Remember that fancy tea party the other week?  Well here are the outfit photos of what I wore.

It is super, super girly and was particularly appropriate for that kind of event; but it was also almost all vintage! Well at least half.

The dress itself I picked up at the last Way We Wear vintage fair here in Melbourne.  I was told at the time that it is an early 1960’s square dancing dress and it was one of a set of three all in different colours.  The seller even had the matching men’s waist coats and ties that would have been worn to dance with their beau. Awww.

It is made of some sort of metallic threaded, synthetic eyelet lace type material with no give at all so I don’t know what it would have been like for dancing!  Underneath is a baby blue tulle petticoat that has its origins in the early 1980’s and is a bit of a rough homemade job. Not to worry though, cause it did the trick and I love the colour – it was also free!

The stockings I found at Myer on sale and are from the Pins collection by Leona Edmiston There are a little too cheer for my liking but the spot pattern was irresistible.

Shoes – well what can I say? These are incredibly awesome “Japan” shoes from Wittner.  They are incredibly comfortable and you can even run in them with no difficulty should the occassion call for it.

*Please note – I am not attempting to do a pidgeon-toed, ingenue blogger stance here; I was just sliding down the hill!!*

Given that the scarf is all scrunched up tied to my bag, I thought I’d spread her out for a proper appreciation shot.

When I saw this hanging on the rack at Circa Vintage, I leapt for it like a rabid scarf hound! I’ve never seen anything like the print before and new it would be the perfect foil to a collection of many plain coloured scarves.  The bag was a bit of a sneaky sale rack find ($10!) at Equip, that cheap little accessory shop, and while I don’t tend towards small bags there are times that they are really the only chic option. That and it was ROSE print!

The right accessories really make or break this dress as I found out a few times when I just couldn’t make it work. Here’s a round up of the rest-

Headband – pinched from Miss Two

Earrings – pearl bows from Equip

Necklace – ‘Love’ on faux pearls from Equip also

Bow Bangle – Friends of Couture

.. and I think that’s everything!

*P.S: You’ll notice a few changes happening around here.  Please bare with me as I get everything finished and the kinks sorted out. *

You’ll remember me slaving away over a new creation here right? Well, here is the final product!

It was the perfect outfit for a summer’s evening dinner with friends.

As I was making the dress I was imagining all the combinations and different ways of wearing it, but one of the problems that always happens here in Melbourne with our unpredictable weather is deciding on short or long sleeves.  Thank goodness for Friends of Couture ;and their brilliant range of cardigans that came to my rescue.  This little darling is called “Daughters of Pleasure” and has the most delightful cotton lace detailing as well as cut amber coloured buttons. They come in a few different colours including greens and pinks, and if you’re quick you can still get your hands on them while they are on sale – reduced to $39.99!

Outfit Details

Dress: Made by me to a vintage pattern in a cotton sateen fabric

Cardigan: “Daughters of Pleasure” by Friends of Couture

Shoes: Grey patent leather bow shoes from Shoo Biz

Earrings: Vintage 1960’s clips on beaded earrings in  sea green shades. (Divine!)

I love this dress pattern so much, and I’m feeling so inspired at the moment that I’ve bought a whole new selection of fabrics to make some different varieties!

Let’s see how it translates into a whole range of looks!

This weekend was a friend’s  birthday and in keeping with our various dramatic passions, he decided upon having a 1950’s Australian suburban picnic theme! So we packed the basket, frocked up and headed out for cake, caviar and champagne! Given, they weren’t really vintage style refreshments, but I think I needed caviar more than deviled eggs that day!

Outfit details

Cherry print dress – vintage find from Ruby Red Dress in Prahan

Apron – hand made by Nana

Petticoat – Ebay     Shoes – Rodhe wedges

Watch – Citizen circa 1990    Hair Bow – Thick doubled satin fabric sewn into scarf and tied as a bow.

Fun times!

Sunday, a family day. This week I had a huge surprise. I met up with my family and baby brother for dinner on his birthday. My other brother had long since been travelling the world with this girlfriend and had made appearances for family birthday’s via Skype. As we settled in for dinner on Thursday night, who should walk in the door but my brother!  All the way from Italy, right to our table – with absolutely no warning! Both my baby brother and I died of surprise and while his eyes misted over I promptly started blubbing in the restaurant, much to the amusement of the other patrons. Today we continued with the family theme, taking as much opportunity to see him before he has to return. So we all headed out for more food yet again!

The days are still misty spring days. Beginning and ending with a chill, but with the kind of long absent, soul warming sunshine in the middle. Days when you want to be warm and comfortable to stretch out in that sun, sneaking a nap after lunch. So today’s outfit was about stretch, flounce and softness.

The hair was loose and simple, given a bit of punch by.. you guessed it… Bumpits!  I’ve been trialling these for a while now and quite like how quick and easy they are to use. They aren’t yet readily available in Australia, but I purchased a multi pack of black ones via eBay. I have heard that there are “Hollywood” versions available too that give you even more volume for super huge hair.

The bows are the most darling little clips sent to me by an exceptionally clever reader who has started her own makeup and accessories line. I’ll have much much more for you on that topic later on, but if you’d like a sneak peek, head on over to My Little Rockabilly.

Makeup Details:

Eyes – Baked Sugar collection by Physicians Formula

Lips- Aubergine Max Factor Colour Perfection

Nails- Stick on deco nails from Thailand

Outfit Details:

Black lace trim top – Entrace  Skirt – Boo Radley

Stockings – Johnathon Aston  Shoes – Keds

Necklace – Peter Alexander  Hair Bows – My Little Rockabilly

Here it is~ another weekend another list full of sunshine and potential.

I’ve been having a very productive week, knuckling down and getting to some of those jobs that always seem to reside on the bottom of the To Do list, never making their way up.  But with the combination of school holidays and Spring time sunshine, I’m feeling like a clean slate and some fun and games.

Paperwork fun – Doing a bit of old fashioned scrap booking, (not the fancy kind), and getting all the girls birthday cards, art work and certificates into books.

Painting- I scored some bargain shelves at a discount store today that are exactly what I’ve been searching eBay for! So a lick of paint and a handy Dad will see them attached to the walls and filled with pretty things in no time.

Reading – I’ve bought some fabulous new books over the last few months,but have been so busy I haven’t taken any time out to read them!  Some are sadly still in their plastic wrapping since their early July purchase! I’m particularly excited to break the wrapping on Madeline St John’s work The Woman in Black.

Experimenting – I’ve found some cool new makeup tutorials that I’m dying to try out and see if they are a look that works for me.  They appear to be much more work than my usual day to day look, but I’m willing to give it a go in the name of beauty and science.  All those successful looks will be translated next week for your viewing pleasure.

Gardening – My poor garden is looking seriously neglected, so much so that I thought it time to call in the professional.  But with quotes for gardeners coming in at up to $55 per hour (!) I think I’ll be pulling on the gumboots and tackling it myself. Wish me luck and a spider free task.

…And TALKING LIKE A PIRATE for International Talk Like a Pirate Day today! Why? Why Not!… Now I’m off to bedazzle myself an eye patch.

Links à la Mode : September 17th

• 39th and Broadway – Designing Divisions
• Anywhere but here – Inspired by: Elton John
• awakened aesthetic – I Got Tatted!
• Denim Debutante – Denim Store Review: ECBC (and Giveaway!)
• Denimaniac – Interview | Philip Goss for Ijin Material
• dramatis personae – South African Street Style
• Fashion Pulse Daily – Blogging Live from Vivienne Tam S/S 2010
• FashionHippo – Best Fall 2009 Top Trends: Draped, Ruffled, One Shoulder and More
• girl friday – DIY Leather Necklace I’ve been thinking about…
• HiFashion – Successful Online Shopping
• Individual Chic – 7 simple steps when shopping for swimwear
• Oranges and Apples – Diversity in fashion and style for all ages
• Rags to Reverie – Give Me A Hint!
• Retro Chick – Make Do and Mend
• Style Symmetry – Symmetry Seven ~ Doe Deere
• sweetarchivia – The Lighter Side of Olive Skin Tones
• THE COVETED – Backstage and on the runways at Matthew Ames SS10
• The Demoiselles – Body Type? What Body Type?
• The Greyest Ghost – The Day I Met Gwen Stefani…Twice
• The Sideshow Scrapbook – have to have……….Knuckle duster clutch
• Think Thru Fashion – One Scarf, Tied 5 Different Ways