What I Actually Wore #0057

Serial #: 0057
Date: 25/01/2011
Weather: forecast 27°, warm
Time Allowed: 2 minutes

I had a lunch date with a friend to go to, and to save time I wore an outfit I used in a photoshoot that morning. It was a story about mercerised cotton. The Kookaï top features cute balloon-puff sleeves, which are complemented by the gathered insert in an old favourite black and white skirt by Obüs.

When it came time to leave, I quickly picked out a pair of colourful shoes: Alice-blue, low-heeled, vintage Eighties courts that I had bought on Etsy last year. As it was sunny outside I decided to take an umbrella and foil the burning sun. This posed an unexpected problem.

I own so many umbrellas, yet few are usable. A red and orange one with a leafy pattern was coming undone along one of the seams. The tasselled lilac was all frayed along the ends; I had not yet got round to trimming it with some braid I’d sourced. (Mending is so dull.) The beige I knew was impossible: its frill had unravelled and I had botched the mending; it had to be redone before I could use it again. (Did I mention mending is dull work?)

I don’t even like to think about the tragedy that occurred to render the quaint white parasol, lined with black lace, utterly unusable. The Lucite handle was snapped off when a speeding tram driver braked suddenly and it fell against the door.

As for the magenta parasol with black pom-pom trim – it was out of the question: pink with my blue shoes would be foul. Neither the Chinese paper parasol, nor Battenberg lace matched; and I cordially disliked the brown umbrella. I’ve never liked the colour brown, and don’t know what possessed me to buy this one in the first place.

That left the blue umbrella. This was annoying, because it was the exact same shade of blue as my shoes. But at least my buffalo bag was not matchy-matchy.

Items:

Top: Kookaï
Skirt: Obüs
Earrings: from Zari
Ring: Autore
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Bag: from Stanley Market in Hong Kong
Shoes: vintage, Together!

What I Actually Wore #0056

Serial #: 0056
Date: 31/12/2010
Weather: hot
Time Allowed: 3 minutes

I was having a lazy New Year’s Eve: just a couple of girlfriends round for dinner and a viewing of the midnight fireworks planned. I had recently added a new shiny vintage item to my wardrobe: a knit thickly sequinned in fuchsia and seashell pink in a classic fish scale pattern.

When I bought it, the salesgirl asked me if it was for a special occasion. Does one need a special occasion to buy something that glitters so joyfully, I wondered? “No,” I told her, “but I might wear it on New Year’s Eve.”

I paired it with pink taffeta shorts from Kinki Gerlinki, and added a touch of green with the jade in my earrings and the green chrysoprase faceted stone ring. (I love green and pink together.) Although I do have more than one pair of pink shoes, I deliberately wore red wedges to clash. Monotone dressing can be fun – especially when it is all pink bursting on the unsuspecting public awareness – but sometimes I love to clash my colours.

As usual before a dinner party, I leave dressing to the last possible minute, and leapt into my outfit literally moments before my guests arrived. It was an enjoyable night albeit low key – even if my outfit was not!

Items:

Top: vintage, from Smith Street Bazaar
Shorts: Kinki Gerlinki
Earrings: my own make
Ring: from Dittoday
Shoes: Bata

NB I am very behind with this series: this outfit is actually from NYE 2010! I am so far behind that the BOM’s daily weather observations from 2010 through to Feb 2011 are no longer listed in the online archives. So hence this evening was merely ‘hot’.

What I Actually Wore #0055

Serial #: 0055
Date: 25/12/2010
Weather: 26°
Time Allowed: 30 mins

I very rarely specifically go shopping for something to wear on Christmas day, but it’s equally rare that I would not have some new vintage item in my wardrobe that I have not shown off to anyone yet.

This year it was a purple tissue-thin taffeta silk frock I’d bought in a vintage boutique. I have no idea which era it is from, and suspect it might have been a custom-made bridesmaid’s dress, since the cut is quite conservative. The vivid lilac and mauve shot silk lifts it out of the ordinary though.

The plunging v-neckline needed something, and I chose a purple necklace of clustered flowers that is always startling. At the beginning of the day I stacked a pair of onyx bangles on one wrist, but they crashed together so ominously I was terrified they would smash, so I swapped one bangle to my left hand. (Normally I would never wear a bangle and a watch on the same wrist – although why I’m wearing a watch on Christmas day, I can’t fathom – maybe because I have to train it there.) A vintage 50s silk summer coat and dark green satin pumps completed my Christmas outfit.

Items:

Dress: vintage, from Fat Helen’s
Coat: vintage 50s
Necklace: Diva
Earrings: hand made by me
Bangles: Vietnamese souvenir
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Sportsgirl

What I Actually Wore #0054

Serial #: 0054
Date: 28/11/2010
Weather: 16°, a cool and damp late spring day
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

This afternoon I was going to a birthday high tea at the National Gallery of Victoria. Pretty little macaroons, cupcakes and miniature sandwiches would be consumed, so what more appropriate outfit could there be than one 50s-inspired? Pistachio and chocolate seemed apropos colours for the theme of the event too.

The only real 50s item I am wearing is the sculpted bandeau headpiece, which I bought years ago at Chapel St Bazaar, a wonderful vintage emporium and a Chapel St institution. The skirt is finely and diagonally striped in green and white, and I wore a white beaded belt, as the skirt is a little loose around the waist. To update the look a little I wore super-high monster platforms and clomped off. (They always make me feel a little horsey, with well-shod feet!)

Items:

Top: Country Road
Skirt: Veronika Maine
Belt: vintage
Earrings: Camberwell market
Ring: Autore
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Hat: vintage
Handbag: vintage
Shoes: Zoe Wittner

What I Actually Wore #0053

Serial #: 0053
Date: 26/11/2010
Weather: 25°, rainy
Time Allowed: 20mins to get ready, trying on numerous outfits!

It’s a slightly humid evening, rainy. I have the Illustrators Australia combined AGM and Christmas party to attend tonight. I haven’t really thought about what I would wear, and consequently take longer than usual to get ready.

I finally decide on a vintage blue dress trimmed with guipure lace, and because of the odd weather need to select a coat to wear with it. Ordinarily I wouldn’t wear the matching coat because the combination marks it too distinctly as vintage 1950s. To offset this look, I choose a pair of tan suede summer boots, and a leather obi belt – unusual accessories for a Fifties dress!

And because it’s a party, I bring out the blue tiara that flashes with diamantes. It’s Christmas after all – one should have some lights on.

Items:

Dress & Coat: Vintage
Belt: Urban Originals
Headpiece: Mimco
Earrings: Moyou
Ring: Autore
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Bag: Vintage
Shoes: Zoe Wittner