What I Actually Wore #0087

Serial #: 0087
Date: 21/08/2012
Weather: 16°
Time Allowed: 8 minutes

Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that inspires an outfit. In this case it was the boots. I had already chosen my sleeveless cable knit dress to wear; it is somewhat bulky, but I still love it. The skinny cardigan helps to create shape, and the trim is reminiscent of eighteenth century military uniforms too.

My accessories are rather more twentieth century however. The vintage peaked toque is very much like the cap of several military uniforms of the past century, while the vintage silk knit scarf is just like the flying scarves pilots wore in the 1920s. I don’t know how old this scarf is, but I once had an even nicer one just the same except that it was longer and softer. I gave it to an ex-boyfriend, which was a stupid thing to do, especially since I never appropriated any of his clothes! The boots were a recent purchase from an online sale site, and are made of soft suede. They’re very comfortable to walk in with those low heels too.

Khaki is a colour I never wear normally – this outfit must be the singular exception I have evidence of. I generally find it a dull colour, not only akin to military uniforms of the past century and their depressing associations with world wars, but also my high school uniform, which was made up of tones of predominately olive, with touches of grey and white. But the khaki tones of the hat and boots are much closer to grey, which immediately makes them more acceptable. And of course the bright tomato red of the dress and my lipstick livens everything up.

(On a side note: the one thing I miss about having long hair is being able to twist it up into chignons or French rolls – but my hairstylist tells me he’s not ready for me to grow my hair yet!)

Items:

Dress: Anthropologie
Cardigan: Sunny Girl
Hat: vintage (Belgrave boutique)
Scarf: vintage (Salvos)
Earrings: handmade
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Boots: Roc

What I Actually Wore #0086

Serial #: 0086
Date: 18/08/2012
Weather: 13°
Time Allowed: 15 minutes

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and I was going to see the MTC play Queen Lear (based on Shakespeare’s King Lear with females in the roles of the King and his three sons). The outfit was built around new accessories – a piratical Betty Jackson necklace, and bright pink suede boots.

The necklace (I vaguely recall it was called ‘Key to Your Heart’) is pretty demanding and needs to be worn with something plain, so I wore a black knit and a stone coloured linen skirt. (That skirt, deemed dowdily past its best years, has since been passed to the charity store.) The black knit is a very old favourite I bought in Hong Kong.

The little wool felt calot is vintage 1940s, and I have had it for years – it was one of my very earliest vintage hat purchases. I have always liked it because the little flowers remind me of Mickey Mouse ears. I very rarely wear yellow gold coloured jewellery, preferring silver, and have little to choose from. The gold coin earrings – my very first purchase on Etsy years ago – seemed to match the treasure-chest themed necklace. One of the heart cabochons has flipped around – it has little glittery pink lips on it! (You can see a better pic here.) I do heart it, I must say.

Items:

Knit: Max & Co
Skirt: Country Road
Stockings: Columbine
Hat: vintage
Necklace: Betty Jackson
Earrings: vintage
Ring: vintage
Shoes: Solestruck

What I Actually Wore #0085

Serial #: 0085
Date: 17/08/2012
Weather: 11°
Time Allowed: 12 minutes

I am currently busy writing the text for the Fourth Fashion Commandment (Thou Shalt Not Own Any Ugly or Dowdy Raiment), and looking at this picture now makes me regret throwing out this dress, because it would be the perfect example of Ugly or Dowdy Raiment to remodel for you (in such a way so as to expose its full dowdiness to you). Admittedly, this is a subjective viewpoint, for two of my friends protested my proposed ruthless intention to bin it. I ignored them though, because I Know What I Know.

The dress was vintage, cotton knit, asymmetrically cut, and grey – all pluses in my book. The unusual neckline featured an ordinary collar on the left, and a large lapel/shawl collar on the right, which was an amusing detail. But it had one big bad minus: it was baggy and ill-fitting. It really ought to have had a tiny percentage of elastane in that fibre mix, that’s what the problem was. Still, I decided to give it one more chance.

Perhaps I could brighten it up with some accessories: a jaunty periwinkle blue velvet 50s cap, black crocheted stockings and dove grey suede boots (I like mixing my greys) and some silver and enamel bauble earrings. However, the only way to make the dress itself work was to cover it up and belt it. But what would happen when I became too warm?

This story is going from bad to worse, isn’t it? For of course I couldn’t remove the cardigan – I would have to suffer heat exhaustion in the accumulated afternoon heat of the office.

Painful but beautiful shoes I will put up with (up to and including blisters, though I draw the line at bleeding), but there are limits to my willingness to suffer for fashion. Feeling hot is not an option: the dress was out. Also, it didn’t fit properly.

This time, accessories did not save the day.

Items:

Dress: vintage
Camisole: Enamel
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Hat: vintage
Belt: Alta Linea
Stockings: Columbine
Earrings: handmade by me
Rings: (onyx) souvenir, (silver) Roun
Boots: Roc

What I Actually Wore #0084

Serial #: 0084
Date: 15/08/2012
Weather: 15.5°C
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

This more-is-more outfit that I wore almost a year ago started with the colourful Betty Jackson necklace. It has a nautical feel thanks to the stripes and diamanté-studded skull (sans crossbones) in the centre of the polka-dotted flower. The vintage 40s style top I chose because of the polka dot bow, and because it was navy – an easy match to the necklace. This is one of my favourite jumpers ever, and was given to me by my good friend Rapunzel.

And since I had already gone overboard (pardon the pun) with colour, I added more for good measure. The red 40s calot is worn at a rakish angle, and red stockings blend perfectly into my glittery red Dorothy heels. In addition, the gold coin earrings (my very first purchase from Etsy) look like something lifted from a pirate’s haul, and my ring is in fact a skull and crossbones – I forgot to include that in the detail photo, so you can see it here. Minimalism? Belay that me hearties!

Items:

Top: vintage
Skirt: Morrison
Hat: vintage
Necklace: Betty Jackson
Earrings: vintage
Ring: Betty Jackson
Watch: Lencer
Stockings: The Sock Shop
Shoes: Wittner

What I Actually Wore #0083

Serial #: 0083
Date: 13/08/2012
Weather: 17°
Time Allowed: 6 minutes

The Day of the Pompom.

I decided, as I was wearing my new grey knit top with the pompoms today, to wear as many pompoms as possible. How many could I rustle up out of my wardrobe? I was willing to rise to the challenge …

Well, the skirt may not have pompoms attached to it, but it has giant spots that match nicely. Naturally I wore my 1940s pompom headband. The pompoms on it are almost the same size as the ones on the knit. My earrings, reminiscent of pompoms, are handmade by me with Indian beads that are themselves beaded with iridescent blue seed beads. I love those because they dangle so satisfyingly. There is a matching necklace, but this is one case where matching earrings and necklace really would be too much – plus the pompoms on the knit are in the way.

My pearl ring is big and round, and the shoes – although they are pompomless (you can’t have everything, I guess) – are a pretty spectacular cobalt blue suede and patent leather. Work ready.

Items:

Top: Sonia Rykiel
Skirt: Anthropologie
Earrings: hand made
Ring: Autore
Hat: vintage
Shoes: Mollini