Il s'agit d'une petite robe jaune

I just noticed how many of my blog titles have the word Yellow in them. Quite a lot actually. This is why I attempted to title this one without it. I cheated and used google to translate "This is a little yellow dress" into French. Makes this post much more exotic I think.



I have only veered slightly off the paisley theme from the last few days. While this frock isn't technically paisley- it is really about as close as you can get. It is floral. And being a 60's shift dress it's quite "Go-go" too.



The picture's speaks a thousand words I'm sure- so I am going to stop trying to add any more.

Paisley Power

Seems like there is a 70's paisley theme to my week. It wasn't intentional but I could possibly keep rolling with it!

Today's frock is a green and blue paisley number. Purchased from the New Lynn Red Cross about 5 years ago. Turquoise and kermit green are 2 of my favourite colours- and you don't often find them together in the same fabric.

I really like the cap sleeves on this dress. It's a nice point of difference I think.

I have worn it today with some moss green suede slouching pixie boots. (They even jingle slightly when I walk- as the buttons on the tops are a little loose) I found them on trademe. I surprised a few people with them as they were the flattest footwear I had purchased in a LONG time.

It's still kindofa slow transition into being accurately represented as a midget on a more regular basis.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

The Sound Of Music is one of my all time favourite movies. EVER. I spent many many hours of my childhood watching and singing along with my Grandmother.

The reason I am talking about "The Sound of Music" is that the dress I am wearing today has always reminded me of the play clothes that Maria makes the children out of the curtains. I think it may have even been her first night in the Vonn Trapp household- and she is belting out "My Favourite Things" in the storm when the idea hits her. (When the dog bites, When the bee stings, when I'm feeling saaaaaaad... and so on) It is pretty much impossible to wear this frock and not have that very song running through my head at some point in the day. Like now in fact.

I have always been a sucker for green 70's floral/ paisley patterns so this was a no brainer purchase when I found it in a red Cross Op Shop about 8 years ago. I like that in Summer I can wear it with my olive green high top chuck taylors (like today) or jandals- and in Winter I can wear it with tights, a cardi and long boots. How very versatile...

I may be at work today when everyone I know is at home- but I simply remember my favourite things and then I don't feel sooo baaaaaaaaaad!

2 times the options

I will refrain from saying what a beautiful day it is today. That isn't to say it hasn't been another great one- but I have spent most of it in an air conditioned office so don't really feel like I got to enjoy it!




Today's dress hails from the depths of an op shop somewhere in Tauranga in the last 9 years or so. This was THE staple Summer frock for 2001-2005. I have replaced the zip twice now to keep it humming along.


The fabric is patterned with something between circles and flowers. That kind of "abstract but still hippie" thing that was often achieved in the 70's.




I loved this dress so much in fact- that fate led me to it's Autumnal counterpart. The exact same frock in shades of orange and brown. Those of you that have had experience trawling through op shops and vintage stores will understand that the likely hood of finding your favourite vintage garment in your size but another colour is pretty slim. Damn near impossible for the most part. I actually squealed out loud when I found it on the rack. You could not wipe the grin off my face for days afterwards!





I have actually managed to be on the lucky side of such a phenomenon on a few occasions now. there was even one instance where I found an already purchased turquoise sparkly coat dress. I had received so many comments on the one I had- I bought it again!




To this day I can't really explain the logic behind that way of thinking. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time though. One day I guess I will find the right person to pass it on to- or the right fancy dress party to be a tag team...




So in the vein of wardroom doppelgangers- here is my pretty sparkly turquoise coat dress. (I won't bother picturing it twice as they are quite literally identical) I love that it can be worn as a coat OR a dress. Always nice to have options!

Jebus's Birthday And The Day After

Christmas day has now been and gone for another year. For me it meant time with family and WAAAAY too much amazing food! (crayfish, prawns and chocolate mostly)

I have been saving this dress for Christmas this year. It seemed to be kind of festive in its colours- and was a nice light wrap around to wear on a very hot day.



It is a 1970's patchwork number and the fabric reminds me of origami paper. Lots of colours involved but mainly pinks and red's with a touch of gold and green.



Technically I was wearing it backwards. I think it looks better this way- but it did mean that I was called Kris Kross all day by my lovely brother. I don't think it looks like I'm wearing it the wrong way- but it does have pockets facing the wrong direction that give it away a little...



Boxing day is another beautiful sunny day. I think maybe we might have hit actual Auckland Summer now. (I really shouldn't jinx it by suggesting such things. If it starts raining tomorrow it isn't my fault.. ok?)

I am cheating slightly again. We are off to a bbq over on the sunny North Shore today- and I am wearing a frock that has already been featured. So as not to short change anyone reading this I have pulled out one that has not been featured yet to balance it all out.


This dress is pretty bright. Even for me. Bright red 70's long halter with a geometric blue, green, white and yellow pattern. It screams awesome. To me at least.



This dress was picked up from a vintage clothing store in St Kevins Arcade that sadly is no longer there. I had made friends with the lady that ran the shop in my frequent stops there on my way home from work on Friday afternoons. We were almost at the stage where I was ready to bring in a bottle of wine for us to work our way through while I played dress ups and marvelled at the beautiful frocks she had to behold. I was pretty sad when she moved on...

Flissmas Eve!

Christmas Eve was another stunner of a day in Auckland. Last day at work for a few days and thinking about lots of fresh seafood with lashings of wine for Christmas lunch!

I thought I would start the festive party frocks a little early this year. Why wait for Christmas day?

This beautiful halter neck was rescued from the Recycle Boutique last December. I bought it to wear to the 2008 Roller Derby awards and it sure bought me some great luck that night! (I took home 3 prizes)

This dress had been marked down on the vintage rack. (the deal is that if a garment isn't purchased within a set time frame- it gets marked down 50% until they practically give it away!) To this day I am still stunned that nobody else had found it before me. I took it home for a ridiculous $11.00.

The flipside of that story is that the lady I bought it from instore forgot to take the security tag off it. Somehow I managed to get it home without realising. When I took it out to show someone the afternoon of the awards- I saw the tag right in the front of the hem. Just a little conspicuous...

I called the recycled boutique who were quite apologetic- and they told me to take the dress in to get it removed. Unfortunately I finished work the same time their store closed. I had to go to another store on K Rd and beg them to remove it for me. Obviously they thought I was dodgy and had stolen it- which was a little embarrassing. After a conversation that included me offering to call the recycled boutique so I could get them to explain the situation they finally agreed to help me out. I think it was more to get me out of the store than anything else..

This was a well worn party frock for the Summer of 2008. As it is quite 50's it will be getting lots more wear in the Summers to come I think.

I LOVE the colour. Such a vibrant turquoise. I also love the floral pattern which is vaguely orchid like.I think it may even have been hand painted.

I have teamed it with white sandals, green belt and white hair flower. I have a crinoline petticoat on underneath it today too. Although this is the first time I have tried this out- I think it's working. (my brother did however liken me to an upside down teacup....)

Yellorange Checkers

I had a pretty fantastic day today. I found out that a band I really like are opening for another band I really like. I had 2 dresses and 2 petticoats delivered to me at work from my latest trademe purchases. I won a raffle at work and took home a platter of handmade Christmas chocolates. I officially weigh 8kgs less than I did last time I weighed myself- AND I got to wear this awesome dress for the first time since last Summer.



This dress is one of those garments that puts you in a better mood just for being in it. It's so bright and impossible to ignore! I have been wearing it for the last 5 Summers now and so far it has lost none of the original charm that made me fall in love with it in the first place.

I found this little piece of happiness on Trademe. I knew as soon as I saw it that it was a winner- and from memory I managed to slip under the radar with it. Nobody else even bid on it. (But I watched the auction closing like a hawk just in case they dared try!)



You can't actually see my feet- but I have worn it today with my black chuck taylor high tops.

What else says "Hey there sunshine" quite like a gigantic yellow flower for my hair? Not much I can tell you...



I must say that I am quite excited about the impending Christmas festivities and the associated frocks I have lined up for the next few days. Stay tuned!

A few days worth of catch ups

Sorry. I have been terribly slack these last few days. To make up for my lack of posting I have recreated the last few days wort of outfits to get back up to date!


I busted out this long wrap around skirt on Friday. It's really light fabric and so comfortable to wear. It's another piece that I've had so long I can't really remember where it came from! I have teamed it with a plain black singlet and black high top chuck taylors.


I love the print on the fabric. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for anything with a tropical feel.


Saturday I only really went to the gym and dyed my hair- so nothing blog worthy was worn during the day. I did put in a little more effort that night though with a gig and a bbq on my social calendar! Now on paper I realise that velvet tiger stripes sounds ridiculously westie. But I have never been one to hide from my westie roots- so I ran with it!



This dress was purchased from the Paper Bag Princess about a year ago. I also really like that the grain of the velvet goes up not down. (I'm not sure why exactly that's a selling point- but it is!)



I must admit that since starting Frockstar I have been going out of my way to wear a much wider cross section of my clothing. This has been really good and quite inspiring- but the flip side is that I haven't' wanted to wear anything I have already blogged about. I realise that this is not a healthy way to look at my outfit choices. It did also mean that the outfit I wore yesterday has already been blogged about - so no point putting up another picture! (on days where choosing a new unblogged outfit is not an option I promise to find something obscure in the wardroom and blog about that- but seeing as you are already getting 4 outfits in this post I'm not going to bother today...)

This all brings us up to Monday. I have gone for a "Pink Ladies" short sleeved satin jacket with embroidered bird and flower detailing. I swear to god I found this jacket on trademe for $1.50. A dollar fifty! It cost me more to get it posted to me- but considering the whole thing still came in under $5.00 I don't think I have much reason to be complaining. I have matched the jacket an shoes with a pink hair flower, pink sparkly ring and silver nails.


I'm not an overly pink person but this jacket always gets lots of comments. And it ties in quite nicely with my silver high top Reeboks...


I LOVE these sneakers. They are everything an amazing pair of high tops should be! I also really like the 2 tone pink laces and the 80's inspired pink and green stripe detailing. I spent more on these shoes than I usually would- but who can put a price on happiness right?



This "Little House on The Prairie Nightie Dress" didn't actually get worn today but I thought it deserved a pic. Its verging on ridiculous- but I love the wings effect on the sleeves. I'm actually thinking about taking it up to the knees.


The fabric is nice and light with a pretty 70's floral pattern. I bought it from a closing down second hand vintage store. Everything in the store was $10 the day I ventured in. So dangerous....

It seems like Auckland's Summer weather is getting a bit more consistent- so looking forward to getting reacquainted with lots of bright Summer dresses in the next few weeks!

Darkhorse Thursday

Lot's of people asked me where I was going today because they thought I looked particularly dressed up. I think it must be because I was dressed so dark that it may have looked like there was some kind of special occasion. I'm not usually into wearing this much black but every now and then I'll bust it out. When I do it is usually met with this same kind of confusion.


The top is a light mesh with an awesome ruffle feature on the front of the shoulder. I acquired it from the Aotea Markets a LONG time ago. I was wearing it at the Kings Arms one night (maybe 3 years back) and met the lady who had made it. She was pretty stoked to see her top still being worn so we briefly bonded over it in the ladies toilets...


The skirt is a grey cotton with an asymmetric hemline and a black mesh ruffle. It's an odd shape but I think that's what I like most about it.


I have teamed it with rose patterned fishnets and patent black mary jane's.

I don't mind looking a little more like a grown up from time to time- but I'm not sure I'd wanna live there!

Straight Off The Rack...

I'm going to be honest-today's outfit didn't have a lot of thought in it. I woke up late (again) and didn't have the luxury of a quick trial and error before I left the house. Technically there wasn't anything specifically wrong with what I chose- it just felt kinda... meh.



I do really like the cut of the dress. Wrap around with a slight puffed cap sleeve in a paisley pattern is all good. This dress is from Principals originally but I bought it from the good old Rainbow Op Shop on K Rd. (Given that I walk past it like 4 times a day it's no wonder I own so many things from there!) While I do like the dress- I think part of the appeal was that it was a dollar. That's right. A whole dollar. I am fairly sure I would not have given it a second look had I seen it in Principals in it's first life span.

Occasionally I can get a little side tracked about how much I like something just based on the price. Sometimes I can confuse really liking something with the plain fact that it seems like a fantastic bargain.

In saying that- I'm back to my I don't NOT like this dress- but I have felt kind of boring and mass produced all day. I have attempted to lift the overall vibe by pairing it with my silver "space cowboy" boots.

I now feel extra obligation to put a bit more effort into tomorrows ensemble!

50's Specs Appeal

I started work early today. 7am kinda early. Ouch. I knew this was going to make choosing an outfit somewhat difficult at that difficult hour- so I ever so cleverly picked this ensemble last night before I went to bed. I was quite grateful that I didn't have to rely on my brain for much this morning!

White and black polka dots with aqua highlights is where the decision landed me. This dress is from Spacesuit in Wellington circa 2006. I'm a sucker for aqua/ turquoise at the best of times so its no surprise I am drawn to the rose print along the hem of the dress. It also has a built in petticoat to give it that nice shape- although I have been known to wear it with the full crinoline one too.

I had an aqua flower that didn't sit right this morning so have opted for a ribbon today instead.

Last but most certainly not least- are my cats eye aqua sparkled glasses. This completes the outfit and gives vague connotations of a librarian in the 50's...

This morning was another drizzly one and I even manged (for the second day in a row I might add) by total fluke to match my umbrella to my outfit. Heh.

As I was walking in to work this morning I was chatting to a young lady I know who told me (in all seriousness) "You look like that old lady that wears those glasses!" It was bad enough she was likening me to an old lady- but then I realised she was talking about Damn Edna. OUCH.

(funnily enough she had no idea that Dame Edna is actually a man... sorry to break it to ya sweet heart)

Navy Blue 70's Fireworks

This morning when I woke up it was raining. Not a little drizzle but absolutely pissing down. Although its the beginning of December and technically the start of our Kiwi Summer- it was kinda cold. This threw my mornings what to wear mare ever so slightly. I managed to turn that uncertainty into mild excitement when I realised this might be my last chance to wear this dress this year.



I scored this dress from the Cornwall Park School Fair last Summer. I fought my way through seemingly hundreds of women in a school hall to fill my bag of clothing goodies. I think I walked away with about 9 new items for a grand total of $12.00!

The fabric is that awesome stretchy 70's nylon. The print reminds me of fireworks and I love the contrast of the orange, yellow and white on the navy blue background. The yellow buttons down the front top off the style- and they are duplicated on the cuffs. (rolled up here so you will just have to believe me)


Yellow seemed to be the obvious colour choice for accessories- so I have topped it all off with yellow hair clips. My first choice was a yellow flower- but I couldn't get it to sit right.




Speaking of flowers- I am mildly devastated that I cannot find my all time favourite red flower for my hair. You know- that one that pops up in most of my posts. I spent a great deal of time looking for it on Saturday night to no avail. I haven't given up all hope yet- butI have run out of places to look and pretty sad about the whole thing. I really hope it turns up soon....

Pink and Flowery

Today was another beautiful sunny day in Auckland city- so thought it was high time to bring out one of my favourite Summer dresses. I have had this dress for about 10 years now and it is worn to death every Summer.


I've never been overly into the colour pink- but sometimes you just have to roll with it. Pink and orange flowers with a touch of purple and white in the fabric is all good by me. It's a really simple 70's halterneck and I have been toying with the idea of getting more made like it for the last few years.


I have a flower for most outifts- so have found a pale pink to match the dress (and my tattoo!) today.

Space Cowboy and Sailor

After the work Christmas party I was rocking one mean hangover. Maybe the worst I've had all year! This equated in my outfit for the day including a t-shirt. I'm really not a t-shirt kindofa girl. I usually only wear them if I'm sick or going to bed.


The t-shirt is particularly cool. Its an Amanda Palmer t-shirt I acquired at her last Auckland show back in March. Given that I love this woman as a musician- I was also pretty stoked to find a shirt that includes a piano, lady in pearls, blood and flowers. Makes for some rad graphics.


I also decided to give the cowboy boots another chance. Before I bought them they were obviously stored folded over somewhat- so there is a permanent crease in the side that digs into my ankle. It wasn't too bad wearing them over a few hours although that's probably because I also wasn't particularly mobile. These boots were an incredible $3 from the rainbow op shop on K Rd. They have obviously been spray painted silver and are a little rough around the edges but I think it just adds to the charm.

It wasn't one of my more inspirational outfits - but given my hangover I don't think I did too badly!

I did however have to pull myself out of it as I also had my Roller Derby end of year prize giving to attend as well. Damn you Christmas and your continued reasons for me to keep getting festive! (Prizegiving was really cool though. I earned a best team jammer medal and the dirtiest pirate in the league! More penalties than anyone else in the 2009 season... oops!)


I have chosen a cute pin up sailor's dress that has been hanging out in the wardroom for almost a year now. Maiden voyage this evening.


I went through a brief phase last December where I was obsessed with the sailor girl tie and back flap combo. (I realise that's an odd way to describe it...) I saw Kylie Minogue play here and she has an incredible blue sequined sailor jumpsuit that started it all. I found this dress on trademe when looking at sailor specific outfits.


I do love the detailing on this dress. Now that it's been worn I think I will be giving it a lot more off the hanger time!