~Daily Outfit Inspirations ~

~Marie Antoinette Does Colour Blocking~

Sometime I like to put a whole new twist on my vintage dressing. Sometimes it’s less about the clothes themselves but about the stories I create with them, and the characters that emerge. Upon receiving an delightful invitation in my inbox for an occasion of historical significance (which you’ll see next week), the wheels of inspiration began to move and a whole new plan for these pieces in my wardrobe was born.

Imagine Marie Antoinette, circa 2011, taking on the colour blocking trend and taking it to the streets. And so I dressed.

Outfit Details 

Pale pink ruffled jacket – Angel Sissi

Purple velvet bow tie – 1970′s vintage find

Yellow silk blouse – op shop

Hot pink raw silk skirt – op shop

Red suede wedges – Spendless shoes

Red patent leather bag with gold chains – label “Sexy but Cute”

Floral corsage – handmade one off

Pink pearl earrings on silver bows – Chomel

Pink and silver kitten fob brooch – “Drink Me Alice” label by Melbourne jewellery designer and blogger at Sea of Ghosts.

* All images by Helen McLean for Super Kawaii Mama.com – Images may be reproduced with appropriate permissions.*  

Friday morning I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Dita up close and personal at the global launch of her new vintage inspired fashion label Muse. Taking inspiration from her much loved wardrobe of 1940′s fashion, Dita has created a simple and elegant line of garments built on couture principles. Each garment is constructed using high quality fabrics, in built corsetry for support and structure as well as those vintage details that those of us so familiar with the nuances of these garments, will applaud. Grosgrain hemming tape and internal waist tape are just two of the immaculate details Dita has included in her creations.

Understanding her fan base has meant Dita created a collection that will both appeal to, and fit, her legion of glamour girls in training. With sizes ranging from 8-20, much thought has been applied in creating these garments that fit, flatter and will remain elegant wardrobe staples for years to come. Each piece has been carefully chosen to compliment the life of a modern women seeking to inject the simple chic of a vintage garment without wanting to appear too retro. From the gorgeous draped, one shouldered formal wear dress to the must have trench coat, this collection is the perfect capsule wardrobe for a woman of style and grace.

Dita’s stunning, 1940′s inspired, print dress featuring her own hand print and signature.

Such a delight! Dita takes time out for a quick chat.

Beautiful friends from Highball Burlesque and I were thrilled to see this collection.

Appearing exclusively in David Jones, this range will be available to the public from February 2012. Watch this space for further updates!

On Saturday I had the privilege of spending some time with Celebrity Stylist Gok Wan on his Australian Westfield Tour. Here to launch the new Westfield body shape calculator, and encourage women to explore their personalities through style; Gok took a moment out to chat with me about some of my pressing style questions.

My obvious love of lingerie comes through in this interview, and I was particularly interested to chat with Gok about that topic as he has his own line of shape wear that does larger sizes beautifully. Check it out at Simply Gok Wan.

There were a few other things we chatted about off camera, like our favourite vintage reproduction labels, (he loves Diva and Vivien of Holloway) and even what pomade he uses in his hair, (I recommended Atomic Life). There was so much we could have stayed and talked about, but it was a refreshing moment to chat to a fashion industry insider who is just as passionate as I am about the beauty on the inside being given every opportunity to shine without. Amazing work Gok, keep giving women what we need!

Wow! It seems that after the last post on Pantyhose, I’ve discovered that I am not a freak after all… the rest of you have just been hiding from the fashion press. Either that or these ‘researchers’ have never asked around outside of their local milkbar.  After the overwhelming response from you all, and I must say a big THANK YOU for all your input, I’ve learnt so much more about the wearing of hoisiery around the world. I can say it is clear that the trend for gossamer leg wear is certainly dependant on your city of origin and your penchant for vintage. But it also became obvious that there is a serious lack of education and information out there about those funny things we put on our legs. So here it is -

Candice DeVille’s Guide to Hosiery.

The what’s what and how to find the right ones for you.

With all the different names out there for thing you put on your legs, it’s a common mistake to think that all these terms are interchangeable. In fact, they all represent something different. The only all encompassing term is ‘Hosiery’; which includes stockings, pantyhose, tights and yes, even socks. So let’s take a look at what’s what in a nutshell then we can get down to the nitty gritty of each style.

Pantyhose –

Pantyhose did not exist before 1959, when they were invented by Glen Mills. They were designed to combined both ‘panties’ (underpants) and ‘stockings’.  But just because they were invented, didn’t mean everyone was quick on the uptake. It wasn’t until the mid 1960′s that seamless pantyhose came around. Complete with ‘control tops’ or the heavier, stretch panty section, that they eliminated the need for girdles making them very popular with the younger market. Coinciding with the rise in popularity of the mini-skirt, Pantyhose took over as the hosiery of choice for most women until this day.

Made of a combination of nylon and spandex; referring to Pantyhose as “nylons” is a misnomer, the term being reserved for stockings that are made only of woven nylon.  The spandex in Pantyhose is what gives them their incredible stretch, allowing them to form fit to the leg and stop the bagging that so often occurs with fully fashioned nylons.

To give you a simple and clear definition of the difference between pantyhose and tights; pantyhose mostly have a denier up to 15, whilst tights have a higher denier.  To discover the technicalities of what “Denier” is, have a look at this definition. ( You may not care, in which case just read the number on the pack) But basically, it is the thickness of each thread used. And just as a matter of interest, the average human hair is 50 denier weight!

But you’ve asked, “why do my pantyhose fall down or sag at my ankles?”, “Why do they cut in at the waist?” And the answer to this is all in the sizing.  After reading so many of the responses to my investigation, I’ve discovered that available qualities and sizes of pantyhose differ between countries. Some of you even told me that until recently in the UK, Pantyhose only came in a One Size Fits All! So fret no more, here is how you get the right fit for your pantyhose.

Every pack of pantyhose should have a size guide on the reverse. They look something like this.

Depending on the brand and the country of origin, sizing could be letters, numbers or even names. Just like fashion labels, sizing has no real consistency, so you should ALWAYS check yourself against the information provided.

Basically, sizing goes by weight and height. You need to read the charts the same way you do with map references. Finding your correct weight and height, then finding the point where those rows intersect and what size that indicates.  Being a ‘tall’ in one brand, doesn’t necessarily mean you are considered a tall person.  For me, I wear ‘talls’ in most brands, but I am only 5 foot 4 inches in height. So don’t guess – measure.

Keep in mind that the sizing in pantyhose hasn’t really kept up with fashion, so someone who may be a tall or x-tall could still easily be an Australian sized 8-10. (Us 4-6) Confused yet?  What this means is that there is a whole new market for ‘plus-sized’ pantyhose, which most of the well known brands are now catering for.

In Australia, brands that carry plus sized  and maternity pantyhose include Ambra, Kolotex and Platinum amongst others. In fact, the big department stores now have entire sections devoted to plus sized pantyhose.  If you’re searching online though, the trick is all about having the right keywords in your searches.  Depending on your size there are three main terms used; Plus Sized, Queen Sized and Oversized.

It is clear to me by the sheer volume and range of pantyhose available on Australia shelves, that they certainly haven’t gone out of style here. In fact, the rise of stockings on our shelves tends to indicate that our interest is both growing and divergent.

History lessons aside, Pantyhose have never had the glamour or the sex appeal of a simple pair of stockings, so stay tuned next week for Part Two of this educational exploration, when we tackle ‘Stockings’.

*Depending on how conservative your work place is, this post may be considered NSFW*

Having a really good secret is a sure fire way to put a smile on your face. And you know what they say about people who are always smiling don’t you.. So what’s my secret? My super swanky, super sexy suspenders.

When I first started wearing vintage, I was far too young to even consider this sort of thing, and no one I knew wore stockings. The day came that I was to graduate from those nasty ribbed navy school tights and I didn’t know what my options were. I drew up my courage and made my first foray into a lingerie shop, cheeks blushing and full of teenage bravado. I remember the sales assistant giving my this black lacy ensemble of bra, garter belt and teeny tiny knickers, while I smiled in what I thought was a very mature fashion and proceeded to the changing room. After about a good ten minutes she came back to enquire on my progress, with me fobbing her off with an “oh I wear these all the time” as the garter strap flicked up and hit me in my breathless face for the fifth time. I thought there was some big secret I hadn’t been let in on about how to wear these contraptions, and it was all so illicit that no one could tell me as I didn’t dare ask. But it wasn’t what I thought.

Now, with the benefit of years and hindsight, I realize that the myths surrounding garter belts come from two places. Our grandmothers who hated them and the advertising agencies and movie moguls who’ve conned us into their fantasies. I can only speak for myself, but my ‘suspending’ experiences have been far from torturous…. except for this one.

Lesson 1.
There are suspender belts for life and suspender belts for posing in only. Do not confuse the two.

The very first time I wore my ‘fancy’ new suspender belt from the mall, I experienced a number of unwanted sensations. That strung Christmas ham feeling as the thin, cheap lace of the waist band cut me two. That scratchy sensation from rough, badly trimmed edges; and worst of all, that horrible feeling when you feel a ‘snap’ and notice your stockings are now pooled around your ankles in a very unglamorous fashion.

Luckily, my love of vintage pushed me in the right direction. But rather than getting studious and doing my research, I took my young self out to the local op shop where I discovered my very first 1960’s girdle and suspenders. It wasn’t pretty, but I didn’t really care; after all this was a ‘scientific’ experiment! Here is what I learnt.

A girdle under a pencil skirt is better than any ‘suck you in’ bikini brief on the market.
A girdle (when the correct size) feels like a hug, all day long.
Those industrial strength metal suspender clips are the ONLY way to wear stockings!

Of course, filling my wardrobe with these beige, rubberized numbers was a very unattractive option; so over the years I searched high and low to find pretty vintage pieces with the same functionality.

A friend here in Melbourne with a well known Vintage emporium, heard me rummaging about in the pile of lingerie in her shop one day, bemoaning the lack of available and well fitting vintage styled lingerie. And it was that day she introduced me to Kiss Me Deadly. To make this long story short, once I had my hands on some Kiss Me Deadly suspender sets, I’ve never looked back.  These take me from my everyday, to my dance floor attire, to my super fancy occasions.  I’ve never lost a stocking, had seam creep or had any unfortunate dance floor incidents.  In fact the only dance floor incident I can relate, is being stopped by a group of ladies as I finished a particularly acrobatic number and being asked all about where I bought my fabulous underwear!

Of all the Kiss Me Deadly pieces, the Vargas dress and strapless Vargas dress get the most day to day wear in my ensembles. They are just so darned comfortable and secure, and I know that should I end up in an ambulance with very handsome paramedics, I won’t have a single worry about the state of my underwear.

As you may know, I’ve been honoured to have Kiss Me Deadly as a lovely sponsor of this blog for a while now and I shot this set of images for them last year.  But of course, never resting on their laurels they are always out to improve and create new pieces of fabulous frippery… which I had the pleasure of shooting just the other week!

And here they are, shot by pinup photographer extrordinare Helen McLean- the marvellous, pretty and practical pieces from Kiss Me Deadly!

(If you’re wondering why these are so strongly watermarked it is because these pics tend to get pinched and spread around all over the place without credits. So if you do want to use them, please just email for permission first.)

Because I’m so passionate about what goes on under your clothes to make them look even better on the outside, I’m always on the look out for the best and brightest in the underwear department. Not everything that is marketed as fabulous is really all it’s cracked up to be, and quite often it is the smaller, boutique players that really come up with the goods.  So I’m literally ‘putting my butt’ on the line in the aid of research at the moment, and have written a whole series of posts about ‘unmentionables’ for you. The good, the bad, the pinchy, the perfect. So if you have any particular questions, problems or are just curious as to what all the fuss is about; please do leave me a comment and I’ll do my very best to help you solve your dilemma.