Daily Outfit and Some New Projects

Hoodie top - Miss Shop, Skirt - Ralph Lauren, Boots - RMK, Coat - Viviennes Collection, Earrings - Etsy

I love this skirt. It is so warm and swishy, I call it my "Lumberjack skirt". It doesn't get worn much as it is so long, and that can be difficult with kids. I could take it up (more) but then it would lose much of its shape, so high heeled boots it is.

Today was freezing again, but I decided to brave it and head to the fabric store for some supplies for my new projects. I have some gorgeous vintage patterns that are just begging to make their way into my wardrobe.



The first is a blouse from the 1940's that I am planning to make in this soft grey, (with metallic silver squares), chiffon. I think I'll do the long sleeved version for winter, and possibly make the sleeves even more billowy.



The other is a 1952 dress pattern, (re-issued by Butterick) that is probably a little too formal for day wear, so I decided to make it in a fun fabric, meaning I will wear it more. When I saw this fabric in the store, the spots and colour combination first caught my eye; then I noticed the little goldfish and I was sold.



So it looks like some fun jobs for this week. It may take a while to get around to completing them as the hardest thing now is to decide which one to start first!

Swanky Panky

I am a bit ticked off with Ebay these days. While I still enjoy trawling around for whatever takes my fancy at the oddest of hours, Ebay are changing their set up here in Australia. Where we used to be able to list and pay for items with direct bank deposit, Ebay are about to make all listings PayPal only! Quite the monopoly.

While their argument is that it makes it safer for buyers and sellers alike, it will certainly eat into many sellers profits with PayPal fees on top of their listing fees. Sadly, this means that many wonderful sellers are planning to close their shops. And while I debated boycotting Ebay, it doesn't appear that it will make much difference. Petitions have been signed and appeals made, but Ebay have chosen to go ahead with their plan. So this has changed the way I shop.

While my preference was always to buy from Australian sellers rather than messing around transferring funds to my PayPal account, now that I have no choice, I am opening up to looking at more international items. (Fair enough, the postage can sting, but there are much better vintage options in the US than here.)

Anyway, the whole point of this is that in all my shopping around I have found a fabulous Ebay vintage store that I just had to share for today's Swanky Panky. Violetville Vintage has a wonderful, quality collection of vintage clothing that dates mainly from the 1930's - 1960's. They take amazing photographs of the outfits and are excellent at describing their items. I love it when people know how to properly list vintage clothes! Each of their pieces are vetted for quality and gorgeousness; so you are sure to find something you will adore.

I am in love with this Navy Crepe dress, but with three days still to go on the auction, it looks like it may get to a price that doesn't justify how much I would actually wear this, (but you never know just how tempted I may get).



This little Bluebelle 1950's number, is one sweet Spring dress. I love the pin tuck detailing on the bodice and the pleated nipped in waist.




This 1940's school girl / sailor dress is kawaii indeed! A little neckerchief, big buttons at the waist... I can see some VERY approving comments from the boyfriend of the girl who wears this dress!


And lastly, a flouncy and fabulous Starlet dress, this one is for you Strawberry Kitten.

In all honesty, there are a few others I simply can't live without that are hiding in my watch list. And while I probably should share with you all, you may just have to take a look at their wares and guess which ones they are!

Daily Outfit

Top - Vintage Ebay, Jeans - Target, Shoes - Novo, Earrings - Vintage thrift store find

My pictures turned out a little strange today. It looks like I am talking to a little china guinea pig in the first shot. He came from my Grandma as a remembrance of my little pig that died some years back (I was quite attached). I have to take nearly all my photos myself with remote control, and in between being crash tackled by a nearly four old, so sometimes the outcomes aren't quite what I expected. They will, however, give you a pretty accurate window into my day.

It is our first really cold day for the Autumn Winter season. It was all of 6 degrees as I headed out to the grocery store. I do love the way that when you are well dressed, people are more inclined to assist you. The grocery boy was concerned that he didn't pack the bags too heavy for me, men stopped to reach things on high shelves and old people stopped for a chat. It makes the fairly ordinary task of food shopping so much more interesting.

Playing Dress Ups - With K.Line

It's one thing to dress someone with no real sense of style, it is however, a totally different challenge to dress someone who is already a very stylish individual. So it is with this in mind that I had a little fun dressing the wonderful K.Line. After giving me her particulars and some lovely photos, I was asked to dress K.Line in a chic, yet not formal manner, for work or play during the Spring and Summer months. I, of course, chose to do both.

While looking through K.Lines photos, I was struck by how she reminds me of the beautiful actress and dancer, Leslie Caron. So in creating these outfits, I not only considered K.Lines individual body requests but also imagined dressing a young Leslie Caron for 2008.

The best outfits are the ones that can do double duty for work or play. So by changing the choice of shoes and accessories I have created a few different looks.

Looking for a sunny choice for work, I love this silk jersey wrap dress. I have chosen mainly wrap style tops, as K.Line has a larger chest, but I don't want to swamp her small frame. For work I have added a lovely cotton jacket by Donna Karen, and some killer peep toe heels from Nine West. K.Line has amazing legs, hiding them under trousers would be a crime in Summer.
Thinking of her weekends, these low heeled shoes from Kurt Gieger are a perfect match. I've also added a wide brimmed raffia hat, lucite bangle and pattern purse for those long relaxing lunch dates.



For very warm work days, I have chosen this corset style top. It is light weight, and keeps just a little bit more formality by not being sleeveless. The volume of the skirt helps to balance the volume in the sleeves of the top, while the fitted bottom of the top, gives an elegant waist shape. The shoes and the hat bring the whole ensemble into a more creative territory and tie each piece together, making the mix and match of the patterns more cohesive.



Another fun look for work and play. Once again, the deep V of the wrap dress will help to balance K.Lines chest with the rest of her frame. I have added a little black shrug for those cooler spring days. The striped shoes ( which I LOVE) will make the most of her wonderful legs, while the flat red, peep toes make the whole look a lot more casual for weekends. Throw in the over sized dark glasses and broad brimmed black hat for some instant Caron glamour.




Now for something really fun. I know that K.line can do colour, but I haven't yet seen her in anything with quite this much punch. I've chosen this outfit especially for Girls Day Out with her daughter. Whether it be a barbeque with friends, (hence the sandals) or perhaps drinks in the foyer of a fancy hotel, (Mocktails only please) K.Line is sure to be the most stylin' Mother there. Oh, but she may have to fight her daughter for the gorgeous Tarina Tarantino bag.

Can't wait to see what you think K.Line!

** To see details on any of these items, simply click on the ones you like for instant linkage. Ahh the magic of Polyvore.**

Daily Outfit

Wool Felt Hat - Crochette, Pin Stripe Shirt - Ojay, Wide Leg Pants- Made by me, Shoes - Sachi

After yesterdays post about wide leg pants, I went and dug out a pair that I knocked up a couple of years back. They were made in an afternoon, so the pattern quickly became one of my favorites and I think I made about four different pairs!

It was a lovely sunny Autumn day here, and today was just more doctors visits with the girls and lunch at mums. Any opportunity will do to break out a hat. Mind you, I don't quite know what it is about hats. I could wear a baseball cap or beret and people don't give it a second look. But wear something with an inch more statement, and shopping is like Moses parting the Red Sea. At least in a suburban shopping precinct. Perhaps next time I'll break out the matching gloves too.

At Home In My Pants

In all this shopping around for others, I am finding many a tempting treat. One of my great loves is a fantastic pair of wide leg pants, and with the fairly recent re-introduction of the high waisted, wide leg, I have found a few that quietly appeal. Get Go Retro recently has a great post on how to do high waisted, wide leg pants, that highlighted one of my issues with these.

My torso to leg ratio. While I am not tall, all of 5foot 4inchs, (for some reason I can never remember the metric for that even though I live in Australia), I have a short torso and long legs. Which means that high waisted pants could look very wrong on me. I remember with delight when the waist of jeans began to lower and I suddenly appeared taller and slimmer. It was a very good day.

However, I just love the retro look of these wonderful pants. They make me feel like dancing with Gene Kelly to 'New York New York'.

Although the illustration of this pair named "Reckless", doesn't quite do them justice, their story just had to be told.

" If you are thin, these wide-legged pants will tend to make you seem noticeably lanky, feminine, elegant.
Even more so, that is.
And clearly descended from converging strains of European aristocracy, one side rich and brainy, the other side very rich, very brainy.
In public, the press will respect your privacy, keeping flashbulbs to a minimum.
If, on the other hand, you are not especially thin or tall, but rather the sort of full-bodied person whom great painters such as Renoir or Rubens would search the capitals of Europe for, these wide-legged pants may not be advisable for you.
They might make you seem too noticeably lanky, too tallish, too feminine, too elegant; only millimeters away from thinness.
In that case, a concerned press may begin to urge on you large goblets of cabernet, peeled French peaches, smoked Black Sea trout, moist Bavarian cakes filled with rich cremes.
There you have it.
We choose to state in advance the risks we feel you should be aware of.
It is now up to you to decide if the reckless, devil-may-care attitude of these wide-legged pants can ever justify the risks."

So while the super high waisted numbers may not be for me, I think I'll keep on channelling my 1939, Plantation-owning, Cigar smoking, lawn tennis - watching self; and probably go for something more like these Havana's.

Playing Dress Ups - With Tizzalicious

I have been having lots of fun over the past few days doing some virtual shopping for my competition winners. While I have found it very hard to resist temptation myself, I have found lots of wonderful new shopping haunts to add to my go-to list.

Today I bring you my outfit selection for the lovely Tizzalicious!

Tizzalicious hails from Holland and is looking for a cute outfit to take her from Spring through to Summer. Unlike Australia, they don't get extreme heat, so making this transition is a little easier. She is also looking for something to flatter her stomach and thigh area. Tizz simply adores the 1950's and all it's gorgeous fashion offerings. She is also a beautiful red head, so it is with this in mind that I looked to one of my favorite screen sirens for inspiration. One of the most famous red heads of all time, Rita Hayworth.

This beautiful baby pink cheongsam from Posh Girl Vintage is a perfect piece for both Spring and Summer. It can be dressed up or down, depending on how you choose to style it. This style of dress if perfect if you are trying to camouflage's the tummy and thigh area, as it lightly skims both, rather than clinging to every bump, and gives you a lovely waisted shape. The trick is to find one in a light weight fabric that is tailored to your size, rather than something skin tight. A large size print also plays a part in visually distracting from those areas. I particularly loved the colouring in this one, as I think pink and green on a red head is a dynamite combination.



For a cool and casual option with a similar feel, try these lightweight vintage styled Palazzo pants, from J Peterman; with a mandarin collared silk blouse. This one is from Ancient Moods. Perfect for a movie star on her day off.

As a girl not too keen on my own thighs, I find that heavier thighs tend to go with heavy ankles. Which is why in choosing a gorgeous spring shoes, an ankle strap is just not going to work. Rather than cutting off your leg at a wide point, instead visually elongate the leg, by showing as much of the foot as possible. I've chosen a stacked heel for both height and stability, so you can dance those balmy summer evenings away. This beauty from Pinup Girl Clothing has removable bows, depending on just how vampy you feel that day.

A vintage look demands some genuine vintage accessories, and I couldn't go past this Haskell glass bead, 1940's bracelet from Morning Glory Jewelry. I just love its pale minty green goodness.


And for carrying around all the love letters from your new admirers, I suggest this woven straw bag from Create Jacksonville's vintage collection on Etsy. It will take you from long lunches to picnics on the beach.








As any classic beauty will tell you, the sun is the enemy of youth. So keep wrinkles at bay AND make a classy fashion statement all at the same time with this wide brimmed straw hat from Julie Fleming.







And the total screen goddess look would not be complete without some dark glasses for when you want to go incognito from the adoring fans. I found these genuine 1950's beauties from Klasik, one of THE places for genuine vintage eyewear.

And speaking of beach time, what Spring / Summer look would be complete without a killer swimsuit? I am a big fan of Jets by Jessica Allen. Not only are they beautiful, they are engineered like the Empire state Building - able to hold it all up. I really couldn't choose between these two stunners from Jets, as they both meet Tizzalicious' criteria. The high cut leg visually slims the thigh, while the graphic print creates an hourglass waist. The steel blue pair is a brilliant modern take on a vintage look with a cut away back and rouching to distract from tummy issues.

So even though I have been shopping for Spring in Holland while it is Autumn in Melbourne, I hope these picks make your day a little sunnier too.



** My apologies for this layout. Blogger is just not showing me an acurate preview to work with **

Daily Outfit

Dress - Laura Lee for Top Shop (from Ebay), Cardigan - Body, Monkey Pin - Gift from Mum, Earrings- vintage, thrift shop find, Fishnets - Levante, Embroidered Shoes - Novo.

Mothers day began with a lovely breakfast cooked by my wonderful Man and styled by Miss 3. So with some black coffee and pancakes with cream and sprinkles, the day began. It was a tad chilly, so the new summer dress needed a little assistance to cope with the 16 degree weather. It was out with the cashmere cardi and some fishnets to dress things up a bit. I was exceedingly pleased that my latest Ebay dress fit like a glove, these things can be a bit dodgey, so to have a perfect fit can make your day.

The shoes I have had for ages, probably about 5 years, but I love them to death. I discovered after falling in love with them and taking them straight home, that they are a knock off of some designer pair. I have no idea which. They just have the perfect height heel to be comfortable all day, and a lovely pointed toe that isn't at all pinchy. The embroidery is my absolute favorite though. I adore coloured shoes and this was a wonderful way to have a neutral pair, that is still quite colourful without being overwhelming. The monkey pin, my Mum gave me on my last birthday as an homage to Shanghai Lil and her Fez wearing Monkey.

So after an indulgent day of much seafood and wine, it was back off to the gym for Mama this morning. Gotta keep the snap in those garters.

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all my wonderful readers, whether you are Mum to a small child or a house plant; enjoy!

Swanky Panky Mother's Day Special

Today I am indulging my Mothers Day fantasies and bringing you a Swanky Panky of all the things I would like for Mothers Day. That is of course, if money was no object.

The Virgin De Guadelupa wallet from Pinup Girl Clothing.



This stunning vintage summer dress by Oscar De la Renta on Posh Vintage.

Some pieces of wonderful from Tina Tarantino.
Baroque owl earrings
Skull & flower collage hair or anywhere clip

But by far the best thing I could possibly receive for Mother's Day would be this lovely pair. Not just for the day, but for life.

Daily Outfit & New Ebay Finds

Black top - Miss Shop, Red Cardigan - Katies (pinched from Mum), Black velvet pants - Postie, Shoes - Pura Lopez, Apron - Dandi.

Another cold day. Just the right weather for staying inside and tackling some housework and a little sewing. So today's outfit called for something casual and practical. When I'm sewing I tend to spend a lot of time sitting on the floor designing patterns and cutting out fabric, so I have to wear something stretchy and comfortable. As for the housework, I always try to wear an apron so that I can still wear something decent underneath, rather than wearing nasty old clothes just for cleaning. Besides, who knows when "Hello!" magazine may come knocking.



A couple of my new Ebay purchases arrived today too. A very cute Laura Lees for Top Shop dress, all flirty with little hearts and ruffles everywhere. This will probably be my choice for a Mother's Day outfit, with a cardigan and possibly coloured stockings to cope with the cool Autumn weather.


I picked up this vintage 50's dress too, and can't wait to see what it looks like in the flesh. I think this one will have to be carefully styled, but could be a real gem.

I did have one rather odd disappointment though. I purchased a great vintage 50's house dress pattern that arrived today. When I picked up the envelop it felt like it had nothing in it, and I thought perhaps it was sent in error. When I opened up my package, I found a cover page from a pattern. It was the complete instructions but no pattern! After I emailed the seller, asking what the story was, she told me she had bought it from someone else on Ebay and, not being someone who sewed, didn't notice anything wrong with it! She is very kindly refunding my money, but still, a very strange thing not to notice.