Okay, so clearly I have no idea what kind of vibe I was aiming for with this outfit, but I still love the end result!

I found this skirt in a recycle boutique over a year ago and have never found anything that worked with it, that is until I found this great new top in this months sponsors store!

This is one of those ‘organic’ outfits that just kind of happens as you get dressed. Well that happens to me anyway.  It was about trying to find a balance for the volume of the skirt, find a way to keep it up (it is a little big) andground it with the right shoes.  I did have the best pair of black and red Melissa style flats on to begin with, but they just weren’t comfortable enough for a whole days walking around, so the Le Pommier shoes filled the gap instead.

I had stayed up with a friend the night before, crafting and hot gluing new hair thingys until 1am and the result was this hair bow.  A little red velvet ribbon, some faux pearls and  a golden anchor. It turned out to be the perfect thing the outft needed.

Outfit Details from head to toe:

Hair bow – made by me  Earrings – a few seasons ago from Diva

Top - Matelot top A/W’10 Friends of Couture

Skirt – unlabeled and found at a recycle store. Made of cotton scarves and broderie anglise.

Belt – elastic with enamel bow from Angel Sissi in Bourke Street Melbourne (they don’t have a website yet)

Flesh tone fishnets – Leg Avenue

Shoes – Le Pommier (these guys don’t have a site either!)

I guess you could say this is a classic SKM look – pulled together from a variety of inspirations, breaking lots of rules and inherantly me.

P.S: For those of you in Melbourne looking for some great recycled, new and vintage bargains, Episode is having their Once A Year Garage Sale this weekend!  There will be stuff from $5 – $50 but mostly $5- $20.  They have samples, last seasons stock, vintage and recycled.  It runs from Friday till Sunday and the first 20 people to arrive on Friday will be able to fill an entire bag for only $20!

Yep, I’ve been at it again. Finally I found some time to make myself another pair of those high waisted jeans I love so much. They are light weight, comfortable and just about the best pants I think I’ve ever made.  Today’s outfit post is also a very good example of why I started taking outfit photos. Sometimes things look one way in your mirror and quite differently once you head out.  It wasn’t until I looked at these shots on the camera that I realised just how transparent the top was and just why choosing a white bra was a bad idea! Straight off the change it before I headed out then.  So you’ll have to forgive the bad choice of undergarments here and rest assured that I didn’t spend the day like that!

Sheesh.. I am so glad I took these photos and checked things before I left!

Outfit Details:

Leopard print top – Zara (Singapore)         High waisted pants – designed and made by me

Snood – Lindy Charm School for Girls Pearl Bow Earrings – Equip

Cream Bow Bangle – Friends of Couture LOVE ring – Equip

Hair bow (almost out of shot) – My Little Rockabilly

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!

Feburary is one of the hardest months to find wardrobe inspiration in for me. Here in Australia it is generally as hot as anything, and it has been for a while. So our enthusiasm for fresh summer looks is on on the wane.  The stores start teasing us with thoughts of Autumn showers, but the sun still insists on frying us to a crisp. This week I’ve taken another imaginary shopping trip, delving into the reaches of my sweating subconcious, to put together some late summer outfits to inspire your days.

Light, bright, Ice Queen chic. Looking like a stylish snowflake will take the heat off!

For party or for play, baby blue envelopes you in a cool breeze as you dream of the sea.

They say that green is the most relaxing colour, and the colour most often chosen by geniuses.  Either way, frogs and frills most certainly go together in this look to take you away from it all.

Red may be the colour of passion, but add lots of rosey pink and it is all girly love. It is summer showers and raspberry kisses with a nice tall sangria as the sun goes down…

To see the details of any of the items in these outfits, simply click on the image and follow the link.

See if you can come up with your own monochromatic masterpiece from what you have in your wardrobe – and NO- black does not count this time!

Feeling inspired yet?

We’ve just made our very own gym at home. I had allowed my schedule to get in the way of my exercise activities and the consequences are dire. All the usual things, from feeling more and more tired to not sleeping at all.Something had to be done.

So we’ve brought home the elliptical trainer, found my hand weights and set up the T.V with a whole seasons worth of Gossip Girl to distract my legs form their activity. But how do you go about making something as ordinary as exercise a little vintage glam?  And even more so, how do you do it without messing up your hair?

Ladies work out wear of the past had much more in common with what we now see on the tennis courts or the golf course – well unless your Venus Williams!  High waisted shorts, pleated skirts, all in ones, tennis dresses and the ever cute (but difficult to manage) playsuit. Surprisingly, when you think about it, most of these things are rather easy to come by, but the key difference is in the overall presentation of the look. Hair was still beautiful, not scraped into a ragged ponytail that would have your hairdresser shrinking with shame. When you consider the time and effort that went into an old-school weekly set, it wasn’t likely that these ladies would be working up a sweat, more likely a ‘lady like glow’. Exercise was less about cardio and fat burning,and more about gentle shaping and toning – invigoration. In fact, it all sounds just about my speed.

So I’ve taken a leaf from the vintage book yet again and come up with these; my very own Vintage Inspired Workout Wear look!

High Waisted shorts with a little cropped t-shirt. Some matching flat canvas trainers and bobby socks, as well as a cute hair band – cause we can’t have your hair in your eyes making you fall off the treadmill now can we!

Don’t forget the robe to keep you warm after said workout too!

Again with the high waisted shorts and this time with a cute tailored polo shirt. Don’t forget the clips to keep your curls out of your face.

I love this cropped top with the detailed neckline. Pair with a short pleated skirt (very lady like if you please), bobby sock and flat canvas trainers again. A nice wide headband can be worn turban style to keep your curls up, safe and dry while your twisting away to your 18 inch waist!

Now is that a more attractive way to train than in your boyfriends old high school t-shirt? I think so!