Friends, everything feels new to me now in the new shop, and this week the finds are incredible! Like, have we always been this awesome, or is it the cool new vibes from the cool new shop? (Have you come by to check it out yet? It’s got cool new vibes!)

Although I have many dresses similar this Betsey Johnson dirndl this one just feels extra special. The material totally looks like vintage curtains, and that’s pretty much all I’m looking for these days!

Alice and Olivia leather flying jacket with ribbed cuffs and cowl. Bad-ass yet feminine, just like you!

Friends, this might be my favourite special treat this week (but there are so many!): an Alexander McQueen skirt! I guess I just love that it’s not a boring skirt; the pockets are askew (yet symmetrical), the colours are camo colours, but the print is laid out in a leafy/floral motif (actually might be a bit Rorschach Test pattern. Am I nuts, or do you see butterflies too?)

Oh-uh. Satchel trigger alert! It’s too late for me, I’ve looked directly at it and have already started daydreaming about how cute it would look with my fall and winter coats. This one is all leather, and handmade in Britain (that sound you hear is my satchel-loving heart breaking!). And it’s brand new! And it’s polka-dotted!!

Ooooo, I do love me a well-done faux-two piece! I love that this Jil Sander dress is being it’s fabulous, minimalist self.

The coat section is bonkers right now, friends. We have so many amazing coats that we had to hang them on a special rack that can hold them all. (Hey, speaking of racks, guess what? My spouse Rod and I made all of our cool new custom racks! Well, ok, he made most of them while I texted him loving and encouraging texts like “We need 3 more racks. I hope you are not still at The Empress right now”)

I am all about a traditional, wool toggle coat! The diagonal ribbing of the outer material on this one makes it feel so contemporary to me that I feel like I am looking at one type of coat with one eye, and another coat with the other, and together they have merged into this unlikely pairing that works really well. (All that’s missing is a polka-dot satchel!)

And check out the perfect back-to-school plaid lining:

Gorgeous pink lacy tiered dress:

The accessory section just got this whole new batch of unique, quirky pieces like the bird pendant we had on Instagram, and these teeny, tiny feather earrings:

You know how sometimes it feels like we are a special J Crew store because so much J Crew suddenly pours in? Well, friends, right now I feel like we are a special Oak + Fort store! There is so much in the shop right now (and even more in the back!). Now, I don’t know what it is, but there is something surprisingly feminine about this dress. Maybe it’s the cut of collar?

And on this jersey dress, Oak + Fort are being their usual, deconstructionist selves:

Who needs to hem when a raw edge works just as well? Keep being you, Oak + Fort!

OK, some Theatre or English major NEEDS this ring! (I’m telling you, we have so much of this type of quirky accessory in right now! I almost did an all accessory blog post! But then…Alexander McQueen, Jil Sander, Betsey Johnson, polka dot satchel, polka dot satchel, polka dot satchel…..)

Hello, tiny bard!

Dramatically simple mauve winter dress:

And check out this great necklace!

And, friends, our new backroom is just bursting with awesome stuff ready to come out! (And we sure could use ANOTHER RACK….side-eyeball alllllllllllllll the way to The Empress)

Tiny tiger pendant…..

….a Karl Lagerfeld coat….

……and gasp! GASP! GAAAAAAASSSSPPP!! Cydwoq and Frye boots!

I’ll be in tomorrow (Thursday) for a bit in the morning. Hey, did I tell you that we are open late on Thursdays now? Open until 8PM! Let me know if that’s a helpful change and if you like it. I’ll also be in all day on Saturday, so if you haven’t seen the new place yet, come in and I’ll give you the tour!

I wrote this at Crum Coffee Bar, another independent, locally {woman} owned business. When we support independent businesses we make an immediate positive impact on real human beings in our community.