Tears on the Moonlit Streets of Paris

I have just discovered KYO - The French Rock / Pop band. Their name is allegedly inspired by their love of Japanese Anime. Aside from having a warm sound that evokes a glamorously grunge feeling in me, ( of perhaps that is just because I don't speak French and everything they say sounds lovely) they also have some wonderful fashion imagery in their videos.

This clip for their song 'Sarah', has the leading lady dressed in a combination that is both frothy and filthy; and it works a treat. ( I wish I could post some images here for you, but I don't know how to get still shots from YouTube and the embedding on this one is disabled. :( )
With an oversized grey anorak, white layered tulle skirt and combat boots; the look is fragile, tough and has something a bit Eliza Doolittle about it.

Here's my versions of the look. Can't you just feel yourself clomping around the rainy streets of Paris, crying for your lost love?

Sock It To Me Baby!

I hate Pantyhose. Even the word "pantyhose' has a very nasty feel in my mouth. They may hold you in in the right places, but there is much sexier underwear for that these days. The idea of going out to dinner with my man in a gorgeous dress and *ugh* pantyhose, does not bode well for the romantic portion of the evening. Now, while I love a sexy stocking with a smooth, silky texture and the little snappy clasps up top, they are simply not something to be worn everyday when you spend a lot of time on the floor and chasing after children.

So I think my answer to leg wear this coming winter will be socks. Lovely, long, over the knee socks made in finely spun yarn. While OTN socks are just starting to make it into some of the more specialist stores here in Australia, there is a veritable treasure trove online. I love the selection at Sock Dreams.
Although I love to look at so many of the designs - the stripes, the flames, the skulls - with my legs not really being my best feature, they aren't something I want to highlight. Also I am a little worried that if I get it wrong I could end up looking like an extra from the Wizard of Oz! So with that in mind, I think these fine cotton ones are just the ticket for me. Perfect for pairing with my more outlandish heels, rather than having to spend my whole winter in boots.



So now I've solved that problem, I just need to find a use for all those packets of pantyhose in the back of the cupboard. Anyone planning a bank robbery?

Why Do You Get Dressed In The Morning?

There are those, who upon dragging their sorry selves out of bed in the morning, get dressed solely for the purpose of not being naked. If you are reading this blog though, chances are you are not one of these. When it comes to sartorial motivation we all have our individual styles. Some like to channel their favorite celebrity, or T.V character; some by colour, season or just weather. But what you are doing and where you are going pretty much always factor into the equation.

For those of you who have read my 'About me', you'll know that I am a full time stay at home mum, (with aspirations of an Accessory Designer on the side). My days are generally filled with housework, shopping, playgrounds, doctors visits and lots of grubby hands. So you may ask, why don't I dress in sweat pants, T-shirts and ponytails everyday? Here are my reasons; and I think they apply in all situations, whether you are going to school or working from home.

Every time I look in the mirror I want to be pleasantly surprised, not horrified by a tired and haggered looking face. A little effort goes a long way, and if you look fabulous, you feel fabulous. It's the same principle as when you are sick and feel worse when you are in your pajamas, than when you are showered and dressed.

I don't want to be constantly confronted by my flaws, rather, admiring my better features. When my hair looks shocking I am more likely to do something drastic and cut it all off in the hope of a miraculous transformation.

I personally hate the idea of saving things for 'good'. It's nice to glam up for a special occasion, but saving things just for these occasions, makes for many unworn items. Fair enough, a tuxedo can't be worn everyday ( well you could work the jacket back with jeans), but in principle you are good enough to deserve the best every day. (Sorry to sound like a Loreal commercial)

But by far my best reason is this; the appreciation of my audience. That is to say, my two girls. I have a dream that one day when my girls are interviewed for doing something both brainy and glamorous, they will look back on what a stylish influence I was on their lives. ("I used to sit at my mother's dressing table playing with her 20 different shades of red lipstick.")
That they will have developed a sense of confidence in how they dress and have learnt the skills to be able to put together an outfit with creativity. That they will have an excellent eye for colour, balance and silhouette. That no matter what their style influences, they will be able to execute their look with aplomb.



These are all the things my mother taught me.

Why did you get 'dressed' today?

Swanky Panky

Yes, I am a bit late this week. Blame Earth Hour coming back to bite me, as our power was out for some days after a big storm here in Melbourne. But better late than never, and this week I have two lovely little items of glee for your delight.

Whilst I realise there is some controversy surrounding China and its human rights record at present, it has done nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for Chinese imagery. The more vintage the better. I just adore the old cigarette posters and the glamorous Old Shanghai feeling they evoke. So imagine my delight to discover these darling vintage style kits from Dumpling Dynasty. Fiona Hewitt's Wu & Wu company have produced these kits, and feature sewing kits, shoe shine kits, first aid kits and even pigtail kits! They have the cutest tin packaging, too beautiful to hide away in the cupboard. A good thing when you are looking for your first aid kit in a hurry. You can buy these online over at Strawberry Fool.


If you are looking for a bit of Pin Up pretty, these pins from Zombie Girl Hair Accessories will give you an edge. Part Beetle Juice, part playground chic , these are just the ticket for fancying up your do. If you don't have time to mess around with high maintenance hair, just pop it all up in a high pony and slip into one of these babies. I can't wait to get mine. Photos will be forthcoming.
The gorgeous model you see wearing the Flower Pin is the divine Bernie Dexter, who you may recognise from my previous post.

That's your lot for today. I am currently working on some larger feature posts for you all, so stay tuned for some of my secret How To's.

You Harajuku Girls

This may be old news to some of you, but I just found out about this today. Gwen Stephanie is releasing a new set of fragrances as a homage to her back up singers. These are the CUTEST little dolls. Each doll is a different fragrance, but to be honest, I couldn't care less what they smell like, I just really really want these on my dressing table!



I don't know how or when I'll be able to get my mitts on these, but put me down for a set.

A Weekend in The Country

My Man had a big bike race this weekend, (well done baby!) so we packed up the car and headed out to "The Bush". Not quite up for camping, we stayed at a little hotel in town, where we even got more than one towel!

Time tramping around in the bush does somewhat limit ones fashion opportunities, but it did give me a chance to take my new gumboots for a test run. I love their skulls and roses print. It reminds me of days spent hiding from teachers on the back oval at school, listening to Guns N Roses on a walkman, with whichever Bad Boy I was in love with that week.

This week I am looking forward to one of my favorite Autumn tasks - unpacking all my Winter wardrobe goodies. Those hats, scarves, gloves and the like, that are packed away every Summer. I was lucky enough to inherit eleven pairs of gloves from my Grandmother a few months ago. Some lovely black beaded ones, little red wrist length ones and various ivory embellished pairs. The weather here is still in that in between phase, so my arm warmers are getting quite a work out at the moment too. I love their slouchy grey goodness, always making me feel just a little Eliza Dolittle. So between the boots and the gloves I say , "bring on Autumn". Oh, but I do think I may have to go shopping for a new umbrella now.

Jean Paul Gaultier corset umbrella from Sera of London

Sew Cute!

As some of you may know, I like to sew. Well actually, it's not the sewing I really like, but the developing of ideas, designing my own things, and generally being able to have much cooler things than I can find in the shops. I spent many years coming up with all sorts of outlandish designs and bringing them home to Mum, begging her to make them for me. And for many years this worked a treat, until I was old enough to really learn to do it myself. Then Mum whipped out the measuring tape and told me to get cracking, in the nicest possible way. ;) Well I tried, but I found that I wouldn't get much further than cutting out the fabric before I would give up and Mum would give in. So my sewing lessons become a somewhat protracted event, and I have really only learnt to sew somewhat properly in the last two years. Now I find that my imagination is only limited by my skills, and for those things I love to make but really never have cause to wear; well, I'll just have to whip up some frothy confections of delight to add to my Etsy shop.
Mum is never far away though, and when a pleat, pin tuck or placket gets the better of me, I still run on back to her for help. Thanks Mum!

Here are some of the latests and, in my opinion, greatest offerings from Burda Style. Remember, this is all Open Source sewing, so the patterns are FREE! What better way to try your hand at sewing without one of the biggest costs. Just click on the links to take you straight to the information and pattern page. You don't have to be a genius, just have a stab and discover your inner Christian Siriano.

The Sidonie - I love the pleats at the side. I can picture adding this one to my wardrobe in either an Emerald Green or Scarlet red.




The Leg of Mutton top




And the Cheeky Panties. These I love. I got some great fabric a while back and had an idea that I might make something like this but had never done it before.

Now I have the pattern there may be a little sexy sewing going on.

What creative endeavors are you tackling at the moment? Share you triumphs or tragedy's with us for commiserations or celebrations.

In The Dark

Our power has been out since midday today. We have had huge wind and dust storms here in Melbourne, which were apparently the tail end of an interstate cyclone. So it is with the last of my battery power that I bring you a peek inside my current Flickr Favorites.


1. Zoe Scarlett - Unreleased shots 2006, 2. Dita Von Teese, 3. Untitled, 4. Tokidoki - Mozzarella (Moofia), 5. Tokidoki - Polpettina (Cactus Friends), 6. tokidoki, 7. Blythe, 8. Alter Ego v2, 9. OCV, 10. Untitled, 11. milk, 12. Flower Poi Thing, 13. shige back_mini, 14. 針三昧　Harizanmai Gotch, 15. GotchCarp3, 16. Dragon backpiece, 17. Koi tattoo, 18. Japanese Gardens, 19. Haute NY, 20. Prunella, 21. New Obitsu, 22. what people think of "a typical usual day of a Japanese pornstar", 23. III London International Tattoo Convention, 24. Untitled, 25. Recently finished Irezumi

• And as a little bonus, a Daily Outfit for today.

Black yoga pants - Miss Shop (again!)

• Grey funnel neck top - Miss Shop
• Skirt worn as dress - Postie
• Red Sash - Stolen from a teddy bears neck
• Black Ballet flats - some china town store I can't remember
• Little red heart earrings - Diva

Taa Daa!

Hello April! As the new month kicks off, I'm thinking of all the fabulous things I want to achieve this month. And in order to make my commitment to this list just a little bit more binding, I offer them to you here.

• Take all my new design sketches and turn them into actual stock for my Etsy shop.
• Paint my bedroom furniture. My collection is all a bit mis-matched at the moment and I am envisaging a beautiful, glossy black finish.
• Write a daily to do list, and then actual DO most of it!
• Organise my studio; it's getting a little hard to work in there as everyone seems to put all the things they don't know what to do with in there.
• Try to recognize what is thrifty recycling and what is actually just hording crap!
• Learn some tricks to pretty up this blog for you all. I have grand plans to do this but keep getting distracted by all the other cool things I find.

In amongst the usual day to day commitments that come with a three year old and a baby, I think this is more than enough for now. I have such a huge mental list of all the things I would like to do around here, that it is often hard to even just get started. Most of the time I imagine myself wandering around with a magic wand, Fairy Godmother style, and miraculously transforming everything in my wake. Which would be really handy for my regular compulsion for redecorating. What about you? Get you month kicked off with a goal or two and commit to it here. We can all check back at the end of the month and see how we did. Ready? Go!

Colouring In

On Friday I went in to Rob at Dynamic for my first colouring session on the Koi tattoo. After a marathon five hours session, this is how far we got. All the black is now done and the colour on one flower, so there is still a fair bit to go. I have another session in a month and hopefully should be able to have the work finished then. The black shading wasn't as painful as the outline, but the flower was a bi*ch!
If you're in Melbourne and looking for an excellent tattooist, Rob has a real talent for traditional Japanese style work. He is also an entertaining conversationalist, keeping my mind off the process by discussing the merits of various Dr. Who episodes.
So for the next few days at least, my fashion options are somewhat limited, as I handle this with care.

Daily Outfit

Nothing special today, just the usual dropping baby one at kinder and doing chores at home.
The temperature has dropped and the rain has started, and thankfully this outfit is surprisingly snug. I am a little limited in my fashion choices today as I am nursing my tattoo again after a long colouring session on Friday. (More pics to follow later tonight)
So I needed to pick something soft and stretchy, hence the yoga pants. Man I love these babies, the go so well with so many things and I love the flared cut of the leg. I wish I could get some more creative pictures for you all, but until my resident photographer improves a little, I'll have to stick to the remote control.

Todays Outfit

• Black rouched zip up top - PTO
• Goth skirt - Rapunzels closet
• Retro print cami - Antz Pants
• Black yoga pants - Miss Shop
• Black flat shoes - Pura Lopez
• Silver skull earrings ( I know skulls are SO last year, but I still love them)