Call Me Loyal

Double breasted woolen peacoat with waistband detailing all on a green, purple and black hounds tooth. Oh yes...

I am a firm beleiver that I have guardian angel of shopping watching over me. Occasionally she steps in to help me make my important purchasing questions. This is usually "To buy or not to buy". She was definitely with me on Friday the 22nd October 2010 on Brunswick St when I found this beauty.

I first saw this coat on my Derby trip to Adelaide earlier this year. You have probably realised that I am a sucker for a good coat at the best of times- but show me one in my derby team colours and I'm more than sold. That's where the story would end- except that on the day I saw this coat in Myers I had already exhausted my shopping budget for our short stay. I did actually contemplate not eating for the final day and a half I was there to afford it- but there was an after party in between and one was going to require alcohol. I begrudgingly left the store without the coat and spent the next 36 hours trying to work out if there was a way I could take it home with me. Sadly there wasn't and I came back to Auckland coat less.

Fast forward 3 and a half months and I'm back in Australia. (In the epic factory shop I talked about in my previous post no less) There she was. On a distant rack I spotted her across a crowded shop floor. My beautiful Mascara Massacre coat! Not only did they have my size in stock but the price tag told me it was only $89.00. MUCH less than the original $229.00 I first saw it priced at. Obviously I grabbed it (with 2 hands) and holding back my excitement as best I could (I was on my own and had nobody to squeal at) I started to look at the other racks around me. As I was doing so- one of the shop girls came over to the rack to further mark down the price. I kid you not. I was already more than happy to pay $89.00 for it and then didn't even have to! I left that shop one very very happy Fliss and my wallet was only $60.00 lighter. SCORE.

The other point worth mentioning of this entire experience was that it was slightly over 29 degrees that day and I was already sweltering having worn tights and boots out on my maiden shopping voyage on this trip. (long story but lets summarise in that I didn't trust the weather reports after being freezing my entire stay roughly this time last year...) I did actually think for a little while that I was going to melt. I already had a decent amount of shopping bags to carry and then had a woollen coat to lug around too. It was the weirdest and most perfect day to buy a Winter coat.

Out(fit) Of This World

I like stars. I think I may have already mentioned- but they are my favourite shape. (lets disregard the fact that I am obviously waaay too old to even have a favourite shape!) While these stars may not be the typical star shapes- they are still stars nonetheless.

This strapless number has a lot going for it other than the whole universe on the fabric. It is a satin tiered piece of fabulousness with a bow on top of a sweetheart neckline. The dress is mainly classed as black I guess- but it has a nice amount of dark blue to give it a bit of texture too. Twinkletastic!

It came from an amazing store on Brunswick St (Melbourne again!).It was in fact the factory shop for Dangerfield, Princess Highway and Alannah Hill. Swooooon! Needless to say- they got a great deal of my money in the 2 separate trips I took there. More on that later...

This particular dress cost me $40.00. Technically I suppose it cost me closer to $65.00 if I convert it to NZ dollars but to be honest I didn't do a lot of that on my trip. It was far easier just to pretend everything was in NZ dollars. And that ladies and gentlemen is one of the many reasons I will never be an accountant....

Cant Take My Eyes Off You

This is the first of many Melbourne purchase posts. As you will know already- I have been on a strict budget for the last few months saving up for an epic shopping weekend. I managed to come back to NZ with 14 new dresses, 3 skirts, a jacket, a coat, 4 cardi's, 3 pairs of shoes, 3 pairs of sunglasses, multiple hair accessories, a handbag and a dwindling bank account. I regret nothing.

This eye catching (haha) dress came from an awesome rockabilly type store on Brunswick Street called "Hell Kitty". There was a gap in my P.O.F possibilities for a Bleeding Eyeball outfit so I went with it. The dress itself has a thin removable halter strap and a slight sweetheart neckline accentuated with 2 black buttons on the black band.

The eyeballs themselves stand out on the black fabric in shades of red, white and neon green.

I have matched this frock with a new pair of shoes bought from the same store in fact. (Actually- all 3 new pairs of shoes came from this store!) A stunning pair of white pumps complete with film noir-esque blood splatters.  Oh yes. These shoes were too good not to photograph them with some blood on the floor. Well. By blood I realy mean cranberry juice and a little photoshop - but you get the idea!

Long Blue and Yellow

In the last week of posts- I have spoken about some long Summer dresses I am thinking of taking up. I thought it was time I mentioned a long Summer dress that I have no intention of altering.

This is a retro reproduction number. A 70's feel to it- but I think it is circa 2003. Ankle length and halter necked- this dress also boasts a keyhole feature on the front. I think it is a nice touch.

The colour scheme is a mix of blue and yellow dots and flowers with a faint white detailing to bring the petals out. A yellow hair flower is the perfect finishing touch although I am now thinking that a pair of yellow jandals will be a must have for Summer too...

This will be my last post for the next week or so as tomorrow morning I GO TO MELBOURNE! I am very much looking forward to 4 days of intensive shopping.,great food, awesome company and a mariachi show. (yes- really!)  From my last trip there last September I have a couple of shops that have made my "must go to again" list- and also looking forward to discovering a few more. In preparation I have been on a strict budget for the last 3 months or so and am already feeling the pre-purchase shudder of excitement thinking about blowing all my hard saved dollars! I am pretty much taking over an empty suitcase (inside a mostly empty suitcase) and the clothes on my back.

Stay tuned for lots of excited post Melbourne shopping Frockstar posts next week!

80's Lycra 2 Piece in Cornflower Blue

Occasionally I find a frock with extras. These can be in the form of matching belts, head bands or even a purse. This frock came with a matching jacket/ cardi hybrid.

The fabric for this outfit is really nice. It is a silky lycra mix in cornflower blue- and hangs beautifully. The top of the dress is a simple loose fitting t-shirt style with short sleeves and a v neckline.

The jacket/cardi hybrid is another story. I could see the potential in the dress itself. Not so much when coupled with the jacket. Thankfully the beauty in owning a 2 piece is that there are no rules about having to wear them together. So I won't.

The jacket has an interesting half circled gathering going on at the point that it ties together. There is a vaguely art deco feel to that particular feature.

When the jacket is worn over the dress the outfit feels a little "Mother of the Bride circa 85" to me. Maybe I should embrace that as a P.O.F and add a decorative or floral hat...

Until I find that hat- I will keep wearing the dress with the belt and with the gold and white peep toes in the picture I think!

Red and White

This 60's crepe dress is a very interesting mix of possibilities. Part candy cane, part cheerleader, part go-go girl.... I have also managed to wear it to a couple of dress up parties as a Harajuku girl and Meg White.  (just add drum sticks)

It seems to be yet another dress that does not get worn nearly often enough. I actually struggled with what shoes to team it with for this photo. Technically the shoes I chose match - but they also are not quite right. I tried red knee length boots and silver cowboy boots before I settled on some red peep toes.

Red and white and a whole bunch of features on this frock. Not only is the colour combo quite striking- it racks up some contrasting coloured pleats in the front, some contrasting stitching, not 1- not 2 but 3 keyholes on the neck line and these are interspersed with covered buttons. Woah that's a lot going on in one dress!

Blue and White and Long

If I had to explain this dress- I would liken it to a Ming Vase. It has a vaguely Asian style feel with the almostcross over  (the illusion of one at least)  as well as the obvious colour combo.

This long 70's dress feels great on. It is light and hangs really nicely. It doesn't get a lot of wear time at the moment and I am putting that down to it being long. (yes- another one) I am still deciding if I should get it altered to knee length to see if if gets out more. I really love the fabric- so I am unsure that I want to lose that much of it just yet!

It would be the ideal dress to wear at the beach over togs I think. I am not that much of  a beach girl really so maybe that's another reason it hasn't had a lot of wear previously!

What do you think? Should I take it up or leave it long?

Barefoot and Floral

This may seem like a strange concept- but even though I have owned this dress for about 5 years I found it again yesterday. It has been in my 'bag of clothes to get fixed or altered" rubbish sack hiding behin my coats for quite sometime now. Every few years I remember that such a sack exists and it's like Christmas!

This long floral number screams "Little House on the Praire" to me. It is distinctly 70's and I cannot imagine wearing it with shoes. This is of particular note asI am not a barefoot girl by nature. I have way too many pairs of shoes to ever consider not wearing any of them.

This dress was a birthday gift from an old flatmate of mine. It is quite beautiful in it's own way but I always thought it would get a bit more of my attention if it was shorter. I can imagine it a little above knee length with dark tights and brown boots. Hence it living in the sack of things to be altered...

The fabric really appeals to me. A dark bottle green with 70's flowers in shades of orange, brown, pink and white.

For now I have put it back up in the long green dress section of the wardroom to see if it gets additional wear purely by proxy of being able to see it. If it still doesn't in the next few months I will get it altered.

Red Riding Hood = Capetastic!

A wee while ago ( in a frockstar cape post ) I mentioned that I had a fantasy cape in mind. This cape is totally that cape.

SQUEEEAL!

Good things really are worth the wait. After months and months of patient yet diligent trademe searching I finally came across this beautyful American Apparel fleecy domed front fire engine red hooded cape.

It came just in time too. Weather wise Spring seems to be a good time for optimal wearing. Being fleecy inside it is still quite warm- but being light means it is perfect for this in between weather. The kind of days where the sun is starting to come out but there is still a little bit of  chill in the air.

Not only am I predicting that I will be able to wear this cape with a multitude of different outfits possibilities- my flatmate pointed out that all I need is a basket of home baked goodies and I also have the perfect Halloween outfit. While that is a pretty good idea-  I know he just wants to eat the home baked goodies....

On a side note- I did a player profile for my derby league last week. It was filmed in the wardroom and Frockstar got a mention too  Check it out HERE

Metallic Silver Brocade

I love this metallic blue brocade shift dress. It was from one of the last genuinely cheap op shops in the inner city- and it only cost me $10.00. 

The last time I wore it was for a work Christmas party a few years back. The theme of the party was the incredibly politically incorrect  "A Night In The Orient". It was a great party- but I'm sure you can imagine some of the costumes that eventuated from such a theme... My personal favs were Confucius and an entire team of Chinese table Tennis players.

I bought this parasol to "oriental" up the dress for the night. I also wore it with a black bob wig to finish it off. I have added the white mary janes and white wrist gloves for this shot- and would almost certainly pair them together again.

While the parasol works very well with the dress itself- I can't really imagine why I would use it as an accessory outside of a theme. A parasol is a fairly awkward thing to carry around and could even be dangerous in the wrong hands after a few too many drinks!

The pattern on the fabric is nothing short of beautiful. Metallic blue embroidered flowers with spidery swirling detail. I would love to have this design as a wall paper. Maybe not an enitre room- but at the very least a feature wall.

Green Good Girl

If I was around in the 50's and was a particularly good girl- I might wear this outfit to my part time job in the library. After work I could go and get an ice-cream soda with a curly straw. And then- I could remember that I do not actually live in the 50's and this is just an outfit.

This skirt came from the CPSF (Cornwall Park School Fair) all those months back. It was green and cheap. 2 boxes ticked so it went into my huge haul of clothes I managed to liberate of the fairs school hall. I cant remember the exact price- but it was somewhere between 50c and $2.

The fabric on the skirt itself is a nice green and white gingham with a trim of dark and lime green flowers along the bottom hem line.

For this ensemble I have opted to go with a contrasting bright green collared shirt, white angora cardigan and white patent mary janes. Perfect for my part time library job in the 50's...

Clash

Pink and red as a colour combo is growing on me. It's a good kindofa clash when it's done right.










This dress is a very well homemade piece in hot pink raw silk. I would pick it as early 50's but it has a certain 40's feel about it too. Shirt style button down top with a couple of pleats thrown in fro good measure. It actually has it's own matching belt and also a long shoelace looking thing that I have not really worked out. I left them both alone for this particular outfit though and went instead for a bright red belt, peep toes and lippy.



At the risk of being very boring and saying this in all my posts lately- I have never actually worn this. I really need to sort that out....

Green and Yellow

This cute little green dress is yet another that has not seen the light of day since being added to the Wardroom. It was a gift from a friend who bought it for me mainly for 2 reasons.

1. It was green
2. It was in a $2 bin in an op shop
   

I tried it on when she first gave it to me and while I like the fabric it wasn't a very flattering fit. I hung it up and left it there.

Fast forward 18 months or so and I pulled it out to give it another go. (Essentially for this post!) I decided that the cut could be altered slightly with pulling it in under the bust with a belt. Now with the colours in the fabric the obvious option to me was to match the red. I added read belt and peep toes and took a good hard look. It was ok- but it didn't "pop". You know?

I decided to change tact slightly and opted to accessorise with yellow instead. The colour change made such a huge difference to the overall look- that there is no way I will ever put red on this outfit again! Yellow and green together have always felt... well. A little Australian. I will overlook that thought in this instance and roll with it anyway.

The shoes were a trademe bargain at $4.00, the belt from a sale rack in an Asian store fro $5 and the flower from trademe at $14. These accessories alone could potentially be added to a lot of outfits to change the feel drastically!

I like that the pattern on the fabric has an almost batik quality to it. When you look closely- there are a lot of very detailed swirls going on underneath the floral motifs.

I have managed to fit an ever present crinoline petticoat underneath to lift it slightly too.