Monday, October 20, 2008

Homecoming Queen


I'm back! My purse is much lighter, my suitcase 32 kilograms heavier and my soul is much refreshed. I wish I had been able to take daily photos and post lots of goodies for you in my travels, but traveling sans computer, and being far too busy living life to pose for photos every five minutes, I've saved it all up until now.

I was to take photos of my travel outfit, but of course neglected to do so until arriving at the airport, where all photography is now met with suspicion and in some cases, aggression. So no posed proof, but just like I planed, my travel outfit consisted of lots of black and stretch fabric. A handy waisted trench coat was the perfect solution to not having to change into a dress for disembarking, and a bright blue silk scarf was my shot of colour. The only problem with wearing a scarf when you travel, is that it is such a rarity these days, that people automatically assume that you must work for the airline and keep asking for assistance!

On the topic of dressing for travel, this particular ensemble made my eyes bleed and I just had to share it. Taken surreptitiously from inside my handbag, this shows Mother and Son travel ensembles of the worst possible kind.



But there is much to be said for dressing properly and well for travel. Not simply for the comfort of travel, or the ability to remove your shoes in a heart beat for the constant security screenings, but for the air of importance it lends. Dress well anywhere and you experience better service. Dress well when you travel and people assume you must be a star traveling incognito and not only will you receive better service, but you'll gather more amusing anecdotes from your travels too. On one occasion, upon arriving at my hotel in LA, I was stopped by a security guard who insisted that I must be some sort of movie star. He insisted on escorting me to my room, carrying all my luggage, and gave me a big wink when I insisted that, "really, he didn't know me. And I wasn't famous."

After three plane trips and about 26+ hours of constant travel time, I finally hit Houston, Texas. And yes, everything is bigger there. I made many interesting observations concerning Melbourne versus Texas that surprised me. But I'll leave that intellectual dissection for another post. With the invaluable assistance of my gracious host, I systematically hit up every vintage store in Houston over the next five days. And what a haul I have! In fact, there is so much to show and tell on the vintage front, that I think I'll have to break up these holiday posts over the next week and give you a gem at a time. Sneak peak at the good news: My favorite Houston vintage store, has an online shop too!

So here is a look at some of my highlights from the Houston leg of my journey.



Pumpkin display at the Wholefoods market. If you live in the US this will be nothing unusual to you, but for an Aussie who not only sees limited Halloween festivities, but only two major supermarkets; this store was remarkable!



A little kitsch, a little cool. Hanging at the 59 Diner complete with 1950's interior, juke box and root beer floats.



My gracious and super fabulous hosts!


Who could possibly pass up a chance to have the car washed by the Fly Boys? Not me I tells ya!

Houston, you rocked a lot more than I expected.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks lovely!!

Skye said...

Welcome home! That carwash is hilarious!

Anonymous said...

Oh, hel-LO!

There's definitely a gap in the Australian carwash market - someone could make a fortune!

*starts plotting*

Miss_Red said...

Welcome back, you make for a very glamorous traveller!
You're hair looks great in the first pic, I'm so jealous of your curls :)

K.Line said...

Glad you had a great time. No wonder the hotel staffer thought you were a movie star - I told you you have the Hollywood glamour! :-)

Did your babies miss you?

WendyB said...

What is this Fly Boy thing? Hilarious!

Anonymous said...

How good is that diner?!! I bet you wanted to bring that home with you. Glad you are back and I am looking forward to hearing all about your trip (especially the vintage finds).

floraposte said...

Welcome back, can't wait to see what you bought!!

Kelly said...

aw, it looks like you had a great time! I look forward to seeing more pictures and hearing more about the differences between Texas and Australia :)

Make Do Style said...

Fab stuff you ol' movie star! and as for the boys you got to wash the car!!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back!!! I can't wait to see your vintage haul... it sounds fantastic!!! :D

Candice DeVille said...

Thanks all! It seems the babies coped very well without me, in fact much better than I was expecting. No malnutrition or hospital visits, so it's all good.
That car wash really was something else. They are a group of guys that do flag dancing for the gay pride parades and other events. They were running the car wash as a fund raiser. It was just too good.
As for the hair, I was traveling without any hairspray or product with all those new security regulations, so I had to come up with a new way to make it work. Even without the aid of hot rollers. So there will be a new hair tutorial in the works for this one too.
I have so many blogs to catch up on now, and while it is good to be back, I'm missing my holiday world already.

Tonya Staab said...

You look hot. Totally. I'm not surprised they thought you were a movie star.

Lovin' the fly boys ha ha. So glad you had a fabulous trip.

Elizabeth said...

Welcome back, SKM. How lovely you look!

I really can't believe that was a woman in that blue colorway camo.

Alright, must run, off to Houston for a car wash!

emsydo said...

welcome back! eww are those pyjamas? haha!!

wow, you look like you belong in that diner- awesome sunnies too!
i'd love to hear more about the whole trip. the luggage incident sounds hilarious.

Imelda Matt - The Despotic Queen of Shoes said...

Wlecome home...I hope you bought the franchise rights to the car wash while you were in Houston.

TheSundayBest said...

Welcome back. Those men intimidate me.

Helena said...

Wow, I love the car wash!

Al said...

was the vision in blue the mother or the son? ;)

Welcome back - you have been missed!

Candice DeVille said...

Tonya: Thank you! I actually videoed those boys they were so good.
Enc: Really every neighborhood should have one.
A dreamer: If they were pyjamas, they would be sure to keep you awake with their eye gouging colour.
Imelda Matt: With the future of pensions in this country, I think we may just have hit on our retirement plan. Oddly, you appeared in my dream last night, hosting a variety show a la Dame Edna!
The Sunday Best: Thank you. Your podcasts saved me from hours of airport boredom.
Audrey Lumiere: What hope does that poor child have??