Merry Christmas!

Between working, packing my bags, wrapping presents and (failing at) cooking, I don't see myself having time to come online and wish you all a Merry Christmas, so I'll do it a little early. I hope every one of you has a wonderful day, filled with grotesque quantities of food, smiling relatives and toys that make noise :D

Apparently those of us in Melbourne can expect a cool-ish Christmas (thank goodness - it was well over 40 degrees last year) so I can finally wear this dress:






















It's a gorgeous little vintage silk number that has just the right shape to wear my new What Katie Did bullet bra underneath (I swear, my waist is nowhere near that tiny - optical illusion!) I was nervous ordering one, as I didn't know what the shape would be like on me, but I feel like an absolute bombshell with it on! Definitely going back for more~!

As you may have guessed from the packing reference earlier, I'm going away on holidays. I'll be staying close to the beach for a week and a bit with my grandparents, can't wait! They live in NSW so we don't get to see them often. Unfortunately, my suitcase is too small to pack my parasol so I'm going to have to get "wear sunscreen" henna'd on my hand - I burn incredibly easily and no amount of floppy hats are going to save me if I forget that vital step!

Enjoy your holidays, and have a swell new year's! Be seeing y'all!

Fruit Salad

I've been so busy with work lately (so I apologize for falling behind in reading and commenting on your lovely blogs) - yesterday was my only day off before Christmas so I went out for some last minute present shopping. Of course, I managed to sneak in a few gifts for myself:


I only need 'Vintage Furniture' now to complete the set, as I already have 'Vintage Shoes' and 'Vintage Clothing'. I'm hoping they do a book on hats soon! I know there are other books out there that I could buy, but the ones from this series look so nice sitting next to eachother on my shelf.
Next to it is an adorable showercap I bought to help protect my pincurl sets! Hopefully this will help them last a day or two longer without getting frizzy.


I wore my thrifted Calvin Klein jeans, so as promised, here are pictures of me wearing every pastel colour I could find in my wardrobe - according to the friend I went out with, I looked like the predatory housewife Joyce Monroe from Edward Scissorhands! My dad, however, said I looked like a fruit salad D:

(This isn't an image from the movie, but rather the dansical that came out a year or so ago. I saw it with friends, it was pretty much the best thing ever :D )

She was bang on though! I was aiming for that kind of suburban teenager look - something like this:

(Also from the dansical! If you weren't lucky enough to see it when it was on show, do look up some pictures - or even better, videos - the outfits are fantastic!)

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

From the Jukebox - The Baseballs

Don't be fooled by the picture! The Baseballs are actually a current band from Germany, who, in a reversal of the norm, create doo-wop covers of modern songs. Their 2009 album, Strike, shows off their amazing skills in adapting songs that could be considered polar opposites of that 50s sound (think Pussycat Dolls and Beyonce!) into smooth, rock n' roll styles. The experience of listening to their songs is made even better if you know of the originals, so one can marvel at the changes made.

I simply must share a few of their videos with you all, so you can see how complete the transformation is (the addition of screaming fans in cat-eye glasses is just perfection)! First off is a cover of 'Umbrella' by Rhianna:




Not to mention they are all gorgeous! *swoons* I can definitely see myself in that crowd chasing them! Their other video is a cover of Katy Perry's 'Hot n Cold':



The reaction of passersby is priceless, no?

I highly recommend digging up Strike to listen to (and dance along to - you will not be able to help yourself!) The Baseballs have also got other covers floating around on Youtube that aren't on the album itself - you may even stumble upon a doo-wop rendition Lady Gaga's 'Pokerface' (it must be seen to be believed!)

Thrifty Finds #1

While I love doing outfit posts, sometimes I get so excited by op-shop finds that I can't even wait till I take them out on the town to blog about them! Here's my latest haul:


That's a pair of brand new Calvin Klein jeans there! They're high-waisted and lovely, I've been searching for a pair of preppy pants like that for a while. Gonna work them with so many pastel colours that you'll think I'm an easter egg <3

The other find I'm really psyched about is that little black playsuit! I simply had to show it to you on:


I have a long torso, so this find is even more special due to the fact that it actually fits me! Not to mention it saves me the trouble of making my own (my previous attempts to make a frankenpattern for one = not pretty).

I also got a lovely surprise from Pink Champagne for Dancing and Stefanie Valentine - a Glamorous Blog award! Thanks lovelies <3 Unfortunately I'm going to be a terrible community member as I don't have a list to pass this on to - I'm trying to expand my reading list so I can link to some new blogs next time round.

Wish me luck dealing with the Christmas shopping crowds tomorrow! Working retail this time of year is terrifying D:

Little Black Dresses

I would imagine that by now, most of you have heard about how Audrey Hepburn's personal wardrobe has recently gone up for auction. If not, Circa Vintage has a great article on the historic event.

It appears that certain stores are cashing in on the resurgence Audrey's name is currently experiencing in the media. (One of them being 'Forever New', who were selling the book 'What Would Audrey Do?' in store. Answer? Probably never wear half of the items they stock.) I was passing K-mart on my way to work today, and out of the corner of my eye noticed a familiar image - the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany's poster.


I went over to the stand which contained several rails of black dresses to take a closer look. The back of the tag states that these essential 'little black dresses' were inspired by the timeless elegance of Audrey Hepburn - however, in all honesty, I think the designers of this collection lost that same 'elegance' in their efforts to modernize the look. I know I took awful pictures, and I apologize, but I was late for work and didn't have time to capture each dress (not that they'd show up well anyway! Black on black and all.) The one I've taken a picture of is pretty cute, actually, but some of the others were absolute travesties.


Really, K-mart? Strapless, thigh high club dresses? Lamé shifts with bubble hems? Fringed FLAPPER dresses, for heaven's sakes - that's not even the right era! Given that Audrey was all about understated elegance, this all felt a little insulting. I was hoping for some dresses that were classically beautiful and refined, not dictated by passing trends. (I had a good chat about it all with a customer at work, actually. She told me I looked like Katherine Hepburn -my cheekbones are not that nice, must have been my hair- and we got to talking about the difference between those great Queens of Hollywood and the girls of today. I think it gave her a little bit of hope to see that we're not all out buying gladiator sandals and miniskirts!)

I'm still looking for my perfect little black dress. Finding something unaffected by seasonal trends is difficult, as many stores deem what I would consider 'classic' as 'boring'. I have hope though, that somewhere out there is the LBD for me!

Experiments with Pincurls

I've been playing around with styling techniques for my new haircut, and have been having quite a bit of success with pincurls! They definitely add more volume and bounce to my hair than I would have normally - however, I do have naturally curly locks so there is the temptation to just hairspray and brush the heck out of them and see if there is much difference :/ I'm balking a little at the amount of time (and upper arm strength) required to do a wetset every couple of days, as much as I like the effect. Let me just say, I have a whole new respect for you ladies who do so on a regular basis!

Some of the results:

Outfit Details

Capris: Route 66
Top: Thrifted from Ebay
Flowers: Diva
Bracelet: Target

Outfit Details

Skirt: Route 66
Shirt: Thrifted
Flowers: Diva
Necklace: Target

I have a new lipstick love! Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in no. 75 - Dragon. Feels like silk on my lips and lasts for aaaaaaaaages. It was a very belated birthday present from a friend - lord knows I can't afford to use it everyday, but boy is it taking all the willpower I have not to go and stock up on all the other colours! I've also been thinking about doing a few makeup related posts - different looks, tutorials, things like that. I hope that may be of interest to you all!

Lust, Caution

One of the particular areas of 1930s/1940s fashion that interests me is the modernization of China and Japan, and their gradual adoption of Western elements. Asian women during this transitory period often had very unique and strikingly beautiful looks - they would perm their jet black hair and wear red lips and nails; or dress in a traditional cheongsam with seamed stockings, pumps, and a trenchcoat or fur over the top. Even the city itself consisted of this same startling fusion – rickshaws and Rolls Royces would pass each other on the same narrow street; and traditional food would be sold next to cafés selling coffee and pastries.

Lust, Caution is a film by Ang Lee set in Japanese-occupied China during this period of cultural transformation, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in broadening their knowledge of the Forties. Often, the Eastern Fronts are overlooked in cinema (and similarly, the class I took at university focused on the European Front – thus I cannot personally vouch for the movie's accuracy in any way) so seeing another perspective like this is extremely refreshing. The film's plot revolves around a group of students involved with the resistance against the collaborationist Chinese government, and a particular female agent's attempts to seduce and take down a high ranking official. I feel I should issue a disclaimer here - it does get plenty racy, and there is some sexual violence, so if the thought seeing such things offends you may want to skip this one. It didn't get its R18+ rating for nothing. That said, it is a quietly beautiful, slow burning film and one I rather enjoyed. Not to mention the beautiful outfits! Just to give you a taste:

If you look closely, you can see seams!

It also has me seriously lusting over a mahjong bracelet like this one:

Found here on Etsy. Hint hint, Santa Claus!

Not to mention this gorgeous ring:

It's vintage Cartier! Discovered in a vault in Paris, director Ang Lee had the 6.1 carat pink diamond shipped to Shanghai specifically for the film. Isn't it gorgeous? (I also noticed that Mak Tai Tai has matched her lipstick to her nails here - something I must remember to do more often.)

The film has also inspired me to make up my overall pattern in a deep emerald cord - I don't have any pictures of this outfit, but I can assure you the colour looked gorgeous over cream blouses. I miss winter even more now!

If anyone can recommend any other films set in the 40s that feature the Eastern nations - including Russia, China and Japan - please, let me know of them in a comment! Suggestions are always much appreciated.

Street Seen

Sorry to spam you all with two entries in one night, but this news simply cannot wait! Remember this?

The photos are finally up - take a look! I'm "Kelly", apparently. *raises eyebrow*

It is extremely flattering nonetheless, especially considering that Melbourne is full of some pretty swanky individuals. Just another thing that brightened up my day!

Oh, wow

I just got given my first award, from the darling Stefanie Valentine.


It's really a wonderful pick-me-up to come home to, given that I've only been blogging these past two months! I'd also like to use this chance to thank all my followers so far - I never expected so many people to be interested in little old me! Thank you all; it really means a lot and I always appreciate reading your comments.

I'm passing the love on to 6 of my favourite bloggers (It is meant to be 10, but I don't follow that many blogs and a large amount of them have already recieved this award). So, without further ado:

1.) The Big Mama Introspection
2.) Pink Champagne For Dancing
3.) The Republic of Dresses
4.) Vivian Von Dimples
5.) Gone with the Voile
6.) Whipstitch Sewing

There's also a little one word questionnaire that came with it (I will try to keep to the limit as much as is possible):

1.Where is your phone? Lost :/

2.Your hair? Curly

3.Your Mother? Strict

4.Your Father? Loud

5.Your favourite food? Chocolate

6.Your dream last night? Zombie-related

7.Your favourite drink? Coffee

8.Your dream/goal? Neuropsychology

9.What room are you in? Mine :)

10.Your hobby? Sewing

11.Your fear? Zombies ;_;

12.Where do you want to be in six years? Graduated!

13.Where were you last night? Bed

14.Something that you’re not? Confident

15.Muffins? Poppyseed

16.Wishlist item? Apartment

17.Where did you grow up? Worldwide

18.Last thing you did? Work

19.What are you wearing? Kimono

20.Your TV? Plural

21.Your pets? None...

22.Friends? Beautiful

23.Your life? Confusing

24.Your mood? Better

25.Missing someone? Sister

26.Vehicle? Bus

27.Something you’re not wearing? Shoes!

28.Your favourite store? Myer

29.Your favourite colour? Red

30.When was the last time you laughed? During Twilight

31.The last time you cried? Weekend

32.Your best friend? A star

33.One place that I go to over and over? Boyfriend's

34.Facebook? Avoiding!

35.Favourite place to eat? Shanghai Dumpling House

(I can't remember my text options - that will teach me to copy and paste!)