International Outfit

A friend noted briefly to me not so long ago, that sometimes if you want to put together a really great outfit, you need to dig deep into the back of your wardrobe and revive some of the old things that haven't seen the light of day for a while. I agree, that it's often the unexpected collaboration of items from various different seasons and styles that makes for something so much more fun then a quick all encompassing shopping spree at Glassons.

Well today, without this being my intention at all, I think I've well and truely put together an international outfit.

Black long sleeved top - 'Target' Australia, purchased around 2 years ago.
Black tights - 'Primark' London, purchased 12 months ago.
Cord skirt - Thrifted from 'Value Village' in Victoria, Canada, 18 months ago.
Vest/cardigan - Hand me down from my Mum (originally from 'Sussans', NZ) 3 years ago.
Belt - Naples, Italy, purchased 12 months ago.
Shoes - 'Glassons', NZ, purchased around 6 months ago.
Turquoise necklace - 'Grace Anchor Finery', Salt Spring Island, BC, purchased 12 months ago.

And that people, is a pretty mad example of holding on to things for yonks, trekking round the world with your wardrobe and wearing garments to the grim death!

Colour Block It

Trying my hand at colour blocking today - this outfit would be 100 times better if I owned a mustard colour cardi like this one! But oh well, navy will have to do...at least I managed an entire outfit with no black, go me!

It's also my first attempt at the 'stockings in open toed sandals' thing... it's always weirded me out a bit until now, but like I've been saying, I'm staying open minded!

Oh, cute wedges too, eh?

Style Changer

I'm covering a fair bit of ground in this post - first up - a little about my outfit today. This post should probably be titled something like 'What I Wore Thursday' except Thursday doesn't have the ring to it that Wednesday does, and obviously, I missed Wednesday...so meh!

I've been experimenting a bit more with my personal style lately, my style being that thing that I don't think I have one set version of. Just the same way I like a huge range of music, I like trying out different styles in fashion too, just depends how I feel! Today's outfit is a new combo for me - OK so it's made up of black, black and more black, but I dug out an old Supre singlet from the back of my closet that hasn't seen the light in over 3 years - and combined that with my bear claw necklace and new 'X' ring... I'm pretty happy! I'm going for comfort at work today as I've got a pile of upholstery sewing to get through, (using an industrial sewing machine in heels is a co-ordination nightmare!) so got the brogues on and a 'House of G' blazer. Noooice.

And yes the ring! It got a little bit of a patch extender put in the back of it last Thursday night, so it is finally wearable, hooray! I never wear brass, but this has grown on me a lot since I made it, so I'm thinking of making some earrings I can wear at the same time. I've been a silver/white gold girl since day dot, but, along with my explorations into clothing style lately, I'm feeling like changing it up a little. Cool huh?

Oh and on one more completely random note - you will see in the background of my mirror shot photo (taken at work) some styling in a visual merchandising context behind me, all done by moi. Just another area I'm having fun playing with a bit more these days. Maybe I should do a bit more posting about my V.M. work... another day perhaps...

A Tunic

   

I hate the word tunic, but I guess it kind of describes the loose fitting dress/top that I made last night.
I used the most basic of basic patterns to whip it up, and it's perfect for wearing over leggings which pretty much sums up my summer wardrobe mantra.

I love the subtle pattern on the fabric which you can see best when the light shines through it.
This piece of fabric came out of my 'stash' that was in storage - what a brilliant day that was when I rescued it from the garage!

Op Shop Love - Value Village

A few weeks ago I had one of those op shopping experiences that comes along once in a blue moon.
I'd been hearing a lot about about this 'fantastic' second hand store in Victoria called Value Village, so I dragged Corey across on the ferry and made a pilgrimage to see what it was all about.

Umm, New Zealanders, think of a place the size of  'The Warehouse', but it's all second hand and vintage clothing. Apparently there are 'Value Villages' all over America and Canada, so... can we have one in NZ? PLEASE!? (Hang on, who am I kidding, there's probably one in Auckland or something I just don't know about it...).

We spent, maybe an hour and a half in there, and I could have spent a lot longer expect Corey was so bored I think he may have been frothing at the mouth and doing that 'lying on the ground on your side, spinning in a circle' thing that Spongebob does.

At one point I recall a tantrum on my part as I discovered an aisle, yes that's right, a whole aisle of vintage fur coats. The cause of the tantrum was one particular coat, and it was in the cutest 60's swing coat style, and it was so perfect... except it was fur. Real fur. I left it on three occasions only to wander back down the aisle again to check the label to see if it actually miraculously said 'Acrylic' or 'Feaux fur' but no, it was very much real. I couldn't do it. Even though it's $15 price tag screamed at me as I left, I couldn't do it. Plus, travellers reality check, how the heck would I have gotten that all the way back to NZ in my pack anyway??

That aside, I did get a couple of goodies which I will share now... I think all up I didn't spend more then $40!

                               Alterations: Took back darts in a little to give more shape

                                Alterations: None

       Alterations: Were skinny jeans, cut off and hemmed to make shorts

                               Alterations: None

                                Alterations: Was ankle length, cut and hemmed to knee length

Note: Sorry that most of those items need ironing, and for the bad photos. I live in a caravan peeps, this is the only mirror I got and we don't have an iron!

The Wardrobe - Fulford

There is a little shop shack in Fulford on Salt Spring Island called 'The Wardrobe' and going in there is like Christmas. Christmas, in Bali. Or Thailand...

It is tucked away behind a wall of ivy in a little lean-to shack type of building, with little openings and warrens branching off into other areas, and it is chocka-bloc full of clothes, scarves, sarongs, hats, jewellery, mittens, accessories and bags from all over Asia.

It has an overwhelmingly ethnic feel to it of course when you enter, but if you search through the racks and piles, crammed with handmade lace, tie-dye, cotton, silk and colour, there are so many individually gorgeous pieces that you could easily take home and add to your wardrobe.

My favourites are the twirly, gypsy style skirts, you know the ones that come down to your calves and swirl out if you spin around? (as you do). And soft cotton summer dresses for pairing with sandals and sunglasses and running through fields in... (of course).

I could spend an entire day in there and not get through all the shelves of scarves and bowls of bracelets.
And I swear there is nothing in there over $30. BONUS.

Sewing Withdrawal

Everybody in blog land seems to be sewing up a storm lately - either whipping things up for competitions, or creating fabulous new pieces for their autumn or spring wardrobes.

I, have no sewing machine here, and I hate it.

I have a job interview on Monday so I am going to have to go and buy some new clothes to make it look like I haven't just spent the last 2 months dressed in my trackies, dragging logs in the bush, on my knees planting and landscaping, lugging timber planks round the yard, building fences, digging drainage holes... etc.

So usually most people would be stoked to have an excuse to buy new clothes, normally I am one, but all I really want is some fabric and a sewing machine to make my own creations. I'm in total, utter withdrawal. It's like an itch and I can't scratch it til I get my mits on a machine. Ugh!

Images from MissPrint via Designsponge.

I'm a Trend Setter

Perusing LookBook the other day, I discovered that I am, in fact, a trend setter.

When I was 12, (and I have photographs to prove this) I tended to have a bit of a... 'style of my own' shall we say, this was before I conformed to the classic black NZ uniform (as Jacqui talks about over at Hazelnuts). I thrashed the 'denim shorts over tights' look so hard that everyone else in my class at school knew to just 'not go there' as I had that look done and dusted. You know? I topped it off with oversized fleece sweatshirts that I made myself.

So imagine how amazed I was to see that this look has finally caught on around the world! Even if it has taken 14 years to show itself again... hehe

All images from www.lookbook.nu

A Bit of Global Culture

C decided a couple of weeks ago that he needed to 'represent' (said in a way a chic as white as me really shouldn't say it) our kiwi'ness overseas and bought two t'shirts from Global Culture for $28 NZD each.

The red one says 'Choice, eh! (chois, aye) Translation: pretty good, don't you think?'
The brown one says 'Can you handle the jandal?'

Might be a good conversation starter... that, or he'll just get a lot of other kiwis talking to him!

Packing Dry Run: Number 2

To all you lovelies who suggested after my last dismal packing attempt that I roll my clothes, you obviously all know what you're talking about. And the 'shake well after packing' method suggested by Jacqui? Brilliant.

I culled a lot of clothes this time round, because to be honest, I don't think I'm going to need 10 singlet tops in Canada in March/April!

 This round of trial packing has seen a massive improvement since the last one;

Ease of access & method of packing: Good
Weight: 11 kilos, yes you read that correctly, 11 kilos
Not included: Another pair of shoes, wopping Lonely Planet book
Now includes: Clothes, toiletries, socks & undies, shoes, and even my sleeping bag!
Result: Very Good

I think I've nearly got it sorted.

Packing Dry Run: Number 1

Today we are officially 50 days out from heading off to Canada, so I thought (whilst in the midst of a cleaning blitz) I would try my hand at a packing dry run, just to see if the things I thought I wanted to take would fit in my pack. Here are the results.

Ease of access and method of packing: Poor

Weight: 16 kilos (4 kilos spare - not that I want to be carrying the maximum weight!)

Not included: Shoes, toiletries, socks and underwear

Result: FAIL

Doh! Top tips anybody? I have heard it suggested that if you tightly roll each individual item you can fit in a lot more then initially thought. Perhaps I'll give that a go...

Colour Me Pretty

A very early memory for me is going through my Mum's handbag and coming across her little flip folder of 'colours' - the colour swatches she would use to go shopping with to ensure she bought the clothes and colours that suited her best.

I have always wanted to have a flip folder of my own, always been curious as to what colours work best on me. People have often said that if I am an interior designer I should have no problem knowing which colours I should wear, but it really is a whole science in itself, there is no link between interior colour knowledge and self styling what-so-ever!

Well my aunt gave me a voucher to get my colours done a few weeks ago, (it is definitely not a cheap excercise) and I was thrilled to bits, waiting anxiously to see whether I had anything in my wardrobe that hit the mark or not! The day finally rocked round yesterday, and my appointment took two hours for them to go through the four colour 'seasons' and determine the best colour set, make-up tones, jewellery colour and glasses frames for me, taking into consideration my skin tone and hair colour.

Turns out I am 'summer', and I must admit there are some colours that I should be wearing that I would NEVER have thought would suit me, ie. lavender, lemon yellow and baby pink.

There are some colours that I wear already which is a relief, like apple greens, navy and fucsia.

However apparantly I should never wear black or crisp white! Well I laughed at that one, there is no way I would give up wearing black. NO WAY.

So when I'm next heading off to buy new clothes, I think I will take my swatches with me and see if I can stick to my colour chart. Something tells me this little swatch book will be a handy guide in my handbag, but I don't think I'll ever take it as gospel. Sometimes when you love something you just gotta have it, doesn't bother me if it's on my colour chart or not.

Parcels = Love

Yesterday was a truely exciting day, I received a parcel I have been waiting for for what seems like an eternity! (Actually maybe two weeks max.)

I ordered two dresses off one of my favourite sites Modcloth, and I was like a kid at Christmas when I got the note in my letterbox to say there was a parcel waiting for me at the post office- I drove for an hour round trip in my lunch break just to get there and collect it as soon as I could, jeepers!

Yay for parcels and yay for cute dresses to wear with tights, cardis and boots in winter and jandals in summer. Bliss!

My Nu Scarfy

I snapped up a cute wee scarf from Cotton On over the weekend, cost me all of one huge bajoolin' dollar so I am very pleased with my purchase- yay for bargains! I nearly got a nice wintery one too, but felt a little silly buying a woolley scarf in Perth while we're still having 35 degree days...!

Undie Undies!

I want some undie undies! Get some here from Lucha Workshop at Etsy!

Mod Mod Mod

My favourite website at the moment is Modcloth, online supplier of Mod, Retro, Indie & Vintage style clothing. I love love love the super 'lookbook' section that they put together each week, it's so inspiring! Now I just gotta get the money together to produce these looks... Check it out!

Up & Coming: Belinda Coppin

I would like to share a little bit about up and coming fashion designer and recent design graduate Belinda Coppin.

I was lucky enough to catch her collection on show in Wellington at the end of last year, where she was named as top Massey fashion design student, and nominee for the supreme Zonta award. What a super cool aesthetic, I want those pants!

Her presentation, from garment construction, cut, style and fit, photography and marketing were first class. She is one to keep an eye on in the future - watch this space!

To read more about her award click here.

Up & Coming: Harriett Falvey

While in Auckland in September, my sister and I came across the creative talents of up and coming fashion designer Harriett Falvey, at the Aotea Square markets.

We were like giggling school girls as we looked through the racks and racks of beautiful garments, loving her gorgeous wee bow collared dresses and puff skirts.

If I was a dot, I would have snapped one up then and there, but unfortunately I don't think I have the little frame to carry these styles, so instead I just dream!

Harriett's designs are available from the Auckland City Designers Market, or you can visit her site here for more details on her work.