What I Actually Wore #159

Serial #: 0159
Date: 25/12/2013
Weather: 32°C / 90°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

Well, it’s interesting to reflect on what I was wearing ten years ago! My style has changed a lot since then, and I would rarely wear a top with such a low-cut front as it’s not at all a 1930s look. The other reason is to avoid sunburn, as I inevitably end up with unsightly suntan marks on my chest, as I am rather slapdash about sunscreen (unless it’s of the parasol variety).

I remember when I bought this dress it reminded me of the one Marilyn Monroe wore in the famous 1954 photo of her standing above the subway grating, taken by photographer Sam Shaw. I would not be surprised to learn that was the designer’s inspiration either. My dress had a satin sash, but it was so soft and floppy it wouldn’t stay tied up tightly, as you can see in the photo.

I’m not sure if I bought it specifically for Christmas day, but that ended up being the one and only time I wore it – afterwards it returned to the charity store. But it was a hot day, and the dress was cool. In my notes for this outfit I’ve written that I had to get ready really fast as I had cut the timing of my departure for the family’s Christmas lunch really fine. Fortunately, I had already planned my accessories, and my makeup was as usual minimal.

I remember how much I loved those high-heeled sandals – I wore them a lot back then. Out of season, I used to store my summer shoes high up on a shelf in my closet. It must have got hot up there, being under a skylight, and when I brought them back down, I was horrified to discover that the glue in the soles had completely detached! After getting some expensive quotes from a shoe repairer, I decided that I could fix ’em myself – and I did, successfully. In fact, today I made a similar repair to a black leather thong (flip-flop) using Selley’s Fix & Go Shoe Repair glue. It works like magic and if you don’t have any in your drawer, go and buy some immediately!

The shoes though were another casualty with my segue into lower-heeled 1930s style. Another long-term favourite, the handbag however stayed in circulation until the day one of its handles broke. Mournfully, I couldn’t bear to part with it, and kept it in storage to ‘get fixed one day’. One day did not come for years – until last year in fact. I found another shoe repairer, and this time I did pay his high price to repair it. It was worth it, as since then I have carried it 16 times. (I can state that definitively as I record my outfits in an app.) I’m still wearing the onyx jewellery set, and while those sunglasses are modern, I now almost exclusively wear vintage 30s and 40s shades in the same round shape.

Items:

Dress: Martini
Earrings: handmade
Bracelet: souvenir
Ring: souvenir
Sunglasses: MinkPink
Bag: vintage 60s
Shoes: Zoe Wittner

What I Actually Wore #0158

Serial #: 0158
Date: 21/12/2013
Weather: 20°C / 68°F
Time Allowed: 8 minutes

Wide-leg pants with a fun top and colourful accessories are, and forever will be, a staple silhouette for me (in fact I am wearing a version of this ensemble right now as I type). I wore this outfit to work, and then made only minimal changes to my outfit before going to see a play with a friend in the evening.

I no longer own the pants; they were a bit big to start with, and eventually they became too big when I lost a bit of weight. (You know your pants are too big when you can slip them off without undoing the zip!) The blouse is still with me, as are all the other items except for both pairs of shoes. The tan brogued sandals are among the most favourite I have ever owned, but sadly they completely wore out and I had to bin them.

During the day, I wore a vintage 1950s silk cropped jacket in a beautiful shade of blue, and in the evening swapped it for an evening coat of pink slubbed silk or rayon. I love the drama of its maxi length. I walked into the city to the theatre, and chose comfortable leather platform wedges – although the leather of these was so soft they stretched out and became too big as well, and impossible to walk in. I ended up giving them to a friend.

The ceramic jewellery I am wearing is all souvenired from Barcelona. The necklace and earrings have become a bit lost amongst my huge collection of costume jewellery, but I regularly wear the ring, and its companion, a ceramic cluster of green balls. I thought they were great mementoes of the city that Gaudí made particularly his own.

I still remember buying that leather clutch bag with its plastic tortoiseshell frame – maybe 15 or more years ago now – from a vintage boutique that is no longer, in a street that is also no longer what it was, having become gentrified, near my old art college, which also is no longer, having closed down many years ago and subsequently was torn down! What a litany of closures, and memories they conjure up.

I still visit that neighbourhood, and marvel at how much it’s changed, and smile nostalgically at what is still the same. That vintage boutique was the last hold-out of a large number in that cool street (hipster before hipsters existed) that all gradually closed down, sadly, and it was a really good one. I also remember buying there a fantastic pair of vintage 1970s pink metallic kid leather high-heeled strappy sandals by Christian Dior that were a size too small for me for about $15. It hurt to wear them, but … CHRISTIAN DIOR. One day, in a ruthless fit, I donated them to a charity store. No regrets. I since found a pair of silver patent Christian Louboutins for $4 IN my size. Thou givest to the charity store, and the charity store givest back to thee.

Items:

Blouse: Veronika Maine
Jacket (am): vintage 50s
Coat (pm): vintage 50s
Pants: Dizingoff
Sunglasses: MinkPink
Bag: vintage 70s
Sandals (am): Wittner
Wedges (pm): RMK
Earrings: souvenir
Necklace: souvenir
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Ring: souvenir

Photos: January 2014

What I Actually Wore #0157

Serial #: 0157
Date: 21/11/2013
Weather: 22°C / 77°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

My cousin, with whom I worked at the time, suggested I had donned a safari look this day. While the garments themselves aren’t suitable, the colour combination of white and tan certainly are evocative of safari ensembles. I don’t think it was my intention, but I have always been fond of mostly, if not completely, monochromatic outfits, and white is a particular favourite shade.

I still own all these items, except for the wool knit, which I think either became too big for me, or perhaps was damaged in some way, as it has long vanished from my wardrobe. I’m not sure where it came from, perhaps the thrift store, nor can I find anything out about the label. Those leather faux lace-up boots (they have a zip on the inner side) are always admired whenever I wear them; they were a good investment. I’m not sure how old the belt and earrings are – I bought them in a thrift store, but I don’t think they can be older than ten or fifteen years.

I see here I am wearing my beloved Kenneth Cole chain watch – the stretched-out chain near the lug is visible in the close-up. I’ve had this repaired twice already: the first jeweller cursed me and practically threw it at me when I went to pick it up, but the second was more polite in his disgust; I haven’t yet dared to take it back to him, and it’s been years! It’s currently languishing in a jewellery box full of other watches that also need repair. I’m down to one functioning watch, and I do like to have a few watches to match to different outfits. Time to bestir myself!

Items:

Top: A.M. St
Skirt: Witchery
Belt: op shop
Boots: Joanne Mercer
Earrings: op shop
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Ring: Roun

Photos: January 2014

What I Actually Wore #0156

Serial #: 0156
Date: 31/10/2013
Weather: 18°C / 64°F
Time Allowed: 12 minutes

First of all: LOOK AT MY HAIR! I have no idea how I made it look so perfect regularly, because I am pretty damn lazy low maintenance about hair styling.

It was Halloween, and I decided to go not at all thematic (it’s not really a big holiday in Australia) and wore bright pops of colour instead. The outfit started with the teal leather skirt (the brand on the label is Suede); the ribbed jumper I am wearing is actually a real ultra-violet, but the hue is impossible to capture with a camera (the shade is captured better in the close-up below); and the shoes are cobalt. I like to mix colours that are close in hue, but slightly off or unexpected – the violet and teal are an unusual combination.

The really standout item is the tights; these are not traditional fishnets, but rather skin-toned illusion hosiery with the fishnet pattern applied as flocking. I managed to wear the pair a few times before they laddered.

I’m wearing sterling silver hoops, a cuff and a ring (since lost!), the latter two by the jewellery brand Roun, which is now defunct. I bought quite a few pieces from them in my minimalist phase – I considered the cuff a real investment, although I rarely wear it now.

I’ve been carrying a small bag as well as a larger work tote these days, but back then I was usually only carrying a large tote, which is why there is no handbag in this picture. This day I wore my beloved vintage 70s white leather trench coat that has long since died, and a white leather oblong tote by Elise Carrell, which has also worn out. In fact, the only item from this outfit that I still have in my wardrobe are the suede and patent wedges, and the jewellery, as the jumper and skirt have gone in my most recent cull just last week. Still, overall I like this look.

Items:

Jumper: op shop
Skirt: Suede, vintage 80s
Tights: Leg Avenue
Shoes: Mollini
Earrings: Baku
Bangle: Roun
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Ring: Roun

Photos: January 2014

What I Actually Wore #0155

Serial #: 0155
Date: 30/10/2013
Weather: 20°C / 68°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

Right on theme is this outfit out of the archives: it is very graphic with the stripes and stars, and I still like it. Stripes are one of my outfit go-tos – a default, if-in-doubt wardrobe staple. I still own all these items in fact, except the starry tights ran off and have been replaced, and the shoes are in storage as they are actually quite uncomfortable because of the inflexible glitter fabric of the uppers. I still love the idea of the glittery Dorothy-inspired shoes so I can’t bring myself to sell them online, as was my original plan – nor do I want to inflict them on some unsuspecting buyer!

I happen to be wearing a few souvenirs from my trip to Spain: the skirt is by a Catalonian designer, and the ceramic earrings and ring were both bought in Barcelona; the ring always seemed to me to be a suitable memento of Gaudí’s famed and fabulous sculptural architecture in that city. The herringbone skirt looks wintry, but it is made of a linen and rayon blend. (The skirt looks like it has a rosy tint on one side, but that is actually the reflection of the sunset.)

According to my notes for this outfit, I also wore my vintage 60s black velvet and fur trim coat, and a matching vintage hat, a soft velvet cap with fur trim that pulls down over the head like a turban, which I think may be even older – possibly even 1910s or 20s. I also carried a favourite white leather tote from a now sadly-defunct Melbourne designer label. I don’t know why I omitted to photograph them!

Items:

Top: Meredith
Skirt: Celia Vela
Hat: vintage 1920s
Coat: Fashion Gems of Melbourne, vintage 60s
Earrings: souvenir
Ring: souvenir
Stockings: Leg Avenue
Bag: Elise Caarels
Shoes: Wittner

Photos: January 2014