December

Retro-ing up the place with appearances all over town!

By Super Kawaii Mama in 1950, competitions, EATING, food, making up, pin up, shopping, Some Fancy Ladies, Vintage style, Workshops and Events

7 Comments »

SFL at Matchbox Chadstone 0087 e1323141782422 Retro ing up the place with appearances all over town!

December is proving to be far more busy and fun than I thought it would be this year. It’s always a busy time, what with the shopping, the school plays, the extra juggle of children on holidays and what not. But this December, although it has only just started, is shaping up to be the most fun and fancy time I’ve had in a while.

This month I’m helping Matchbox and Kitchen Aid with a really cool new contest they are running, in which you can win allkinds of cool prize including your favourite retro coloured Kitchen Aids! All you have to do is dress up in your retro best and take a photo with a Kitchen Aid to enter. I’m having real trouble picking my favourite with the glossy cherry red and hot pink vying for the lead.

Knowing that not everyone is as vintage obsessed with me, they’ve enlisted my help to teach the secrets to getting a vintage look and help you with your entries. I spent last Sunday down at Chadstone to launch the contest, and will be appearing again in store at Westfield Doncaster between 11-2pm to do another demonstration and answer your questions. If you have a free afternoon or would like to come down and play Kitchen Aid pretty up with me, make sure to head on down early as it gets very busy! You can find out more about the Kitchen Aid contest details here. (If you happen to be in Queensland, Mistress Chrissy of The Lindy Charm School for Girls will be at Westfield Chermside from 11-2pm this Sunday for you too!)

Listening closely!

The lovely Charlotte from Matchbox in KitchenAid pink!

With everyone’s thoughts suddenly turning to what to buy for Christmas, Some Fancy Ladies™ have been flat out doing store appearances for our 2012 pinup art calendar. It’s proving to be a hit with young and old, both men and women. Some of the delightful old dears we’ve run into have told us all kinds of stories from their youth, their wardrobes and even some secret saucy moments. I’m always honoured when we get to meet people and write personal messages on their calendars for them. We’ve had messages of birthday love, Sweet 16′s, Christmas stocking surprises and even something to give grandpa an extra “get well”! Friday night Bonnie Rose and I were in at Flowers of Canterbury on Mailing Road in amongst some of the most gorgeous flowers to meet and greet. Aren’t they just stunning?!

I can be a bit of a ham..

Our swanky calendars and cards

I just adore the colours in here!

If you haven’t ordered your copy of the calendar yet and want to see it in the flesh, you’ll find it locally now in store at Flowers of Canterbury, and Anton’s Clothing in Melbourne Central! Now, time for a bit of a sit down I think!

8

November

WIN a trip to come to Melbourne and shoot with Some Fancy Ladies!

By Super Kawaii Mama in competitions, modelling, photographer, pin up, Uncategorized

53 Comments »

To celebrate the launch of my new side project Some Fancy Ladies™ and our 2012 Calendar, we’re giving YOU the opportunity to win the prize pack of the year!

You could win your very own exclusive photo shoot with the Some Fancy Ladies Team!

Valued at $3000 this brilliant prize pack includes;

Flights (within Australia) to Melbourne

Vintage wardrobe for the day provided by Bonnie Rose Vintage Clothing

Hair, Makeup & Styling by Candice DeVille

Photography and prints by Helen McLean Photography

candicebannerfinalswirl e1320718732512 WIN a trip to come to Melbourne and shoot with Some Fancy Ladies!

Step into the glamourous world of Some Fancy Ladies™ and live the dream for a day!

How can you win this amazing prize?

Simply by spreading the word about Some Fancy Ladies and the new 2012 calendar! You can share wherever and however you like, be it newsletters, forums, your blog, Facebook, Twitter, you name it. Anywhere you can link your unique URL counts. All you need to do is leave me a comment with your email address to register, and you will be sent your own unique URL. The URL with the most shares will win this great prize!

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Terms & Conditions -

URL sharing must be genuine click throughs. Auto generated clicks and excessive click throughs from the same IP address will not be eligible for the final tally.

You must be over 18 years of age and able to fly within Australia or get to Australia to accept this prize.

Entry is open to men and women alike.

Should you not be able to accept this prize, it is fully transferrable to an individual of your choosing provided they meet the other terms and conditions.

The prize pack must be redeemed within the 2012 calendar year.

Prize is not redeemable for cash.

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So What Are You Waiting For? Get creative, get talking and get fancy! Register in the comments now and you could be flying to Melbourne to shoot with Some Fancy Ladies™!

Entries close on DECEMBER 30th 2011 and the winner will be announced the following week.

1

August

Jeans for Genes day – Show your support

By Super Kawaii Mama in Charity, competitions, Uncategorized

28 Comments »

Everyone always asks me if my fashion sense runs in my family; if you’d have seen my Dad circa 1980 I’d sure hope not! (Sorry Dad but the socks and sandals are a no go for me). But fashion aside, there are loads of things that do. I have my Mother to thank for my pale skin, and my Dad to thank for those curls in my hair and (even my though I’m not much of a fan of them), my Grandmother for my sturdy ankles. Genetics are one of those things we either love or curse depending on what we win in the DNA lottery. But we still don’t know enough about them.

Jeans for Genes day on Friday August 5th, is a great initiative to help raise funds for much needed genetic research to help treat and prevent disease in children. By wearing denim and making a donation, your support goes towards helping us patch up the gaps and learn more about preventing genetic diseases in children. And yes even I, who is known for NOT wearing denim, is going to break out the best and fanciest denim look come Friday 5th August! Here’s something I wore earlier…

To get you you thinking about just how important the role genetics plays in our lives I have a special contest for you! Simply leave me a comment telling me about your favourite inherited genetic trait (can you roll your tongue like me?). The winner will be chosen by me for their creativity, on Thursday 4th August – Jeans for Genes Eve!

The prize pack up for grabs includes -

$250 Jeanswest gift voucher
Movie Tickets & a Jeans for Genes t-shirt, scarf, pens and badge

To learn more about Jeans for Genes day, head on over to the official J4G Facebook page where you can even create your own ‘denim’ Jeans for Genes patch for your Facebook page or blog. The Children’s Medical Research Institute is a not for profit organisation and relies on the community to support their research. Jeans for Genes Day.

What quirky genetic trait do you love?

1

June

The Love Vintage Fair in Melbourne – The Best Dressed

By Super Kawaii Mama in competitions, costumes, mad men, modelling, photographer, Vintage style

9 Comments »

What a treat last weekend was! Everyone came out in well dressed droves to attend the very first Melbourne leg of the Love Vintage Fair. On Friday night I played hostess to one of my favourite moments, as I had the privileged of comparing the Best Dressed in Vintage parade and awards. Thanks to my wonderful photographer Karen at Finessence, I’m able to share the highlights of the show. This is a massive photo heavy post so it may take a while to load for you, but I so wanted to share it all!

*Please note – all images are copyright to Finessence photography and are used here with permission.*

The gorgeous contestants await their moment on stage; what a gaggle of vintage goodness!

The chaps were very impressive this year, breaking out quite a variety of looks from the Mad Men inspired 60′s looks…

Something a bit ‘flash”!

..to Victorian brocade frock coats and monocles..

..and the Teddy Boy in burgundy velvet with his mini tie and amazing hair!

Not to be out done, the ladies brought out their best and shone in an array of colours and eras.

1st Runner up for Best Dressed was the incredible Alison Waters and her Fontana Sisters 1950′s dress from Rome.

The Winner in her beautifully crafted and coordinated 1920′s ensemble.

I’d like to believe that this is just a small window into what heaven looks like, and that was only the start of the fair! I have much, much more to show you and a secret to reveal next time!

20

May

Styling our Westfield Winner

By Super Kawaii Mama in competitions, Getting dressed, shopping

6 Comments »

A Nuffnang sponsored post.

Saturday was the big day. The big day that I was to spend with my Westfield Styling Experience winner! First off, a big thank you to everyone who took the time to enter this contest, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to judge. But after much deliberation and consoltation, our winner Michelle, was chosen.

Here is her winning entry.

“I need a Westfield Stylist and Super Kawaii Mama to help me so I too can attain ’super’ status!

I am facing a crossroads in life and I’m on a course of change and evolution – I’ve just lost 8kg, run my first 10K and career wise I am on the cusp of something bigger, better and greater. I have the skills and the drive – now I need my visual identity to blow their minds! KA-POW!

Currently my wardrobe speaks of ‘Nice career girl who’s lost weight that’s why her dress is a little sacklike’.

I believe a Westfield stylist and Super Kawaii Mama can be my secret weapons to help me bust out my own super identity – ‘Wonder woman who can change your world that’s why she has a gold cuffs and a whip!’ (Partly kidding!)

Please help me dress powerfully and evocatively, with intent and focus, but without losing creativity and flair!

Mind you, I wasn’t always this confident – when I was a little supergirl struggling with her elusive identity, I too chose the bad hair and fluorescent tights. Yes, I chose Supergirl’s mock turtleneck tight top which over emphasized my super chest, not realising that Wonder Woman’s corset was far more empowering and freeing.

Fast forward to now, I’m ready to take on the world but I can’t afford to hire The Incredibles Edna Mode to redesign my wardrobe.

So please Super Kawaii Mama and Westfield, be my super stylists and save me from fashion disaster, style ruin and from being anything less than super!”

Michelle and I met up with Jo, the Westfield stylist, for a coffee and chat before we hit the stores. Keeping in mind everything Michelle had told me about herself, and what she wanted to achieve from her session, we all set to having a little tete tete about the best course of action.

As a young mother with a corporate day job, Michelle’s wardrobe has to fit several roles. And having recently dropped weight and changed shape, she needed to re-discover what styles best fit her look.

Aside from all the other nitty gritty of her dressing criteria, the one thing Michelle wanted to learn was how to reintroduce colour into her wardrobe. After years of black, grey and navy; learning to incorporate colour in a sophisticated way is something that takes a while to get your eye back in. But at our very first stop in Cue, we found the lynch pin that was to hold the new look together.

A cracking olive green and purple brocade suit jacket, with a princess seamed wait and peplum detail. It even had pewter button details and a flared tail at the back. The texture and pattern wasn’t overwhelming, but luxurious and distinctive; a great spring board to put together the rest of Michelle’s look.

Working together with Jo was a lot of fun, as both of us came at the process with different eyes and preferences. For sleek, chic and corporate, Jo assembled a beautiful selection of pieces as I wandered around selecting the ‘wow’ factors to punch it up. But we both agreed on one thing entirely – leopard print is a must!

After doing a bang up job of helping Michelle spend her money, it was time to complete her looks with the icing on the cake; the accessories. Being an accessories addict, Michelle and I ended up spending a whole lot of time hanging out draping each other in jewels and having fun here. The most inexpensive way to transform and outfit, finding the right accessories for Michelle was not only going to complete the looks we found that day, but also help her get more value out of her current wardrobe.

Keeping in mind both the demands of her job and the necessity for child friendly accessories, we had a grand old time finding the pieces that would add that punch. Stretch bangles, statement studded earrings and felt flower clips that can be worn 20 different ways.

By the end of the morning, both Michelle and I were grinning from ear to ear. Having the Westfield stylist on hand to help her translate her shape into the most flattering outfits, means that Michelle can now make more informed choices before even taking things off the hanger. Jo explained all about proportion and balance as we changed from each outfit to the other, looking at what made them a success or not. And in two hours flat, Michelle had a whole new look, enough pieces to create a weeks worth of outfits and an army of tips to take back to her wardrobe at home and whip them in to shape. Yes, she found her ‘Super Self’.

For me, this whole process has really highlighted what a scary thing it can be for many people to go shopping. When there are just so many companies telling you what and who you should wear their looks, how are you supposed to know what to do? How do you become an informed consumer and stop the cold sweats overtime you go looking for a new pair of pants? Just like any successful artist, it is about having the right tools and learning your craft. Dressing yourself with success is down to knowing the tricks, the how’s and why’s, as well as learning who your fashion friends are along the way. And that’s what the Westfield Stylist was able to offer; the streamlined and targeted approach needed to hear your clear fashion voice above a cacophony of trends.