The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Lady of Oz :: Tinto 1848 // Pistil // No flashSix or seven years ago in Hong Kong I bought the Most Fabulous Nail Polish Ever. A rich cherry red, it is chockfull of glitter, and shines like Dorothy’s ruby slippers on the end of my fingertips. It is by Revlon, and aptly its name is Firecracker. It was on sale too, I recall. Its only drawback is the difficulty in taking it off – the glitter is pernicious, so I haven’t worn it as much as I ought to have over the years.

Firecracker :: Melodie // Pistil // No flashIt is so old now that when I do apply it, the polish lasts only a day or two before it starts chipping – even with a base coat, a double coat of colour, and a top coat. Sadly, I can’t find a replacement anywhere.

Bue on Blue :: Melodie // Pistil // No flashRecently I found a clear nail polish infused with blue glitter, also by Revlon. It would look fantastic layered over the Christmas beetle iridescent teal nail polish I already owned, I decided. (A combination sure to appeal to the little girl still lurking in all of us.) But this would take commitment I knew: two layers of blue, and then two more layers of glitter, and then a top coat.

I watched a movie while I applied the polishes.

Christmas Beetle Teal :: Melodie // Pistil // No flashAnd what a spectacular result! Instead of Dorothy, I look like a denizen of Oz’s Emerald City. For now, I’m happy – no need to click my heels just yet. 

Here’s a free tip: if your polish is not the super speedy drying sort, stick your fingers under cold running water to harden the polish and hasten the drying process. Sounds like a contradiction in terms, but it works.

Glitter :: Melodie // Pistil // No flash

Band Box Perfect

Band Box Perfect :: Loftus // Blanko Noir // No flashJust look at this amazing 40s beaded headpiece that I bought a month or two ago on Etsy. It was very likely a wedding headpiece, worn perhaps with a flowing bias-cut silk gown. Much more unique than a rhinestone tiara, it’s intricately beaded with white and silver seed beads on ecru fabric. Not a bead is missing, as though it was worn once only on a single precious day. It sits perfectly atop my head without threatening to flop too, which I half suspected it would. They just don’t make them like they used to, do they?

Mode à la Daisy

Celebrating the Roaring Twenties in a Special Series

À la Daisy :: Tinto 1848 // C-Type Plate // No flashOne of Daisy Buchanan’s accessories I liked in The Great Gatsby was her black and geometric print white headscarf. I looked at it, admired it and thought, “I can do that.” I have a long geometric silk scarf already and have worn it today, double wrapped and tied above my left ear. It’s received the approval from my fellow fashionistas in the office too.

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in a scene from “The Great Gatsby

A Mille-Feuille of Crin

Mousketeer :: Wonder // Ina’s 1935 // No flashWhen I was a kid I just loved the Mickey Mouse Show – I wanted so much to be a Mouseketeer, but I lived in Australia. When I saw this vintage hat on Etsy my first thought was that it looked like a pair of Mickey Mouse ears – albeit a more sophisticated version, made from layer upon layer of black crin.

The Package :: Wonder // Ina’s 1935 // No flashCrin, or horsehair, is a type of nylon or polyester millinery material that has a similar appearance to tulle. Crin (the French word for horsehair) is actually short for crinoline, the undergarment worn by women to create the appearance of full skirts. The stiff fabric used in its construction was woven from a weft of natural horsehair and a warp of cotton or linen thread.

Hatpins :: Wonder // Ina’s 1935 // No flashThis pretty little cocktail hat – a mille-feuille of crin, if you will – is meant to be fixed to the head with a hatpin. Cindy, the seller at The Vintage Hat Shop, provided two pearl-topped pins (at over 10cm in length, they are almost daggers), but my hairstyle precludes my employing them for this purpose. I will either attach a hat elastic, or tack on a comb. Now all I need to do is organise the printing of my name on a polonecked top …

A Mille-Feuille of Crin :: Wonder // Ina’s 1935 // No flash

The Horse With the Pearl Earring

The Pearl Ring :: Tinto 1848 // C-Type Plate // Cadet Blue GelI have temporarily crowned my Moroccan stone horse with this pearl and sterling silver ring that I made many years ago. I haven’t worn it for so long because it has been languishing in a plastic envelope, waiting for me to repair it. Three of the pearls had detached. Of course it took me less than five minutes to fix it. I’m sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere, something about casting pearls before lazy people.