There comes a time in everything 31 day vintage challenge when you have to break out of the rut, try something new, and take the show on the road. That’s exactly what happened during week 3 when the #31dayvintagechallenge went south for the winter–well for one week–to Florida.

My parents live in an over 55 community near Tampa in the winter months. One week a year, I make like a snowbird and leave the snow and cold for the land of palm trees, golf carts, and early bird specials. My inspiration? Golden Girls meets prairie and clogs and momcore. Grandmacore, if you will.

Day 14: Have Poncho Will Travel

It’s the constant winter travel dilemma: what do you wear that keeps you warm on the way to the airport, but that’s also appropriate for warmer climates. My vintage go-to travel wear is this 60s plaid poncho. It’s one of those pieces that I turn to in any transitional travel situation. I picked up this beauty at the Columbus Antique Mall, a labyrinth of antique booths in Columbus, Wisconsin (approximately 30 minutes from Madison). I always find great vintage when I go there!

Here I paired it with my purple 70s kick flares from Wildman Vintage and my (non-vintage) Jansport fanny pack. It was 20 degrees in Kansas City and 60 degrees in Tampa and this outfit worked like a charm in both climates.

Day 15: Busch Gardens

How do you work vintage into a day of roller coaster riding and thrills at Busch Gardens? For the answer, I turned to my old standby, the vintage tourist sweatshirt and I repeated my fun 70s plaid pants from week 2. The sweatshirt is gem I scored at Goodwill for $1.99. It’s from the Tsitsikamma National Park in South Africa and the colors and graphics are so vibrant and bold. The sweatshirt provided a fun contrast to my crazy patterned pants. The perfect theme park vibe!

Pro Tip: If you are unfamiliar with the destination depicted on your tourist tee or sweatshirt, do some basic research. People will ask about it!

Day 16: A Day at the Zoo

As you can probably guess, I was traveling with my kids, so a lot of our destinations were family friendly. But, family friendly does not preclude vintage friendly. For our day at Zoo Tampa, I channeled the aesthetic of Out of Africa with an Edwardian/safari mashup (note: I love the aesthetics of Out of Africa, but I do not love colonialism–I would love to explore this in a future post). Back to the zoo–I wore my Army pants from Salvation Army, a Kansas t-shirt (non-vintage), and a pink calico quilted Jessica’s Gunnies jacket from Baxtervintage on Etsy.

Day 17: Caftans and Cheesecakes

Whenever I visit my parents in Florida, the theme song to “The Golden Girls” plays on a constant loop in my head. Maybe it’s because of the wallpaper? Or because there is always a cheesecake in fridge? Or maybe it’s because I float around the house in a caftan and tell people it’s time to go to the lanai? Either way, this Tori Richardson caftan from the Lawrence Antique Mall would have made Blanche Dubois proud.

Day 18: Prairie Beach

I have a whole closet full of beach clothes, yet I live in the most landlocked place ever. So, when I go to the coast, I have a hard time narrowing down my beachworthy ensembles. I usually go with a look or trend I’m particularly into at the moment and at this moment that look is layering dresses over fitted tees. I love this smocked maxi plaid prairie dress that I picked up at the Lawrence Antique Mall. Wearing it over a tee gives it a fun 90s vibe, plus adds much need sun protection.

Day 19: Pink Lady

My sister’s neighborhood in Minneapolis has a huge annual neighborhood garage sale. Last year she came across this beauty: a hot pink 1980s jumpsuit and she snapped it up for a whopping $2.00. She sent it to me to sell in the shop, but once I tried it on I knew that it had to be mine. The rest is history.

Day 19: Last Hurrah

My last day in Florida consisted of some high end consignment shopping (shout out to Fifi’s in Apollo Beach), a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry, and watching the Chiefs lose to the Patriots in the playoffs. I needed something versatile and classic momcore fit the bill. I wore my Better in the Bahamas t-shirt (see Day 6), my Oregon Coast sweatshirt (it got cold that day) from Blue Collar Bill, and the perfect a-line skirt from Salvation Army . I love, love, love the shape of this skirt and I would own one in every color if I could. It’s my ideal knockabout outfit.

All I really needed for this look was a visor and a golf cart. I was becoming too much of a local. It was time to go home.

Until next week! #tothestars

Get the Aux Etoiles Look

South Africa Tourist Tee, $45

Floral Prairie Skirt, $62

Oscar de la Renta for Swirl Caftan, $120

Seagull Midi Skirt, $34