A Tan for Summer

I have always loved a good, strappy Roman sandal, probably because I was brainwashed at about five years of age when it was part of our summer school uniform at my primary school. I remember in the 80s as a young teen I had a white pair, which, because I was in the sun a lot in those days, left very amusing tan marks all over my feet.

These days I stick to classic tan, which are for me the perfect casual summer sandal as they go with everything. In the somewhat Romanesque setting of a heritage house in Sydney (above), I am wearing a pair that were punctured in a brogue style; I loved them. But alas, they died, and their successor was this thong pair with contrast hot pink stitching on the toes.

At the close of this last summer, I had to regretfully bin the second pair too, for the soles had come apart and were beyond repair. It was time to hunt around for their replacement. I found them a few weeks ago, a strappy, woven leather pair. I’ve already worn them once, though I found it more comfortable to tie them in front for ease of walking. Okay summer – I’m ready for you now!

~

Read more about the origin of Roman sandals here.

A Real Pill

Along with other iconic Sixties fashions (baby-doll dresses, Peter Pan collars), pillbox hats have been one of my most hated clothing items. I hated everything about this hat style: the straight up-and-down sides, the flat crown, the sometimes bulbous shapes, the stiffness, the way it traditionally sat straight on the head; even the name is unappealing … I could not name a single redeeming feature, and I certainly never imagined I would ever not only own one, but wear it with pleasure.

Then along came this natural straw hat by Mr Individual of Melbourne, which is trimmed with caramel coloured braid and a jaunty, angled bow. I found it in a Salvos op shop (thrift store) and picked it up – in spite of the fact it was clearly a dreaded pillbox – because of the bow, the fineness of the straw, and because it looked in such pristine condition. At $25 it was not the cheapest hat I’ve ever bought in an op shop (never mind the price tag on new designer hats), but it was obviously a quality piece of millinery.

It looks more like an insouciant cap than a formal pillbox.

Luckily it fit well enough so that I could wear it on the back of my head, a more modern styling than the traditional straight on. It looks more like an insouciant cap than a formal pillbox.

Origin of an Icon

The precursor to the pillbox hat was military headgear. It was redesigned by milliners in the 1930s, and is in fact named after actual pillboxes that pills were once packaged in. It is of course most associated with Jackie Kennedy: a style icon in her own right, but this hat became synonymous with her look in the 1960s.

Jackie KennedyAudrey HepburnWhen Jackie was looking for a hat to wear to her husband’s presidential inauguration in January 1961, the American designer Halston decided with her to make a plain pillbox hat that would suit the style of her dress.

‘The simple but stylish hat caused a fashion sensation across the Western world, when many people watched the inauguration ceremony on television. The dent that Jackie accidentally put in the hat as she climbed out of the presidential limousine was interpreted as a special design feature, and the dented pillbox hat was immediately copied around the world.’ (The Century of Hats by Susie Hopkins, Chartwell Books, 1999).

The pillbox hat subsequently became Jackie’s trademark, and she wore them in fabrics and colours matching her outfit. Worth noting: she too usually wore these hats on the back of her head.

Glaser pillbox by Christian Dior, 1960Flamingo velvet pillbox 'Florentine' by Christian Dior, 1961At Tanith Rowan Designs there is an excellent article on the pillbox and how to wear it now in a modern way – this Australian milliner advocates wearing them tilted on an angle. That may not work with mine as it has such a deep crown, but even I am almost convinced!

Photos: October 2016

What I Actually Wore #124

Serial #: 0124
Date: 05/06/2013
Weather: 14°C / 57°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

This is an outfit I would still wear! Except that I have got rid of the ponyhair slippers as they were a bit too narrow for my feet and cut in the sides. Pity about that, as they were very nice shoes, with a zigzag pattern created from ponyhair and suede.

I remember I bought these kitten-heeled mules at an end-of-season sale for the extremely low price of about $20 – low for anywhere, but especially for the shoe boutique Zomp. I think I may have been wearing them on this occasion because I had badly hurt my left heel; I couldn’t wear closed shoes for over a month.

The vintage 50s bandeau is faux fur with two rabbit fur pompoms attached on one side; I bought that on Etsy years ago. I also wore a vintage 60s velvet coat and a white leather tote.

While I don’t like to wear too much black, I still like it when it’s paired with white or cream, or another neutral. I’ve worn a lot of these kinds of outfits especially in the past year in a vintage x minimalist style. The only thing I’d change here is to remove the necklace and let those spectacular woven hoops make a statement on their own.

Items:

Jumper: Kookaï
Pants: Ming
Hat: vintage 50s
Scarf: souvenir from Hong Kong
Earrings: vintage
Necklace: souvenir charms
Ring: souvenir from Vietnam
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Zomp

Photos: October 2013

A Heart in the Right Place

Sometimes heart motifs are really naff. Other times they are on just the right side of kitsch as to be excellent, such as in this sparkling vintage rhinestone brooch.

Anything that sparkles and is also amusing is fabulous in my book. It’s amusing to me because it is so overtly feminine, but at 5cm across, it’s not at all bashful about it!

I’ll wear this heart on my soft black angora beret next winter, where it will make a striking statement. But to really up the ante, I may wear it right away on my sleeve!

Pompoms A Clear Winner

Stakes Day (yesterday) at Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival is traditionally a family day and a more relaxed affair. An Australian fashion magazine in a recent issue (that I have annoyingly misplaced) published a guide for dressing for the four days of the carnival, and suggested a neutral colour palette for Stakes Day.

I suspect most female attendees of the carnival were not paying particular attention to any themes except the obvious black and white for Derby Day, but I thought they were quite good for distinguishing outfits for each day. (Additionally, Cup Day was bold colour, and Oaks Day pretty, feminine details.)

This hat I’m wearing is by Australian label Mimco from a few seasons ago. It has a straw base on a headband, and three raffia pompoms attached; the one you can’t see at the back is lilac coloured. I remember seeing it in-store and falling in love with it – I find pompoms irresistible!

I was thrilled to come across the hat on eBay, purloining it for a mere $30

However, as an owner of copious hats already, the very expensive price tag made me pass on purchasing it. I couldn’t even plead the excuse of attending the races and needing a new, up-to-the-minute hat. Then a couple of years later I was thrilled to come across the hat on eBay, purloining it for a mere $30. It didn’t even look as if it had been worn. (I have <cough-cough> not worn it yet either, as it is an extravagant hat for everyday occasions, but one day…)

Naturally (neutrally?) the raffia begged to be paired with a fun, raffia-like fringed top I bought a little while ago in a thrift store. It’s a light-hearted touch for a family day.

Photo: October 2016