Hello there! I guess I've been away from blogger for a few days now. As it happens I've been working on setting up a vintage etsy shop. And while I was learning the ropes I also did a bit of browsing (how could I resist?) and found this lovely sailor top.
I'm looking forward to being able to wear it once the weather warms up a bit.
Yesterday I went out with my mum to visit the bi-annual Williamstown vintage fair The Way We Wear. I'd been there once before a few years ago and just remember being blown away by the array and quality of (sadly uber expensive) but dazzling vintage clothing. There were dealers selling stuff ranging from I'd guess Edwardian/1920s through to 1980s and lots and lots of 50s and 60s frocks in between. I took a few snaps while I was there (though I'm not the greatest photographer) to remember the occasion:
My personal favourite is this pink flamingo brooch.
I bought a little knitted sailor hat at the fair, with a pom pom on top.
I am in a rather nautical mood tonight. I don't really know why, seeing as it is the middle of winter here! But a lady can dream can't she? Anyway these are some of my favourite nautical themed items on etsy:
It is probably my favourite Dylan album that I have listened to, and it is also the first Dylan I ever listened to. So the album has alot of distinct memories attached to it for me. I find with music that you really connect with, you always have memories of when you first listened to it. In this case Blonde on Blonde brings back memories of being in first year uni. Listening to this made me feel very grown up haha but I was still very shy and naive. So now that I'm a little older and a little wiser it's still nice to listen to it, it makes me feel younger. I get this feeling of hopefulness and excitement that you feel when you start growing up...
Anyway, I may have mentioned this before, I can't remember, but the title of this blog is from the song Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands at the end of the album. I pretty much love all the songs on this record and find it really hard to choose favourites, but here is a 'romantic' favourite:
*Also, to all my friendly followers, I am sorry if I haven't commented back much lately, I seem to be having trouble commenting on some blogs and not others?? But know that I am still reading!*
The is something so artificially sweet about the Brady Bunch that it becomes addictive (well it does for me anyway) I like to watch it on tv most days and get my slice of 'pretend perfect world of the past.'...plus I love everything about the styling. I want to live in their house and steal their wardrobes!
MARSHA
Marsha "sure is groovy" and she has such pretty outfits though sometimes she really is a bit of a 'goody two shoes'...
I really have my eyes on her long ruffled nighties!
JAN
I love Jan. She's my favourite Brady! She's so cute what with her glasses and her wig fiasco!
CINDY
And Cindy is just all sweet little ringlets Cindy...
This is my favourite type of fashion illustration, the long, languid, fluid twiggy-esque lines of 60s. I particularly love the beautiful rounded foreheads and eyes and the use of colour in these Lopez drawings. It is truly candy for the eyes.
As you may have noticed lately I have been quite interested in 1940s fashion. This is surprising since I have always been more into 60s and 70s vintage which requires much less effort to pull off ( I am in awe of anyone who does their hair in pin-curls everyday!) and blends into modern day fashions much more, however as I was searching for wartime fashion pictures one day I realised how simple, yet beautiful and glamorous 1940s fashions were. I'm guessing this will be just another one of my "phases" as I always seem to go through "phases" in different eras of vintage fashion, but it's nice to mix it up a bit I reckon.
The make-up lady is very stern (who would've thought applying make-up was such a serious business?), but I like watching how gracefully they apply their make-up. And remember to "Please! avoid the too powdered look!" I suppose this is the same as the pancake face look of today? (haha)
Today I read a short article over breakfast about success in later life that featured Vivian Westwood. I think it is a really wonderful thing to think about people who have done great things later on in there lives because for one thing it shows that youth and beauty are not limitations and that growing old doesn't have to be a down-hill process.
Believe it or not Vivian was a Primary School teacher up until around the age of thirty (can you imagine having the pioneer of Punk as your school teacher?!) before she embarked down the road of fashion design and opened her own Boutiqe with Malcom McLaren which was first called "Let It Rock" and afterwards, most famously "SEX." She is most famous for dressing the Sex Pistols, establishing a new avant-garde Punk style and selling S & M style bondage clothing in her store SEX in the 70s and has been known as a forerunner of style ever since.
She has now been making fashion for over 40 years!
I admire her for her daring sense of style and the fact that she has grown 'old' without losing her sense of fun and vibrancy but also without trying to be something she is not ie. trying to hide her age with plastic surgery. I guess she really is an example of how age is no limit.
