Fun Fashion Find: Heart Pendant

Not your typical heart necklace.  A unique and edgy Valentine present idea for a unique and edgy girl.

Anatomical Heart Pendant by Rima Hyena

Found at: Laced with Romance, $120

Joanna Wilkinson

keep austin stylish

Upcoming Event: Las Cruxes Re-opening Party

Las Cruxes, a local boutique specializing in handmade and vintage clothing as well as art, has moved into a bigger space.  Las Cruxes is now located upstairs from their old location which was below the Fresh Up in the courtyard of Spiderhouse Coffee.  You can come celebrate the Las Cruxes re-opening at their party Friday night at their new location.  

More event details below:

SXSW What to Wear?!

We are only one month away from the free booze, free tacos, live music, and complete madness that is SXSW.  Because SXSW comes at an awkward seasonal transition time in Austin where the weather is as moody as a pregnant woman, it's essential that you put some thought into your wardrobe.  SXSW brings in people from all over the country and even the world, so it's also important to show Austin style in a good light.  (Plus, you'll wanna look good if you want to score with that cute out of towner.)  

Here are my suggestions of what to wear during SXSW in order to stay both comfortable and stylish.

The Pattern of Coffee and People

It's unusually fitting that a coffee house named after a classic fabric pattern would mix coffee sipping with vintage shopping.  With "Fancy Fridays" happening every Friday for the month of February, Houndstooth Coffee welcomes you to put on your "fancy" frills, enjoy some hand brewed coffee, and maybe walk out with a special vintage find.  But don't let the word "fancy" turn your t-shirt wearing self away.  The people behind Fancy Fridays say "fancy" is subjective and open to interpretation.  Good thing, because this is Austin after all and the phrase "casual Fridays" is much more likely to get participators.  However, I did really appreciate the well dressed baristas and customers that I saw on Friday, so I encourage everyone to embrace it if you're feeling fancy. 

Last Friday was not only the first Fancy Friday for Houndstooth Coffee, but was also the first pop up shop ever for Hold Vintage owner Stephanie Press.  While the selection was seemingly small occupying just a tiny corner of the coffeehouse, there were surprisingly many great appropriately priced pieces.  Stephanie is pretty new to the vintage game, having been curating vintage for only about a year now.  However, Stephanie already has a great collection of not only vintage clothing and accessories, but housewares and decor as well.  Stephanie showed what she called her "Urban Pioneer" collection with Southwestern printed bags, gingham dresses, plaid button downs, and bolo ties to name a few.  Stephanie plans on having the pop up shop themed differently every Friday.

Austin Fusion Launches With a Fun Floral Fashion Show

Photography by John Paul and Fuzebox, as well as art by Charlie Terrell added color (and thanks to John Paul some slight nudity) to the white walls of the Swan Dive last night.  Austin creatives and stylish spectators gathered at the home to Vintage Vivant in order to party for the launch of Austin Fusion.  This new online magazine celebrates the many talented artists who put their heart and soul into keeping Austin interesting, artistic, and yes, weird.

To get the party started last night, models (with some killer bods) walked a runway sporting clothing from Electric Frenchie, jewelry by Gay Isber, floral headpieces from Bloomers, lingerie by designer Sabra Johnson.  Hair and makeup was provided by Kelli Wilson and Bobbi Douglas as well as Russ & Co.  I have to give it up to Edith Henry for styling the show as it was a cohesive and pleasing fashion show to view.  The stand out pieces from this show were the floral headpieces from Bloomers which really pulled the show together, made it cohesive, and made the outfits runway worthy.  I'm now dying to make one of these!  Don't judge me if this Spring I walk around looking like a flower pot.

Style Profile: Shari Gerstenberger

The first time I walked into the stylish collective house on the east side known as Maison d'Etoile, I was greeted by a smiling face bubbling with enthusiasm and excitement.  Shari Gerstenberger, the owner of Charm School Vintage, always lights up a room and fittingly charms others as much with her cute and quirky personality as she does with her cute and quirky clothing.

Although the South Carolina native planned to pursue journalism after she graduated college from Colorado in 2007, the now vintage boutique owner ended up in Austin first as a buyer for Buffalo Exchange.  Her job working for Buffalo Exchange was Shari's first introduction to vintage and the notion that loving clothes could be a job.  With no plans of opening up her own store, the opportunity to join the Maison d'Etoile collective was something that fell into Shari's lap.  With doubts of entering a scene seemingly already saturated with vintage, Shari soon realized that Austin was in fact missing moderately priced, well-edited vintage on the east side.  Shari says the east side definitely needed the magic, glamour, and possibility for total transformation that Maison d'Etoile provides from combining vintage clothing with wigs, make up, and salon.  "Nothing else like this exists, maybe in the whole country.  It’s really exciting to be part of a space so magical!"