My First Vintage Purchase!

I've now crossed the threshold down to what will probably become a very slippery slope.....I've purchased my very first truly vintage clothing item! While perusing through various shops on Etsy, I came across one store that caught my eye (or rather it was the combination of the stunning model (who is actually the store owner herself) and equally stunning Edwardian dress).

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ForgottenMuse?ref=seller_info

I was quite impressed to find her prices were something I could afford. (While I do understand the reasoning behind vintage pricing, my tiny pocketbook yearns for apparel less than $200+ a pop!) After spending a good 30 minutes scanning all the listings (and I may or may not have saved a bunch of the photos into my outfit inspiration folder. What? I've been trying to figure out how to dress more ladylike and polished lately, but without completely looking like I stepped out of the 1940s - vintage forms, but with modern sensibilities. Nicole at Forgotten Muse fits exactly that! That and she has similar colouring to me with those elven hairstyles I like. So yes, I do take style notes from some very unlikely places.)
 
About halfway through her listings there was a most interesting hat. It was a straw hat, not too dissimilar from modern straw hats, but this one had a fanciful upturned brim on one side with ostrich plumes. I quickly clicked on the listing. Could it be? A Musketeer 1950s hat? Oh that would be too good to be true. In my price range? No way! Well, almost...if it were just a little bit cheaper I'd snatch it up. Hm...I wonder if she has a Facebook page.... (And she does by the way! https://www.facebook.com/#!/forgottenmusevintage) Dear Nicole actually lowered the price of the hat for me to fit my budget. So guess what came in the mail today....
  (Although I was honestly just trying to balance my camera to get the shot, this kind of looks like an out-of-focus product placement. Hah!)
(I hate to say it but my bathroom really does have the best lighting. Though I still need to learn some more settings on my camera.)


Hat: Sandra - New York via Forgotten Muse (Etsy)   Blouse: Forever21   Slacks: Goodwill