Tanned Hide

Did you know that the word ‘tan’, which perhaps we are most familiar with when it denotes a specific shade of brown (or, of course, a suntan), comes from the traditional method of converting a hide into leather by soaking or steeping in a bath of tanbark?

Tanbark is the bark of the oak or hemlock, which is bruised and broken in a mill. How about that! Apparently you can buy this stuff in gardening stores, but since my thumbs are distinctly ungreen, I had no idea of this.

I do like tan shades in my accessories, or outerwear, but never wear it in other types of clothing because most browns don’t suit my complexion. If I am wearing it on a coat however, there’s usually a more flattering colour in between.

It’s handy to have a few tan-coloured belts in one’s arsenal, as they are a great neutral accessory. I particularly like plaited leather. Woven belts are most useful because you can buckle them anywhere, allowing you to wear them over different weights or layers of clothes.

Woven belts are most useful because you can buckle them anywhere …

I was sad to see this thrifted narrow belt eventually give way because the leather was old and no longer supple. When it came to disintegrating in the area where I most buckled it, I knew it was time to mulch it.

Luckily, I very quickly found a replacement in another thrift store: a dark tan belt that is punctuated with a row of hearts. Not the same as woven leather, but the continuous row makes it adaptable to layers, and it is probably sturdier as the leather is thicker. I love it!

Photo: September 2019

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

The Stuff of Fashion Dreams

A bit behind the times, yesterday I discovered the amazing work of Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz, via this Resort 2018 gingham skirt (above). Thanks to Pinterest once more.

I gave up regularly reading fashion magazines a few years ago, and almost never pick them up, so I missed Vogue Australia’s 2017 article about Ortiz. In it, we learn it was the co-founder of the online shopping site Moda Operandi, Laura Santo Domingo, who saw another guest at a wedding wearing the label, as blown away as I was tracked down the designer, viewed her collection, and subsequently swept Ortiz off to New York. While Santo Domingo opened the doors to the international market, and seemingly created her ‘overnight success’, in fact Ortiz had been quietly designing away in her native country of Colombia for 15 years already.

I really love this striped, tiered skirt (above) as well, but no surprise there as I am always drawn to stripes, even more than gingham. These voluminous sleeves, and maxi and midi lengths are evocative of the 1930s as well, although I would style them quite differently, beginning by doing away with the messy long hair! (I don’t know how people can wear long hair in summer particularly.)

Unfortunately, even at half off as the tiered skirt is at the moment, $1250 is beyond my fashion budget. I can only dream.

Images from Vogue.com – click to view the full collection.

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

THIS is Melbourne Cup Day, Right?

In recent years there has been a lot of noise in the media – by which I mean social media —about the cruelty of the horse racing industry. Mainstream media is of course still promoting it because it means big money, particularly in the fashion industry.

As a hat-lover extraordinaire, far be it from me to discourage anyone from wearing hats at any time, but today I was struck with a dazzlingly brilliant idea (which is why this story is illustrated with a very old photo): the new tradition for Melbourne Cup Day is all about drinking quality cups of tea or coffee, preferably over a delicious repast, and most certainly wearing stylish outfits and toppers!

Who’s with me … next year, for a tea party?

Photo: February 2013