What I Actually Wore #0058

Serial #: 0058
Date: 09/02/2011
Weather: forecast 28°
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

It was a very warm summer day, and I was going out for a birthday lunch with a friend. We were going to Como House & Garden, a historic mansion that has been protected by the National Trust since 1959. The house was built in 1847, and is a mix of Australian Regency and Italianate architecture, and is famous for its pretty gardens that have been restored to their original glory. So of course I had to dress in honour of the surroundings, as well as the occasion.

I wore a 1950s satin dress in a lovely Wedgwood blue. The fabric is a minimal kind of brocade, with moon shapes woven from blue and silver metallic threads. And because I love to wear slightly wrong colours together, I added a belt made from vintage fabrics: olive green silk velvet ribbon and a rose fashioned from silk chiffon. The wool felt rose hair tie carries through the rose motif, and was a souvenir from Vietnam. I am even wearing tiny oxidised copper rose earrings.

The vanilla snakeskin bag is also vintage, as is the blue rhinestone ring. My shoes are the only ‘new’ accessory: patent leather chopines from Wittner.

I had a lovely afternoon with my friend, and it was a beautiful, sunny day to wander around the gardens, posing by the tinkling fountains and under enormous 150-year-old trees. Oh, how the other half drifted through the days, once upon a time!

Items:

Dress: vintage 1950s
Belt: vintage
Earrings: Portobello Lane
Hair tie: Vietnamese souvenir
Ring: vintage
Bag: vintage
Shoes: Zoe Wittner

Mix and Clash

There was a time when I never wore prints. My minimalist wardrobe was entirely made up of a small palette of solid colours: grey, white, blue, orange, red, purple and a little black. I relied on different textured fabrics for interest. Then I rediscovered my eccentric and eclectic roots and with them, prints.

When prints come back in a big way, fashion magazines love to tell us to be brave and mix them up, but, they caution, keep them in the same colour family. This is usually a good rule of thumb to mix and match by, but I like to style on a case-by-case basis, depending on my mood in the morning.

I love the subtle clash between patterns, unified by brown and cream.

I normally don’t like brown at all (see previous post), but I made an exception in the case of this bold brown and cream chevron print. I call it my Viennetta ice cream print dress. It’s so over-the-top that one hot day I decided to go one better, tying my hair back and wrapping it in a silk geometric print scarf. The little squares change from cream on a solid brown background to a cream background, with just one corner of the squares highlighted in brown (you can glimpse that section at the back of my neck). I love the subtle clash between patterns, unified by brown and cream.

In a twist on mix-and-clash, I matched these garments based on a circle motif, rather than a print. A favourite mauve silk blouse features a geometric print of circles made up from lines (I adore the pleated puff sleeves). The olive organza scarf is appliquéd with circles attached with tiny sequins, and this beloved wooden necklace is made up of interlocking circles.

With a world of interesting prints out there why stop at one?

The Seventini

Do click on the pics to make them BIGAt first glance, the looks on these pages – straight from the latest issue of Australian marie claire – seem straightforward 70s redux (floppy hats, big sunglasses, flares). Then when you break it down you glimpse shades of the 1950s (capri pants); 1980s (chambray shirts, chain bags, flippy, belted minis); and 90s silhouettes (pencil skirts). It’s a strange cocktail, but I most prefer the 70s influence. Let’s call it a ‘Seventini’.

But let’s break it down a little further. The opening look (above) – what’s not to love? Great hat, fabulous swallow print scarf, super cool boots, and didn’t Hermès design some watches like that a few years ago? It is a little difficult to tell what the dress really looks like, and the bag is a trifle boxy for my tastes, but all in all, very soignée.

Moving on to the second page … The colour palette is appealing, except I quite dislike wearing chocolate (eating, yes; wearing, not so much). Especially in snug leather (bottom left). Can you imagine how much you would sweat in that tight-fitting top? But I LOVE those enormous bangles by Elke (great label, btw) – only $95 each, I think I’ll buy one in every colour. And I really do like the navy heels with white – what do you call that kind of trim? Shoelace? The braid is threaded through eyelets.

Oh, and have I mentioned before that I really don’t like loathe chain-strapped bags (although I must confess I do own a very cool vintage version)? You know, if someone gave me a classic Chanel 212 chain-strapped bag I would instantly bestow it upon a deserving pal. It’s one of my most-hated bag styles in all fashion history, what with the chain and the quilting. Ergh.

I shall dismiss page three almost wholly, except for the delicious tomato red hue and most of the jewellery. The brown dress is quite appealing… if only it wasn’t … brown. The gold bag and ballet slippers just look cheap.

Ok, onto the last page (the two large photos are my favourite looks). Love the enormous round sunglasses, adore the knit, and covet the jeans. The shoes are passable except for the gold toes (but if someone was holding a gun to my head, I would wear them) … Oooo! The bangles. Love!

That just leaves the bag. It is Vile. Who perpetrated this abomination? B Store. Never heard of ’em. Best to leave it this way, methinks, if this is a sample of their design philosophy.

This look would only set you back $1599. $2089 if you actually liked that hideous and repellent bag.

And now, the conclusion

The 70s vibe is very cool, and elegant – although I suspect there is just a sniff of unapproachable goddess here. The main drawback (aside from the fact I don’t have yards of leg at my disposal) is all the bare flesh: it looks great, but you would freeze gadding about like this in a Melbourne winter! I’m talking iceblocks. Blue skin even. What I want to know is this: are beige pantyhose coming back, because black opaques just won’t cut it for this look?

Ph: Adam Flipp/Reload Agency for marie claire Australia, May 2012

Stand Like a Lady!

All that’s missing is a lollypopWe’ve all heard the humorous stories about women who are unaccustomed to walking in heels, who fall over their own feet. We’ve seen the models on the catwalk tipping off ridiculously high platform shoes and we feel for them in their utter humiliation as they faceplant on the runway. We cheer when fellow models lift up their fallen comrades and help them hobble away from the scene of their disgrace with as much dignity as possible. It was the designer’s fault, after all.

That’s walking. Walking can be difficult at times, and accidents happen, so they’re forgivable. But what about standing still, huh? Do you need talent for that? Again, celebrities have mastered the art of presenting their best angle when they pose for the paparazzi.
Observe:

Eeeek! Unfortunately, celebs have been standing like this for years – click and jump to a story filed in 2009!Some girls just cannot seem to resist standing pigeon-toed. This looks nauseatingly cute on an adult woman, on a par with twirling one’s hair and coyly batting one’s eyelashes. Is she trying to look all demure and dolly-like because this is what catches a man? Ugh! It makes me want to barf. When I see this in fashion editorials I want to slap the photographer (probably a man) directing the shoot. It’s offensive and insulting to the grown women reading the magazine.

Perhaps they are shy, you say. Perhaps they are not used to the spotlight and don’t know what to do with their enormous feet and hands. If that’s the case they need a coach. It is an utterly inelegant look. In fact, severe cases of actual pigeon toe are considered a form of clubfoot. Lord Byron had a clubfoot and he never had any luck with the ladies, did he? was considered the sex god of the Regency period. Hmm, ok, we’ll leave that example alone. You’ll still have to agree, it’s not a very attractive disfigurement. 

The effortlessly elegant AudreyJust ask yourself this: how would Audrey stand?*

*Audrey had a ballerina’s grace (she did study ballet after all), and ballet is in some cases actually recommended for children as a remedy for mild cases of pigeon-toe.

Click-Clack

Late 30s Early 40s German Art Deco necklace: honey and black faceted lucite drop bib necklace; $153 from RoadsLessTravelled2 on EtsyAfter extolling my cousin’s chunky necklace yesterday, I went on a little Etsy hunt for some of its antecedents: Art Deco necklaces made from Bakelite.

Bakelite is an early plastic that is made from sythetic components. (I won’t bore you with the scientific explanation – you can go look up Wikipedia too.) It was used in radio and telephone casings, as well as far more interesting and appealing jewellery, children’s toys, kitchenware, and more.

Visit Gaslight & Shadows Antiques for a short history of BakeliteIt is still used today in fact, in the production of inexpensive board games in China, India and Hong Kong. Billiard balls, dominoes and pieces for chess, checkers and backgammon are also still made from Bakelite, for ‘its look durability, fine polish, weight and sound’. Who knew? I have always liked the clack billiard balls make when they strike one another – it’s as satisfying a sound as that lovely click a lipstick makes when you close the case (which is also an important component of lipstick packaging design I believe). 

And if you’re in Britain, don’t miss the Bakelite Museum. 

Honey Bakelite and gold metal choker necklace; $127 from Linda Starr on Etsy
Bakelite Art Deco necklace on celluloid chain with apple juice and amber beads; $145 from BrightEyesTreasures on Etsy