Ginslings And Secretary Things

She loves pearls, pussy bow blouses, tailored skirts. Appropriately dressed all in blue, Sapphire tells me her work style is very “secretary” – a look that is completed with classic black-rimmed glasses. It’s rare that she wears anything other than black at work, she says, so this splash of colour is pretty special.

How long did it take you to put this outfit together Sapphire? 

Not long at all – maybe 10 minutes. I had pretty much decided what to wear the night before.

I usually do that when I’m excited to wear some new item.

Yes, that’s exactly it! I was inspired by my cardi, because it’s a naughty new buy. (A little too naughty, actually, I'm getting guilty flushes about spending so much money...) It’s from T.L. Wood and I loved how delicate it looks and feels – from the tiny white button loops to the fine weave. I love navy and coral – I think they’re going to be my favourite colours this summer.

The lovely spring weather also influenced my outfit. I decided – as it was supposedly going to be a little warmer today – to be daring and bare my legs.

I totally love that cardi, I have to say, although I can understand the guilt that comes with shopping at T.L. Wood. That shirt is very pretty too – so delicate.

It’s my favourite top at the moment – white silk, from Alphaville. As for the skirt, it’s a very old FCUK number and a trusty staple in my work wardrobe. I chose it because I wanted the cardi to shine without competition from the other items.

It certainly does that! I’ve always admired that silver name necklace of yours too – it’s not the usual Carrie Bradshaw-style.

No, it’s not. A friend of mine had it made for me in Auckland, and gave it to me for my twentieth birthday.

It’s pretty, with that swoop curling back to the dot of the ‘i’. What is the other jewellery you are wearing?

The silver bracelet was a graduation gift from mum and dad, and the faux pearl earrings are from Retro Star. I generally keep my accessories pretty minimal at work, as I find noisy jewellery distracting usually.

Yes! I hate it when my bangles ‘bang’ on the desk when I’m using the keyboard. And your shoes?

They’re vintage, also a gift from a friend. I don't usually like slingbacks but for some reason these seem to work for me and are comfortable.

They are so cute. If you get tired of them I'll take them off your hands, so to speak. (Do you need that in a memo?)

Well, we can file that one now; thanks Sapphire. It was great to feature you on SNAP again.  … Um, is it time for a G&T yet?

Mohair Undies Anyone?

Hold onto your seat: I am going to coin a new fashion term! At least I think it’s new; I’ve never heard anyone espouse this concept before. Here it is: monomaterial.

What the? Well, you’ve heard of monochrome, right? The theory of dressing all in one colour that fashion editors and stylists everywhere tout in order to flatter and elongate your figure? I am merely going one step further. Monomaterialism is dressing head-to-toe all in one fabric.

Think of the possibilities. Silk stockings: what luxury! Cashmere catsuits (for lounging at home): what decadence! Paisley pedalpushers; boucle blouses; taffeta turtlenecks; and of course the ubiquitous mohair underwear. It’s a whole new world. Which is not to say that in the picture above I am wearing white leather undies.

And when you combine the two: monochrome and monomaterial, why, the mind boggles!

…Which is not to say that in the picture above I am wearing white leather undies.

Alright, alright, so all that is a little tongue-in-cheek. On a sensible note, I do advocate monochrome dressing, although there are only two non-colours I personally would wear all over (unless we are speaking of a dress): white, and grey. You could include neutrals such as beige, and black in that list of course, but I try to avoid like the plague the stereotype of Melburnians wearing all black.

I read in Glamour’s Big Book of Do’s and Don’ts (2006) under The Rules for Flattery: “Know the power of being monochromatic. Wearing the same colour or shades of it, from top to bottom elongates your shape, thinning you out.” It was a pity I could find very few examples of this principle in the book, excepting dresses and suits. I’d like to know how many women actually do this, as I would feel a little silly clothed in say, varying shades of pink from top to bottom.

However, here I am all in white … and all in leather! I have managed over the years – unintentionally – to amass a collection of white leather garments, mostly vintage. My most fabulous find was a 1970s calf-length trench, pristine white in the most supple leather, for only US$45 on eBay. The obi belt I am wearing here is the only item I’ve bought new from Witchery, when obis were all the rage a few years ago. The panelled vest is Bebe, the shoes Scanlan & Theodore, and the skirt is in storage so I can’t check the label.

A Lara Croft type in black leather is as likely to ravish you as kill you, but who could be sure of one in white?

The connotations of wearing black leather from head to foot are patent. White, however, manages to retain that tough-girl image, but in a far more subtle way. It’s the contrast of angelic white crossed with animal hide: danger is implicit rather than overt. A Lara Croft type in black leather is as likely to ravish you as kill you, but who could be sure of one in white? There lies the advantage.

Of course, it would be a trifle difficult to execute any head-height kicks in that pencil skirt (the waistband is so tight I can hardly breathe). I’d better keep my eye out for some white leather pants. Evildoers everywhere, watch out!

Thanks to Rolve from stock.xchng for the background images.

Newsflash! Princess Makes Shopping Error!

Once upon a time when I was poking around an old op shop on my way home from work, I came across this tote bag made from newspaper. Inside I found the original tag that declared it to be the work of some designer I’d never heard of, and its original cost to be $35.

I wondered who on earth would ever have paid that much for some plastic–coated stock market listings, but it amused me. I paid $2.50 for it and carried my groceries home in it.

That was the only time that bag was ever used. My amusement proved to be short-lived: it didn’t even possess the virtue of being an interesting read. Why hadn’t the designer at least used some sensational front page with lurid gossip-column pictures?

It hung for a while on a hook before I decided to photograph it for this journal as an object lesson in how not to shop. Even I make mistakes sometimes. After the photoshoot, the bag found its way to the floor.

Then a couple months ago, Melbourne experienced a violent storm during which my apartment was flooded. My walk-in robe was two inches underwater. In the aftermath of the cleanup, I found this bag was ruined (fortunately there were no other serious casualties). “What a pity,” I found myself thinking. The newspaper was not only yellowed, but now it was wet, with water seeping beneath the plastic.

Without compunction, I tossed it into the bin where it belonged with yesterday’s news. At least I had got a story out of it.

The End.

What I Actually Wore #0033

Serial #: 0033
Date: 25/11/2009
Weather: forecast 25°, a lovely spring day in the city
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

Here is an outfit that is a real mix of eras. I had such fun putting it together, and it definitely started with the dress. From top to toe we have:

• 1940s straw hat, trimmed in dove grey grosgrain ribbon and netting. Utterly adorable with its turned-back brim; the twist on the side is accented with a jaunty bow. I bought this on eBay from an American seller, and just learned Marshall Field & Co was a famous Chicago department store.

• Laser-cut lattice wooden earrings, a birthday gift two or three years ago from good friends.

• Mint condition 1950s crisp (but not crunchy) linen dress, with black piping. I totally fell in love with this printed fabric when I saw it at the Salvos. The only problem with the dress is that while the waist fits nicely, the belt that comes with it (made from the same fabric and finished with a bow) is too tight. I could move the snaps I guess, but in the meantime…

• Oh! A patent leather, warm grey belt with a fine, upstanding bow (sensing a theme here). After seeing it in a retail store and mourning the price, I managed to find this in a sale shop a few months later, drastically reduced. Score!

• Another extraordinary find from an op-shop, this fab 1970s bag is made from hard white plastic. The inset panel is real snakeskin, and it dangles on a fine gold chain. I was positively drooling over it, but was held in check by the fact that another shopper had put it on hold whilst she wandered around the store. The salesperson suggested I go ask her if she wanted to take it or not, but I didn’t want to precipitate a crisis: the woman might have snapped it up after all if she scented competition. I had to loiter around the counter for ten or fifteen minutes, and whiled away the time trying on all the jewellery in the cabinet.

• These flamingo pink shoes, also patent, have featured on SNAP pages before. I like the scrolldown with its startling finish: neutral, neutral, neutral, SURPRISE! Much less sensible than wearing, say, dove grey courts that matched my belt, like a staid Fifties matron.

I tripped into the city on a lovely spring day to meet a friend for an afternoon of gallery-hopping, followed by coffee and cakes. Lovely.

Items:

Hat: ‘The French Room’ by Marshall Field & Co.
Dress: Sharene Creations
Belt: David Lawrence
Earrings: Moyou, from Design A Space
Bag: vintage (no label)
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Jane Debster

Gold for Iron

With curves and curlicues like delicate traceries of black ink, Berlin ironwork jewellery is both pretty and dark with gothic edge.

This dramatic style came into being in the early nineteenth century, and was made by the Royal Prussian Iron Foundry from 1804. Intricate panels of scrollwork, foliage, Classical medallions and cameos, and the aforementioned Gothic designs were cast in very fine sand. These lacy pieces were then linked together and lacquered black (which helped to prevent rust).

During the Prussian War of Liberation in 1812–14, ladies were encouraged to give their gold ornaments to the war effort, and in exchange, were given iron. Some women had their pieces inscribed with “I gave gold for iron”. This unromantic metal was then melted down and cast into these filigree fancies. Such was the high quality of both design and casting that these pieces were in fact expensive, in spite of being made from base metal. Few original pieces have survived however, because of the brittleness of the iron and its susceptibility to rust.

(Left to right) Tiara, c1900, from barbaraanneshaircombblog.com; haircomb, 1820s, at the V&A Museum, London, from differentlondon.blogspot.com; drop earrings c1830, from www.graysantiques.com; a pair of bracelets (able to be linked together and worn as a choker), c1830, from www.georgianjewelry.com.

My enormous cross earrings are certainly not original (nor high quality), but neither are they lightweights, tiring out my earlobes. I suspect that the women wearing the originals a couple hundred years ago were made of sterner stuff than me. They were quite used to wearing metres of heavy fabric as well as umpteen petticoats, corsets, girdles, bustles – a little bit of iron clasped around their necks or wrists was not going to hold them back!