What I Actually Wore #0048

Serial #: 0048
Date: 05/10/2010
Weather: forecast 21°, mild and muggy
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

The outing: a trip to the Melbourne Museum, to see the Titanic exhibition. The theme: turn-of-the-century ambiance. Although I wanted to dress somewhat thematically, I didn’t intend to slavishly follow the fashion of 1912. Just a vague suggestion was all that was necessary.

My asymmetrical long skirt is voluminous (actually the opposite of the era’s narrow silhouette), and made of indigo denim; an old favourite by the New Zealand label Obi. The dusky pink silk blouse I paired with it has cute little puffed sleeves, three buttons along the neckline, and is finished with a bow. It is so quaint and picturesque, like something from a vintage storybook.

As the skirt is a little big for me, I cinched in the waist with a butter soft leather belt I bought overseas. The large round buckle is silver and inset with red leather, and the belt is long enough to be worn slouchy around the hips, or tight around the waist. It was an expensive purchase, but worth it because its bright colour lifts any outfit.

Also mandatory was a hat. Although I do have one hat reputably from 1910, it was a little dainty for this huge skirt. Instead, I went for this modern red wool felt fedora trimmed with grosgrain ribbon. Black stockings were typical of the times, although the patent black shoes with Louis heels, and three straps with little silver buckles that cross the foot above the vamp are more Twenties-style.

The plait is the finishing touch – it’s practical (a bun or low chignon doesn’t fit under the hat), and it makes me look like a turn of the century schoolgirl. And in fact, we are given a ‘boarding pass’ when we enter the exhibition, and mine reads I am a young schoolgirl, one of the real passengers who was lost at sea.

Items:

Top: Cue
Skirt: Obi
Belt: Mango
Hat: Milano
Earrings: onyx baubles, handmade by me
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Nine West

What I Actually Wore #0047

Serial #: 0047
Date: 29/09/2010
Weather: 15° and hail
Time Allowed: 7 minutes

When I’m in a hurry to dress for work, I usually build my outfits with colour. So I had chosen this pale blue-green-grey A-line skirt, and it was a cold spring day: I quickly pulled out a black wool jumper with a shawl collar and tie on the side. A friend had given the jumper to me. The shawl collar didn’t suit her – it broadened her shoulders. I don’t suffer from that affliction so I have worn it many times. It does make me wear my hair in a bun though, as it all looks too fussy with my hair down.

I hauled on black stockings for warmth, and for some fun and colour I put on a new purple necklace of fabric flowers, and a pair of platform ankle boots to counteract the sweetness of the 50s style skirt. I was disgusted that it hailed as soon as I stepped out of the house – not the moment to be wearing suede boots!

Items:

Top: David Lawrence
Skirt: Veronica Maine
Necklace: Diva
Bracelet: eBay
Earrings: made by myself
Rings: Dittoday
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Boots: Zoe Wittner

I like the several tones of green here: the cool watery hue of the skirt contrasted with the warm celadon green of the book’s binding. (‘Helen with a High Hand’ by Arnold Bennett, 1910. I am not sure why my sister thought it was highly amusing to give me this book – I am not at all high-handed!)

What I Actually Wore #0046

Serial #: 0048

Date: 28/09/2010

Weather: a sunny morning, forecast 15°

Time Allowed: 8 minutes

It’s a cool but sunny morning and I am dressing for work at the Hume City Council in the marketing department. The outfit started with a tea rose pink top, which is new (ergo, it must be worn immediately). It’s silk, by Cue, and I found it in a charity store; it looked barely worn. It has a great 40s feel with that sailor-esque collar and bow-tie. There are so many lovely details: pleats, puff sleeves, buttons that serve no purpose …

The skirt is a very old favourite. I have always liked it for its asymmetrical cut and sculptural effect. The zip is cool too: black material with silver teeth. I like suiting fabrics when they make up totally unconventional garments. 

I like to wear clashing colours sometimes – just to flout accepted fashion rules – so the fire-engine red hat came out to play. It proved a particular favourite with my temporary work colleagues: I was given so many compliments when I arrived in the morning. One woman insisted hats did not suit her, but I maintain one simply has to find the right hat shape for your face. The lace-up three quarter boots seemed just right with this vintage-inspired outfit.

Items:

Top: Cue
Skirt: Ammo
Hat: Milano

Shoes: Joanne Mercer
Earrings: Baku
Ring: NGV giftshop
Watch: Kenneth Cole

What I Actually Wore #0045

Serial #: 0045
Date: 20/09/2010
Weather: cool night, about 14°
Time Allowed: 20 minutes

Monday evening is usually not a going-out night, but I had two events scheduled: the 2011 Season launch at the Melbourne Theatre Company, and a reunion dinner at a Nepalese restaurant with an old friend who hadn’t seen her martial arts club buddies for the better part of a year. Quite different company at each event, and I wanted to look respectable for each.

The outfit started with the boots – and they had to: these were major boots after all. A male friend exclaimed at the end of the evening when I rose from the dinner table, (to paraphrase an old Aussie film), “They aren’t boots – those are boots!” It was the height of the over-the-knee boots that dictated the length of my skirt, and I tried on more than one. I finally chose against the black option, and went with the taupe pointelle knit. It was still slightly too long, so I had to roll it up at the waist.

A male friend exclaimed at the end of the evening, “They aren’t boots – those are boots!”

I deliberately chose a coloured knit top to pair with it (after discarding a black, then a tomato red, and the black again). I am not usually this indecisive! I liked its structured shape, and the puffed and pleated sleeves – a design more usually seen in blouses than soft knits. The colour, ‘air force blue’ as Wikipedia describes it, is not my best, so I decide to wear my white fur pompom scarf to brighten my complexion.

As a final touch I tied on a tan leather obi belt, although it serves a more functional than decorative purpose: it holds up my skirt, which is a little big! I shrugged on my trusty beige wool coat with its double zips and rushed out the door.

Items:

Knit: Stella
Skirt: Ojay
Coat: Obüs
Scarf: Ginger & Smart
Belt: Urban Originals
Boots: Zoe Wittner
Earrings: Baku
Ring: NGV giftshop
Watch: Kenneth Cole

What I Actually Wore #0044

Serial #: 0044
Date: 17/09/2010
Weather: 16°C and cold
Time Allowed: 5 minutes

This was such an easy outfit to put together and required little thought. It was dictated by the weather, which was cold. I was working at the theatre company and would have to walk there through the Botanic Gardens, so reasonable shoes were a requisite.

The black linen skirt and striped jumper were a natural combination to create this storybook silhouette. I am not sure what to call this skirt shape: it is akin to a balloon skirt, in that the hem folds under, but the gathers are like the petals of a flower. A slim-fitting top is imperative; otherwise I really would look like a balloon.

I chose the blue suede boots for a bit of colour, and they are not too bad to walk in. The white enamel pussycat earrings add an extra bit of whimsy to a fun outfit. Red lips were the finishing touch, and my vintage red cape coat kept me warm. 

Items:

Top: DeCjuba
Skirt: Morrison
Earrings: Vietnamese souvenir
Ring: Autore
Bracelet: eBay
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Boots: Robert Robert