Unforgettable.

This woman may be the key to understanding where my addiction to vintage began. I first remember seeing Maureen O’Hara in The Black Swan with Tyron Power, when I was a little girl.  My grandfather had a collection of VHS tapes that covered two walls of his living room and he must have recorded every Golden Years of Hollywood moment ever.

I would sit in the semi-darkness in a huge 1950′s vinyl armchair, eating jersey caramels and watching these movies with my eyes out on stalks; my feet not yet touching the ground.  I watched ‘Meet Me in St Louis’ and other little girl kind of movies, but it was these images of beautiful women with their well coiffed hair, their elaborate outfits, and tiny waists being held by dashing men that really captured my imagination.

From that first moment that Maureen O’ Hara came on screen full of fire and style, I just knew the kind of woman I wanted to become.

Wintersun was nothing if not a fabulous time for photo opportunities, and it seems that I got around quite a bit!  Here’s a look at some of the cameos I made during the week.

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Promoting Wintersun and Charm School in the Tweed Daily

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Wintersun lead story for Gold Coast news.

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Promoting the Wintersun vintage swimsuit parade organised by Nicole Jenkins of Circa Vintage Clothing and The Lindy Charm School for Girls in the Gold Coast Bulletin.

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Possibly my favorite swimsuit of the parade – and another shot of it here.

One of my all time favorite moments of the week posing it up in the laundromat with my darling friend Kesenya.

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Trying  really had to Lindy Hop with my friend Miss Carly!

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Working it in a 1950′s black lace swimsuit.

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Finding a 1930′s vibe in a sweet blue suit.

I still have a pile of photos and fun to share with you, not least of which are highlights from the great 1950′s Cake Bake Contest, my pick of the best of the bands and the very, very odd local colour! (Hint – it has feathers!)

* Please note – all images are property of The Tweed Daily and The Gold Coast Bulletin where stated and remain their property.*

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

Often on these pages you’ll find I am inspired by the beautiful actresses of the Golden Years of Hollywood. However, my true style inspirations required a little more substance than simply looking great in a killer gown.  Which is why when I came across the stunningly beautiful and pioneering Aleshia Brevard, I was quite bowled over.

Aleshia Brevard was born in Tennessee in 1937… as Alfred Brevard Crenshaw. With an artistic talent, Alfred dreamed of growing up to become just like his idol Veronica Lake.  He would drape his head in a white towel, emulating her familiar peak-a-boo hair style. All this little boy wanted was to blossom into a stunning Hollywood bombshell…. in the 1940′s.  Later, working as a female impersonator at Finnochio’s, Alfred played and partied with the likes of Lana Turner and Betty Davis, yet he still  sought not just to  impersonate, but to truly become a woman.

So strong was his commitment to becoming his true self, that in the absence of a willing surgeon, Alfred performed his own castration before subsequently undergoing gender re-assignment surgery in 1962. Now the Aleshia had finally released her true self, she continued making her mark of the entertainment world with vigor. Studying acting, appearing on film and television, even going on to become a Playboy Bunny. What a woman!

The strength of character and will it takes to become a success in Hollywood is one thing.  To do it against all odds, and traditional gender roles, is quite another.  While I have no real understanding of what life must have been like for Aleshia, I do understand her level of commitment.  She new what she wanted and fought hard to achieve her goals, going on to be come on of the most remarkable women in entertainment history.  There is so much to Aleshia’s story that fascinates me. You may not agree with her choices, but you have to admire  her courage and strength of conviction. The point that stays with my most is her understanding of glamour’s power to transform, to make of you the YOU you truly are.

Here is some of Aleshia’s story for you. Amazing!