Big pants for a little girl

Pin It Now!

I know what this must look like. You’re thinking, it was fine when she was going on endlessly about boyfriend jeans, but now she’s gone too far. To say these jeans are a ‘slouchy fit’ would probably be a bit of an understatement. My best way of describing the cut is ‘Zoo Suit’ – high waisted, super baggy and dramatically tapered at the ankle. Curiously, rather than buying an ill fitting pair of pants which I make work with (perhaps questionable) belting and rolling, these jeans were evidently designed this way. A thrift find, of course. The label features delightful illustrations of men in bowling shirts and white sneakers, perhaps a serving suggestion. It made me wonder to what demographic and/or era this silhouette is supposed to appeal to, but at the same time I couldn’t help but be be completely appealed. The minute I saw these I was like, ‘will look so good with heels’. I wonder if you agree with me, or is this another one of my poor, stepping-over-the-masculinity-line, style choices to be regretted this time next year? Equipment Signature Silk Shirt \\ Vintage Marcel Dachet‘Blue Jeans’ \\ Rebecca Minkoff MAC clutch \\ ASOS Hong Kong Heel Sandal with Metal Trim c/o ASOS AU (also in red and black) \\ Marc by Marc Jacobs Watch

Roman Holiday

Pin It Now!

 

As I seem to have gone down a path of doing bad movie spoofs, you might call today’s outfit a homage to Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Audrey was charming in all of her movies, but Roman Holiday will always be my favourite. I mean, it’s the story of a sheltered but free spirited girl escaping a mundane life to experience love in a beautiful city. You can’t not love it. And the fashion is to die for as well. Nothing is more feminine than a girl in a full skirt that floats in the wind as she speeds off on the back of a pastel blue scooter – dashing boyfriend in front. I’m actually surprised at how few people I know have seen this movie – go see it, you’ll love it! And while you’re at it, go see all the Hepburn classics, especially My Fair Lady (for the singing and dancing) and Breakfast on Tiffany’s (for the outfits!). This gorgeous tartan dress was a surprising find at the local Salvo’s. I’m not a huge vintage wearer so it suits me just fine that this seems to be a vintage inspired design than a true 1950’s piece. The era itself, though, is a source of great inspiration for me. It was a time of many fascinating dichotomies:  women took their appearance very seriously and always looked impeccable, but the objective of beauty was ubiquitously to appease men; many iconic female role models were born, but they all confirmed to the archaic housewife stereotype; haute couture was at its height, and clothes were works of art, but could be afforded only by a small handful of the elite. Feminism was virtually non-existent in the 1950’s and women were shamelessly objectified, and yet women today look to the glamour, fashion and culture of that time with wistful nostalgia. Including myself. Bitches be crazy. Thrifted tartan full dress (similar here and here) \\ Vintage Cross Shoulder Flap Bag  (similar)\\ Tony Bianco Studded Ankle Strap Heels (similar) \\ Marc by Marc Jacobs Watch (similar)

GREASE

Pin It Now!

Lately I’ve been feeling very inspired by 50’s and 60’s Greaser fashions. Think James Dean, Elvis and for that matter, John Travolta. Though I’m quite sure the oiled, combed back hair won’t suit, the whole leather jacket, white tee and jeans combo is just perfection, no? This jacket is of course, BLK DNM. My kind of leather jacket isn’t cropped up to the arm pits or made so delicately that you can’t stomach a single scratch. I’m one for a ‘real’ leather jacket. It’s tough, it’s rugged, and most importantly, long. So can you tell that I’ve been doing a lot gardening lately? Surely the leather jacket and vintage fur bag gave it away. Gardening: the one thing I’m less proficient in than sarcasm. Though I have no photographic evidence of such, I’ve been legitimately getting right into the spirit of shoveling, pruning, and even some utility vehicle driving. Perhaps this is what sensible grown ups should be doing on their days off. For someone who lives her life as a series of sporadic obsessions, the idea of homemaking is practically Stedford Wife. BLK DNM Leather Jacket 8 (here or here) \\ Vintage Fur Bag (similar)\\ Thrifted Lee Jeans (similar) and Sunglasses (similar) \\ Isabel Marant Carol Sandals (similar here or here)

NOVEMBER TOP 4 THRIFT

Pin It Now!

 

In November, I practically boycotted any retail stores (except Peter Alexander, because I can’t give up cute pajamas) in an attempt to curb my impulse shopping problem. However, to take the edge off the urges, I allowed myself unlimited purchases from opshops. So here are my top 4 thrifted items for November. #1 Army Jacket $40 On a whim, fellow Canberra blogger Heather (Heatstorm Blog) and I decided to venture out of north Canberra to see what south side’s opshops had to offer. We ended up at the Phillip Salvo’s, where I spotted a rack of what looked to be assorted army uniforms. Without thinking, I nabbed this jacket like it was the only jacket left on earth. It was part of a full jacket and pant suit for $40, and the Salvo’s doesn’t sell in separates, so I paid the full price for the jacket alone. After I got this home and examined it closely, I realised just how much indication there was that it was previously owned by an actual soldier – the threads left over where badges were sewn to the shoulders and the nametag on the lining inscribed with ‘LT. COL. HUNTER’. It made me feel a little guilty about having bought it, thinking that this belonged in a museum somewhere, or kept in the family of whom ever ‘Lieutenant Colonel Hunter’ was. The moral implications aside, this is, undoubtedly, one beautiful jacket – perfect above the hip length, amazing roomy sleeves that I love but is so hard to find (like the amazing Wildwood Bomber Jacket). While the price takes it out of the range I would usually buy from opshops, this is still my number one November thirft buy. I wore this here. #2 ‘I Heart NY’ T Shirt $3.50 As I discovered, T Shirts are dirt cheap at opshops, and is always worth a good browse. I’ve never been to New York, and yet I’ve previously owned various versions of the ‘I Heart NY’ T’s. The lettering and configuration are just visually appealing, I guess. It’s the cut of this shirt that got me interested. I love a boy cut T shirt with a round neck and extra length in the arms (for rolling) and hem (for tucking). I wore this here. #3 Mirrored Wayfarer Sunglasses $10 I always look through sunglasses at opshops because it’s a great place to get unusual styles. What you find is usually mediocre quality and unbranded, but might look great just the same. Somehow it feels better buying a Bali rip-off or kiosk no-brand from an opshop. I guess it’s the knowledge that someone else was duped into buying it first, and perhaps you’re just making the best of their misguided impulse buy. These unique clear plastic and mirrored wayfarers were from Hipsley Lane in Braddon, which has gone back to it opshop roots as of late. I love anything in clear plastic right now, and the style is reminiscent of the Carerra Craze. #4 Annapelle Black Leather Satchel $4 I usually never bother to look at bags at opshops because there’s always a great pile of cheap polyester bags from shops like Equip or Kmart that are not worth thrifting, no matter how cute. The hope is always that you’ll come across a great find that even the shop keeper didn’t know about. This time I was able to find a beautiful leather Annapelle satchel minus the shoulder straps. It had no price tag, and the shopkeeper let me have it for $4. Annapelle is sort of an unexciting David Jones brand marketed towards sensible women, but they’re leather bags are always superior quality, and definitely worth more than $4!  What did you thrift in November?

THE $8 DRESS

Pin It Now!

You might say it’s a night gown, pool cover up or 60’s cult uniform. I say it’s a boho chic dress. And I evoke my trift-istic freedom to do so—the all important freedom for the finder to interpret obscure garments for which ever purpose she sees fit. The really cool thing about thrifting is that different things attract different people, so depending on what you’re looking for, everyone comes home with something totally unique. For me, it’s always the sliver of a print or texture between the hangers that catch my eye. This luxe paisley print really got my attention at the Queanbeyan Vinnies (thanks to Heather from Heat Storm Blog for tipping me off to this place!). The cut itself was pretty daggy, just a straight up and down tee shirt dress of sorts. But as I recalled that amazing vintage tunic that my girl Jess from Once Twice Blog rocks so well, I was inspired to give it a go. At $8, I really had nothing to lose. Thanks to the fact that the dress is at least two sizes too big for me, the sleeve falls to a cool three quarter length and gives so much material to play with. Slipping on my wide brimmed fedora thanks to Choies and a pair of studded heels, this was an instantly easy breezy outfit for a relaxing weekend. In other news, I don’t know if you recognize this cute little shop, but it could be one of Canberra’s little retail secrets. Tucked in the back of an alley on Geelong Street in Fyshwick, Down Memory Lane a veritable treasure trove (of The Little Mermaid scale) of vintage clothing, books, furniture and curiosities. I especially love their delightful collection of vintage bottles that would be perfect for your next alchemy lab. They also have by far the best collection of vintage childrens books in Canberra, characterised by their charming illustrated hard covers. Every time I visit I can’t help spending the best of an hour there just looking at everything. Have you been here, and what treasures did you uncover? Wide Brimmed Fedora c/o Choies \\ Vintage Dress ($8) \\ Sportscraft Belt \\ Witchery Tote \\ Tony Bianco Studded Hels

TOP 5 SEPTEMBER THRIFT

Pin It Now!

 

Thanks to the ‘Opshoppers movement’ taking Canberra by storm, I’ve had the thrifting fire put back into me in September. And once you have it it’s massively addictive. You never know what you’ll find and you get this irrational anxiety that if you don’t get to an opshop asap the best stuff will be gone. Here are my top 5 thrifted items from September! What about you?     1. Someone’s DIY shorts from Fyshwick Salvo’s Warehouse $5 Someone did an insanely awesome job DIY dying these, or, by the looks of them appearing at the Salvos, thought they had failed miserably. Which ever the case, to me these shorts are that perfect level of grunged up that money can’t buy, so I’m glad they found a good home with me.

Help From The Underground–get excited about thrifting

Pin It Now!

 

Thrifting, op-shopping, charity shop chic – what ever you call it - it’s the art of discovering gems from people’s second hand clothing and helping the less fortunate at the same time. Canberra is one Australian city that has the art perfected, and this was demonstrated at the spectacular annual Help From The Underground charity fashion show, held in partnership between Zoo Advertising and the St Vincent de Paul Society. The concept: Six local designers who showed collections at FASHFEST in May) had to each source from Vinnies Warehouse six total looks that reflected their philosophy as a designer. This was, at least, the official line. But nothing could have prepared audiences for the looks that came down the runway on the night. Read on to find out more!

 

Canberra Shopping Guide: overseas brands and hard to find fashion at Canberra Fash’n’Treasure

Pin It Now!

If you’re in that chunk of the Canberran population that has had to move here for work, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that shopping in Canberra can be..well..challenging! It’s not that there’s nothing here, it’s just that you really have to know where to look. So I’ve decided to launch a new post series, the ‘Canberra Shopping Guide’. Here I’ll talk about all my recommended places for buying the best fashion, beauty, giftware, decor, and more!

Canberra Shopping Guide #4: Overseas brands and hard to find fashion at Canberra Fash’n’Treasure

Fash’n’Treasure is not just your average weekend market for homemade candles and overpriced paper craft. This is where Canberrans come to turn over their wardrobes and where one fashionista’s buyer remorse turns into another’s fantastic find.

What to buy here:

An unexpected result of the combination of Canberra’s small town isolation and international population is that the average wardrobe is comprised of clothes purchased in the cities, online and overseas, making an event like Fash’n’Treasure one of the only place in Canberra to pick up hard to find overseas brands like H&M, Top Shop and ASOS. I’ve also seen Jeffrey Campbell and Dolce Vita shoes.

Also, as Fash’n’Treasure’s clientele are typically fashion conscious, the quality of clothing sold is high and styles diverse. Vendors know that old tatty clothes wont sell, so pretty much everything there is close to new, or never worn at all.

Recently I’ve seen an increase in professional vendors selling eclectic and unique fashion pieces from Canberra surrounds and also Sydney.