Dating in Dallas. Toulouse

Guys I am back with another post for my Dating in Dallas series! This week the hubs and I decided to check out a place I had been eyeballing for a while but never actually got around to trying. We all have those restaurants right? Like you notice it, think it’d be fun to give it a try and then forget about it the moment you’re asked the dreaded question… “where do we want to go to dinner?” is there any other question that deletes the contents of your brain that quickly? Really hoping its not just me who feels this way haha.

Well all that being said Dane and I finally decided to try out the adorable French Bistro Toulouse. Like any reputable bistro there is patio seating but since its Texas there is still air conditioning Hallelujah! The interior is definitely Parisian inspired without looking gimmicky, and they play soft French music in the background which I was a massive fan of. All in the all the ambience was very romantic without being intimidatingly upscale. So if you’re looking to knock the socks off of your date without having to worry about which fork to use this is the place. My scrunched faced cutie.

Like any date we started off with drinks, Dane got an old fashioned which according to him was good but nothing to write home about, I tried it but since I don’ t like whiskey my opinion means nothing. I ordered the Chanel No. 6 which was a nice light champagne cocktail that I’d 100% order again.

Then for a few small bites we ordered their Petite Gougere (cheese puffs with truffle oil) each bite was fluffy and beyond flavorful. The perfect balance of delicate texture and sinfully rich flavours.

You guys *contented sigh* Toulouse makes some of the best escargot I’ve ever had! I was honestly worried that I’d be disappointed. One of my favorite restaurants in Austin makes delish escargot and I was afraid toulouse would let me down…but they’ve actually dethroned my beloved Austin spot. Toulouse makes some of the most garlicky, decadent, and tender escargot this girl has ever had! If you’re weirded out by the idea of eating snails, don’t be. Please be adventurous and just give it a try, you will not regret it!

 The perfect ending to our meal of appetizers haha (you wanna try a little bit of everything am I right?) Beignets with cappucino pot de creme! If any desert could turn me into a non food sharer this would be it. I decided to be a good person and share but goodness me I could’ve polished this dish off myself. 10/10 perfect dessert!

Dane and I loved our experience at Toulouse and would definitely recommend you check it out, the ambience was romantic, the food delicious, and the waitstaff was super friendly but didn’t overwhelm by coming by every 5 minutes. Toulouse is the perfect little date spot for changing up the everyday pace of dinner and movie. Try something out of your food comfort zone, sip a cocktail, and pretend you’re in Paris with your gorgeous date!

Fashion Friday: Hot Dame

I will make no excuses for lack of posting…But I had a little freetime this week and I thought hey I should post a little look for you all. This week I am featuring the hottest little black dress I’ve ever had the good fortune to wear! The dress is The Vamp from Pinup Girl Clothing.

Hair Flower: Gift from Miss Amy May

Earrings: Charlotte Russe/Similar

Necklace: Gift/Similar

Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing I actually tried on this dress when I went the the pinup girl clothing boutique many moons ago and fell in love instantly…but alas I was a little too broke to buy it at the time…but as the saying goes “Good things come to those who wait”. The dress went on sale, and is still on sale I might add, so I finally bought my PUG first love. The Vamp is the perfect LBD, form fitted to show off the curves, yet modest enough you wouldn’t feel awkward if you ran into your Grandma while out and about. The fabric is a sturdy cotton poly blend but still comfortable, as reference I am 36″ 27.5″ 36″ and the Medium fits me quite comfortably. Basically The Vamp is everything you could want out of a LBD…But if black isn’t your thing this dress comes in other colourways as well!

Shoes: Restricted

I hope you all enjoyed this post and thank you for putting up with me and my lack of posting. Happy Friday!

 

Fashion Friday Featuring Apostolic Clothing Pt 2.

Hello my beauties! So I missed posting last week because I caught a rather gnarly cold ugh, but I’m back to the land of living and hopefully you find that the wait for the new post was worth it because I certainly do. If you missed Pt 1 you can read that here and learn a little more about the lovely company Apostolic Clothing.

For this look I really wanted to draw inspiration from the gorgeous chocolate brown tulle skirt and pretend for a moment that it actually felt like fall here in Texas 😉

Necklace: Charming Charlies/Similar

Scarf: Borrowed from my mom/Similar

Jacket: H&M

Top: Forever 21/Similar

Skirt: Apostolic Clothing well hello new favorite fall skirt! I have owned tulle skirts before and I usually find them to be a hit or miss item, either they look too ballerina-ish for everyday wear, or they can look a tad…witchy for lack of a better adjective. However this beautiful tulle skirt from AC is perfectly wearable, distinctively feminine, and delightfully flattering with its wide elastic waistband that cinches in at the smallest portion of my waist and length wise hits me mid shin so my legs don’t look to short. I am so excited to get lots of wear out of this skirt, I have a feeling a future blog post with different styling methods is probably going to make an appearance. Would you guys like that? Basically I am just looking for more excuses to wear this little number.

Shoes: Miz Mooz/Similar

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you check out Apostolic Clothing. Happy Friday!

Fashion Friday Featuring Olan Rogers Supply

Hello my darlings welcome to the weekend. As some of you may know I had the incredible opportunity to model with the Olan Rogers Supply team this spring, and I must say I had an absolute blast. I already loved this brand but after getting to know everyone involved my love and respect for them has become tenfold. I’ve never met a nicer group of hilarious and insanely hardworking people in my life. This team is so determined to give their all and present you guys with the absolute best products possible. Long hours, sweat, and even some tears go into every new line these guys put out. Yes the designs are beyond awesome and the shirts are softer than baby blankets made from a cotton candy and fabric softener blend, but its knowing that you’re repping a brand that cares so deeply about their customers that makes this so special.

The new Spring line was completely inspired by films that basically served as mile markers through Olan’s life. It really is the story behind the story that’s always the most interesting, so I say give Olan’s inside look into the inspiration for this new line a read so you can fully appreciate how killer these new designs are.

Look 1.

Tank: Olan Rogers Supply

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Target

Look 2.

Baseball Tee: Olan Rogers Supply

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Target

Look 3.

Dinosaur vibes and model skills

T-shirt: Olan Rogers Supply

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Target

look 4.

V-neck: Olan Rogers Supply

Shorts: Old Navy

Boots: Target

Look 5.

Chambray Top: Target/Similar

Tank: Olan Rogers Supply

Shorts: Old Navy

Boots: Target

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you go buy lots from Olan Rogers Supply because you really could not be supporting a better group than those fine folks there. Happy Friday my loves.

Fashion Friday Featuring Miz Mooz

I’m so happy to be featuring one of my most favorite companies yet again Miz Mooz! How I adore this brand and their penchant for retro designs and affinity for silky smooth leather. Oh and they also had one of the funniest April Fools Day jokes I’ve ever seen with their Selfie Shoe Video. I mean what could beat a stellar product sold by a friendly and hilarious group of people? I’m thinking nothing tops that.

Haircut: Rebekah Klueber  Seriously if you live in the DFW metroplex and you’re looking for a new stylist go see this lady! She is wonderful!

Blouse: Target/Similar

Purse: Walmart

Belt: H&M

Skirt: Old Made Good/Similar

Sandals: Miz Mooz These sandals are perfect! I love that they suit my vintage look so well, but are still going to easily pair with my more modern pieces. For me finding a nice pair of sandals is more frustrating than finding a good swimsuit. You want something comfortable but you also want something a little more refined than say a pair of flip flops, and Miz Mooz understands this. By utilizing leather and memory foam you’re going to feel like you’re walking on a cloud. I have SUPER blister prone feet, and admittedly I found the ankle strap on these to be just the slightest bit irritating but since these bad boys are leather after a few wears they are going to soften right up, unlike the mass produced plastic based shoes that will never soften up in the right places. Quality materials make all the difference and are so worth investing in.Thank you Miz Mooz for never cutting corners!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and that you check out Miz Mooz and their perfect shoes. Happy Friday Darlings!

#iamunique

Hello my dears its been a while since I’ve posted anything that wasn’t a strictly fashion post. Yes this one will have to do with fashion but I promise it will be so much more than that.

One of my favorite companies in the world: Unique Vintage has started a campaign I could not be more pleased with. The #iamunique  campaign encourages people to really love themselves for who they are. Basically you use the hashtag and talk about what makes you different and why you love yourself for it…Sure it sounds simple enough but openly stating your truest self and your rawest emotions can be a little scary especially on the interwebs, where kindness, understanding, and acceptance aren’t exactly a common theme. But I felt called to take the plunge and put myself out there.

Basically I used to wear what was “in” and pretend to enjoy the things that “everyone else” did and in turn was miserable, truly miserable. By wearing what was “in” I felt ugly because #iamunique I have a less than common figure and most clothes aren’t designed to flatter someone with short yogi legs, a ridiculously long torso, and line backer shoulders. I only wish I could go back in time and talk to little Sarah who was crying in dressing rooms wishing to be like everybody else and tell her how happy she would become the moment she embraced her truest self.

I have loved the pinup style for most of my life, even at the age of 4 I worshiped Audrey Hepburn and her flawless glamour. But since pinup was considered over the top by so many I had resigned myself to boring socially acceptable clothes for far too many years. I was denying who I really was everytime I bought myself a pair of skinny jeans and a graphic t-shirt. But all of the denial stopped the very moment I slipped on my Unique Vintage wiggle dress “just for kicks”. Needless to say I bought the dress, but honestly it was so much more than that, it felt like I had bought myself the freedom to be ME.
My first real pinup dress changed everything for me.

By realizing how right I was about my fashion choices I carried that same confidence into other areas of my life. I no longer pretended to enjoy the music that everyone else was listening to, I would unashamedly tell people my big plans for the weekend consisted of  of staying home baking, marathoning Doctor Who, and and snuggling my dog, and if I found something funny I would laugh my witchy cackle and maybe snort a little too. I was no longer ashamed of who I was. I loved me and I didn’t have to fit societies rules to do so.

 Going steady dress

Brenda Dress.

I’m not like everybody else and that’s okay, in fact its more than okay, Its fan-freaking-tastic! By being my truest self I have had so many opportunities open up to me, I’ve become bolder, braver, happier and the people who have chosen to love me for the real me are absolutely irreplaceable. In all honesty I probably wouldn’t have half the friends I do now if I hadn’t started dressing pinup. I discovered myself, and a community of so many beautiful hearts and minds. I just want to extend a huge thank you to Unique Vintage for starting this campaign of self love as well as to my wonderful pinup community that inspires me daily and reaffirms me. Like I said in my #iamunique insta post “yes I am unique but that doesn’t mean I don’t belong”.

Fashion Friday Featuring: Harkin Headquarters

Well hello you gorgeous thing you, welcome to 2015! May this year be even better than last and may your fashion continue to grow in its fabulousness.

I must say I am was really excited to post this first Fashion Friday of the New Year. This is the time everyone is making goals and setting out to accomplish them, usually these goals deal with health and wealth. But I believe having fashion resolutions is just as important. This is why I could not be more thrilled to feature Harkin Headquarters. What makes Harkin Headquarters so special you might ask? Well first off the products offered are incredibly stylish, but the core value of HHQ is that of supporting independent artisans. In a world of mass production and shoddy quality its nice to know there are still businesses out there that care about people, quality, and of course style.

The variety of products offered by HHQ is phenomenal from ponchos to headdresses, tapestries to bracelets, this kickass company has it all. Including Keith Harkin merch, which was so wonderfully modeled by my stunning beauty of a sister, and okayishly modeled by me as well 😉

How is it even legal to be this beautiful?I love that this girl goes from glamazon to goof  in a matter of seconds.

Hat: Homemade/Similar

Sunglasses: Unique Vintage

Cardigan: Old Navy/Similar

Shirt: Harkin Headquarters 100% organic cotton, stellar design, great fit, and a great way to immediately convey to people you have excellent taste in music without having to say a word 😉

Bracelet: Vintage/Similar

Jeans: Academy poor girl has to buy men’s jeans to accommodate her super long legs, a problem I only wish I had *cuffs jeans in despair*.

Shoes: Converse/Similar

 

We laugh a lot.eating trees as one does…no? Just me? 

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters/Similar

Earrings: Gift/Similar

“Holy Moses Cardigan”: Cotton On/Similar oh and Harkin Headquarters has some amazing wraps too. Just sayin.

Shirt: Harkin Headquarters Again 100% organic cotton and there is absolutely no question as to what insanely talented musician you’re repping.

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: DSW/Similar

I hope you all enjoyed this post, that you check out Keith’s music, and the amazing company that is Harkin Headquarters. Cheers to you 2015, you’re already looking mighty fine.

Fashion Friday Featuring PUG’s Dames Dress

Hooray! Oh I am absolutely ecstatic to finally be sharing this Fashion Friday with you all. Back in the summer I had the pleasure of modeling for a photographer meetup which was a blast (and seriously intimidating too). Being as I was chosen for my pinup style I figured this shoot was the perfect opportunity to “treat myself” and buy the phenomenal Dames dress from Pinup Girl Clothing.

Photos courtesy of  Visions Photography by Brent

I also wanted to share this shot my mother took of my lovely little sister and myself. Rachel’s dress is from Heart of Haute/Similar

Hair flower: Gift from the lovely Miss Amy who just happens to have an etsy selling these bad boys.

Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing Hands down one of the most wonderful dresses I own. I’ve never put this dress on and felt disappointed. I like to call this my confidence dress, every time I wear it I feel so beautiful. The rich red hue is even more beautiful in person and the stretch bengaline material hugs every curve beautifully. It really is PUG’s immaculate construction techniques that set them apart from run of the mill vintage repro companies. When I ordered this dress I was a little worried the size chart was wrong, my measurements are 36″ 27.5″ 36″, which in turn meant I needed a small. A small? I hadn’t been a small ever, but I trusted PUG and ordered according to their size chart and this dress fits like a dream! I love it so much I’m determined to buy it in different colourways now, its just that good. So if you’re on the hunt for the perfect sexy little wiggle dress might I suggest you treat yo self to The Dames Dress.

Shoes: Gift/Similar

I love you guys and hope you enjoyed this post and give PUG a gander for all your wiggle dress needs 😉 Happy Friday!

 

Fashion Friday Featuring Restricted Shoes Pt 1.

Hello my lovelies. Has this week been exceptionally long for anyone else or was it just me? Well regardless, it is finally the weekend hooray, and I have a wonderful post to share with you all. Today I am featuring Restricted shoes, a family-owned and opperated business that encourages all women to express their own personal style how they see fit, and is there any better way to express yourself than through shoes?  I think not.

Crop Top: Charlotte Russe/Similar

Belt: Vintage/Similar

Skirt: Vintage/Similar

Shoes: Restricted Shoes Well aren’t these shoes just a darling culmination of everything I love in footwear! First off the oxford design is superb, the height and stability of a wedge is killer, and can I just say that a T-strap detailing will get me everytime? I mean there is a reason the T-strap hasn’t been out of style since it first hit the scene in the 20’s. Plus these bad boys are really comfortable, honestly I was rather blown away  by how soft the faux leather is, translations I’m not going to get blisters *Hallelujah Chorus* 😉 all in all I could not be more thrilled by the shoes, they are stylish, comfortable, and positively timeless, what more could a girl want?

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you check out Restricted Shoes. Happiest of Fridays!

Oh and if you’re thinking of getting a pair of shoes, starting December 1st- the 31st use the discount code SARAHFORSHAW30 for 30% off of your purchase.

Fashion Friday Featuring Daddy-O’s

This week’s Fashion Friday will be featuring Daddy O’s  a company I came across when I first started my journey into pinup, so you can imagine my excitement when I finally got to feature them here on my blog.

Unlike many of the companies and stores that I feature Daddy O’s caters to gentlemen as well. Yes so that means the fella in your life can be sporting some equally stylish duds, from Bowling shirts to belts they’ve got it all, in fact they even carry bowling shirts for little boys, which I have got to say is one of the cutest things ever…and I’m already planning outfits for my little nephew 😉

Since Daddy O’s carries a number of brands such as Stop Staring, Steady Clothing, and Lucky 13 just to name a few, you are guaranteed to find something suited just for you.  I ended up falling in love with this little number from Stop Staring and I’m sure you can understand why.

Dress: Daddy O’s Where do I begin with this dress? The fabulous lapels? The fact that the halter is gorgeous but can also be removed if you’re feeling like being sassy and strapless? Or should I just talk about what jumped out at me most? THE PEPLUM DETAILING! Is there anything more classically feminine and wondrously flattering as peplum? I ordered a medium and I’d say it fits quite well, as a reference for you my measurements are 36″ 27.5″ 36″. Now I have a few wiggle dresses but most of them have been made from a thicker material so I might recommend wearing shapewear with this particular dress, I should have honestly, but most of my clothes are still in boxes, oh the joys of moving house 😉 But anyway back to the dress, its a stunner of a piece and I can see it easily being a pinup staple that gets worn all year round! In conclusion I am thrilled with my choice.

Shoes: Payless/Similar 

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you check Daddy O’s out. Happy Friday my loves!