Madame Butterfly

I have recently been reintroduced to the amazing-ness that is Saturday morning "Garage Saling". It's a pretty great way to start your weekend if you can commit to the early start. Coffee in one hand and a list of addresses in the other. Getting to rummage through piles of unwanted trinkets, knick knacks and having that moment where you realise you've found a true treasure in amongst the junk. I've managed to accumulate all kinds of unexpected gems this way but I am always extra stoked when I come across great clothing. You couldn't ever count on finding an incredible vintage gown but sometimes you are lucky enough that one finds you.

Friends of ours were moving to New York and were having an early morning "everything must go" sale at their place. It was a nice mix of BBQ breakfast, social beers, a chance for people to stop in to say their goodbyes, and lots of well organised (but extremely varied) items that weren't going to be travelling with them. I did manage to convince myself that we were paying more of the social visit than looking to buy stuff off them. My best intentions dissolved within 5 minutes of arriving and soon I had committed to helping the cause by taking a set of shelves, a set of vintage postcards and an oil heater. I was about to head back to the BBQ in the courtyard when my eye was caught by something beautiful floating on the back of the lounge door. There hanging up in front of me was the most incredible 70's gown in shades of marigold, deep browns and reds. It was one of those actual jaw dropping moments that stopped me in my tracks for a moment while I registered just how amazing this dress was. It actually took my breath away in those first few seconds and I knew that this dress was something really special.

After checking that it wasn't out with the rest of the items up for grabs as a mistake I found out as much as I could about its history. It was bought originally for a fancy dress party. It had made it out a few more times since- but only ever in a dress up context. It had been very well received in all of its wearings and while my friend was sad to be giving it up- it just hadn't been worn enough to make the cut of the clothes going to New York. With it's fitted bodice, floating full skirt and long winged arms it was indeed a work of art- but a hard one to get into a regular wearing rotation.

 The warm colours and the floral pattern are indicative of its 70's creation and with it's long pointed sleeve/ wings it manages to be elegant without being too hippy. I love that the colour evolves from the bright marigold flowers of the main dress into the contrasting red, browns and black while keeping the same big bold flower pattern throughout. It works well and even though there are a few key points of difference in the cut of the dress itself- the fabric makes the most of being bright without diminishing or overpowering the gown as a whole.

I put it on as soon as I got it home and immediately felt like a princess. Or maybe a butterfly. Whatever the label. It was graceful and delicate anyway. These words aren't often ones that are paired with me (ever!) so it did actually feel like there was a kind transformation when I put it on. I was enjoying gliding all around the house and watching the fabric float all around me when my default unco setting burst the bubble. I had managed to get one of my "wings" caught on the banister at the top of our stairs. With so much fabric to get caught there hadn't been any obvious tension in my sleeves to stop me moving. Sadly I kept going and the banister ensured that the dress didn't keep moving with me. The sound of that fabric ripping felt like a lead weight in my stomach. Luckily for me it was a relatively small and very fixable rip- but a timely reminder that even in a chiffon winged gown I'm still not going to be able to pull off "graceful" for more than a few minutes.

To reduce the risk of another rip I have been admiring it from the stationary safety of the mannequin in the wardroom. I may not have found many places I can wear this frock yet, but at least I can appreciate it as a work of art in the meantime...

Tropical Orange 70's

I may not know what the weather is doing where you are dear reader- but I can tell you that here in Auckland it's starting to feel very Spring-y. We had that first really sunshiney day that pops up at the end of a dreary and wet Winter earlier this week and suddenly there is a better mood all over the city.  The office workers were out in force exercising in Victoria Park and I was there too. I wasn't so much exercising as appreciating their energy from a safer distance. (Basically translated as sitting on my arse in the grass with a sandwich and juice) I was enjoying the first signs of warmer weather in my own way however. I took my cardi off to give my bare arms some sun time- and I ate my first strawberries of the season too. They were delicious. Thanks for asking.

With the warmer weather coming so does the increased outfit options coming up with the seasonal rotation in the wardroom. I will always be a sucker for a good "out of season" bargain so there is often a stash of new things ready to be tested out once the seasons start to change over.  I am quite skilled in squirreling things away so now I get to rediscover Summer frocks that found me on rainier days.  It is always an exciting time I can assure you.!

This particular 70's maxi was another trademe find. When I originally purchased it I swear it was a red dress. To this day I do not know if it was my poor old eyes starting to fail- or the resolution of the computer I was sitting at. Either way it matters little. Turns out I like this dress even more as an orange frock anyway.

I know I have said it before- but there is something about migraine inducing bright colours on a polyester fabric that just get me every time. This particular maxi certainly has some notes of Hawaii coming through too, So much in fact I wore it to a luau party we had recently. Next time I will be mindful of having a tropical themed dress up party in the middle of August. It was a good idea in theory- but the older I get the more I find myself being genuinely concerned about people being cold. It is usually in the context of my inner monologue and often comes with a mental finger waggle. You know the type. The "I bet your mother doesn't know you're out in public dressed like that young lady. You will catch your death of cold" kind of a deal. Anyway. I digress.

I have teamed this bright orange piece with yellow heels and matching hair flower for this picture but it also lends itself nicely to a pair of orange cork platforms I have kicking around too. With the fabric showing tones of green, yellow, and white- it gives me a few colour options to play around with when it comes to my footwear and hair accessories anyway.

Wearing a yellow lei seems to give the dress a certain somethin' somethin' too. Pictured above standing in front of our party art installation. "Stair Lei To Heaven". Seriously. Don't ask....

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.

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!

Silky Party Dress

One of life's finest joys has to be accidentally finding the occasional genuine op shop. They sadly seem to be a dying breed these days with hoards of people trawling fro quality vintage and then re-selling for a huge profit. Don't get me wrong. I think it is a great business model I just miss having a larger selection of op shops to trawl myself. I found a great little hospice op shop in the back streets of St Kilda while on a bit of an exploratory stroll. It was certainly in the afternoons highlights. Right above the tropical fish store that we spent about 45 minutes in- but that's another story...

I was very restrained in this store. Possibly due to the fact that I remembered anything I purchased would have to be lugged around with me for a week before it got home again. This is a very good thing to remember when starting to get excited about vintage crockery and vases. I left the brick a brack section and headed straight back to the rack of frocks.

.

I found this cute little silk number and it made my day. I estimate it as early to mid 70's. A silk party dress with sweetheart neck line. Almost off the shoulder- and  puff sleeves. Slightly flared skirt and all in a great mix of buttery cream background, orange and yellow flowers, the occasional stone fruit (maybe peaches?) and teal squares with a semblance of vertical stripes for good measure. Whoever designed the fabric may have been having some acid flashbacks of some description. It is a pretty odd combo of things to have all happening at once really.

All of this in one frock and for the fantastic price of $10.00. This was still ok even after I mentally calculated the exchange rate. (I was much better at doing that this trip!)

I have chosen to accessorise to pick up the teal squares. This is mainly as it is the easiest way to lift the whole colour scheme to take away the fact that my complexion is possibly too fair to be wearing a colour this pale right next to my face. Also- I feel like I should be carrying an elaborately wrapped present to a birthday party. Now the only thing this dress is missing is a party hat and goody bag to take home for afters.

Tropical

One of the things I was most looking froward to on my Melbourne trip was going back to Retrostar. This is one of the most amazing vintage clothing stores I have ever been to. EVER. It is one of those stores that you need to mentally prepare yourself for. There are so many colours and patterns to trawl through! I would never ever go to a store like this with a hangover that's for sure....

A particularly cool part about going back to this store on this trip- was that I got to take a friend of mine who had not yet experienced the joys of Retrostar. I got to relive the initial amazement through her when we walked in- and that was just as exciting for me too.

I knew there was going to be a lot I liked here- and it didn't disappoint. As I was walking around with my hangers of items to take into the changing room getting heavier- I stopped in my tracks when I saw this on the rack. Like actually stopped. I think my jaw may have even dropped just a little. I knew that this was the one. Of all the things I was carrying to try on- I hoped with all my might that this was going to be the dress that fit me perfectly.

A bright electric blue based ra-ra dress with 3 tiers of ruffles along the bottom. Pretty cool in itself. Then you throw in the tropical flower pattern in shades of bright yellow, orange, red and green. just when you think it can't get any better- you realise that hiding among the flower pattern are even a couple of parrots! Yes.That was the  moment that tipped me over the edge. (Maybe I should get out more...)

The only moment in this whole experience that made my heart heavy- was realising the zip was broken. Like proper bung. I quickly weighed up the options in my mind and swiftly went for the one that involved getting the zip re[placed when I got it home. I wouldn't go as far as saying that this made the dress a bargain per se- but it definitely was one of my favourite frocks from this shopping expedition.

Among many many great things about this frock is the accessorising options. With all those colours to contrast the bright blue there is no shortage of possibilities for hair flowers and shoes. In this photo I have gone for yellow- but it could just as easily been red, orange or green.

The only other thing this dress needs now is a large cocktail with a little paper umbrella in it.

Road Cone

As the title of this blog post suggest- this is my very best impression of a road cone.

I don't think you can get much more orange than this. This is what I would describe as "Extreme Tangerine". I am not sure I could spend a day with someone else wearing a colour this bright as it would give me a headache if it was in my direct line of sight for too long.



In saying all of that - I still love it. Super intense 70's fluoro orange mixed with a white and brown contrasting stripe down the front- and a matching band on one arm. (I quite like that feature and while usually lack of symmetry messes with me- the lack of it really appeals in this garment)

I don't usually try to mimic the shape of said road cones while wearing it. Honest. Although I did once win an "orange outfit" competition with this little baby. True Story.

Polka Dots to Flowers

This dress is actually a skirt in disguise. I have had it for about 8 years now- and have never worn it anywhere as a skirt OR a dress. I cannot bring myself to get rid of it though- as I love the pattern on the fabric so much!





It has a basic elastic waistband and coupled with the slightly longer than mid calf length- I have always felt it was a little frumpy to wear as a skirt. On me anyways. It could work on someone who is a bit taller than my modest 5 feet 3 inches. I'm not short. I'm funsized.


I think I quite like it as a dress cinched with this black belt- but I'm still not 100% sure. I think I really need to test drive it in public for a whole day before I make my decision. The funny thing is that I know i still wont get rid of it if I decide it isn't right. The fabric is just too cool to let go!





I love love LOVE how it starts off in big bright polka dots in shades of red, orange, white and coral on a black background- and then moves up slowly into little flower buds. The transition in pattern has always really appealed to me. The 70's really were a great decade for some amazing fabric prints.

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.

Green and Orange Plaid

I cannot sew. There. I've said it. This is a fact that often surprises people. It is often assumed that owning the sheer amount of clothing that I do- it would be a natural skill to posses. Its not a skill that I haven't tried to learn. Just one of those things that my brain does not seem to be able to compute. 5 years of sewing classes at school and I still cannot thread up a sewing machine. Apparently it is so (sew! hehe) painful to watch me hand stitch that I get the needle taken off me. I always envy people that have this skill. I think it would be the coolest thing to be able to change outfits, take patterns from the good ones to replicate and even just fix stuff.

This skirt is an item that reminds me of my lack of skills in this area. The zip has been broken now for the last 4 years. Yes. 4 years. I have it held together with safety pins. Not the classiest fix- but it works.




I have owned this skirt for quite a while now. It must be coming into the 6th year of solid wear now. There is something really Wintery about a good brightly coloured plaid. It looks so good with black tights and a black jersey. You don't get much brighter than Kermit green and Tangerine orange!

I briefly attempted making this a year round skirt. It did not take long to realise that the colouring is nowhere near as effective when put directly next to my skin colour. Definitely a combo to keep against the black of my Winter tights legs.




I have teamed it with the standard long sleeved V neck top, black tights and boots and a green ribbon for my hair.

Lime Green Angora

Angora feels so nice to wear. Nothing like snuggling up to something warm and fluffy on a cold day. The only down side of said fluffiness is that it gets all over EVERYTHING. Especially my wool blend black pencil skirt that seems to be worn with all the angora I own...



This top is no exception. In fact- I spent about 15 minutes after this photo trying to get all the remnants off the skirt.

It's no secret I am a sucker for all things green - but lime has never been my shade of choice. I will not discriminate however so giving it a go in this top anyways.


I have teamed it with a scarf in hues of lime, orange, khaki, brown and cream. Great colours together that scream the 70's. To me at least.

70's Geometric

This dress has a lot going on. First up it has a unique colour combo that includes navy blue, orange, red, white and tan. No matter what it does from here you know it's kind of a bold statement with that particular colour palette!


It is keeping in line with the short sleeved smock/ supermarket checkout style that I have always been quite fond of. The buttons on the front don't go all the way down though- and it also has a thin belt attached to set it aside from other similar styles.

The cut itself has a slight cowgirl feel to it. If you look really closely you can see the western faux pocket line right next to the collar. Sadly- that feature gets a little lost in the overall look.



The print itself is a crazy mix of lines, squares and rectangles. Makes for a busy pattern with that many colours all fighting for their turn. When I think of this dress I only ever really remember it being orange and blue. The 2 staple colours of many a 70's frock in the wardroom. And probably the rest of the era I imagine.

Sparkles AND Flowers

I'm not going to lie to you. I have not worn this dress today. Or even in the last few weeks. That's not to say I don't love it though so thought maybe it deserved it's own post here this week. Well. That and everything I have worn in the last few days has already been posted about...



This dress hails from an op shop somewhere in the Tauranga region circa 2003. There is a lot going on in one frock. First up I love that its sparkly. I am relatively sure that I may have been a magpie in a past life. I cannot walk past something shiny or sparkly without getting a little bit excited. I may not be making a nest out these things just yet- but plenty of time to get really weird on it when I'm a crazy old cat lady....


I also love that it combines the twinkling fabric with a 70's floral pattern. Especially given the colour scheme on gold, brown, yellow and orange.



Finally- I really love the floating collar/ sleeves with the 3 buttons down the front. It really is an amazing cut. Sadly it doesn't get a lot of wear time these days. In fact- I can pinpoint the night I stopped wearing it. I have a very tall, very skinny male friend who ended up wearing it one night while drunk- and he looked MUCH better in it than I ever will.

The Seamless Transition Between 09 And 0-10

I am getting into some bad habits here and I apologise. I have been dreadfully slack at updating this blog daily as I should be and I endeavour to make these much more regular. At LEAST daily. (if you're lucky maybe even more than once a day!) While I could go on about my slackness/ laziness/ new years/ sunstroke recovery- I will stop that right here and get on with the post shall I?

First up is the last day dress of 2009. (sounds so regal when I give it that kind of title!) I wasn't feeling too hot on New Years Eve so went for comfortable. Comfort to me often means wearing something that could be easily converted into a tent should I ever get lost in the woods. This dress was no exception.

It hailed from the Aotea Markets of days gone by- and cost me about $40.00. I was very happy with this purchase until I saw that they were being mass produced and made in 3 other colours in Shanton... I don't usually class myself as a clothing snob. (God -I will wear almost anything!) I was just disappointed at my seemingly "one off from an independent designer that sells their wares at the market" dress suddenly turned into the exact opposite. My dream may have been dashed but it is still a nice dress. Albeit very long on me.....

I am a sucker for anything green and frocky- so this fit the bill quite nicely.

New Years Eve was pretty good this year. A party at our place followed by a party at my friend Ruby's place followed by Whammy bar... a good night was had by all. Especially me once someone pointed out that I didn't need to commit to the same dress for the while evening. My GOD it's so obvious yet somehow I have never thought to do a mid-evening outfit change! So I actually had 2 New Years party frocks over the night- and sadly both have been posted about already so no new photo's for you!

New Years day was quiet. I got up briefly to pass a cell phone and a bag back to their rightful owners - but that was literally all that was achieved. I didn't get dressed so there is no outfit to showcase for the first day of the new decayed.

Yesterday was much more productive. I got dressed AND left the house! (Productivity just needs a little perspective from time to time I think...) I spent the afternoon in the park under a tree on a picnic blanket with my boy, a subway sandwich, an instant kiwi crossword and a Chuck Pahlunuck book. It was AWESOME.

The dress I chose for such activities was a simple off white and floral number that I've been wearing for quite a few Summer's now. It came from the op shop that isn't there any more in St Kevins Arcade. I don't recall paying more than about $12.00 for it - and I have certainly got my moneys worth from it.

It has an in built petticoat so as not to show the world my underwear. It's made out of a slightly stretchy lycra- and while it seems to be from the 70's it has the 50's in built bullet bra thing going on too. It needed a yellow hair flower yesterday- although the colours in the fabric make hair accessorising quite easy.

Today I am back at work. That 3 day weekend went very quickly. There wasn't a great deal of thought in today's outfit. Mainly as I started work at 7am and woke up at about 6.40.

This was a trademe purchase from a few years back. It is a little too big for me at the moment- but such great fabric I chose to wear it anyway.

The pattern is a great bright orange, turquoise, blue, yellow, black and white in an overlapping bubble print. There is quite a lot going on just in the colour spectrum- so have accessorised with black jandals and a navy blue hair flower.

Now as there were 2 whole days that didn't get their own posts/ photo's- I am going to put up 2 separate and special outfits just to redeem myself. (I have been saving them because the titled puns have been in my head for a while now!)

Sorry for the wait. I'll try and be more regular I promise!

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!

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....

Orange and Blue Zig Zag's

Today I had a hankering to look a little like a television test pattern. As I was getting dressed - I remembered that I've already done 70's orange and blue this week. After a quick check in the "wardoom" I realised that I could almost do an entire week of different 70's orange and blue frocks. How very specific.


Today's dress has been kicking around in the collection for a very long time. So long in fact that I'm not sure I can recall where I bought it. I do know it would be almost 10 years ago though. I do love that about wearing vintage. If you buy good vintage it stay relevant for however long you love it for! This dress has seen some things in that time I can tell you....



Have gone for co-ordinating the hair clips today- and also gone back to my faithful yet occasionally scratchy toy car bracelet. It gets a lot of comments actually. About 4 from total strangers today. I'm glad it gets people smiling the way it does. Good to know that people out there share my appreciation of the quirky from time to time.



I have a big derby game tomorrow so having a quiet one tonight. I did just have a brief play in the Wardroom on my own earlier this evening and have put together my 2 outfits for tomorrow. (Day and night you see.) I don't want to wreck the surprise- but yellow seems to be the impending theme for my Saturday. Its so nice to actually have the time to put together an outfit properly and just have a play with accessorising. It feels like it's been a while since I had that luxury. I think it's because Ive slept in every day this week.

Now I'm ready for the Grey Lynn fest, my derby team lunch/ meeting, the big game and then some awesome music!

BRING IT SATURDAY!


P.S- Check this link right here. WOW.