Archive for the ‘fashion favorite’ Category

after last week’s (almost) everything you ever wanted to know about pilgrim post, i thought i’d fill in a bit of that ‘almost’ part: i get asked about my clothes all the time. i have a relatively unique look, so let me share with you the places and the reasons behind what i wear. this post is your one stop for dressing the Pilgrim way (if you wanna)

turquoise birkinstock sandals, white worishofer sandals, american apparel tights, lori marie felt flower brooch, vintage dresses.

what do you wear?

• mostly vintage dresses
• jeans at home and on errands
• cardigans of many sleeve lengths and colors
• vintage smock aprons (sometimes these need a zip or buttons added)
• A line wrap skirts
• trapeze tops/dresses/kaftans and leggings
• colorful flat shoes
• colorful boots
• colorful tights & leg warmers

 

turquoise birkenstock sandals, pink slip on wedges thrifted

that all sounds pretty average.

i suppose its more about the combinations i put together and the fabric patterns i choose. i dress like i compose a design, there is a balance of awesomeness and “white” space (yeah, its not actually ever white in my outfit). for example, if i choose a crazy paisley dress, i will pick a tight color palette to accessories with to let the dress work its paisley magic. or if i’m wearing a solid color dress, i might just go nuts and add in lots of different colored accessories! i also like wearing things in different ways – e.g.: vintage smock aprons as tops, old bikini cover-ups as tunic tops or dresses.

have you always dressed this way?

pretty much since i was 16. i’ve grown into my look more, i’m more ‘put together’ and my wardrobe more cohesive but i’ve always liked color and pattern and vintage. there was a brief lapse in sanity after i had my son where i thought i should dress like a mother… in sweatpants and junk but thankfully i rediscovered my mojo.

green and pink flip flops miss trish for target USA,  turquoise patent leather flats quick brown fox

philosophy? isn’t that a bit precious?

yes it sounds massively pretentious, maybe its not a ‘philosophy’ per se but it helps me to stay focused and not buy all sorts of random trend based things that don’t fit, don’t suit, or won’t last. and that in turn makes getting dressed each day a piece of delicious cake. while i think my style exists outside of trends, its hard not to be swayed sometimes by THIS season’s BLUE or THIS season’s specifc detail e.g.: scalloped hems

so my “philosophy”, my manifesto, my rules, or what have you, are to stick to what i know looks good – the colors that suit, the shapes that flatter and the details that highlight my assets. for me, that includes:

• blues, purples, cool pinks. i’m very pale, with an ‘english rose’ pink complexion
• so that means no yellow, orange or fluorescent colors. i can only just get away with green!
• dresses that have defined waistlines (i’m an hourglass)
• nothing with too high neckline. décolletage is a busty girls best friend: so i flaunt it, just a bit, or i look like nurse ratchett.
• nothing too long – i have pretty cute ‘pins’ (that’s legs)

 

where do you shop?

(vintage)

• etsy
• ebay
• frocks & slacks melbourne
• retro star clothing melbourne

(non vintage)

• mod cloth
• ASOS
• victoria’s secret (jeans & basic tees)
• american apparel (for tights, leggings and tees)
• boden (i also get a lot of boden off ebay too! much cheaper and mostly unworn)

i’m sure i don’t have to tell you that when shopping for clothes online you must know your measurement! bust, waist, hip and inseam. it helps to know a bit about fabric too – a stretch fabric will mean a couple of extra valuable inches, a cotton means that sucker will fit you snug if its too small. busting seams is not ladylike! its incredible hulk-like.

and let me clarify – i’m not continually shopping. i check back often, but i probably only buy something quarterly (unless i find something really special!) a colorful wardrobe is not made in a day! i search for fabric patterns i like, colors that work for me and styles that flatter: when all those factors line-up its perfection.

vintage bikini coverup/tunic and emily green necklace - handmade felt dahlia brooch

don’t forget the accessories

a range of colored tights: when your leg skin tone would be described as “ultra white A4″ or “goose flesh” its important not to share that with the world. i choose american apparel tights over color lovers (for example) because they fit me really well and they last incredibly well.

big enamel flower brooches, or a felt dahlia brooch

beads! plastic one-color treasures or a versatile emily green masterpiece

how do you find these things?!

i shop at the places listed above, but finding exactly what i like on etsy or ebay is often a bit of a hunt. oh and its all in the thrill of the chase!

the internet is a wonderful thing with more than you could ever dream of, but sometimes you have to think outside the search box for what it is you’re after. i shudder at some of the search phrases i’ve used and found fabulous things with…

my most used search phrases (in varying combinations):

• 60s
• 70s
• floral
• psychedelic
• scooter dress
• house dress
• cover-up
• apron/smock
• mod

my most reluctantly used search phrases:

• brady bunch
• hippy/hippie
• crazy (yes, really)

your closet must be never ending, right?

its not, really. i have about 20 dresses and skirts of varying patterns and solid colors. the rest is ‘basics’: plain colored cardigans, long and short sleeved tees, tights, and a assortment of colored shoes and boots. i’m lucky that i live in a climate that doesn’t vary wildly, so in winter i will layer long sleeved tees or thermals under dresses and i have a couple of go to coats and scarves to brave the terrifying 12˚c/53.6˚F winters we have here in melbourne.
did i miss anything? let me know in the comments!

while enjoying the latest edition of kleinformat a cute little photo caught my eye and led me to bonnie & buttermilk! you know when you find something so perfect, so you, that you almost can’t breathe? i clicked through the store like a crazy lady, almost not believing what i was seeing: had someone broken into my head and brought all my ideas for dream outfits into existence? perhaps… but i’m happy they did!

how many ways do i love thee bonnie and buttermilk?

colorful: check!

fun fabrics: check!

cute, simple sihouettes: check!

adorable styling: CHECK!

all photos from bonnie & buttermilk

go forth and shop, friends. and maybe take mr google translate with you if you sprechen sie nicht deutsches!

when my boyfriend peter and i are together we must look pretty funny. he’s always in his black or olive green (maybe even brown) rockin’ guitar god gear and i’m in my technicolor 60s/70s mescalin-fuelled dream coats. under those crazy opposite looking things we’re very much the same, but you can imagine my surprise when our worlds collided this morning and he shared the work of sean yseult with me. i’ll let him fill you in on her background:

sean yseult

I first became aware of Sean Yseult in the early 90s. White Zombie were on the cover of a magazine called Guitar School (don’t look for it, it ain’t around no more) and even though their guitarist J Yuenger was pretty cool, Sean was even cooler. The hair, the clothes, the sticker-covered bass… all awesome. What made her super-cool to me though was that in addition to her driving bass style, she also had a background in visual design (the internets tell me she earned a degree in graphic design from Parsons The New School for Design and also studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts). As a musician I’ve always been pretty visually motivated (‘Dude, that guitar sound is pretty sweet but it needs more vermillion and an iridescent topcoat’) and and I tended to gravitate toward musicians with a history in the visual arts. By the way, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were all art school guys and they were all in The Yardbirds. Neat.

After White Zombie split in up 1998, Yseult played bass in a variety of bands, including Famous Monsters, Rock City Morgue and even a stint with The Cramps. She now divides her time between New York City and New Orleans, and parcels her creative energy out between playing music and designing scarves for her company Yseult Designs. By the way, she’s also putting the finishing touches on a book, I’m In The Band, which will be out in early December through Soft Skull Press.

thanks, peter! pretty awesome lady, right? well, set your faces to “drool” when you see what she’s up to these days, creating gorgeous psychedelic scarves:

ah they’re too cool! its not often that you see good contemporary psychedelia and these really do it for me. there is enough of that awesome peter max/pucci inspiration to give them vintage cred, but also the hand-drawn style gives them a contemporary edge. click here for more designs and information.

i don’t know about you, but the title of this post has put “rainbow connection” in my head! anyway, i am often asked if i collect anything specific. while i do have a lot of things, i wouldn’t say i’m a specific collector. in part i’m hesitant to admit i collect something in particular because then its all i’ll ever get for christmas and birthdays for the rest of my life! and though i do adore apple things – i like the apple things that i choose. do you know what i mean? i don’t want to seem ungrateful, but dollar store apple themed things are not my bag, and primitive folk art apples just don’t do it for me. but if there’s one thing i have a lot of, and am always happy to unwrap – its hair clips! because my inner ten year old is sometimes my outer ten year old. its true. and my favoured clips are the plastic kinds from claire’s accessory type places.. it’s sort of a not-so-secret shame. let’s take a tour through my clips, shall we?

i’ve grouped my clips into what seems to be my favoured ‘themes’. first up its fruit! see? there’s apples. i adore hair bobbles and i think it goes back to them being strictly forbidden in my school’s uniform policy. on top of the no bobble rule, there was to be no pigtail’s/bunches in my home! so now that i’m my own grown woman? well its bobbles and bunches all the way: take THAT childhood! the plastic produce pictured is all from local stores that stock a lot of imported asian goodies.

next favourites are pretty in pink & buttons & bows. the hair comb on the far left is actually a relic from my very pink and plastic 80s childhood. the first time i wore it was to a birthday party at a McDonald’s in 1988. i’ve worn it all these years and its still very treasured. the rest are all recent (as in, the last 5 years) acquisitions but equally loved. the white bow in particular gets worn almost every day. it reminds me of the ‘rope’ hair ribbons from the 70s.

flowers! you may have noticed i like flowers, and floral things in general. the flower clips date back to high school when i would fill my 90′s haircut with every colour plastic flower clip i could find. school uniform policy be damned! by this point i was known as “the eccentric one”, and could get away with these policy breaches haha. never mind the breaches of good taste. of course i still wear my flower clippies, just not en masse. or with a 90′s haircut.

lastly: red things. hearts, polka dots, bows, apples, cherries, strawberries, ladybugs. lots of good things are red and i like wearing them. i have a very favourite red cardigan and i’m on the hunt for some red go-go boots to complete my life. in conclusion: red is good.

thanks for taking a tour through my inadvertent collection. have you subconsciously accumulated any one thing? or do you fit into that category of once saying ‘i like owls’ only to now live in a house with every surface covered by owl paraphernalia?

season four of mad men starts on sunday night in the US and i’m looking forward to seeing what drama and intrigue will take place in the new sterling cooper draper pryce offices. to kick this weekend off right i thought we could talk a few of the mad men’s favourite topics: luscious looks, ladies and libations! just for fun i’ve chosen a gorgeous new peta pledger dress, and a cocktail i think fits their character…

peggy has come a long way since season one! i’m not sure she’d go for anything as bright as the ‘angelique’ dress, but those cheques are bold and cute!

and what drink is peggy? she’s a blackthorn! a blackthorn is essentially a manhattan, made with sloe gin (gin infused with sloe berries) a new take on a classic – just like peggy. she’s a refreshing twist in a man’s world.

oh ice queen betty, will we be seeing you much this season? are you really sad or are your people just nordic? i think betty would love this pristine cream belted ‘sally’ dress.

betty is a pimms and dry ginger ale. its elegant, conservative and often found at polo matches and country clubs. its also a slow burner… you don’t realize how potent it is until its too late!

oh joan! what is there to say?! joan would definitely rock this ‘rocket ride’ dress. and what drink could capture all of joan?

strawberry blonde joan is a berry caprioska! it’s slightly sweet, slightly sour and very sparkling, just like sweet joanie.

what do you think, do these mixes suit the ladies? what would you say your cocktail is?