Chambray ya say...

If you are a regular reader, you may well have noticed I haven't been here for a wee while now. Quite some time in fact. While I have a couple of pretty good reasons why blogging has been put on my back burner for the last few months, it would take far too long to explain it here. Besides. It  all has very little to do with clothes so not much point putting it out in this context anyway. Let's just assume you are all thinking "Oh you're back" and leave it at that. Right then. Now that's out of the way let's carry on with the frocking show!

I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about 50's reproduction clothes that came out of the 80's. When they got it right- the garments can be nothing short of amazing. When they didn't, they really didn't.  Maybe it's safer to just keep judging on an outfit by outfit basis, so today I'm talking about one that totally made the cut.

Pale blue chambray isn't often my first choice when it comes to picking an outfit. For me it conjures up images of Billy Ray Cyrus (back before he was more famous for being Miley/Hannah Montana's Dad) and phrases like "Canadian Tuxedo". It's a hard mindset to break, but this could be the kind of dress that could do it.  The added bonus of being the pale blue denimy colour it is, makes it very easy to accessorise with. There are many other variations available in my stash of belts, shoes, petticoats and hair accessories, but a classic red was the ultimate winner for the photo's you now should see before you.

While we're on the subject let's talk shoes. Red, spotty & wedge(y). What's not to love! I managed to get a lot a great deal of wear out of these babies over the Summer months. They are a very easy shoe to work into other outfits too so rest assured  they will be featured here in a few more posts to back this up.

(There really needs to be a close up photo HERE of said shoes. Will update this post to reflect such a thing as soon as I can get a decent pic of them. Taking photos of your own feet is harder than it looks ok! Go try it. Feel free to let me know any tips if you can manage it better than I do...)


The style of this dress has a subtle undertone of "Nautical" too with it's wide neck line and row of tiny buttons down the bodice. The back also has quite a wide and sweeping shape from shoulder to shoudler. The V shape just below the waist line is a cool detail, and the skirt has more than enough circle to it to rock a decent crinoline underneath it. The fabric is light to wear and falls really nicely, so overall I think I need to be wearing this dress a lot more often. In fact while typing this post I have just completely resold the whole concept of this outfit to myself. Let's hope Auckland's erratic weather gives me a window of opportunity to get reacquainted properly soon....

Let The Sunshine In

Not being the type to shy away from bright colours and bold patterns I am somewhat used to people commenting on my use of them. This year in particular I have found more strangers than ever before approaching me in the street, office, cafes to let me know that they are picking up what I am putting down. While I don't need the reassurance of strangers as such, it is still nice to know that someone appreciates what I am doing enough to tell me. Apart from one lady who yelled at me out of her car before chasing me down the street and cornering me in a shop. It took away from the compliment itself and left the whole situation quite firmly in the "creepy" zone. The intense look in her eyes combined with the sense that she was the stereotypical type of woman to own 30 cats sure added to the experience. I think the part that scared me the most was knowing that there is a very real possibility that I will be the same when I get to her age. Maybe if I am brutally honest it could be closer to my outright destiny. I will almost surely be terrifying younger women by chasing them down streets to talk about their clothes when I am old enough to be classed as properly eccentric. I may have a bit more room yet to grow into this impending phase of my life but truth be told it probably isn't even that far away.....

But I digress.

Todays featured outfit certainly isn't one that blends into the background by any stretch. I have been using it to force my own sunshine into Auckland's grey days this Winter and it sure has freaked people out with it's migraine inducing brightness. People just cannot help but comment. Most of these are based around "Gosh that's a bright dress" (which can portray admiration or terror depending on the tone)  or a variation of "You are your own little ray of Summer". (usually from the older end of the age spectrum). Whatever the comment. Whatever the intent behind it. I am well aware that there is a degree of "balls" required  to wear this dress with the confidence it deserves- and on the right day I'm pretty sure I can.

As is often the case the dress found me. I had left the house to get a key cut in St Kevins Arcade and this little number was part of the window display in K Rd's infamous "Vixen". It had me transfixed instantly but I managed to break free of the spell and carried on my errands. It's one thing to walk away from a moment like this. It is something completely different when it comes to obsessing over it afterwards. Once that initial "I love it" seed is planted in my head it can be very difficult to move on. In this instance I recognised early that it was already quite far under my skin and could prove to be very distracting. Instead of letting it dominate my thoughts over the next few weeks I went back an hour later to try it on. I had to be prepared for the outcome either way. If it fit me I was ready to commit to the purchase. If it didn't, at least I could stop dwelling on it and move on. Either way it was the first step to breaking the spell I was under and getting control of my own thoughts again.

 (I feel like I need to acknowledge those last few sentence. Yes. This is an accurate depiction of how such things play out in my head. I realise that not many people obsess over such things the way I do but then not many people have an entire room full of clothes boasting a similar history either.  Instead of being vaguely embarrassed of myself when I catch myself deep in the "over thinking" zone I now choose to look at is as "deliberate and well thought out". At this point in my life I am not just comfortable with my passion being much closer to an obsession. I am outright embracing it. )

I did feel a little bad at making Mikey behind the counter take apart his window display for me to try it on- but only for a split second. As soon as I had it over my head it just felt right. I was already sold but if I needed another sign to push my decision it was the reaction I got when I stepped out of the fitting room. The reaction of an audible gasp followed up with a "You cannot leave here without that dress" was made all the better by the fact that it came from a complete stranger who was just browsing in the store. Someone who had no way to benefit from giving me an empty compliment. There was no turning back. It was definitely coming home with me.

The style of the dress itself has elements of a few different era's. It has the full pleated circle skirt of the 50's while still managing to convey the 70's with it's exaggerated collar and extreme polyester fabric. Not a common mix of decades influence but one that works quite well in this instance. 

Yellow may not come across as particularly neutral but block colours in frocks can prove to be very versatile. There are many options in the colour palette to compliment and set it off when picking accessories and shoes-  but some certainly work better than others. Red with yellow can feel very "McDonald's". Green with yellow can feel a bit like "Australian sports team". It didn't take me long to realise that pairing it with a deep cobalt blue was the best way to get the most out of both colours with the perfect balance of neither toning it down too far or over intensifying an already bold base. I had the basic concept ready but wanted to give this outfit a special occasion in which to unveil it in. As luck would have it there was a friends 40th a few weeks later so I decided to wait till then to bust it out officially. The ensemble was mapped out and complete. I didn't need anything else to realise the vision. Or so I thought....

A week or so later I walked past the window of Vixen again on my way to our local bar. Not only was my eye just caught by the window display it stopped me in my tracks completely. I literally ground to such a halt that my long suffering man (whose hand I was holding at the time) came close to girlfriend induced whiplash. I could feel myself being physically pulled in closer to the window in the same way that cartoon characters float on the smell of a hot baked pie. There in front of me was the most perfect pair of statement shoes to compliment my dress. I don't think I ever could have imagined them better. Yellow vintage pumps from the 70's with a splash of cobalt blue detailing and a smattering of black polka dots. The shop was closed so I took a photo on my phone. I spent the entire next day not just thinking about them but actually dribbling over the picture. Needless to say I ran back there as soon as I could to try them on and they fit. They were now forever cemented as the perfect finishing touch to an ensemble I was already very excited about.

When you put the shoes directly next to the dress there is a subtle but noticeable difference in shades of yellow. The shoes have a warm orange undertone while the dress is definitely has more of a cooler lemon shining through. As I am almost guaranteed to be not just the only person to notice, but the only person to care I can let this minor fact go. The block colour of the dress is offset by the blue leopard cardi to give it some texture (a plain blue cardi was just too flat) and the black tights pick up the black in the pattern while providing the contrast to make both the yellow pop and to further tie the blue in. The shoes work like a dream to pull the entire context together and work just the right amount of each colour to give it balance. Plain yellow, blue or even stock standard black shoes just aren't enough. It isn't just that these shoes match the palette I have chosen here. They actually lift everything to the next level. They give an impression of everything else being carefully chosen to work with all of their elements rather than the complete opposite.


I am yet to even try to get these shoes into another outfit or consider replacing them in this one. Even if this frock and shoes only ever get worn with each other I am still happy. What they may eventually lack in versatility they certainly make up for it by complimenting each other so well. Like Bert goes with Ernie or Lucy goes with Desi. Pretty cool on their own but the dynamic they create together is undeniable. At some point I may well stumble on different wearing options for both pieces but I also get the feeling that I have already tapped into some weird next level clothing nerd chemistry and one that could not be topped. It doesn't often get better than this. I have plenty of other items and ensembles that I can put my energies into fine tuning and testing new ideas. This one is perfect already.

Baby Blue 70s Gown

Who doesn't love a great 70's gown? Well. You are all entitled to your own opinions- but frankly speaking if you aren't picking up what I am putting down you are WRONG. (heh)

I absolutly love 70's era vintage. It was my first foray into fashion from any decade outside the one I am currently living in and overall it has been pretty good to me over the years. Some fantastic things came outta the 70's. Queen. Fondue parties. ME.

 I struggle to walk past a rack with brightly coloured nylon and polyester frocks from this time period without squealing. (maybe a little bit of dribbling too. Lets be honest....)

This frock has been kicking around in my life for quite some time now. I think I must have picked it up about 12 years back. Sadly it doesn't get anywhere near enough wear time in. I may have to start just wearing it into the office or something. Casual Friday's need a bit of a pick me up anyway.

Baby blue and polyester is quite a statement in itself. Throw in a halter neck with ruffled front, backless... back and make it full length. I'm certain you will agree the overall look sure is something!

I love how this dress is doing such a great job of being the female gown version of the stereotypical baby blue 70s tuxedo. You know -  like THIS! I am yet to convince my wonderful man to don one to match me- but I haven't given up hope completely...

I have teamed this frock with some extra special shoes. I even glittered them myself! I was already fairly appreciative of the black pumps they used to be with the sparkly bows on the top. Now that they are     blue-dazzled (see what I did there?!) they are much MUCH cooler. Glittering your own shoes is deceptively simple but can be quite messy. I would strongly recommend a tray and an abundance of newspaper under your work area. I didn't realise exactly how messy this little project was going to be- so the first pair I sparkled up left a shiny trail of destruction through much of my bedroom. Ok. The entire house. My boy was less than impressed when 2 weeks later he was still finding glitter in his hair and on his face...

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...

The Ol' Snap & Exchange

I seem to have quite good luck when it comes to shopping. I find that I am often in the right place at the right time. Some unseen force must see to it that I am in close enough proximity for the right clothes to find me. I also have very good luck when it comes to online shopping- especially when it comes to sizing. You may be thinking "Well that's not very hard... all you need to know is your measurements". I am not one of those people. I have absolutely no idea in fact. I work around a basic sizing premise - but essentially I am just very lucky that 99% of what I buy sight unseen fits me perfectly.

One might assume that with such good luck getting the sizing right based on photographs on the internet- then surely I must be quite good at picking my own size when I can see the clothing in person.  This is such a logical assumption that even I thought I could do it. Right up until a few days ago that is...

It was a sunny late November Saturday morning. The birds were chirping. The coffee sweet and black. It was a definitive start of Summer kind of day- and 1/2 of Auckland was heading to the 2011 Grey Lynn Festival. As my previous experiences have taught me I knew the markets would be epic- so I mentally prepared myself for a good rummage. I had a good feeling that I would find a good frock or 2 but also knew that there was a good chance I would find something amazing that I wasn't strictly looking for- but would know I needed it in my life once I saw it. It's just that kind of market. (and lets face it... I am just that kind of shopper too!)

I will sidestep in my story ever so briefly to tell you that there is a store in Auckland city that has been doing "Reworked Vintage" for quite a while now. Essentially someone with a very good eye purchases vintage dresses based on their potential rather than their current incarnation. A quick snip here. A tuck here. Raise the hem. Add some buttons or some other form of detailing and they are good to go! Still technically a vintage dress -but with a whole new lease on life. I have been trawling the racks of this store for months now. Unable to commit to just the right reworked masterpiece. They are reasonably priced for the work that has gone into them- but at $80.00 a frock it is a little bit more than I would usually spend on a dress. Hence the additional trouble committing to just the one...

As luck would have it - this store had a stall in the markets with rack after rack of beautiful frocks for me to trawl through. The cherry on my sundae at this point was that they were all half price. That's right dear reader. 50%.  All previous hesitation was now out the window completely and I set my mind on the mission ahead like a woman possessed. Time to commit to taking one of these bad boys home with me! I weaved through  the hoards of other women lining the racks. I got in the hunting zone while still using all the polite market etiquette I could muster. (Read as I didn't actually knock anyone over to get to any racks - but a few more ladies in that small space and things may have been more aggressive!) I fought off the impending sensory overload from looking at so many different colours and patterns and then I saw it. The dress that was to follow me home.

 70's geometric printed fabric. Strapless with a fabric belt. Good shape, good length and one outright amazing colour scheme for unlimited options for future cardis, shoes, hair flowers and any other accessory I wanted to throw that way. My pair of fluro orange rave gladiator platform jandals might even finally get some wear time with this one...  Seriously it had it all.

( I will ever so quickly point out it is very difficult to take photos of your own feet... I could not get a good angle that also sufficiently show cases the fantastic 5" platform foam sole with the faux wood finish)


I did a quick once more through the stall in case I had missed anything. (It was more in case something had been put back a rack after I had already trawled it the first time....) I took my time in carefully looking through all the "possibles" I had in my hand and was finally ready to commit. My shopping logic kicked in and I quickly came to the conclusion that if they were all half price I had better buy 2 of them.  Obviously.

(Even though here would be the ideal place to explain frock number 2 for the continuing flow of the story- it is going to get it's own post later so you will just have to wait.)

There was a distinct lack of changing rooms in this stall but that sure wasn't stopping some women from stripping off in the middle of the racks to try things on. I mentally applauded their dedication to the cause and briefly considered doing the same thing. The realisation that my choice of underwear wasn't conducive to getting it out in public coupled with the fact that the only actual wall in the tent was transparent plastic left me relying on the most basic of size guesswork. To their credit all the dresses had an estimated size on them. This certainly helped. A quick hold up to my front later- and I was confident I was good to go.

A few hours later and I was home. Time to try on my new frocks in the comfort of my own wardroom! I could feel the excitement rising as I pulled out what could have easily been my new favourite Summer dress. The moment of truth was upon me. As I lifted it over my head something felt wrong. My arms seemed to be very close together at this point and were unable to move any further apart....

Excitement turned swiftly to a kind of panic as I realised that the elasticated waist on my newly purchased treasure was much too small. So much in fact that I could not even get the dress over my shoulders. Part of me could see that this was an insurmountable design flaw. Another part of me was in no way ready to admit defeat so I tried another tact. I tried to put it on by stepping into it. Never in my life has the "start from the bottom up" approach been the way to go for my body shape. Quite the contrary in fact. Yet for some reason I held onto a distant hope that basic mathematics and measurements could still pull through for me. Sure I can't get both shoulders in the damn thing- but  I am almost certain I can get it on over my arse! Positive thinking did me no good sadly and I was thrown back into a cruel reality that left me with a fantastic dress that wasn't ever going to be worn by me. A truly devastating twist of events.

(Thankfully I cushioned said devastation with frock number 2 fitting perfectly even though it seemed to be the smaller of the 2... WIN!)

Here is where this chapter seemingly slides towards its conclusion... but the story hasn't ended yet. I have since called the store that ran the market and explained my predicament. (In much less words than I have to you readers obviously....) Not only have they given me the go ahead to pop by and exchange it for one that fits- they have also let me know that there is a bumper crop of 300 new dresses debuting in store this weekend! I get the feeling that this story will get its happy ending after all...

I figured that while it may not have been destined for my wearing pleasure this dress was still worth documenting. I had my mannequin all set up and ready to model it when I discovered something very interesting. It wouldn't fit over my "smaller than my own body type" mannequins shoulders either! While this new information doesn't help me in that I still can't wear the damn thing- it does make me think it is in fact a design flaw and not just that I am a heffalump.

So I now present to you a very different kind of Frockstar Foto. It wouldn't fit on me. It wouldn't fit on my mannequin. It does however fit on a coat hanger- so that's the view you will just have to live with!

80's Cross Hatching

The weather in Auckland city has taken a drastic turn towards Winter in the last week or so. Yesterday was the first time I have accepted it and dressed for the weather. That involved this Winter coat and gloves. I figure that I had better hurry up and blog about this light  Summer dress before it gets any colder!

This frock was a purchase back in January and I remember how crazy hot it was that day. I went out to Savemart in New Lynn for a bit of a rummage. Turns out a smart place to go in the middle of a burning NZ Summer isn't a tin warehouse full of clothes. It felt like I was in a BBQ. Clothes shopping on a day like this is not recommended. It is potentially the worst circumstances to be trying clothes on- and I got over it very quickly. Thankfully not before I had tried this breezy little number on and decided it would come home to live with me. Not long after that I gave up on the shopping completely and got lost in a cemetary with my brother- but that is a very different story....

It has a base slip under a layer of floaty almost chiffon fabric. I have worn it with the halter straps tied behind my neck here- but have also rocked it as a strapless. The dark blue background colour is then off set with some 80's esque paint cross hatching in fluoro yellow, white. lighter blue and pink. It is a very interesting colour combo but still gives a few options for accessorising. I have worn it with a light silver and white stretch belt and some white sandals.

NB- Quiet literally SECONDS before I took this photo I was wearing another pair of white strappy sandals. I somehow managed to get off the couch in such a way that I caught the ankle strap on the bottom edge of the couch and ripped it right out of the base it was attached too. A nice illustration of my lack of coordination and spatial awareness but it was pretty weird even for me. Lucky I had a back up pair for the photo!



RRREEEEEDDDD

Wow. It has taken me 7 whole days to get this post out. I have had the pic uploaded to the blog and just waiting in cyberspace for me to add some words. In my defense- it is Summer and I have a tendency to be lazy with these sorts of things from time to time. Stop judging me!

I have been very pro red in the last few years. It was historically a colour I stayed away from .Mainly due to my skin tone and having gone many years with my hair being red too. Red on red= not so win. (in my own opinion) Now that my hair is darker I have been letting red into my daily wear a LOT in the last 18 months or so. This has proved to be an exciting foray into new colours and options for me- and my only regret is not having done it sooner!

Now to the untrained eye (but trained enough to see me in my usual frocks out and about) I have one similar to this one. Located here. Not the best photo- in fact I could maybe update that.... Tangents aside- I'm sure you can see why I have paired these frocks together. Red with yellow and blue floral. Check and check. I may be grasping at straws here but the redeeming and tipping point that I have clung to in my decision to purchase this one is that this dress is a much brighter shade of tomato red. The flowers are bigger therefore making the contrasting colours more defined. The dress shape itself is different being a shirt dress with puff sleeves. (I do love those!) And last of all it has a subtle check in said tomato red background of the dress. See?

I love the options that this dress gives me. The last time I wore it I accesorised with a 1970's tuxedo cummerbund as a belt in a beautiful shade of turquoise then paired it with matching shoes. The dress works just as well with or without a belt. I can go for yellow or green accessories in shoes, handbags or hair flowers. It may be very similar to another frock currently hanging in the wardroom- but I have succesfully justified the shared existence to myself. Even if the rest of you aren't buying it for a second!

Ship Happens

Blah blah blah Melbourne. Blah blah blah Dangerfield. Blah blah blah awesome. I figure after the last month of posts you get the point already!

Nautical is a theme that pops up on Frockstar a lot at the moment. Usually this is an outfit in red, white and blue and often this is punctuated with vertical stripes. This particular nautical ensemble has stayed true to the colour scheme- but is punctuated with a much more obvious pattern of sailing ships and tug boats.

This skirt is a great shape and sits really well. I really like the additional feature of the bow on the front. It gives it an extra little something something.  

It has taken me about a month to settle on what I want to wear this skirt with. I have tried it with red and navy blue singlets and they havent' quite worked. I also tried it with my extreme nautical wedge heels from this post- but  it was too matching. (even I realise sometimes you can go too far....)

I opted to keep this outfit really simple so as not to overshadow the boats or the bow. I am working on an idea for another outfit option using this skirt. I'm thinking a navy blue sort sleeved (maybe puff sleeved) button up shirt with a red neck scarf tied to the side...  I do not yet own said shirt- but the scarf is ready and waiting!

Anchors Away!

I am quite fond of shoes. You may have picked this already...

This is the 3rd (and final to be Frockstarred) pair that I bought in Melbourne. The Iron Fist Anchor platform wedges. There is a lot that I liked about these when I first saw them in store.

• The red white and blue colour scheme will go with a lot of my outfits.
• I like the blue and white striped fabric that is used that gives it a vaguely denim feel.
• I like the peep toe with red bow feature. 
• Lastly- I really like the anchor motif across the wedge themselves!

As a side note I apologise for my lack of posts over the last week or so. There has been no time to take any new photo's! (Hence my google image shot of these shoes...) Stay tuned and I will endeavour to fix this over the next few days.

Criss Crossed

I don't care what anyone says. I liked shopping in Target. (again- pronounced Tarzshaaaay for full effect) Its not exactly high end frock shopping - but there were some good styles in store and the novelty of not having one in NZ seems to go quite a long way also.

This strapless number is criss cross mish mash of hot pink, cornflower blue, indigo and white on a black background. It also has a slightly uneven pleated feature on the front that is hard to explain (or photograph evidently) It also boasts a subtle sweetheart neckline and white zip feature up the back. (I forgot to photograph this but i'm sure you can imagine it)

There is certainly no shortage of shoe options available here. I have chosen my purple and black TUK heels fro this shot- but could team with pink peep toes effectively. I would also not hesitate to wear this with black tights and boots and cardi if its a little colder.

Squiggle Frock

One of the most amazing vintage stores I have ever had the pleasure of visiting has to be the Lost and Found Market on Smith St in Meblourne. It is a literal maze of clothes, shoes, furniture, bric a brac, jewellery, games, books.. you name it. All across a multi level warehouse of awesomeness. It really is the kind of store that deserves at least an hour to make sure you havent missed anything. I don't get sensory overload often in shops- but this one is a high risk store for being totally overwhelmed. Having been here before I was suitably psyched up and ready to peruse.

I bought 2 dresses from Lost and Found that day. This great little number being one of them.

A 70's era white shift dress with a collared feature and covered in navy blue squiggles. Simple yet very effective.  

I have teamed it with red peeptoes and belt. I think that this  is a combo I will stick with for future wearings too. The style of the dress itself is a little flat when not cinched in at the waist. I know I can also go with a blue or a white belt- but I do like the additional contrast of a 3rd colour.

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!

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?

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.

Chlorofile Dress

I have been very restrained with my clothing purchases lately. I have plans to go to Melbourne in October- so am saving for a shopping trip of epic proportions. This means that I am basically not going into any second hand clothing store or looking on trademe so as not to be tempted with any pre-Melbourne clothes spending. This was one of the last things I bought on trademe before my savings plan kicked in....

An original early 90's "Chlorofile" dress (NZ brand I might add) in shades of blue, green and purple plaid on a black background. The collar is a black band that has been woven through a couple of loops in the plaid fabric- but gives the impression of single collars when viewed from afar.

I find it hard to find quirky Winter dresses that appeal to me- so was quite happy when I stumbled across this one. The colour scheme had me sold and I knew it would transcribe well with black tights and boots if I didn't want to wear it with heels. (Although when they match this well it's hard not to!)





I also really like the illusion of the dress being blue from a distance but when you get up close it is really the green and purple over the black that gives that impression. Tricky.

Rainbow Ski jacket

This is a jacket that I always want to work into more outfits. It is actually my ski jacket. Not having made many trips to the mountain in the last few years has meant it hasn't made it's way out of the far corners of the wardroom for some time now.

The 80's had some great ski and apres ski wear. So great in fact that some friends of mine used to hold an annual event that was essentially a very well organised, weekend long, 80's ski wear dress up party held at a lodge in Ohakune. "Snow Glam". Awesome concept and very well executed. The weekend included a welcome night disco, snow activities during the day (races, jumps, toboggan's etc) then on the Saturday night- the fashion show. This group of friends have turned the average dress up party into an art form. 1 outfit per party just will not do. No- to really do a dress up party right you need to have multiple costume changes over the evening.

Sadly - Snow Glam has been shelved for the last few years as the organisers are no longer in NZ to put them together. I am holding out for a reunion weekend at some point in the future though.
Snow Glam 2007 may have even been the last time I got to wear this jacket!




80's red puffer jacket with rainbow detailing features in blue, yellow and orange. when actually wearing it on the mountain I have some electric blue pants to complete the look. If I was to actually wear it in the city I would probably wear it with the denim skirt and blue hightops shown in the photo.

70's Plaid Cape

Look... no hands!




I predict a grand comeback of the cape. I have a couple of them hanging out in the wardroom- and I feel as a garment in general they haven't been particularly well utilised in the last few years.

The main difference between a cape and a poncho is that a cape will have holes for your arms to go through. A poncho will not. I am unsure if this is a technical official difference between these garments- but my dealings with them over the years has led me to believe this to be true.




This particular cape is an original 70's one. Bright blue and green plaid with a rounded collar and great big shiney feature buttons. Aaaah.

I have a cape in mind that I really want to add to the wardroom. This would be a very simple task if not for the fact that it didn't exist soley in my head.... I will continue on my mission to find it before I start describing my fantasy garments. You can see the pic when it becomes a reality.

Blue 70's Trenchcoat

Some shopping days are much better than others. Some days you trawl dozens of second hand stores and come up with nothing. Other days are so incredibly epic you can hardly believe your luck all came up on the one day. This coat was bought on one of those EPIC shopping days.



I was living on Waiheke at the time and had come into town with a good friend of mine form the island. We made a day of it and started out at the K Rd Markets. I bought 2 incredible coats within 5 minutes of each other. One was my kermit green leather bomber jacket (previously featured HERE) and the other was this beautiful full length 2 tone blue leather 70's trench coat.

Baby blue leather with a darker cornflower trim- this coat is all kinds of awesome. It isn't in particularly high rotation at the moment- but you almost couldn't get it off me the entire Winter after I bought it. It was an absolute bargain at $40 and my god have I got my money's worth!


The lining deserves it's own special mention. I always thought it was a pity it wasn't more on show. Such a great example of 70's diamonds and paisley. I often wished I had a dress in that same pattern....

The shoes are an incredible match even though they were bought years later. They came from a vintage store that was closing down on K Rd- and everything was being sold for $10. (another epic shopping expedition- but I'll save that story fro another day) The shades of blue are so perfect with this coat that it's like they were actually made for each other.

Gold Shoes

All outfits have to start somewhere. Often it begins with a big piece like a dress or jacket. Sometimes it starts with a colour or theme concept. It has been known to start with a particular hairclip- but this outfit started from the ground up. With the shoes.



I am blessed with size 8 feet. My shoe size is everywhere and I am extra grateful for this coming from a family with small feet. My Mother has tootsies that are around the size 5 mark. Not quite so bad these days with the inception of the Number 1 Shoe Warehouse and other such stores- but back when I was in school my poor mum couldn't get shoes to fit her anywhere. She literally had to buy her shoes in the kids sections! I can almost pinpoint the moment that my personal shoe infatuation began in fact because of my Mum and her own lack of footwear options. We went on a family holiday that included a week in Hong Kong when I was 9. My mother suddenly had Asian shoes sizes and actual grown up shoes at her fingertips so obviously she needed to stock up while she had the chance. I roughly calculate that 20 pairs of heels came home with us after that trip....

But I digress.


This pair of shoes that started my outfit were another great buy from The Paper Bag Princess. ($14.00) There is a reasonable amount going on in them- and they were quite hard to really do justice in a photograph. First of all they are gold. Bright and shining in fact. They are also peep toes with a slight wedge heel. They have white detailing around the toe and heel- and if all that wasn't enough- they have a slight shot of colour running through them that includes reds, blues and even yellows. (not a common combo with gold)

Now given that these are obviously a statement pair of shoes- you need to be careful they don't get over powered by the rest of the outfit. Keep. It. Simple.

In this instance I have played it especially safe and gone for a plain black halter neck with a slightly flared skirt. To lift it enough to keep up with my feet- I added a feature belt that has a faux snakeskin finish and an irregular shape.

I think it's enough to be interesting without taking away from my toes....

How D'ya Like Dem Apples

I have had my eye on this dress for quite a while now. It has been in "This Is Not A Love Shop" on K Rd for the better part of a year. Until quite recently it was actually a full length 70's dress. I have been known to buy long 70's dresses before and then not really wear them. While I am a sucker for them- I often feel like they make me look a little .... squashed.
(Such is life when you are 5"3 I guess. ) When I saw this one had been adjusted- I decided that was a sign I was supposed to have it!



There are a couple of specifically appealing features in this frock. First up I love the the sailor-esque flap around the neck line. (I'm sure there is an actual word for this however I do not know it so it can be a sailor flap. ) It also continues around the back of the frock for a nice flow in the overall design.

Another great part of this frock is the colour combo. Bright green , navy blue, and a greeny yellow all on a white background. Also apples + stripes = awesome.



I have teamed it with tights and some green faux crocodile heels in this picture- but have found that the dress works well with long black boots and bright green sneakers too. Ah the options!