We love vintage. We really love vintage. One of our favorite ways to show our personal style is to mix one-of-a-kind vintage items with more modern pieces to create a look that nobody will be able to copy. And while we love vintage clothing and purses, vintage jewelry holds a special place in both of our hearts. That is why we were thrilled when Vintage Meet Modern approached us about working together.
I started talking with Veronica, the lovely owner since we both use the #vintagemodernmix tag in a lot of our posts. Needless to say, we bonded. Rather than try and explain it, I am going to copy and paste a bit from their website:
Passionate about preserving items from the past, and incorporating them into modern life, Vintage Meet Modern was born in 2011. I have loved jewelry all my life. Getting to play in my grandmother’s jewelry box was one of the highlights of many Sunday afternoons as a child. Later in life, I found myself surrounded by jewelry again while working at Neiman Marcus specializing in designer jewelry and working as a stylist. With 20 years of experience in the fashion, retail, styling, and design industry my vision was to create an upscale shopping experience online focusing on the needs of clients who want to accessorize their life with something, unique, historical, and completely wearable.
Vintage Meet Modern is an independent, women-owned business, born out of a lifelong passion – the exact type of business we LOVE supporting. Veronica, Kaitlin, and the rest of the VMM team are beyond lovely, and their selection is to die for. More than just a shopping site, I love watching their vlogs and reading their blogs for style inspiration.
And now, the good stuff, or the goodies we chose.
Jennifer’s Lariat
As my style has evolved over the years, I am looking for pieces that are more versatile and can be worn in many different ways. Do not get me wrong, I am still a sucker for a good statement piece that is a look in and of itself and needs no introduction, collaboration, or conclusion. So, when I found this vintage gold tassel lariat necklace on Vintage Meet Modern, I did cartwheels because it checked both those boxes. Versatile because it is a lariat, the pure definition of versatility when it comes to necklaces – see 20 ways to wear a lariat – and statement because of the chunky gold double-decker orbs at each end. It was love at first sight! And I know it is a fantastic piece because Ellen may have used an expletive when I showed it to her out of jealousy that I found it first. Ellen’s edit: I totally did and I ain’t ashamed to admit it!
You can see I pretty much kept it simple here with a straightforward knot and worn as intended, but it also worked as a make-shift chain belt – bonus! I loved the look of the lariat over this modern one-shoulder chartreuse knife-pleat BCBG maxi-dress. I have had this piece for years, and it is still very current. I have worn it formally with sparkly sandals, as well as dressed down with more casual accessories. The look you see here, with the flat t-strap sandals was styled for an at-home quarantine date night. Adding the jewelry made me feel less schleppy after 6 weeks at home and basically turned this outfit into a glammed-up caftan (no waistband required for the quarantine-15!)
Next, I paired the lariat with my summer go-to white jeans (Old Navy Rockstar jeans FTW), and a white v-neck tee from my favorite sleeper shop for fun casual wear, Tarrytown Pharmacy! This shirt has a black band at the V, but also a gold lurex stripe on either side of it as well. Lastly, in anticipation of an eventual night out for live music (one of these days, please COVID gods!), I switched shirts to this edgy Ed Hardy number I picked up at Rags, one of my last pre-quarantine purchases. I loved the tiger on the chest and the added sparkle. The lariat makes an appearance as a chain belt here, showing how well it pulls double-duty with the switch of a shirt.
Ellen’s Earrings
I am an earrings girl and the vintage earring selection at Vintage Meet Modern is amazing. The two pairs I chose included a pave crystal and emerald pair shaped like a jaguar (I am a Leo and what started out as collecting lion accessories as branched out to include other large cats), as well as a gorgeous Kenneth Jay Lane cream and citrine cabochon statement pair. I paired the jaguar earring with a favorite vintage dress from an Etsy shop out of San Antonio (another independent, woman-owned business), called Mezcal and Leather (you can also follow them on Instagram). I bought the dress because this silhouette is being copied by so many contemporary designers for $100’s more than the original. In fact, this look is inspired by a Ganni look, but more on that in a future post). My boots are the only modern thing I am wearing as they are Vince Camuto purchase from last year.
For the Kenneth Jay Lane beauties, I stuck with much the same formula. The white dress is a recent Zara purchase – like Jen’s post-COVID concert outfit, I bought this dress in a moment of optimism for a White Party that usually happens in August that my husband and I never miss attending (insert prayer emoji here). My gold sandals are from Margaux and my little yellow bag is thrifted. Our beloved #vintagemodernmix all over the place.
The wonderful ladies at Vintage Meet Modern are generously offering our followers 15% off their first VMM purchase using the code: FASHIONATING15
You can find Vintage Meet Modern on Facebook, Instagram, and on YouTube. You can also become part of a rather lively group of vintage jewelry collectors by joining their Vintage Meet Modern VIP Facebook Group
If you end up purchasing anything from #VMM, please let us know. We would love to see your pics!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Vintage Meet Modern. We have been compensated with the product we are wearing. All opinions remain our own and we were in no way influenced by the company. Thank you for supporting the brands that support A Fashionating Life and its mission. #sponsored
Images by Breezy Ritter