Welcome to the NEW and IMPROVED Super Kawaii Mama.com everyone!

As you can see there have been some significant changes around here in the last week, and although there are still some sections to come on line, there is lots of new stuff already here to explore.  After a good six months of design work, thought, feedback and exploration; I’ve put together what I hope will be an even better blog experience for you here.  My aim is not only to give you the best possible content I can but to help you FIND it all!  Because Super Kawai Mama is now 2 years old (Happy Birthday blog!)  there are well over 500 posts in the archives to search in. That is a hell of a lot of writing, photographs and information to help you out.

As you’ll see there are special gateways to take you into each area of interest (these should all be fully up within the week I’m finishing the code as fast as I can) and all those requests you’ve been making for new posts, information and especially tutorials will be found here.  As soon as everything is all completed I’ll give you a proper guided tour and help you to find your way around.

But that is not all.  March 2010 is set to be a milestone month for Super Kawaii Mama – why? Well…

Super Kawaii Mama is the first Australian blogger to be invited to design a capsule collection with local Australian fashion label Friends of Couture!

This is just about the most exciting news I could possibly tell you as not only is it a total dream come true to be able to indulge my love of fashion and design, but it means that you’ll have the opportunity to tell me exactly what you want to be wearing and get your hands on a collection of my very own unique style!  I’ll have loads more to tell you about this as it all progresses, but suffice to say that if you are here because you love my style, you are going to LOVE this collaboration.  The collection itself wont be available until later in the year, but you’ll get to read first hand all about the inspirations, ideas and innovations, as well as being the first to see any sneak peaks!

In the meantime,  you don’t want to miss a minute of the action,  hear about exclusive news, offers and events; as well as just the general (somewhat offbeat) meanderings of my mind –

FOLLOW ME on Twitter, FRIEND me on Facebook,  ADD me to your Technorati and remember to SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube chanel to see all the new videos first!

Every week I get another email from someone wondering how I get the blonde streak in my hair. How is it achieved and which sections are dyed to create the rolls that I do.

So last time I went in to have a touch up, I asked my kindly hairdresser to take a few shots so I never have to try and describe this again!

My hair is naturally very dark so this has to be achieved with bleaching, but we are careful to take it easy as it does make the hair quite brittle and fragile.  This is another reason that I favour hairstyles that don’t require heat treating because if I did that all that time I’d have a bald patch in no time!

When I first started having my hair coloured this way a few years back, it took several sessions to get the blonde really light.  Initally it was more of a caramel colour, but I favour a really white tone – although in this shot I had a different rinse put in for the week which has since gone back to white.

It does take some maintenance to keep it healthy and the correct colour.  I use treatments both in the salon and at home on a regular basis.   I also use a ‘bluing’ conditioner every other week to stop it yellowing.

Here is how the hair is sectioned out before colouring:

It is two sections about an inch and a half wide that runs from my part down to my ear.

The bleach is applied in individual foils to the roots and eventaully worked through at the end.

They have to be very careful with the bleach application and making sure to clip it right up and out of the way, otherwise the bleach attacks the dark hair around it.

Yep, it’s sexy!

When it is all done and dry it looks like this! As I said, in this shot I had a pink / purple rinse in, (PVO9 for you hairdressers out there) but it washed back out to white for me a week later.

It really is a fairly simple process if somewhat time consuming ( I bring my laptop to work while it comes up), but it is very effective when styled in different ways.  A word of warning though – Unless you are VERY good with using bleach, DON’T try this at home or you could end up with a very big bald patch! I have even had in salon disasters with previous hairdressers who have melted most of this section off!  It requires commitment for the upkeep, but much less than some of the fully coloured hair I have had in the past.

I hope this answers all the questions on the mystery of the blonde streak!

Over the last few outfit posts you will have seen a few extremely cute new additions to my wardrobe like this stunning purple cardigan and these bow bangles. Each of these pieces are by local Melbourne label Friends of Couture.  I absolutely love Friends of Couture and you will have seen me wearing their pieces for some time now, remember this little lamb cardigan? Occasionally you come across a collection that you think to yourself, ” Oh that is all so me, I just have to have it!”, well that is the way I feel about everything FOC does.  They have a brilliant knack of combining vintage inspirations with super cute detail and modern chic, which  is why when they invited me to review their latest collection, Paris After Dark, I jumped at the opportunity.

Jo Matheson, (chief designer) and Candice DeVille aka Super  Kawaii Mama

Nicole looks stunning in the “Little Red Ridinghood” dress is azure blue with the red striped Matelot top underneath.

Paris After Dark is the new Autumn Winter 2010 range by Friends of Coutures head designer Jo Matheson.  Inspired by the romance of vintage lines and a strong traditionally French colour palette, Jo has created something that is both wearable, collectable and very very head turning. The collection takes a journey from the flirty and feminine lines of sweet floral chiffon with a distinctly 1930’s flavour and meanders through to stunning, slightly puffed sleeved cardigan with beaded art deco detailing. I particularly love the Hotel DeVille cardigan in a soft, buttery cream wool with deep blue beading.  There are the iconic pieces that take wardrobe staples and give them just that much more punch by creating a strongly waisted silhouette and drenching you in azure blue; as well as classic boat necked tee’s with stripes that Gigi would have been proud to wear.

Jo Matheson is responsible for the beautiful Paris After Dark collection.

Hotel DeVille Cardigan (left) clearly must have been named after me! Little Drummer Girl cardigan (right).

The feminine detailing doesn’t stop at the figure flattering cuts, but continues through to corsages, bows (that can even be worn in the hair!), tulle skirts and the softest of soft cropped angora cardigans. (I don’t know about you, but the snuggle factor of angora wins me over every time.)  I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to find a local, accessible label that knows how to combine current trends with timeless classics in such a seamless way. For example, they’ve taken the military feel (so popular in that Balmain jacket) and managed to capture the essence of the style in soft, wearable cardigans that make the most of our assets without having to cash in any to buy them!

When I start to think about “Paris After Dark”, my mind drifts to Parisian bordellos (clearly I watch too many films), smoky eyed women in sumptuous fabrics, with kissable lips and strokable hips.  Jo has woven this intensity and edginess into some of the darker pieces in the range using velvet and sequins (bows!), strong shoulder lines and strategically placed zippers. While our Parisian girl by day may be all feminine pinks or jaunty stripes, at night her walk takes on just a little more wiggle in body con electric blue, violet and black.

Oh, and for those of you who have been drooling over my high waisted jeans… let me tell you, this collection has the most amazing pair of wide legged, high waisted black pants, Sartori.  With flat fronts, button detailing, even button on suspenders; when I tried these on, they fit like a glove and I even gave a little Squee in the dressing room.  You are going to LOVE them. ( Watch out for an outfit post with them next week.)

See them on the left? Awesome Sartori pants!

Friends of Couture pieces get my seal of approval for not only being infinitely stylish and cute, but also for their quality. I’ve worn some of their pieces over and over and over again in the last three years, washing the knit wear and popping it back on the next day, and they have kept their shape, their colour and their edge. I can’t say that for a lot of modern pieces in my wardrobe, especially not those others of a comparative price.

Yes, I could go on and on about how fab this range is, but you really must see it for yourself.  If you are in Melbourne you can head straight to the stores at:

225 Chapel street, Prahan

186 Sydney Road, Brunswick

Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Melbourne CBD 311 Swanston Street, Melbourne

And, because one can’t possibly not share something this good with the rest of the world, you can get your hands on some of these fantastic pieces for a ONE DAY ONLY 20% off Valentines Day Sale in the online store!! Just enter “bemyvalentine” at the coupon section at the checkout for 20% off on ALL stock!

***EDIT: Just to clarify they do sell online and will ship to ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! So get in there while the Aussie dollar is still a bargain!***

So yay for awesome new designs and a great big yay for special sales too!!

Last week I received this email from a reader….

“I found your blog recently and absolutely love your girly inspirations. I’m glad there are sharers in the world, yay the WWW.

As an eighties teenager I was raised with no fashion sense at all, (in some ways that may be a lucky coincidence of fate) so I was wondering if i may ask, is everything in your wardrobe of matching fashion, is it all in your style on these pages? I wonder whether period fashionista’s have two fashion lives or its all the way?” – B

… to which I (of course) began penning a very long and involved reply.  Once I realised it was going to be a short essay I figured it would be something to share with you all, so here is my answer.

If I understand correctly what she is asking  is, is everything I own vintage style or do I have a “normal” wardrobe as well? I can’t answer for all other vintage enthusiasts, only myself.

To answer as best as I can, I am not a vintage purist. What I mean by that is that I will happily mix a 1950’s dress with modern shoes or a 1940’s jacket with a Disney headband (yep, I’ve done that at Fashion week).  I’ve been collecting and wearing vintage for close to twenty two years now, and find that I wear it with varying intensity over different times in my life.  There are indeed times that I wear head to toe vintage, from the hairstyle to the earrings to the shoes; everything is period accurate; but this could be for a variety of reasons.  I understand that there are many enthusiasts out there that participate in “Re-Creation” types of events, which is something  I have yet to experience.  However, outside of specific modelling engagements where I might be hired for this purpose, there is no real rhyme or reason for when I decide to frock up in that manner. It could be just about anything, even a dreaded visit to the supermarket that motivates me to spice it up a little.

Going vintage all the way!

Do I have more than one wardrobe? Yes. But not in the way you might expect. I have (to be honest) about three wardrobes on the go at any one time, and this is to cater to  space limitations.  If I had a dream walk in robe with a place for everything, then I’d only have one.  As it is I have it spilt across three areas in my own room, my guest room and my studio.  I divide it up by things that are currently out of season, things that need repair or alteration and things that are in current rotation. It may sound fabulous but believe me it is a never ending source of angst trying to manage such a cobbled together system. The one thing you will not find…. the old jeans and t-shirt or logoed tracksuit anywhere to be seen.

I don’t have an “on duty / off duty” wardrobe, so everything you see on the blog is the way I dress, all the time.  Yes, sometimes it is more theatrical and intense for specific purposes like show casing that amazing gown from Violetville earlier in the week, but you will also find that most of it is just my day to day look. I don’t fluff about styling fancy photo shoots in things I don’t actually wear, just for the purpose of this blog. Frankly, with two small children to get fed and out of the house on time I just don’t have the time, and when evening comes around I certainly don’t have the energy. 99% of my Daily Outfit photos have to be done in two minutes flat on the front porch.

While I believe that you can add more glamour and magic to your everyday life through what you wear, there are times when I have to make compromises and times when I just don’t have it in me to go the whole nine yards in dolling up. However, my version of dressing down or casual, seems to be a bit different to the generally held standard these days.  The only time you will find me in a dressing gown for the whole day, I must be near death’s door with illness, only appearing from the bedroom to garner more sympathy.

I do own and wear gym clothes (like these), but they will only be seen in the gym or enroute – not picking up the shopping or hanging out for coffee. Now that is not to say that I expect the same from everyone else,  it is just that for me if  I spend a day dressed like this I don’t feel like myself and that doesn’t make me happy.

Makeup free  (if you don’t count lipbalm) going to the gym.

I don’t always wear makeup. There are times and days when it just  isn’t appropriate.  If I know I’ll be spending the entire day out in the garden working hard (ish), then I will usually be seen in my solitary pair of jeans, huge hat, bare faced only with slatherings of sunscreen and lipbalm. Attempting to reapply 40+spf over a full face of makeup whilst also attempting to keep dirt out of your eyes is just ridiculous. Besides which, with a slathering a red lipbalm and huge dark sunnies that is enough glamour for my rose bushes to handle!

I also try to have at least one makeup free day a week. A day to let my skin relax, breath and have a bit of a DIY facial. This is not as relaxing as it sounds however, as it is usually accompanied by screams of feigned terror at the Mama Monster and her masked face. I attempt to salvage my glamour factor in these instances by wearing a fabulous vintage dressing gown, sipping tea  (whilst Tweeting) and imagining myself away.

So B, I hope this is the answer you were looking for, and for everyone else I hope this gives you a better picture of who I am. The short answer is that everything you see on this blog is me. There is no alter ego, no hidden stylist, no pro photographer.  The reason I began writing this blog and the reason  I am so passionate to spend a large chunk of my life on it is to show that should you wish to, it IS POSSIBLE to make your life a little bit more glamorous.

You don’t need to be rich or famous, you don’t need to be artistic or have a team of specialists on hand.

You just need to want it and be courageous!

Last week I promised the follow up installment of Travel Essentials, and here it is! Today’s Flexible Fashion is designed for a trip to warm, summery locations. A trip that might see you doing everything from shopping to karaoke parties, lazing by the pool and walking miles to take in the local colour. It took me years to master the art of packing light, but the more I travel…and shop.. the more  I realise, I would sacrifice having the choice of  10 pairs of shoes with me for the space required to bring more home!

The first thing you’ll notice when taking in this page is the theme.  My single greatest trick to traveling light, is to pick a colour palette and a theme, then ensure that everything fits within it.  This time (as I have so often done in the past), I’ve picked a red white and black pallet with a floral theme.  Choosing the right pieces is then all you need to do and viola! Instant capsule wardrobe. This selection is but one variation on a theme.  There are infinite varieties you could come up with but let’s start here.

Every trip requires one fancy dress. Even if you have no special outings planned, you never know when you might be faced with a James Bond moment.  Need an upgrade? Break out the fancy dress.  Met a dark handsome stranger in the bar? Break out the fancy dress. Department store shopping? Break out the fancy dress. You can be assured that my Fancy Dress gets a good work out on each trip. You’ll also need one pair of heels to mix and match with your various ensembles.  I prefer to pick a great pair of wedges as you never know just how far you may have to walk or the condition of the streets.  I’ve seen many a heel meet its end on a cobble stone road.

An inexpensive feature bracelet comes with me everywhere.  It must be big, have impact, and be replaceable – as with just about everything you take.  This is a good time to point out that I very rarely take any of my vintage collection with me when I travel unless the purpose of my trip is specifically vintage related.  I am yet to ever loose my luggage (touch wood), but no amount of travel insurance will ever be able to replace that New Look 1950’s dress I adore.   I rely on my makeup and hair styling to give my outfits a more vintage look. After all, accessories are the key to any successful outfit. And don’t forget a fine knit pashmina – small enough to fit in the hand bag and a lifesaver in various crisis.

The key to getting day wear right is to ensure that each piece can be worn with the others and all in various ways. A little summer dress can become a tunic top over the pants, and button through blouses can double as light weight cover ups.  If you have the room for it, a fine knit black poncho not only deals with an evening chill, but with the addition of your sparkliest accessories, takes on a slightly more evening look. One pair of feature flats that tone with each of your looks is also essential.  Other than the one pair of wedges included in the previous selection, all the other shoes in this capsule wardrobe are flat and easily packable without adding much to the weight or space component of you bag.

Beach and swimwear should be simple. If yours is a predominately pool holiday, you’ll want more than one suit; but that is of no great space concern. Don’t think you can skimp on the sun hat and that you big dark glasses will do all the work – that’s how you end up with a big old chicken neck!  These days, you can find great wide brimmed hats in crushable straw that can be rolled up and spring back into shape.  Note: These are  not the “crushable” kind which often look just that – crushed!  Bring your sunscreen in wipe form to save on weight and space; as well as to prevent any leakage. Oddly, sunscreen seems to be one type of cream that often leaves stains on fabric that can’t be removed.  And don’t forget the cover up.  Choose something from your palette in a solid colour. It shouldn’t have shoe string straps, but a nice wider arm that not only gives better sun protection, but can do double duty as a dress or tunic for day wear.

Hair can be one of the trickiest things when traveling. You don’t want to spend too much time on it, after all you should be relaxing! And for me, traveling in hot and humid climates is the absolute worst when it comes to looking put together.  I end up a mass of frizz with bits sticking out all over the place.  Finally, after paying attention to the locals in many of the hotter and stickier countries I’ve visited, I noticed one of their secrets to sleek hair. It wasn’t theirs! Now when I travel I take a switch or a fauxny-tail piece in a colour to exactly match my hair.  That way I can do something sleek with the front and rely on the switch to do the rest of the work. As for getting Hollywood glam hair without bringing along the rollers, I use my Perfect Pin Curls trick.  All you need is a little smoothing setting lotion, bobby pins and a scarf. Done!

Make sure to bring along a good selection of hair ornaments and you’ll have a different do every day.

Sleep is simple. If you are not staying somewhere where a robe is provided, make sure to include a lightweight kimono in your suitcase. Other than that, all you need is here. A cute but classy nightgown and some fancy roll up jiffies.  That way, should you be hosting nightcaps in your room, you’ll still be fit to work the room.  Some travel candles are a great touch to help you relax, particularly if you’ve had a trying flight, and if you burn them while away, the weight can be replaced on the trip back home. shhhh..  I also like to take a little reminder of home to watch me sleep – it must be teeny tiny too.  The teeny tiny toy touch is something I learnt in Bangkok, when the Hilton kindly provided me with a tiny elephant for my pillow. I liked him so much he now lives on my bedside table.

Being a maximalist trying to travel in a minimalist way, there is one singular key to success that keeps me sane and my creativity intact. Accessories! Stay on colour, on theme and go wild.They take up very little space and change the whole tone of an outfit. It is all about the mix and match, stretching a little to think up new combos and new ways of wearing things.

Of and don’t forget the perfume.. if all else fails… or perhaps if you succeed… you won’t need to wear anything but this!

P.S: Don’t forget to keep on voting for me in the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards!