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!

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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.

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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.

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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…

A short and sweet outfit post today as I am frantically rushing about trying to get things organised before heading off to Tasmania for this weekend’s Lindy Charm School Workshops (yay!). Today is casual errand day, tying up loose ends and rushing about with a sick toddler in tow.

Here’s what type of activities this outfit was handling – A 4 degree morning, school run, coffee with sick toddler, stationery shop, dress shop, vet. Then sorting, cleaning, packing and doing loads and loads of washing.  A pretty average domestic day really, but when I know I’ll be carrying around a snotty toddler in one arm and bags of shopping in the other I generally skip the heels and opt for something simple.

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These are the pants I was crowing about on Twitter the other week.  I knew I wanted another pair of winter weight pants that would be perfect for cleaning days and other tasks that required a lot of floor time.  So with a little dark cotton denim, a bag full of 1940′s buttons and a picture in my head I set to work.  I made these up as I went along, cutting the pieces and pinning, folding and draping till I had what I wanted.  So sadly I can’t tell you where to buy them as I made them myself, the whole box and dice!  They are kind of a 1940′s high waisted style, meets slouchy Oxford pant leg with a deep cuff.

Outfit Details

Blue Sweater – 1940′s hand knit vintage

Blouse – unlabeled second hand store find.

Pants – Made by Me!

Boots (unseen) RMK

Lipstick – Boots No. 7 Moulin Rouge

One of the goals I’d set mself for this year was to tackle so many of the outstanding personal projects sitting around neglected in my studio. Things like yesterday’s jeans had been on the waiting list since Septemeber!  So far, I appear to be off to a cracking start even if that does mean hand stitching by lamp light feeling rather Dickensian as my vision slowly fades….  Which is why I was quite thrilled to be featured in the January issue of UK magazine SEW!

Here is what it says…

-What do you write about and what inspires you to blog?

Super Kawaii Mama is primarily fashion and style related. It is all about choosing to live your most glamorous life, regardless of your income level or parental status!  Rather than focusing on the latest catwalk looks or fashion that needs to be constantly updated, I am passionate about vintage, recycled, cottage industry and alternative fashion.  It is all about creating a style that is unique to yourself and finding a sense of joy through what you wear everyday.

Amazingly, I never seem to run out of things to blog, in fact I have a hard time keeping up with my brain and sometimes have some very sleepless nights as it won’t shut off!  I don’t find much inspiration in current fashion trends but rather in things I come across in daily life that, when looked at from a certain perspective, open up a whole new world of possibilities. It could be a certain colour, a great old movie, or even a wheat field seen from the window of the car that inspires me to start thinking about Little House on the Prairie type fashion!
Everything is fair game and is interpreted through the lens of my own sense of style then served up on the blog ready for consumption.

-How does blogging aid you in the creative process?

Blogging has been the biggest boon in terms of aiding my creative process. It is a brilliant way to connect to like minded individuals as well as people that see things very differently to myself and thus open my eyes to the new.  It forces me to make sense of many otherwise unformed thoughts which means that so many projects that would never have made it out of my head, have been able to become a reality.
Blogging is also a great validation. When your life is so busy being a parent, wife and everything that goes with that; it is often difficult to justify the time we want to spend on projects for ourselves. Especially those that are simply frivolous fun!  So if I feel like making a fancy Cinderella gown that I may only ever wear once, I can justify it to myself when I share the process with others… Well at least that is what I tell my husband!

-What are your favorite things to make?

Wow, my studio is testament to my favourite things to make as it is full of supplies for projects I haven’t even started but have very good intentions to! I have a large collection of vintage patterns from the 1930’s – late 1950’s as well as reams of vintage fabric. I love making reproduction vintage pieces as it means that I can have the garments I really want in just the right size, as finding an authentic piece that is just what you want isn’t always possible.  I try to use all the original techniques and materials were possible when I’m doing these.  There is such a sense of triumph involved in getting some of these pieces right as the tailoring is critical, especially when the fabrics have no stretch and some that have no closures, just a complex construction.

If I don’t have the time to devote to such a big project, the other favourite is things that can be knocked over in a short space of time. Usually taking something old and altering and customizing it to become something entirely different.

-What are your plans for the future of Super Kawaii Mama?

There is some much in the works for Super Kawaii Mama in the new year.  The site is being redesigned for more depth and better navigation of archives.  I also get hundreds of requests for help and tutorials each month so I’m trying to find a better way to give readers what they need.  I have a number of creative collaborations in the works that will see the pages open up to a whole new audience and give you more choices in how you choose to interact with me. In short, I guess I never stop making things and never stop coming up with more and more outlandish ideas!

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What about you?

Do you sew, do you want to sew or do you fear even the mere thought of reattaching a button?

You’ll remember me slaving away over a new creation here right? Well, here is the final product!

It was the perfect outfit for a summer’s evening dinner with friends.

As I was making the dress I was imagining all the combinations and different ways of wearing it, but one of the problems that always happens here in Melbourne with our unpredictable weather is deciding on short or long sleeves.  Thank goodness for Friends of Couture ;and their brilliant range of cardigans that came to my rescue.  This little darling is called “Daughters of Pleasure” and has the most delightful cotton lace detailing as well as cut amber coloured buttons. They come in a few different colours including greens and pinks, and if you’re quick you can still get your hands on them while they are on sale – reduced to $39.99!

Outfit Details

Dress: Made by me to a vintage pattern in a cotton sateen fabric

Cardigan: “Daughters of Pleasure” by Friends of Couture

Shoes: Grey patent leather bow shoes from Shoo Biz

Earrings: Vintage 1960′s clips on beaded earrings in  sea green shades. (Divine!)

I love this dress pattern so much, and I’m feeling so inspired at the moment that I’ve bought a whole new selection of fabrics to make some different varieties!

Let’s see how it translates into a whole range of looks!

Yes, it isn’t an elaborate creation behind the scenes to rival Project Runway, but it is my suburban sweatshop. Lots of you have asked me to post more about all my projects and design endeavours.  Most of what I create I create only for myself and my family.  But don’t be fooled into thinking that this was just some natural talent I was born with, oh no. It has taken many years of trial, effort, failure, study and stabbed fingers to get where I am now.  It is infinatley reqarding though, as it seems that more often than not I don’t really want what I find in the stores and must resort to my own skills if I want the pictures in my head to come to life.

Sometimes I work from patterns, some times I just make it up as I go along, and then occassionaly I combine the two and alter basic patterns to make them do what I want.

I do have a cutting table, but more often than not is just isn’t big enough for the scale of the projects.  I tend to spread right out on the lounge room floor, shoo the puppy away and try not to cut the tassles off the rug!

I am very lucky to have a dedicated studio space that serves both for blogging as well as all my other creations.  It isn’t the tidiest but then, I can always find what I need and I fit an astonishing amount of stuff in there!

But just what am I making….?

Stay tuned to see this week’s creation in the next Daily Outfit!