Winter in Australia can be really miserable what with the rain, sleet and all round bad weather; especially in Melbourne. But in June, there is one absolute lifesaver of an event that will fix every kind of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Wintersun!!  This fabulous nostalgia festival has been running for the last 24 years and is going from strength to strength.  This year for the first time, it is being held in sunny coastal town of Port Macquarie, where all of my favourite vintage festivities will come together.

Originally begun as a bit of a Show n Shine type of event, Wintersun has grown and morhphed into the biggest and most lauded nostalgia festival in the country.  Running over ten days (yes that’s 10 big ones), there is everything from cars to pin up girls, markets, vintage fashion fairs, vintage parades, the best swing and rockabilly bands from around the country, dance work shops, fashion and style workshops (that’s me amongst others), and more retro contests and activities than you can handle!

I’m telling you about this now so you can start planning your winter get away and shining your dancing shoes. In fact, let me give you an idea of a common day at Wintersun for me…

9am – breakfast on the balcony, swathed in silk and watching the shiny, souped up classic cars drive by.

10.30am – a bit of a promenade down the street with my vintageous lasses, arm in arm as we head down to the market.

10.45am – pose for photos with cars enroute and eye off the talent.

11.00am – find beautiful vintage frocks at market; squeal with excitement and make deals as to who gets what without loosing an eye.

12.30pm – lunch on the terrace at main street, checking out dapper chaps from behind our sunnies and making plans for the evening.

2pm – Vintage fashion parade – strut some stuff.

4pm – Hanging out en’masse in our apartment, doing each others hair and talking beauty tips (yep, super girly)

5pm – Cocktails and comparison of purchases. More excitement, donning of sequins and a little dancing around the living room.

7pm – Dinner with as many suitably attired people as you can muster, all descending upon a local establishment where Mojitos are on the menu.

8.30pm – Arriving at the first band venue

Until at least midnight – (or 3am for some of us)- Continue to dance until you can’t stand up, laugh, joke, chat and give those vintage frocks the time of their lives.

….. then do it all agin the next day!

So just what is in store this year? Well read on and click through to Wintersun’s VINTAGE ALLEY for information and ticket details for each event.  Be there or be Square!

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Tickets for all Wintersun events can be found here!

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And you know what… you can even apply to be the next Face of Wintersun!

So book your tickets, pack your suitcase and come hang out with me vintage style!

A Nuffnang sponsored post… in which you can WIN a personal stylist, me and $1000 spending money!!!

When I tweeted the other day that I was heading into Westfield to experience a personal styling session, a great cry went up of “Oh no, you’re not going to loose your vintage styling are you?” Let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth, but I was indeed off on an adventure.

As a part of their new Personal Styling services, Westfield invited me to spend the morning with one of their top stylists and experience what they have to offer. And what fun we had!

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When I met up with Jo my stylist, I’ll admit to feeling some trepidation about what awaited me. I knew that the khaki trend and I were not on friendly terms, and the leopard print body suits and I were experiencing some generation gap issues; but I was ready to put myself in her skilled hands and see what resulted.

Our first and most essential port of call was to stop for a much-needed coffee and a bit of a chat about my style.  I knew I wasn’t going to be the easiest client in the world, but that is surely one way to test out someone’s skills. Jo and I talked about my style, key elements that are important to me, my rules for ‘never’ (thigh high hems for instance), pieces that are missing from my wardrobe and trends I’d like to experiment with.  To my mind, the biggest benefit of using a personal stylist like Jo is the knowledge they can send you away with.  Not just a simple, “oh cute top!” but in teaching you about your body type, what works, what doesn’t and why.  And with that aim in mind we set out to find some cute ensembles that fit my personal style brief, but also to show you what didn’t work for me and why.

We started out at Forever New, which is full of leopard print, nudes and super soft knits this season. I always fall in love with their advertising images and the overall look of the store, but falter when I see the hemlines. Still, we decided to see what creative combinations we could come up with. And this was the winning Forever New ensemble.

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I’d found this lovely nude beaded dress with a strong 1920’s vibe, but it was cut a good 6 inches above my knee! It was also far too straight up and down for my figure, so we made a few key additions. Finding another ribbon trimmed skirt, we added that underneath, crinoline style, to give it length and volume. Then we used a wide beaded belt to give the dress more waist definition. Topped of with a cropped and beaded angora cardigan, it all came together to create a look that was more elegant princess than tall slender flapper (which I clearly am not). We liked the look, but knew it wasn’t quite on the money, so the adventure continued.

As we wandered around a few more stores, Jo and I decided we would show you just what it is a stylist does for you.  It isn’t just taking you to a random bunch of stores and finding pretty things, (you can do that yourself), but it is in finding out the science of shape, colour and finish that make pieces work for you; or not.   So I decided to be brave and take some shots of the Sad outfit as well as the Happy outfits and what the difference was.

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I’ve never worn a lace dress (being scared by Madonna in the 80’s), but wanted to try out this one in Cue.  But as you can see, some very small details make very big differences. The pic on the left has the sleeves sitting right on top of the shoulder, not at all flattering for my broad shoulders but the pic on the right has them spread out to make a little cap.  Although the difference is actually about 2cm in reality, the overall effect is very different.

But it wasn’t just the sleeves that made a huge difference; let’s see what happens when we add a belt to define the waist.

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I happen to have a long torso, as Jo quickly picked up seeing me in this dress. And as I love the hourglass shape I want to make sure my waist is always defined, but can you see what a difference is made by where I wore the belt?

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It isn’t just where you wear the belt, it’s the width as well.  This plaid dress came off the rack with the belt on the left.  It does nothing for me and nothing for the dress, but switch it out for a wider version and yes!  (Excuse the dishevelled hair, lots of change room shenanigans here..)

Thinking beyond the way something comes off the hanger opens up a world of possibilities. I really liked this plaid taffeta dress, but look what happened when we undid the zip a bit and pinned the neckline differently.

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Total win!

But what about colour? Most of us think we know what suits us and often won’t go near other colours. Sometimes we put something on and think it’s all wrong, but is it the shape that’s the problem or the colour?

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Both cute looks, but the punchy colour on the left is infinitely better on me. Jo knew we could make this even better by taking that same winning colour and picking another shape.

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This was my absolute favourite outfit of the day. The colour, the shape, the balance… and all still very much a ‘me’ look.

Having access to your very own personal style fairy godmother at Westfield, is something that you can use if you’re brand new to the fashion game or even if you have a strong personal sense of style. It isn’t about changing what you love to fit in with the crowd, but to find the secrets of unlocking the best versions of the looks you love- just for you.

You can get a taste of what a Westfield stylist can offer you right now with a complimentary 15 minute session in any of the Westfield fashion centres; but that’s just the beginning. Here’s the brilliant news…. You could win a Personal Styling Session with both your Westfield stylist and me! And not only that, but you’ll also win $1000 to spend on your big day out Could it possibly get any better than that?!

All you have to do is tell me Why you need a Westfield Personal Styling Session for your chance to win the lot!

The winner will be the best entry as chosen by me, so make sure you tell me your story.

Entries are open from Tuesday March 29 – Tuesday 12th April. The conest is open anywhere in Australia, but you must be in Melbourne or able to make your own way here to redeem your prze.

Full terms and conditions can be found here.

So don’t waste a second getting stylish and tell me why YOU need a Westfield Style Session now!!

Okay, all the entires are in and tallied…

The WINNER of the Double Pass to see Imelda May on her Australian tour is..

Elisa!

And the runner up, winning an autographed copy of Imelda May’s latest album is….

Darren!

Both the winners can expect to find an email from me in their inboxes with instructions on how to collect their fantastic prizes.

Personally, I can’t wait to meet and chat to Imelda shortly. I know there is loads of questions I’d like to ask her, but what about you? If there’s something you’d like to know about Imelda May, leave me a comment with your questions and I’ll try and put them all to her. In the meantime, if you haven’t booked yet, you can still get tickets to her Australian shows here.

So, as it turns out I’m not the only lass with a famous blonde curl at the front of my hair. My twin of the tresses is about to hit Australian shores in March and rock (abilly) the socks off this country! Imelda May kicks of her national tour on the 2nd of March in Byron Bay before bringing her sound to a venue near you.

Here’s what’s been said in her press release…

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Chart topping Irish Songstress and Rockabilly Queen, IMELDA MAY is coming to Australia.

Since being handpicked as a virtual unknown by Jools Holland to perform on his show in 2008 Imelda May’s career has gone into overdrive.   Signing to Universal Music, the sultry songstress has dominated the Irish album charts.  Her stunning number one double platinum selling debut “Love Tattoo” has remained in the top 12 for 29 weeks, with hit singles Johnnys Got a Boom Boom and Big Bad Handsome Man attracting massive airplay.

Mayhem her brand new Album debuted at Number one in the Irish Charts and landed top 20 in the UK. Not only that, Imelda is the first Irish female solo artist to top the charts with an album of original material in a staggering 14 years.  And it doesn’t stop here.

Awards have flooded in for Imelda, including  ‘Rising Star of 2009′ by Hello magazine, ‘Jazz Artist of 2009′ by The Times and ‘The Next Big Thing’ by The Daily Mail and the coveted Meteor for Best Irish Female 09.

2010 got off to an auspicious start when Imelda accepted an offer from Jeff Beck to perform with him at the Grammys. This was followed in April by a two-night support slot in London with one of her idols, Wanda Jackson.

This year Imelda performed at Glastonbury, T In The Park, Womad and Ireland’s Electric Picnic as well as touring the UK in May and September. She also has three songs – including the legendary “Johnny Gotta Boom Boom”, and forthcoming single “Mayhem” featuring on the soundtrack to the new “Wild Target” film starring Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt and Rupert Everett.

“The problem with an artist like Imelda May is that she’s so good, it makes a critical review almost impossible to write; her performance is flawless.” Clash Magazine”

This is where you are right to start getting excited. Want to sample a bit more? You can have a listen and get your free download of her new track Sneaky Freak here.

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And here’s the good news for you - you can WIN a Double Pass to the Australian performance of your choice!!!!

How to enter –

• Share a Shout Out of your favourite Super Kawaii Mama post with your friends.

You can do this on Facebok, Twitter, your own blog, a forum… anywhere that gives you a URL of your Shout Out that you can paste into your comment entry. Yes, you can provide a screen capture for your entry if you can’t provide a URL.

• Leave me a comment on this post that includes the URL to your shout out.

(Please state if you are over 18 years of age as this is an 18+ event only. Read the terms and conditions for more)

• Entries close at midnight EST FEBRUARY 27th (to give the winner time to plan their big night out)
• The WINNER will be chosen by random number generator according to the order your entry is posted in the comments. So the more times you Share a Shout Out and leave another URL to each one, the more chances you have of winning!!
• AND there is also a FANTASTIC runners up prize…..

A personally autographed copy of Imelda May’s latest Album!

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Terms & Conditions-

Entries are open to anyone living in Australia and able to redem their prize during the available Australian concert dates.

Super Kawaii Mama reserves the right to redraw a contest winner, should the first drawn winner not be able to accept the prize for any reason.

Please note: The concerts are OVER 18+ events. In the event that the winner is UNDER 18, the Runner’s Up prize will be allocated to this individual and the draw will be conducted again for a 1st prize winner of legal age.

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All tour dates, venues and ticket details are available on the official website here.

Sponsored by Nuffnang - For the latest Super Kawaii Mama post, simply scroll down.

When I was growing up, shopping for clothes was an entirely different landscape to the one I see now.  The was no fast fashion, no hyper tween styles, no super cheap imports and absolutely no way that most people could afford to buy something new every week, especially not a 14 year old with her first job.

We had to learn to plan out what we wanted each year, which as a teenager revolved mostly around what didn’t fit me anymore and the one item I’d need to ensure that my ‘cool’ status was up to date.  Mind you this was only ever really one item, and its cool factor would last for a whole year in most cases.

They don’t make them like this for this kind of price anymore!

Fast forward to the 2000’s and shopping for fashion is a completely different experience. I can now go into a store where not one single item is over $19.95 RRP, and to me, this is a tragedy on so many levels. It is no wonder that the skills of a good shopper are getting lost in the hunt for a bargain.

30 Days of Fashion is a new initiative being launched by the Commonwealth bank to help re-educate us in the ways of the savvy shopper.  With some of the best fashion commentators in the country on board, Commonwealth Bank is getting us talking about how to really invest in fashion, and it isn’t filling your wardrobe with junk from a $5 bin.

Most women I know don’t have a proper shopping budget. The level of organisation we have when it comes to forking out for the latest thrill is limited to how much is in the bank account at any one time and how much of that we can spare. Of course, the problem with this is that it leaves us vulnerable to the quick fix, the cheap and easy and it means that the $1000 handbag you’ve always wanted will forever remain out of your reach. It’s time for some change I say.

Here are my tips for making the most of your money and creating the wardrobe you’ve always wanted.

Have a yearly budget – this doesn’t have to be hard and fast but if you have a figure that you are working to, you’ll know just how much you should be saving each week, what sort of investment you can afford on each piece and how hard you need to then make each piece work to pay its way on your shelf.

Know your style – there is no point in spending $500 on a pair of skinny denim jeans for me just for the sake of a fashion experiment.  Occasionally when you’re tempted to shake it up and experiment with a new style that you haven’t before, the best way to do this is without committing the big $$. But to avoid wasting your hard earned pennies on something that may very quickly end up on eBay, borrowing or renting these pieces is the best way to go.  If you’re lucky enough to have a friend the same size as you, see if you can borrow the item from them for 24 hours and test out its street cred potential.

The other alternative is to rent. There are some great new businesses out there that are renting out more than just evening dresses. You can rent jeans, bags, shoes all manner of fashion. And for a little cash you can test out your new look without leaving yourself open to a bad case of buyer’s remorse.

Know the basics and find the gaps – While most Fashion writers will tell you that the basics are great jeans, black pants, white shirt etc etc.. This very much depends on your style. For me, jeans would be a total waist of money and a black trouser suit equally so. But what are my basics?  Keep a notebook handy near your wardrobe and every time you think, ‘drat I wish I had a blank blank to go with this’, write it down.  Soon enough the missing link will become apparent and you’ll also know just how often you find yourself wishing for that certain item. It gives you a quick reference point to go back to when your next shopping date arrives.

Invest in Fashion. – To me this means a few things; firstly always buy the best quality you can afford. With vintage, this becomes a double delight as you not only find quality far cheaper than buying a new equivalent, but the level of quality standard you’ll find is far greater than most modern equivalents in the same price point.  For instance, a couture 1940’s suit may set you back $450, but buying the modern equivalent with the same production standard is likely to come in closer to $2500.

Look after your pieces well and they will reward you.  If you’re buying quality and you find that after a year you are no longer wearing that piece, you can sell it on for a good return.  Good labels that are well made hold their value far better than a high street bargain.

I could go on and on about this, but let’s have a look at what the industry insiders have to say.

Now the challenge is up to you.  I want you to tell me which of these industry insiders have the best advice and what are YOUR best tips for fashion savings?

Tell me and you could WIN a $200 Westfield Gift Voucher to put towards your next fashion investment!

Competition opened to Australian residents only and will run for the period of two weeks from the live date.