What I Actually Wore #127

Serial #: 0127
Date: 19/06/2013
Weather: 15°C / 59°F
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

This outfit is a nod to the season with its blue, grey and black tones, but it manages to steer clear of dreariness and Normcore. A winter triumph! I love different tones of grey worn together – grey is my black, really. I wouldn’t want to wear it day in and day out, but all-grey outfits are lovely.

The three-quarter sleeved tee was a basic I bought new (a rare occurrence) from Kookaï; I bought two exactly the same, one in this blue-grey, and another in a lighter smoky grey. I wear them a lot, so they were worth the investment. The blue suede boots were also purchased new, years ago, but everything else I am wearing is second hand.

Another good basic item is the grey wool cardigan by Satch, which I have also had for years (and still wear). A couple of years ago I found another exactly like it, but in a warm grey colour, almost brown. I don’t wear that colour as much however.

The poufy skirt was one that was much admired whenever I wore it, although it has since gone in one of my wardrobe culls. The boots, hat and umbrella are all still in circulation. Made from heavy cotton, the blue beret is vintage 1940s and came from an American Etsy shop. I am thematic with my silver raincloud earrings, and the other jewellery I am wearing is an onyx ring and bangle, both souvenirs of overseas travel.

I still really like this outfit. It makes me actually look forward to autumn, and singin’ in the rain!

Items:

Tee: Kookaï
Cardigan: Satch (now defunct)
Skirt: Morrissey
Hat: vintage 40s
Earrings: Portobello Lane
Bangle: souvenir
Ring: souvenir
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Boots: Robert Robert
Umbrella: vintage 70s

Photos: October 2013

Thou Shalt Not Wear All Black, All the Time

I live in Melbourne, a city of which its denizens have a reputation for wearing funereal black all the time, because we are much chicer and cooler and more European than our cousins north of the border. Or perhaps we all go to more funerals, and we are awash with Italian widows? Or maybe we are all fatter down south, so we believe we must wear slimming black all the time?

Winter is particularly depressing on the city streets: it is a sea of black, grey and navy Normcore. I don’t understand this fanatical adherence to such a dull palette. Not even the New Zealand All Blacks were all black all the time! Colour, apparently, is outré in my hometown, but in Princess Tatiana mathematics, BLACK = Boring + LACK of colour.

Let us examine the reasons why people like to wear all black, all the time. I know quite a few people of this mindset, and I have often asked them why. Following are the four main reasons they cite; the fifth is one most won’t admit to for themselves, but it has been pointed out.

1. It is chic, stylish, timeless

I do not at all refute that an all-black outfit can be chic and stylish, but worn day-in and day-out it simply becomes boring and stale, regardless of how inventively-cut are the garments themselves. It also does look depressing, especially when worn continuously in summer, when it also draws the heat. Also, unfortunately, it does not suit everyone’s complexion – it is not flattering if it makes one look sallow (sickly).

2. It is slimming

There are other plenty of other options to create a slimming silhouette, so wearing only black for this reason is an excuse, and lazy. Monochrome outfits in other colours can create a similar slim line, for instance, as well as wearing shapes and proportions that balance and flatter your figure.

3. It is easy

‘When I’m in a hurry in the morning, I don’t have to think about matching colours.’ I’ve heard that one bleated about many times. But not all shades of black are the same: there are warm and cool tones of black, different fabrics and textures look dissimilar, and then there are those black garments that are simply worn out and faded. Usually they look wrong together, especially if one is attempting to create a ‘suit’ effect. It is just as easy – and fresher – to mix in grey and white, or other neutral such as camel, without having to worry too much or expend too much time. For those who don’t know which colours suit them, click here for some tips on how to figure that out.

4. It is camouflage

There actually are people who are intimidated by the notion of wearing colour simply because they will stand out from the crowd, and they don’t want to attract attention. Apart from those who genuinely need therapy for serious issues, always disappearing into the background is not a fulfilling way to live life. Wearing all black (all the time) to deal with insecurity is putting a bandaid on the issue.

5. I’m an artist/poet/designer

Oh, please.

Undoubtedly, there are plenty of other individual reasons, such as ‘it doesn’t show the dirt’, or ‘it makes me feel powerful’, ‘it’s sexy’, etcetera, but I won’t belabour the point by refuting every single one.

Just a little colour for starters

Don’t misunderstand, I am not suggesting we should give up wearing black entirely, just perhaps it would be a good idea – even a fun idea – to try something different from time to time. A change is as good as a holiday, remember!

If it is really a confronting prospect, try introducing colour in small ways to start with, or mix in some grey (there are so many tones of grey, warm and cool), white, a neutral such as camel or tan, or a muted ‘dirty’ pastel, shades which have been fashionable in recent seasons.

Fashion should be fun, and in these days when we are no longer slaves to the industry’s diktats, we can be free to experiment, and even challenge ourselves. Most people don’t have the chance to express much creativity in their everyday lives or jobs, but fashion can be a form of creative self-expression. Few artists limit themselves to just one colour in the entire spectrum … Why should you?

Photos: May 2012

What Would Coco Think?

These astonishingly ugly shoes by Chanel are so hideous they belong on the fat feet of Cinderella’s sisters. Particularly the clunky, clumsy hessian bag mules with the abomination of a cheap token flower nailed on the side. I’ll go one further and say these monstrosities belong on the hooves of Shrek’s troll wife. Or is that being unfair to Princess Fiona?

The other pair is almost as frightful. From the heel they are solid, staid cream Mary-Jane hybrids that unexpectedly finish in a delicate thong. Why, why? The balance is all wrong! When would you sport such odious footwear?

Clearly the original owner did not sport them anywhere, as they remain in pristine condition straight from the bandbox. She chose instead to donate them to a Salvos op shop – a charity thrift store – and just look at what they had the temerity to charge for them!

These astonishingly ugly shoes by Chanel are so hideous they belong on the fat feet of Cinderella’s sisters.

I take issue with the staff of charity stores who show zero discernment when pricing items. Cheap high street stores such as Zara are often racked with ‘designer’ items, while actual designer items are either priced ridiculously highly if they are well-known, or at a pittance if they are obscure (although I shouldn’t complain about the latter). The quality of the design and materials is often ill-considered.

I actually mentioned these shoes in the comment section of one of Salvos Stores’ Instagram images, and I was pleased that one of their marketing team contacted me about them within an hour. They clearly were not happy that these shoes had been priced so high and intended to send an area manager to the store in question – which is certainly maintaining good PR.

My sister Star spotted these shoes and sent the snaps to me last September. I did search online for them, wondering if the hideous mules were genuine, but it seems they were. Unfortunately I’ve lost the urls, but I recall one blogger reviewer who was scathing of them, anda second who fell in love with them and bought them, finding it difficult to choose between colours.

I must admit I am not a big fan of Lagerfeld’s Chanel, finding a lot of his output horribly frou-frou and twee (not, ahem, tweed). Considering her oft-quoted maxim of taking one thing off before she left the house, I often wonder what would Coco think of it?

Giving Good Dress

BOO HOO! I have really loved this steamy weather casual dress, but now that it has gone past its expiry date and I am forcing myself to be ruthless by getting rid of it. But before I cast it aside, I must give it a proper goodbye.

I liked everything about it: the jersey fabric, the chevron pattern and the colours, the spaghetti straps and overall ease of wear. It was just so light and comfortable on really hot days. But it has become disgracefully pilled in patches and is not fit for public consumption so I must regretfully bid it farewell.

I think it is not even good enough to go to a charity store, so perhaps I should cut it up for rags? What a prospect, and what a tragic end to a favourite summer frock! Goodbye chevron dress, you served me well.

Photo: January 2017

Animal Instinct

If anything epitomises a Gorgeous Useless Irresistible Little Trifle, it must be this beaded coin purse made in the shape of a Dalmatian dog that I found in an op shop recently.

I find it hard to resist cute and kitsch things that make me laugh. In practical terms, though, I suspect it could prove quite vexing if one is in a hurry, with coins and the like becoming stuck down its legs. But it’s so much fun – a little piece of eye candy – that I obeyed my first instinct to claim it for my own. It can live in my beach bag and become a holiday purse, for on a proper holiday one is never in a hurry.

Photo: Today