A Little Lunchtime Miracle

A couple months ago I was attending an Opening Night during the week, and as I usually do on these occasions, I wore something a little special to work: a favourite red sequinned vintage 60s top. (Of course, I could have carried it and worn more conventional daywear in the office, but I can get away with this kind of outrageousness working at a theatre.) By mid-morning however, I realised I had forgotten to bring an evening bag with me, and I certainly did not want to spend the night carrying my unmatching giant tote bag around.

I decided to make a quick trip to the local thrift store at lunchtime in search of a evening bag. I didn’t have high expectations – I just wanted something respectable and inexpensive, as I already own so many evening bags I didn’t care to spend a lot so unnecessarily. I intended to donate it right back, or give it away to some lucky recipient. My work colleagues, hearing about this hopeful mission, scoffed humorously and wished me luck.

I decided to make a quick trip to the local thrift store at lunchtime in search of a evening bag.

In due course I ventured off on the trail of this unholy grail, and upon a thorough search of a Sacred Heart Opportunity Shop, by divine miracle I came upon a quite inoffensive pleated-look black satin clutch bag. And amazingly the ticket price stated a mere $6 – what luck! (Or it could even have been $4; I can’t quite recall.)

But that was not all: not only was it a completely innocuous clutch bag, there was a convenient cord strap curled up inside. I don’t actually like little bags on very long straps, so I carried it as a clutch that evening. I was extremely glad to cloak my heavy tote, and my colleagues were all very impressed with my thrifting prowess. Truly, a last-minute lunchtime miracle – saved by the bell, as it were. Now … whom can I fob it off on?

Photos: July 2016

You’re Mad on Dances

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

I’m not going to give you a big history lesson on the Charleston dance except to say it is the most famous dance associated with the 1920s. It was named after the harbour city of Charleston in South Carolina, and was first composed in 1923 for a Broadway show titled Runnin’ Wild. The peak years for the Charleston’s popularity were 1926–1927.

Wikipedia describes it thus: ‘At first, the step started off with a simple twisting of the feet, to rhythm in a lazy sort of way. When the dance hit Harlem, a new version was added. It became a fast kicking step, kicking the feet, both forward and backward and later done with a tap. Further changes were undoubtedly made before the dance was put on stage.’

Josephine Baker perfoming the CharlestonThe dress I am wearing, being quite short and skimpy on the bodice, is vaguely inspired by flapper dresses with its drop waist and gored skirt. It is grey silk chiffon, by Australian high street store Sportsgirl. I purchased it on eBay and was rather disappointed by its brevity once the package arrived and I saw it in person (and on my person!). I thought it was fine for a homage to the dance though, and had fun kicking my patent navy heels to an album of original Charleston recordings, including an amusing George Gershwin song performed by Fred and Adele Astaire:

FRED:
I've seen for days that you've got
The ways that must be checked
In you I never can detect
The slightest signs of intellect
You’re mad on dances, think of the chances you neglect
You never seem inclined to use your mind
And it's quite plain to see
That I'm the brains of the family …

[Read the full lyrics here, and watch a period video of the dance below.]

Photo: March 2014

Surface Decoration

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

Many years ago, I remember seeing a vintage 1920s embroidered silk piano shawl belonging to a fashion editor I once worked with. It was a celestial shade of Wedgwood blue, with cream coloured embroidery, and I fell in love with it. It had belonged to her mother, and quite naturally, she wasn’t parting with it.

I determined to find my own, except there was one problem in fulfilling this mission: these enormous shawls are rarely to be seen in Australia. About five years ago I looked at some in an antique textile shop in Barcelona; I remember a gorgeous black and white one priced at several hundred euros – beyond my price range. Later, I expanded my search to Etsy.

… in the 1920s piano shawls were adopted for decoration of the top surface of the fashionable flapper.

Piano shawls or scarves literally are embroidered pieces of fabric that were used to decorate and protect the top surface of a grand piano. They were quite popular during the Victorian era when pianos in the parlour were fashionable, and in the 1920s piano shawls were adopted for decoration of the top surface of the fashionable flapper. They were worn in the evening simply as shawls, or were tailored to create jackets or kimono-style coats. The hand-tied fringing they are commonly edged with form a distinctive and seductive decoration, swaying with every movement of the wearer.

A few years ago I watched an original 1920s film – I can’t remember the title, but it was about two sisters with a strong sibling rivalry when it came to men – in which a young flapper dons a piano shawl for an evening wrap in disgruntlement after her elder sister steals her brand spanking new lamé coat. The younger sister threw the shawl around her like a cloak, so that the fringing trailed behind her, brushing the floor. The coat was beautiful, but I didn’t consider the shawl a poor substitute as did its wearer!

I eventually found a shawl that I liked on Etsy – not in the coveted Wedgwood blue, but in lustrous navy and white (it won narrowly over a similar shawl of black and white that was a little smaller); I particularly love the birds fluttering amongst the embroidered floral vines. While they come in many different colour combinations, I preferred the minimal simplicity of just two. Here I am wearing mine folded diagonally in half, as the fringing trails dangerously on the floor like a train if it is not folded. I have worn it out as an evening wrap too, to the theatre, and the crépe de chine is not only very warm, but I feel incredibly glamorous embraced within its folds.

I was lucky to find a beautiful piano shawl in such perfect condition at the extreme lower end of the price scale. There are many readily available on Etsy and other online stores, with prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. If you do wish to buy one, do be patient and shop around as there are bargains to be found, and also be careful to check the condition as much as you are able, as these are antique textiles and you can expect to find shattering, tears, holes and stains in fabrics that have been heavily used or stored incorrectly. A reputable seller will be upfront about such issues.

Photos: March 2014

Model wearing a shawl of crëpe de chine hand-painted by Russian artists, 1924; ph. Edward Steichen. ‘Edward Steichen In High Fashion the Condé Nast Years 1923–1937’ by William A. Ewing and Todd Brandow, FEP Editions LLC, 2008

What I Actually Wore #118

Serial #: 0118
Date: 26/05/2013
Weather: 21°C / 69.8°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

It is a mild day, and I quickly choose an outfit for work, starting with one of my go-to skirts for this kind of weather. It is a navy linen skirt that I had bought from an online sale website a couple of summers ago. It features an asymmetrical cut, a style I have always favoured.

I pair it with a purple and red striped Sonia Rykiel knit which, with its skinny tie at the neck, has a 20s flavour. I have always been partial to purple and red worn together; it can be a startling and vibrant combination but really works. I match the top to a red wool felt hat, a modern hybrid of cloche and fedora.

As the morning is not warm, I wear ribbed over-the-knee socks with my patent and wood wedges, and add a 1960s black velvet coat with a fur collar. I spotted that coat in a country Salvos store when I was on a visit with my niece. I certainly didn’t need yet another coat, but I fell in instant love and bought it. I’ve worn it many times, and it is surprisingly warm for a cloth coat. Also from this era is the black patent bag I carry often. For a vinyl bag, it has lasted well. I wouldn’t ordinarily buy vinyl, but it is permissible for a fun vintage item!

One of my work colleagues compliments me, and tells me I look fabulous, very 1920s, which had not really been my intention (the 20s part, not the fabulous part!). I guess a reminiscence of certain eras is inevitable when one is attracted to the style and shapes of particular eras. I love Art Deco, which covers the 1920s–40s, as well as the 70s revival.

Very regrettably, this knit got eaten alive by evil and hungry moths (which happens to me a lot), so I ended up donating it to charity a year or two ago – I had darned the first couple of holes but then even more appeared and in a ruthless moment, I decided it was a lost cause. It must have been a particularly tasty merino wool. The skirt has also retired from active service, but with my new interest in navy, it’s very possible it will make a comeback in the summer.

I don’t normally talk about the watches I wear, but this favourite Kenneth Cole with its chain band was recently repaired, so I am most excited to be able to wear it again! The chain had lost a couple of links and had stretched out, thus becoming unwearable, until I finally got around to taking it to the jeweller to have it repaired (along with two others). I now have four to choose from, which is a bit mad. I’d love to add to the collection a vintage 30s or 40s man’s watch, one with a large round dial and a tan leather band.

Photos: September 2013

Items:

Top: Sonia Rykiel
Skirt: Kokomarina
Coat: vintage 1960s
Hat: Milana (available at David Jones)
Socks: ASOS
Earrings: handmade
Ring: silver – Roun (now defunct); onyx – souvenir
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Bag: vintage 1960s
Shoes: Aldo

Alice Wore Blue

An interesting and surprising history lies behind the colour Alice blue. As the name might suggest, it is linked to the title character of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and her iconic blue dress. But there is also another Alice who gave her name to a shade of blue: the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt who loved a very pale tint of azure, and who sparked a craze in America. But this shade of blue is quite different to that of the fairytale Alice, being a very pale icy shade.

An online search on ‘Alice blue’ will turn up varying shades of light- to mid-blue of warm and cool shades; comparing them to an original illustration from 1927, a mid-tone certainly is correct, but the shade hovers on a fine line between warm and cool.

One early illustration drawn by Tenniel and approved by Carroll himself shows Alice wearing a red dress.

John Macfarlane recoloured Tenniel’s illustrations for the 1927 Macmillan Children’s Edition, maintaining Alice in a blue dress but with a red trim to her apron.The first editions of Alice in Wonderland featured no coloured illustrations – it was rather associated products that were printed with chromolithography. One early example was the cover of pianoforte sheet music: the illustration was drawn by Tenniel, approved by Carroll himself, and shows Alice wearing a red dress. 

After this came a yellow dress, and then finally the famous blue dress appeared in 1903. Alice wears a blue dress and headband, white apron with yellow trimmings and yellow striped stockings. In 1907 Alice is back to red again, and it is not until 1911 that Alice dons blue once more.

Tenniel’s eyesight was failing by this time, and Harry G. Theaker was commissioned to colour Tenniel’s illustrations. The blue Theaker chose for Alice’s dress, with a white apron and blue striped stockings established the iconic colour that was later also adopted by Walt Disney. Over a hundred years later, it’s hard to imagine Alice could ever have worn another colour.

Fashion Notes

I am wearing a vintage 1950s dress I bought last summer in a thrft store. It is actually my second least favourite era for clothing (I dislike the 1960s the most), but I really like the simplicity of the cut of this dress, the fitted waist, the pleats, and the fabric has a lovely swishy weight to it. The lack of embellishment makes the dress seem quite modern, yet it would be perfect for an Alice costume too.

Photos: April 2016

Modern and vintage inspirations

Mia Waskikowska as Tim Burton’s Alice. I loved the multiple versions of her blue dress!Alice Blue chocolates! Darling vintage 1940s packaging from SIP of Sarsaparilla on Etsy.A very pretty Alice blue tea set from Fox Mirror Vintage on EtsyTriple layer lace and chiffon Octopus Infinity wrap wedding gown from Coralie Beatrix, on EtsyLilly Dache ‘Lilly's Dillys’ cocktail hat, 1960 from Etsy store Frou Frou 4 You YouThis is what I think of as a true Alice shade of blue; a sterling silver and stone pendant necklace from Etsy's The Bonny Boutique