With Spring just around the corner I know we’re all looking for new ways to reinvigorate ourselves for the season; and my new series of workshops aims to do just that! First up on September 4th, I have the honour of presenting a whole new twist on traditional High Tea.

From the Press Release-

“Alison Waters of The Waters Group has developed an exciting opportunity for discerning tea drinkers to join David Zhou at the Melbourne Central Oriental Tea House, and introduces Candice DeVille; Australia’s premiere vintage stylist. Candice will  present a truly memorable and authentic Yum Cha High Tea workshop. In a New World twist on an Old World tradition, Candice DeVille will guide you through the etiquette and elegance of a vintage Yum Cha Tea Ceremony with all the charm, flavours and delights of East meets West.

 Experience the time honoured traditions of the tea ceremony in this afternoon workshop, set in the fragrant ambience of the Oriental Tea House’s vintage Shanghai vibe.  With a banquet selection of Yum Cha morsels and a superior selection of teas, this exclusive offering is a feast for the senses.

It is that time of year again. The weather is still miserable, the wind still bites, but I’ll be darned if I’ll give in to it. I’m already yearning for the sun on my (sunscreen protected) skin and a scotch in hand, while the days get longer and the parties start to arrive. This is the same time of year I get restless with my wardrobe and start to listen to that little internal voice of inspiration that tells me what I want to be wearing in the coming months.  This time I’ve come over far more casual than I usually do and that can only be a good thing as I need a little more ‘relax’ in my current wardrobe.

Of course, because I always seem to be so far ahead of the curve, it isn’t likely you’ll see looks like this in store for a while yet, but when you do, you’ll know where it came from!

This time, for something different, I’m giving you more of a window to my world and adding the music I’m listening to as well! Just click to listen, and as usual, just click each image to see the details of the what and where’s of each outfit.

These Boots Were Made For Dancing

This isn’t your usual nightclub attire, but then it isn’t for your usual nightclub girl. It is for springtime evenings, house parties, kicking up your heels with friends, closing your eyes and jamming in your mind.

I’m currently dancing to Ezra Lee - Mean What I Say – Ezra Lee From his album “Can’t Stop a Freight Train” available on Prestone Records. I highly recommend you check out Ezra’s Myspace and get yourself a copy of this album!!

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Cocktails at the Saloon Bar

Tell me any eligible eye candy could miss you in this number! Loads of swank, licks of sexy and lots of lucky! Stretch those pins and start smouldering.

Propping up the bar in style to Reconsider Baby – Lowell Fulson.

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Fancy a Drink Cowboy?

I never thought a cowboy hat and I would ever see eye to eye, but after my photo shoot with Helen McLean I may just be having a little secret love affair. This is how you do Country style with an eye for City Chic. There’s nothing dusty about this!

Tipping my hat to That’s Alright Mama

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Country Princess

The perfect Day to Night party transition outfit. Just change up the top, swap your flower for a bejewelled bow, crimson lips and you’re good to go. You’ll already know that denim is huge for this season, and while double denim remains on the no go list for me, this is about the only way I’ll work anything close to it into my look. With a beautiful satin and denim bra top with vintage style.  Yes, it could be a little racy, but paired with a sequined cardigan its all lady out the outside but the business underneath!

Kicking back to Jackson – by Johnny Cash & June Carter a personal favourite!

You just never know where you’ll find fashion inspiration that captures you’re mood of the moment, but one thing is for sure; whatever you wear make sure it captures YOUR mood, not just the prevailing trends.  This is where you’ll find the best answers to your wardrobe dilemmas!

When I flew out to Hobart last Friday morning at 7am,  the last thing I wanted to do was spend ages getting ready at the crack of sparrows o’clock.  We’ve talked about how to dress for travel before, yet it seems that this is one activity that people place on a par with going to the gym when it comes to what they wear.  So I thought this time I’d give you my real world example from this shot that Mr SKM took on my way out the door at 6am.

Yes, it was a vintage weekend so the outfit did have a serious 1940′s tone going on, but other than that, I can tell you with certainty this this is no less comfortable than wearing a track suit for travel.

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Outfit Details

Dress – 1970′s Perri Cutten woollen knit

Belt – made from vintage buckles and modern band

Stockings – Compression stockings for warmth and comfort in freezing Hobart weather

Petticoat – (unseen) 1950′s silk full slip

Shoes – Lucia Rossi satin finish basic pumps

Gloves – vintage woollen felt

Hat – 1940′s felt afternoon hat

Earrings – 1950′s pearl screw on’s

Hair – Side sweeps with the rest in a net to stop it getting messed up

I also took a coat that I could wear over my knees in the plane and put on when disembarking.

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It certainly wasn’t a difficult outfit to put together. I didn’t have to match colours, worry about many accessories or extra bulk.  Even better, by keeping it streamlined and the fabrics simple it meant that I didn’t have to disrobe at the airport for security.  No big heavy belts or earrings setting off alarms; not even steel heeled stilettos to stop me in my tracks.

So yes, dressing simply, comfortably and well for travel can be done. It just takes a little forethought and the banishment of running shoes!

I have a new hat. I put it on a took a photo. Then I realised who I reminded myself of…

Lauren Bacall!

Yes, she’s a blonde and I’m a brunette, but there was something in the mood of this photo ( in which I was attempting to capture good detail of the hat for you) that begged for black and white. So I worked a little Photoshop magic lighting and got the feeling I’d seen this before.  Okay, so perhaps not exactly the same, but I’m sure you get the same feeling I do with this.  Anyway, I digress…

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I have a new hat. One of the greater thing about living in Melbourne as opposed to let’s say Sydney, (I speak from experience so don’t lampoon me), is that you can wear a hat here and people just think you are ‘arty’ as opposed to ‘completely crackers’!  Either way, I’d still wear mine, but living in Melbourne does make me feel like I have license to wear them more often without being compelled to answer a barrage of questions each time I make an outing.

This lovely number is a black felt, 1940′s afternoon hat.  I’m always a sucker for the asymetrical, but the fact that is an “afternoon hat” as different to a “morning hat” wins me over!  And I totally love it.  Some people tell me they can’t wear hats, which is actually complete rubbish; you just need to know what suits your face shapes and how to create hat hair.  This is not the kind of hair that is flatened after wearing a hat, but hair that is created around that hat so that it look stunning both on and off.  Today, I went with pin curls and a feature side sweep.

And what did this look like all put together for my afternoon meeting?

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Pretty darn swanky for a $150 outfit!

(yes I fixed my seams after taking the photo – thank goodness for outfit shots to get a better rear view!)

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Outfit Details

Blouse – retro 1980′s  does 1940′s styling, Gabrielle label – found at Poppet

Skirt – Friends of Couture

1940′s Afternoon hat – Vintage found at Clara Fox

Stockings – Voodoo

Shoes – Luca & Marc

Fan – Wooden fretwork red fan found in an antique store

Lisptick – MAC Russian RED