Alice Blue

I’ve had a very strange and surreal May, so to celebrate it I’m sharing Annie Leibovitz’s beautiful photoshoot inspired by Alice in Wonderland, for US Vogue’s December 2003 issue.

Natalia Vodianova models unique gowns by eleven designers, each of whom appear on the pages with her as different characters from Lewis Carroll’s famous story, which I have loved since I was a child. The gowns are wonderfully imaginative, not surprisingly all rendered in the blue made famous by Disney’s animated film. It is one of my favourite shades of blue.

The book was written in 1865, and it has stood the test of time, inspiring so many – from children whose imaginations are sparked by this magical tale, to Hollywood master storytellers.

Scroll down and be transported along with Alice. (Don’t forget you can click on the images for larger versions.)

What I Actually Wore #0102

Serial #: 0102
Date: 21/11/2012
Weather: 22°C / 71.6°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

As usual the BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) let me down: they forecast a temperate 22°, but by lunchtime it was windy and cool. I was quite underdressed, and out of desperation had to resort to the cashmere shawl I keep in my tote bag for cool office days when we can’t wrangle the temperature controls.

In my favourite striped red and white, the shawl is a souvenir from Sharjah (UAE). I remember trawling the upper level of the Blue Souq, and it caught my eye hanging on a ladder outside a pashmina shop. In keeping with good bargaining etiquette, I entered the shop and pretended I was interested in anything but the striped shawl. Finally I discovered there was no other like it inside, and had to confess I wanted the shawl that was hanging outside. They were onto me from that moment. I think I paid about AU$90 for it, which is still an excellent price for such a fine cashmere shawl. It is very lightweight, yet extremely warm. I love it, and you’d have to rip it from my cold, dead hands before I’d give it up.

The Marni blouse was still quite a new purchase, from eBay, and I loved the striking combination of blue and white with a cherry red skirt that I brought out from storage. It is by New Zealand brand Obi, and I purchased it a great many years ago. The multiple rows of gathered frill along the front always put me in mind of antique petticoats. By Free People, the striped espadrilles were also fairly new; I liked that they perfectly complemented the striped shawl.

I am wearing a sliver convex ring by Roun with my onyx band that is always on standby. The silver ring I have since lost – it slipped off my finger (a bit like the One Ring, only not dangerous and magical) in the Botanic Gardens one morning on my way to work. I still look for it sometimes when I think of it.

I like that all the components of this outfit have a story; that’s one reason why I love vintage clothing – I like to imagine the original owners of the things I now own. The black 60s bag is the only vintage item here, but it has been a great addition to my wardrobe.

Items:

Shawl: souvenir
Blouse: Marni
Skirt: Obi
Bag: vintage
Earrings: hand made
Rings: (onyx) souvenir, Vietnam; (silver) Roun
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Free People

Dress-Ups

(Dressed to the nines includes a white tie)

Once upon a time, people used to dress up to go out. Not just on a special occasion – every day was an occasion. There were particular outfits for all sorts of activities, whether a woman received her girlfriends wearing a teagown, wore a pretty pleated white tennis dress to run round the courts in, a smart suit and gloves for a trip to the city, or a dramatic floor length gown for a Saturday night at the theatre. Today you can go from morning to night in the same outfit, and so much glamour has gone out of our lives thereby. Life has become much less exciting.

I have a little theory – which I have not researched at all, but I like it: the cult of celebrity has reached such heights today, with people obsessively following their idols, precisely because their own lives are so dull. Normcore has been western culture’s downfall. People’s own sartorial adventures are virtually nonexistent that they must vicariously live through the wardrobes of the famous. They have nothing much in their own lives to look forward to, so they read about others’.

Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence in a scene from his play Private Lives, 1930Fashion magazines and bloggers report celebrities’ fashion follies and triumphs both, with a fanatical degree of attention to the minutiae of a star’s wardrobe. Look at the frenzied degree of interest provoked by the Duchess of Cambridge’s recent tour in the Antipodes. Fashion websites crashed, dresses sold out in minutes after photos of Kate were published online.

Of course not everyone is so dully clothed all the time, but certainly many Melburnians – especially in our cold winters – dress purely for practicality, and in a style that is hardcore normcore. One can venture into the city and be greeted by a sea of black, grey and navy blue.

White moiré dress with terraced shoulders and train, by Maggy Rouff, 1930; illustration by Carl EricksonI work at a theatre, so I am lucky enough to regularly attend shows, and many opening nights. I have found it remarkable that even on opening nights many theatregoers dress casually, even in jeans. Where is their sense of occasion, their sense of fun? Part of the delight of an evening out is the anticipation prior: planning one’s outfit, getting ready in the hour(s) before. It’s what you look forward to at the end of the week.

Earlier this year Volodya and I attended Melbourne Theatre Company’s opening night for Noël Coward’s Private Lives. Cocktail dress was stipulated for the evening, with an emphasis on the Art Deco style of the era the play is set in. My choice of gown was easy: a black satin crepe floor-length backless gown in a style very reminiscent of the 1930s, while Volodya wore a suit (though not the one in this picture). It was lovely to receive many compliments from both friends and strangers on the night. I was still surprised however to see a few attendees completely ignore the dress code and come in casual weekend wear.

Clark Gable and Constance Bennett in After Office Hours, 1934Volodya and I had a few amusing wardrobe misadventures that made the beginning of the evening memorable: first the bottle of soda water I opened at home burst into a fountain all over the front of my dress breast to thigh; then Volodya discovered a button on jacket was hanging by a thread so that I had to resew it on; on the way to his car my favourite dainty black heels broke and I had to run back upstairs to find inferior replacements; and finally after we exited the car, I spotted a stubborn white mark on Volodya’s rear, which I had to remove with the aid of a bit of spit and a tissue. Fortunately we both have a sense of humour. It was like a sitcom, but only the prelude to a hilarious evening with lots of laughter.

So go on, dress up – and live the movie of your own life.

Coco Chanel’s 201 gown from 1933; illustration by Carl Erickson

Autumn Leaves

Autumn stole in hand-in-hand with an Indian summer, but finally the chill has really set in. Winter is breathing down our neck, and autumn leaves. (Geddit? I always poke fun at fashion editors when they make headlines out of puns, but that one was irresistible.)

Melbourne has become cold cold cold, I have finally succumbed and brought the winter wardrobe out of storage. I’ve been wearing winter coats in the mornings on the last week or two. I can’t say any of them are Hermès though, sadly.

How very lovely are these pictures? A perfect and literal segue into the season. The clothes are nothing to sneeze at either.

As usual, click on the images for bigger versions.

An Autumn Love Story

A few weeks ago an anonymous reader wrote to me and asked me for some tips on what to wear to an autumn wedding that has a dress code of cocktail wear. She has looked online but only been offered ‘boring frocks of a single colour’, and since she has only been to spring and summer weddings, she felt a bit stuck for ideas. And, she also wondered, were clogs an appropriate choice of footwear?

I thought this was a great concept for a story, and I am actually going to an autumn wedding this weekend myself, although only to the ceremony. (Apologies this story has taken a while to put together and publish, I’d love to have been able to respond personally. If you do write in – and I would love to hear from you – please do include your email address so I can reply quickly!)

Firstly, the clogs. This may be a matter of personal choice. A higher-end fancier pair might be fine, but I tend to think clogs are fairly casual shoes. I love them myself, but I would probably prefer to wear something a little more glamorous. Something with a heel, maybe a shiny finish (patent leather, metallic details), or a bow perhaps, and a splash of colour (depending on the frock). Something festive. The shoe should also be appropriate to the venue – you might be uncomfortable in stilettos at a garden party or on a beach, for example.

If you want to get away from a plain-coloured frock, your best bet would be to go for a print, or colourful separates. If you a really keen on a colour that evokes the season, go for warmer tones, but do make sure whatever is closest to your face suits your complexion. Don’t be afraid to mix up the colours and go for an unexpected combination either, such as plum with turquoise, olive and violet as I’ve done here. (Although I might have gone a little overboard with the number of accessories.)

The clothes I am wearing in these pictures all came out of my existing closet (I might even wear one of these outfits on Saturday!), and are all in warm shades of pink, burnt orange, plum and olive.

Of the separates, the burnt orange skirt by Hannii (a now-defunct Melbourne label) tones in with a silk floral blouse by David Lawrence. There is actually no orange in the wrap blouse, but rather warm shades of pink and olive. The olive green hat is actually a bandeau with a silk organza bow and veil, and the beaded bag adds a little lightness to the outfit. I’m also wearing pink pearl bead earrings and a pearl ring by Autore. The pink shoes are by Nude.

The mauve velvet skirt by Warehouse is closer to pink than is apparent, and is teamed with a warm pink silk blouse by Forever New, another charity store purchase. I actually hunted down the skirt on eBay a few years ago because I was looking for a dressy skirt to wear to evening parties in autumn and winter – there seemed to be a real dearth of colourful party clothes for the cooler seasons in Melbourne at the time. The russet and plum hat is vintage 50s, and the bag is by Glomesh. The pearl chandelier earrings came from jewellery boutique Portobello Lane (also now sadly defunct), and the ring as before; the red shoes with their laser cut details are by Marchez Vous.

Ruffles seem like the perfect decorative touch for a wedding! The purple ruffled silk dress is by Rebecca Taylor (almost the same colour as the skirt), and I recently bought it in a charity store for $12. It is missing a belt however, and is a little big for me, so I’ve cinched at the waist with a scarf that has been in my collection for a very long time. It’s appliquéd with little circles all over, some of which pick up the violet tone of the taffeta bag by No. 7 (also a charity store find). My turquoise accessories include a vintage feathered bandeau, a chalcedony pendant on a silver chain, a turquoise ring (souvenir from Barcelona) and patent Tiffany blue heels by Nude (I just can’t resist that colour, aka robin’s egg blue).

The printed dress is by Cue, and I actually wore to an autumn wedding a couple of years ago. The day was quite warm and I didn’t even need my white faux fur shawl that I had brought with me. I’ve teamed it here with the same pair of warm pink heels seen above, although I originally wore it with black patent slingbacks.

All of these outfits may seem a little skimpy at first glance, but it’s easy to add some warmth with a pair of tights and a decorative jacket. If your clothes are on simpler lines, you can wear patterned or lacy stockings, but don’t overwhelm your look with too much detail. Don’t spoil a pretty outfit with a worn out workaday coat. A wedding is the time to break out a fancy jacket or coat – velvet is perfect for autumn. I adore jackets and coats and have a ridiculously vast collection, many of them vintage. Lucky I live in capricious Melbourne – there are plenty of opportunities to wear them!

Don’t forget your accessories can add interest and vibrancy to your outfit too. A wedding is the perfect time to have fun with a hat of some sort, especially if you are not accustomed to wearing them, or feel conspicuous or shy. No one will ever question a hat at a wedding! I am wearing a selection of three in these pictures. All of them are vintage 1950s, and two are made from feathers. (Feathers always seem so well-suited to autumn to me for some reason – perhaps because their fluffiness evokes cosy warmth.)

Your accessories don’t need to all match one another, or even exactly match your frock – why not try a contrasting colour or texture?

Most importantly: make sure your dress (and your heel height) will be comfortable for dancing in! I just loved swishing around in that 50s inspired Cue dress, with the big bow at the back of the neck – I think I was one of the last to leave the dancefloor at that family wedding of mine.

Enjoy the big day!