They'd Have Called Me "The Bar Nothing"

So Mod Right Now

2012-01-25T17:42:00.000-08:00

What a difference a haircut makes! I blogged about this dress in early 2011, but I wasn't really happy with how my hair worked with it at the time. With my newly cropped hair, I feel much more authentically mod (plus my skills with the graphic lined eye have improved!)

The original outfit versus today's - you can tell I've put on weight since then (sob) but I much prefer the styling I've done for the latter! You can also see how my collection of books/dvds/knick knacks has exploded over the course of a year!

It's not perfect but I love the look of the graphic, mod eye. I'm not sure if people are interested in a product breakdown, but here goes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Eyeshadow Base in White
Illamasqua Pigment in Breathe
Illamasqua Pigment in Zeitegist
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Perversion
Maybelline False Lash Mascara

So what's been going on in my life lately? AKA what excuses do I have for not keeping a regular posting schedule...
I've been working full time! Getting up at 6:30 and returning home at 7:30 I've had no time to take proper photos... I only got this done because today is a public holiday!
I have to get my license before my learner's permit runs out! Bye bye weekends, hello endless hours spend in the car with parentals trying not to hit pedestrians...
I was accepted into my goal course - Honours in Psychology at Melbourne University! I'm so psyched (zing) to have made it this far. Just one more step on the road towards my dream career!

I spend all day in front of a computer at work so lately the net has been the last thing I want to do when I get home - additionally, I've been trying to use my free time constructively so I'm going to take up running, German and ukulele! I can play (haltingly) my first real song, so perhaps in the future I'll put up some youtube videos? Let me know in the comments if that is something you'd like to see!

Hope you enjoyed this brief check-in, and for those in the Antipodes I hope you're having a happy Australia Day!

Revlon Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-10T03:04:00.000-08:00

Gosh I am so sorry it took me so long to draw this - with juggling a new job and study applications I completely lost track!

Without any further ado, I'll announce the winner - randomly selected by my boyfriend.

Lisa! From the blog My Pretty Baby She Was a Bird. Please send me your address so I can mail your lippy!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T23:07:00.000-08:00

Just dropping by to wish you a merry christmas and to finally post pictures of my new haircut! I asked for something 'Audrey Hepburn circa Sabrina' and I am very happy with the results! (Any melbourne based ladies should give the Biba Academy studios a try. You get a high quality haircut for $20, supervised by professionals - the only downside is that the students take longer, but they are constantly making you cups of tea and coffee so the time flies by!)

Boyfriend and I accidentally matched! Cute or weird? I can't decide.

My Xmas dress was snapped up for a bargain 75% off (caught them doing the markdowns for boxing day at Myer so I managed to get in before the crowds!) It was chosen in anticipation of the predicted 30 degree day, but....

Melbourne did its darndest to give us a white christmas via a thunderous hailstorm!

I still have no idea what I even got for Christmas - we're hosting this year so there hasn't been any time between cooking to take a look under the tree! Taking a break to nurse my food-baby while blogging. Hopefully will be allowed to open soon!

My love to you all - hope you are having a safe, restful and merry christmas, and that Santa left you something special under the tree!

Australian Readers - Pssst, have you heard?

2011-12-02T20:21:00.001-08:00

Dita von Teese will be returning to Australia in March 2012 to launch a lingerie line for Target! She will walk the runway at the Loreal Fashion Festival on March 10, 2012, and the pieces themselves will be arriving instore in February, with new product lines to come in March and April.The line will be titled "Von Follies by Dita von Teese", and will come in a wide range of sizes (up to an E cup in bras and size 20 in briefs).

Prices will start at $17 and go up to $79 for fitted corsolettes. Word is that the collection will include proper garter belts, overwire bras, high waisted briefs, corsetry; and the colours will encompass black lace over nude, leopard print, and dreamy pale pink satins. It will be available for purchase both instore and online, which is a lifesaver for women like me who are right now reading about the delicious details and fretting they might not make the product launch!

Personally I'm kicking myself that I quit working at Target right before this collection was announced! I could have brought you a little insider info, or more selfishly, earmarked a few pieces for myself before they hit the floor. Any my staff discount is gone! Nooooooo! I'll see if my connections have any more information to offer closer to the release date, however. I have only been able to find the one sneak-peek of the collection so far - this gorgeous black and blue lace number:

I'm personally not the biggest fan of Dita, as I find her strip shows to be a little robotic and lacking in the sense of cheekiness and fun that I find really appealing in burlesque (I much prefer the va-va-voom displayed by british burlesque bombshell Immodesty Blaize, but that is neither here nor there). Despite this, I'm excited about the launch of an accessible range of lingerie that comes in styles that I prefer and find physically flattering. However having spoken to a few hardcore Dita fans who feel that selling the range in a store like Target rather than Myer or David Jones 'cheapens' the Dita brand, I'm really curious to find out what you think! Are you excited about cheapish, pretty undies? Or would you rather see couture techniques (at a fairly couture price point) like Dita's recent capsule clothing launch at David Jones?

The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie's Auction House

2011-11-28T04:07:00.001-08:00

Anybody have a spare couple of thousand? A collection of beautiful items from the wardrobe of that grand old dame, Elizabeth Taylor, are to go under the hammer at Christie's Auction House. Even better, I hear some of it will be available for sale online... if only I had the dosh!
Browsing the online catalogue I can only marvel at the exquisite and slightly eccentric taste of Taylor - she moved effortlessly through the fashions of the eras, always with her own unique pizazz.
This video showcases some of the highlights of the collection, along with some choice reflections from celebrities and designers about Taylor's style and personality.

Damn did that girl have some serious bling! And she sure knew how to work a kaftan.

Christie's also has a blog that delves into the history behind the pieces and follows the exhibition on its travels - while it doesn't have much content yet, it may be worth keeping an eye on. See here!

My personal favourite is this luxurious ostrich feather gown. Please Santa?

More choice picks:

This dress, which Taylor wore to her wedding to Richard Burton, is estimated to reach a cool $40,000 - hurm, house deposit or dress...

I gotta stop looking or I'll short out my computer with drool.

Caped Crusader

2011-11-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

My friend recently gave a piano recital as she was graduating from honours in music. It was held at a beautiful church, and I took it as a chance to bust out an equally gorgeous caped dress (that may have been a little too fancy for your everyday walk to the shops...) I cannot even begin to describe how much I love 60s dresses with capes. Long, chiffon strips that float about when you walk, that snap and curl in the wind - nothing is more glamorous! I snagged this dress from fellow blogger Bombshell Bettie's etsy store. She's a lovely lady, and has the best baby clothes ever, so go check her out!

The gentleman hosting the evening later thanked my friend for encouraging us all to dress to the nines - he said it reminded him of how people used to treat recitals and operas as special occasions worthy of a new dress or coat. Having been to a ballet only last year where all the attendees were in jeans, I completely agree! I want to wear a ballgown outside of prom. I want to wear hats outside of the Melbourne Cup. We don't get as many chances to really dress up nowadays, so we should take them where we can get them!

My Revlon Fire and Ice lipstick giveaway drawing has been delayed somewhat due to technical difficulties - I cannot get blogger to work with the ipad and it has set me back several planned posts. Entries will be accepted until at least the end of the month when I can get this sorted!

Words to Live By - Edith Head

2011-11-11T00:36:00.000-08:00

"A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman, and loose enough to prove you're a lady."

- Edith Head, Hollywood Costume Designer, winner of eight Academy Awards. BAMF.

Cup Day Outfit

2011-11-01T03:36:00.000-07:00

On monday my new work held a Melbourne Cup Day themed morning tea, and as any vintage loving girl would do I took the opportunity to bust out a hat!

Outfit Details

Dress: Vintage, Etsy
Cardigan: ??? Hand-me-down!
Hat: Vintage, Ebay
Stockings: Op-shop
Shoes: Asos

Man I am so addicted to Clearly Contacts! They have a bunch of vintage-style glasses; I want these ones in ALL THE COLOURS!

The sailor shawl on this dress is what won me over when I saw it online - such a cute detail!

It has been an adjustment, to say the least, starting a full-time job - my body was not ready, argh. I slept until 2 on Saturday just to catch up! That said, there is a cute neighbourhood cat, the location is great (right next to uni and a bunch of awesome shops), and the people are all really nice (and I'm not just saying that because some of them may be reading this blog now!)

PS: Don't forget about my Revlon Fire and Ice giveaway here! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm taking my fistfull of hard earned dollars to etsy!

Summer Shopping

2011-10-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Augh I want this Mondrian inspired rashie so bad! Hurry up first paycheck~!

Tutankhamen: Age of the Pharaohs

2011-10-23T04:30:00.000-07:00

To celebrate my last week of freedom before starting full time work, friends and I made the trip to see an exhibition at Melbourne Museum - Tutankhamen: Age of the Pharaohs. Originally the plan was to dress 1920s style to pretend we were at a showing of the 'recently' discovered artifacts, but in the end it was too difficult to convince the whole group to play along and there was not enough time to shop a good outfit. In the end I went 1920s inspired top half, ridiculously shiny pants that I love on the bottom half!

Outfit Details

Jacket: Sportsgirl
Blouse: Target
Pants: ASOS
Shoes: ASOS
Bag: Target

I love the kimono-esque styling on this velvet jacket - made me think it would be perfect for a 20s style outfit. One of the things I love most about fashions from that era is how they were really drawing on other cultures for inspiration in jewellery and clothing. This was really apparent in the Tutankhamen exhibition, where I quite often found myself marveling at how similar the jewellery found in the tomb was to art deco designs!

As for the exhibition itself, loved the amount and variety of artifacts on display as well as the explanations of their religious and cultural significance, but was disappointed at the lack of probing into some of the controversies regarding Tutankhamen such as his mysterious death at 19 (and the assorted broken bones in his autopsy) as well as the suspicious circumstances around the discovery of the tomb by Carter. Despite those minor quibbles, I found it excellent and would urge anybody in Melbourne to see it before it closes!

Am also fond of my new pair of glasses - the circular shape is perfect for when I am wearing clothes that predate the cat eye style (as much as I love it, the anachronistic clash is too strong!)

While parking the car we stumbled across this chair by the train tracks! Somebody clearly decided their front garden wasn't big enough and expanded into the bushes across the road - I love how it is even bordered with bricks!

Tomorrow I start a new job and am super nervous - any kind words would be really appreciated! Tea is helping but not enough :/

PS Don't forget about my Revlon Fire and Ice giveaway! I just realized I didn't nominate a closing date - it is now updated to close on the 14th of November!

Autumnal Palette and Giveaway!

2011-10-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

I feel lucky to live within walking distance of several lovely nature reserves. It has gotten so warm though - by this stage I was deeply regretting my choice of long-sleeved top. I don't know why I feel so inspired by autumn colours lately, considering it is spring/summer here!

Outfit Details:

Shorts - Handmade! Yippee!
Blouse - ASOS
Shoes - Rubi Shoes

These shorts are the first item of clothing I've sewn for myself in quite a while - I used a vintage pattern for a beach outfit, and some leftover orange suede fabric from a costume. I'm quite chuffed with how it looks - I used a few new techniques, such as topstitching and lining pockets, and it came out so well!

A scraped knee + bandaid is the perfect accompaniment to your tomboyish attire...

I feel very bohemian-painter in this top - which is ironic, considering next week I start my first 9-5 job! The very opposite of bohemian.... oh well! At least I'll be able to practice getting my Joan/Peggy on!

And now, to the giveaway!

Giveaway: Revlon's Fire and Ice (Vintage Tube Re-release)

I'm offering one lucky lady a tube of the classic colour 'Fire and Ice' by Revlon, in a special, limited edition vintage style tube. The colour is a gorgeous yet hard to describe pinky-orangey-red: very flattering and not as in your face as straight up red. Depending on what liner you use, you can encourage it to pull a variety of directions - personally I love to bring out its coral nature with an orange liner.

Taller than the modern black tube (but sharing the same gold interior), this edition has ribbed silver casing with a cute little 'R' on top, and 'Revlon' engraved at the middle. I believe it looks just like the original tubes Revlon lipsticks came in. So not only do you get a fab lipstick shade, you get a historically accurate accessory! (In case it's not clear, you get a brand new one - the pictured one is my own).

To Enter:

1. You must be following this blog.
2. You must leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite lipstick shade + brand.
3. To earn an extra entry, you can blog about this giveaway! Simply link me to your post in a seperate comment.

This giveaway will close on the 14th of November, and is open internationally.

Good luck all!

Sale Time!

2011-09-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

I'm clearing out my wardrobe again! Too much etsy shopping and too few hangers! So far I've listed a few vintage items and some modern pieces with a vintage-inspired feel.

All items can be found here on ebay.

A taste of what has been listed so far:

Austrian New Old Stock 50s Cat-Eye Glasses

Pink Boucle Weave 50s Pencil Skirt

Novelty Print Friends of Couture Snowflake Cardigan

50s-Style Full Skirted Red Satin Party Dress

50s-Style Bombshell Red Wiggle Dress with Black Lace

Cute Pink Floral Playsuit

60s Gold Lace Mini Dress

1940s Burgundy Halo Feathered Hat

I'll be looking for more gems in need of a new home over the coming days, so keep checking back!

Melbourne Winter Masterpieces: Vienna Art and Design

2011-09-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, it has been a while since I last blogged! That is mostly the fault of my clutzy self, as I dropped my camera and broke it good. However, I invested in a new one that is waterproof AND shockproof, so hopefully that won't happen again.

I spent a day out on the town recently eating too many sweets and checking out some exhibitions before they closed. First off, the boy and I went to a 'fill a bag with vintage for $20' sale - most of the offerings were pretty meh, but I did get a few cute things (all in need of repair) and he picked up a snazzy new suit jacket.

This is my new favourite eatery, La Belle Miette ("The Beautiful Crumb"). They sell all kinds of delicious and fatty macarons! Seriously, I have put on about 7kgs since I discovered this place. WORTH IT THOUGH.

OM NOM NOM

What did I get? You'll just have to wait and see!

Outfit Details

Cape: Target
Dress: Target ($8 - bargain!)
Eye blindingly orange tights: Ebay
Shoes: Asos

This sculpture was made entirely of tape! You could climb inside it (see the shadow in my second photo?)

My friend and I then spent the afternoon at the NGV checking out the Vienna Art and Design exhibition (which was absolutely lovely). I'm a huge fan of Gustav Klimt, I could have sat in there all day just taking it in!

I recently saw a burlesque act based on the 'waterwall' out the front of the gallery - it involved the dancer loudly musing on art before turning on a shower of water that turned her dress see-through! I loved having international guests pay such quirky homage to my city.

These lights were part of a temporary cafe set up inside the exhibition - just beautiful!

You may notice I have a new haircut and glasses! My hair is very very short now - perfect for the abnormally hot weather we have been having lately. I had it cut longer at the front so I could still curl it for a more traditional look. And all for free! - the perks of having a friend who is an apprentice hairdresser searching for more practice!

I had so many people compliment me on my tights today! I guess in a city famous for wearing all black it can be refreshing to see a pop of strong colour. I actually bought them for a cosplay, which I'll be sure to post pictures/video of soon - I won best group! So proud.

Thanks everyone who stuck it out in this picture heavy post, I hope to blog more soon!

Costumes Galore!

2011-08-11T01:38:00.000-07:00

I know I've been absent for a while, but as you can tell from these pictures I've been very busy! One of my big hobbies, for those who don't know, is sewing costumes from games, books, tv shows or cartoons/anime. I've gotten back into it bigtime this year (in fact I'm typing this post while taking a break from the sewing machine before my competition in two weeks) - this is just a sample of my work so far!

I joined a group of cosplayers at Supanova to portray the Disney Princesses. I adore Aurora, and I think I suited her well - she has a more refined look than the 'cute' princesses like Ariel and Snow White. The costume was hard work, but I think it came out really well!

I had so much fun twirling about, and it was amazing to see the look of awe on the faces of any little girls about. Screw my Science degree, I wanna do princess parties!

This guy was my favourite cosplayer - he was perfectly in character all day. I felt like I was next to the real thing *swoons* We had a chance to take the most awesome and fun picture together, which appeared in the newspaper - see this post!

We had to chase him around the car park - not an easy feat in heels and big dresses!

More recently, I threw together two quick costumes for my work's Toy Sale. The first one is Frankie Stein from the Monster High doll and tv series by Bratz. I loved wearing the neck bolts!

This is the doll herself, so you know what I mean!

My last costume was also for the Toy Sale - it took a $1 dress, a heaping of youtube knowledge, and a trip to the jewellery store. It's Holly Golightly, darlings!

This costume was so much fun, and surprisingly easy to make! If only I could say the same about the two costumes I'm working on now - well, back to the sewing machine :( I hope to post more regularly soon, but rest assured I've been reading all of your blogs daily! Much love! Bye for now~

Eyeko Giveaway Winner

2011-07-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

I am still in the process of cleaning out my wardrobe, so remember to keep checking my ebay auctions! Some absolutely wild tiger print capris went up tonight, and I'll be sorting through my hats and gloves next so there is more great stuff to come! There is still a brand new What Katie Did bikini, and lots of repro rockabilly clothing.

Now, onto the results! Using my boyfriend as a random number generator, the winner of the Eyeko £20 gift voucher is....

Pappers of the blog Winning Mum! Clearly a lucky name!

Please email me at kibbleking (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au to claim your prize!

Underbelly Razor

2011-06-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

Underbelly is an Australian crime drama focusing on true stories from our history. I'd known for a while that the next series was going to be set in the 1920s, and wondered if they would focus on two of the more unusual gang leaders I read about in Crooks Like Us - Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine (see my post on this amazing book here). Lo and behold, the first teaser trailer for the series came out and I was right!

Underbelly Razor will be focusing on the story of the razor gangs, the pawns of the 'Queens of the Underworld' Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine. These two ladies came to power due to a legal loophole that allowed women to run brothels, but not men. Both used their brothels as a front for illegal gambling, sly grog and drugs. At the time, guns were not readily available, so Australian gang wars in the 20s were characterized by the use of razors instead of the tommy guns you asssociate with American figures. The rival gangs would often meet in violent brawls involving up to 50 men at a time! The short video below discusses the history further - warning, it does contain some graphic images.

Now, while Underbelly does stick to the facts of the stories it portrays, it has a tendency to 'sex it up' a little - okay, a lot. I have noticed in the posters, however, that at the very least the ladies wear a manicure with the moons and tips white, so the costume department has done their homework! Regardless of whether or not it ends up being 100% historically accurate, I think we're in for a dramatic ride.

A few reminders: my Eyeko cosmetics giveaway for UK readers is ending very shortly, so make sure to get your entries in - only 3 contestants so far! Additionally, I'm in the process of doing a massive closet clearout and have listed quite a few vintage and rockabilly items on ebay, including a brand new What Katie Did swimsuit, Mexican tourist jacket, fully fashioned stockings and a beautiful 50s full skirted dress. Please check out my auctions here!

Eyeko Giveaway - UK only!

2011-06-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have a special giveaway for UK based ladies today - a £20 gift voucher for Eyeko cosmetics! This brand is famous for their cute packaging and great value products, including a wide range of nail polishes and their cult 3-in-1 cream for a dewy glow. They have free UK shipping, and if you enter an Eyeko Ambassador Codes at the checkout you'll always be able to get a bonus gift with purchase! (They are very easy to find on google).

I bought this voucher not realizing it was valid in the UK only, so please only enter if you live there! I don't want it to go to waste.

The rules:

You must be a follower of this blog, and post a comment on this entry telling me your favourite cosmetic product of the moment!
If you re-post this giveaway on your own blog, you gain one extra entry. If you do so, link me to your post in another comment.

The winner will be randomly drawn June 30, and the voucher is valid until the 6th of August. Good luck!

Magazine Clutch Purses at ASOS

2011-06-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of online browsing on ASOS lately - free international shipping is not something I come across often! I found some vintage-inspired magazine clutch purses in their sale section which I thought may be of interest to you (they go for surprisingly high prices on Etsy). I'm not sure whether this style of purse first became popular in the 60s or 70s, but the idea of carrying your lippie in what appears at first glance to be a rolled up magazine is just inspired!

I particularly adore the first one - crossing my fingers that it won't sell out before payday!

Paparazzi 50's Glamour Magazine Clutch Bag - RRP £45.00, now £28.00

Paparazzi Retro Car Magazine Clutch Bag - RRP £45.00, now £28.00

Paparazzi 50's Vacation Magazine Clutch Bag - RRP £45.00, now £28.00

Paparazzi 60's Magazine Clutch Bag - RRP £45.00, now £28.00

If anyone purchases one, I'd love to see pictures. Hope you enjoy!

My New Favourite Bracelet

2011-05-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

I ordered this bracelet from ASOS thinking it was going to be a pretty, dainty little thing. When it arrived in a fairly large box I knew something had gone terribly wrong - it was about 4x larger than I had expected it to be! Happily I've grown to love it, giant chunky beads and all. People can't help but ask about it when they see me - I like to say that it is my power limiter but not many people get my nerd jokes ;_;

Outfit Details

Skirt: Etsy
Socks: Target
Shoes: Rivers (any fellow Aussies looking for comfortable saddle shoes should check them out - these babies were only $20! Bargain!)
Beret: Portmans
Bracelet: ASOS
Blouse: Thrifted
Cardigan: Dangerfield

'Little Cupcakes' is my new favourite place to get an afternoon treat with the boyfriend - they make exactly what you'd think, given the name. They're delicious, but...

...being 'little', they are gone all too soon!

I also worked the bracelet into a more dressy outfit recently - I love how it can be used for both.

Outfit Details

Dress: Etsy
Shoes: ASOS
Bracelet: ASOS

Yes, these pictures were taken in a pub bathroom. I hid out there for an hour and a half because my 'friends' were late and didn't bother to update me, and it was way too awkward hanging out at a bar with old men watching the football.

Can you tell I marathon America's next top model when I am meant to be studying for exams? Ooops. I'll be free soon enough, hoping to update more regularly then. Sorry for the photodump!

Disney Princesses Vintage Fashion

2011-05-08T04:12:00.000-07:00

Just dropping by to share this gorgeous illustration with you - I'm not certain of the original artist; I found it while 'surfing the web', as they say! It is a redesign of the Disney Princesses, dressed in outfits adapted to suit the era in which their films were made.

I've always thought that you could see the influence of the period of the style of the characters in the film - there is no greater example than Ariel's 80s wedding dress monstrostity! Snow White's short curled hair, thin curved eyebrows and girlish face also seem very 30s inspired.
If you're a fan of Disney Princesses, stay tuned for the unveiling of my big project!

Hapy Easter Everyone!

2011-04-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Man, it feels as though it has been forever and a day since I last posted - I've been pretty busy with my studies and a major sewing project that got me into the newspaper (pics to come later, I promise!) I've been reading all your blogs everyday but I miss posting!

Skirt - Vintage
Jumper - Review
Cardigan - Some cheap chainstore
Necklace - Tiffany's (love, boyfriend)
Belt - Chain store
Shoes - Naturalizer
Lipstick - Illamasqua 'Perilous'
Nails - Essie 'Chinchilly'

I wore this outfit to easter lunch today - something seemed 'off' about pairing that peach top with that skirt, but I was too behind in my ironing and too cranky to get changed again. Still, this is a favourite skirt and top of mine (just maybe not together) - the yellow roses look amazing next to a blue shirt.

Look! New glasses - finally! They're actually new from Specsavers (I got a pair of fab tortiseshell sunnies as part of the deal) - I was happy to find something that is vintage inspired at a reasonable cost. Unfortunately reglazing my deadstock frames is not financially an option at the moment, but I'm really pleased with how these look. Click to embiggen and you can see how lovely the frames are, and how they have a slight cat's-eye effect.

Strange how all the rabbits went missing from my backyard today -were they busy elsewhere? I hope you all had a lovely easter! Missing you~

A lucky save

2011-03-12T02:49:00.000-08:00

Just another reminder of how I need to 'domesticate' myself some more before I move out of home - I had no idea that linen shinks when you put it in the washing machine, and to my horror this dress came out looking like something you'd buy for a 3 year old... thankfully with a bit of effort I was able to stretch it out to something approximating its original dimensions. You wouldn't be able to tell now, would you?

I really am falling in love with 60s clothing. I think there may a mod inside me trying to break out! I don't have Twiggy's legs but A-line shifts are quite forgiving on my pear shape, and they're just so refreshingly easy and casual. I may just pop over to Illamasqua and invest in a good nude lipstick... watch this space!

And the winner is...

2011-03-04T23:44:00.000-08:00

The contestants and the drawing pot...

A name is chosen...

Ginger from Sailing Over a Cardboard Sea!

Congratulations! Please email me at kibbleking (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au with your address, and I'll have this sent out as soon as possible!

Thanks all for participating, I hope to do more (better organized) giveaways in future :)

Belated Valentine's Day

2011-03-03T02:08:00.000-08:00

Since Valentine's Day occured two days before my chemistry exam, the boy and I decided we would put off celebrating it until I had more free time. He did stop by on the day bearing energy drinks and a rose, which was the perfect gift for studious little me! (I passed with a distinction, by the way!)

We finally got around to going on a proper date last weekend - a picnic in the park, followed by checking out a Disney exhibition at the ACMI, and then hitting the town. The dress I'm wearing was his gift to me - isn't it lovely? I seriously am a sucker for any dress with a sash or cape on the back, I find them impossibly chic.

Oh, you might have noticed - I caved and got my hair cut short again! I like it much more this time than the last. It's a better length and can be styled appropriately for a variety of eras.

The ducks at the park were so friendly, with a bit of coaxing I had them eating crusts out of my hand! One of them thought he was too good for crusts and was eying off my sandwich before the boy alerted me in the nick of time.

We capped off the date in a suitably Mad-Men fashion with cigars and too many cocktails at our favourite bar, Madame Brussels. I don't smoke cigarettes but I will try from time to time the more unusual varieties, like apple flavoured tobacco in a shisha or a vanilla cigar.

I'm only two days back into uni and already the workload is building - so I'm going to draw the giveaway tomorrow or I'll never get it done. So sorry again for the delay and the radio silence - I hope you enjoyed seeing this little catch up! I do have a few more posts planned, and some great products I'd like to alert you to. Until next time~

Giveaway Delay

2011-02-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

So sorry about the delay in posting the giveaway results - I have been absolutely swamped by uni work lately, and I know I won't have time to make it to the post office in the week that remains until my exam. I'm going to leave the competition open until the 16th of Feb when I finish so that latecomers can enter.

Sorry all! I hope you can bear with me a little longer.

Outfit Catchup + Giveaway Reminder

2011-01-27T02:15:00.000-08:00

I'm going to extend my giveaway until the end of this sunday, because I forgot to do a post reminding people to enter. Here's the link, don't forget to comment if you have not done so already!

I've fallen so behind in posting outfits, so here is just a taste of what I've been wearing lately:

Went to a winery for breakfast on my Dad's 50th birthday - was rather lovely! I had eggs benedict and a hot chocolate, mmm.

Not my car - I wish! The lavender dress was bought from Vintage Calling on Etsy, who is just the loveliest seller I've dealt with in a long time. It's a little big for me in the bust, so my next project is figuring out how to take it in without ruining the lovely pleating on the bust and the lace neckline.

My friend read about a local hot-rod show in the paper, so we got dolled up to check it out. It was amazing! Now to get my P plates...

The stalls did an absolutely roaring trade in parasols that day - the sun was unbearable!

We saw this car on the way home - can somebody please confirm if that is an air conditioner strapped to the car window?!

Hope you enjoyed seeing that little catchup; I'll will aim to make more of an effort to post regularly this year. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

My New Neighbours: Part 2

2011-01-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

We've been experiencing heavy rainfall here lately - of course it is only a fraction of the disastrous flooding that is happening up in Queensland, but some of that wet weather is passing through NSW and Victoria currently. One small upside to this unusually wet summer is that one of my neighbours, who up until now was 'heard and not seen', has finally shown his face now that our garden is like a nice big swamp!

Mr. Frog here has a very big voice for such a little fellow - I can hear him croaking outside my room all day and night, asking the ladies to join him in our water feature! I had no idea he was so tiny - just though he hid very well. My sister and I found him sitting on our damp front step the other evening, and I scooped him up gently while asking her to run and get my camera so that I could show my parents (who were out) the source of our noise.

I could still hear croaking, so I went looking to see if Mr. Frog had friends over for once - maybe this one was his girlfriend? She was so unbelievably tiny! I'm going to have to keep my eyes peeled for tadpoles in our fountain now!

P.S. I'm glad the rain has made you happy, little guy, but look what the humidity is doing to my hair!

Presents for me, presents for you!

2011-01-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

I got a few lovely gifts for Christmas this year! My parents bought me some items to use in my room makeover (the previous occupant was a 5 year old girl, so there are butterfly stickers on the wall that need to be covered!), however, I will show you them when the transformation is complete! I also got a shiny red teapot and some gourmet teas to try from my siblings, and a few cookbooks (which I have already utilized to make a delicious key lime pie).

My favourite present, however, was from my sweetheart - he got me a ukulele!

I can't wait to learn how to play it - I used to play piano as a child so I am not used to having to tune my own instruments, which is proving to be the biggest challenge so far. However, I know there is a group of uke players at my university, so it's also a good incentive for me to be more social in 2011.

The giant and myself on Christmas Day - I do wish I could wear some of the lovely, rich holiday dresses I see gals in the northern hemisphere sporting... it's just too hot here for velvet and satin at christmastime!

Now, as for the presents for you - I'm hosting my first proper giveaway! One lucky reader will be drawn at random to win a copy of two of my favourite 'modern' classic novels: Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Big Sleep.

How To Enter: Just leave a comment on this post telling me about your favourite classic book, and why you love it! You can also earn bonus entries by blogging about this giveaway (just let me know in a separate comment!) Open to international followers too! You must be a follower to enter this giveaway. Closes on Wednesday the 26th of January.

Good luck!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T05:57:00.000-08:00

I hope each and every one of you has had a wonderful Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2011! Blogging has been an amazing experience so far, and I have come to know so many amazing people that I may never have met otherwise - I'm amazingly grateful. I hope I can continue to put out interesting posts for your dashboards in the New Year <3 and of course I look forward to reading about all your adventures too.

Lots of love,

Emma

My New Neighbors

2010-12-17T03:35:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post for now - I went out a bit last week in some new outfits and visited a hot rod show, so I have a lot of pictures to come!

We get a lot of animal visitors at my new hours - and not just terrible ones like the red backed spider in my room. My neighbor's very free ranging chicken have taken a liking to our front yard, and I'm pretty sure I've also seen a fox slinking about.

We also have a lot of feral rabbits in our backyard. This one was the runt of his litter, he hasn't grown very much since he was a baby. He likes hiding under our hot water heater when it is raining, and eating all of Mum's attempts at starting a garden.

See how tiny he is?

And look! We have ducklings! You can see that it is very clearly spring around here :)

Getting My Domestic On + Apron Goddess Giveaway

2010-11-30T04:33:00.000-08:00

These holidays, I'm teaching myself to cook so that I can justify buying kitsch homewares and cute vintage aprons - on the subject of which, The Apron Goddess is holding a giveaway for the most darling Christmas themed apron. I'm crossing my fingers for winning this one since my family is hosting Christmas lunch this year, and as my mother is one of 6 children (who have 2-5 children each) it gets pretty hectic in the kitchen in trying to feed everybody!

I got this apron from a garage sale down the street (along with a shadow box and bakelite scales - score!). I just love the cross-stitching in the gingham pattern and the ricrac trim - it looks a little eye-blinding on camera but it's quite cute in person!

In case you're curious, that plate is a breakfast fry-up for my boyfriend and myself to give us energy for a big day of cooking (mostly pastry kneading and rolling for him, those big hands are way more efficient than mine!)

Toasted sourdough drizzled with olive oil, oven roasted tomatoes with camembert, and eggs.

Afghan cookies

Delicious chicken pot pie, and in the background a baked white chocolate and berry cheesecake.

Now I'm no food blogger or gourmet chef, but considering I used to burn soup from out of a can this is a pretty big acheivement for me. Looking forward to eating the delicious pot pie leftovers tomorrow!

Daily Outfit: Freedom!

2010-11-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

Today was my last day of exams. I'm hoping I did well, but I don't want to get ahead of myself as I know I didn't perform the best that I could on several assignments. Oh well! What's done is done, and to celebrate my newfound freedom the boy and I got lunch and went to see 'The Town' (which, by the way, was pretty great). I also did a bit of Christmas shopping - it's alarming how fast that is creeping up on us!

I decided to keep those shoes from my last post - I think they go quite nicely with this new (well, new to me) dress. I got it off Etsy during one of my exam-stress induced shopping binges

(Whoops - I just realized from looking at these photos that I forgot to put mascara on. I hate when I do that!)

You'll have to forgive my poker-straight hair; I was in a rush in the morning (as evidenced by my mascara fail!) and couldn't find a hair tie. I should probably get around to making an appointment to have my hair cut... it's embarrassing to admit but I haven't been for 12 months! I don't get many split ends because I don't use any heat treatments on my hair or brush it a lot (I find my natural curls just become a frizzy mess if I brush it between washes). This time last year my hair was this long:

That's a good few inches of growth! I don't think I want to get it cut that short again, it was too much work having to pincurl it every night. I want the option of a lazy ponytail or last minute up-do for my super early lectures. I suppose I will have to go scouring the web for inspiration - suggestions from you lovely readers are always welcome!

That's all for now - it's really good to be back!

New Shoes - Your Opinions Please!

2010-11-20T17:59:00.000-08:00

Ladies, I want to ask your opinion on these new shoes I bought - a pair of comfy white wedges from Rivers. The issue with them is the high vamp - I think it makes them look awfully similar to some of the lovely 1930s styles I've seen on The Vintage Baroness' blog, but my mother thinks they'll make my legs look stumpy...

So I'm asking, ladies - what do you think of these shoes? Vintage-y pretty, or return them pronto? (I kept the receipt just in case.) And if you do like them, what would you wear them with? I'm thinking my Heyday! trousers once I finish altering them, but I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Hello Again + Giveaway

2010-11-18T03:15:00.000-08:00

Hello again everyone! I've really been missing blogging so I'm going to be attempting to post a bit more often. In about a week's time I'll be through with exams; I have a LOT of Etsy purchases to share with you all (I ensured that I would have a steady stream of parcels arriving to keep my spirits up while studying) and I finally bought a new camera so I can do take lots more outfit shots!

I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your positive and supportive comments on my last entry. I've been going back to read them every so often when I feel in need of a bit of extra motivation; it's really helped me to start talking about my depression and anxiety openly and in turn being reassured that people won't treat me any differently or think less of me. I haven't really started to feel much different yet, but I've been referred to a psychologist and will be starting that part of my treatment soon. Some days I've struggled with the thought that the antidepressants are only making me numb to all emotions, rather than dealing with the sadness, and there have been a lot of side effects in the adjustment period (nausea, lack of appetite and sleep, feeling tired and foggy most of the time, bizarre and vivid nightmares) - however, I'm determined to at least stick it out for a few more months to see if any change occurs.

The new house that I've moved to is in a really peaceful location - it feels like we are living in the country (even though we only moved about 5 streets away from our old house!) There are horses, a wide variety of birds, a blue tongue lizard that I feed from time to time, and absolutely adorable bunnies everywhere (they are feral and considered a pest in Australia, but gosh-darn it they are too cute to stay mad at for long!) However, the other night I discovered a downside to living closer to nature. I was reaching for something under my bed and noticed a spider web, so got the insect spray and gave it a blast. When the inhabitant of said web ran out and flopped about my feet I noticed in horror that it had a tell-tale, red hourglass shaped stripe down its back. Meaning, of course, that a redback, one of the deadliest spiders in Australia had been living under my bed (brb moving to a country where the animals are less deadly. I mean, I love you Australia but there is a reason tourists are scared to come here!)

Of course, finding a deadly insect inches from where you sleep is not great for those with anxiety issues (or anybody, I'm sure!) so I was up till about 3am vacuuming every corner of my room and shaking out my clothes 'just in case'. While I was going through all my stuff I rediscovered some items I had purchased for a giveaway months ago and completely forgotten about (don't worry, they were completely sealed in a plastic bag so they're safe) - that means that pretty soon it will be giveaway time! I'd love to get these items to a new home by Christmas so keep your eyes peeled! Thanks again to everybody for their patience and support, I really have missed this!

Missing

2010-10-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in over a month, and I'm sorry. Things have reached crisis point over here, and I'll be needing to take some time to deal with them. This entry will be a little wordy, and could be upsetting/triggering to people who have experienced similar issues, so I apologize in advance.

Long term readers are probably familiar with the fact that I struggle a lot with social anxiety, but things have been more problematic than that for a long, long time. The first time I wanted to kill myself, and the first time I cut myself to deal with those feelings, I was 14. Since that time there have been good days and bad days, but when I was 17 the good days slowly disappeared until all I was left with was a black fog around me and my bones slowly turning to lead. I felt heavy and lifeless. I stopped eating - not because I wanted to be skinny (although as a consequence I ended up weighing around 47 kilos, with my ribs on show like a stray dog) but because I lost all desire for life. I would cut myself, or bruise myself with a coathanger as punishment for things I did wrong, for indulging in self pity, or just to briefly clear away the haze that dulled my senses and my mind. I hid my feelings and my scars from everyone - the last thing I wanted was to be found out as an 'emo' or 'attention seeking'. My depression was like being at the bottom of a deep, dark well. I could see the light way up above, and I could hear the laughter of people outside, but no warmth reached me - everything was cold and hopeless and I was certain that I would die alone there at the bottom.

When I graduated high school and got into my university of choice, things started to improve. I pushed the dark days out of my mind. I thought I had a second chance, to pretend to be a person who was likable, witty and intelligent - all the things I was certain I was not. I told myself that if I dressed well and covered up my face in a mask, I could hide the insecure person I really was. However, terror of people discovering the real me led me to relentlessly sabotage the few opportunities I had to make new friends. I didn't want to end up being rejected, so I would lie and say I had other plans any time I was asked out. Eventually I stopped going to lectures all together, out of fear that somebody would want to talk to me and I would make a fool out of myself, or bore them, or reveal how stupid I really was. Compulsory classes left me a nervous wreck. The depression was slowly creeping back, but this time it wasn't alone.

Anxiety quickly came to pervade every aspect of my life - I was in a constant state of fear, doubting my every move, endless horrifying scenarios playing out in my mind. I was occupied with thinking about all the ways my life could go wrong, and the depression would whisper that because I didn't deserve happiness everything would go wrong. Convinced that my every move would lead to disaster, I became paralyzed - even simple things like choosing where to eat for lunch or trying to decide which book to buy became insurmountable tasks. I can't count the number of times I would simply break down and give up after an hour wandering the same street or in the same store, unable to make up my mind, all the while thinking to myself how pathetic, unlovable, stupid and weak I was. The feeling like I was being chased by something terrible that would catch up with me at any moment left me unable to sleep, barely able to force myself out of the house.

My boyfriend and a close friend forced me to see a doctor when I became acutely suicidal during and following the spa weekend I was on last month (funny how when everything is objectively going right, I still feel so miserable)and began cutting again. I can't even describe how awful that time was - I was scared of dying, but I was hurting too much to go on living anymore. I saw ways to kill myself all around me - anytime I was crossing the street, waiting for the train, in the tall buildings I have classes in it was all I could think about. Some part of me knew I needed help but the rest was convinced that I didn't deserve it, didn't have legitimate problems, and was meant to suffer. Eventually, however, I was convinced to do it if not for myself, then for the people who knew and cared about me.

After seeing the doctor I've been put on SNRIs for my depression and anxiety, and will be going to see a psychologist soon. I've been on them for two weeks now, but I'm not sure how I feel. Mostly numb and worn out. I've been like this for so long that I'm scared I won't be 'me' anymore. One of the reasons I was so resistant to getting help in my younger days was because I believed my creativity came from having felt such pain so intensely, but eventually the depression stole that from me too and I became too listless to draw or write anymore.

I'm sorry that this post is photo-less and not vintage related at all. I just needed to get this off my chest. Part of the reason things got so bad for me was because I completely closed myself off from other people - I need to slowly train myself to believe that it's okay to share this part of me, that I won't be rejected or thought of as weak. I hope you all understand if I don't post regularly or comment much for a while. I don't want to lose followers, as I consider the vintage blogging community to be a real positive in my life, but I understand if it's considered inappropriate to air my issues here. Those of you who read this far, thank you and I hope to get better and come back soon.

Daylesford Spa Weekend: Part 3 (The finds)

2010-09-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

The car troubles I mentioned in my last post got resolved when my friend Simon (in the leather jacket) gave the bonnet a whack, Fonz style.

Eyyy!

As it turned out, Daylesford had the most amazing thrift stores and markets - I only wish I had brought more money with me! I missed out on the most amazing set of harlequin Nallyware (in absolutely pristine condition, for about a quarter of what I'd pay on ebay) because I saw it at the end of the day and I was completely out of money! Boo :( However, I did get a lot of great things (I keep saying that but I'm not quite consoled over the Nallyware loss yet...) and for very reasonable prices - I'm tempted to go back again just to shop, hahaha!

First up, a set of Japanese stacking lacquer boxes - these are currently sitting on my vanity storing bobby pins and other bits and pieces.

A lipstick holder - perfect for the Tiffany blue bedroom I dream of!

Bakelite salt and pepper shakers - in need of a good clean, but otherwise very cute! They are more red than they appear here.

These very lovely fur lined leather gloves - they fit me like, well, a glove! I have short fingers so it is nice to find a pair that fit like they should - any they are soooooooooo warm and comfortable, I never want to take them off!

A vintage compact - it's in okay shape, though its original price tag left a sort of discolored spot, and some gunk from storage has ended up inside and beneath the pan. I'm thinking of cleaning it up, then repressing my MAC powder into it.

Vintage suitcase - this is currently storing my hats, but it is in such great shape that I feel I really should at least take it away for one weekender...

I also got given some Carlton Ware jam dishes for free (one of the stall owners decided he didn't want to clean up at the end of the day, so gave everything away...). Both have minor chips around the edges, and one has some pretty bad crazing, but I'm going to do what I can to repair the broken parts and see if I can find a use for them. They are in boxes at the other house, so sadly no photos for now.

Don't forget my ebay auctions are ending in one day! Sponsor my new pair of Heyday trousers :P

Daylesford Spa Weekend: Part 2

2010-09-05T01:38:00.000-07:00

(Sorry for the breaks between posting these; I've been busy packing and moving boxes between houses! I think I need to own less stuff, this is taking forever!)

From where we left off:

The next stop on Saturday was the Chocolate Mill, which I was attracted to because they offered free demonstrations! Mmm, chocolate porn. Once we arrived, I was amazed by the owners' dedication to being socially responsible, environmentally friendly, and suitable for people with allergies, while at the same time producing the best quality chocolate I had ever tasted! They built the store themselves out of earth and straw, and most of their power is sourced from solar panels on the roof. They don't use palm oil, recycle EVERYTHING, and get their chocolate from a European company that in turn buys their cocoa from free trade sources, and takes sugar from beets instead of canes. Almost all of their chocolates were suitable for people with gluten, lactose or other allergies (because of this, my friend was able to buy chocolates for a friend who had never eaten chocolate! Best of all, they deliver so after she sees what she was missing out on she can get more!)

I found out during the talk that most of what is labelled as 'chocolate' here could not be sold in Europe due to not having the minimum amount of coco solids - I felt like I'd been lied to all my life! D: I was really impressed with their dedication to quality, and it definitely came through in their chocolates (which were, by the way, delicious!) I feel like I've really been spoiled now - we went to another chocolate cafe the next day and it just did not compare :( even though it was more expensive, grrr...

The best part of the demonstration was watching them make the chocolate casings - the moulds are filled with chocolate, allowed to set a little, and then emptied, leaving the thinnest shell. I swear I dreamt about chocolate rain that night!

Their delicious hot chocolates were just melted chocolate mixed with milk - none of that powdered junk!

That night after dinner (delicious rabbit and pan fried gnocchi) we played monopoly - I didn't do so well, as you can see below!

That's nine dollars and all my mortgaged properties, about half an hour in. Yeah, I'm that bad!

I was excited about heading to the Sunday markets the next morning, but what is a holiday without car trouble?

Until next time!

Daylesford Spa Weekend: Part 1

2010-09-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

This entry is going to be a little heavy on the pictures so I think I'll break it up into sections - I hope you don't mind! Last weekend I took a mini-break with some close friends (we all kinda needed one) - our destination of choice? The spa/mineral springs capital of Australia! Of course, a 100% relaxing weekend was not to be as we are all terribly unorganized and forgot to pack warm clothes (seriously, it is freezing there! We were warming up our crackers and cheese on a bbq in a park), however, a local op-shop came to our rescue with its "everything is $2" sale! I assure you, under about 3 chunky grandma cardigans there is a carefully planned vintage outfit, you just cannot see it :(

First stop on Friday was the Hepburn springs mineral spa - an utterly gorgeous place surrounded by peaceful bushland. It had huge pane windows everywhere so you got to enjoy the beautiful scenery while relaxing in bliss! My favourite part would have to be the spa couches: a headrest, footrest and armrests to keep you in place, while your entire body is supported by spa jets. Sheer heaven! We canceled our plans for the afternoon so we could stay there for hours! (Which in retrospect may have been a mistake, as immediately afterwards my lips flared up and my rash came back - probably due to the heat inside.)

My What Katie Did swimsuit arrived with bent boning and is in need of repairs, but luckily I managed to order in this one on time from For Luna. Their shipping is so fast! It's really beautiful, I've never felt so comfortable and confident in swimwear.

Our gorgeous view (and heavenly spa couches)!

Chillin' on the relaxation deck to dry off.

The Bed and Breakfast we were staying at was built in 1910, and had a ton of gorgeous antique furniture and fittings. It was right beside the lake as well, so we had absolutely amazing views (except in the morning, when the fog was like something out of a horror movie)!

Dun dun dun....

Saturday morning we went to visit a place with a hedge maze and mini golf course. It was, again, freezing, so we were the only people there (which was actually pretty great - we could run around and act like kids without anybody watching!)

In the process of getting infinity over par on the course...

Oooh, you know this next part is gonna be good... :D See you next time!

Being a Bad Blogger / Sales Post

2010-08-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

My etsy favourites list is getting out of control, so I've listed a few things on ebay to (hopefully) fund the inevitable spending spree - I also don't want to pack stuff I don't plan on keeping when I move house, so it seemed like a good time to go through my wardrobe. There's a 50s black full skirted dress, a girdle, a brand new What Katie Did bra, a hat, cats eye sunglasses, fully fashioned seamed stockings and more! Please check it out! http://shop.ebay.com.au/fade096/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

Sorry this post is a little boring - no outfits, pictures or anything! I basically have been living in my Freddies or a black pencil skirt/red shirt (my work uniform) so there isn't much to see :( I do have some pictures from my spa weekend (including some great finds from the market) but I just haven't had time to go through and upload them, but I'll get to it, I promise! Not to mention, I bought some goodies for a giveaway that have been sitting in my drawer for over three months... oopsies. Hopefully once I submit this assignment and move to my new house, we can resume our normal transmissions! Promise!

You have GOT to be kidding me.

2010-08-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

Please tell me I'm not reading this right - $100 for a freaking PHOTOCOPY? Get out of here >: ( and come back once you've actually researched the value of the product you're trying to sell. I wouldn't even pay that much for the original. Ughhhhh.

(But they offer free shipping, so that clearly makes up for everything, right? *rolls eyes*)

Mini-Giveaway Winner!

2010-08-24T04:41:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the winner of the 10% off What Katie Did voucher - Quiet and Small Adventures! (I used my boyfriend as a random number generator). Please leave me a message with your email so I can send you the code. Do show us all your purchases~

I'm spending a night in a sleep lab tomorrow observing researchers stick electrodes all over people (or "doing Inception" as my Dad calls it) but after I have recovered from that, I'll show you all photos of my spa weekend and market haul!

Mini-Giveaway

2010-08-19T06:04:00.000-07:00

I know it isn't much, but I have a 10% off coupon for What Katie Did that is valid until the 30th of August. I am not planning to make another purchase that quickly, so I thought rather than letting it go to waste I'd offer it to one of you lovely ladies!

I'm going on a spa weekend as of tomorrow, so I'll do the drawing 4 days from now when I return (midnight Monday 23rd). Just leave a comment to enter, and this is for followers only! You can have an extra entry if you blog about it, just leave me a link to your post.

See you soon, and good luck!

The Wizard of Oz Barbies: 1960s Style

2010-08-16T03:15:00.000-07:00

Mattel is having a lot of fun using its 'vintage' Barbie faces lately! I'm sure every man and his dog has heard about the Mad Men dolls, but these new ones popped up recently - The Wizard of Oz, 1960s style!

Click to enlarge and see the lovely details!

I do love the costumes - the poodle-skirt like natures of Dorothy's and the Wicked Witch's outfits (seriously, a flying monkey poodle-skirt? I kinda want one) and Glinda's dress looks as thought it was pulled out of a prom photo (in the best possible way).
I'm not sure how I feel about Dorothy and Glinda giving me the side-eye though! It's a perfect look for Elphaba (yes, I loved Wicked!) but I guess I just had a more wide-eyed, innocent look in mind for the others?
Seeing as Mattel is clearly on a vintage kick, any suggestions for other doll adaptations you'd like to see? I'd love to see a Hitchcock blondes collection - Tippi Hedren complete with birds for action mode, Kim Novak in both her forms from 'Vertigo', Grace Kelly in just about anything...

*edit* Apparently Mattel read my mind, there is already a Tippi Hedren doll!

"Shoo, I am mildly annoyed"

Now get working on the rest of my collection already!

Lovely Lovely Leopard

2010-08-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Funny (in retrospect) story about this coat - I was on ebay after a long day at work (where we do not use decimal points when processing sales), I made what I thought was a max bid of $25.00 - guess what I actually entered in there! Eeep! To my horror the price kept rising and rising above what I wanted to pay, and because I hate confrontation I just took the bullet and paid for it. In the end though, I'm glad I won because I do love the thing!

I struggle to match clothes with this kind of print, because it is already so darn loud! I think maybe a dark red or teal top with a black skirt would be lovely, but I need to resist the urge to shop! My camera and I are having a fight (no amount of fresh batteries is enough to feed his insatiable hunger) so I think I need to buy a new one - it's an expense I don't really want right now, but blogging has become such a rewarding part of my life that I don't just want to stop! I borrowed my sister's for this post, but I hate to hassle her for use of it constantly so I'd really like my own again.

Is it obvious that I cannot work out how to use the self timer? Mirror and Myspace shots may have to suffice for now...

There is something so divisive about leopard print... I got so much side-eye in this that it was unbelievable! People in my city are kind of stereotyped as always wearing black, maybe something this loud is a little too much to handle. I'll make sure to bring some smelling salts for you next time, corporate-lady-next-to-me-on-the-train!

Faux Bob

2010-08-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

It seems like my hair will forever be in that weird inbetween stage between short and medium length hair. I haven't cut it since I first got the chop 8 months ago, and I feel like it's barely grown since then! I've come to the conclusion that short hair wasn't really for me, and am patiently waiting for my hair to grow back to the way it once was so I can go get a middy cut or something similar.

While it is tempting to go back to a shorter length just so I can look styled, rather than this awkward growing out look I'm rocking at the moment, I know that in the end I'll only have to go through the same cycle all over again. I attempted pincurls in my hair last night, which were a bit of a failure, but I managed to save the day AND discover a way to assuage my cravings to try something different with the length of my hair (without actually cutting any of it off!)

All I had to do was tuck up the end of my hair (where the curl didn't take) and voila! Instant bob! No regretful morning after when I wake up with a head that weighs about half a kilo less (yup, that's how much 'weight' I lost when I first cut my hair!)

I think I'll be playing around with this style a lot come summertime when I want to feel the cool breeze on my neck and look adorable in my 50s dresses. Best of both worlds!

All Aboard the White Star Line!

2010-08-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went to the Melbourne Museum to see Titanic: The Artefacts Exhibition. (It's only on until mid-october, so any fellow Melbourne bloggers hurry up and check it out! Tip - see it on a Thursday evening like I did to avoid the large crowds.) The exhibition is divided into several sections, covering the construction of the ship; the interior of the ship, its facilities and the divide between First Class and Third Class passengers; the boiler room and the mechanics of the ship; the fateful encounter with the iceberg; the aftermath of the disaster and the inquests; and finally the recovery and preservation of artifacts from the sea floor decades later. When entering the room where the night of the disaster was covered, the temperature drops suddenly, and all is covered in an eerie blue light (there's even a giant hunk of ice for you to touch and experience just how cold those waters would have been!)

The whole exhibition is incredibly immersive: each 'passenger' is given a boarding pass with the name and history of a person who traveled on the Titanic. It's not until the very end when you find out whether you were saved, or one of the lost. It's tragic just how many of the people were meant to take another ship, but had their tickets transferred to the Titanic due to a coal strike. There's also irony in that one man who was meant to board the Titanic was kidnapped and forced into labour, only to escape several months later. What must have seemed like the most terrible thing in the world at the time was actually what no doubt saved his life! This to me was the greatest part of the exhibition - ensuring that the stories of the people involved were not lost, that they did not simply become another statistic of the disaster.

This is my "boarding pass" - a very large number of passengers traveled under assumed names! There are a lot of juicy backstories involving mistresses and card sharks - Mrs Kimball/Parsons (whatever her real name may have been...) had a rather interesting history herself. She was helping her friend's daughter escape a rather stalkerish suitor of hers, who chased them all the way to Europe and back!

There are reproductions of the bedrooms (both first and third class), hallways and dining rooms, as well as the grand staircase where you can get your picture taken.

Click to enlarge!

Each of the reproduction rooms is filled with the actual recovered artifacts for comparison - it's amazing to see how well some of the objects were preserved, including the most delicate items like jewelery and china. They look in almost new condition, their paintwork intact and not a scratch on them!

Only First Class passengers got the decorative china - Third Class china had the White Star Line logo imprinted upon them to prevent theft. You could buy reproduction dinner sets in either pattern in the gift shop, by which I was sorely tempted!

These bottles belonged to a perfumer on board the Titanic - apparently their scent still survives! Oh, what I wouldn't give to wear one of these!

I really enjoyed the exhibition and would encourage anybody in Melbourne to go and see it! And do put on your Sunday best - after all, you get to pose on that beautiful staircase! (Or, you know, dress up as Dr Who...)

Help! Vintage Swimwear

2010-07-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

My friends and I have planned a very last minute trip to Daylesford/Hepburn Springs - the spa capital of Victoria and the highest concentration of mineral springs in Australia! Being winter, I hadn't even begun to think of buying swimwear but it's become clear I'm going to need one, and fast!

The white bikini I had my eye on has sold out in my size :( so now I need to quickly find something else that's just as lovely and put an order on yesterday to make sure it arrives here in time! It needs to be something I can actually swim in (as I make regular beach holidays with my family) so I'm looking at reproduction/vintage inspired sites only.

My shortlist looks a little like this so far (but if you have suggestions for any other sites or styles I'd love to hear them!):

Bathing Beauty One Piece in Emmy from Modcloth

This kind of gold/mustard colour is really flattering on redheads... I just hope it will look nice on my pale skintone! If only there was a way to try it on over the net...

Zen Garden Two Piece from Modcloth

I have such a weakness for Japanese inspired prints!

Beach Blanket Bingo Two Piece from Modcloth

This one is super cute, but I already have a romper in exactly the same pattern and colourway, so it feels a little too much like doubling up for some reason! The black colourway is calling to me, however...

Red Retro Swimsuit from For Luna

So classic! But is the red too bright? Will it clash with my hair? My mother always told me that redheads can't wear red, which is a way of thinking I'm trying to deprogram myself from (but it is always in the back of my mind when I want to buy something red).

Black Retro Bikini from For Luna

This one is lovely, and I know for certain that black looks great on me (how very Melbournian I will be if I buy this! The in-joke here, for my overseas readers, is that black is the only colour worn in Melbourne, ever. I'll even take it to the beach!) It's just not as high waisted as the modcloth ones, and as I'm pretty insecure about my tummy that's a point against it... However, it's the same style as the white one I wanted so it is currently topping my list.

Other things I'm taking into consideration are Modcloth's more expensive shipping, and the fact that they don't give an estimate of the time it would take to send out my suit (if any Australian readers have experience with how long it takes their packages to arrive, please let me know!)

Please help me out by commenting below!

Tutorial: The Half Moon Manicure

2010-07-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd share the products and process I use when recreating a classic vintage look - the half moon manicure. It's a beautiful way to polish off (no pun intended) your outfits, but can be messy, time consuming, and frustrating. I have a few tips and tricks that have helped me out both with freehanding the moon and making a long lasting manicure, which I'm going to outline here. I should have taken more pictures, but I decided to make a tutorial only when I was halfway through painting my nails! Oops!

It generally takes me roughly an hour to paint my nails - now this may seem extreme, but it's only because I like to wait 10~15 minutes between coats to allow them to dry properly. If you don't let each coat dry, you risk getting bubbles, bald spots and a soft manicure that dents easily. Oh, and if you don't let your manicure fully dry before applying topcoat, the colour that you used will mix with the clear polish and contaminate your bottle. I like to pop on a DVD and sit at my computer so I don't get bored while waiting. Taking time and care with your manicure can actually make the process really relaxing and calming (or maybe that is just the fumes speaking).

1. The Tools

From left to right, top to bottom:

OPI Chip Skip
China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat
The Colour - (for this manicure I used OPI Dating A Royal)
Revlon Colourstay Top Coat
Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover
Manicare Nail Enamel Corrector Pen
Orange Sticks
Nail File
Q-tip

It's important to use good quality polish. I used to wear a lot of Revlon but found it chipped very easily, often bubbled and many colours had problems with balding. Using better quality polish like China Glaze or OPI means a longer lasting manicure for your efforts. That said, I do like Revlon's Colourstay Topcoat. It's nice and cheap too, which is great as I go through a lot.

While reds and pinks may have been the traditional colour of choice for this kind of manicure, there's no reason to limit yourself! As you can see from the advertisements and articles over at Tea with the Vintage Baroness and Casey's Elegant Musings (who I hope doesn't mind me pinching that picture...) the spectrum of polish colours available in the past was in fact a lot greater than we may think! I find that dark or jewel toned colour look best as they give the greatest contrast with the bare nail.

I'll mention the other products and what I use them for throughout the tutorial.

2. Prep the Nail

With your nail file, file from the outer edge of your nail towards the centre to get that oval shape. Never file back and forth! This leads to splintering at the tip of your nail. After you are done, wash your hands to get rid of any powdery residue.

Next, push back your cuticles with the orange stick. I'm too lazy to bother with cuticle removal, but this step does help if you have short nails - by giving you a larger surface area to paint on, it makes them look larger.

Now, I use OPI Chip Skip to remove any oily residues (either natural or from things like hand creams) from my nails. I think you can just use plain alcohol to do the same job, but if you've ever had problems with entire nails just peeling off, I would really recommend this product. Nail polish won't adhere properly if there is gunk between it and your nail.

I use one thin layer of China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat, which I personally find to be one of the best. Anything with "sticky" or "tacky" in the name I gravitate to, because I've had such problems with my nail polish just peeling off in sheets. A lot of the base coats that claim to be strengthening or full of nutrients often don't hold as well, so if I feel the need to use something like that I'll use it, and only it, for something like a week as they chip and ruin your hard work way too easily. (If you don't use a base coat, your polish will stain your nails! This is an important step!)

3. Paint the Moon

I freehand this step. I know a lot of people like to use stickers to create guides, but I feel like nail polish seeps under that too easily and if you forget to take it off in time it can peel your polish off with it. This takes a bit of practice to get right, but keep at it! I don't have a natural moon, but if you have one you can use it as a guide as to where to paint. If you have a moon that is very small, you'll get a double moon effect - you might like to paint one coat of nude polish or white polish before you start to disguise this, but it will make cleanup if you mess up the painting of the moon impossible.

Wipe one side of your brush so that you have less polish on it and thus more control over where you paint. Start in the middle of your nail. If you have shaky hands, a good way to get a neat line is to put the brush a little above where you'd like the top of your moon to be and slowly push down until you reach the place where you want. With your next stroke, move to the left of the middle and angle the brush a little outwards so that you are creating a round shape. Do the same on the other side. I then repeat this step again, angling my brush a little more outwards and just touching at the corners to create a more rounded moon (each nail is then done with a total of five strokes, but if you want a less rounded effect you can do it in three).

Outlined in red are the three strokes I use to create the rough moon shape.

If you make any mistakes while painting, you can use a finger to wipe it away while the polish is still wet, or a q-tip dipped in remover. Don't worry if your line doesn't look quite smooth at this point; we'll be neatening it up on the second coat. If you use too many strokes to get it perfect on the first coat, you'll end up dragging all the nail polish to the tip. Just put the brush down, wait and correct it next layer! The second coat will also cover any patchy spots and deepen your colour (sheerer polishes may need three layers). Once it is completely dry, you can put your topcoat on.

The manicure so far - the moon shape looks good, but clearly the edges need some tidying up.

I don't wrap the tip (mostly because I'm too messy) but I know it can extend the life of your manicure. All Lacqured Up has a really great tutorial on this.

Hint - Don't put your nails near a lamp to speed up drying time. Nail polishes don't react well to heat; they can bubble or thicken.

4. Cleanup

This is where your orange sticks, corrector pens and q-tips will come in handy - because the technique that I use involves angling your brush out, the skin around your nails will more often than not get polish on it. You can use your orange stick to trace around the edge of your nail while the polish is still wet. This is a good technique if you just like to get in the shower and let the excess polish fall off naturally because it doesn't adhere to skin well. If you don't do this and the excess is connected to your manicure, the polish on your skin will lift and cause the rest of it to peel.

Using an orange stick to remove the excess polish.

Corrector pens and q-tips dipped in remover do basically the same job, but you get more control over the corrector pens when cleaning around the edges. Q-tips are good for neatening up your moon shape, but make sure to do this step before you put on topcoat!

The completed, neatened manicure.

5. Bonus Level

I love to use a two polish effect when doing my half moon nails. A foil or metallic nail polish finish in a light shade like silver, gold, or champagne looks great and you can create really interesting contrasts with your main polish colour. To create this effect, paint your entire nail in the colour that you want your moon to be before using your darker shade to create the moon shape.

These hands belong to Dita herself, and as you can see she's used a light, frosty colour for her moon.

Sally Jupiter from Watchmen is rocking the same silvery moons!

Glitter polishes aren't great to use for this look; they tend to be gritty and give the overcoat colour on your nail a bumpy look.

However, a glitter for the nail and a creme for the moon will overcome this problem!

In addition, if you're using two polishes to paint your moon and your nail, you can use lighter colours for the nail if you use dark colours in the moon because you retain that contrast effect.

I don't remember where I got this picture from - it's been sitting in my 'inspiration' folder so I'm sorry if it belongs to anyone reading this!

I hope this long and picture heavy post was helpful for some of you out there! The half-moon manicure is a great look, but even when you know all the tips and tricks it is a very time consuming process :/ it's not an everyday manicure, that's for sure! Hopefully Kiss Nails will release the press on prepainted nails that they created for Dita's use, however until then I hope this guide helps you out!

I dream of...Emmi!

2010-07-22T04:03:00.000-07:00

Dun dun dun... it is... complete!

It was a mad rush, but I finished my Jeannie costume just in time for the toy sale (my poor fingers need a break - time constraints and hand sewing do not mix!) I'm overall really happy with how it turned out, and it was a really fun costume to wear - people kept asking if I was cold, but the heating is up so high where I work (plus I was on my feet dealing with crowds non-stop for 10 hours) so I was actually overheating! I wish I could show you a picture of one of my coworkers - he painted himself blue and went as a Navi from Avatar! 4 showers later and it still isn't coming off, apparently!

The crop top was a disaster the first time around, as the simple boob-tube I made was far too saggy and loose. I eventually bought a cheap bra, added cotton and interfacing to give myself more coverage and covered the whole thing in pink chiffon. While that worked much better, I'm still not 100% happy with the end result as it hangs down at the back and the bolero is too short to cover it. This might be a consequence of the halterneck straps I chose for the support, so when Halloween rolls around I think I'll play around with them a little to see if anything can be done.

As you can see it's a bit of a mess from this angle - I'm not quite sure what I can do so any suggestions for fixes would be much appreciated! Hey, at least I looked damn fine from the front!

See?

A lot of young kids actually recognized me, which was a pleasant surprise - I wasn't sure if many people still watched the show! I was able to use my genie magic to solve a few tricky problems for some customers. I was serving a woman who was complaining about how she couldn't find one particular toy - just as she finished describing it to me, a coworker passed me by carrying a trolley of items to be returned to the sales from, and lo and behold, one of them was exactly what she wanted! I plucked it off the top and passed it to her, folded my arms and nodded, and she immediately broke out into laughter. (Besides being entertaining, getting in character is a great way to defuse some potentially volatile situations where things are not going right and shoppers are not happy!)

Looking at these pictures, I think I also need a wig that better matches the colour of the braid I used on the hat... Anyway, sorry about the picspam. I'm just pink with happiness about what I did manage to achieve, regardless of all the flaws. Hopefully I'll have fixed these minor quibbles by Halloween, when my Major Nelson will be ready to hit the town with me!

Guess who?

2010-07-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

Take a guess what this pile of odds and ends is going to become...

If you picked Jeannie from "I dream of Jeannie", then you'd be correct!

What do I need a costume for, you may ask? Don't worry, I'm not getting over-excited about Halloween. Rather, every year at my job they ask staff to dress up for midnight opening of the toy sale. It's a nice way to make what is generally the most stressful and busy shift of the year a little more fun. Given that my not-so-secret other passion is costume making, I love to get all dressed up! Last year I was Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" - it was so much fun I stopped to weigh up whether moving to America and becoming a Disney Princess was a viable career option (it probably isn't ;_; ).

For more of my costumes feel free to take a look here - as you can see, I'm not kidding when I say in my profile that I'm a big nerd! Regardless of what other people may think of such a hobby, I enjoy it (although I'm taking a break this year because the scene is getting waaaay too competitive and snarky) and I relish the challenge of transforming something from the screen into real life. Amazingly, I still don't really know how to sew properly or follow a pattern - I would make most of my costumes freehand and cut so many corners that I don't know how to make something last longer than a day! It's been really hard to break the bad habits that I made as a cosplayer (never finishing seams, not reading patterns, using cheap fabrics), but part of learning to sew vintage patterns has been an enforced 'retraining' of myself in sewing! I hope this new project goes well - be certain that I'll be giving you all updates and photos as soon as it is complete!

Oh, What a Night

2010-06-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm finally free of exams! The last one was, surprisingly, a breeze - 60 multiple choice questions for a two hour exam! I was outta there in 45 minutes. In wonderful timing, I got to go see Jersey Boys with my family and boyfriend the very next day. A lovely reward for all my hard work!

I really enjoyed the show; it was extremely entertaining and I was surprised at just how many songs I knew. The man playing Nicky looked sooooo much like Will Arnett (Gob on Arrested Development) - and his character was a little like the type Will Arnett typically plays as well! I had to keep squinting to make sure it wasn't him! We had an understudy performing Frankie Valli; it was so sweet to see him break character and give a huge grin after performing "Can't take my eyes off you" when it was clear that the crowd adored him anyway.

Of course, I got dressed up; however I only managed to take three quick photos before I left so I apologise in advance for their blurriness!

The dress is a modern find - it is actually a lot nicer than it looks; there is a lot of gorgeous black on black topstitching that did not photograph well. I bought it off ebay assuming it would fit me as I have another dress from the same brand and I figured I knew their sizing - wrong! Even a What Katie Did merry widow couldn't stop me from splitting the seam at the zip later in the night. Either that, or it was not "brand new without tag" as the seller had advertised... hurm. Regardless, I have some repairing to do tomorrow!

The hat is a lovely vintage find, and part of my fail-safe 5 minute hair routine - one fat curl in the front, shove the rest under a hat and you are good to go!

Unfortunately, I can't launch into sewing now that I'm on holiday as my family has made the very sudden decision to sell our house and move! The sewing cabinet has to stay under the house so that the study looks more spacious while we are having house inspections - alas! Maybe I'll have to take up knitting instead. The move itself will not be until late september, but I had to box up all my small valuables before the open house as people are, unfortunately, not to be trusted :( I've heard so many horror stories that I was not going to take any chances. I find bubble wrapping things to be soothing, but I'm already feeling a little daunted by the prospect of moving all my belongings - I have so much stuff! It's amazing how easily the boxes fill up :/

I have my patch testing on monday, so I won't be able to exercise for that week - not like that is a dramatic change or anything, but I am hoping to get back into the swing dancing lessons once that is over. Hopefully I'll be able to work regular sessions into my timetable next semester.

(Also, I had no idea what "Oh, What a night" was about until I saw Jersey Boys - I can't sing along to it now without thinking of Bob Gaudio's first time with a prostitute! Thanks guys!)

Spots and Stripes

2010-06-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

This dress is something I bought way back when I was first getting into vintage and had no idea about etsy and ebay or appropriate pricing. I don't even want to talk about how much I got conned into paying for this dress! That said, I'm still fond of it... it suits me well, I love the topstitching details and it is so very warm (not a single natural fibre in the thing!) When I went shopping at this vintage store with a friend, the owner wanted to be helpful and picked out things that would suit us, but after giving my curvy, voluptuous friend the nicest 50s dresses in the store, she gave me one look and said "the late sixties and seventies would probably suit a skinny, leggy thing like you well". Crushed! I wanna be voluptuous! I want swishy 50s dresses!

It has a very college-girl feel, doesn't it?

My most favourite shoes ever!

If my dermatologist could see me now I'd be in big trouble, but you know what? I've been incapable of falling asleep before 4am the past week, and during the day my depression has been so bad I just lie on the floor staring at the ceiling. I haven't left the house in two weeks; and when I do actually get to go out it's for an exam - I really need a mood boost. Hence, the red lipstick! I'll probably be paying for it later, but I don't mind. I need a little armor before going outside and facing the world (and an exam that I am totally not prepared for).

I even did my hair! Watch out, world!

Bye bye! Wish me luck!

Love yourself, love others, love vintage.

2010-06-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has not yet read the inspiring post by Britanny Va-voom Vintage needs to run on over and check it out right away!

I've been thinking about this post for quite a while, but each time that I tried to come up with 5 things I love about myself I would get stuck. I've struggled with low self esteem for so long; it was a real challenge to make a list without qualifying each item with "I'd like this more if it weren't so...." or "If this was only a little more..." When I finally came up with 5 items, I realized they were all things that other people have complimented me on in the past - and that's why I really want to encourage each and every one of you to pass this on. The difference a compliment can make to somebody's self image is phenomenal. We get bombarded with messages from the media that our teeth aren't white enough, our hair isn't straight enough, our skin is not smooth nor unblemished enough - it's no wonder that people really need to get that validation from other to say "yes, you are beautiful!"

And so, without further ado: Things that I love about Me.

1.) My feet.
I have very small feet with high, narrow arches, and I love how dainty and delicate they look. I love to paint my toes all colours - I don't feel 'done' unless I do, even though nobody else can see them (but having green toes makes me smile when I come home and kick off my heels). Maybe I have a cinderella complex, but they're basically my favourite feature about myself (and having several 'foot enthusiasts' for friends ensures that I am always receiving generous compliments/respectful massages!)

2.) My bootayyyyy
I may have a small butt, but I like its shape, and I like the way it sways when I walk. I feel grown up, I feel powerful and I feel sexy when I strut down the street with my hips swinging from side to side.

3.) My jaw
I hated my jaw for the longest time... it sticks out so much more than everybody else's. It was only when I was offered the chance to reduce its size through surgery by my orthodontist that I was forced to consider whether I really hated it all that much. And whether changing it would be changing vital aspects of myself. I spent a lot of time looking in mirrors and decided that my jaw made me look haughty and proud. It made me look strong. It makes me carry myself with my head held high and shows my force of will. I'm really glad I never changed that part of myself (though I am extremely grateful to my parents who gave me braces not once but twice when the first time didn't take - my supergrowing jaw was to blame for that).

4.) My hair
I'm extremely proud of being a natural redhead. I was bullied for it as a child, and for a long time I hated how it made me stand out. I hated being different. But as I grew older, I realized how unique and lucky I was to have that colour hair. It connected me to my Irish grandmother. It made my mother's hairdresser friend experiment with dye mixing just so she could come close to my shade. Even though it is darkening as I age (probably related to the amount of time I spend indoors studying) being a redhead is still something that is defining of not just how I look, but my personality as well.

5.) My eyes
Having green eyes is another thing that I felt connected me to my Irish heritage. I'm including my glasses in this category, as I honestly feel like they are a part of me, I wear them so often! I feel strange when I see myself without them. I think that when a girl finds a pair of glasses that really suit her face, they make more prominent the best parts about it - for me, they make me look more delicate and emphasise my heart-shaped face. I love them! It's been really hard to think about getting a new pair!

Now, the next part of this task is to pick 5 people and describe what feature of theirs I love and envy! Some of these girls aren't bloggers, but they are the first ones who came to mind when I did the task (and I'll definitely be telling them exactly what I love about them!)

1.) My friend Jannette's hands - total piano playing gorgeousness. Her fingers are long and slender, and her nails always perfectly shaped (and they just grow like that!) She was chosen to be the hand model for a training video where I worked - she didn't tell me but I could immediately spot them out!

2.) My sister's lips and eyelashes - this girl does not need mascara. She has the fattest, most curved eyelashes I've ever seen, and they only serve to accentuate her doe-like eyes. Think Anne Hathaway! Gorgeousness. And her giant lips are like pillows! I can pretend with lipstick and gloss, but she has such amazing natural beauty.

3.) Big Mama's height and hair - when I was a little girl I used to obsessively follow and attempt to befriend the tallest girls in the school with the longest hair. Maybe it's because they look so strong and capable (and the heroine in one of my favourite books had long black hair - I used to want to dye mine so bad! I love how it looks on others). I find tall women beautiful, and Big Mama is all kinds of fierce. I adore her and her glossy, jet black hair.

4.) Pink Champagne for Dancing's hair - so bouncy and curly! I just want to doink those curls. I'm so happy that she has embraced her natural hair texture because I think it is truly beautiful.

5.) Stefanie Valentine's eyes and smile - there's just something about this girl! It's hard to put into word, but she has such a gorgeous face, and when she smiles it all lights up. Her eyes sparkle and it is just infectious.

So there you have it! Please, make sure to pass the love on - I think it's a wonderful thing and could probably spend all day raving about all you gorgeous ladies, but I have to study so you're going to have to share some of the work with me! Not just online either - if you like the way somebody has done their hair, or the way they have put together an outfit, tell them so! I do this at work all the time and I love watching people's faces brighten up when for once, somebody tells them that they look GOOD! It's really important to remind people of the positives when there are so many messages out there that threaten to drown us in negatives.

Bye Bye Birdie

2010-05-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

I was hanging out the washing today when I saw my neighbour's cat run past me (it always comes to sun itself on our porch, the lazy thing) with something in its mouth. I saw it drop it, and the object twitched, so without thinking I dropped my basked, ran over and shooed away the cat. The little grey bundle of fluff turned out to be a baby bird - not even a fledgling; its feathers still looked like little spines and it clearly could not fly. I had thought if the cat was attacking a bird, it be able to escape if I intervened, but now I had a helpless creature depending on me! The cat was miaowing behind my legs, and I couldn't just leave the thing there, so I bundled it up into my jacket and took it inside. He was only bleeding a little on his wing, and seemed pretty lively (judging from the way he kept trying to bite me) so I just put him in a towel-lined shoebox with my jacket on top so he would be in a safe, dark and warm place - and it worked wonders, as he settled down to sleep almost straight away. He had an amazingly strong/musty/awful smell for such a tiny critter... my jacket is being washed for the second time right now!

My dad and I looked all over for a nest, but we couldn't find one. Given that the cat just sat there angrily miaowing at me instead of going back for seconds, I'm assuming that the little guy fell out of his nest and the cat got him then (not to mention the cat is so fat it struggles to climb over our fence, let alone up a tree!) We rang the wildlife society and they said that cat bites are actually toxic to birds (they have some kind of bacteria in their mouth) so we would need to take him to a vet. When we arrived, the receptionist said he was so young that he might not recover, but since his wing was not broken and his injuries were minimal, he still had a fighting chance. Since he was a native bird (Crested Pigeon) they would do their best to tend to his wounds, and then give him to a wildlife carer.

This isn't vintage related, I know, but I'm just looking for confirmation that I did the right thing - was I helping the bird by interfering, or should I have just let nature take its course? If anything I'm consoling myself with the fact that if it did have to be put down, that would be a lot less painful and scary than being eaten alive by a cat...

He looked just like this little guy, whose picture I had to steal from google (my take-photos-of-everything blogging instincts did not kick in until I was home again!)

It's not the first time I have had to rescue wildlife! Once I braved handling an echidna (with a heavy duty picnic blanket) that somehow found its way onto our suburban street. That guy wasn't injured though, just very, very lost.

My mum says I am a bleeding heart like my grandfather, whose farm is populated with various stragglers and add-ons that he has taken in over the years (including a stray deer and baby alpaca that fell of the back of a truck and wandered onto his property!) It's just a lot harder than you'd think to ignore something like that when it is happening right in front of you. I really do hope the little guy is doing okay.

Too tall for vintage? / Very small sale

2010-05-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

I need to start paying more attention to the sizes listed on items I buy - I made three purchases in the last week that I am apparently just too tall for! The perfect pair of cigarette pants ended up as capris on me :( and I'm fairly certain that stockings are not meant to finish just over my knee. Boo.

I am normally pretty good about making sure my hip, bust and waist size align with the listing, but I keep forgetting that women were (apparently) a lot shorter back then. I really struggle with finding fully fashioned stockings that fit me properly, as I have a VERY small foot, but rather long legs. I may have to stop holding out somebody to list the estate of a tall, dainty-footed lady, and just stock up on What Katie Did cheapies. It is getting colder and I ruined about half of my stockings by doing the handwashing with a jagged fingernail - oops!

I wish I had an outfit post to share, but I have been staying at home to work on assignments, and I am being terribly lazy and just wearing my (admittedly smashing) pjs all day. In my defense, I'm waiting for an order of sweaters I made to arrive - it is just too cold to be wearing anything that is not 100% wool or flannelette! My mother, sister and I are going to see Jersey Boys after our exams, so hopefully I can get all dolled up for that!

(Oh, my boyfriend is helping me sell the items that didn't quite fit on ebay, if anyone is interested! )

Just no.

2010-05-10T01:50:00.000-07:00

Stefanie Valentine, you may want to avert your eyes!

Actress Lindsay Lohan states that the inspiration behind her latest collection of leggings for her line 6126 was "the iconic Marilyn Monroe and the timeless, confident glamour she represents". Here's a couple of pictures from her lookbook - can't you just see the influence of the golden age of Hollywood emanating from her? *sarcastic*

No?

Really?

Lindsay, you have a long way to go before you can start comparing yourself to such an iconic and amazing woman - start by washing your hair, and stop wearing leggings as pants!

A lovely surprise

2010-05-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend showed up on my doorstep this morning out of the blue - he received a parcel that he had been eagerly waiting for the day before and today rushed over to give it to me. It was the Harlow Set from WKD!

When my facial rash started getting really bad and I began to be depressed over my looks, he decided to put in an order for it so that my self esteem could have a pick-me-up. He's not one of those guys who gives underwear for Valentine's day expecting that he'll get a free show out of it - rather, he understands that I feel good when I dress well, and that pretty undergarments make the best foundation (pardon the pun) for confidence.

I feel really, really lucky to have somebody in my life who doesn't just love me, but who encourages and teaches me to love myself and feel beautiful and worthy always. To use the analogy originally put forward by Mary Deluxe: I was lost and in a bad part of town, but a bus I didn't even know I was waiting for came along and offered me a ride out of there. To this day, I think that taking a chance on that bus was one of the best decisions I ever made. Okay, enough soppy stuff from me!

In Denial

2010-05-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

Things I have bought lately:

Average temperature this week: 16 C

...

D:

SUMMER, COME BACK! I JUST REALIZED I DON'T OWN ANY TOPS WITH SLEEVES THAT EXTEND PAST MY ELBOWS!

(I actually spent more on pyjamas than winter clothing this past month... clearly I intend to hibernate all winter...)

Collection Envy - My Aunt

2010-05-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to visit my Auntie's house. I felt like all of a sudden, now that my interest in vintage collectibles is broadening from just clothes to things home decor, art movements and such, that my eyes were opened to what an amazing collection of things my Auntie has. Unlike me, she has little interest in vintage clothing, but her house is packed to the rafters with Art Deco telephones and radios. BAKELITE WAS EVERYWHERE. I finally know what it feels and sounds like (I've never had a piece of my own and was too scared to get ripped off online without being able to test a piece's authenticity) - now I can opshop with a little more knowledge under my belt.

My Auntie also collects a lot of 1930s era crockery and homewares, an area which I find both alluring and daunting at the same time. The wealth of knowledge she has about her favourite design movements floors me - there is so much to know about registration numbers, stamps, how to value pieces that I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I want to! It's like when I watch The Collectors - the amount some people know about these very niche areas of history astounds me. Not to mention the number of items related to their obsessions that they are able to collect! If you ever get a chance, do watch an episode. To my overseas readers, even though it is an Australian show I am fairly certain you can watch segments online. Clicky!

The find of hers that probably makes me the most jealous is this set of Gayware canisters in perfect condition - she purchased it for only $10! I saw a similar set go on ebay for $150 just last week! D:

(Sorry for the terrible picture quality, I took it with my phone. The small items to the front left are a set of bakelite spice containers, and the rest of the crockery and glassware is from the 1930s. I would show you some of her telephone and radio collection but it was rather dark when I was over, and none of the photographs are clear enough.)

My Auntie's shopping tip for vintage fiends? Frequently stop by antique stores that specialize in pre-1910s furniture and homewares. If they get early plastics or mid-century modern pieces, they are likely to price them quite low by comparison as most of their customers are interested in far older eras with a different aesthetic.

"Nesting" - Part 1

2010-04-26T04:52:00.000-07:00

I wish I could share with you some of my more recent finds, especially as I've been putting off 'proper updates' for so long due to my intense university schedule. Unfortunately, as soon as I handed in my assignments the rash on my lips that I've mentioned in the past flared up again - only this time it's covering the lower half of my face, from the nose right down to the chin and spreading across my cheeks more and more by the day. *edit* It's on my neck and my eyelids now too =.= I don't really feel confident enough to go out of the house like this, let alone put my face on the internet for all to see, so I'm sorry to say that I'll probably be on hiatus until it clears up - this is definitely a face for radio :(

(I don't mean to whine, and I really am trying my hardest to keep my spirits up, but I've never had great self esteem and this rash is a serious blow to my efforts to sort out the emotional problems that came with that. Apologies about constantly bringing it up; I can only hope that we will resume normal transmissions soon.)

Well, in the meantime, I guess I can show you a few of the non-clothing items that I've bought lately! I've been engaging in a process which my sister calls "nesting" (and my boyfriend calls "crazy"; but he helps me carry the boxes home nonetheless) by collecting various vintage inspired homewares for my hope-chest-of-sorts. Although I haven't actually moved out of home yet, my rationalization is that I'll eventually need all of these things, so why not collect them bit by bit to soften the financial blow? Not to mention, my taste in homewares is... unusual, and designs that I like aren't often released, so I should snap them up when I see them... right?

That's why I couldn't help but buy this toaster and kettle set (from Aldi, of all places) to put away for the future - aren't they just too cute?

My future ideal kitchen has a colour scheme something like this - soft, buttery yellow; pale avocado green; and accents of tomato red.

*sighs dreamily* I know it's probably a long way off in the future for me, but no harm in planning and hoping, right? (And no harm in spending hours flipping through vintage home and style magazines for inspiration too? I'm not addicted, I swear!)

*edit* I should have never taken those darn things out of their boxes; they are proving impossible to get back in D:

Liberty of London Haul

2010-04-16T00:19:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are fans of Dress a Day or Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing have probably become just as enamored of Liberty of London's gorgeous designs as I have (it's hard not to fall in love when you see the fabric transformed into such amazing dresses in their extremely capable hands). I, however, am only a novice sewer and there is no way I want to risk butchering fabric that retails here for $45 a meter (not kidding). I can, however, play around with makeup with relatively little risk, so when MAC's new collection came out here I just had to pick up a few pieces :P

Not everybody likes the packaging, but I'm a fan - I especially love the bizarre looking bird on the lipstick tubes! I picked up the Bough Grey and Birds and Berries eyeshadows, and Ever Hip for a different coraly-ish/pink-ish/peach-ish/I-don't-know-how-to-describe-it lipstick. The teal eyeshadow is pretty much my favourite thing ever right now (as you can probably tell by the way I pack it on):

I was working on a class presentation last night so I didn't have time to pincurl my hair - this is the kind of style I attempt when my hair is in its natural state - it's just curly enough to get away with, but there isn't enough volume at the front for my liking. Luckily, I was having a Good Hair Day and my one, lonely victory roll actually turned out pretty well!

One of the class presentations was on the bias seen in photographs of people who are more emotionally expressive - they tend to present their left cheek to the camera, whereas people who are considered more rational and serious present their right cheek to the camera. I can't help thinking about it this evening as I upload photos and look at all your lovely blogs!

Outfit Details:

Dress - Thrifted
Velvet Blazer - Bardot
Shoes - Betts

(In case anybody is curious, my study was on what side people cradle their infants - about 70-80% of women cradle their baby with its head on their left side. True facts. Supposedly this is to better help the mother understand her child's needs, as the right hemisphere, which processes information from the left visual field, is specialized for the interpretation of emotion. I've been crazy busy trying to milk my friends and acquaintances for baby photos, so I haven't had a chance to do much thrifting or sewing lately. The moment I hand those suckers in, I'm going straight to Vinnies, followed by a long evening spent on etsy with a mug of hot chocolate.)

Freddies of Pinewood

2010-04-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

In response to Andi B Goode's post about wanting to see some Freddies in different colours, I've taken a few pictures of my two pairs to show. I got them a few months ago, but it took some pretty intensive Wii Fit to get into them! I am just a little too big in the hips for my waist size, it seems, as whenever I put them on/take them off the process culminates in what I like to call "The Freddies of Pinewood Dance", which involves me jumping around shaking my hips frantically, sometimes rolling around on the floor crying (just kidding).

Here are my grey utilities:

I'm a bit eehhhhh about these. They're comfortable but I don't really know how to work them (and I don't think the grey was a great choice for me.) Please leave suggestions in the comments about what colour and style of tops to wear with them; I'm at an absolute loss!

I love love love the dungarees I bought in black (have to get around to fixing the button position before I can wear them out properly though - they're just pinned in place currently).

I hope that helps, Andi! Or anyone else on the fence about ordering some of the sale Freddies. My only word of caution is to be careful in ordering if you have a 'vintage figure' (which according to What Katie Did, is a 10 inch difference between the waist and the hips). As the jeans only open slightly in the pocket, it can be very difficult to squeeze them over your hips if you have a larger ratio between the two. Once on, the jeans feel fine - they're not tight on my hips at all. It's just getting the waist past that region that's the difficult part.

Pin-up Pyjamas

2010-04-11T06:04:00.000-07:00

It happens to us all - when those chilly winter evenings roll around, we throw our glamorous vintage sensibilities out the window and snuggle up in a pair of holey old flannelette pyjamas. I know I'm definitely guilty of it- but I do wish I had something a little nicer to answer the door in when my etsy parcels arrive! That's why I'm so glad Sussan came up with this nautical and pin-up inspired pyjama collection, so I can feel retro-fabulous even when I'm bumming around at home!

I picked up this pair of pyjama pants, though the second there's a sale I'm going back for more (they are a little more expensive than I'd normally like to pay for sleepwear, but honestly, who could resist?)

They come with a bonus eye mask and carry bag!

Just look at that gorgeous print!

On the subject of pin-ups, my mother bought me a pair of boxes last week with this cute design:

I use them to store my girdles, suspender belts and merry widows:

Well, that's enough procrastination for now - back to assignments! I hope to be a more active blogger after this round of submissions is over; annoyingly I got sick with the stomach flu over easter (and then got a fever from my flu shot!) so I didn't get much time during my holidays to do my homework! Can't wait till it is all over and I can lie down in bed with season two of true blood (which thankfully comes out on DVD just after these are all due, haha).

Daily Outfit: Lady in Lavender

2010-03-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of outfit posts lately! I have not been able to thrift or sew much at all this semester; it's been really draining so far. I hope to make a jumper skirt in my Easter break, but I'm also juggling four assignments at the moment so I'm not holding out too much hope of that! I will be so glad when chemistry is over - I love my lecturer, but I find that people in the class have really negative attitudes towards anyone who puts effort into their appearance. It's not just my eclectic style - anyone who looks even remotely fashion conscious seems to get labeled "too frivolous for science" and ignored before we even have a chance to prove ourselves. I'm sorry Chem students, but I can still "do science" if I deviate from your uniform of jeans + year 12 rugby jumpers - just because I care about how I look doesn't mean that I lose valuable brain space to make room for my superior fashion sense.

Check out this perfume bottle I found while thrifting! I've loved playing around with the tasseled bottles on my grandma's dressing table since I was a little girl, but sadly she didn't keep any of them. Somehow my relatives escaped the Forties without the hoarding mentality of the "make do and mend" set - none of them kept anything from their youth!
I want to decant something into this but I'm scared of spilling my expensive perfumes while doing so - not to mention I love Chanel bottles as they are. Maybe a cheapie bottle of Elizabeth Arden's "Red Door" will do instead.

My lips are starting to heal - I have heard that the medication I'm on for it results in massive rebound when its use is discontinued, but I'm crossing my fingers for the best. Especially as I just bought a new lipstick (I'm terrible, I know) from the MAC Liberty of London collection, and I am DYING to know how it will look.
On the subject of beauty, I could not be any more proud of how fabulous my pincurl set turned out. It has less of a 50s style than my usual bouncy curls, but I like how it fits in with this 40s inspired look better.

I hope you are all doing well! It's a long week ahead but we have Easter and lots of yummy chocolate to look forward to - lord knows that's the dangling carrot I'm using to power through! Bye for now!

Devil's Playground Burlesque

2010-03-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share with you all another quirky little something I stumbled upon recently (on the interwebs this time; sadly I'd need a plane ticket to see this in person) - Star Wars, Disney and Video Games Burlesque! Burlesque has always relied on gimmicks to keep itself fresh and exciting, and Devil's Playground gets 10 out of 10 points for originality with their zany ideas. Just take a look at these photo galleries!

Princess Peach peels at Geek Night

Star Wars Shenanigans

Mary Poppins sheds that repressed Victorian skin with some Dirty Disney Dancing

I haven't seen any videos so I have no idea what the execution is actually like (and some of the costumes aren't of the best quality, I'll be the first to admit) but the idea itself has me laughing, and isn't entertainment what burlesque is all about?

Thrifty Find - The Rejuvenator?!

2010-03-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN -

?!?!

I pretty much fell over myself laughing when I found this. The manual even said "for inner health and vitality"!! I didn't buy it but I'm wondering if I should go back and get it as a gag present, in case one of my vintage loving friends gets married, haha~

Just to give you an idea of scale, that thing is bigger than my hand! O_O I don't even want to imagine how noisy it is... or what the little old ladies at the thrift store were thinking when they decided to put this on the sales floor! Still reeling omg

Sugardoll Blog Award

2010-03-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

I just received a lovely message from Brittany over at Va Voom Vintage - she's honoured me with a blog award! I have to list 5 random things about myself, so here goes:

I'm not entirely opposed to modern fashion - however, my idea of what modern fashion should be is probably a little off compared to the reality. I had hoped that by now people would be dressing like Lady Gaga or extras from Blade Runner, and am severely disappointed every time insane trends like Armadillo shoes and pantslessness fail to take off. I don't necessarily want to participate, but I like to see people pushing the boundaries of fashion in different ways. Similarly, I adore seeing people from subcultures such as steampunk and lolita out and about - they are not afraid to be different and dress in a way that they love, even if nobody else does.
I love the human brain, and I'm enthralled by everything about it - how it works, how it develops, how it malfunctions when damaged - and thus I hope to someday be a Clinical Neuropsychologist. I also combine this passion with my love of history - I dream of decorating my future office with antiquated medical implements and textbooks (in particular things related to pseudosciences like phrenology - I already have a fabulous reproduction ceramic head) and Victorian-era anatomical illustrations. In those times, science and art were still intertwined and this resulted in some very beautiful sculptures and drawings.
I just got informed by the doctor that my horrible lip state is in fact due to Perioral Dermatitis, and I will need to throw away all my lipsticks because using them again may result in future breakouts. My pleas of "but...but...they are Chanel!" fell on deaf ears. I can't afford to replace them once my lips are healed (if they heal at all), so this is incredibly depressing news :(
I collect graphic novels and manga. My favourite series are The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino, and Yotsubato by Kiyohiko Azumi. I also adore the artwork of Junko Mizuno, Suehiro Maruo and Shintaro Kago (a lot are NSFW/rather confronting, so be wary when googling).
My guilty pleasure is trashy girl-power shows with terrible special effects from the 90s, such as Xena: Warrior Princess and Charmed. My sister and I buy a box set at the start of each year and work through all the seasons together. In fact, I think I might go watch some now.

I'd like to pass this award onto some of the best blogs I've discovered recently - a lot of them don't get the love that they deserve, so please go check these fabulous ladies out!

Ginger from Sailing Over a Cardboard Sea - once you get over the momentary pangs of jealousy over Ginger's luck in being allowed to raid a veritable Aladdin's cave of vintage clothing - see her posts on Mrs Bolton's house - it's easy to fall in love with her effortless style and collection of jaw-droppingly amazing finds.

Tami from My Moving Finger Writes - I've always wanted to dye my hair as white as hers, but never had the guts! Still, I can live vicariously through her in-depth hair tutorials as she plays with different styles and cuts. There's always something new to be learned from this blog.

HarbourMaster -Not only does this girl have fantastic style, but she runs her own label meaning that we can all get some of that nautical goodness! I especially love her vintage look swimsuits.

Charlotte from Tuppence Ha'penny - This lady has an enviable collection of hats (and I want her to teach me how to do such perfect victory rolls...)

Ruby Roulette Unravels - This darling lady needs a reminder that her blog is loved so that she doesn't quit the blogosphere! As an avid thrifter myself, I enjoy reading about her finds (and dreaming of someday getting so lucky myself!).

Another day, another playsuit, and a happy ending.

2010-03-18T03:58:00.000-07:00

It was hot again today, so I wore another playsuit out while I went op-shopping. Seems the universe wanted me to know that I am fine and my style is awesome, because a (slightly inebriated) lady at the train station approached me to say "You look just like Gidget! So wholesome! I wish I had a daughter like you." Hey - it may be an unconventional kinda compliment from an even more unconventional source, but by gosh I'm going to take it! Things like this and all the lovely comments of encouragement I got from my dear readers yesterday really do help me walk off the negative things. So thank you all!

Playsuit from Dangerfield

Daily Outfit: Tiki Playsuit

2010-03-17T01:37:00.000-07:00

Melbourne still can't make up its mind as to whether it wants to be in autumn or in summer, so I took advantage of the unusually warm day to wear a new (vintage!) playsuit. I wasn't sure I'd get a change to wear it before the cold change came, so I'm happy I got to take it out and about! Also, thrilled about salvaging my pincurl set after I pinned half of them in the wrong orientation!

I was feeling damn fine until I had a run in with some bratty high school kids who threw their trash at my legs when they were walking past, and when I looked up in shock they smirked and said "oops, we didn't see you there in your camouflage suit". Ugh. I know I should have stood up for myself but I was already PMS-y and upset over the fact that I got locked out of my tutorial class for being 5 minutes late, so I just sat there in dumbfounded silence until they passed and then went to bawl my eyes out (stupid hormones).

I've been trying so hard to get all the anger, hate and drama out of my life that I don't want to dwell on this too much or get worked up about what I should have said or done - I just wish people had the ability to keep it to themselves when they don't like something I'm wearing. I understand it's human nature to judge me because I'm different, but that shouldn't excuse that kind of behaviour or make me a target for abuse.

Of course this isn't going to make me stop dressing vintage - I've put up with such comments before, and I love my style too much to change. However, I've been working hard to get my self-esteem up and to be treated in such a way - it's a big blow to my courage and sense of self worth, even if rationally I know it's not my fault.

Grr. I'm headed to ebay to get myself something even more outrageous, just to show them.

Identity Crisis

2010-03-10T05:01:00.000-08:00

Ladies, I am having an identity crisis! I'm enduring a forced separation from my beloved red lipstick, as my lips had an awful reaction to something a week or so ago and have swelled up to the nastiest trout pout I have ever seen.

Like this! But worse!

I've locked away my lippies because I'm trying to work out the cause of the reaction (not to mention how irritated my skin is already) but it's been so. damn. hard. to go without. When I look in the mirror, what I see is washed out and bleh, when previously I could feel glamorous in five seconds flat by merely swiping one of those magical tubes over my lips. It's amazing how much of a difference red lipstick makes to my self esteem - it's like an instant pick me up for my face (as I'm sure you all know!) Without it, I feel naked... I don't feel like myself anymore! I know this sounds extreme but when a part of your 'look' is forcibly changed (like suddenly getting glasses or braces - and I've been through both) it can be very difficult to even recognize yourself anymore.

I've been compensating with some fairly dramatic eye makeup, but it just isn't the same. If this doesn't end soon, you may see the advent of Swinging Sixties Emmi - all bold eyes and nude lips! And I ain't sure that's going to be a good thing! D:

Gah! Get better soon, me! I've only just found my groove, don't make me lose it now!

Full Skirt

2010-03-03T02:05:00.000-08:00

It is slowly becoming more difficult for me to find the time to blog, so I apologize if my posts are few and far between for the next few weeks. I'm back at uni, and making a bigger effort to stay on top of my work as I have to attain a certain standard to get entry into the post-grad courses that I want. I'm still lurking about, reading all your wonderful blogs, though I may not comment as often. Sorry!

I finished this skirt the other day - the material has been sitting around in my room for ages; however I changed my mind about the pattern I had originally purchased it for (too hard!) and thus it sat, uncut and unloved, for several months. It's such a fun fabric - green cotton voile - and I felt it only a carefree summer dress would do it justice. Unfortunately I bought too little for all my dress patterns D: so eventually I decided that a skirt would have to do!

This is the pattern I used - you may recognize it; I've made the slim skirt and jacket before. I have -just- enough material left over to make the matching blouse, but I'm not sure if I will... it'd be cute to be able to wear it as both a dress and a skirt, but I can't think of anything else to match a green, sleeveless, voile blouse to; and that makes it difficult to justify the effort required.

I really like wearing it! It's so nice and swishy - I can definitely see why the New Look was so popular! Full skirts are fun and flirty, no questions about it! Don't you just love it when you find an outfit that puts a literal skip in your step?

Going back to uni has also reminded me of why I liked my long hair in the first place - I could tie it back! My campus has a lot of old buildings and narrow corridors, and it is a pain in the butt to have all that work I put into a wetset ruined by the wind tunnels that they create. Ah well! It was nice while it lasted (and I think I'll go for the chop again when my holidays roll around) but for now I'm placing more importance on having a practical style. Besides, ponytails are cute!

Have a lovely Wednesday, everybody!

Crooks Like Us

2010-02-26T00:15:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to share with you the book I've been reading: Crooks like Us, by Peter Doyle. It has a strong Australian focus, so it would surprise me if any of my overseas readers have heard of it before – a shame, because it's a really fascinating insight into the seedy underbelly of life in the 20s and 30s.

The book consists of informal mug shots of some of the criminals who came to the attention of inner-city police stations in Sydney, Australia. Not all suspects were photographed once arrested - from about 1910 to 1935, “special photographs” were taken as a way to keep track of those people who “in the opinion of the arresting officer, were liable to lapse into a life of vice and crime”. In particular, this meant confidence men, thieves and underworld figures – in an age where identity was fluid, names could be changed at will, and personal histories could be invented off the cuff (without fear of having their story ruined by a quick google or a glance at their ID cards), “special photographs” became the police's only way of keeping tabs on these crooks. They were expected to know these career criminals by sight, and thus the photographs mostly consist of repeat offenders rather than, say, participants of a drunken brawl.

The mug shots differ wildly from the ones we see today – they have a soft, naturalistic quality about them, and capture these 'crooks' with all their individual quirks and human complexity for us to see. Many of the men look relaxed, confident – a cocky grin spreading across their faces, ready to pick up another big score the minute they're released. Others stare downwards, the shame almost palpable as their eyes brim with tears. A few have the marks of desperate men, their pinned pupils an indication of the addiction driving their criminal behaviour. Sometimes, we have only the name of the suspect etched into the negative to give us a clue as to the person's identity – in other cases, Doyle has found files and newspaper articles to give us a detailed insight into their life and crimes. (The other unusual aspect of these photos is that there are typically two of each suspect – one with hat, and one without!)

In Australia, the crime scene was a little different to the popular american gangster image of the time. Guns were not as readily available, so most violent criminals stuck with razors, garottes, or the basics – their fists. Interestingly, the Sydney underworld was run by women! Two archrivals – Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh – were some of the most powerful figures in the criminal world up until the 1950s. This was due to a legal loophole that made it illegal for a man to run a brothel, yet perfectly legal for a woman to do the same! Both women were able to use their brothels as a location to sell sly grog, drugs, and host illegal gambling, and were known as the “Queens of the Underworld”. Their loyal gang members featured heavily in Doyle's book, often being arrested after murders and brawls to do with Kate and Tilly's violent feud.

I picked up a huge amount of slang describing many of the tricks and crimes of the day, including:

“ringing the change” - this trick is hard to describe – essentially, it's confusing a shop assistant by constantly chattering and swapping the amount of money they're given (ie giving a note, then saying you'll 'offload some of your change instead', then changing the items you want to buy) to the point where the crook is able to walk away with not only the items 'purchased', but more money than he started out with! (Can you believe people still try to pull this one on me nowadays?)
“Sneak Thieves” were men who frequented cinemas in order to steal from distracted patrons
“Rock Spiders” was a category of criminals including peeping toms, along with those known as “park touts” - people who stole items from “amorously preoccupied” couples in public parks!
Apparently “wife desertion”was a crime too!
The “old friend” routine - A technique used by female pickpockets, where they would approach a wealthy looking gentleman on the street, throw their arms around him and shower him with kisses! While the man recovered from his embarrassment, the woman would relieve him of any valuable he was carrying, and then leave, pretending as if it was a case of mistaken identity.
"Magsman" - a confidence artis; the "buttoner" the man who encouraged the mark to participate in the game. Typical tricks of the day included "the brass" (where a mark was encouraged to participate in a group bet on a fixed race), "railway sharping" (a magsman would board the train at one station, the buttoner several later, in order to appear like strangers meeting on a train and so as not to arouse suspicion in the mark. Some highly elaborate scams would have several buttoners who would swap 'shifts' at various stations) and "the madman act" (a man would behave erratically, money stuffed into every pocket, asking passersby to play cards with him. The mark would believe it would be easy to rid this clearly insane man of his money - of course, it would not be so).

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the lives of 'everyday people' in the past - after all, one cannot get a well rounded understanding of the people of the day without acknowledging those from the underbelly of life.

Miss Emmi the...Rocker?

2010-02-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

Before I begin this post, I would like to quickly thank everybody who commented on my last entry - it really helps to hear such words of encouragement. I attended the class, and it was great fun! We're learning the Charleston this semester, I think. I'm still fairly anxious about returning to uni next month, but I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Sadly, I had to skip yesterday's dance class - I had tickets to see one of my FAVOURITE BANDS OF ALL TIME and was not going to miss that for the world! If you're interested, it was Placebo, and yes, THEY ROCKED like words cannot even describe akjhsakhlkjad

Just to prove I still dress like a (kindof) normal person:

(You don't even want to see photos of me at the end of the night - let's just say that after several hours of moshing, that hair was no longer so pretty. My eyemakeup stayed perfectly intact though, so props to MAC!)

The skirt was made out of an old Laura Ashley dress that was way too big on me, so I salvaged the bits that I liked and what I knew I could take in to fit me. The resulting style turned out great - so many people have assumed it was from Allanah Hill, which pleases me to no end as there's no way I'd ever be able to afford her designs!

In a way this look goes back to my 'rock chick' roots - before I fell in love with vintage clothing, I was aactually a regular little Debbie Harry! Corsets, boots, a helluvah lot of eyeliner - it was fun, but in a way it felt like 'dressing up'. It wasn't really me. Now, when I play around with that look, it's a lot more refined, more polished (and less black)! I guess that is me bringing my vintage sensibilities back to the style. It's less 'attitude problem' and more 'I'm smokin', and confident, and don't care what you think!' I still dress like this from time to time - after all, I have to take my band t-shirts out on the town somehow - so I thought I'd show you all a glimpse of another side to my personal style.

Daily Outfit: Summer Flowers

2010-02-13T02:29:00.000-08:00

Ahh, breezy cotton dresses. My lifesavers in this summer heat! I found this one at a vintage store that typically only stocks horrible polyester stuff from the 70s/80s, so it was a lucky find. Does anyone know the name of the flower used in the design? I bought these frangipani hairclips specifically to tie in with the dress, though I know they are not the same kind of flower. Still, close enough!

Outfit Details

Dress: Retrostar
Hairclips: Diva
Wedges: Easysteps

In other news, I've found a local swing dancing group - I'm going for my first lesson on Monday! I'm really quite nervous about it, as I've been struggling with social anxiety for the past few years and the classes involve rotating partners, so I'll be without my support for long periods. I used to be a fairly outgoing person, but about 3 years ago meeting new people became extremely difficult. I felt like I was being judged negatively, and that causes me to retreat into myself and clam up in social situations, while constantly looking for a way to escape the conversation and the attention. I'm hoping to work on that this year, as last semester it reached a point where it was negatively affecting my job and studies because I became afraid to even leave the house. I don't really want to bring up my personal problems on this blog, but I feel like I need to indicate why joining a class like this is a seriously big step for me. I'm crossing my fingers for it to go well - there's no obligation to sign up for a long period, so I'm viewing this coming Monday as a chance to dip my feet in the waters a little. Wish me luck - I'm hoping for the best.

Daily Outfit: Souvenirs from Tokyo

2010-02-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

I've been having some pretty swell luck at the op-shops recently! This is one of my favourite finds ever - look at that gorgeous print! You may have noticed, I am a sucker for anything with a Japanese theme. My dream is to find one of the souvenirs that American soldiers brought home from the pacific - this dress isn't one, but it's close enough for now! Chinese New Year happens to fall on Valentine's Day, I'm hoping The Boy and I can drop in on the festivities - I want to stock up on lacquered parasols and fans!

It's 100% cotton, which is just perfect for the disgustingly hot weather we've been having recently. I'm hoping for cooler weather by sunday; the dress I had planned on wearing is satin (and lord knows that will not mix well with 35 degree heat...)

The label of this dress is marked "SSW" - is anyone familiar with that acronym's meaning?

I hope you are all having a good week! I have to think of some good picnic foods to cook before Sunday; any suggestions? Please keep in mind that I'm domestically challenged - anything from books with titles like "Kid's Kitchen" probably makes for a good start!

Daily Outfit: 40's Flair

2010-02-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

I found this magnificent little dress in the opshop the other day -doesn't it has a very 40s feel to it? (Pardon the unmade bed; how embarrassing!)

I especially love the shoulder detailing. The pattern has everybody confused - I thought it was cotton, my boyfriend thinks wattle flowers, my sister sees cherries, and my dad said tiny insects! It's practically a wearable Rorschach test!

Outfit Details

Dress: Thrifted
Belt: Valleygirl
Shoes: Rivers
Stockings: Ebay
Gloves: Ebay
Lipstick: MAC Diva

(I also managed one of the nicest pincurl sets I've done in a while, but... as soon as I left the house it rained on me! Boo!)

I was headed out to Lincraft (they currently are having a 50% off fabric sale) but surprisingly, didn't buy much in the way of supplies. I have very specific ideas in my head about the clothes I want to make next, but there wasn't anything I felt I could use to create them. For all you crafty ladies (especially the Australian based ones), where do you buy your fabric? Any stores I should hit up in Melbourne, or ones that deliver here for a reasonable price? Any suggestions would be much appreciated; I am in desperate need of some mustard coloured wool!

Daily Outfit: Sunrise Over Osaka

2010-02-03T04:53:00.000-08:00

An unusual 'outfit' today - I didn't go out or have work (and can finally swallow again), so took a rare chance to laze about and do absolutely nothing~ bliss! This kimono was a present from a friend who spend several months studying in Osaka, Japan. He found it and the matching obi in a vintage store there - I didn't want them to languish unloved in the back of my closet, so I wear the kimono as a dressing gown on crisp mornings. It works perfectly as loungewear when one has nothing better to do, as it is so heavy that it becomes impossible to rush anywhere!

This is the best shot I could get of the pattern - as it isn't painted on, but rather woven, it's very subtle. Reminds me of leaves floating down a river, in a way!

Here we have the gorgeous obi - it's difficult to photograph as there are gold threads woven through it that reflect the flash all over the place. I don't wear this with the kimono as it is far too long for a sash - any suggestions for displaying it, dear readers?

Speaking of all things Japanese - today, as the boy and I were watching Mad Men Season 1 (it's the second time round for me, so I was paying more attention to the backdrops and outfits than the story) what should I spy in Bert Cooper's office? Why, none other than the infamous erotic woodcut print, The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife! Warning - VERY NSFW, which makes one wonder how Bert gets away with putting it up on his walls! My goodness! It was only a passing shot, which makes me wonder whether the set designer is just messing with me D: I am struggling to believe that Sterling-Cooper could have been that liberal. (Or that an abstract orange block could attract more attention from the staff than this... this thing!)

Tutorial: 40's Style Playsuit

2010-01-30T21:17:00.000-08:00

A great little outfit to get you through summer is a vintage style playsuit - however, even though they're currently 'in fashion' it doesn't make them any easier to get your hands on one! Finding the right modern version or vintage pattern can be a time consuming adventure unto itself - so taking matters into your hands can often be the best option.

This tutorial looks best when you use an old shirtdress with a reasonably voluminous skirt, and is a great way to use thrifted dresses with cute patterns that are just a little too short to be worked into a vintage inspired wardrobe.

I love the swallow pattern on this, but I don't wear it as often as my knee length dresses, so it's going to be sacrificed for the sake of this tutorial :P (please excuse my scummy makeup-less face, I've got a cold and seriously can't be bothered looking pretty).

Step 1: Put the dress on inside out, and mark the crotch. This can be done in one of two ways, depending on the type of dress you're using. I prefer to measure down from the waistband, however, if your dress doesn't have one, a pin will do just as well.

Step 2: Take the dress off, and put a pin about an inch below your crotch measurement, to allow for seams and sitting room. This is your chance to make sure it's all even, so be careful! Try it on again to make it's comfortable and sits well.

Step 3: Cut! Snip away from the hem of the skirt right up to the crotch mark.

Step 4: Hem to your desired length, and finish the seams using your preferred method.

Et voila! You've got yourself a spanking new playsuit!

Cat-Eye Glasses: Part 2

2010-01-17T23:36:00.000-08:00

After a rather lengthy debacle involving one pair going missing in transit, my glasses finally arrived! I'm so happy to see them in person - they fit and they're in amazing condition.

Although I can't afford to get them reglazed just yet (it is unbelievable how expensive that it here in Australia, I think we have some of the most overpriced opticals in the world) I'm wearing them around the house just to familiarize myself with the look, however, they are taking some getting used to. My issue is less about the cat-eye shape than the thickness of the frame. As you can see, my regular glasses have a very thin wire frame - I could almost tune them out when looking in the mirror. These new ones are consequently a bit of a shock to the system, and are much more 'in your face', I suppose.

What do you think? I'm definitely not going to retire my old glasses - they suit me far too well! As for these new ones, I'm not sure if I'll shop around for a thinner, lighter frame and turn them into sunglasses or just go with the change... hurm.

P.S. Out of curiosity, does anyone know what style of frames were popular in the 30s/40s? I only ever really hear about the cat-eye shape, but I don't want to wear them with my 40s outfits.

P.P.S If I had the money, I'd be getting these as well - they would be incredibly handy when trying to get my eyeliner straight in the mornings! Aren't they fabulous?

Valentine's Day Gifts for a Retro-Beau

2010-01-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

Having a sweetheart who appreciates vintage as much as you can be a double-edged sword. Like us, these gentlemen, greasers and dandies tend to take more pride in their appearance than the modern tracksuit-sporting male, giving the ladies lucky enough to call them 'Valentine' a plethora of options to suit their very stylish needs. The only difficulty with this is that one cannot simply pop down to Target and pick up a pair of snazzy cufflinks or silk pyjamas (minus the looney tunes novelty print!) Even if one has the perfect idea in mind, there's no guarantee that one will be able to find it, making it essential to start the hunt well in advance. (I know it may seem fairly early for posts like this, but given that I live in the Antipodes, I'm actually running a little late when it comes to shopping online! Eeep!)

Coming to our rescue, as always, is Etsy! I spent a good deal of today looking up gift options for my beau, and though I would share some of the finds with you.

Cufflinks and tie-bars are a great option for a vintage loving man (who can never have too many) but can also be bought for a thoroughly modern sweetie as a way to introduce some old fashioned glamour into his office suit.

Found here on etsy.

A silk tie is a classic choice, but why not go for something a little more unconventional - like a bolo tie? It's the perfect finishing touch for all his western shirts, and is something that is most definitely not sold in department stores, making it a truly unique gift.

Found here on etsy.

A folding comb is a great idea if you constantly find yourself fighting with your man over mirror space! It will enable him to keep his 'do in perfect shape when you're out on the town. They can be found in abundance on Etsy - just be careful when you're browsing as there are plenty of feminine cases to tempt you as well!

Found here on etsy.

If you have a yourself a gambling man, an old deck of cards, chess set or poker chips would go down a treat! Don't forget to brush up on your skills so you can play him sometime - after all, what is the game without a partner?

Found here on Etsy.

If he likes to read, forget the Kindle! Penguin Classics have released a range of Popular Penguins, designed to recreate the look and feel of the original covers from the 1940s and 1950s (I should know, I'm a veritable addict!) They have a great range of books from those eras, including pulp, noir and hardboiled detective titles such as The 39 Steps, The Big Sleep, In Cold Blood and Farewell My Lovely. At $9.95 AUD a pop, you can get enough to last him through his morning train rides for the rest of the year!

Read the full list of titles available here.

If one of you loves video games, and the other loves vintage style, don't despair! Buy him Bioshock - it's the perfect combination of the two. The preorder edition of the sequel comes with an LP, Deco-tastic posters and more! Heck, even I want it (and I haven't even finished playing the first!)

Only available here.

Don't forget a card to top it all off! Etsy has plenty of deadstock and unused cards for any occasion, that surprisingly can be purchased for less than a Hallmark one (though that probably says more about how ridiculously expensive cards can be, rather than how 'cheap' the vintage ones are.)

I'm eying off this one, found here on Etsy.

Of course, if you're really stuck for ideas you could always get yourself a little something from What Katie Did and book yourself a photoshoot... I'll leave the rest up to you!

So what did I end up getting my beau? This snazzy cufflink and tie bar set! Here's hoping he likes them!

How about you, dear readers? What are you planning to spoil your beloved with? Bought any fantastic presents for a vintage loving guy in the past? Do spill - my darling's birthday is only a few months away!

New Year's Sewing Resolution

2010-01-14T02:07:00.000-08:00

Be professional! I want the clothes I make to be well put together and long lasting. A pinked seam and zigzag stitching isn't going to cut it anymore - however, I don't have an overlocker and even on sale they're $800 dollars! Thus, I'm going to start experimenting with bias binding, french seams and other methods to make my garments as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside (I started making this dress last year so it doesn't count).

It's a modern pattern (for the life of me I can't remember which one... and I'm far too comfortable on the couch here to get up and check!) which wasn't really that great to work with, and the fit wasn't fantastic. The end result, however, is not too bad! I bought a vintage kit from the opshop which I intended to use to make a self-covered belt, but I'm pretty sure it's missing several pieces...

I also received a few packages in the mail today - my Christmas presents (finally!) and a lovely giveaway from Laura over at Sew Chic to kick start my resolution. It's the Myrtlewood design from her previous pattern line, Nostalgic. I'm looking forward to making this one up - doesn't it look perfect for winter?

For the seamstresses out there amongst my readers, any advice when it comes to those little finishing touches that can make an outfit more polished, lasting and complete?

Thrifty Finds #2

2010-01-10T03:49:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, the gods of op-shopping have been very kind to me lately! I've picked up three lovely vintage items (and could have gotten more, if only I wasn't so skinflint :/ then again, do I really need an antique microscope and collection of b'dass carved tiki walking sticks?) Still, I'm more than thrilled with these finds:

I was going to wear this coat in order to show you how truly gorgeous it is, but it is so darn hot! You'll have to wait until winter to find out!

This little cloche hat is a nice smokey green colour that is incredibly difficult to photograph properly. I'd show you that one on too, but my hair is full of rags! (Excuses, excuses.)

My favourite find of all, however, has to be this:

A train case! I've been looking for one on Etsy but shipping rates for something that heavy are absolutely horrendous! The opshop I was in actually had two - one was covered in FUR, for some unknown reason! However, I passed on buying it, as I intended to take this case travelling and I wanted something that would actually get through customs!

For now, it's perfect for storing my makeup:

Not to mention it matches my Tiffany-blue nail polish perfectly! (China Glaze's "For Audrey", if you're interested.)

This is all making me feel like some kind of film noir heroine, ready to disappear on the midnight train. My op-shopping mojo has returned, huzzah!

I'm back!

2010-01-06T02:43:00.000-08:00

Hello again everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's - mine was lovely and relaxing. I spent much of the past week curled up on the couch watching classic movies with my grandparents, or going for slow strolls about their incredibly lush and green neighborhood. I managed to avoid being sunburned too badly, so all in all it was a success! My holiday was a camera free zone, so no outfit posts to share - but I'm sure I'll more than make up for that soon enough.

I scored some pretty nice presents this year - the ones my parents bought me are yet to arrive (curse you, postal strike!) but I've been assured that (eventually) I will be getting The Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection, Forties Fashion and The Golden Age of Couture. Huzzah!

My sweetheart bought me the What Katie Did 'Sailor' set and Gil Elvgren: The Complete Pin-Ups.

Could his hinting be any more obvious? Hehe

He also got me these gorgeous matryoshka dolls after hearing me constantly talk about how much I wanted a set. Not vintage, but hey, I love 'em.

Of course, I have to share pictures of these presents I received - courtesy of myself! Not only did I get out of the Boxing Day sales alive, I also managed to snap up these pumps from Rivers (look! sensible heels! <3 <3 <3) and a few DVD box sets to keep me company until the rest of my family comes home.

I have a few more posts lined up - for one, the gods of op-shopping have been particularly kind to me lately - but I'll save them for another day. Emma-out!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T01:43:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-18T15:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-14T01:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-11T03:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T04:47:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-07T04:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

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!