One Blanket Skirt: Check!

At the end of last summer, when I started thinking about my new season wardrobe, I was also starting to lean back towards a more minimalistic approach to fashion. I have gone through these phases before, when deep in the throes of eccentric bohemia, I suddenly start dreaming of its antithesis: minimalism and paring back. It is certainly a startling contrast, and I am not sure why I suddenly change tack, except that it seems to be a natural wave, an ebb and flow in my sense of personal style. It’s as if, after years of minimalism, I find myself longing for simplicity. I make the switch, and years will pass before the pendulum swings again.

Last time I made an abrupt turnaround to minimalism (when I was about 28) I was quite strict – I culled virtually everything vintage from my closet that I had collected during and shortly after my years at art school, and I started from scratch, with a very small colour palette too. This time around (more than ten years later) I have been less rigorous. I have for some time been rather enamoured of the 1970s, as well as the 30s and 40s (my other favourite vintage styles), so I have kept a few vintage pieces in circulation – so long as they fit into a more minimalist aesthetic.

I wanted … a plaid wool skirt that was reminiscent of a blanket – those cosy checked blankets I remembered from my 70s childhood.

Autumn fashion in the USA: a block plaid coat nipped in at the waist, worn with a jaunty hat, 1938. (From Style Book, by Elizabeth Walker, published by Flammarion 2011.)For winter I had decided on what kind of pieces I wanted to keep an eye out for in my various secondhand haunts, both online and in the real world. One of the items I wanted was a plaid wool skirt that was reminiscent of a blanket – those cosy checked blankets I remembered from my 70s childhood. I was very particular on what kind of plaid I wanted: it could be nothing fussy with numerous stripes such as a traditional Scottish tartan.

Jean Shrimpton wears a classic, checked collarless jacket, 1960. (From Style Book, by Elizabeth Walker, published by Flammarion 2011.)I didn’t hold out much hope of finding exactly what I wanted, but browsing one Saturday morning in a Salvos op shop (thrift store), I actually stumbled upon it. Instead of the soft reds and white I wanted, the skirt was woven in quiet tones of smoke blue, soft grey and off-white – basically a blue version of what I had dreamed up in my head. I couldn’t believe my luck: made of 100% wool, the midi skirt fit, and only cost around $8–12.

I wear it usually with a grey jumper, like this short-sleeved sweater, or sometimes with a matt sequin grey tee (another thrifted bargain). In perfect condition, the skirt is so warm too. It’s just like walking about wrapped in a cosy blanket, perfect for some of the very cold days Melbourne has given us this winter.

Blue Mood

Blue Mood :: Big Up // Watts // No flashMy cousin and I have quite different styles (and very different figures), but on many occasions our tastes coincide. Here is one such lovely instance when we were clearly both in a blue mood one morning and donned cobalt accessories. I am wearing a pair of patent and suede wedges, and my cousin is in tights. Of course you can see just how our taste in office footwear differs!

Classic Style

Last weekend I saw the 1946 film The Big Sleep on the big screen – by accident! I was actually meant to see something else, but I got the days mixed up. Though I’ve seen this Bogey and Bacall film before, it’s been many years so it really was a serendipitous pleasure to watch it again, in an old-style Art Deco theatre especially.

I’m sure most people would agree with me that Lauren Bacall is gorgeous in general – those cheekbones! those eyes! that hair! – I was also drooling over her costumes for this film. I’ve long loved Forties style; my particular favourite here is the houndstooth suit with beret. My own ideal wardrobe would be comprised of these outfits. Absolutely classic.

You’d certainly never yawn over Lauren Bacall!

Mend Your Ways!

The infernal chain strap on this leather bag keeps disengaging from the interior hooks! My fourth New Year’s fashion resolution this year was to keep up with my mending, to stitch, darn, rip, bolt or glue as needed. You know those pesky little chores which you dismiss with that old excuse, ‘Oh, I’ll do that later …’? But later never comes, does it?

At least in my case (as we established in the last story) I don’t continue to wear ripped or holey garments, but it is aggravating to have one’s wardrobe reduced for such a petty reason. So I determined that I would mend my ways this year, and keep on top of the mending basket.

I do very well with mending seams and sewing buttons back on and the like, but I draw the line at wielding scissors at anything except a length of thread. I mend; not alter – that’s what professionals are for.

I’ll tell you a funny story though, the thing that forced me to change my wicked ways …

Two pairs of jewellery pliers come in useful to open the links at the ends of this chain. The metal is quite a heavy gauge, and the link quite small, so pliers are quite definitely needed to open and close the links – fingernails wouldn't cut the mustard

The Funny Story

Many years ago I purchased a lovely silk 1950s dress. I wore it usually to work only, although probably only once or twice a season. But it had one flaw: the hem was falling down. Because I wore it so seldom, I never remembered to fix the hem, so I would be forced to take emergency measures at work. Earlier this year, I finally laid the dress out, determined to repair the hem, and discovered not only that I had to tack up almost the entire hem, but I first had to remove a number of tiny black safety pins, a couple of lengths of double-sided sticky tape and even (I blush to confess) a staple!

You can laugh about it sure – but I can exactly picture the scandalised/amused/disbelieving look on my mum’s face if I were to tell her! After that mortifying discovery, I determined never to let things come to such a pass again!

If you’re going to take your mending seriously, you need to put together a basic sewing kit, as well as perhaps a few jewellery tools (used here to repair the chain strap of this vintage 70s snakeskin bag) and also glue for adhering different types of materials. There are some things you just can’t repair though.

Swinging Seventies!So, with half the year almost done, how’ve I gone with this resolution? … Not too badly. I have gone on the odd domestic frenzy and mended a heap of garments at once to clear a backlog. Admittedly, there are still a few sundry items still bubbling way back there, but mostly Santa would have to say I have been a Good Girl. (I wear size 39, in case you NTK.)

Ironically, I found that I had to finally remove and trash the chain strap on this bag – after it snapped off no less than three times on a single outing! The bag has since become a clutch.

Brush Up On Style

I thought this vintage clothes brush was so cute! However, I find the modern iterations more useful – a sticky lint roller is perfect for removing pet hair. Style is important. Good grooming is important. Looking your best is important. By this I do not mean keeping up with the very latest fashion trends – that can very often achieve quite the opposite effect!

Some will consider fashion and attention to personal style frivolous, and meticulous grooming too much bother, adopting a defiant stance of, ‘you can take me or leave me’, or, ‘what does it matter as long as I’m comfortable?’

I believe however that looking your best does wonders for your morale on an everyday basis.

looking your best does wonders for your morale on an everyday basis

Your sense of style is a very personal thing. Sometimes it takes years to develop and it can change quite dramatically at different stages of your life. There are some principles that never change however, such as dressing to flatter your figure, and keeping your clothes and accessories neat and in good repair.

While my style over the last couple of decades has swung between the extremes of a vintage/retro look and a softer version of minimalism, here are some personal standards that have never changed:

Five Things That Make Me Feel Stylish

1. A good hairstyle

I unfailingly feel good about myself when my hair is looking good. I know as soon as it starts getting too long I start feeling distinctly dowdy. (Which is not to say I think long hair does not look chic on other people.) Whenever I go to the hair salon to have it cut short, I always exclaim, ‘Why on earth did I grow it long?!’ Right at the moment it’s grown out of the Klute-style shag, and I’m looking fondly at this short do above, from March 2014.

2. Striking lipstick

Bright lipstick is the biggest makeup statement I make. Regardless of what other makeup I am wearing, lipstick never fails to make me feel done. I tend to favour blue-toned pinks or strong reds.

3. Good quality garments that are well-taken care of

Hemlines that are falling down, missing buttons, holes in knits, split seams, ripped stockings, torn belt loops, clothes covered in pet hair, etcetera, are the antithesis of stylishness. I feel very self-conscious of some of these.

4. Unique accessories

I keep my eye out for unusual accessories, but I never wear too many at a time. I have a huge collection of amazing shoes and hats, but I also love belts, gloves and of course scarves, even if I don’t wear the latter two often.

5. Interesting proportions

I love unusual or avant-garde proportions, but if I’m going to wear something particularly outrageous, I keep the other elements low-key – less colour, less accessories – and let the silhouette do the talking.

Five Things That Make Me Feel Inelegant

1. Ill-fitting clothes

Not only are ill-fitting clothes uncomfortable physically, but they are also unflattering – which makes for mental discomfort. Sometimes that glimpse of myself in a window on the street can be a salutary lesson.

2. Badly-scuffed heels on shoes

I am absolutely ruthless about worn-out shoes. I will not wear them until they have been to the shoe repairer, and I have no compunction in throwing them in the trash when they are beyond help. I won’t donate such shoes to charity either – if I refuse to wear rubbishy shoes on the street, I’m not going to encourage someone else to do so!

3. Ripped jeans

This is a personal peeve. I know for many ripped jeans are the height of fashion, but as soon as even a favourite pair become ripped at the knee – out they go! I just hate it. I recently mourned a pair of Hudson jeans.

4. Fussiness

I don’t like too many things dangling about my person, or too many visual details. My colour palette has changed in the last year – I wear a lot more neutral clothes these days, usually with only one accent colour, or at most two, where the second is very minimal. Interest is in shape and texture.

5. Feet badly in need of a pedicure

I tend to have quite dry skin on my feet, so they require a lot of care to keep them looking good. If I am slack about it, my heels become very cracked – hideous in summer in particular! I’m so minimalist at the moment I’m even on a no-nail-polish kick! I kinda like the look of naked nails.

~

Have a read through these pages torn from British Vogue (although I can’t tell you which issue they are from unfortunately). They discuss both timeless details and trends current at the time of publication. (Click images for larger versions.)

Or if you’d like some advice on discovering your personal style, click here.