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This post originally was published in 2012 on a different platform - you may notice some lessened quality of photographs that were compromised in the data migration. So the hair thing. It has become quite a popular topic indeed. I have gotten many enquiries and comments from women all different parts of the world who are either jumping on the gray hair bandwagon, thinking about joining our ranks, or at the very least, are talking about it. One of the most frequent emails I get is from those of you in the early stages of growing out your gray hair. And believe me,  I feel you, ladies...oh yes.... I feel you. Those first three months can be the most difficult months to bear. Those first few inches of growth make you feel as if the world is looking at you and thinking "what's going on there", or "she really needs to get herself to the hairdresser".  After three months or so, your regrowth looks intentional, like you meant to do that.  In today's post I will share some of the ways I have soldiered-on with hairstyling during my transition back to my natural state, which, I should add, is still an ongoing process. I've been at it now since October of 2010. My hair is not that straight naturally. I feel I should point that out. This is day two without a shampoo. I mention this only because, if your gray is like mine, it is drier and frizzier than the other hairs on your head, and therefore needs a little more TLC. I try to wash every other day, although workouts, high winds, and just life in general ultimately dictates how frequently my follicles are acquainted with the shampoo bottle. There is also the matter of distribution. My gray seems to be concentrated at the front of my head and at the inner temples. see? So because of this distribution, when I pull it straight back off the forehead, there is still a lot of dark, natural colour underneath. This is key in how I got through the first three or four months of no dye. Small Helpful Actions for Growing Out Gray Hair Wearing Headbands I like to use a smaller headband with teeth now that I have grown out well beyond a few inches. But if you are just starting out, you might want to experiment with wide headbands or scarves. I find scarves too fiddly, personally, but they look fabulous on the right person. Also beware of too-tight headbands. I have been out and about more times than I care to remember and suddenly thought I had been stricken by a migraine. I don't get migraines. What I do get, as it turns out, is a headache induced by a too-tight plastic headband. So try before you buy ladies. Trying A Half-Updo with (or without) A Messy Part Another permutation on this style, something I still use when I need to look more professional and pulled together, is the pinned-back crown half-updo. If you are struggling with length or perhaps are just starting out, you can always go for the zigzag or messy part look. I used that when I had about two inches of growth. It creates a wee bit of visual chaos right where that telling line is between nature and dye. I would mess up my part, then pin it so it would hold. Probably not a look that's clean enough for the boardroom, but fine for a weekend. Using a Lighter Hand With Your Makeup Lastly, as you get more and more gray nearer to your face, you will find that you will have to shift your makeup palette. There is a lot written all over the net about what colours are appropriate for women with gray hair and how orange is to be avoided and bronzing powder is evil...blah, blah, blah. What looks good on you and your gray hair is something that nobody else can really tell you without seeing you. Kind of like a doctor diagnosing you over the internet....it can't be done. This is especially true if you, like me, still have a lot of your natural colour. Yes, I have had to rethink some of my lipsticks, but I still use my bronzing powder (sparingly), and do not have a problem wearing warm colours or even oatmeal or beige, colours that are supposedly verboten for women with gray hair (whatever). So these are the things that have worked, are still working, for me. Really you will have to experiment. I am still doing it too. And if you happen upon a product that actually tames frizz effectively and lasts all day without having to heat style, email me immediately. I want in on that action! (Seriously) And so, dear readers, I will leave you with just one last happy discovery I have made during this process. Bright fuchsia lipstick is your friend. Who would have thought?

Author's note - This post was originally published on another platform in 2012 - you may notice a distinct difference in photo quality as data was lost when the blog migrated platforms. Okay, so we should talk about the hair. My hair, to be exact. I get a lot of questions about it, so I'll give it to you straight. I have gray hair. I am a young person with gray hair. Well, almost. It's not quite done cookin' yet - about another three inches of dye to grow out. Granted, maybe I'm not young...not like, Justin Bieber young, but young enough. And yes, it is on purpose.  I have been off "the bottle" now for over a year. But unlike other people who kick the bottle, I am not going around and apologizing for it. Au contraire. I'm quite proud of it, actually. Here. Proud enough to post all of these less-than-flattering photos on the internet. Below I've documented the progression. Transitioning to My Natural Gray Hair So. You are undoubtedly asking yourself why. Why would a young(ish) person want to have gray hair? It is something I get asked a lot. I understand the confusion, really I do....societal norms and all that baloney. But I would also like to remind the public at large that this is haircolor that we are talking about here. I have not made the announcement that I am planning on gaining fifty pounds and taking up chain-smoking, I am simply changing my haircolor. And really, I wish I had a better rationale for doing it than I do, but my initial reason for letting my natural gray hair show really boils down to the fact that I thought it would look cool. Nothing more, nothing less. Pure vanity, people. Really. This may seem counterintuitive, but let me explain. A gal's gray hair will grow out in a pattern that is unique to her and her alone. I will not see myself coming and going when I walk down the street.  I will look different, unique, and a little bit like I am thumbing my nose at convention. At least, that is what I am hoping.  Is it ego-driven? Absolutley. But I like the confused looks and the double-takes at my head that I get when I walk down the street (and I do get them). They're fun. It's like being famous for a wee second but without having to date John Mayer. A Supermodel with Natural Gray Hair as Inspiration The realisation that I could be free of dye and still retain a chic, edgy style (today's mid-blog photo notwithstanding) dawned on me after seeing the August 2010 issue of the U.S. and Italian editions of Vogue magazine. specifically, this photo. I mean, look at that, people. That is the awesome Kristen McMenamy (you may remember her from the 1990s..one of the first supermodels to do the "no eyebrows" thing). She is well into her 40s.  Whether you love it or hate it, the awesomeness and impact of this editorial cannot be denied. And if you think that one is amazing, get a load of this. That is Vogue Italia (also August 2010), and that is why Steven Meisel is Steven Meisel. Vogue Italia really sets the bar for haute-editorials. This editorial is titled Water and Oil, and it is a commentary on the oil spill that happened right about that time. If you are a fan of fashion photography and you have not seen it in its entirety, you really must, it's breathtaking. So I thought to myself, I can do that! "Real" women (sarcasm) can achieve this! It's easy. And even better, it's a look that is easy to maintain as we get into our 50s and 60s. No more pink glow off of your roots when you go into the bright daylight with your dyed hair. No more brassiness next to your face. No more wig like, over-styled helmet head from so many colourings. I could hardly wait to get started and, well....basically do nothing to my hair.  Ready, set...wait. It's okay. I was in the military. I know how to hurry up and wait. I'm good at it...mostly. Communities Encouraging Women to Rock the Silver And as it turns out, I am not alone at this. There is a whole community online that are doing the same. Check out the Facebook community for Going Gray Looking Great for others just like me. This community was established after the book Going Gray, Looking Great!: The Modern Woman's Guide to Unfading Glory by Diana Jewell inspired the women of the world to ditch the dye and go natural. You should see some of the amazingly beautiful Real Gals and their silvery manes of glory. So there it is. No major health scare or emotional trauma. No allergic reactions or religious restriction. And to answer the most frequently-asked question that I get...no. No,  I'm not afraid that my hair will make me look older, because as Gloria Steinem once said "this is what forty looks like, we've been lying for so long, who would know?."

I recently returned from the US, where I found a ton of really cool things to add to the shop. Among the massive vintage haul that I managed to secure (quite literally on my back, inside my old USAF duffle bag while I navigated the queues at O'Hare airport) were these two pieces from the 1970s. Sure, they look sort of quiet and unassuming, but they're special, and it is officially my job to tell you why. What's special About Vintage 70s Clothing? The 1970s and early 1980s were probably the last decades that consumers were still able to find and purchase items that were manufactured and sold in-country. At that time, these garments were constructed with an eye to having the customer hold on to them a bit longer than we hold on to our clothes today. At the time of this writing, 3 out of 5 fast fashion pieces purchased will end up in a landfill within a year. I don't want to bog you down with gloomy statistics, but to read more about the fast fashion impact on the way we have come to approach our wardrobes, this article in the New York Times is an excellent summary. The bottom line is that with outsourced fast fashion having really taken off in the 1990s, there has been a drastic, observable decline in garment quality and durability. For those of us who are old enough to remember the clothes from our childhoods (whassup GenX and beyond) - we may or may not remember the specific brands that we wore "way back then", but if you put one of these 1970s mainstream fashion pieces on, you'll soon be jolted back down memory lane by the very feel of the fabrics. Take for example, the plaid pants below, which were actually manufactured my Levis in a capsule collection called their Panatela line. While the fabric content tag is long since lost to the sands of time, I am extremely confident that these pants are a blend of acrylic and lambswool. While they are unlined, they're sturdy and have a properly-constructed, reinforced waistband that creates a really wonderfully tailored-looking, comfortable, flat-front fit. They also have a slight flare to the cuffed hem leg, giving them a modern appeal. When I tried these pants on, they fit better than any pair of modern trousers I've tried in recent memory. So much so that I literally had to have a serious talk with myself about not keeping every single piece I come across. I paired these pants with a puff sleeve Emanuel Ungaro blouse from the 1980s. This second piece is one of those quiet workhorse pieces that will probably still be around long after we humans have obliterated ourselves with climate change and terrible diets and all other manner of bad behaviour. This is a plaid wool tweedy jacket from 70s brand Barclay Square. This little jacket is well made in the way of a lot of vintage 70s clothing, and a way that you don't even see in a lot of ready to wear higher end designer clothing these days. It feels substantial to hand and keeps its shape (a rarity in fast fashion). This little jacket also has good seam and button reinforcement, and is fully-lined so it slips on and off like a dream. It has a sort of somber, dark academia vibe too; an absolutely evergreen fashion aesthetic. This little jacket will probably last quite literally forever.

In the 90s, a denim vest layered over a sun dress or a tee and a maxi skirt was pretty much the uniform of the day. It would never have occurred to me to pack for a trip without at least a couple different denim vest options; a standard one like the above one on the left, perhaps a cropped version in the same style, maybe one with bling, one to be worn with nothing underneath....you get the point. They were a thing. At some point, vests sort of fell off the radar. Sure, they never really totally went away, and you can certainly always find them in secondhand places, yet all the same they seem to have lost their "necessary item" status. Recently however, I find myself with a renewed interest in denim vests. This is most likely a combination of my predilection for Western-inspired clothing combined with me looking at vintage clothing all day long, but that's just what the sartorial side of my brain has decided to focus on of late. Why a denim vest? Being a part time Floridian, I like the idea of being able to create layered looks that will work in a warmer climate when my daily Scotland uniform of jeans, t shirt, sweater and cowboy boots is too much. I also really like the idea of putting together double denim seventies-inspired looks like the one below from Free People. So I've decided to start playing around with adding a denim vest or two into my rotation to see how I can mix it into my very eclectic wardrobe to create more looks. One thing that is particularly nice about undertaking a denim vest experiment (should you decide to join me) is that you absolutely do not have to spend a lot of money on a denim vest. There are always denim vests and jackets on the go at your local thrift store (and of course in the shop of your favorite vintage seller), and you can easily find once that speaks to you without having to take out a second mortgage. You can even make a vest out of an old denim jacket or work shirt! Last January I found a simple but fun acid washed cropped denim vest while out hunting for thrifted treasures, and I decided in that moment to start my denim vest experiment. So I present to you the Denim Vest Experiment Case No. 1 - a head to toe denim look, which looks like it could have walked right out of the year 2010. This entire look is thrifted, although the jacket is from my shop and is still available at the time of this writing. I've linked some similar-looking products at the bottom. Overall, I really like the way the look turned out, although admittedly for real life I would probably switch out the footwear for something a little more streetwear friendly, like a pair of Converse or funky-chunky loafers.

90s prints are uniquely recognizable. Not only do they employ a lot of borrowed from the 60s browns, blues, patchwork and batik themes, they also carry on the strong, abstract graphic elements made popular by their predecessors in the 80s. I suppose like any print, 1990s style prints everyones cup of tea, but if you're looking for an easy one and done statement piece that nobody else will likely have, you really can't go wrong. I like how the juxtaposition of such a busy, multimedia style print with a neutral, often downright somber color palette really is something we haven't seen in mainstream fashion since. Here are a few pieces that landed in the shop this past few weeks. The Ultimate 1990s Style Print: The Vertical Stripe One of the most quintessentially 90s prints out there, particularly with 90s era westernwear, is the vertical stripe shirt. This Western-inspired 90s classic rayon blouse has a batik element in it that gives it some depth and keeps it from being too "circusy." The 90s Does the 70s with Patchwork Prints Patchwork prints really had a moment in the 90s. Even the more somber, earthy color palettes used in many of these prints harkened back to the "harvest gold", more muted color palettes of prints from the 1970s. These patchwork prints, like the one featured on this oversized button front blouse, are really easy to style in a more modern way with a bit of boho Western flair.

Back in the late 80s into the early 2000s, these Southwestern style tapestry jackets were absolutely everywhere. I've had more than a few of these vintage pieces through the shop recently, so since they seem to be popular right now I thought I'd let a few of my current ones out to play in a highlight post. What Makes 90s Southwestern Style Work in 2023? What I like about these pieces is that they're colourful, upbeat, and have a bit more structure than their sweater or fleece counterparts; in that respect they're perfect for this time of year. The two jackets here are early 2000s and early 90s, respectively. Both are great examples of "one and done" dressing since they require little help. The first vintage jacket shown here is pretty much a look unto itself and required very little effort on my part other than to just show up with some favourite silver or turquoise pieces in tow. The second jacket featured is a bit shorter, which is perfect for creating the a layered, short-over-long balance. The little Southwestern tapestry bag featured below is a new addition to the shop. It's a vegan handbag (circa 2000) with a fully adjustable strap that can go from shoulder bag to crossbody, and it is adorable.

I was tidying my shop inventory today and this OOTD took shape. This look is brought to you by the 1980s and 1990s. This vintage Western fringe dress set is from my inventory and was handmade by someone round about the 1980s, presumably for a function of some sort since at the time I found it there was also a red one, and the top half of a turquoise one. The jacket is a sturdy 90s era leather blazer by John Paul Richard (it also happens to be 25% off through the end of January!)

Calling all fashion-loving readers who are feeling fed-up and tired of this cold, gloomy weather! Even if we can't get into our summer clothes just yet without dying of exposure, we can get our brains and wardrobes ready! This week, you can pimp your summer wardrobe sustainably and affordably on absolutely everything in any of my shops! For Vintage Fashion Fans HighlandFashionista Vintage Etsy • everything 15% - 20% off! sale starts at midnight May 1st, runs thorough May 7th For Modern Preloved Clothing Highland Fashionista Depop, Vinted, and Ebay shops • flexible pricing - choose your favorite platform and make an offer!

Attention fellow puzzle nerds! Today I'm announcing the soft opening of Puzz Factor on Etsy - the sister shop to Highland Fashionista vintage! True Vintage Jigsaw Puzzles On my last trip to the states, my sister and I spent a lot of time "getting our puzz on", and I realized how much I really enjoy doing puzzles. Puzzles are relaxing, meditative, and for those of us who prefer a visually stimulating medium over say, a crossword or Wordle or some such thing, they are oh so satisfying! Being a person who spends a majority of her free time looking at vintage clothing and accessories, vintage puzzles did not seem too big a leap from where I already spend so much of my time, so this is really just a natural progression that I decided to give it's own separate retail space. What's really great about vintage jigsaw puzzles is that many of them are rare, if not one of a kind (depending on the age), and as an item that is usually stored in a box that's then stored in a drawer or closet, they are most often in excellent secondhand shape! All of the puzzles from Puzz factor are true vintage, meaning they are at least 20 years old, and all of them will have been worked (yes, by me), so I can guarantee that all of the pieces are intact. I'm currently "puzzing" feverishly to process and add more inventory, so if you're a puzzle nerd like me, check back frequenty to see what's what. Blog readers, use the code HOTPUZZ to get 15% off of your orders! Follow Puzz Factor on Instagram!

80s era garments often present a unique styling challenge; they're often a wild print, an exaggerated fit, or in the case of this houndstooth double-breasted day dress, they have a strong "office power suit" look that at first glance, doesn't seem to translate well into how we might dress today. Western Style Elements Can Transform a Look Personally, I like to tackle the challenge of styling a strong 80s "workwear" piece by roughing it up a bit. It seems counterintuitive to do this; pieces that are inherently strong silhouettes are pieces we are always told to "soften" with more feminine touches. However, with this particular dress, it just doesn't work. To my mind, the houndstooth print is really the main character here, and I didn't want to convolute that with a bunch of fussy romantic accessories and shoes. I went with equally strong accessory pieces and shoes that lend more of a boho Western style meets street vibe, neutralizing its 80s secretary feel and giving it a more universal, go anywhere appeal. And an added bonus? Blousy 80s dresses are comfy! And.....the holy grail of dress attributes, this one also has pockets! But I digress - really, the most important accessory to consider pairing with a dress like this is your shoes. These open toe slouchy Donald J. Pliner booties (Y2K era - bought secondhand in the mid 2000s) provide just the right amount of toughness without being overly studded or embellished. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that swapping-out an expected pump or heel with a vintage dress really is the key to bringing the look into the current decade. In this case, it's a nod to the era, but not walking around looking like an extra from Working Girl with Melanie Griffith. Am I showing my age? Meh, whatever. So give it a try. The next time you're vintage shopping or thrifting and see an 80s dress that speaks to you but can't see how the strong shoulder and/or oversized styling is going to translate, grab something unexpected to pair with it. It will probably surprise you!

Welp. I may have made a bad decision. I may have decided to try and cut a few face framing layers into a haircut that was already too short and too heavy (yes, I did it myself, don't you dare judge), and now I've ended up with a heavy, wavy mullet mop that I can't do much with, because it has ideas of its own. My hair has done it's own research, and wants me to understand that chin length face framing layers are basically tyranny, and then it screams "freedom" and puffs-up defiantly. Yeah, I may have done that, in my rush to rid myself of a blocky haircut that I felt kinda meh about. So now it's grow time. I will say though that the look on Prince Valiant's face perfectly matched my feelings when I realized I was looking at a summer of inconvenience while I grow my hair out over the next several months. But I need to back up a bit here. I was looking at my Pinterest last week, and realized that the posts I have done about my transition to my natural hair are to date some of the most popular content I have done. Apparently there are a lot of you out there who are interested in taking the plunge, so I guess it's time for an update. It's actually beyond time for an update; it has officially been a decade, yes you heard right, a decade since I made the decision to stop coloring my hair and see what my real hair looked like underneath. I'll spare you the recap of the entire process, but you can find links to that in the related posts links at the bottom of this post. The Natural Gray Hair Journey, A Decade Later Fast forward to a year ago, I stopped using silicone products and stopped straightening my wavy hair (which never really worked all that well anyway if I'm honest), and started following the Curly Girl Method. I sort of felt like I was starting from scratch, finding products that work to fight frizz and create definition on very thick, fine, low porosity salt and pepper hair. I've gone from having two or three hair products in my bathroom to about 600, but now, not quite a year later I'm starting to get a handle on what to use when and why. Here's what I looked like when I was ironing-out my hair. This was done in a salon, I could never get it this smooth myself. While there is definitely something to be said for grey hair looking its best when sleek and shiny (and I agree, it does), I realize now that I have to make what I am now referring to as hair lifestyle choices. If any hair or beauty regimen takes longer than five or ten minutes, I'm not gonna do it. I'm just not. If it requires that I can't get wet, or put on a helmet, or go out in the wind, or anything other than just exist in the world, I'm just not gonna do it. And don't even get me started on working out. All these curly girls on the internet saying "to preserve your hair just put it in a loose ponytail or bun on top of your head while you work out." WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!? What kind of workouts are they doing that a "loose bun" is gonna keep things in check!? If I bend over to lace my shoes with my hair like that it's over. One burpee and a clip goes flying and someone loses an eye. Seriously, who can do that!? But I digress. So last year this was my first "curly haircut" on my natural gray hair. This was by far the best haircut I'd had in a long time, and still one of my favorite looks. I hadn't had bangs (fringe if you're British) in decades, and I love the bangs. As much as I loved this haircut, and I do believe I will be going back to a version of this cut, the big downside was maintenance. My hair grows like an absolute weed, and within two weeks these bangs were driving me nuts, getting in my face, and already too long. And again, I'm not going to a salon every few weeks (or even every few months) to get a trim. So sadly as much as I love this, I realize I still need to achieve lifestyle hair. When this cut got unmanageably long and I was sick of cutting my own bangs badly, I decided to go a bit shorter, just to hit the reset button a bit. I couldn't get in with the curly guy, so I just went to a walk-in place, armed with photos of basically this haircut but shorter. I've been going to walk in places forever, since my hair is such a fast grower I'm sort of nonplussed if it doesn't turn out as expected. And true to form, it did not turn out as expected. What I walked out of the salon with was an angled long wavy bob with bangs. Not the worst...I've had this ubiquitous haircut many times in my life, and always end up growing it out instantly because it's too heavy and mushroomy for my texture. Plus, if you google "haircuts for women over 50", you will be met with basically pages and pages of versions of this cut. Go ahead, try it...you'll see. Quite frankly, by the time I walked out of the salon, I was already sick of looking at myself. By week two it was too heavy around my face and mushroomy, but I let it do its thing, trimming my own bangs (again, badly) for about two and a half months. At that point, it was just grazing my shoulders and I figured I could safely have a few face framing layers cut, to try and coax it back into a shag. So I tried it. YES, I did it myself. I know, stop it. I did an okaaaaay job. Okay, no I didn't. I did a pretty terrible job, so I went to a walk in place to have someone even it out a touch. I warned the stylist that my hair is 2B-C wavy, so there is shrinkage to take into consideration. But I think the flattening effects of my motorcycle helmet on my locks gave her a false impression of what my natural texture really was (especially in the Florida humidity), and I walked out a voluminously mullety Prince Valiant, with some very short layers that are difficult to wrangle. So. Here we are, and ladies and gentlemen, it's grow time! In all honesty, the warmer months of summertime are perfect for growing out your hair. I think perhaps a version of that lovely shag cut with some longer face framing bangs will be a bit more lifestyle friendly, and lucky for me, with my weedlike hair it's probably only four to six months away! But in the meantime. I'll be employing every method I can find to try and make Prince Valiant's hair work for me. Sadly, there's no Great Cosmic Message here other you can't really go too far wrong staying true to what you know works for you. It's fun to experiment, but for me, every time that I do I'm always reminded why I tend to gravitate towards what I know works; It's a lifestyle choice. Incidentally, if like me, any of you have thick, fine wavy 2b-C hair, I'm putting some product links below of products that I have found work pretty well for me. Products are a very personal thing and much experimentation is required, but you never know, maybe one or more of these might work for you too!

All you have to do is quickly browse my vintage shop to know that I have a soft spot for 90s style. The square toed, blocky heel shoes, the slip dresses, the sleeveless mock necks, crushed velvet and bootcut jeans, slides...I love it all! So you can imagine my excitement as I was browsing the ol' internets this evening looking for a couple of everyday-type sun dresses, when I started to spot familiar 90s midi dress styles, like this adorable dress and shoes (pictured above) from H&M. I mean, all of this is so 90s! A slip dress, block heel slide sandals, and a crescent shoulder bag! The Simplicity of 1990s Summer Style The thing I really like about 1990s summer style is how simple it can be. Clean lines, simple cuts...but this time around there's a pop of colour and pattern that for me, really raises the bar. And what's really lovely about a lot of these styles is now they're so timeless and seasonless (is that even a word?) You can easily layer these pieces up when the weather turns. And if like me, you live somewhere where you feel like you are always on tenterhooks with the weather, the weather will turn. Probably later today. Or maybe in five minutes. Either way, we'll be ready. Check out these affordable options (you can click on the photos for details and to shop these items).