Something new on my kitchen wall... and I've been blogged again!

Now, for something different than the last few days! Something really cool actually: I've been asked if I'd submit some photos of my personal styles wearing vintage to Louise's Personal Fashion Blog. We know eachother from the VFG Forum (wherelse?), and she has a "Stylish Ladies" section, to which I'm the first addtion - see it here: http://www.personal-fashion-journal.info/stylish_ladies.html. Thank you so much for including me!

And... something's changed on my kitchen wall...

I've replaced the page of ads from then 1926 "Le Petit Eco de la Mode" on the right with a this October-November 1939 cover of Harber's Bazaar. I saw this in a book and found a website that sells photo prints of it, so I ordered one. It's just so incredibly chic and modern - that short raincoat, timeless handbag (Gucci? it seems to have a bamboo handle) and the fairly short and slender skirt. The Paris opera in the background, and two sailors, cigarettes in their mouths' corners, looking appreciatively at the model (or rather her legs *g*). I just like it - it's so positive, even though these weren't happy times. Funny enough, the Coke ad in the middle is just ten years later, from 1949, and shows a New Look-like style in the middle - it shows nicely how styles changed completely between those years.

 

Cut 'n slash your t-shirt for a hot day!

This is just the ticket for hot and humid days - a loose-fitting cotton top with a too-cool-to-leave-it-there motif! When I found it though, at the Caritas shop, this was a large-sized T-shirt, ca. early 90s, decorated with rhinestones and sequins that all still looked good.

Loose-fitting is good, but a bit of shape is still needed. It was definitely too big as was, but I didn't want to do anything to the motif either. The solution? I got my scissors out! Basically, I shortened the sleeves and made a band from the cut-off sections. At the back, I cut slits to thread the band through, giving it a slight peplum effect and bringing it into shape at the waist. Thanks to that, nothing else needed to be done.

 

 Capris: H&M, shoes: Charles & Keith.

A short round-up

Just a quick one today... in a few hours, I will already be on my way to Frankfurt and from there on to Australia, on my second trade conference trip. The reason you haven't heard from me for so long was that I was on a 2-week trip to New Zealand, and then doing all the follow-ups on that and preparing for Australia took just too much time. Still, I like it, I admit, and I love traveling. Okay, unless a plane gets into violent turbulences, as experienced on an A-380 on the last trip. That's no fun, I admit.

Though I had some free time, there was no vintage shopping over there - though I did pack some vintage to wear, like my grey "power"-jacket, which I think still makes for a nice piece of business wear. I did spot some secondhand/charity shops though, that certainly looked like good options if you're looking for well-known brands for less. Queenstown has a very nice and well-stocked Salvation Army store that sells mostly clothes and shoes, but also books. There was also what looked like a consignment store in a small shopping complex on Shotover Street, but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me!
Napier, the Art Deco City, didn't yield and vintage shops either, though I admit, there wasn't much time to poke around there on my own. It is a sight to see though and one that I would recommend to everybody to visit! The buildings are so beautiful and decorative, and there is so much imagination that wen into all the decoration. I really loved it. The culmination was of course to be driven around town in a 1939 Packard as part of my Art Deco tour. The volunteers giving these tours are all locals, and they all dress up in 30s style for work. Not kitschy, but fun. The second night in town, at a small tourism networking function at one of the hotels, two not-so young gentlement turned up in dark blue pin-stripe suits and hats, looking like they could give Al Capone a run for his money - what a sight to see! They looked so sharp!

 Art Deco Napier.

The town's most incredible building, the National Tobacco Company. Lots of Art Nouveau decorative features as well!

Otherwise, the Hawke's Bay region surprised me with the great variety of wine and produce they grow, it's general green-ness, everything being close by, stylish accommodation, incredible restaurants - it is a gourmet's slice of heaven, no question!

I've also made it to the African art exhibition at the Rietberg Museum. I know very little about African art, but it was stunning - and quite interesting. The variety of styles was pretty big, and it was very well set up, giving even people like me a good clue about traditions, meanings etc.

I have also been to the opera again, probably the last time for some time, as it looks like the new intendancy starting soon is going in quite a different direction. Lots of singers that we enjoyed here will leave from the look of it. Anyway, I enjoyed this Die Entführung aus dem Serail a lot. Okay, the music is... not always "mine", but it was so well acted, and well done in a more modern way, and with a lot of humour, without veering off into kitsch. Long-time ensemble member Alfred Muff certainly got the "star" part as Osmin. Michael Laurenz as Pedrillo looked like Waldo with his nerd-glasses and beanie hat, but he too was exceptional - a natural as a comic actor - and making it all seem so natural not like he was acting.
As it was so hot the other week, I took the opportunity to wear one of my fave vintage cocktail dresses, which is so light that it takes temperatures like that to wear it. It would just be too much of a shame to cover this up with a jacket!

The dress is from Bonwit Teller originally, 60s for sure. The delicate fabric is shot with golden threads that make up flower shapes, and the gold braid is set with three rows of Aurora Borealis rhinestones. It glitters all the way! Shoes are as usual, S.Oliver sky-high heels, and my fave evening bag by After Five.

Good news - but not so good news for my wallet... the Caritas store around the corner now takes credit cards. Oh dear! And to top it all off, I found two great vintage dresses there yesterday!

 

This early to mid-60s dress might have been a bridesmaid's - or just a formal for a young lady. The label it seems is from a shop and which is still in existence - at least this Schellenberg boutique in Winterthur has almost the same logo! I love the simple shape with the pleats in the back that creat a bit of a bustle effect. There's also a stiff tull layer under the skirt, giving it a nice shape.

The second dress is a bit less dressier and more boho:

It's a fully lined, floate acetate-poly mix dress, almost floor-length, with a beautiful print. I haven't been able to find out anything about the label either, except for several hits on auction sites, showing dresses with the same label ranging from the 60s to the 80s.

So, this is it from me for the next couple of weeks!

The coat issue

Please excuse the long wait - it's been a bizzy and exciting time in several aspects since my last post. But then I have some really exciting vintage (and new) things to show! Due to my latest finds and the enduring icy cold weather that we have been experiences, I will mainly talk about coats today!

First off, on my new year's trip to Vienna, my friend and I of course scoured the Humana secondhand shops. Nicely enough, they had a lot of winter stuff already at reduced prices, and in a shop that we visited the first time, I found the cutest coat ever. On a rack of winter coats and jackets displaying roughly the trends of the last 20 years, almost hidden between the all those heavy item, lurked a pink light little coat, that definitely had nothing to do with winter! I picked it up right away, though I doubted first a little that I might fit my behind into it since it looked so tiny. But fit it did, and putting it on I really saw what it was - a sweet little 60s spring coat or even a coat dress! It is very well made, with quite a bit of hand finishing. The only label it carries is an Italian one detailing the dry-cleaning methods to be used. And the best thing about it? Being on that rack with winter coats, it was reduced like the other ones too!
Vintage short gloves a second hand hatbox-style bag add vintage flair, plus modern heels to add some pizzazz too!

Beautiful details!

This little coat reminded me so much about Francie doll in her first, oh-so cute and demure outfits, and look! Her Shopping Spree is quite similar!
My next coat find wasn't as inexpensive, but no less exciting - and not much newer either. One of my regular visits to my local Caritas shop yielded this incredible probably late 60s Courrèges rain coat. Let's just say that I had slightly weak knees holding this in my hands! It looked very tiny in the shoulders, but again, it fits! I was never faster running to the next ATM to get the money... and I can safely say there is no other clothes store in this city that I spend as much money per year in than this Caritas shop!

The coat is made of a luxurious, heavy, slightly shimmery cream-colored fabric with a beautiful texture.The label - Couture Future was one of Courrèges' two Ready to Wear-lines, started in 1967. The A it seems denotes the size. The logo-printed lining leaves no doubt who by this coat is!
Plastic snaps with Courrèges-logo.
The pockets have big zips under the flaps.

Styled with vintage dark brown all-leather Bally boots (also from the same Caritas shop!), vintage NOS dark brown leather handbag and a vintage poly scarf.And since we're talking coats already, there is of course also no better way to stay warm and stylish in an icy winter like this one! For example: this graceful 1950s winter coat is heavy and has an extra warm lining between the outer fabric and the "nice" inner lining. It has a chic shawl collar, wide sleeves, a nipped-in waist and lovely wide skirt.
Elegant winter booties from Pertti Palmroth's current line, soft black leather gloves from Sauso (Finland), soft black jaquard scarf from Chinese shop.
And if you can't do vintage... go secondhand! My other two winter coats/jackets are stylish secondhand pieces. Even if they are "only" by H&M, they found a new owner and didn't end up in a landfill when their previous owners didn't want them anymore!
Metal and mother of pearl brooch: vintage. Purple scarf (from same Humana shop) and purple knit gloves (Migros) add some color. Vintage Coach handbag, reflecting Bambi hanger from Design Forum Helsinki, "skull" accessory by Sixxa (Vienna), dark jeans by Tally Weijl, classic black Italian riding boot-style leather boots by Passo per Passo.

This cute hanger-style jacket has a little secret... it's a kid's size. No kidding - it's a size 164 H&M Young jacket.
Brooch: vintage. Gloves: Sauso. Boots: Pertti Palmroth (my favourite ones!).I found this great mustard-colored coat by H&M some three years ago in another Caritas shop here in Zurich. Though it's a swing style, it has a bit of shaping around the upper body, which I like. This one was as good as new when I bought it. Maybe someone bought it and realised they'd been more courageous thant they usually are. It's certainly not a piece for those who don't like standing out, but it will also brighten up any dreary winter day!

And to come back to the Caritas shop in my neighbourhood, this shop is a reason why I wouldn't want to move from here. Just a week before finding the Courrèges coat, I found an incredible baby pink wool bouclé suit there. The construction techniques used and the label inside already spoke volumes:

Rosmarie Amacher is probably Zurich's only couturière. She owns her own salon, a ma chère (http://www.a-ma-chere.ch/), where she also sells Haute Couture fabric. Funnily enough, this shop lies between my super-duper dry-cleaner's whom cleans all my vintage things, and one of my old work places.
This beautiful suit hung between a range of normal brand and no-name suits, not even on the "designer" rack that the Caritas shop has, and the price, a mere CHF 75 made me shake my head inwardly. Of course I snapped it up at that price, as it also fits me - but still, it makes me sad to think that such a high-quality piece that was so well made, would be sold for so little. And the reason for that probably was partly also because it didn't bear a well-known name. The people in this city who know who Rosmarie Amacher is are probably few. Either you can afford her clothes, or you're in the fashion business - at least that is my guess. I mean, this suit is of such superior quality than many of the Escada or Prada RTW things on the "designer" rack, but sold for less... Oh well, enough moping, I have a great new suit and had some fun styling it too! Somehow it reminds me a little of the late Princess Diana who wore a lot of those pastel-colored bouclé suits in the mid to late 90s (check out http://www.polyvore.com/princess_diana_blue_chanel_suit/thing?id=17287581 or http://coolspotters.com/public-figures/princess-diana/and/clothing/versace-90s-pink-suit/media/1676073#medium-1676073). I'm guessing this suit would roughly be from that time too as I remember this style being popular then.
Boots: Pertti Palmroth, gloves: Clair'es, sunglasses: Nine West, scarf: from Chinese shop. Hat box: vintage Barbie vinyl travel bag.This is it for this cold Sunday afternoon! 'Til soon - and don't forget - wear vintage and have fun with it! (I certainly had fun styling these coats *lol*...)

Rock your vintage, autumn trends & the next scarf

Today I have been working on some of my vintage - photographing a few things that I haven't had a chance to, before I will put it away when I do my closet cleanup next week and repairing some "new" vintage stuff.
This cute 1950s playsuit has become quite a favourite with me. Made from soft, airy cotton and fitting beautifully, it's a super piece for hot day at the office. I bought it from VFG Member Miss Martys. Yes, they were originally thought to be worn at the beach, but I think for today's standards it is quite "covered up".
I have also already blogged about this 1980s Akris silk dress, whose fabric I loved so much, but have only been able to show it on my manni - so here are some "live" pics!

Since October has started (my, doesn't time fly?!), there has of course been another scarf to unpack! In keeping with the time of the year, this one comes in autumn colors:

My newspapers' article on the autumn trends has been interesting, but I absolutely do not agree with the editor's opinion that the 1940s and 1960s trends are nothing to follow. Hey, we do know that designers like to look back - as long as they don't look back on times that I remember myself, that's pretty much ok with me. She thinks the 40s are too much work "because you have to do it all - make-up and hair too". Erhmmm... I don't think you have to do it all - yes, I love the 40s look, but let's be honest, you can't do the full look in every day situations, and people would probably think that you're "dressing up as" if you try too much. I too am trying to go less "period" and a little more "modern" with my vintage and do it with more subtlety. The Miu Miu Fall collecion that the newspaper refers to didn't go full-on 40s everywhere everywhere either and I think it shoes a few pretty good 40s inspired hairstyles that are not too hard to re-creat - check it out here (not that I like all of it - the shapeless coats with overly-wide shoulders are pretty hideous in my eyes... but some of the dresses are nice).
I would say: take one 40s piece and mix it with modern things, do a nice modern makeup (but red lipstick please - no nude lips!)... and the hair? Well, you can do little 40s inspired without it being too much work when you have long hair, but I think it works without it too:
This is the 40s dress that I bought in Helsinki, and which I have repaired today. Add colorful/textured/patterned modern pantyhose to relieve the black dress, a pair of slightly chunky shoes and a big brooch - voilà!
Also the top of my 1940s Eisenberg suit is a wonderful piece to mix with current pieces:
The black capris are from H&M's current autumn collection. "Indian" slippers by Aldo (some years ago).
The suit really is a dream, made from shot cotton, unlined, with soft shoulder pads and beautiful mother of pearl-buttons.

As for the 60s trend, the newspaper editor seems to think that it's only Twiggy-style babydoll dresses - well, yes, those really aren't for anybody less thin or older than Twiggy was at the time, but there are other cool things like accessories and coats in popping colors that are perfect. If you need any more ideas, check out the Vintage Fashion Guild's Fall Vintage Inspirations!

Last week and even still this weekend, the weather has been incredibly warm, so have been taking the chance to wear the two beautiful late 1940s cotton print dresses, which I bought from Tangerine Boutique a few weeks ago. They were both new old stock and fit perfectly! I gladly took a few other things to the Caritas shop instead - where I happened to find a cute hot pink cashmere cardi, which goes beautifully with one of the dresses:
(though they look very 80s, these shoes are actually only a few years old - and from Aldo too)
With a modern jacket and vintage 70s Coach handbag (reflecting accessory from the Design Forum Helsinki - nearly every woman in Helsinki seems to have such an accessory in some shape or other dangling from their handbag).

This gorgeous dress has a lovely print in purple/pink/grey/green and the fabric is supposed to be needing little or no ironing! The detailing is also incredible - both the collar and the pockets are edged with fabric loops, and the buttons have rhinestones:

Helsinki, South Pacific, another scarf & adorn yourself & your clothing!

Long time no post, I know... Well, things have been a tiny bit crazy around here. In Mid-August, I spent a few lovely days in beautiful Helsinki with my mother. I've been there many times already, but this city never ceases to amaze me. It is one of the truly beautiful cities in this world! Finnish National Style, Finland's own expression of Art Nouveau, and a building boom in the early 1900s created a great part of what the city looks like today, besides the Neo-Classical 1800s buildings around Senate Square and the Esplanade, and the imagination and ideas that went into these buildings, never cease to amaze me! If you want to have a peek, you can check out my photos here.

Of course we also did the obligatory shopping, which is great in Helsinki. Marimekko is a brand that needs no introduction... whatever they make, it's great quality and it looks great. We bought heaps of fabric, but also one of their classic stripy tees, colorful umbrellas - and we both managed to nab a pair of Converse in Marimekko look - now aren't these the bee's knees?! Pertti Palmroth is maybe less well-known outside Finland, but it's a traditional shoe company that's been in business for decades and produces in my eyes the best in fashionable winter footwear there is. Not only do they produce beautiful, timelessly elegant boots (and to add - some of them are also incredibly sexy!) that fit the foot beautifully, but those boots, no matter if flat or high-heeled, are all incredibly warm, and made from water-proof leather and fixed up with good soles. Palmroth is a must for me on every trip, and even though their boots are also made to last, I couldn't refrain from adding a pair of ankle boots to the two pairs of boots I already have. And best of all, they actually still produce their shoes and boots in Finland. Considering all this, they are more than worth their price...
We also took our time to check out some vintage shops - one we already knew, one was "the one that got away" - I had found it before on a previous trip but lost it again - one that we just about missed by one block the last time, and two that were completely new to us (though we'd been poking around one's area before too). Each and every one was what I expect of a vintage shop: nicely stocked with real vintage, well-organised but with full, enticing racks that one just loves to rifle through... Prices were realistic and shopowners ever so friendly - in short, it was perfect. So I did manage to pick up some beauties:

A timeless black 1940s crepe dress from Ruutu Rovua.

A grey 1950s jacket, bought at Nasta - a really cute shop who's owner is always dressed in 50s style. I've been there before, and one of my fave vintage summer dresses comes from there.

At Ansa (Visit their blog), another super-cute shop in an area that I'd never been to before, I found this elegant 60s rayon slip by Bali.

Play it again Sam was the shop I'd found before, and "lost" again, though it's just a few street corners from Nasta... My mom bought this great 1940s jacket there, which she fitted out with a new lining, and now it's ready to be worn again!

Just one and a half weeks later, which were filled with frantic washing, preparing, agonizing over what to pack and hoping that the whole thing would actually come together, I flew off to Fiji (I flew out on a Wednesday - on the Friday before I had a ticket, and on Monday I actually knew where I'd be staying...). Not for fun though, but on a famil trip for work. I have never before been to any of the Pacific islands, so this was all new to me. The Purpose was simply to get to know a destination that I sell to my clients daily personally, and visit some of the resorts that we sell, plus a new one we're considering - and one more we didn't know at all but as all else was sold out, I stayed there. Except for the two nights that I spent on an excellent small-ship cruise, I stayed in a different place every night. I was on and off boats constantly - a bit of an adventure sometimes, I admit! For all the traveling around, and some strange weather (at least for this time of year, it was a bit strange), it was utterly beautiful, I saw some absolutely stunning beaches, stayed at some incredible resorts and met lots of friendly Fijians (they really are so warm and friendly!).
Shopping-wise there was just one thing that I wanted to get, and thankfully the last hotel I stayed at had a boutique by them: Pure Fiji. Their bodycare products are made from coconut milk and other natural ingredients which they source from local villages. Each product is available in a range of tropical scents like coconut, frangipani, mango or starfruit (which is my current fave). All the products feel just gorgeous on the skin, and their scents are beautiful too - not overwhelming, over-sweet or artifial like many exotically scented products are that one can buy on our side of the world. In short, I adore this stuff, and I filled my bag with it, of that you can be sure ;-). Most of the hotels use their products too for the small bathroom amenities (unless they're 5-star and think they have to stock their bathrooms with L'Occitane products - they're good too, yes - but all the same, this seems utterly ridiculous...). The Sofitel Fiji even has a scent of their own - orange blossom - that Pure Fiji only uses for their ameneties. Needless to say, I took those home with me...

I have, not so recently, but for some time, been a real fan of kitschy "romantic" costume jewelery, like (fake) cameos. At H&M I found pretty small cameo earrings, but the coolest stuff I have comes from flea markets and Etsy. It doesn't matter they're not real - that is actually part of the appeal to me - the kitschier, the better is my feeling right now. And to make a real statement, I don't wear just one - I wear a whole collection, together with other pieces that look good with them:
This classic pinstriped waistcoat is an old fave - it's only by H&M, but has survived all purges in my closet for the last 12 years or so... (yes, I had been thinking about throwing it out a few times...)

So, I gave added to the three fake cameos (two flea-market finds and one of said H&M earrings, which I bought twice): one fake "miniature" - another flea-market find, a cute vintage 60s porcelain brooch (courtesy of The Spectrum - there's also a necklace with a matching pendent) and my mom's Kennedy Dollar, which she has had set as a brooch, and which I have worn on and off over the years. I just feel these things need to make a statement ;-).

The other option of course is to have just one really, really big fake cameo to add some pizzazz to an ordinary jacket:
Speaking of pizzazz, if you're looking for unusual jewelery that's sure to grab everyone's attention, may I suggest you have a look at Chryssala's Chic Chips? They look just great and are so much fun! Her try-out collection is on her Facebook Page now (be sure to "like" it!), and there is certainly more cool stuff to follow!

Before I finish this here, there is of course the Scarf of the Month that we shouldn't forget!
This month, it's a chic piece in all shades of purple (did I mention that I love purple?!) by Vienna's designer fashion store Fürnkranz. Beautiful!