Autumn Marches In

It was amazing how Melbourne turned on the autumnal weather right on cue. The morning began with grey skies and by the time I was walking to work, graduated to rain. I had to wear a raincoat when the day before I was gallivanting about in a sleeveless summer dress!

It was cool, but not quite as cold as this picture suggests, which I took quite a long time ago, wearing one of my super-jumpers – it’s so warm the cropped length and sleeves are a boon.

The umbrella I’m holding is vintage, probably 60s or 70s, and the periwinkle gloves (it’s difficult to capture that colour on camera, but they are definitely purple-tinged) are 1960s. I find that with umbrellas, it’s a case of they certainly don’t make ‘em like they used to, and vintage brollies are far more sturdy because they generally have more spokes. I’ve never had a vintage umbrella blow inside out, no matter what gale is blowing.

By lunchtime today the clouds had cleared, and tomorrow will be quite warm, and Saturday we will return to beach weather! Ah, Melbourne, as the song says, we really do enjoy four seasons in one day.

Happy autumn!

Photo: July 2016

Summertime Gothic

Time was in Melbourne when many goths wandering like lost souls through the streets were a very familiar sight. Having gone through art college myself, they were never a threatening or repugnant presence to me as they were to some, and I was always intrigued (and entertained) by their bold sartorial expressions.

What a spectacular head dress! (from @mywitchery; outfit @burleskacorsets-blog.)Their mania for emulating the darker aspects of the Victorian period in respect of dress seemed to work well for winter – frock coats, puffy sleeved shirts, cloaks, big boots – but I marvelled that so many seemed at a loss as to what to wear for summer, always a concern for sweltering days in an Australian city, even one so far south as Melbourne.

Melbourne Goth & Victorian Picnic 2017I always felt sorry for them, suffering on broiling days in their multiple floor-length layers. They really needed a stylist I decided, poor things, to help them figure out a ‘summerweight’ goth look. I was sure their angst-ridden expressions had more to do with suffering from imminent heatstroke than affected Victorian anguish.

You don’t see many goths in Melbourne anymore however. Perhaps the old goths of the 90s and Noughties have grown up, or moved to the suburbs and got haircuts and real jobs. Research lead me to discover the goth movement is still going strong in Europe, with many large annual festivals (mainly in Germany) still being held and attracting tens of thousands, with steampunk and even ‘steamgoth’ now entering the field as well.

Melbourne Goth & Victorian Picnic 2017One way to keep cool – not for everyone however; Melbourne Goth & Victorian Picnic 2017In October last year, the Melbourne Gothic & Victorian Picnic was held in the Fitzroy Gardens (north of the city proper), it is pleasing to discover. However a quick perusal of photos shows that most goths are wearing quite heavy garments for mid-spring, with a few concessions in the form of punk-inspired torn lace or lingerie – a revealing look not for everyone.

I’ve long wanted to do a tongue-in-cheek homage on a summer version of typical goth splendour, but have held off until I secured just the right outfit. I finally found it, and here it is to celebrate the last day of summer: a billowing silk, floor-length dress featuring some cobwebby lace in the yoke, a nod to gothic Victoriana for the more modest young lady. The loose skirts, low back and front, and sleeveless cut make it perfect for an Australian summer.

Add a lace parasol (I only had a cream one, but a real goth might prefer tattered black) to protect one’s delicate pallor from the burning rays of the Australian sun, a dour expression, and you’re good to go. For an evening wrap against potential night chill, consider a black lace shawl which can be prosaically wrapped round the shoulders, or draped over the head for that funereal aspect.

Visit A Study of Goth Subculture (2009) for both dissertations and detailed fashion information; a relatively recent story at The Conversation on Goth, Steampunk and the State of Subculture Today (2016) is also worth a read.

Photos: March 2017

Je ne sais quoi

The Blue Hat, published in Femina, 1949Last year I visited the Christian Dior exhibition in Melbourne, which was quite spectacular. It was interesting comparing the styles of each of the designers who have headed the House of Dior.

They all like to say that while they have their own signature style, they wish to honour the spirit of the house, but I’m not sure if any of them really are completely successful in that respect. Of course fashion must move with the times, but Monsieur Christian Dior simply had that je ne sais quoi that is really epitomised in the illustrations of that other master, René Gruau, in these postcards bought in the exhibition shop.

Absolute perfection – that’s what it is.

Drawing for perfume advertising image, 1963

A Tribute to Turquoise

I’ve often rhapsodised about one of my favourite colours, turquoise, on these pages; it is such a summery colour for me. Scrolling through my archives of fashionistamatics, I was amused to see quite a large number of items that had not yet seen the light of day: here are five of them, to celebrate the waning of the season.

First up is a picture of me on last Christmas Day, wearing a 1960s sequinned wool tank top (despite the how sunny the photo looks, it was not excessively hot that day in Melbourne) and a 1950s feather bandeau. I had decided to go full Christmas, and am wearing these with a red silk skirt, red heels, and candy-cane jewellery (my diamanté earrings are actually candy-canes!).

The woven straw bag I think is 50s or 60s and was a recent purchase in a thrift store, and the next snap is a detail of another beaded and sequinned 60s top, this time in a t-shirt shape. (I actually have a third as well, which has tassels, because why stop at one or two?)

The patent heels are a favourite pair of summer sandals that have that strange property of some hues that seem to change tone depending on what they are worn with. These, when paired with a slightly different shade of turquoise suddenly seem green – quite a magical effect! These shoes were bought on a sale website.

Finally, the little leather wallet was something I actually purchased retail. I loved the colour so much (unfortunately not captured very well on the iPhone 3S), and its convenient tiny size, I willingly paid quite a lot for it. I wore it out until the lovely turquoise turned grey – a bit like summer skies changing to autumn.

Photos: December 2017, February 2018, January 2018, May 2013, December 2011

Summer Easy to Wear

No matter how many hats I own (and at current count, well over 100), I could never have enough. There is just something about this most practical and most frivolous accessory that never ceases to delight me.

These two straw hats, one modern, one vintage 60s, are both fairly recent acquisitions – I bought them this last spring from separate Melbourne op shops (or thrift stores), each for about $5. Constructed from natural straw in neutral colours, they don’t look entirely frivolous – but they are not exactly practical either.

On the left is an open-weave mannish Homburg style, which does not at all keep off the sun … but then, neither does the little white Breton hat that perches on the top of the head.

The Breton has been more of a wardrobe success for me as I have worn it far more often as it seems to be more in keeping with my style. Possibly the woven Homburg makes me feel an uneasy twinge of boho or festival fashion, neither of which hackneyed looks I wish to emulate. But perhaps I haven’t yet found the right ensemble to top it off with.

Simply, some hats are easy to wear and seem to go with everything; others need exactly the right outfit to make them work. That’s the real difference between practicality and frivolity.