey, it's better than snacking on Oreos or chips.

Shirt: Vintage//Skirt: BooHoo//Shoes: Payless

The next fruit that will be in season is blueberries. I have never really made a fruit pie before, and I really want to make a blueberry pie. I would love to do the whole lattice pie crust, but I'm not sure how easy or hard that is. I'll have to look into it. My favorite fruits to pick are raspberries and apples, but those won't come until a little later in the year. Raspberries are in August and apples are in September/October. I can't believe that the fall is only about 2 1/2 months away. It's crazy! Do you have a favorite fruit that you either love to eat, love in a dessert, or love to pick? :)

Cuddly Cacti Guest Post...

Hey all! Today I'm up to something different... I'm guest posting over at Cuddly Cacti, where you can see me sporting some bohemian style looks! It's not something I wear often, but it's a look I love, and I decided to pull it out for Dus!  Hop on over and check it out!

Guest Posting for Soubrette Brunette...

One of my favourite blogging ladies is away this week, so I'm doing a guest post for her today about my favourite outfit. Me being me, I couldn't narrow it down to one. But I was at least able to narrow it down to one dress, so it's okay that I talked about all the fun ways to remix it, right?

Yep, I thought so too. You should jump over to her blog, The Soubrette Brunette, and check it out. And while you're there, make sure you check out Sammi's posts as well. She's a super sweetheart with a to-die-for dress collection!

 dress: modcloth

cardigan, belt: forever 21

knee socks: borrowed

shoes: bait footwear

petticoat: american apparel