Prussian Tiers

I really love this tiered wooden necklace! Its chunkiness makes it akin to sculpture. It’s another piece of jewellery that I bought from a thrift store, and like many pieces I’ve found, I wondered why on earth someone would toss it forth into the world. But their loss is my gain.

This lovely shade of blue, with the tiniest hint of warmth to it, I’ve decided is Prussian blue. The nuances of colour – in chemistry, nomenclature, symbolism – are quite fascinating, and the history of this particular hue’s creation, in 1706, is equally so. It is prepared from cyanide salts, but because they are tightly bound to iron, the pigment is non-toxic.

From the beginning of the 18th century, the colour was worn in uniform by the infantry and artillery regiments of the Prussian Army, and therein lies the origin of its name. Prussian blue can also be used in engineering work, and as a medicine! It is used to treat poisoning from heavy metals. Amazing. It was also used as a replacement for Egyptian blue after the loss of knowledge regarding its synthesis after the Roman Era – but that’s a whole other story.

Photo: July 2016

A Paean to Pink

By now it must be fairly patent that I have a sneaking fondness for pink … It didn’t used to always be so. I reviled it for a long period during the wishy-washy pastel 80s before I had my pink epiphany in my mid-twenties when I whimsically tried on a candy-pink blouse in a store and discovered how it suited my complexion. So much so that even the shop assistant exclaimed in mutual astonishment with me! That was quite funny.

I’ve since discovered that any super-bright colour suits me. Back then, I used to reach for muted tertiary colours, but now my fingers invariably snatch at any vivid hue. So somehow I have managed to amass a collection of vintage pink hats, and this little quartet is by no means all of them – these are just the ones with veils! (These photos were actually taken exactly four years ago, on August 24, 2012; I’m not quite sure why they have languished in the archives so long – although I do observe now that the veils have an unbecoming flattening effect on my bangs.)

There is a whipped-up confection of pink satin, a 60s hat that I purchased on eBay, from the UK. All the others came from America, and were bought on Etsy. The velvet bandeau with its feather bird is from the 50s, and the whimsical flock of flamingos is also 50s or possibly 60s. I do love birds, so naturally I was attracted to these headpieces.

The marvellous chenille pom-pom veil sweeps up into a bow at the back, and I think that may actually be a relic of the 40s. It is a little more fragile than the others, and the black net feels like it is made from a different fibre. It is dotted delightfully with rows of pink, blue and white chenille pom-poms.

The marvellous chenille pom-pom veil sweeps up into a bow at the back …

The enormous pearl baubles dangling from my ears are 60s clip-ons, and I was quite chuffed to see January Jones wearing the exact same pair in an episode of Mad Men, the one when they went to Rome. The off-white silk blouse is an old favourite, bought new from Australian store Veronika Maine.

So here they are – finally unveiled!

Photos: August 2012

Alice Wore Blue

An interesting and surprising history lies behind the colour Alice blue. As the name might suggest, it is linked to the title character of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and her iconic blue dress. But there is also another Alice who gave her name to a shade of blue: the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt who loved a very pale tint of azure, and who sparked a craze in America. But this shade of blue is quite different to that of the fairytale Alice, being a very pale icy shade.

An online search on ‘Alice blue’ will turn up varying shades of light- to mid-blue of warm and cool shades; comparing them to an original illustration from 1927, a mid-tone certainly is correct, but the shade hovers on a fine line between warm and cool.

One early illustration drawn by Tenniel and approved by Carroll himself shows Alice wearing a red dress.

John Macfarlane recoloured Tenniel’s illustrations for the 1927 Macmillan Children’s Edition, maintaining Alice in a blue dress but with a red trim to her apron.The first editions of Alice in Wonderland featured no coloured illustrations – it was rather associated products that were printed with chromolithography. One early example was the cover of pianoforte sheet music: the illustration was drawn by Tenniel, approved by Carroll himself, and shows Alice wearing a red dress. 

After this came a yellow dress, and then finally the famous blue dress appeared in 1903. Alice wears a blue dress and headband, white apron with yellow trimmings and yellow striped stockings. In 1907 Alice is back to red again, and it is not until 1911 that Alice dons blue once more.

Tenniel’s eyesight was failing by this time, and Harry G. Theaker was commissioned to colour Tenniel’s illustrations. The blue Theaker chose for Alice’s dress, with a white apron and blue striped stockings established the iconic colour that was later also adopted by Walt Disney. Over a hundred years later, it’s hard to imagine Alice could ever have worn another colour.

Fashion Notes

I am wearing a vintage 1950s dress I bought last summer in a thrft store. It is actually my second least favourite era for clothing (I dislike the 1960s the most), but I really like the simplicity of the cut of this dress, the fitted waist, the pleats, and the fabric has a lovely swishy weight to it. The lack of embellishment makes the dress seem quite modern, yet it would be perfect for an Alice costume too.

Photos: April 2016

Modern and vintage inspirations

Mia Waskikowska as Tim Burton’s Alice. I loved the multiple versions of her blue dress!Alice Blue chocolates! Darling vintage 1940s packaging from SIP of Sarsaparilla on Etsy.A very pretty Alice blue tea set from Fox Mirror Vintage on EtsyTriple layer lace and chiffon Octopus Infinity wrap wedding gown from Coralie Beatrix, on EtsyLilly Dache ‘Lilly's Dillys’ cocktail hat, 1960 from Etsy store Frou Frou 4 You YouThis is what I think of as a true Alice shade of blue; a sterling silver and stone pendant necklace from Etsy's The Bonny Boutique

Sweet Confections

Vanilla, raspberry, peach, lilac, and dove grey – shades so delicious they’re almost mouth-watering. I call it my gelati outfit. They are several tones deeper than pastels, which I don’t wear as they are too wishy-washy for my complexion. On the other hand, icy colours (almost bright white, but with just a tinge of colour) do suit me.

This is one of my favourite summer outfits, a silk crepe top with slashed sleeves by the high street store Forever New, and a pleated floor-grazing skirt by Country Road. I bought them both from thrift shops on separate occasions, but I was very pleased when I saw how well they complemented one another – quite a few people have assumed I was wearing a dress in fact.

I am anticipating summer already: tomorrow is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year! That, plus the fact I recently purchased an ice cream maker (yes I know that’s weird in the middle of winter, but I took advantage of an online sale).

Excuse me – I’m going to go and make some ice cream now. The only question is: what flavour?

Photo: February 2016

Scroll down for some gelati-coloured inspirations

Eeeeek! I want one! Hat from the SS14 Colori Gelato Collection by Awon Golding MillineryHat from the SS14 Colori Gelato Collection by Awon Golding MillineryPink pops inspiring bridal fashion at Oregon Bride magazineVintage lavender blouse from Standard Edition on EtsyLollipops colour block midi skirt available from ChicwishIce cream's On Me sandals from ModclothPaloma Faith for Boxx MagazineThe best gelato in Rome

Green as Leaves

While we’re on the subject of mohair, last summer I came across this photo of me wearing a favourite jumper, taken 12 years ago by my then-boyfriend at a café in a little laneway in Melbourne.

How I loved that jumper! I still do, although I have not often worn it for a while as our winters have not been quite cold enough in the past few years. It is by the Sydney label Katherine, and was quite a splurge for me back then. The knit is a wool blend, 50% being mohair, so I call it a ‘super-jumper’. You can distinctly see the ‘halo’ (or fluffiness) created by the mohair content in the knit. The only drawback is that the turtleneck does make it extra-hot and a bit itchy around the neck too. This winter has started out so cold already I expect I will happily wear this jumper this year. It's a classic style that will last forever.

Detail, the colour matched to reality as close as possibleI am not quite sure what to call that lovely shade of green however. A cross between moss and Kelly? Or the colour of the leaves of wintergreen (aptly), although I’m sure many leaves are this indefinable shade of green? Wikipedia offers up a colour called – at first glance, unfortunately – ‘Hooker’s green’.

Wikipedia offers up a colour called – at first glance, unfortunately – ‘Hooker’s green’.

One of Hooker’s botanical drawings

Inquiry lead me to Byrne Smith, writer of the blog ‘The Painting Life’ who had already done my detective work for me. Back in 1850–55, Hooker’s green was named after the English botanical painter William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865), who compounded a pigment especially to illustrate leaves in his paintings, and the colour was thereafter produced commercially and sold as such by manufacturers.

I do find the etymology of colour names absolutely fascinating!

The photo was taken in August 2004, on the most rubbish digital camera, which is why I’ve vintagified (I just made up that word) it in an effort to improve its appearance. As for the pensive look – I think my boyfriend was taking a tiresomely long time to compose the photo!