One of a Kind

Today I thought I'd share an outfit from a recent Girls' Night Out with my friend Laura. I've mentioned this vest before, but this is the first time I've worn it. It was made by the amazing Tiina of Attila Designs by custom order. The silky fabric is a deep midnight blue with tiny pinstripes and olive green trim. I'm fairly certain that it will remain one of the few items I own that are strictly for wearing outside of work, but then I guess anything's possible. What do my readers think -- is it possible to dress this beauty down, or is it just too fancy to wear during the day?

The vest has a very clever design, with strategically-placed snaps that allow it to be converted into several different shapes. Bringing both sides straight up bustles it up around the thighs and shortens up the length in the back. Criss-crossing the ends makes the back of the vest even shorter and shifts the volume towards the hips. And then it can be done asymmetrically as well, with one side straight up or crossed over, and the other side down. For this outfit I ended up wearing both sides down because I thought it had the best proportion with the skinny jeans and boots. It also shows off the vest's lovely blue-gray lining, which gave a little contrast against the dark jeans.

Working with Tiina for the custom order was a lot of fun. She changed up some of the detailing from the original Etsy listing so that the vest would truly be one of a kind. One of the things she added was this little picture of the queen at the back of the neck, which I think is adorable. Now, exactly which queen is a mystery to me -- I'll admit I don't know too many of my monarchs by sight.

Vest: Atilla Designs

Shirt: Max Studio

Jeans: Joe's

Boots: Modern Vintage