Versatile Khaki

It will have been mentioned somewhere in this blog I am sure-(GAWD forbid I repeat myself!)  but I never grew out of my childhood favourite colour when most others did. Green will always be a fixture in the wardroom- but I do still run into people occasionally that are genuinely surprised if I am wearing another colour. Green will always be my first colour love- but it hasn't been a monogamous relationship lately.

"It's not you green... it's me. I just think I need to experience other colours for a while. Red is looking damned attractive these days and I don't know how much longer I can fight the pull towards yellow. We can still be close though. I promise I won't let things won't get weird between us..."

I'm not elitist towards different shades of green but they do seem to have their set times and places. A bight kermit green will make me think of more Summery ensembles whereas a nice deep khaki seems to be a more Wintery shade. That little theory fell over somewhat with this dress. A light a floaty khaki Summer dress with a subtle floral print in yellow, blue and orange.

Khaki is a good base colour for any outfit because as far as greens go it is still quite neutral. I have a few khaki and red combos I like to pull out from time to time- and I really like that this dress has it's own in built colour co-ordination options. It is just a matter of choosing one now.

Ok. I tried. I couldn't choose. What a great excuse to showcase the versatility of this khaki frock and its accessorizing options! I have set myself a rule in this showcase. I will only be using 2 forms of matching accessories. There will be no hair flower/ belt/ shoes/ handbag over matching here today. I will be interested to see which one works out the best.

First up is a great deep shade of turquoise. The belt I am wearing in this shot is actually a genuine 70's cummerbund. (I have the matching bow tie and 'kercheif too) I have paired it with a cute pair of turquoise wedge slingbacks with a bow detailing.

Second off the block is a nice bright yellow. I have matched the dress with a pair of yellow pumps and hair flower.

Last but by no means least- is the lesser utilised orange. Nothing rhymes with orange. Did you know that? I have gone with orange hair flower and (the bordering on ridiculous) 70's strappy cork platforms.

I think I would feel comfortable to wear any of these 3 colour combo's when it comes to this dress. I love how the fabric of the frock itself seems to change when you put different colours next to it. It pulls out the colours in the floral print and can really make them pop. 

So.. which is the best combo dear reader? This little trial has taught me a couple of things. It has taught me that I am in dire need of a skinny orange and yellow belt! You didn't really think I would start imposing limits to my colour coordinating did you? That was a total accident and only because I didnt have the right belts to go with the orange and yellow options... By the time it comes to wearing this frock again I'm sure that little speed bump in my "ensembling" (new word) will have been obliterated.

Leopardy Goodness

I do like a good leopard print outfit. I wouldn't go as far as to say I was obsessed with animal skin patterns- but I have a decent amount of them represented in the Wardroom. To be fair- most fabric patterns and colours are!

I love that leopard in particular is very versatile when it comes to matching it with other colours. You can play it safe with gold or black but you can really lift it by matching with brighter blues and greens. Of all the possible colour combo's-red with leopard has to be my favourite.

I know I have a tendency to over co-ordinate. I am by no means in denial about this. It is not uncommon for me to take 2 or 3 matching accessories off before I leave the house. Even I occasionally know when I have gone too far. (I did say occasionally... sometimes I may realise but don't care and wear them all anyway!) The reason I mention the over matching is that red is the easiest colour for me to fall into that way. There is an abundance of reds in pretty much everything just waiting to be worn.  Belts, hats, hair flowers and jewellery. You name it. I probably have 2 of them in red. Ok. Probably more than 2. My point is- red is dangerous this way.

For this outfit I have obviously gone very matchy- but I think I have managed to stay on the acceptable side of the line. Leopard in itself is a good way to break the colour up I find.

This dress is a fantastic score. I bought it from the cotton on outlet store and it cost me a cool $15.00. I didn't get a close up shot- but it has adjustable straps AND a ruffle on the top. An elasticated waistband and a flattering skirt cut rounds it all off. Yes. I am quite fond of this dress. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to hear that I have another in the same cut- just a different colour! (Frockstar post pending)

Another point to mention about the versatilty of this dress is that it is nice and light for the Summer- but looks just as good with black tights and cardi's for an instant Winter ensemble too. 

I have gone for my stock standard red skinny belt, hair flower and patent peep toe wedges for this wearing. In fact- that is the combo I have gone with every wearing now that I think about it... Note to self. Try it with a different colour next time.

I thought I would also take the opportunity to showcase one of my favourite rockabilly cardigans too. My cardigan section of the wardroom is getting a little bit out of control. I don't know how many cardi's your average girl would have- but I would put money on the fact that I am probably quadrupling that amount. At least. I am now in a self imposed "black cardi ban" as these are pretty well covered. I am a sucker for embroidery on black cardi's though. I guess that's how they got to be so well represented in the first place...

This one was another great trademe purchase. I think it cost me about $40.00 which isn't too bad for a good quality cardigan. It's quite a bit thicker than a lot that I have - and its brushed too so nice and fluffy feeling on your skin. I LOVE the embroidery at the back as well as the detailing on the front! I could explain this in great in detail - or I could shut up and let these pics speak their thousand words...

White With Rainbow Spots

Wow. 2012 already. 2010 and 2011 seemed to disappear in a bit of a blur. I'm hoping this year slows down a little but I don't think that's how it works sadly. I'm at that age where this one will whiz by possibly even faster than the last couple!


Last year was a bit average in places for me- so this year I have a few plans in place. And not like last years great plans  that never really came into fruition. Moving to Melbourne didn't end up panning out. I left my roller derby league after 4 (INTENSE!) years of involvement and decided to utilise my new found spare time with more music, learning to sew, more Frockstarring, starting yoga classes and generally being proactive and motivated. How much of all of that did I achieve? Heh. basically none of it... ! I did however spend a great deal of time enjoying doing sweet F.A after years of an overly busy daily schedule. I enjoyed my routine of going to the gym on my way home from work, coming home to put on my pajama's, make a delicious dinner and then watch hours of really bad (so bad it's good again..) tv on the couch with my wonderful man. Now when I read that back it sure doesn't sound like much but to be honest I loved every second of it. I needed a year of stepping back and reassessing some of my priorities. Admittedly I may have stepped back a little too far at times- but I think the overall outcome at the end has been a positive one. I'm not going to tell you about any resolutions I have for the new year. That would be a definite jinx on my best intentions but let's just say I am now ready to hit 2012 with a better balance of 2010's ridiculous busy- and 2011's slothful ambling. Let's hit it!

My first Frockstar post for the year has been kicking around the wardroom  for quite sometime now. 15 months in fact. It still hasn't even been worn out of the house yet- but I will be changing that within the next 5 days. Promise.

This 80's does 50's wiggle dress hailed from a great little vintage store on Smith St in Melbourne. I could see the potential when I tried it on- but it was a little tight in places. While I should know better than to buy things out of size in the hopes of getting smaller-I turned a blind eye to logic here and bought it anyway. I have certainly made smarter decisions. Now I had a dress that was almost awesome on- but couldn't wear it.

Flash forward a year and then some- and it finally fits. To be totally honest I had kind of forgotten about this dress. It turned into one of those items that you see so often that you stop seeing it completely. The ol' "I've been in front of your face for so long that I have effectively turned invisible". I try not to let this happen in the wardroom but when there is that much packed into a room it is inevitable. The up side is that in my moments of clarity when I have a proper rummage- it's like Christmas rediscovering outfits I forgot I had and breathing a new lease of life into them. But I digress...

Wiggle dresses aren't my usual forte shall we say. My body type doesn't really lend itself to this style generally. Going out on a limb and getting a WHITE one was a brave decision- but I couldn't resist the multitude of  80's-esque rainbow spots with the black outlines. It gives me many many options for accessorizing which in my mind makes an outfit quite versatile. The different combo's of green, blue, yellow and red will basically mean I will never have to wear the same combination twice. (That doesn't necessarily mean I won't- just that I don't have to...)

For the sake of this posts photo I have gone with the good old McDonalds colour combo. Red belt and lipstick to tie in the buttons down the front (some of which are fake which was briefly confusing!)  - and yellow hair flower and shoes to give it a bit of contrast. I am already planning some of the other possibilities. These are including (but certainly not limited to) a short sleeved kermit green cardigan with blue cummerbund belt and shoes. I could even dive into the rainbow P.O.F completely and do the green cardi, blue belt, yellow hair flower and red shoes.... Too much? Maybe. Will I wear it anyway? Almost definitely.

Sadly the light used in the pic didn't really do the dress justice. There may be blow out in the full shot- but I figure I have suitably compensated for this by adding not one but 2 arty closeups of said fabric...

Frill AND a bow!



Another Flissmas over for another year. It's hard to believe we are down to the final hours of 2011.It really is true what they say. Time goes much faster as you get older. I swear this year went by in a total blur...

I chose this dress for my final post of 2011. I also chose it to wear to my family Christmas dinner on the 24th in fact. Lucky I already had the picture ready to go- as I managed to dribble gravy right down the front of it at dinner. I blame the pre-food gins but in all honesty it probably would have happened if I was sober too.

If it isn't the fabric that grabs me on a potential new frock- its the additional details. You know. An asymmetric hemline. A faux button detailing. Any intricate or even (dare I say)  un-necessary addition will often be the straw that breaks my bank accounts back.

This is a dress that managed to pull me in with not 1, not 2 but 4 major hooks. First up is the fabric. A stunning mint green with an almost metallic pearl sheen to it with light undertones of white gold throughout. This alone absolutely screams out to me "50s formal wear".

The 2nd hook is the frill detailing down one side of the bodice. It's an unusual touch- and ties in particularly well with the 3rd hook- a cowl neck feature that continues and tapers out at the waist.

The 4th hook and possibly even my favourite of the lot- is the SUPER CUTE bow on the shoulder right above the 2nd hook frill. If I wasn't already totally in love with this dress (and let's face it- I was pretty much already there...) then the bow was the definitive detail to really send me over the edge.

I have paired this dress with a skinny red belt and red heels for not only this picture- but for all it's wearings so far. I know that I have other options available- but I really think I am onto a permanent winner with the red/mint green combo.

I have worn this dress a few times now and I would hesitantly even consider it as a late entrant into "Frock of the Year 2011". As this prestigious title hasn't even really existed until I typed it just now there won't be any awards thrown out willy nilly. As I have been surprisingly reserved with the all over dress buying in 2011-  I have found myself mainly riding on the coat tails of last years purchases. I will forgo any last minute pomp and ceremony for 2011- but am formally committing to a post in roughly one years time to honour "Frock of the Year 2012!"

As I bid 2011 adieu I can't help but ponder what to wear to our annual New Years party at our place. This dress is currently a front runner but I feel like it has already has it's time in the festive seasons limelight. The last party we have hosted this beauty made an appearance so that means it can't be worn to this one too... (my worst fears were recognised at the same gathering when a party goer pointed out that she had seen me wear the same frock teh party before as well! ) I am considering putting together this years party ensemble from the ground up and starting with the shoes. This is largely due to a huge blister I have recently aquired from a pair of jandals. The other (and ridiculous I realise) thing to consider is that I am capable of expertly matching my drinkig vessel and even straw with the evening's outift. While I recognise this is taking things waaaay too far- I also know that it makes me happy knowing that this level of co-ordination has been reached. Now if only I can just stop pointing this out to people after a few drinks...

Vintage Violet Vision

I have spent the last few minutes trying to work out how to incorporate this gem of a tune into this blog post title. It didn't work- but I thought it was worthy of a listening option for you nonetheless. After I conceded "Purple Pleated Greeter/Beater/Cheater/Meeter or Bleater" weren't going to quite work - I went back to the drawing board. Other titles I toyed with included but are not limited to "Violet- it's a colour and a flower", "Violets with Violets" (except the flowers on the fabric aren't...) "Violet- more than just the colour of a bruise" which then morphed into"Violets not Violence" which is just silly. In a final flailing attempt at alliteration it even briefly paused at- "Very Violet Vintage Vision Vavavoom". I definitely over shot on that one.  I realise that I have definitely over thought this one- so I may as well just draw extra attention to it now.

I have also learnt since typing this long winded intro that the word Violet starts to look like it isn't spelled right when you look at it for too long... Now that all of that is out of that way - lets press on with the actual frock talk shall we? Yes lets.

This little number is another reconditioned vintage piece of fabulousness from Smoove. (refer here for that days full shopping experience) I like that it has a "High Tea" sort of a feel to it. You know. The sort of dress that should be worn with white wrist gloves whilst eating hot scones with jam and cream and sipping on tea served in matching floral china tea sets. I'm not one for scones or tea truth be told- but this frock would be the perfect outfit should my tastes suddenly change.

I am quite fond of the colour purple and its derivatives- yet the purple dress section in the wardroom is actually a little under represented. I can assure you- I was just as shocked as you must be. This particular shade is right on the cusp of a deep violet with subtle undertones of cornflower blue. I love that this is off set by the coral red, ivory, baby blue and sage green in the floral print. The colour combination overall is quite striking in my humble opinion.

(As a side tangent I have always been a big fan of purple paired with canary yellow- or a bright tangerine orange. If I ever decide to get into fabric design you can expect to see those colour combo's in abundance)

The fabric itself is a beautifully floaty light weight. Not quite chiffon but not quite crepe either. It glides with you when you move- but is light enough to require a built in slip. Even then I think I will potentially steer clear of any intentional standing in front of bright lights. What is the point of a lovely feminine and demure dress if you are just going to take away all the mystery by flashing your silhouette around willy nilly?

Upon re-reading that last statement I think I may have just officially just morphed into a 60 year old woman living in the early 1900's...

This fabric has a slight "crinkle" to it- and this is further defined with a fine pleat in the skirt. It is a nice finishing touch I think- and gives the skirt a little bit of extra movement.

For this photo I have teamed it with white belt and shoes- but have also worn it in real life with my good old default setting of red belt and shoes. I swear those things are starting end up on every second outfit that walks out of the wardroom on me. Someone even said to me this very morning "Wow- you wear those shoes all the time huh"  It is besides the point that the statement itself  is blatantly true. It bothers me that with a room that has more pairs of shoes than I can even count - (because of my current stacked up storage system. Not because I am actually stupid and cant count...) that other people are starting to notice I wear one pair all the time. Time to lift my shoe rotation game I think...

While I'm sure this glimpse into my psyche is entertaining and a little scary- I will sign this post off by pointing out that I am particularly fond of the juxtaposition of the label on the frock itself. Nothing sums up a pretty feminine floral dress quite like words "Smoove as F**K".

Hibiscuses and Pin Up Girls (or The Emotional Spenders Lament)

Most of you will know what I mean when I throw out the term "Emotional Eater". You may even understand the phrase "Emotional Drinker". While I have certainly dabbled in both of those- I am also an "Emotional Spender". This is equally as destructive as the first 2- but for very different reasons. At the risk of sounding particularly shallow- stuff makes me happy.

There. I've said it.

 (I'm sure you are all suitably shocked and stunned by this revelation)

So logically- if stuff makes me happy (especially new and exciting stuff) then if I am not happy for any reason- this could be a good way to cheer myself up. Right?

Now I'm not trying to say that buying things (or clothes more specifically) makes my problems go away. It certainly isn't a long term fix. It does often take the edge off though. I can honestly say that some good old shopping therapy goes a long way to help with my overall frame of mind. Sadly it doesnt' have the same affect on my bank balance as a general rule...

The danger with the Emotional Spending (Or E.S as I shall refer to it for the sake of word over usage here) is that the risk of post purchase regret is much higher than if you are spending in any other frame of mind. There is an element of ... desperation I guess. There is more hope pinned on a purchase to lift my mood and it means that I am not as likely to really think through whatever it is I am buying. I have certainly had a few E.S moments that have gone pear shaped in the cold sobering light of getting them home. Thankfully today's frock- (while bought in a frivolous E.S moment) is not one of my regrets.

I had a wedding to go to of 2 very special friends back in November. I even had a job at the wedding. Yes thats right. I was entrusted to stand up in the ceremony itself and read out a poem. I felt ever so important and knew that this meant there was extra pressure to wear something awesome if everyone was going to be looking at me for a few minutes. (haha) This pressure didn't translate into an immediate need to go out and buy something. I have many a party dress in the Wardroom that hasn't been worn out yet, so I figured that this was my chance to get one of them out into the real world. I had not yet chosen the right dress for this auspicious occasion- but I knew I probably already owned it.

A couple of weeks before the wedding I was having a "meh" kinda day. I don't even think it was for any particular reason. I just felt flat and bored. For the record- I already know that this the worst possible time EVER to be browsing on trademe. My E.S cell count was too high for window shopping. I slipped on a picture and fell into an auction and bought a new (and completely unnecessary) dress under the pretence that I needed something new for the wedding. I wasn't even fooling myself at this juncture. The issue with this purchase isn't that I bought a new dress. I am always going to be buying new frocks that I arguably don't need. (pfft) The issue with this one is that I spent WAAAY more than I usually would for a single item. On something that I couldn't even convince myself that was required. The figure I'm talking here isn't bank breaking- but when you bring in as many new frocks as I do- you need to be a bit less frivolous. I spent $140.00 on this frock. That's heaps more than my usual bargain hunting brain would let me spend.

I love this dress. I really do. That doesnt' mean I still didn't get a bout of post purchase regret a day after I had paid for it. If I shopped around I could have bought many dresses for this price. I was disappointed with myself for giving into E.S in a moment of weakness. (Being aware of the dangers sadly doesn't mean you are in the clear. An E.S trigger can happen anytime. Anywhere. Be careful online shopping kids...)

I was still feeling a bit dumb for  buying this on the day of the wedding, but I was determined to stop dwelling on it. I put on my big girl panties (figuratively that is) and made a conscious decision to feel as fabulous in my new  and potentially overpriced dress anyway. I straightened my hair. Slapped on some false eyelashes. Donned some sky high red peep toed heels and a matching hair flower. I was starting to feel quite good when I left the house to go and get some cash out from the money machine downstairs. I had to walk past my local cafe to get to said money machine. There was a table of the classic rockabilly type girls sitting right outside that I had to walk past. I swear- every single one of them stopped talking mid sentence and stared at me as I walked past. I think one of them may have even had her mouth open! Now being a girl that likes to pay attention to what other girls are wearing- I am usually pretty good at picking these vibes up. I know the difference between good quiet and bad quiet anyways. This was definitely a good quiet- so I walked back home feeling like a million bucks.This was the moment that all post purchase regret truly left the building entirely- and I decided the dress was worth it's weight in self esteem. To top off this brief but 

 fantastic foray out onto my street- I also got a text from an acquaintance that had seen me walk past. All it said was "Goddamn those are some awesome heels...." My head was at least 3 sizes bigger when I got back home.

So back to the dress. It's one that is almost in danger of being on the "cliche" side of rockabilly. You know. That 50's reproduction kind of dress that may not scream out- but most definitely whispers "mass produced". Its a basic halter neck with a fitted bodice and circle skirt. Black with nice and bright hibiscuses and pin up girls. Even the occasional butterfly. While it came with a black belt- it was kinda dumb. I had a much better black waist cincher so threw that on with it too. Thisdress would have worked with a red crinoline (to go with the shoes and hair flower) but the black one just felt right. I listened to my heart on this one and stayed with the black petticoat. God knows I'm not usually very good at the less is more philosophy!

The beauty of having so many colours represented in this dress means that my accessorizing options are pretty limitless. I have an UH-MAY-ZING new pair of yellow shoes (yet to be featured) that are going to look pretty damned good with this dress too....

Blue Paisley

"So this one time- I went to swap a dress that didn't fit and accidentally came out with 5 more... "

You've read that story already.  I will spare you the re-details. While I am unsure if that is a real word- I am sure you understand what I am saying by the context I have used it in. Nobody can ever tell me I'm not doing my bit for the evolution of the English language that's for sure!

This dress ticks a lot of boxes. Fabric colour. Fabric pattern. Fabric feel. (a nice floaty Summer weight) Dress cut, (length and the cute little puffed sleeves) and lastly accessory options. I think it rated well enough on my internal checklist that it made it through to become one of the 5 that followed me home that day.  

Often the first thing I am drawn to in an outfit is the overall colour scheme. Once that's grabbed me the other selling points become apparent- but you always need that initial hook to make you pick it up off the rack. Colour and pattern always seem to be mine. It has a nice mix of cornflower blue, aqua, beige and a deep gold over an indigo background. Straight away I could see that the options for shoe and belt colours would not be limited to one combination. I do like it when I don't have to commit to an outfit looking the same every time I wear it...

The paisley print gives it a very distinct 70's feel- but it isn't a typical style or fabric used to really encompass that decade.  Because it's a "revamped' vintage dress it's hard to peg the era it would fall under exactly- but I think the overall effect works well so it doesn't really matter! Is it just me or does anything in paisley also have that "old man pajama" feel? Maybe that is just me...

For the showcasing of this frock in the Frockstar forum- I have paired it with a bronze belt and matching wedges. Sadly these shoes are on their last legs (so to speak) - and I don't know that they would survive even one more last attempt at wearing them out of the house. They were dangerously close to disintegration even getting them to the lounge for the photo! It's a pity as the whole ensemble ties in exceptionally well with the particular shade of Le Specs I have on my head.... Must be time to find a replacement pair of bronze shoes so I can replicate this look again!