Op Tart

I had this dress on lay-by for ages. It was on lay-by for ages because I couldn't decide whether I wanted it. It's pure wool, lovely and comfortable but I'm not sure about the print.

It's black and white at least!

Happy Friday!

So still no phone which is kind of strange, you don't realise how connected you are to it until you are forced not to use it.

Just a quick drink before I dash out the door, have a lovely weekend!

Of which I am without a phone....

My phone broke this morning. I spilt water on it- rather- I spilt water on myself while I was doing my hand washing and it was in my pocket.

I loved my phone, the face is mirrored and it was lovely and shiny, lived up to it's name to a tee.

I'm not that great at replying to email, I don't twitter and I've been dreadful lately with commenting. My phone however kept me in touch with the world.

So there you go folks, if you can't reach me(hi Mother Melbourne!) that is why. I might just give this twitter thing a go....

The bag cheered me up, I've walked past it on my evening walk in the op-shop window where it has sat unclaimed for about 3 weeks now. I may not be contactable, but I have a rather fancy new snake skin bag!

Toughen up............

New jacket, new accessories, bliss!

Jacket: Siricco

Cuffs: Lady Melbourne

Belt: Salvos

Pants: Witchery

Tee: Witchery

Ballet flats: French Sole

Pandemonium

Lady Melbourne: Hey, have you seen my new shoes?
His Lordship: No.
Lady Melbourne: Go and have a look, take them out of the box.
His Lordship: They look uncomfortable.
Lady Melbourne: No, trust me, they couldn’t possibly be.
His Lordship: Why is that? They don’t look very comfortable at all….
Lady Melbourne: Well, they’re really good quality, and they’re made in Italy, and it’s napa leather, and-
His Lordship: How much did they cost?
Lady Melbourne: Never mind.

These are my little reward for a bumper weekend at the Round She Goes vintage and second hand market at Camberwell Town Hall.
Hello to the gals that came up and said hello, it was lovely to meet you in living colour!
I did fashion markets years ago when I was involved with my accessories label so headed to this one with a somewhat superior idea of what to expect.

You know what they say about assumption right?

I had my fashion sense well and truly knocked into me within the first 10 minutes of being there- people were queued up outside to get in when the doors opened at 10am.
It was kind of like a sample sale, but for vintage and second hand- everything your heart desires under one roof and at extremely affordable prices.
The chaos remained most of the day but I can understand why, if I didn't have a stand myself I would have been out there in the midst of the crowds vying for a bargain too.

Pick a size, any size

Here is a little article I wrote on clothing sizes in Australia for another publication.

Before the idea came across my desk I wasn't entirely aware of the fact that there is no standard for clothing sizes in the Australian textile market. When I did a quick vox pop of my friends I was amazed to hear that most of them varied wildly in 'size' depending on the label.

It got me thinking about how much our self esteem is linked to the size on the tag of what ever it is we are wearing.
I'd love to know what you all think.


'Erin McGowan wanders through the sale racks at Myer, eyeing off dresses and skirts that hang on rails marked by size.

She heads for size 12 and selects a silk dress, holding it up to her slender frame in front of the mirror.

"It’s a shame, it won’t fit me though, not in this brand," said Ms McGowan who regularly fits a size 10-12.

"I can vary from a size 8 (Valleygirl/Temt) to a size 14 (Betinna Liano) in jeans. In other forms of clothing there is no consistency. I can be a small, medium or large in different brands," she said replacing the dress and heading away.

Australian women face this problem everyday in shops all over Australia, as there is no standard clothing size used in the Australian fashion industry.

Kate Brown, a journalist who participated in a recent CHOICE study into national clothing size standards, said that shopping can be an emotional roller coaster for women when trying on clothes.

"I do worry about the effect sizing can have on young women - to find out you don't fit into some designers 'vision' of what they think is the norm could have a devastating affect on self esteem and a healthy body image," Ms Brown said.

Editor of Ragtrader Tracey Porter however thinks that the fashion industry can’t be held responsible for Aussie womens’ self esteem.

"In reality, fashion businesses like all commercial entities have the right to target whomever they chose with their product," Ms Porter said.

"Whether they risk alienating a particular consumer segment or miss out on sales as a result of their decision is a risk they have to take," she said.'

Happy Friday

You know how you have those days where despite your wardrobe bursting at the seams, you have nothing to wear?

I'm having one of those days.

So I decided why not raid His Lordship's wardrobe for something to wear? He's a stylish fella, I knew there had to be something in there somewhere and I've been rewarded it would seem.

Only thing is, the pants and shirt are miles to big for me, you can't see it but there is some very crafty pinning going on.

I'll be here on Sunday emptying my wardrobe of dresses, shoes, accessories, coats and shoes with items starting at $5, the most expensive thing on sale is a brand new, barely worn GAP trench coat for $100. That's so cheap I'd buy it back off myself if I didn't already own 5 trenches.

Happy Friday!

Blue

Sew & Stuff part II

As promised, here is the second installment of my weekend sewing projects. I really love the sleeves on this, coupled with the fact that it was super easy to make.

I've never learnt to pattern make, just dress make so I find that I have enough knowledge to alter them( I popped the sleeves from this dress onto the lilac dress from the previous post, and made them bracelet length) but I need to work from a pattern to actually make something.

I've thought about doing a pattern making course, I figure then I can pretty much make what I want but I'm happy ambling along with my Janome for the time being.

Dress: Lady Melbourne
Trench: Zara
Boots: Primark
Scarf: A gift
Bag: Local op-shop

p.s- I made some new cushions as well, spot them if you can on the couch.