Summer’s Endings

It’s going to be autumn – officially – in Melbourne in a few days’ time. Of course, that doesn’t mean an end to the heat, but it’s a shame it hasn’t been a great summer as far as enjoying the seasonal weather goes. I have hardly had to wear big hats like this, and I’ve carried an umbrella more often than a parasol.

A few years ago, I bought this fabulously wide-brimmed hat in an op shop (thrift store) for a few bucks. It was untrimmed, so I decided to decorate it with some vintage ribbon and a bunch of cherries. The velvet ribbon was also an op shop find: included in a huge stash of ribbons in a multitude of colours and styles. I have been able to use them to refurbish more than one chapeau. I love mint green and red together, and the way the weight of the ribbon dipped the hat elegantly on one side.

However, I’ve had to say goodbye to it as the hat developed several holes and tears along the top of the crown and in the brim. The straw had become far too brittle to attempt to repair.

And then, alas, a favourite pair of raspberry suede 40s style platform heels also became too worn out on the soles and tips of the toes. After being repaired once or twice, I regretfully farewelled them as well. I bought them new, from the Australian label Wittner, and I remember the first time I wore them to see an exhibition on vintage fashion at the Bendigo Art Gallery – because of the sheer agony they inflicted! They were so high, and gave me blisters where they cut in around around my toes. But eventually I wore them in, and wore them many, many times, so I can’t regret their loss too much – especially since I no longer wear such high heels these days anyway (a matter of style).

This favourite dress though is currently requiring vintage rescue, as through stupid carelessness I tore off one of the buttons, ripping the fabric around the buttonhole as well – one of those moments in life when you want to shout “Undo, undo!”

I feel like this is a fitting homage to these accessories though, and the end of summer too. So farewell hat and shoes – farewell!

Wince Less Princess!

I am always on the lookout in thrift stores for good walking shoes as I run through them at a rate of knots, and I always seem to get lucky. One of my latest finds is a pair are leather brogues in a lovely shade of cognac brown, and they were hardly worn to boot.

They turned out to feel a little tight across the toes after a day of wearing them; the ubiquitous ‘they’ do say one should wear new shoes at home for an hour a few times before actually wearing them out, but I omitted this crucial step as the leather was soft and they seemed fine. I guess I know why they were in the op shop to begin with!

However, a good dose of shoe-stretching spray on the inside, and an hour’s wear at home with a thick pair of socks did stretch them out. I could have used a pair of shoe stretchers if I owned some, but using my feet makes more sense to me. I wore them out subsequently with a thinner pair of socks for safety, and they were quite comfortable.

Hooray! They are the perfect pair of shoes for a casual 1930s or 40s look … But they’re more perfect when I am not limping and wincing.

Photos: September 2019

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

Shoe Tales Time Tells

Quite a while ago I took these photos of new shoes (new to me that is, they were both bought secondhand), and for some reason I did not get round to writing a story about them while they were still actually new, and now they are old.

This shoe story became so old it transmogrified into a different story: that of shopping habits, knowing one’s own style, and listening to gut instincts.

Time tells its own tale, for in fact, only one pair had time to get old. I can’t recall where I found the shiny black high-heeled oxfords, but it was instant love. They were a perfect fit, looked hardly worn, and were quite inexpensive. I bought them and never regretted it, wearing them countless times since as a good, sturdy winter shoe that fit in perfectly with my favourite 1930s aesthetic.

The other pair tell a different tale, however. I spotted them inside a cabinet in an op shop, and was attracted by the soft blue colour. Upon request to look at them, I discovered first off that they were expensive (for thrift store shoes) at $20, and there was no indication of what material they were made of (they didn’t smell of leather). I don’t like to wear synthetic shoes: they don’t breathe and do not soften with time, so if they don’t fit perfectly, they can rub painfully. An uncomfortable shoe is a pain in the … foot. The soles of these were also quite thin. But, I reasoned, I run through walking shoes quickly because I wear them so much, so it’s always good to have plenty on hand, so against my better judgment, I bought them. That transpired to be a mistake; I had too many misgivings about them, and I ended up wearing them only (ahem) a handful of times before I returned them whence they came.

The lesson: don’t buy shoes that don’t perfectly fit either your notions of quality or personal style, or your physical proportions: unlike garments, shoes cannot be much altered to fit you better. A bargain is not a bargain if you don’t wear it, after all.

Photos: July 2016

Goody, Two Shoes!

I have been doing some desperately-needed culling in my closet over the last couple of weeks, and have so far completed sorting through all the summer clothing which is currently in my wardrobe, plus the winter jumpers which normally don’t go into storage. (I’ll do the winter clothing either when I bring it up out of storage, or at the end of the coming winter.) I have not yet touched any accessories at all either, so I am not even half way! So with that in mind, when I saw these photos again today, they made me laugh.

I find it difficult to cull shoes, except if they are worn out, or are uncomfortable – or if I suddenly decide they are ugly and wonder why on earth I ever bought them. This happened once, a long time ago, when I wore Birkenstocks for commuting. I was sitting in a park and looked down at my feet and found myself thinking, “Those shoes are extremely ugly.” The moment I returned home, I threw them unregretfully into the garbage. (I didn’t want to donate them so that some other misguided soul would wear them – why inflict that on the world?) These days I wear more attractive walking shoes.

But why do I find myself with two pairs of navy suede pumps? Well, they are not exactly the same, it’s true. It came about that after I threw out a pair of beloved but worn out patent navy Mary-Janes, I was in search of replacements. “Somehow” I ended up with two. At least I can say that they both came from op shops (thrift stores), so I can feel good about recycling.

… what if some mishap occurs, such as a heel snapping off, or muddy rain, then I will be glad I have two.

They are both very comfortable and elegant – one, by Australian brand David Lawrence, features scalloped edges, how cute! The d’Orsay pumps, which I found first, are by Jady Rose; I only discovered recently this is an extremely expensive brand that I could never afford to buy retail. The pairs are slightly different shades of blue, and have different heel heights, so I simply can’t choose one over another. Besides, what if some mishap occurs, such as a heel snapping off, or muddy rain, then I will be glad I have two. So much for the blue.

The red suede T-bar Mary-Janes are by Guess, and I bought them on Ozsale at a huge discount. Despite their deceptively high heels, they are extremely comfortable. I can even run in them. They even stop traffic! Once, as I dodged cars to cross a road (the traffic was stationary), some random woman shouted urgently from her car, expressing her love for them. The rich hue is delicious, the style is a classic.

And then along came the claret coloured Mary-Janes by Nine West, with cute little button fasteners. Some foolish person had donated them to a charity store unworn, so I took them home with me. What would you? (I do have a thing for red shoes.) The colours, and again, the heel heights, of these are so different that clearly it’s necessary to keep both of them for different outfits.

In conclusion: why ration your shoes when you can rationalise? Good shoes come in twos in case of emergency!

Photos: November 2018