Link Love ~ Vintage Angelfish Outfit

I love this outfit of Solanah's ~ it's stunning!  If you haven't already; do check out the full post.

Vixen Vintage: Angelfish   

This weekend my mother hosted an "Under the Sea" party, and I went as an angelfish.  :)

xox,

bonita

Last Time Around

 

So I was 38 weeks + one day in these shots, and boy, oh boy, am I feeling it at this stage!  If I look bloated and puffy and dead…  Well, don’t mind me, because I am bloated, puffy and dead!  : P

Still, it was worth it for this!

 
~ *  Hi Mamma!! * ~

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ The Curated Wardrobe

A fabulous, well-written piece on luxury and fashion.  We are now moving into the realm of the curated wardrobe ~ it's a luxury, but are you ready for it?  Click through for the rest of this thought provoking article.

The new luxury:  The curated wardrobe.

For a long time it was exactly the opposite: a big wardrobe was the hallmark of the haves and the have nots. Those with wardrobes bulging at the seams were those who lived a life of luxury. They were also often the rich. So for lots of people the desire for a wardrobe that contained every potential shoe and shirt combination became their desire, became a point of envy.

But society has moved on....

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ The Tale of the Little Black Dress

More fabulous vintage history from Glamour Daze  ~ this time featuring the origins of the Little Black Dress and how it became the quintessential evening piece in any gal’s wardrobe.  Find out it started in the 1920’s,  how it went from day to night wear in the 1940’s, and how it was influenced by Dior in the 50’s and more…

The Little Black Dress – from Chanel to Givenchy

A big fan of single neutral colours, Chanel was really just pleasing herself with this number. In mourning mode after the death of her lover in 1915 ; Chanel's tendency towards black naturally crept in to her designs…

xox,

bonita.

Link Love ~ The Story of the ‘Liquid’ Nylon

More fascinating history from the past ~ this time detailing the advent of the famous ‘liquid’ stockings of the WWII 1940’s era.  This in-depth article on Cosmetics and Skin was linked by Penny Dreadful Vintage, and as always, tootle over for the full post.

Cosmetic Stockings

…As silk and nylon stockings vanished from the shelves, women looked to alternatives. Depending on the occasion, what was available, their degree of patriotism and their economic situation, they substituted with stockings made from other fibres, wore socks, covered their legs with trousers, went bare-legged or used leg make-up – also known as cosmetic stockings, liquid stockings, bottled stockings and phantom hose – to give the appearance of stockings…

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Design History of the 50’s Wiggle Dress

I really like interesting background articles on my favourite fashion eras, and this post by The Vintage Dancer is no exception.  The thought and detail behind the fashion is so intriguing!  Hop on over for the full article. 

The Subtle Variations of 1950′s Sheath Dresses

 

When you think of dresses in the 1950′s what do you imagine? Most people would think of the classic house wife  dress that Lucile Ball or Mary Tyler Moore wore  in their respective 1950′s TV roles with large, puffy, skirts and snug fitting blouses, paired with cute coordinating accessories and perfectly groomed hair. While this style of dress was certainly popular there is another style, the opposite look of the 1950′s, that has been overlooked until now. Because of TV shows like Mad Men and Pan Am the slim fitting 1950′s style sheath dress is just as popular as its full figured sibling….

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ The history of the circle skirt

I just love finding out about the history and background of designers and creative minds; and this lovely little interview with Juli Lynne Charlot is simply fascinating!  She is the creator of the original circle skirt, and how she started this massive fashion trend is really quite amazing!  Read on at The Vintage Traveler.

Interview with Juli Lynne Charlot

In 1947 two seemingly unrelated events came together to start her career in fashion.  First, fashion changed dramatically with the New Look.  WWII fabric restrictions were lifted and hemlines dropped and skirts got full.

About the same time, Philip Charlot lost his job.  Juli Lynne was a young woman who wanted to be in fashion but she had no money for the new styles.  So she decided to make her own skirt for Christmas that year.  Since she could not sew, she got some felt.  It was the only fabric wide enough to cut a full circle skirt without making seams…

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ An Easy Short Hair Up Do

This is the perfect up-do tutorial for a lovely vintage 1940’s inspired hair style that works well with short hair!  I love this look and cannot wait to try it out myself ~ and as always, amble on over to The Freelancer's Fashionblog for the rest of the darling illustrated instructions.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR AN EASY 'DO

…In general, a good tip for a easily achieved fancier-than-it-actually-is look that works for as well long and short hair, is to concentrate on your hair in the front and just gather the hair in the back and cover it with something nice…

In short, it works the following way:

1) style your hair fabulously in the front - rolled bangs, rolls, pin curls, the choice is yours.
If you suck at styling, try to learn at lest one thing that will work for you. You can do it!
2) make a quick and simple bun or chignon in the back and pin well for it to stay
3) cover the hair with lots and lots of decorations. Something simpler like a scarf or bow or one big flowers will be good for everyday wear, while more glittery and colourful flowers puts your head into party mode!

If your hair is super short, roll up or wave it in front and just pin all the rest together in the back and cover it with as many flower pins and -clips as you can fit! You can curl very short hair in the front nicely too, I have done it to ladies, so it's possible. If you can't manage anything, pin smoothly to the side and put in a flower there too. Ta-da, up do feeling achieved!

But now, back to the actual apple-blossom do...

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 3rd July Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 1940s Collegiate Fashion Video

Amazing 1940s fashions!

I love this fashion video from the archive at Glamour Daze ~ the clothes are really cute and I do so like the circle skirt playsuit!  I am thinking I shall have to see if I can sew up a set for myself come summer.  If you want a better look at some of the outfits, there are some neat stills from the video here.  Enjoy!

xox,

bonita

My spectacles ~ how to find vintage frames to suit you!

~ *  Vintage 1950 advertisement for spectacles ~ I quite like pair number 4  * ~

Finding glasses frames that look good, suit your style, and don’t overwhelm your face is difficult at the best of times, but what do you do when you have a very distinct fashion style?   I am currently facing that problem ~ my script has changed {again!… } so I am shopping around for the perfect pair of vintage glasses to suit my look and my face.

The first place I went to look for glasses was Dead Men’s Spexs Vintage Eyewear.  You may have already heard of this site ~ they sell vintage frames that you can fill with your own prescription lenses. 

I couldn’t find a pair that I liked there, but I think that visiting their site is really handy.  You can use a “browse by period” feature to check out what style of frames where popular for the era that you prefer.

Now I tend to prefer to dress either 1940s or 50s, but I soon found out that I don’t really like either of the more common glasses frame styles from back then.  Before the 1950’s everything seems to be pretty much round ~ either thin gold frames, {which I could wear, except that I don’t like gold} or heavy black/tortoiseshell acetate.  Neither of those appeal to me ~ so onto the next era, 1950.

 

~ *  The classic pre-1940s/1940s spectacle shape.  The lenses rims can be gold, silver, tortoiseshell or black as seen here, and the arms can be either the same colour as the rims or a different colour like the picture above.  * ~

Everyone knows the classic 50’s look ~ cat's eye glasses!  I am not a real fan of the extremely pointy kind, although I have seen some vintage ladies looking absolutely fabulous in their sharp cats eye frames.  However, after searching around I decided that a nice deep cats eye frame, preferably two toned {dark on the top and light on the bottom} and in some shade of tortoiseshell or chocolaty brown would probably suit my style and my skin tone. 

So like these:

Or these:

At the end of a long hunt through all of the websites listed below I finally found a pair that I like, so we’ll will have to wait and see how they go when I get them!   I’ll show you the big reveal later…   Happy spectacle wearing!

Tips for purchasing vintage spectacles:

• Figure out which era you wear the most, or that suits your style the best.
• Look for frames that are similar in shape and colour to your favourite vintage pairs ~ you may be able to find a modern look-a-like for less.
• Try on styles at the optometrist to get a sense of what size/shape suits your face.
• If you have a complex script ~ bifocals or trifocals, buy the frames you like and get your optometrist to replace the lenses and don’t forget to ask your optometrist what size you need to get to fit your prescription.
• Shop around! There are many places to buy your perfect pair of frames, so if you can’t find the ‘just right’ pair, keep looking. 

Places to buy vintage eye glass frames:

• Ebay
• Etsy
• Dead Men’s Spex

Places to buy vintage reproduction/modern vintage look-a-likes:

• Bonlook – reproduction vintage glasses
• Zenni Optical – modern, but have some great vintage look-a-likes
  

xox,

bonita

Frock Up Canberra ~ Depict This!’s first meet up & local vintage show!

  

Hello m’dears!  I am very excited to share this fabulous vintage fair coming along our way this weekend!  I hope it’s not too late, but I would love to do a meet up if anyone is interested. 

The details are:

Saturday, 1pm
Sorry lovelies, we have an emergency snowboarding situation; so let’s make it

10:00am, Sunday the 1st of July, near the front entrance of Albert Hall

~ wear your gorgeous glad rags and we can frock up for this event!

Tickets cost $14.00 at the door, or $12.00 if you print off the discount voucher on the website. 

I haven’t been to this fair before, so I am looking forwards to checking it out, and hopefully seeing some of your lovely smiling face there!  Please let me know in the comments if you are planning to come along, so that I have a vague idea of what to expect regarding numbers.

Further details {like how to get there!} and the like can be found on the Frock Up Canberra Winter Fair Site. 

xox,

bonita

Why I Wear Vintage

When I saw Charlotte of Tuppence Ha’penny’s post on “Why I Wear Vintage” I knew I had to do the same thing.  She said that she was “Inspired by a recent post on Already Pretty in which three guest contributors answered a few questions about their chosen wardrobe aesthetic, I decided to pose myself the same questions.”

And I thought “Hey, what a great idea!”  So I went back to the original post {which features Casey from Elegant Musings} and pulled out the questions so I could try to answer them myself.  Plus, now I have a perfect excuse to go back and find pictures of some of my favourite vintage outfits to show you.  > U <

What made you decide to dedicate your wardrobe to a single, defined aesthetic?

I guess I’ve been searching for the ‘right’ style for me for a long time.  I never really liked to dress like everyone else ~ I sort of followed the fashion pack but always insisted on putting my own twist into it.  As I got older I realised how vitally important it is for me to express my personality through the way I dress.  I am a very visual person and I love that my clothing finally reflects how I feel inside ~ artsy, feminine, and very individual!  ; )

How long have you stuck to it?

I really only discovered the vintage aesthetic half way through 2010, so I’ve probably been dressing in a 1940s – 1950s style for about a year or so.  However, the more I do it, the more I love it.  This is something I can see lasting my whole life. 

What do you love about it?

I think the biggest thing that I love about vintage wear is how feminine it feels.  I tend to think that nowadays designers are focused on creating clothes that look good on minus zero models, a sort of androgynous look that it neither designed for a feminine or masculine figure, but rather for a unrealistic, impossible figure that only exists in the world of high fashion.   

Whereas I feel that even though vintage wear still had is ‘impossible’ figures in the high fashion ~ models with generous curves and tiny waists, the clothing itself was still designed with real women in mind.  You may not be able to look completely like a fashion model, but the clothes still look good on your “normal” figure. 

Because of that, I think vintage feels like it was made for me, not just the impossible woman, and who doesn’t love clothes that feel perfectly suited to you?  Oh yeah, plus vintage wear is so cute with all the little details that you just don’t find in mass produced fashions. Each piece of vintage is different, and no one has the same dress {unless it’s a repo}, so of course that appeals to my very independent streak.  

What’s frustrating?

Availability.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that there is a huge appreciation for the vintage look at the moment; vintage being on trend is a big bonus in fleshing out my wardrobe with some cheaper ready to wear items.  It’s helpful in that respect, but not so great when you are paying between $50-$100.00 for simple cotton day dresses.  And of course, the really nice stuff is going for $180 + these days! 

The high demand means that you have to really treasure the vintage pieces you own{which I already do} and treat them really carefully.  This can get quite wearisome when you have young children and need to be able to get dirty, clean the house, be rumpled, pulled on, snot nose wiped on, and etc. That is the hardest obstacle I face when dressing in my vintage clothes.  Sometimes I just can’t do the things I would like to in it, so sometimes I can’t dress the way I want to. 

What would you say to someone considering a similar sartorial path?

Dress the way you want to, wear what makes you feel pretty.  I know there can be some hesitation and concern about others judging you on your clothes, or maybe feeling like you’ll draw too much attention to yourself, but really ~ if it makes you happy go for it!  The last thing you are going to do when your life is nearing it’s end is wish that you had stayed at home and hid yourself away.  Life is for enjoying, so enjoy it and good luck.  ^ ω ^ ~ ♥

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~  Outfit photos from Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here.  : )

Cryin’ at the Discotech ~ Outfit Fifty Eight

Bow Hair Clip  ~  ??     Aqua and Pink Flower Sprinkle Dress  ~  Ebay   Stag Broach  ~  Acorn and Will    Rose Bracelet  ~  Diva   Lacy Party Socks  ~  Best&Less{I added the lace to the existing ruffle}   Tuxedo T-bar Heels   ~  Payless 

~ * ♥ * ~

I like this dress, but unfortunately I think it’s far too 70’s for me to feel comfortable wearing it that much.  I bought it off Ebay and I can’t remember what era I thought it was from, but I probably wouldn’t have got it if I had of realised it was from 1970-something. 

However, I have plans to fix that problem.  The main issue for me is the sleeves.  I just don’t like the loose, bloomer-type sleeve that much and it really doesn’t work for me with this dress.  I also want to change the collar, so I am going to commit that terrible crime that I rant against and chop up vintage.   Mind you, I hardly count the 70s as vintage – it’s more retro to me, which is not really my cup of tea.

Still, what do you think about upcycling/remaking vintage clothes?  In my case, I’m sort of downcycling the dress to look more old fashioned, but I am not sure that’s a good enough excuse!  Particularly as I have been known to get really hoppin’ mad when I see gorgeous 40s or 50s frocks getting chopped off at the same, barely-there length that most retail wear seems to be at these days.  Warning – rant ahead/   I mean, since when is an oversized shirt classified as a dress?  Why would you bother to cut the dress up to look like something modern and off the racks?  What’s the point?  Is it just so that you can say that you wear vintage?  How does that even count when the only thing left that looks even remotely vintage any more is the fabric and even that’s in tatters??   *sigh*  /end rant….

I guess the reason I feel so strongly about this is that hems don’t actually need to be cut to be taken up, and all these once-gorgeous, “remade” dresses will only get worn for as long as vintage is in fashion, then tossed out in the rubbish heap.  Whereas if they were left mostly intact, they could probably get passed onto someone who doesn’t care what’s in fashion but just wants to wear a pretty, well-made frock.  

But all that said, I will still make over the sleeves on my dress, because hopefully I’ll end up wearing it more often then what I have been!  Especially as I do like the bright, cheery aqua and pink colours of the fabric.  I think it makes it a lovely spring/Easter dress ~ don’t you?  Also, yay or nay to making over vintage?  Feel free to tell me that I am completely wrong and there is nothing better than modernized vintage; I’ll be happy to agree to disagree.  ; )

xox,

bonita

Queen of Hearts ~ Outfit Fifty Seven

*Warning*  Picture heavy post.

You know when you just find the perfect spot for the perfect outfit and you have one of those perfect shoots that turn out far too many good photos to pick from?  Well, here’s one of mine.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!  > ω <

Red Flower Clip  ~  Made by me     Knit Top  ~  Thrifted     Vintage Apple Broach  ~  Love Vintage Show     Red Rose Belt  ~  Dotti     Circle Skirt   ~   Made by me     Glitter Shoes  ~   Restricted via Modcloth

~ * ♥ * ~

I actually wore this outfit on Sunday, and didn’t realize how perfect it was for Valentine’s Day until I was working on my blog post.  So even though Husband and I are not doing anything special to celebrate on Valentine’s Day, here is my outfit celebrating V Day none the less!  Yay for ticking the good blogger boxes!

We actually had our ‘special’ date this last Friday night, with a baby sitter and all.  He took me on a “blind” date; where I had no idea what we were doing, or where we were going{or what to wear!!! 
O . O’}.  It was super fabulous though, as he surprised me with tickets to see Justice Crew which are a local{ish ~ if you count Sydney as local!} hip hop dance crew ~ some of whom I knew from before they were ‘famous’.   : P 

I met the boys in person when they came to the dance studio I was at one night after class.  I got to chat to them and watch them practise which was really cool.  Of course, they would have no bloomin’ idea who I am, but I am totally psyched that they have made it to the ‘big time’ and I got see them on tour! 

Oh and speaking of psyched ~ how fabulous are my glitter shoes!!!  I squee’ed over them in the haul video I posted here: What I got in the mail but seriously, in reality, wearing them is even more fun.  If that is possible!  > U <  ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

They make me so happy every time I slip them on my feet because they are always sparkling and glittering like crazy which so. totally. rocks.

“All things that shimmer, and sparkle and glitter/  blingtastic, fantastic; there’s nothing prettier/  Shiny and gleaming, it catches my eye/  for inside this girl’s just another magpie…”   This little ditty is sung to the tune of “My Favourite Things” from The Sound of Music naturally…. 

And to top it all off ~ I couldn’t resist sharing this photo of my gorgeous boy.  If it is possible to be made even more happy while wearing glittery, sparkling shoes, then the sight of his darling smile is just the thing to do it…. 

The only thing that could top it would be this:

Yup, that’s the Husband, my super-duper photographer up a light pole.  My family is seriously the best thing to celebrate on Valentine’s Day ~ I love them so much I swear I’m gonna pop sometimes!

I hope all of you can also share this special holiday with friends and family that you love.  Do have a fabulous day everyone!!   ᵔᴗᵔ  ~ ♥

xox,

bonita

Tea for Me ~ for You Too? ~ Outfit Fifty Six

 

Crochet Rose Hair Clip  ~  Made by me   Floral Shirtwaist Dress  ~  Etsy  Bracelet  ~  Diva    Bow Flats  ~  Tightrope

~ * ♥ * ~

Don’t you just love the paint splatters on the floor and my chair?   One of the joys of owning your own house I guess ~ it takes so long to get everything in perfect order!   I haven’t even come close to finishing the decor, but I find that half the fun is hunting down the perfect things for your house one by one. 

And of course, Pinterest is a never ending source of inspiration! 

I just love the furniture and old books in this photo! 

A cabinet full of gorgeous chinaware and lovely lace doilies?  Yes please!  One day my collection will be as pretty as this I hope.  : 3 

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ If you haven’t got on to Pinterest yet, but want too, let me know and I’ll invite you.  It’s time sucking in the worst way, but so much fun. > u <