Modeling for Sweet and Sour Vintage

Two weeks ago I had the privilege to work with an amazing team of people to model dresses for the Etsy shop Sweet and Sour Vintage. Christopher Flanegan (www.christopherflanegan.com) was the photographer and Michelle Rivera of Truebutterfleyes Make up Artistry          (https://www.facebook.com/truebutterfleyes)

Michelle did a great job on my hair with an up do I could never manage and her make up skills stun me, she's really great. Christopher's photos were so polished which is especially important to show off the product. The dresses, I can't possibly say enough about the dresses. 

This was the first dress I modeled and it would be perfect for anyone that has a spring event to go to. It can be found here

This would be so cute for a summer party and it can be found here

This dress was one of my favorites. It's from the 60s but has a 20s flair to it. I love the pattern of the sequins. It can be found here

If you've known me for awhile, you know I have a weakness for vintage gowns. This was a dream gown and it can be found here

I have my eye on this dress, it was one of my favorites for an everyday summer dress. The fabric is so soft and the colors and lace detail are so dreamy. It can be found here

I loved this wedding dress. The neck line really stood out and the long train is gorgeous. It can be found  here

This dress fit so nicely, it hugged every curve and the lining was so soft. It can be found here

This is the best 50s wedding dress! There is beautiful detailing all over the dress and it can be found here

I was so nervous going to the shoot since it was the first time I'd ever modeled with a team this big. When I got there and met everyone all the nerves went away, they were all so great to work with. Sweet and Sour Vintage has tons of great dresses and accessories that are all top notch so please visit and treat yourself to something great. 

Spring Has Sprung.

I know, such an original title.  Yesterday was the first official day of Spring and I don't care if it's too early I'm putting away all my winter clothes! As much as I love winter it felt way too long this year.

I love taking day trips when the weather is nice and yesterday Jeremy and I went to Haddonfield, NJ for the day. I love towns that have a nice main street with a lot of shops and walking space and Haddonfield has all of that. Every time we visit we eat at The British Chip Shop and get our fix of English snacks at The English Gardner Gift Shop. I adored England and their food when I went there many years ago. Sadly, I don't have the funds to go back right now but I can get good fish and chips and snacks close to home.

Jeremy brooding over a cup of Earl Grey. 

His mood lifted when his scotch egg arrived. 

I wasn't angry, just cold. This is a historic building in Haddonfield, the Indian King Tavern. The sweater has become a staple of my spring wardrobe. It was my Mommom's and it was the first gift my Poppop got her after they were married. He picked it out all by himself, he had great taste. 

This was our tiny haul, we got the essentials. Ginger seemed to like the digestives. 

Spring is such a lovely time of year. It feels like a renewal, I want to eat healthier, go outside and see new sights. 

Some people find transitions into seasons difficult and I'm no exception. I find that sweaters are essential though. Spring is for floral patterns and bright colors but sometimes the weather doesn't want you to wear your bright floral sundress, spring can be strange. 

How many of you love Spring?

Ecstatic about Edwardian:Weekly Links Post

What a week this has been. I've started booking photo shoots for 2014, this week and next week are filled but I've been having a blast. Spring is on the way and I'm so excited to shed my heavy winter clothes for my vintage sun dresses. Spring also means getting out of the house to do more things.

Last week, Jeremy and I went to our local library, the Franklin Township Library, to attend a Women of the Titanic seminar. The women dressed in Edwardian inspired outfits and recounted eyewitness accounts from notable women on the Titanic. Since the movie came out in 1997, I've been obsessed with the Titanic and I remember going to the library to scour the internet for information about the ship and photos of edwardian dress.

This was a christening dress, the longer the dress for the baby the wealthier the family. Look at the detail!

This was a party dress for a girl. I love the belt. 

This was my favorite, it's a walking dress from 1910

Not your typical Marilyn Monroe post.

I have to write this, it's a topic that's been brewing in my mind for some time now and I just have to get it out before I make my own sobbing youtube video. Leave Marilyn Monroe alone!

This photo has been floating around the internet for some time and every time some one posts it I want to reach through the screen and shake them. It's a lovely sentiment but Marilyn Monroe never said it, there was no such size as a size 0 during her life. In fact that type of sizing didn't appear until the 80s

It's frustrating that so many people keep these quotes in constant circulation, there is no push to check for their validity. If you do any research on sizing you will soon realize that type of sizing didn't appear until the 80s. 

Marilyn has now become this sort of "stock" image especially for teenage girls. They've misattributed so many quotes to her and believe so many false things about her, like that she was "plus sized" by modern standards. 

Marilyn Monroe was anything but plus sized. Her measurements were approximately 35,22,35. Although her weight fluctuated throughout her career she was not plus sized. 

I implore you to to do your research if you love Marilyn Monroe. Delve below the surface, you'll find out that she was a very fascinating woman. 

The Bonzos: Tuesday Music Post

The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band is the subject of today's music post. Sadly, they aren't terribly well known in America. I like to think of myself as a music missionary, I spread the news of amazing music.   I am a huge Monty Python fan and that led me to buy the show "Do Not Adjust Your Set" on DVD. Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones were on the sketch show that was meant for children, you would never think that if you watch it. The band would play a song or two and sometimes acted.

"Death Cab for Cutie" introduced by Michael Palin

I immediately loved this band. They mixed humor with their amazing music and they had an array of instruments like the tuba and a vibraphone, not your standard rock group. They put on quite a show when performing on "Do Not Adjust Your Set" 

"Hunting Tigers out in India"

How could you not love this group? They were great actors and great musicians. Among the Bonzos were Vivian Stanshall, who unfortunately died in a fire, and Neil Innes who went on to work with Monty Python. 

One of my favorite songs is "Hello Mabel" it reminds me of a great 1920s jazz tune and makes me want to put on a 1920s party dress and dance. 

I hope you liked The Bonzos and hopefully you'll go and listen to more of their music. 

Weekly Links Post. Faces, Vintage and The Clash!

This week was a working week. I've added a lot of content to "Overpowered by Funk" including places I was featured and a vintage themed reading list. I'm also thinking of expanding to other media!

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of working with Chris Spano from Chris Spano Photography. His blog The Faces of Nj profiles people from all over New Jersey. It's fascinating to read some of the stories of the people profiled on the blog. Here's my article,(http://thefacesofnj.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/the-faces-of-new-jersey-project-megan-steigerwalt/)

By Chris Spano Photography. 

I love finding new sites to read up on all things vintage and I found a gem in Dressing in Vintage. The posts are thoughtful and beautifully written and go beyond just vintage fashion. One of my favorite posts is The Myth of Normal a look at how wonderfully talented people can be plagued by depression and mental turmoil. Vincent Van Gogh is mentioned in the article and it reminded me of some of my favorite people that were notably plagued with their own personal troubles. Peter Sellers, one of my heros, and Stephen Fry a both had their own mental struggles but both of them are geniuses! 

"Overpowered by Funk" isn't just the name of this blog, it's the name of a great Clash tune! Every Clash fan, and if you're not than why, should pop on over to The Clash Blog. The latest post discusses the movie "Mystery Train". Joe Strummer acted brilliantly in the movie, he made me laugh so much with some of his lines. A brilliant musician and actor. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'm throwing a birthday celebration for Jeremy this Sunday, he'll be 24! 

The Kinks: Tuesday Music Post.

I'm glad the Kinks haven't become another t-shirt band. The Beatles, The Doors, and the Rolling Stones are a few that come to mind when you think of bands that every 13 year old girl wears without having any knowledge of the band. I'm very protective of musicians I've never met you see.

Anyway If you haven't listened to The Kinks or are only familiar with "You Really Got Me" than you're missing out. It's a shame that a year long touring ban in the US sort of hindered them. I wonder if  there was no ban if they would be wildly popular in the U.S. like they deserve to be.

Not only did they have killer tunes, but their lyrics were just as good. Their lyrics had depth and humor, they could paint a clear mental picture of the English countryside or they can attack dreary aspects of life and they can make you think even after the song ends.


Celluloid Heroes celebrates old Hollywood, the glamour of movies and fame and the loneliness that can accompany fame.

Remember my post last week, A Dedicated Follower of Fashion? Well, this is where I found my title. Ray Davies adds a lot of character to this song and it's so catchy. 

                        Great music and great style! How could you not love them?

If you're a fan of the Kinks, what's your favorite song? If this was your first real exposure to the band I hope you continue to explore their material, then you may buy the t-shirt.

Your Ever Present Past.

I talk a lot about "the past" on this blog but it's a past that not a lot of my readers including myself have experienced. Everyone of you, including myself, has gone through an adolescence and if it wasn't awkward than bravo to you! This weekend I've been mulling over a post from a fellow blogger and former teacher Mrs. Jessica Ippolito (The Best of Times is Now). The post Return to Sender, discusses a project that started with the 2008 senior english class which I was part of. We wrote a letter to ourselves that was to be opened when we were 23.

I was a couple months shy of my 18th birthday when I wrote mine and had completely forgotten about the letter and was surprised when I recieved a letter from myself in the mail last year. I'm so happy I'm nothing like my 17 year old self anymore and my letter is kept where absolutely no one can see it. Writing a letter to your future self is something I recommend everyone to do though.

In order to do this you must remind yourself of some things. There are no rules when you write a letter to yourself and you must remember not to set any limitations on yourself. Sometimes, even in our private writings we self censor. I do this in my diary all the time and I have to step back and ask myself why but I never have any answers. Anyway, you must be honest to yourself with your letter, don't stop yourself from writing anything, no one but you is going to read it.

There are no content requirements for your letter but try to include as many details about your life at the moment because you will not remember the small things 5 or 10 years on.

In New Jersey we've had yet another snow storm so if you're trapped inside like I am, consider this the perfect thing to do. It's a great reminder that the past wasn't always so perfect like so many of us think it to be. Remember, you can always learn from the past.

17 year old me and my prom date. All ready to go to the senior prom. This was the only photo of teenage me I was prepared to inflict on all of you. 

Celebrating Dr. Seuss and the beginning of March.

March is here and it is scheduled to be a busy month, which is refreshing since winter was way too generous with the snow. As someone that loves the snow, even I am tired of it. To wrap up the week here's some links, some vintage related and some not, I've collected during the week.

Anyway the second day of March is the birthday of Dr. Seuss! I have always loved his stories even as an adult ( in numerical age only) I still love them. March 2nd has been dedicated "Read Across America Day" in honor of Dr. Seuss. I'm sure you all have a favorite Dr. Seuss book so why not celebrate by reading one of your favorite Seuss books or just by taking time out of your day to read any of your favorite books.

These are three of my favorites, what are yours? You can also visit http://www.seussville.com/, which is the official site of Dr. Seuss.



I stumbled upon a great vintage photo blog a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share it. There are so many fabulous photos celebrating old Hollywood. Visit Stirred, Straight Up, With a Twist for a dose of glamour.

Speaking of glamour, Collectors Weekly posted this article about the history of party dresses throughout the 20th century.(http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/a-century-of-dazzling-party-dresses/). There were so many cultural factors that went into styles of party dresses from decade to decade, it's very fascinating. 

Unfortunately, there is more snow in the forecast for New Jersey in the next couple days and it's probably going to be a lot. Just incase I am trapped in the house I made sure to have my fun today at the Vineland Women's Club bi-annual antique sale. 

I am tired of dark winter colors, so I wore my pale yellow spring coat. 

The sale was great and I ended up walking away with a new handbag and jewelry. There is another sale in November and there are tons of treasures to find so start saving now! 

I love the clasp of this bag.