lilac wine

I don't tend to wear much purple - it was my favourite colour as a kid and I think I wore so much of it then that I'm still wary of it.


I've been half-heartedly going through my clothes and trying to get rid of some. It's ridiculous how much stuff I actually have, given that I only wear about 3 things (shorts, t-shirts and thongs in summer; jeans, long-sleeved tees and cowboy boot in winter). I came across this rad tutorial the other day that explains how to make kids' pants from old t-shirts, so I've been sorting through everything I don't wear anymore to make pants for my own little creepy-crawly (well, not so much creepy, but very, very crawly). I was about to cut up this old Bonds tee, but I loved the colour so much I stopped myself.


I bought a bunch of these tees last summer when I was heavily with child, and the thin cotton made them perfect for the 30-plus days. Now, of course, they're all stretched in the belly area, so I kind of hiked it up with a little badge to avoid the pouchy thing that was happening. Maybe I can take them in and get some more wear out of them? Or maybe they'll end up on Baboushka ;-)

(purple tee: Bonds
long-sleeved tee: also Bonds
badge: Milk Thieves
skirt: thrifted
boots: men's cowboys, eBay)

Sweet holy mother of the thrift gods!

The laws of op-shopping have been confounding me lately. It seems that every time I am in the presence of a fellow thrifter and the conversation steers to our mutually-loved pastime, I bemoan the current lack of decent clothing (heck, I've even done it here!) and then get nostalgic for 'the good old days' where I could snatch up silk smoking jackets and geometric shift dresses for under $5, and where Miller's Fashion Club was a mere lurking presence rather than the evil behemoth we now know it to be.

However, it would appear that my laments have had the opposite effect to that which I would have expected. Instead of being brutally smote for my lack of faith, I am being rewarded with some sweet finds...

In town with my little bro T-Bone last week, we ducked into one of our preferred secondhand haunts so that he could look for shirts. Idly sifting through the dresses while he was in the change room, I realised that there was some potential on that thar rack. Several hurried clothing changes later, I emerged with these four dresses:





(Someone woke up mid-photo-shoot)



I nearly lost my lunch when I realised what a gem that last one is. It looks as though it's been handmade, and someone has done the most beautiful job of it, lining it and all.


And the print, my word, that print! Very Temple of the Sun (have I been making Baboushka watch Tintin so that I can watch it too? Yes. Yes I have). I think I have found my life's mission - to discover the maker of that fabric. If anyone knows how I could do this, I will be eternally grateful and (may even rustle up a present of some kind... if, you know, the thrift gods are feeling benevolent).

Art-teacher Chic

Okay, I'm coining it before anyone else does. We've had some verging-on-the-ridiculous prefixes to 'chic' in the past (Recession-chic? Military-chic? Homeless-chic?!), so I'm just throwin' it out there.

What is this 'Art-teacher Chic' I speak of? Well, er, it's what I would use to answer the question, "how would you describe your style?", which, now that I have an answer for it, I doubt I'll ever be asked. But you know what I'm on about, surely - those style-related questionnaires that also ask, "What was your last purchase?" and "If you could take just 3 items of clothing to a deserted island, what would you take?", etc.


(Chances are I wouldn't take bright turquoise tights. Maybe garments made of soy fibre or some such, so I could eat them.)

Invariably, they ask you to describe your own style, and I'm stumped. Bookish-Hammer-pant-wearer? It's-laundry-day-and-all-I-have-is-this-Deniliquin-tshirt? But now I have it. Despite the fact that I'm not an art teacher, or any kind of teacher (yet), I think my bird's-nest topknot, mismatched op-shop booty and penchant for bright Pantone-esque hues would be quite at home in a paint-splattered classroom.


(These shoes are one of about three pairs I've managed to find in an op-shop, like, and which actually fit. They are mens', of course. Damned ogre-feet.)

Oh, and...

...for our suburban forest frolics, I was dressed thusly:







vintage silk scarf: Liberty
Tee: AA
vintage waistcoat: belonged to mum
skirt: thrifted

Snow hat

Up to Bowral we went on Sunday. To the charmingly ramshackle farmhouse of one of Pat's aunts to eat sponge cake and date scones. Baboushka had a lovely time with her cousins (well, second cousins, but really..), and we stayed toasty inside while gazing at the cold, dry fields outside. Actually, it wasn't that cold (hence flimsy blouse)...but my snotty nose made it seem that way..




Mohair beanie: vintage, thrifted
Top: from mum (think she wore it as a bridesmaid to one of her sisters' wedding?)
Skirt: secondhand Country Road, Smith Family
Riding boots: secondhand, eBay

Sniffles

In other news, I'm a bit poorly today. Pat's been sick with a cold all week and now I've got it. Bouh :-(

Here's an outfit post from about a month ago that I completely forgot to put up:

Sibling times!

Even though I miss my brothers like mad when I or any of them are living far away, the rad times and crazy hijinks we enjoy when all four of us are together are worth it. I love them to bits and I'm lucky that three of us are currently in the same neighbourhood, and our fourth brother is only a cheap flight away in Brisbane.

He was down for the week and it was lovely, and the icing on that cupcake was that two of his housemates, fabulous Irish girls, came along as well! We all went out on Friday night, I had a few cheeky beers (not sure how that fits in with No-Buy July, but I reasoned that they were food) and we caught up for brunch in the park the next morning.


(Chatting to pram-riding, park-ready Baboushka)

Baboushka's uncles took her on the slippery dip and the Irish girls sang her songs while I enjoyed my coffee, buttery fruit toast and vanilla-malt milkshake. Hence my dress-over-jeans combo - I tend to over-indulge when I go to our local bakery and this was one of my favourite pregnancy dresses ;-)

long-sleeved tee: Country Road, thrifted
vintage cotton dress: eBay
jeans: sass&bide, secondhand from eBay
belt: thrifted

Airport hijinks

I do love me a jaunt to the airport (yesterday it was to pick up brother Monty), even if it makes me pine for world-wide travel (not to mention the indulgent feeling of padding about in socks on the plane!). So, how to avoid Envy's cold, green claws? Wear something sprightly and sweet!



tweed cap: Salvo's
silk scarf: Liberty, secondhand eBay
wooden bead necklace: thrifted
top: Kookai, gift from mum
skirt: American Apparel, also gift from mum (thanks, Ma!)
tights: who knows?
men's boots: secondhand eBay

Off to the hairdresser..

This vintage cardi is one of those wardrobe items I often forget I have, but when I manage to locate it under the mess that is my woolen clothes area, it's always just what I'm looking for. I figure, being mohair, it's the best thing to wear when about to be covered in hair!


Buh-bye, fried ends (and possibly topknot)!

Coco Nut

Speaking of outfits, here's mine from yesterday (or was it the day before? They all start to blend):


In the spirit of making more of an effort, which itself is in the spirit of having finally gotten a Flickr account and joining the groups Wardrobe Remix and The Uncommonly Fetching Mamas, I went to the skirt I fondly think of as The Chanel Skirt. It was my mother's - she looked like a minx in it but claims it no longer fits - and I was more than happy to give it a new home.

This outfit was in the spirit of all sorts of things, it turns out. The spirit of thrift is another one. The skirt was gratis, the tee was cheap (American Apparel, purchased off eBay for further thriftiness), the belt was another maternal hand-me-down (thanks, Ma!) and I nabbed this beret from my Dad.


And how could I forget the spirit of Chanel herself? Yes, the beret was chosen mainly for it's ability to cover lank locks-in-dire-need-of-a-wash, but I like to think that it, the skirt and the ubiquitous ballet flats are a subtle nod to Coco herself. Just in time for the movie!