Well now, June certainly got away from me this time! Unlike so many other industries, Winter seems to be my busiest time of the year, running pillar to post trying to fit everything into fifteen plus hour days, seven days a week. So as penance for my appalling absence this month, I’ve set aside the most of July to catch up on all the things I’ve yet to show you, all the articles half written, and all the video tutorials that are awaiting the editing room.

It’s become clear that my usual planning skills, although pretty darn good, just haven’t been up to the task of the last month; so I’ve decided to bring in the big guns and get myself a copy of the new book by fellow blogger Nicole Avery, “Planning with Kids” from the blog – Planning with Kids of course!  I’ve spent so many hours in airport lounges of late, that reading and browsing bookshops has been like a spotters sport. It’s always smile worthy to see a friends name on the shelves.

I love the addition of the little plastic T-Rex on the cover – that’s often how it feels when you have two (or more) small people after your attention all the time.

In order to make sense of the whirlwind of a month I’ve had, I thought I’d do a little mini photo diary for you over the next few days. Partly to remind you what I look like, I’ve been so absent this month; also in part because it all gets so mad at times that I forget what I’ve done from day to day and it’s nice to look back and take a moment for it all the sink in.

So back at the end of May, I headed up to Queensland for the Garterbelts & Gasoline festival. You’ll remember we had a bit of a vintage shopping tour and all kinds of tiara’d shenanigans. That’s where the next six weeks of craziness began…

Because we like to travel in the style we’re accustomed too (nothing to do with how much luggage we have..) we arrived in the stretch limo, champagne in hand. Yes, I know; it already looks like trouble!

.

Oh so demure at breakfast as we fortify ourselves for the day ahead… but you wouldn’t believe what some of these ladies could put away!

.

This really had to be seen to be believed, but on Miss Nada’s plate is the biggest single scone known to mankind -and she actually did it!

.

Miss Nada, Me, Miss Chrissy and Bonnie Rose – hanging out and shopping up a storm in Mt Tambourine.

.

Do we have fun? Ummmm… well I can tell you that onlookers certainly do when we hit the streets!

.

The festival had a fantastic little art show, the only disappointment for me is that all the pieces I loved weren’t for sale!

.

.

.

But of course it wouldn’t be a nostalgia event without the Show n Shine part of the weekend. We ladies are all partial to a bit of vintage transport, and spending the afternoon wandering around through all this shiny, shiny eye candy is sometimes more than you can bare. So of course we make sure to take a few snaps of our favourite to add to the wallet as a reminder of why we need to keep on saving out pennies for a few of these beauties of our own!

.

Bonnie Rose shows her wild side.

.

Harry Deluxe, the indomitable Rockabilly chanteuse, goes with something red hot to match her red hot voice.

.

and me, well I was rather partial to this sleek and dangerous number.

.

But what about when the lights go down? Silly question – we have a good old knees up!

Candice DeVille, Bonnie Rose & Helen McLean.

.

Yes, indeed I do dance; in fact dancing and shopping are currently vying for first place in my list of thing I love to do.

.

Bonnie Rose and I propping each other up after a very long weekend.

.

And that’s only one weekend in May! As I said, I’ve lots of catching up to do as I get a chance to go through all my images from the last month, so if there’s something you’d particularly like to see, let me know and I’ll see if I can dig something up for you. And thanks for sticking around while I disappeared!

Xxxx!

Let me set the scene for you. After a weeks worth a delightful, sunny, seaside weather; Saturday decided to bucket down in the most unfriendly manner. And with ten girls all ready to hit the stage in their scanties, Saturday’s parade was sadly a wash out and so we all called it a day and went back to get in a bit of a Nana nap. Lucky we did because…

Sunday’s weather wasn’t much better! But determined to give the crowd something to remember, these valiant ladies rallied together to pop on their fancy knickers and set off running to and fro in the pouring rain.

My thanks go to Brett Dolson Photography for these wonderful images of the afternoon. He has a wonderful gallery full of beautiful shots from not only the parade, but the whole Wintersun week – check it out!

Put together by Bonnie Rose Vintage, the show featured highlights from lingerie, swimwear, day and evening wear of the 1940′s and 1950′s. The ladies all did a wonderful job of modelling the garments, many for their very first time, showing grace under pressure and always ready with a smile.

It’s likely all this has whetted your appetite for something more, so isn’t it fortunate I have another big show right around the corner?! This SUNDAY 26th JUNE, I’m hosting a traditional 1950′s Salon show at Como House & Gardens as a part of the Mannequin Exhibition. It is set to be a stunning event in the grand ballroom, featuring beautiful garments from both local and international labels including Dior and Le Louvre. The show commences at 3.30pm and tickets include a glass of champagne on arrival, as well as entry to the full exhibition.  I’d suggest you book a ticket immediately as there are only a handful left! Clickety click!

If you follow me on Facebook you’ll have a pretty good idea of where I disappeared to this last week. As usual, I leave town with all the best intentions of blogging while I’m away, then find myself working and or socialising every minute of the day… and night.  The last week in Port Macquarie was no different, with so much to do that I somehow managed to do a whole week on no more than 3 hours sleep each night! Yes, self inflicted torture but what fun!

Having never been to Port Macquarie I didn’t really know what to expect of the town. In fact I had done so little research that it didn’t even occur to me that it would have a beach… duh. And while the weather was wintery as to be expected at this time of year, the entertainment was so hot that we had an unforgettable time.

Getting to Port Macquarie meant a 5 hour layover in Sydney (my bad planning), so I decided to be conscientious and use the time to answer emails while watching the planes taxi off. So I sat by the window, tapping away furiously on the laptop catching up on emails, when an older chap (not elderly by any stretch of the imagination), came and sat beside me. Concentrating, I kept on working away, typing like a demon until about 45 minutes later he interrupts to say, ” My you’re a busy little beaver. Is that work you’re doing there?” Of course I smile and say, “Yes, I’m catching up while I have a chance.” Imagine the stunned expression on my face when he gives me the look one gives a clever child and says, “Now who would give such a pretty girl so much work to do?” Seriously… WTF?! But the lady in me won out over my inner bitch and closed the conversations politely so I could get back to the task at hand.

Being someone who travels to all manner of places, I’m not much fazed by different locations and having to think on the fly; but one thing I always forget is that people aren’t quite used to me.  So stepping off the small propeller plane onto the tarmac in Port Mac with the locals awaiting their loved ones, faces pressed up against the wire fence; my cashmere, full skirts, sequins, dark glasses and hat boxes were quite the sight! This is when you feel a bit like Moses parting the Red Sea… but it is useful for getting to your luggage quickly!

And how beautiful was the first morning…

.

Breakfast in the sunshine with the fabulous Miss Chrissy

.

I’d like to tell you that each morning was this leisurely experience kicking back in the sun, but generally we were all working so flat out that not much sun (or rain) was seen.  The beauty of mixing pleasure and business on these trips is working with friends, but it does mean that you don’t really get a chance to see all the cars and performances. We spend all day at different ends of town on our various gigs, so of course when the sun goes down…. all bets are off!

My buddy Scotty Baker and I pose for another “Classic 50′s moment snap shot”, of which there were many.

So after a little healthy pizza parlour action for the crew we were sufficiently fortified to hit the town!

A little from my personal party photo album of the week…..

Casual night for kicking up the heels with a bit of Swing dancing.

The fabulous Catherine and Bonnie from Bonnie Rose Vintage

Tara from Lucky Trix, the suave Scotty Baker and Miss Chrissy.

The incredible Heather from Pretty Things Peep Show and Miss Catherine.

yes… the usual suspects.

The Rockabilly Diva Miss Harry Deluxe entertaining us at the after party.

We might possibly be the most glamorous party animals ever.

If you’d like to see even more of our rabble rousing and secret videos, check out my Candice DeVille Faceboook page. Now that I’ve managed a few good nights sleep I’m back on deck and ready to tackle the next project. Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at the big Wintersun 2011 vintage fashion parade in all it’s finery!

Last Wednesday evening, the Mission 65 Fashion event for Prahran Mission went off with a bang! The show was a total sell out with people still turning up at the door vying for a space to see the show. Created as a fundraising event to assist people living with mental illness, it brought together top designers, stylists and fashion students in a time honoured tradition of philanthropy meets fashion. It was an honour to show with Jenny Bannister, the incredible team at Madam Virtue, Anthony Capon, Kim Kniepp, and Philip Boon amongst others.

This year the Mission turns 65, as does the House of Dior; and so it was that a parallel was drawn and inspiration for the evening began. In 1947 as the world was emerging from a time of darkness and austerity, fashion was rediscovering the spirit of celebration and was once again used as a tool to lift the spirits. As a contributing designer my brief was this – to take garments found in the Prahran Mission Op shop and in the spirit of the  Make do and Mend, re-create them into a 1940′s styled master piece with a slightly modern twist.

I wanted to create something that not only looked good, but as much as possible mirrored the quality techniques used in garment construction. Choosing fabrics of the best quality and producing an outfit that would last 65 years. After finding my muse, I went on a hunt to uncover the materials I’d need. And here is a look at the process of creation.

After two days sourcing, one day of cutting and machine sewing, then another 14 hours of hand sewing to perfect the trim; it was ready for it’s close up!

…

.

.

A BIG thank you to two wonderful bloggers Fashionising and Business Chic who had my back on the photo front for the evening. Please do visit their blogs to see and read more about the evening.

.

As you’ve probably figured by now, the inspiration for this piece is the late 1940′s woman’s Western Suit look – particularly inspired by to good friends of mine who are masters of this craft and converted me heart and soul. The Western look was very much in vogue right throughout the late 1930′s to the late 50′s and still has a strong following today.

.

.

I wanted to create a chic ensemble that could be worn as separates or a as a whole for this intensely beautiful look.  The blouse hidden underneath is  sheer red georgette with self rose print. It is collarless and has puffed mutton sleeves that taper to the elbow. I finished it off with vintage red flower glass buttons and a removable blue neckerchief.

The hat is an original Velveteen black structured beret (another op shop find), which I custom trimmed with vintage pieces from my own stash, including the veil with it’s beautiful soft texture.

The jacket and skirt are both fully lined and in wool, and the skirt has a red velvet ribbon trim woven through the scalloped hemline. ( I should note that on me the hem comes nicely below the knee but on my gorgeously statuesque model was rather shorter). From my own stash I added the vintage trim – silk cord and woollen pom poms. The doilies came from the Mission op shop and were just the right thing to add more colour and shape. The snoods did indeed come from my personal stash, but finished off the look perfectly.

Not only was I honoured to create this piece for the event, but I was also Director of Hair & Makeup, ensuring a cohesive vintage look all around.  I wanted to keep it a simple 40′ flavour, without any of the high fashion interpretations so often seen on the catwalk. To me, I felt that each model should shine in the outfits; a radiant version of themselves to echo the tones of celebration for the evening. So yes, as you flip through the images of the evening, you will no doubt recognise my finger prints on these looks.

On one hand it was totally exhausting doing all this, but on the other a totally revitalising and reinvigorating experience. Breathing new life into old garments like this opens up a whole world of possibilities for your wardrobe.  Yes, it is time consuming, but it expands your imagination onto new horizons and goes to show that style doesn’t take a whole lot of cash. The Make do and Mend philosophy of the show was something that I was indeed academically familiar with, and while I’m always restoring my vintage garments, I’d never taken the principle to these lengths. The world of possibilities is endless…

As you saw yesterday, the Love Vintage Fair made it’s Melbourne debut the weekend just past. As a loyal attendee of the Sydney fairs, it was wonderful to have the chance to be a part of the fair in my own home town. And this time I had something extra special up my sleeve.
After many weeks of secret project work, it came time to put it out there on my very own stand. Keep in mind that this is a bit of a peek at the project and the ‘soft’ launch, but I’ll be bringing it to you in its entirety with all the bells and whistles shortly. Together with Finessence Photography, we have created an opportunity for those who want to capture their most glamorous vintage self with our vintage vogue portraiture!
With the help of my beautiful models Marianne, Hannah, Dolores Daiquiri and Vicki,  Circa Vintage Clothing providing the gowns for the shoot,  and Fleurage creating an exclusive range of vintage bridal perfumes, the finished product was altogether divine.

One of my lovely models Hannah comes to visit at the fair.

Left to Right – Emma from Fleurage who has created a stunning range of vintage bridal perfumes that we featured together at the fair. Me in the middle and Karen from Finessence on the right.

A sneak peak at the final images…. all will be revealed shortly!

Thanks to Emma and her exquisite high class, soliflore perfumes, we made an intoxicating impression!

The beautiful Miss Chrissy from The Lindy Charm School for Girls.

With everything on my plate that weekend I didn’t have time to take any outfit pics, but thanks to visiting friends and fans I’ve managed to collect a few to show you what I wore each day.

Thank you Tina for this great shot of the two of us on Sunday.

Saturday’s outfit photo thanks to Rina at Take 2 Markets.

Want to see more? Well we’re just putting the finishing touches to our gallery and can show you the whole beautiful creation shortly!

It has been the most full on couple of weeks and shows no sign of letting up yet as I prep up to head off to Wintersun next week too!  That will be a whole ten days of Fifties frolicking, parties, fashion, cars, shopping and workshops – if you haven’t booked your tickets yet, you can check out all the events, including my styling workshops, here.