The Last Rose

After our severe heat wave my garden has been left a scorched and sad landscape. Many of my favorite plants have been lost and some rethinking needs to be done for its recovery. But this morning I discovered that in spite of it all, the roses have struggled on and are giving me one last bloom. Very considerate of them considering today was the first day I wore this blue rose dress.

Seen in a previous post as an op shop find, I spent the morning altering this one down a few sizes before heading off to a children's party. With it's subtle print and little rose buttons, I had to go with the theme and add the white rose bracelet as well. Cool, comfortable and simple. My favorite kind of casual chic.

Outfit details: Dress - thrifted 1980's dress by EM, Shoes - Wittner, Bracelet - Diva.

Pick of the Bunch

Porcelain poodle

While out shopping for school supplies the other day, we were disappointed to find the store we needed was closed. But there was a ray of light. A little Op Shop I'd forgotten about just happened to be next door. Given that I had two little ones in tow and was very short on time, I figured I'd pop in for a quick reconnoiter and come back when I had more time. It seems though, that my many years of bargain hunting have honed my eye well. In ten minutes I whipped around the store and collected all these goodies for the grand total of $30!

1980's sun dress with matching belt.

1960's Red beads that are the sister of those yellow ones I picked up the other week.

Matching peach peignoire set

Matching late 1960's/ early 70's baby doll peignoire set

Deco style patent leather clutch with faux tortoiseshell closure

As my friend recently said, I think I have very good shopping karma.

Addition & Subtraction

Over the Christmas period I had a little time to indulge in my favorite hobby; Op Shopping (that is thrifting for those of you not from these fair shores). Everywhere I go one of the first things on my entertainment agenda is a visit to these little gold mines in the hopes of unearthing what to me will be treasure. Some days I am blessed by the rummage gods, and other times I find myself scraping and attempting to put a better spin on things that are really just trash. Such was the case on my most recent visits. It was slim pickings but I did find this very cute, rigid straw bag. It is a deep chocolate straw and nice and wide. Perfect for something summer weight, but still looking a little more formal than the usual raffia offerings.

Bag - Grand total of $1

I also made another score on the vintage front with a visit to Nana. It seems one never comes away from these occasions empty handed. My Nana is one of those ladies who still wears hats and gloves to church on a Sunday, so her collection is tightly held. Recently she decided that other than her spiritual outings, she no longer has anywhere very fancy to go that requires the more fancy of hats. Thus, I'm now the proud owner of a natty little blue cocktail number with netting, and the most divine navy and white creation that reminds me of a sea anemone. I said something along those lines to Nana when she showed it to me, but she seemed a bit offended. Perhaps her knowledge of marine creatures is a little limited, or the hat held some greater significance... we'll never know.

Cocktail hat modeled by Harajuku Lovers perfume bottle.

The sea creature for my head.

Now I'm not entirely sure that stores entitling themselves as "Antiques and Collectables" fall into the realm of thrifting, but they can be treasure troves nevertheless. So on a relaxing Saturday afternoon the other week, the Mr surprised me by assembling the family for an outing of coffee at a little playground that also happens to adjoin just such a store. Perfect; latte for him, swings for the girls and lots of old things and dust for Mama. With only $20 in my pocket, my eye sight narrows, honing it on the bargains within. And so it was that I came across this little box, (the style of which has been on my aquisitions list for some time) and set of yellow beads. There is something very cheerful about them both in a girly summery kind of way. And although the beads are yet to have an outing, the box is helping me fight the battle of the ever growing accessories collection.

And now, with all of those acquisitions out of the way, it is back to my purging. I think my wardrobe has an eating disorder.

Happy New Year!!

Yipee! Welcome to 2009, a year that is sure to be full of more colour, laughter, style and frivolity. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me and had fun reading the contents of my head as applied to the page. There are some exciting changes afoot for the blog this year, and hopefully you should see it before the first month is out.

To celebrate the New Year, and the first NYE that the Mr and I have been free to hit the town in the last four years (!), I decided to wear something super cute, super colourful and warm. Our weather has been crazy here and it isn't even close the the temperatures we usually experience at this time of year. This great dress is a 1980's classic that I thrifted some time ago and has been waiting to be worked into an ensemble that gave it personality. I tried it with a few different combinations of shoes or strappy sandals, but each time the effect was too aging and a bit like I just hadn't updated the closet since 1985. But then inspiration struck and I am so pleased with the final effect. It is about fifty different kinds of awesome if I do say so myself!

Outfit details: Dress 1980's - Syndicate (thrifted), Stockings - Columbine, Platform Shoes -
Urban Originals, Four Leaf Clover hair clasp - a gift from Nana for Christmas, Super Kawaii Bag - eBay some time ago.

Here's to you 2009.
2008 rocked so you have a lot to live up to, but I already have a good feeling about your potential to amaze.

Daily Outfit - Garden Style

Outfit details: Thrifted jacket, early 1970's vintage. Vintage gloves - from Nana, Wide leg pants - Made by me (Pattern Kwik Sew 2990), Wedge shoes - Wittner, Parisole - China Town, Earrings - Vintage clip ons, Lipstick note - Boots No.7 - Moulin Rogue.

It was a such a beautiful day today, that is was perfect for playing photographer with the girls in the garden. There was lots of dressing up, hunting for fairies, playing skittles and then a little quiet reading. I'm still trying to perfect this hair style, but I'm finding it difficult to roll so much hair up effectively. It works well for a few hours, but then the weight of it with all the pins gives me a bit of a headache. So that one is still in practice mode till it can make its way to the Hair Tutorial section. I found this sweet jacket yesterday at the op shop for $4, and loved its styling and shape. I'm not entirely sure of it's vintage, but the style and font on the label indicates it would be roughly late 1960's to early 70's.

I sent Miss Four into the op shop with some money in her hand bag and it kept her both occupied and thrilled to be doing her own shopping. Is it cheating to turn shopping into a game? But think about it, for $10 I can entertain both of us for a good hour and still come home with a bag full of lovely things. Much better than a couple of turns on a grocery store ride.

Sorting the Wheat from the Chaff

A Series on Vintage - Part 2

Before I begin my pontificating on this topic, let me say that the (non monetary) value of a garment is generally in the eye of the beholder. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, which is the very reason we are having this discussion. So aside from the personal worth you see in your chosen garment, just how do you find a gem amongst the rows of dross?

Many people are simply after labels to validate the importance of their finds. And while this is a shorthand way to find an item of quality manufacture, it leaves a little more bargain hunting room for those of us with a little more savvy. Clearly if an item is carrying a Chanel label, it is highly likely to have retained its value. But what about those quality labels you aren’t familiar with?

Look for garments with the designer label in a woven tape as opposed to printed. The better the quality the garment, the more likely it is to have one of these sewn into the collar. While you are on a label hunt, look also along the inside side seams for tags stating the fabrics composition, this is where you will discover that your jacket is either the cashmere you have been lusting after, or a poor acrylic imitation.

Any garment that is lined shows more time and effort it its original manufacture. But not all linings are created equal. When you try on the garment, it should slide on and fit like a glove. There should be no pulling or puckering where the lining meets the body fabric. The lining should be oversized and not restrict your movement.

One of my pet hates with many new items is their poor seaming. Hanging threads, buttons that pop off on first wear and stitching that isn’t even tied off. In a quality vintage piece you’ll be looking for French seaming, (where all you see on the inside is a little flap of fabric that houses the seam) or seams that are bound in tape or some other form of binding. You may also come across flat seams that, in a time before overlocking machines, were created by zigzag stitches on the edges of the fabric, which are then turned over and straight stitched to prevent any fraying.

Buttons, zippers and fasteners can also tell you much about a garments quality. Any buttons made of natural materials like bone, wood or mother of pearl are more expensive for the manufacturer to buy, hence they indicate a higher quality garment. Buttons that are covered in the same fabric as the garment are also quite lovely and worth a look. As for zippers, their insertion gives you a clue to quality or not. In a better piece, the zipper will have a flap of fabric behind it to protect your skin from touching the teeth. The zip should also not be exposed (unless this is a design feature), and definitely not have any puckers or sag. A hook and eye fastening at the top of a zipper is also common on good vintage garments as opposed to those only masquerading as such.

And on the accessories front look for:

• · Scarves with hand rolled edges

• · Handbags that are lined and with stitched in woven labels. Unless you are into shabby chic stay away from any bags with rust on the closures or straps as this only gets worse with time and re platting is very expensive.

• · Shoes with good interior support and padding, and of natural materials.

• · Hats with their embellishments stitched in not glued, flowers made of silk, not plastic, as well as matching lining and band trim. As for labels look for woven labels again or often satin labels under clear vinyl in men’s hats.

This is a shorthanded guide to picking your gems here. The more knowledge you can acquire the better, but of course that takes time and a dedication that we don’t all have. But finding a piece of quality is only part of the story to finding your perfect vintage outfit. Next time I’ll tell you a little more about fit, and how to rescue those darlings that need a bit of TLC before they can make the transition to your wardrobe. And remember, all these things being said, if the colour just isn’t you or your passion is more luke warm than red hot, leave it behind and keep looking. You never know what might be around the corner and you’d hate to have done your dough by the time you find it.

Thriftage and Giftage

I got a bit of a surprise when I looked at my blogger account this morning, yesterday was my 200th post! And I could not possibly let such an occasion pass without some kind of celebration. So of course there must be thank you presents for my readers. All you have to do is leave me a comment over the next four days and I'll be drawing a winner to receive a special Super Kawaii gift pack, including a customised SKM original piece, (like those seen in my etsy shop) made to your specifications!

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When it came to wearing the cute blue dress I had made for my birthday, I had one tiny problem. Being that it was a wrap dress with a separate front and back section, it ended up being quite revealing if I took more than a small ladylike step. So stairs were out of the question, and I wasn't quite sure how I was going to remedy the situation until my Mother in her infinite wisdom, suggested a fashion solution that has long been off my radar. The Slip. The full length petticoat that was a staple of every woman's wardrobe not all that long ago, but has since faded into fashion oblivion. I think that I may have been on the tail end of this underwear essentials lifespan growing up, as I have vivid memories of wearing them to primary school, but I'm not sure when they disappeared.

But buying one was an entirely different matter. While they seemed to be commonly stocked in departments stores, finding one smaller than a size 20 was just not going to happen. Uh oh. Charity shops to the rescue. I found several lovely little numbers to fit the bill, but in typical fashion I spent most of my time searching out other treasures too. I had such a serendipitous day, and kept stumbling upon treasure after treasure. So for under $70 I brought home a haul of biblical proportions, a selection of which I have prepared for your viewing pleasure. And for good measure I've included a few other little gems that appeared as birthday treats. I am in heaven this week.

1. Kawaii treats - gifted from my brother. 2. Flocked Organza fabric - Thrifted. 3. Vintage baby doll nightgowns - Thrifted. 4. Pure silk Liberty scarf - Thrifted.

1. The perfect Birthday card - gifted. 2. Pink silk slip - Thrifted. 3. Pleated satin evening bag - Thrifted. 4. Patent leather bow shoes - Thrifted.

1. Strawberry table cloth - Thrifted. 2. A very appropriate vintage styled sign - gifted from my Mother. 3. Cowboys cotton bandanna - Thrifted. 4. Vintage hand made table cloth - Thrifted.

** Thank you to Hammie for coining the new term "Thriftage" which I am finding a very handy descriptor these days. **

Vintage Finds

While I wanted to bring you a new Daily Outfit today, it is nothing to write home about. I spent yesterday having more colour added to my tattoo, so today is comfort clothes that don't cling and lots of lying about on the couch. (Yes, new photos will follow soon). So instead I have a couple of my recent vintage finds and a question or two for you.

I cannot resist an Op shop, Vintage shop, Thrift store. If I have more than 50cents in my pocket I am bound to take a quick twirl through and see what treasures are lurking there for me. It stems from a school girls dream to be an Archaeologist and Treasure hunter - which were quickly dashed when I discovered just how lonely and fashion challenging this career path could be. So I soon honed my destinations of choice from the deserts of Egypt to the musty workings of the Flea Market.

After a quick trip to the doctor on Monday, I popped into the Thrift store next door hoping to find something warm for this grey Melbourne weather. What I found was this.


It's a stunning Emerald green, pure wool jacket, made by Maxi Librati Creations in Paris. It was all of $4, but I think it will look a million bucks. After an extensive Google search I can't come up with any information on this label. Can anyone help me? I am trying to figure out just what era this is from. I have a feeling it is 1980's does the 1940's. Also it appears that someone has salvaged the buttons from this lovely jacket, so I am on a hunt for something appropriate. If I can't find something that grabs me, I am likely to make some large covered buttons, but if you have any suggestions for purveyors of wonderful buttons, or you are one yourself, please leave me a comment and point me in the right direction.


A couple of weeks back I found these fabulous clip earrings for a whole 50 cents, which simply made my day!


And to complete my sudden penchant for red in the kitchen, I picked up these cute Tea towels for $1, and the Cow salt and Pepper shakers, along with the vintage Finnish Tea Pot from Ebay.

Ahh Thrift shopping; your joy is so sweet!