Pour Votre Poitrine, Du Charme!

I recently attended a vintage lingerie exhibit by the Victoria and Albert Museum and my oh my how I feel even more in love with the drawers of decades past than ever, in particular those of the 1960's (of course!).

During the 1960's lingerie styles evolved to reflect the changing fashions and attitudes at the time. Designs were glamourized with new fabrics, laces and fastenings and girdles were on the way out, allowing more freedom of movement and more skin to be showed off. Pantyhose and tights became popular and into the later years of the decade we saw the emergence of colourful sets and fabrics printed with fun and youthful designs. 

Being so inspired I thought I'd share with you some of my very favourite fashion photography from the 1960's featuring designer lingerie. You'll see the work of prominent photographers, such as Terence Donovan and John French, various 1960's models and figures, such as Celia Hammond, Marianne Faithfull, Brigitte Bardot and Jill Kennington, and some vintage advertisements for Christian Dior hosiery. 

Images:

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27 Dresses

I thought I'd share a little sneak peek at some of the vintage dresses that I've recently added to my collection, all of which are from the 1960's. The yellow one is Crimplene and was found sitting on a rack just moments before leaving the store it was in. I've been calling it the 'diner's dress', as all it makes me think of are pink diner stools and blueberry pie. The middle one I've nicknamed the 'Blue Hawaii' dress and the black one, a midi length dress, is intended to be cut and hemmed into a mini. I'm very pleased with these latest additions. The fact that they were all under $10 is an added bonus! You can see more of my vintage dress collection here, which now reaches 27!

She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina

I am not a big hat wearer. Really, this is quite silly considering how many hats I have boxed up layer upon layer in my closet. If it weren't for how small the above hat is, this I believe would change almost, if not, immediately. 

I hadn't had any luck for a few weeks in my searches for vintage goodies, nor do I have many vintage hats, so I was very excited to come across this beautiful bright green, velvety, vintage hat complete with decorative ribbon and gold buttons. Upon seeing it I scooped it up quickly and eagerly hurried to the change rooms to see how it looked in the mirror. My face turned from a smile into a frown as I realized that my head was too big for it. Determined, I must have stood in the mirror for about five minutes trying to place the hat perfectly on my head, hoping that with every twist and turn the hat would somehow magically fit. In the end I decided it was too pretty to leave behind. So I bought it home with me. It is now sitting on top of my lampshade looking beautiful. I think my family disagree though (and you might too). They thought it looked like something a leprechaun might wear! 

As mentioned here, hats are something that I've been wanting to wear more of lately, especially as the warmer weather is approaching. So I've shared here some lovely hat-wearing 1960's ladies who have been inspiring me.

What's something that you've been wanting to wear more of lately?

And how cute are those vintage daisy clip-on earrings that I found the other week?!

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Title: She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina - The Kinks

Dig It: Charles Jourdan

Just another quick Dig It post. How could one not love these shoes? If there was one pair of shoes to represent the fabulous decade that was the 1960's, I'd pick these. Designed in 1965 by the French fashion designer, Charles Jourdan, the patent leather shoes came in four colours. These were green, yellow, pink and red, as seen in this photograph taken by Guy Bourdin for an article in Vogue, 1967. I can picture myself wearing the green pair with (of course) green tights and a beautiful green 1960's romper with a high collar. I can imagine the red shoes being paired with a mod red a-line skirt and a white polo neck sweater. I could sit for an hour just dreaming of the many ways I'd want to wear these beauties.

How would you wear them?

You can see another imagine of the shoes in yellow here on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website. 

Dig It: Betsey Johnson

Here's something that I'm really digging at the moment, and I'm sure that you've seen it here and there before. I have always loved this picture of the three models in their geometrically patterned dresses. The blue dress on the left was always my favourite. I'd dream of having a dress like that. A few years later I discovered that all three of these dresses were designed by American fashion designer Betsey Johnson in 1966, for her Manhatten boutique, Paraphernalia. One of her gorgeous blue circle print dresses is now kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can see a better image of the dress here, as well as other dresses by Johnson and other 1960's fashion designers. 

Which of the dresses do you prefer most?

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Taking Vintage Hunting to the Next Level

As you may have seen on my Twitter, whilst down in Bathurst I came across quite the collection of vintage clothing. The boy and I would be driving through town and I'd been spying out vintage boutiques and charity shops from the passenger seat window, like a PI on the lookout for bandits and fugitives. Can you imagine how I must have looked? Aha! That's one vintage boutique. Position noted. The store was closed as it was the long weekend, but we came back after the public holiday. 

All very lovely it was. They had a great collection of items ranging from clothing and accessories to vinyl records and furniture. There was a lot that I wanted to splurge on such as a gorgeous purple 1960's cape and golden Glomesh evening purse in it's original boxing, but I had to restrain myself and think of the plane ride home. We only had carry-on luggage. But me being me, these thoughts were quickly forgotten as soon as I took a walk up stairs to the second level of the store. 

Nothing seemed too interesting at first as I traveled through the racks. I wasn't expecting to find much as a sign declared that all up stairs items of clothing were $5.00 each, a lot cheaper than what was downstairs. However, all of a sudden a burst of yellow was seen out of the corner of my eye. And if you know your vintage you'll know that this kind of yellow ain't the kind of yellow that appears in clothing stores today. I followed my vintage hunting instincts and grabbed the item off the rack, my heart skipping a beat as I realized it was a beautifully conditioned 1960's maxi dress. All buttons and zips intact and with a sweet empire waist line. Mine. This process repeated subsequently with more and more eagerness and urgency as each dress was discovered.

I ended up getting an entire bag overflowing with vintage maxi dresses. At $5.00 each, and considering how beautiful they all were, I didn't care. Coming home that afternoon however, I still was not satisfied. I kept dreaming of dresses that I'd left behind, thinking that they wouldn't fit me. I had to go back again. They needed to come home with me.

And so a couple of days later I did. And again, I went overboard and bought every dress from the era they had in stock, as well a cream 1960's suit (I wore the jacket here), a woolen skirt, a blue 1970's blouse with the most amazing sleeves and collar I've ever seen and a beautiful embroidered tunic. The gentleman who owned the store was disappointed when he found out I wasn't a local. I think he knew just how often I'd buy from there if I was. 

It wasn't until we began packing for the trip home that I realized how impulsive I'd been. We didn't have any space, but being the determined gal I am I achieved the impossible and packed about half of the load that I bought (which also included quite a few other accessories and such that I haven't shared here). Having to catch a plane the next day and with a ridiculous armful of clothing that wouldn't fit in our luggage I raced around the entire town looking for another carry-on bag. I wasn't having any luck and ended up having to buy a canvas grocery bag to bundle them all up in. As a result of this I think I actually lost one of my dresses at the airport; a beautiful cream 1960's mini with an olive green bow and matching covered buttons. I hope it went to a nice home!

Have you ever taken your vintage hunting to the next level, or gone a bit overboard? 

I'd love to hear your stories!

Houndstooth

Goodness it's been a while since I've done a post. I've been very busy lately, trying to dedicate a balanced amount of time to everything and it just doesn't seem to be working out very well. I am hoping that my posts will soon go back to being more frequent. Anyhoo, though things have been quite stressful lately finding these few things in the charity shops in my town this week felt like a lovely sigh of relief. 

This beautiful vintage green and navy houndstooth suit seemed like a gift from the gods when I saw it hanging on the racks in Lifeline. I quickly swiped it up and took it to the change rooms, praying that it would fit me. And what luck! Never has a jacket fit me so well. And for once I can actually see my hands whilst wearing one. With it's cute peterpan collar, pockets and all, I bought it for just $12.00. At the counter the woman next to me said that she had a suit exactly like it in the 60's but with pants instead of a skirt. She would wear it with bright lime green shoes. How perfect. I'm now on the look out for some to go with it. 

This dress was a sweet little thing to find; not vintage but you can't beat a houndstooth pinafore dress for a cute 60's look. I'm thinking a red polo neck with a matching red beret? I nearly flipped when I saw these vintage strap silver shoes from Grace Bros. Ever since I made this post I'd been pining over a pair of silver shoes. The compact was from a few weeks ago. It has little silver flowers and pearl detailing on the top: a nice little addition to my growing vintage mirror/compact collection. 

 And lastly, I acquired this vintage glasses case. It won't fit much, and certainly not any of my sunglasses. But my little 'Marianne' shades fit it in there very nicely. 

(Source)

There She Goes Again - Cynthia Lennon

Here we are again lovely lads and ladies. Another "There She Goes Again" post. This time around the spotlight is on one of my top favourite style icons from the 1960's, Cynthia Lennon, and her trusty black leather bag. Sleek, stylish and with two different lengthed straps for both convenience and versatility, Cynthia used this lovely little bag quite a lot during 1964. I am almost certain too that she can be seen with it in various photographs up to 1967, and it's no wonder. It matched so wonderfully with her outfits.

Many female readers out there may know the annoyance that it can be to constantly have to switch the contents of your bag to another when wanting to match an outfit nicely. I myself also find it a particular nuisance when I can't fit my purse into a different bag properly. Thus I'm sure that many would agree that having that 'perfect' bag like Cynthia just makes everything so much easier, saving a lot of time and fuss. 

For a modern day go-to equivalent of Cynthia's bag I would have to say that the Effie Satchel in Black Spongy Pebbled by Mulberry is the most similar. You can buy it here. You'd have to be pretty keen though. It costs a whopping $1, 100. Has anyone else seen a more affordable modern day equivalent?

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My Vintage Dress Collection

The other day the boy and I popped into our local antique store for a quick look around. Whilst in there I came across a very lovely vintage dress from the 1960's. Not usually my choice in colour, but it fit beautifully and I loved the style so I bought it for $35.00. When I got home it inspired me to share with you my growing collection of vintage dresses ranging from the mid 1960's to the mid 1970's. 

I began collecting vintage items of clothing, amongst other knick knacks, about five years ago. I had already been dressing in 1960's inspired fashions several years beforehand but it wasn't until then that I began actually wearing vintage (aside from the odd purse or pair of shoes here and there). I have also never spent more than $35.00 on a vintage dress, as of today. Over the years I have patiently searched through charity store after charity store, sale rack after sale rack and this is what I have slowly compiled. To some of you it may not make much sense: to strenuously search for something so uncommon that can easily be found in flourishes upon the Internet. But in all honesty I feel that if I began buying vintage online I'd become too much of an impulsive buying and end up having enough clothing that I could swim in. It's already getting to that point as it is. So I think by doing it the harder, longer way it is a much more effective way to control my spending and space within my closet. It may not be the biggest collection of dresses, but I am very pleased with what I have. 

1. The only maxi dress within my collection. I bought it last year for $7.00. The fit is lovely and reminds me of an early 70's BIBA design. You can read more about this dress here. 

2. I call this one the 'Jean Shrimpton' dress as the cut reminds me of the dress the model wore to the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia, 1965. The fabric has a delicate suede feel to it and it comes with a groovy plastic ring belt. Unfortunately I am unable to fit this dress anymore. It has a very tiny fit and was bought at a time when I was twig-thin for $10.00. 

3. This was one of the first vintage dresses I ever bought. It is a Crimplene dress and I think a wee bit Space Age lookin'. It is really quite big, almost a little too big for me to wear. It was $15.00. 

4. Not really a dress, but a skirt and vest suit set. For $6.00, it had the most beautiful soft texture. I couldn't resist it. The two pieces of fabric that are hanging down wrap around to tie at the back. I always thought this suit looked a bit Bus Stop by Lee Bender.

5. Another dress that I can no longer fit. It is very very tiny. A handmade dress, I bought it from a tiny little charity store way up north whilst visiting my Grandmother on holiday and for just $1.00. It has such a pretty print with pink flowers all over it and the cuffs are divine. I used to live in this dress.







 6. This orange dress with the big chocolate shop bow was bought up north for $12.00 and found within the costume section of a charity store. From that day on I learnt to always look in the costume sections of charity stores and by doing so I have found many other different types of vintage clothing and sleepwear over the years.

7. 'Dolly's Dress' was bought at the beginning of this year for only $6.00. You can read more about her here.

8. This dress was bought for $7.00 just not long ago. It reminds me of something Marianne Faithfull would have worn in the late 60's. You can read more about this dress here.

9. Another one of the first vintage dress I ever bought. It came from a little charity shop that no longer exists. I cannot remember how much I paid for it. I loved the little pocket detailing when I first saw it. The only thing about this dress is its size. It is quite big. Back when I bought it I did not have very good self-perception and for some ridiculous reason thought that it would fit me. Even now, weighing a lot more these days, it is still too big for me to wear. And so it just sits in my closet looking pretty.

10. This is another dress that I bought not long ago. You can read more about this one here.

11. And here is the lovely dress that I just bought! Brown with white stitching and a single silver button on the collar. It is in beautiful condition too.

12. What a silly girl I was. This dress was christened 'The Dentist's Dress' by the boy. Another of the first few vintage items of clothing I ever bought, it was originally a maxi dress. I thought I'd have a shot of hacking the bottom off and hemming it up into a mini dress. Did not turn out well, but that doesn't stop me from wearing it! The belt it comes with is quite damaged. I have to be very careful when wearing it.

13. I think this dress was the very first vintage dress I ever bought. I think. It was $4.00 from a charity shop and by Lady Wrangler. I practically lived in this dress during my art school days.

14. Bought two years ago for $34.00 from our local antique store. Perfect, green and very tiny I could just fit into the beauty. But upon meeting the boy and being gifted with chocolates here and there my hopes of fitting into it became hopeless, ha! You can see the dress more clearly here.

15. This beautiful velvet dress I call the 'Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress' dress. You can read more about it here.

16. And finally, perhaps my favourite in my collection, this psychedelic little mini. You can see it better here.

Flipping For New Hair

And so here is my new hair!

(I'm not very adventureous, I am?)

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to get my hair done. Not just cut. Done, which is something extremely rare for me. Growing up in school I was known for never wearing a different hairstyle, and was sometimes teased for it. I've never frequented hair dressers, having only been to them a couple of times within my life to be honest. I've always had family to cut my hair for me, and myself to look after my fringe. But something got me pining for a change not too long ago. I began dreaming of gorgeous 1960's flip styles. I have always wanted to get one professionally done for years, but I never got to it. Things had been quite stressful at the time so I decide to treat myself and just do it.

These were the ladies who were my main 'flipspiration' at the time. I had recently watched Tim Burton's film "Dark Shadows" (2012) and was swooning over the hair of the character Victoria Winters, and her fabulous set of costumes mind you. This was the change I wanted. Add Jean Shrimpton's volume and Cynthia Lennon's sheen and bounce, and there is a dream hairstyle of mine! I was very happy with how the style turned out. I felt pretty fab! But I feel so silly now as I didn't think to take any pictures of it! The style lasted for about 3-4 days, loosing it's shape a little bit each day. It was fun while it lasted though!

I am currently on the look out for some new rollers and pins so I can replicate the style myself at home. The hair dresser was very lovely and gave me tips throughout the whole appointment on how to do it on my own. She also cut it in a way that the ends would flip up a little on their own without any styling which was very nice. Anyway, here is the outfit that I wore the other night out to the movies. My new hair made me feel like I'd just stepped out of 1964 from a Beatles concert.

What sort of things do you like to do when you feel like a change?

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There She Goes Again

Another "There She Goes Again" post. This time with Twiggy and her incredible shoes in approximately 1966. They are red patent leather mary-janes with a small, sensible heel and white straps and trim. I can't quite find out who was responsible for producing these beautiful shoes but it is clear that our Twiggy liked them just as much as I do. Do you have any ideas who the designer/brand could be?

For a modern day go-to equivalent to these darling shoes I would choose the Milly Shoe in Red & Cream by Orla Kiely for Clarks. Hands down. The resemblance is just amazing, don't you think? Unfortunately all sizes for the shoe are currently sold out but you can still have a look at the shoe here if you are interested. 

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Seeing Double

Just a quick little post. I haven't done one of these in a long while! This sparkly silver and dark purple little lurex number by Pierre Cardin was seen worn by two lovely ladies in the 1960's.

Here we have the wife of Tara Browne, the late heir to the Guinness fortune, Nicky, pictured with her husband in a spread for Men In Vogue in November, 1966. She's paired the mini dress with a cute chain belt. 

And below we have song bird Marianne in the same dress for a recorded television performance. She has paired it with silver shoes by Bally. 

Who do you think wore the dress better?

Personally I prefer the way that Nicky wore it. 

To me she looks just like she's ready to go out dancing.

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Lazing in the Haze of Midday

Just a collection of some images that have been floating around in my mind lately. 

Images: (1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.)

Title: "Cirrus Minor" - Pink Floyd