Let it Rain!

In a Melbourne spring, one must be prepared for rain at all times. Melburnians are famous for vigilantly checking the weather forecast no matter what the season, and many of us keep a tiny folding umbrella in our totes, or in our drawers at work against sudden need. I am no exception to this rule, and I own a formidable array of vintage umbrellas in different colours so that I can match my outfits.

This vintage 60s frilled umbrella is one of my favourites. I have owned it for a long time. I love vintage brollies for they are generally sturdier than their modern counterparts because their skeletons have more ribs, made from steel unlike the flimsy aluminium contraptions manufactured today. They are therefore much stronger in a high wind. However, mishaps can still occur, and last year they did.

I felt a bit dreadful about this, like a vintage murderer …

First of all, I lost the tip of one spoke, which meant that the covering pulled away. There are no umbrella repairers these days, so I came up with my own solution: find another vintage umbrella in an op shop and cannibalise it for parts! I felt a bit dreadful about this, like a vintage murderer, but I managed to find one – in a vivacious shade of lime green – that was already broken: it was unable to be opened. This made me feel better about hacking off its limbs. (It annoyed me that the op shop was still charging $5 for it, the same price as a functional umbrella, but I supposed it possessed, after all, what I required.)

Naturally, while I was doing this photoshoot and after amputating the silver tips, the umbrella suddenly operated normally! Typical. However, it must have been aggravating for the original owner if the umbrella was randomly becoming stuck – most inconvenient at the sudden onset of a shower. But I had what I needed and repaired the blue brolly, squirreling the remaining tips away.

… some time later another freak accident tragically occurred.

After all these misadventures, some time later another freak accident tragically occurred. One day, when I was walking along the street with the blue umbrella dangling from my wrist by its tassel, an aforementioned high wind suddenly gusted along and bizarrely caught the umbrella against my own limbs and snapped off the handle! Who would even expect such a thing to happen? I was quite indignant.

Fortunately I work at a theatre that has a Props department, and I paid a visit to its manager. He is an amiable man, and was happy to be of assistance. A few days later, my umbrella appeared on my desk, and when I saw him, he told me he had reinforced the shaft with a length of steel, and then had glued the plastic handle back on. What a miracle worker! He warned me to treat it gently henceforth, but it certainly seems very sturdy again – not that I plan a bout of play sword-fighting or anything anytime soon.

Hurrah! LET IT RAIN.

Photos: March 2017, September 2018

The Determined Recycler

Anyone who as ever gone op- or thrift-shopping must surely be familiar with that sinking feeling one gets as soon as the shoe rubs or the sweater itches or the zip pinches: That’s why this lovely item was in the thrift store! One either discards in turn, or resolves to repair the issue. This is where we separate the determined recyclers from the dilettantes …

I am a determined recycler. I don’t give up on garments or accessories I really like: like Scarlett O’Hara, I will find a way! (I have not tried making clothes out of curtains yet however.)

I am a determined recycler. I don’t give up on garments or accessories I really like …

I really liked the colours in the pattern of this vintage 1970s tweed jacket. The herringbone is made up from chocolate and caramel shades of brown with cream, and scattered amongst the chevrons are minute flecks of blue, yellow and red. The effect is very subtle. I bought the jacket a couple of winters ago during a day of op-shopping with my sister, despite the fact that it was a little too big for me, and it was missing its belt. I felt sure that I must be able to find a belt in my huge collection that would work with the jacket. A long flexible leather tie-belt, perhaps.

In fact, I knew that I did not own any such tie-belts, but very fortuitously I found two in subsequent op-shopping trips shortly thereafter. This was promising! It was certainly unlikely that I would ever find one that exactly matched – that would be a thrifting miracle. What else could I pull out of my hat?

The first belt I tried was a thin tan stitched belt. While I liked the colour, I immediately saw it was too insubstantial for the bulk of the jacket.

Next came a vintage stretch red and white belt, with a leather and brass buckle. I liked how the stretch belt really pulled the waist in. This contrast was rather good, and unexpected! It also put me in mind of Gucci, which is not a bad thing – even better without its brash designer logo emblazoned everywhere.

Perhaps another patterned fabric belt might work? I had a houndstooth wool tie-belt, but that looked terrible. Scratch that idea, I instantly decided. Sometimes I like mixing patterns on patterns, but these two did not harmonise at all. Next!

A very long black leather tie-belt also looked quite good, I decided. It was so long, wide in the central area and tapered to the ends so that I suspect it was designed when obi fashion belts were the trend. The leather was supple and soft however, and the black was a pleasant counterpoint against the tweed.

The last belt I tried was the other leather tie-belt, this one a khaki-tinted brown. Unfortunately that shade clashed somewhat, and it was not as long as the black one, so did not form as nice loops. It transpired that this belt worked very nicely with a pair of tweed pants that need cinching, so the belt stays permanently on them.

That left the black leather belt, and the figure-flattering red stretch belt, the unexpected alternate winner. I tend to wear that one more often than not. The only drawback with it is that if I undo the belt, it won’t stay in both belt loops, so I have to keep an eye on it so as not to lose it. But compared with not wearing a likable jacket at all because it’s too shapeless, it’s a small ask. The Determined Recycler wins again!

Photos: July 2016

Knit One, Pearl Seven

I picked up this mohair beret at the start of spring last year from an op shop (thrift store). I am a sort of connoisseur of berets, and this mauve number was unlike any I already owned. Someone had clearly donated it because it was missing quite a number of the pearls decorating its top, so it was priced accordingly, but this I knew was an easy fix if I could find matching pearl beads.

The warm weather was coming up, and knowing I was unlikely to wear it for many months, the hat languished on the mending pile for some time before I attended to it. I found Swarovski pearls that matched closely enough, and one day on a mending frenzy, I finally attached them.

And voilà! Someone else did not make do, but I mended, and I now have a rather cute little hat to wear in the coming cold weather.

Photos: March 2018

Ring Ins-and-Outs

I am a great smasher of stone rings. I blame it on the dangerous combination of living in an apartment with ceramic tiled floors, and being hypoglycaemic. When my blood sugar levels fall too low, I can become klutzy and nerveless – my hands lose their strength and I drop things (I’ve been this way since I was a child) – although I don’t think I can blame my formidable track record on umbrella-wrecking on this unfortunate condition!

Last Sunday I dropped my last black agate ring to the bathroom floor, and it broke into three pieces. It was the last of three I had bought a few years ago on eBay to replace the onyx ring I had bought in Vietnam nearly a decade ago. The same morning I hunted frantically on eBay for replacements, and happily found a Chinese seller who offered a plethora of colours. I went a bit mad and not only bought two black rings, but lilac, white and tortoiseshell rings as well! (They were only $2.50 each, so why not?)

The seller also had red and green agate rings; I already have a carved red jade ring I bought in Hong Kong with a matching bangle (both have survived my clumsiness), and also I have this green ring, so I decided not to spend an extra $5.

Maybe I should have, because this jade ring, which I bought from an op shop, turned out to have already been broken and glued back together by its previous owner. I had not noticed this when I bought it (caveat emptor!).

One day as I just left home, I heard a little tinkle in the driveway. Luckily I stopped, for there rolling at my feet were the two halves of the ring! Miraculously they didn’t break further, and I was able to successfully glue them back together. The black ring is a lost cause, however, for although it looks like just two pieces, it’s actually missing another sliver.

Photos: August 2016 (green jade), today (red jade and black onyx)

The Pointless Button

Last year I bought this mohair wrap cardigan in an op shop. I particularly loved the colour and texture (it looks like cotton candy), and also the bishop sleeves that bell at the cuff. The label is Ted Baker. It wasn’t until I was actually wearing it out and saw my reflection in the bathroom at work.

Something was wrong, I saw. My eye instantly went to a dot above my hip. What is that useless button? I asked myself. I loathe buttons that have no function (with some few exceptions on jackets such as on double-breasted jackets, or those on the cuff of a sleeve) … I particularly abominate buttons as jewellery.

The pretty mother-of-pearl button embossed with the designer’s name was purely decorative, and it was an unnecessary detail at that. It somehow threw off the balance of the wrap and tie. This was a design flaw that was easily remedied however.

When I got home, I immediately came to the rescue with a seam ripper and removed the offending item with pleasure*. Doesn’t it look much better without it there? It’s quite remarkable that such a tiny detail could have such visual impact!

*Of course this is poetic licence – I waited to rip off the pointless button until I was able to photograph the momentous event properly.

Photos: July 2016