Kunupa Butik | Miss Lark Bahar

It’s been more than an entire month since my last roundup! Figured I would put together a giant post as a catch-up.

Enjoy!

Miss Lark Bahar

Week of 05/23/2016-05/30/2016

05/25/2016

This look was a bit out of the box for me, but I haven’t worn this skirt in ages and liked how the shades of the top matched the skirt when paired with a bright red belt to pull it all together.

Gold & Pearl Earrings: Thrifted
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Red Velvet
1970s Leaf Top: Instagram shop FarFromHereVintage
Wall-E Brooch: Instagram shop TiffysCraftCreations
Red Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
1950s Green & Red Skirt: Gifted
Black Heels: Thrifted

05/28/2016

This look – while something I’d be more likely to wear in the cooler months normally – was thrown together for my review of the gorgeous Paris blouse.

Black Hat: Thrifted
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Merlot
Floral Earrings: Instagram shop LFN Creations
Charm & Eloquence Blouse in Paris Print: My Premier Amour
Teal & Blue Catalina Top: Thrifted
Black Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
1960s Burgundy Pencil Skirt: Thrifted
Black Flats: Thrifted

05/29/2016

I love love love this outfit for a whole slew of reasons, but perhaps the most obvious one is that I so rarely find ways to create purple outfits (this skirt was the only purple item I owned), but I received the purple striped top with the bow tie, the earrings, and the belt all in the same week, and BOOM! Perfectly purple.

Purple Earrings: Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ American Beauty
Purple Striped Top w/ Scarf: Etsy shop MissSarahBelle
Leaf & Lady Bug Brooch: Thrifted
Purple Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Jenny Skirt in Lavender Lips & Roses: Pinup Girl Clothing
Cosette Petticoat (x2): Malco Modes
Purple Heels: Thrifted

Week of 05/30/2016-06/05/2016

06/01/2016

Hands down one of my favorite outfits of all time! I just love these colors and everything matches so perfectly top to bottom. I felt so pretty! And this was the first time I took my Pinup Girl Clothing underskirt for a run.

Pink Floral Earrings: Gifted from Hawaii
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Cherry Red
Pink Hair Scarf: Thrifted
Custom Mickey Mouse Club Brooch: Etsy shop HousewifeChicbyRuby
Bright Blue Peasant Top: Pinup Girl Clothing
Red Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Jenny Skirt in Pink Mary Blair Umbrellas: Pinup Girl Clothing
Canvas Underskirt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Red Heels: Thrifted

06/03/2016

I’m generally not a huge fan of red, white, and blue…but this outfit fit together too seamlessly to ignore! And I’m always glad when a chance to wear this hat arises as I don’t find it terribly versatile.

1950s Red & Black Velvet w/ Pearl Hat: Thrifted
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Red Velvet
Red & Gold Earrings: Thrifted
Mickey Brooch: Disney Pin
Striped Top: Purchased in San Diego somewhere
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Bracelet: Instagram shop LFN Creations
Red Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
1950s Red Felt Skirt: From Etsy shop TinyTemple
Canvas Underskirt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Red & Blue Heels: Thrifted

06/04/2016

I’m still kind of amazed at how well my outfit matched. Such unusual color pairings, yet I seemed to acquire every article of clothing in the world that features them.

Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Merlot
Parrot Brooch: Thrifted
Teal Button-Up Tie Top: Purchased at the mall ages ago
Floral/Tiki Shorts: Purchased in Turkey
Orange, Teal, & Blue Bracelet: Instagram shop LFN Creations
Cream Heels: Thrifted

Week of 06/06/2016-06/12/2016

06/06/2016

I adore the sweetness of this outfit! Yellow’s another one of those colors I’m hoping to expand in my wardrobe – particularly yellows of the buttery variety. I’d always felt yellow would look atrocious on me, but I’m so pleasantly surprised.

Hoop Earrings: Etsy shop ilovetobuildhoops
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Merlot
White Peasant Top: Pinup Girl Clothing
Ratatouille Brooch: Etsy shop Le Petit Mouse
1950s Yellow Gingham Skirt: Thrifted
Cream Heels: Thrifted

06/07/2016

This was another one of those “I probably wouldn’t be wearing this if I had to walk around at all today” outfits. Pencils are a no-no in 115+ degree weather! I wish I could use this skirt in the spring and summer time to give it the lighter look it deserves, but it’s just too hot normally.

Heather’s Big Resin Tear Drop Earrings in Blue Glitter: Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Cherry Red
White Summer Blouse with Chicken & Flower Embroidery: Thrifted
1960s White Plaid Pencil Skirt: Thrifted
White Heels: Thrifted

06/08/2016

I try to avoid wearing this dress so much so it’s not repetitive…but it’s just too darn versatile to ignore! Matched my Belle Blossoms flowers perfectly.

The Leilani Tropical Cluster Hair Flower: Belle Blossoms
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Besame Red
Chip Brooch: Hungry Designs
Jenny Dress in Paris Print: Pinup Girl Clothing
Canvas Underskirt: Pinup Girl Clothing
White Heels: Thrifted

06/10/2016

I like blue….that’s about all I have to say about that 💙

1950s Blue Velvet Hat w/ Cranberry Embellishment: Thrifted
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Noir Red
Red Earrings: Gifted
1950s Blue Blouse: Instagram/Etsy shop TrailerParkFlamingoVintage
Retro TV Brooch: Martinis & Slippers
1950s Blue Silk Skirt w/ Silver Triangles: Instagram shop FarFromHereVintage
Gold Bangle: Poshmark
1950s Navy Heels w/ Gold: Thrifted

Week of 06/20/2016-06/26/2016

06/22/2016

Had the pleasure of adding these capris to my wardrobe this past week. The first real tiki-style print I own! Also was working with my natural hair this week – which means my victory rolls were about 10x as large.

Blue Snood: Belle Blossoms
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Victory Red
Leaf Earrings: Etsy shop CalliopeGirl
Retro TV Brooch: Martinis & Slippers
Bright Blue Peasant Top: Pinup Girl Clothing
Black Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Tiki-Style Capris: Thrifted
Green, Blue, & White Heels: Nine West

06/23/2016

Haircut day! So I planned my outfit around a hat to camouflage my un-styled hair.

Black Hat: Thrifted
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Besame Red
Heidi Dress in Mary Blair Cats: Pinup Girl Clothing
Black Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Cosette Petticoat (x2): Malco Modes
1960s Mesh & Black Heels: Thrifted

06/24/2016

Haircut! Yayyy. This outfit was thrown together as a last minute Disneybound of Dory to go see Finding Dory. Love that it came out feeling a bit ’30s with the darker look and shorter hair.

Straw Hat: Amazon
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Noir Red
1950s Yellow Top: Etsy shop SmallEarthVintage
Blue & Silver Disney “D” Brooch: Etsy shop LilSweetumsBowtique
Vintage Yellow Chiffon Scarf: Thrifted
Navy Silk Skirt w/ Silver Triangles: Instagram shop Far From Here Vintage
Cosette Petticoat (x1): Malco Modes
1950s Navy Heels w/ Gold: Thrifted

Week of 06/27/2016-07/03/2016

This Monday’s Look

This was probably my favorite look of the week as it incorporated a whole slew of “favorites:” favorite vintage top, favorite Pinup Girl Clothing top, favorite Disney brooch, favorite style of hat – even my coveted peplum “New Look” silhouette. I can earnestly say that I will spend my whole life trying to find more of these vintage Catalina tops. Still a bit heartbroken that I found a pink version but it came with the full play-set and sold almost immediately. Definitely the one that got away.

1950s White Platter Hat: Thrifted
Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ American Beauty
Teacup Belle Handmade Brooch: Hungry Designs
Teal & Blue Catalina Top: Thrifted
White Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Jenny Skirt in Pink Mary Blair Umbrellas: Pinup Girl Clothing
Cosette Petticoat (x2): Malco Modes
White Heels: Thrifted

This Tuesday’s Look

These shorts made their way into my wardrobe this week with the intention of using them for a future Disneybound. Of course then I realized I somehow don’t have nearly enough printed tops to pair them with! Most of my prints are represented in my bottoms. Guess I’ll have to change that….but hey, this outfit matched my new evil eye bracelets from Turkey perfectly!

Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Besame Red
1980s Red & Gold Earrings: Thrifted
1970s Leaf Top: Instagram shop FarFromHereVintage
Handmade Floral Retro Disney “D” Brooch: Etsy shop Le Petit Mouse
Red Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
1950s Red Shorts: Instagram/Etsy shop TrailerParkFlamingoVintage
Evil Eye Bracelets: Purchased in Turkey
Dark Green Flats: Thrifted

This Wednesday’s Look

Rainy overcast day means breaking out the “sleeved” shirts! Tried the “stripes as a neutral” look today and I can honestly say I’m in LOVE. Must acquire striped tops now. And I love that the red accents on the top matched the belt so well and pulled the look together so perfectly.

Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Victory Red
Green Scarf: Thrifted
Hoop Earrings: Etsy shop ilovetobuildhoops
Customized Pinup Brooch: Lillian Madison Designs
Striped Top: Purchased in San Diego somewhere on Pacific Beach…
Red Grommet Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Jenny Skirt in Queen of Hearts Border Print: Pinup Girl Clothing
Canvas Underskirt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Green, Blue, & White Heels: Nine West

This Thursday’s Look

To see details on this look, check out my previous blog post reviewing the gown 💙❤️💙.

Lipstick: Besame Cosmetics’ Red Velvet
Rose Hair Flower: Custom made for me by the lovely owner of Le Bomb Shop
Graduated Champagne Pearl Necklace: Vivien of Holloway
Belle Brooch: Disney Pin
Blue & Burnt Red Polka-Dot Dress: Instagram shop Kunupa Butik
Canvas Underskirt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Nude Heels: Bettie Page Shoes

With the devastating news from Turkey still so freshly on our minds, it felt appropriate to pay homage to a little shop by the name of Kunupa Butik operating on the so-called Asian side of İstanbul in Kadıköy. Towards the end of last month, this wonderful shop decided to reach out to me via her Instagram, introducing herself by explaining that she was a seamstress who designs and sews retro-styled clothing and then sends it out to various brick-and-mortar stores in Turkey, and that she was hoping to move to America around New Years and wondering if I had any shops in the United States that I could suggest for her to work with.

I was more than happy to suggest shops to her that I know of (though my knowledge of smaller local shops is woefully limited), and she offered to send me one of the dresses I fell in love with upon scanning through her work. Thinking back to the journey this dress took only a week before the terrible events at the İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı makes the gown all the more precious yet bittersweet to me.

Not only is it a tie back to my İstanbulite family (who is luckily all safe and sound), but also helps showcase that the Middle East isn’t defined by terrorism and terrorist attacks, or foreign Orientalized perceptions of the geographical area as an ironically helplessly dangerous region. As all around the world, creative endeavors thrive no matter the tragedies that surround us, and Kunupa Butik is a wonderful representation of a small, thriving shop seeking to grow her business internationally with beautiful designs.

So without further ado, I present to you the dress that travelled round the world to make its way onto my blog: Kunupa Butik’s Prenses Elbisesi (or, in English, the Princess Dress).

The reasoning behind calling this gown the “Princess Dress” is quite obvious to me as the moment I saw photos of the number, I was reminded of a retro Snow White. Though I’m not generally a polka-dot fan, and haven’t worn a skirt above my knees in a very long time, this style struck me for a whole slew of reasons. The first was that the skirt featured was obviously quite full and would easily accommodate a petticoat (in this outfit’s case, Pinup Girl Clothing’s Canvas Underskirt). The second was that the shades used weren’t the typical blue and lipstick red found on so many reproduction gowns, but a blue paired with a deep orange-y, burnt sort of red I find very reminiscent of Turkish tiles.

And the final trait that made me truly fall in love was that AMAZING collar! I’ve been looking everywhere for off the shoulder tops and gowns, and Kunupa’s gown more than fit the bill! Not only was it off-the-shoulder, but the material draped around reminded me so much of gorgeous gowns from the 50s I can only dream about.

This wonderful collar helps dress up a gown and add a unique flair without taking away from the wearability of it, and I’m so happy to have this piece in my wardrobe.

And although I’ve paired my outfit today with my favorite Belle Disney pin, you can bet I’ve got plans to wear it for a Snow White Disneybound! The soft, flexible yet sturdy material makes it ideal for use around a theme park or any other kind of heavy use while the quality of the gown in general assures me that this is an item that will last.

If you’d like to keep tabs on this shop, you can head to these links:

Instagram

Facebook

Or email her at: kunupa.g@gmail.com

Love,

Miss Lark Bahar

Miss Lark Bahar

A Turkish-American gal with a penchant for vintage fashion and hair who occasionally moonlights as a dancer, a singer, and a model

Tag Archives: Kunupa Butik

Outfit Roundup Catch-up/Masterpost: (05/23/2016-07/03/2016)

İstanbul to Tucson, the Journey of the Princess Dress