Last Thursday was another pretty yucky day in Chicago, but the crowd assembled for the Vert Couture Eco-Fashion Show was ready for fun! People took the opportunity to don some of their more daring outfits…and hats, feathers, hair pieces, and rather wild ensembles defined the evening. I felt a little giddy myself…and I couldn’t stop smiling. It seemed like everyone was having fun with their fashion choices…and letting their inner drama queen out for the evening.

As soon as I entered the tent, I ran into Jessy Doolin from Adela Red (Remember her from the Fashion Fetish Fete post last month?). She is utterly fabulous, and I love that she carries her signature fan around at all of her events!

In the spirit of the evening, I went a little daring with my fashion choices too. I went with a brightly-patterned maxi-skirt (It’s actually a DRESS that never fit correctly, so I converted it into a maxi skirt!), lots of chunky vintage jewelry (from my Grandma), and feathered earrings. Oh, and I wore my hair straight to go along with the hippie-luxe theme I was trying to create.

(Outfit details–Skirt: Nine West, Shirt and Tank: Ashley Stewart, Belt: Off of some dress bought at Ross, Bracelets: Vintage and Flea Market, Necklaces: Vintage and Craft Fair, Earrings: H&M)

What do you do with a maxi dress isn’t long enough? You cut the ties off, pull it down, and make it a maxi skirt! Don’t be afraid to make your wardrobe work for you! If something isn’t exactly right, wear it in a different way. Wear a skirt as a top, a dress as a skirt, a scarf as a shrug, a necklace as a bracelet…Just try and try until you make it work!

Because the skirt is so brightly-patterned, I wanted to tone it down on top. I pulled out an ancient tank top from Ashley Stewart that miraculously matched the dusky oranges in the skirt perfectly…and paired it with a dark brown top. With the mandarin collar and the elbow-length puffed sleeves, this shirt manages to balance out the lively lower half.

Wooden bangles carry the theme through…the two lower ones are vintage and were given to me by my awesome friend Michelle. The top bangle with the metal detailing was bought at a flea market ages ago.

And what’s a hippie-luxe theme without natural beaded vintage necklaces? These were my Grandma’s necklaces from the 60s…all except the leaf one that is made out of some type of nut shell from Africa which I bought at the DIY Craft Fair a couple of years ago. So…there it is. My attempt to be eco-fashionable. Do you think I took it too far, or did I achieve the hippie-luxe look I was aiming for?