Howdy fashionphiles! I've been staring at a lot of high-low hemlines of late...not because they are particularly new or innovative, but because I've been testing shop samples like a mad woman, I've recently come to have a deeper appreciation for them. High-low hemlines offer a little slice of lots of different things; a little more coverage than miniskirts, a decidedly sexier silhouette than a maxi or even a midi skirt, and quite frankly, they feel like a million bucks to wear. They swoosh when you walk and show off your legs and footwear. In this case, the footwear is a pair of vintage Ton ..read more

I get a lot of samples from suppliers through my door, but when I opened the package containing this dress, I emitted a little squee of delight. I knew I'd found something that struck a good balance of fun, versatility and affordability. This is The Nuala dress, a lightweight, silky-matte poly blend boho minidress with flare bracelet sleeves, a three button top closure, and an elasticized tie waist. This dress works on its own or accessorized to the hilt, and is perfect for layering under just about anything imaginable, extending its usefulness well beyond the summer season. I am in love ..read more

I've got a quick Outfit of the Day post for you today, and as the label says, it all happened by accident. Having picked up a night shift at the hospital, I arrived home on this morning determined to do something more productive than just sleep the day away. I decided to refresh and reshape a few of my felt hats that were respectively a little snug and had a few dents in them from lazy storage on my part. I also decided that I would film my efforts for a bit of "educational" social media content. True to form, I did this in the laziest possibly way, donning a pair of post-night shift sweat ..read more

I've got a quickie OOTD for you today; a simple dress and boots look. This has been my go-to casual look for a while now, and has become my version of "classic casual", although I hesitated to use the term "classic" here. In my age bracket I find that the word "classic" invokes something entirely more high-end and conservative than this look. Classic is a term that evokes sartorial images of loose, camel trousers, nautical striped tees, loafers and pearls, a really expensive and understated watch, or some other such uniform of wealth and respectability that is often associated with those of u ..read more

Greetings intrepid fans of all things beauty and style-related! This affordable makeup recommendations post has been rattling around inside my brain for months. I've been somewhat behind the curve since the launch of Highland Fashionista Mercantile, but there is something even more exciting that has entered our lives here at Highand Fashionista HQ that has caused me to veer off course a bit. Those of you who subscribe may remember a post from this past summer about how we lost our nearly 16 year old bearded collie Fergus. Fergus was truly one of those once in a lifetime kinds of dogs, and we ..read more

This oversized shacket (if you're new here, that's shirt + jacket = shacket) was an unexpected pleasant surprise. Having ordered it as a sample for the HFmercantile boutique, I had relegated it to the "wait and see if it's any good" pile to await further review. Despite the very serious look on my face in the above photo (!?) I was very pleasantly surprised by this piece; it's essentially the sartorial equivalent of wearing a very lightweight but cozy blanket; it's soft yet sturdy, casual yet unique and memorable, and as it turns out, a fantastic option to wear over a pair of stretchy legging ..read more

My husband and I recently had a planned week away with some of his family, and I found myself needing to pack for a trip where the daytime temperatures would be warm enough to hit the beach, but the nights would be cool enough for a sweater or light jacket. In my 52 years on the planet, I've travelled extensively, worked in jobs where I had limited space for clothes and personal effects, and have just generally spent a lot of time with a suitcase in my hand, so I feel like I have an exceptionally strong packing game. I am reminded of this every time I'm at the airport; I am quite often standi ..read more

Every once in a while I like to haul myself into a few "big box" fast fashion retailers and try on whatever catches my eye. These days, most of what I prefer to wear is thrifted and/or vintage, so I consider these little outings more like fact finding missions than actual shopping with intent, but taken purely as an exercise, it's fun! Every time I do this I unearth a few "secret" fast fashion pieces that I feel are are worth mentioning, I learn something new about my own sartorial tastes as a 50+ customer, and every so often I even end up with something new. Last week I was in the city for t ..read more

First off, if you know anything about this blog, you'll know that this title was a trick question, because here at Highland Fashionista, nothing is too weird. We are GenX and have an angsty and misunderstood reputation to uphold. Okay so I overcooked it a bit with the gold highlight from this palette because it wasn't showing up well in the photos. Whatever, it's fine. Everything's fine. The larger point is, if you're anywhere hovering about the middle age bracket, you'll have undoubtedly noticed that the beauty industry has started marketing everything to you in what feels like a modified ve ..read more

Well hello there fashionphiles! This is your official one day's notice to make you aware of Etsy's early deals that are starting October 23rd (that's tomorrow if you're reading this in real time). This year Etsy is really extending their sales so you will be able to grab deals for the next month at all participating shops! I will be running the following sales for the entire duration of the sale period through the end of November! Highland Fashionista Vintage - 25% off orders of $60 or more, and buyers in *participating countries (*US, UK, Germany and Canada) can make offers on items marked ..read more