New dolls and outfits - and the one that almost got away!

It's high time I posted some dolly stuff again... Lately, good ol' Murphy of Murphy's Law - and my old saying that when you collect something, all you need is patience - have shown up strong again.

On my recent trip to the US, I had decided to go for a vintage instead of a doll shop, and had no plans to even look at the toy aisle of Wal-Mart, as anything that Mattel has been releasing lately is just so small-childish (and the dolls' heads only getting bigger) and honestly uninteresting even for collectors like me who still like to redress their dollies. There isn't even much in the collector's line that could tempt me - certainly not dolls that have that stiff ModelMuse body, which is wayyyy too thin and has zero display value if you want to integrate such a doll into a display as I do.
However, fate took us to a mega-mega-Wal-Mart near Quebec Street, and we did come by the toy aisle. I realised that that glow of a certain shade of hot pink still has magical properties, and before I knew it, I stood before rows of shelves packed with Barbie dolls *lol*. And lo and behold, what did I see? A row of black dolls in purple boxes, dressed in stylish outfits, looking surprisingly "normal" - and with NORMAL-sized heads no less! It turns out, they're part of a new, African-American only dolls series called "So In Style". The basic play-line dolls and their story can be seen at the Barbie homepage. What I bought in the end are in a way spin-off dolls from the actual big sister/little sister idea at the heart of this line:
Kara and Trichelle - basic dolls. These dolls have non-bending knees, but at a price point of $4, you don't think, you just grab 'em off the shelf *g*.
Aren't they beautiful?
Grace and Chandra from the Pastry line. As I discovered at home, Pastry is a funky fashion label, and their clothing is not only in the style from that label, they actual wear mini-reproductions of Pastry shoe designs that can be bought online on their website! I quite like their clothing a lot, as it's realistic and fun.Grace is my special favourite, I admit! she's just gorgeous.
Of course I have redressed the girls since, or they wouldn't be living here *g*.
Kara swapped clothing with Pinky - I just saw her in something Mod before my mind's eye when I had deboxed her. And what better for an African-American gal than the bright & colorful Swirly Cue dress?
Romantic Trichelle hangs around the bedroom in this cute peachy ca. 90s wrap dress.
Chandra makes heads turn in the original SuperStar Barbie dress, while Grace oozes elegance in a BMR suit.

Since I've had the whole week off work, there has also been time to visit a dear friend - a fellow Barbie doll collector who also shares a love of vintage fashion and generally beautiful things. We spent a relaxing afternoon looking at books, talking about dolls and other things, and looking at the vintage fashion pieces she's kept for 20 years and more. Oh, the fun of it!
She's been cleaning out her attic lately and I have had the opportunity to buy a few things from her, before she puts them out for sale. I haven't been able to photograph everything either yet, but I was super-glad to find the one Fashion Avenue outfit that has always eluded me! I admit, I was (and still am) a huge fan of the Barbie Fashion Avenue clothing line, which ran from 1995 to 2004. In my opinion, Mattel's play line was at it's best then since probably the 60s. Beautiful dolls, and beautiful, realistic fashions. I remember seeing them the first time at a department store - I walked out with four or five fashions at once, and from that point on, I couldn't be stopped. Some fashions were so rare and hard to get, that it was quite a hunt for them. At the time, there was still a toy store at Zurich's main station, and many was the time during my apprenticeship, that I stopped by there on Wednesday noon on the way from school to the office, and carried a Barbie fashion with me in my school bag... (this was the time when nobody beyond my family and best friends knew I collected Barbie). As good as I was in getting what I wanted, there was the one that got away... but as it happens, my friend had it! I had the extra accessory set for it, but of course that's only half the fun without the actual fashion to go with it. So I came home one happy camper, and today I tried it out on one of my dolls - I really love it!
Another great find was yet anothet blast from the past - a 1989 Super Star fashion called "Star on Ice":
Style Magic Christie makes quite a good show girl!

Do the Di-style - and carry your lunch to work in style too!

Just a short blurb today. Schlepping a big trash bag full of clothes to the Caritas shop was a little tiring, I admit. Just glad it's not further away! To make my day, I have just received the cutest little vintage summer dress - it just needs a little bit ironing, but sewing, mending and all that is on the list today anyway! Will post pics later on - right now, it's still a bit too light. This beauty came to me from Joules Vintage - she has an Etsy shop selling all sorts of vintage things, and she's a VFG member too!

Digging through my sewing and craft things (which take up quite a lot of space here), I came across two patterns that my mom bought for me more for fun some 15 years ago or so... they're copies of evening dresses Lady Diana wore, though two of them are more variations of those styles. Of course they couldn't mention her, but the illustrations speak for themselves. I have since put them into my Etsy shop, for as fun as they are, I'm not going to use them. But someone will certainly enjoy these.On another note, my new lunch bag has arrived! As I cook a lot myself and take lunch with me to work (and pop it into the microwave), I need something in which I can carry my lunch standing straight, and if a book fits in there too, that's even better! Thanks to a tip from a Facebook friend, I got to know Bazura Bags. They make all sorts of lunch, shopping and whatever else-bags out of used juice containers in the Philippines. I think it's a nice way of recycling, and the bags look really fun and colorful. Plus, the lunch bag is just the right size, and it's closed, so when it's raining, it keeps the rain out too! It's a fact, there are people at the office, who know me only for or because of my lunch bag!

Scarf of the month - April, new stuff on Etsy & Segantini

Thankfully, I have a week off work - it's been less bizzy lately, but somehow things keep piling up! Anyway, first this month of course is the scarf!

This time, a beautiful dark green one with an interesting pattern:

Furthermore, I cleaned my closet out on Sunday. The weather has been exceptionally beautiful and warm lately, so it was about time I did this. Have once again been surprised how much stuff I have! About two trash bags full of stuff was the net worth of both summer and winter wear of my cleaning action. One bag full is waiting to be taken to the Caritas shop around the corner. A great deal sadly was in no condition to go to next good home... talk about t-shirts with staining under the arm. It's a sad fact, no matter what deodorant you buy, it still happens! A few things though have already gone for sale. I love wild, bold poly garments from the 60s and 70s, but maxi dresses are not really my thing, and poly is definitely not my fabric of choice for hot summer days, which is why I'm parting with a few things that I have just put in my Etsy shop. Here's a little teaser:

Taking advantage of having a few days off, I also managed to visit the Giovanni Segantini exhibiton at the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen by Basel. He might not be everyone's kettle of fish, but I find his later style (though not that of his last paintings) extremely interesting. I'm not much a fan of those paintings that seem to have symbolist theme either, but their style is hypnotising. His huge landscapes have a 3D-quality to them that I know of no other painter. And somehow, these scenes of every day life in the mountains seem less kitsch than what other painters have brought to their canvases. His very early paintings, of which I have never seen any before, and some of which show scenes from Venice, are quite interesting too, though they clearly show the artist who hasn't yet found his unique style.

New finds, vintage style in Denver and styles better left forgotten

So, I'm back. That holiday, though not much more than a week, was certainly hard earned. Skiing was fun as always, and we certainly never before have had a week with such good or warm weather - what a difference a month can make. So far, we only ever skied in Colorado in February, but never this late, in Mid-March.
Having a whole, and extremely sunny, beautiful day to drive from Breckenridge down to Denver, and one more half day before we actually needed to be at the airport, meant plenty of time, and some very interesting discoveries in the Mile High City. We took the GPS-enabled iPod, but that didn't want to work, so it was back to reading maps for me. However, the map we picked up at a gas station in Frisco, where we had breakfast (it was time to at least once try one of those fast food breakfasts that make you shudder even reading them on the sign *lol*), proved not to be so bad, though it had about the size of a blanket, I kid you not. In short, we did a lot of driving around the city, but without the wrong turns and slight feeling of being lost of other times. In exchange for that, we made some interesting discoveries.
First off was the vintage shop. Short last-minute online research pointed me to Boss Vintage on South Broadway, which seemed to be a pleasant area with quirky looking small businesses and unusual old houses. And it was certainly worth the visit! I had feared it might be a bit on the expensive side, but prices turned out to be reasonable, and things sorted nicely e.g. suits, skirts, sweaters, dresses, cocktail dresses, and then divided by decade. So I went straight for the day dresses and went through the 30s, 40s and 50s. What was remarkable was that I saw a lot of store labels from Denver, so they seem to source a lot of stuff locally, which I find very recommendable. Also, the tags has measurments listed, so it was easy to pick things that I had a fair chance of being able to wear. I was also looking for bright colors, and that requirement was easily fulfilled with what I bought in the end:
A late 40s/early 50s cusper - a dress "Styled by Claire Tiffany" of heavy kelly green crepe, albeit with some color fading at the shoulders/sleeves, but still too beautiful to miss. It also features a cute embroidered collar:
Next up is a pumpkin orange slender 50s dress with a big collar:The labe inside is from Neusteters department store. As it turns out, this used to be one of those classic department stores that were around forever. Like so many others, it doesn't exist anymore, but the building is still there. Nowadays, it is on the pedestrian-only part of downtown 16th Street, 16th Street Mall. And I am pretty sure I have walked by that building a few times already in my life. We certainly did this time, before our usual dinner at Hard Rock Café. More on the history and the building can be read here. Well, I think it's a cool idea to have a vintage "souvenir" from one's trips.
Last but not least, I also found a beautiful slip:Saturday morning started beautifully sunny, as we made our way across the city again, this time on the hunt for some original Cowboy Cut jeans by Wrangler. They're not that easy to get, as stores like Wal-Mart carry only the "normal" Wrangler models. For Cowboy Cut and such things, you need a western shop. Dad found one online, which turned out to be a small Mexican shop (should have seen the shirts, suits and boots they had - oh, the bling!), complete with the TV on with a (albeit English) soccer game on. Driving out there, we followed Colfax Avenue straight across downtown and further on. Just at the eastern end of downtown, where some great old-fashioned looking theaters are, we came across Tom's Diner. You can't miss it, it's right there and the mid-century modern look certainly grabs your eyes. So, we stopped there for breakfast. It looks amazing outside, but inside it's even better! You can catch a look here. It's that crazy, kitschy ca. mid-50s to early 60s "modern" look, made sunny and fun with a lot of yellow and orange. The food was what you'd expect at a diner, but good. I just sat there an marveled. What a cool place!
Further along Colfax Avenue, after passing by the State Capitol's golden cupola gleaming in the sun, the road was lined with car dealers, garages - and old motels, gas stations, bars, diners. And I mean the real thing - those with those incredible 50s neon signs. Some motels looked nice, for some the term "run down" would be an endearment, and of some nothing was left but the neon signs. I'd love to drive through there at night and see how many still light up. I mean, they're cool anyway, but not as cool as when you see them at night! Check out Colfax Avenue's official website, there's small photo show at the bottom of the page (below the Youtube videos), that shows some of the signs. I admit, I was too busy looking to even think of taking pictures (which is difficult anyway out of a driving car and while keeping an eye on the map).The downside is, as I have read on several websites now, that a lot of these motels nowadays are used as permanent residences, by people who can't afford or find an apartment - and thus live in these motels under conditions that are near unimaginable. It's the same story as in so many other places. Colfax Avenue/Highway 40 once was Denver's "Main Street" (as I said, it goes straight through downtown, passing the Capitol, the Civic Center, the Mint and the Convention Center), until in 1964 Interstate 70 opened further north, and Colfax lost it's importance. That also explains the many motels I guess.
Going back to Breckenridge for a bit, I noticed a trend on the slopes that I don't know if I should find it interesting - or downright scary! I noticed a lot of neon colors (or dayglo), especially with boarders. Snowboards with wild designs first caught my eyes, but some boarders too were wearing suits with neon color elements. Okay, I loved my neon green Völkl skis, and I think they would right now have been the coolest thing to have on that mountain, judging by what I saw. But ski/board suits with neon color elements? I saw it the first time 'round and I don't think I want to see it repeated... ;-). Besides the "new" neon-inspired suits, I did spot one neon-colored atrocity that looked like it had been the "real thing". If the wearer was simply wearing what she bought 20 years ago and still deemed alright, or she might have bought this intentionally second hand, I cannot say - the way she looked age-wise I guess it could've been either case. But the utmost, absolute, most unbelievable fashion faux-pas I spotted on the slopes in Keystone was... THE NEON PINK STIRRUP PANTS! Gratefully, the wearer combined them with a black jacket, and at least she was slender, but still... How can anyone do that? Of course, I asked myself again... second-hand leftover from back in the day, or new (which is a thought that makes me shudder, really!). She was definitely too young to have worn them back in the 80s or very early 90s. That also reminds me, while looking through the blogs I'm reading /keeping an eye on, the Couture Allure's blog has a wonderful "Awful 80s" series that will make anyone laugh who remembers this. The latest instalment had me in stitches! I was a kid who loved to look at mail-order catalogs, so I do remember some of this stuff, even though I was too young then to care too much about fashion per se. Read the comments too, they'll make you laugh all over again. I just hope those stretch lace catsuit had an opening in a certain... ahm... strategic place...!

On another note, since the weather has been warming up constantly this week, I have given my brown 1930s dress an outing. Getting in and out of it takes some artistic talent, as the only opening are the buttons down the front, but it is actually quite comfortable - and I think it looks great. The skirt is just long and tight enough that it gives that slightly wiggly feeling...
For a 50's feeling, I have last week received a cute 50s cashmere sweater from Past Perfect Vintage, which looks great with my black wide cotton skirt from Lindex. Scarf's from the dollar store, Blythe doll earrings and pearl bracelets are my own creation.It also looks quite nice with slim jeans and the nice pumps from the Caritas shop:
Ok, the Lana-Turner-pointy-bra isn't there, but I still feel a bit "Sweater Girl"-like when I wear it;-).

Scarf of the month, Oscar rag and more....

So, late to the party... but anyway. My comments on the Oscars... what can I say? Good show, but somehow it's not one that will stay in my mind - it just didn't stand out. Great dresses, but no ultimate standout (neither good or bad), good presentation but nothing that stood out either... On that point: Anne Hathaway certainly is super cute and talented, but I would have wished her to have a better partner - and one with more charisma! It seemed to me that James Franco was just standing there and reading off the teleprompter. My suggestion: let Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway do it together next year *g*. After all, their little "story" ain't finished yet, what with how she poked him in her little song-and-dance interlude. I certainly had a good laugh about that! Otherwise laughing had me Kirk Douglas. Hard to understand, yes, but he just about stole the show. Also adore Dame Helen Mirren - her dress choices are always impeccable, and in general she always looks so much better than many of her much younger colleagues. Her presentation was great too - and her French accent so impeccable (as it happens, I have ITV on right now and just saw her on some morning show - adore her even more now!) . Also adored Sandra Bullock's dress - and her presentation too. It just showed that even if you have a given text that comes off a teleprompter, if you've got what it takes, you can make it sound so much more personal - and utterly more believable and natural. Kevin Spacey floored me too - couldn't he have sung a little more *g*? I have an inkling he'd be a great choice to present the show too. On a last note - THAT vintage 1950s Charles James dress that Marisa Tomei wore! I adore it, though the dress would have earned more glamourous make-up and hair. Not that I'm saying Marisa's not beautiful - I find she's a very beautiful person - but a dress like that needs a bit more "ooomph". Still, kudos to her for wearing it!

On another note, here's something I've been wanting to show for some time. While surfing etsy some time ago, I came across this incredible custom-made cocktail dress, which resulted in my having a massive déjà-vu! Back when I was a kid, there was a line of Barbie dresses each year that had just some "party"-name. Basically, it was short party or cocktail dresses, from the over-the-top to the classy. In the US they were mostly called "Dinner Date Fashions" - though I don't think anybody in reality would have worn them just to a dinner date - they were definitely mostly more glamourous and party-like. And there was one dress that certainly looks almost identical to this one! This is ca. 1991:
Sadly, I don't have it, but I have the one on the right to it in the pic. I just wondered for the moment if this was an accident or maybe if this designer had taken her inspiration from Barbie?

It has of course also been time for another scarf to be unwrapped. This time, it's a light mixture of milk coffee and and sunny yellow, perfect for the approaching spring:
Being out shopping yesterday, it certainly was clear that spring was everywhere - at least when it comes to fashion. Took a short peak into H&M - bought a few cute earrings and got a "H&M Magazine". Not that it is a great revelation. As for the current trends they're showing big-time, it's nothing that I feel like wearing. All too pastel-y, preppy, has been there before... That boho-hippie-70s rock chic-look is not exactly my favourite vintage look, and I have already been through one hippie revival before, thank you. And high-waisted jeans? Not for me either. And that 80s to early 90s-revival with washed-out jeans? To be honest, those "soft colors" are not my "thing" either, as well as those carrot shaped pants. And "romantic" cropped crotcheted tops? Gee, I had that 15 years ago. Ok, I have that romantic lace-edged shift that I showed last time - but I know I will combine it with popping colors or black, not with with more soft colors. Look at that shot of me ca. 1994 - just the colors remind me of what I saw in H&M yesterday:
Not something I want to revisit. As for all the flower prints - it's ok if they're on black background, but please not on beige, off-white or light blue, and please not that mille fleurs-tiny print. Been there, done it, don't want to do it again. I had already seen so much in that vain last year in Australia and in New Zealand. I walked into some shops and thought I had walked into a catalog from my teens. I do like rose or flower prints, but all the items I have bought since are on a black background, which is ok with me, like my skater dress from Sports Girl, which still remains a favourite and it's also not so small printed), or the overall from POP that I just bought:

On another note, the magazine also features an article about individual style - citing people like Lady Gaga, Anna Piaggi or Anna Dello Russo. As much as I like the idea of individual style, it's easy to cite celebs or well-known bloggers who have endless resources to buy and wear out-of-this-world things. Couldn't they have shown some more "normal" people who do unusual styles? I mean, the above-mentioned people are all over the fashion mags and blogs anyway - no getting away from them! Or they could have been shown how their clothes could be customized combined in an unusual way for example? Ok, there is one shot that shows a pair of cut-off leather pants and a jacket customized with safety pins, but the comment is written in such tiny letters that most people probably won't see it.
There's also an article on vintage fashion in the mag - that too, nice idea, but... yes, they mention VFG member Posh Girl Vintage, but they certainly could have mentioned among the online resources for example Etsy, and not just Ebay, or even the VFG, which is such a great resource on anything vintage... I just got the sinking feeling that this was another fast but not over thoroughly researched article to jump on the bus before it's gone. Ok, it certainly is good to bring it to the brains of the "normal" H&M-shoppers, but I would certainly have liked to see it better written - and with more pictures of actual vintage fashion.

Speaking of overalls (or playsuits or rompers as they were called in another time), they too seem to be a trend this year - and one that I do like. *g* I recently bought this super cute little 50s playsuit from Miss Martys vintage (sorry - can't really but it on my manni):
Had to take it in on the top a lil' bit, but at the bottom it fits nicely, it's also easy to wash & iron - perfect for summer! All it needs is a broad black belt like the one I showed in my last post with the white lacy dress. And then I found the sweet little overall that I already showed above, which is pretty much the same shape from the waist down, with relatively wide legs. Still fits nicely though.

While shopping for a birthday present, I also hit the big bookstore - Orell Füssli. They recently closed their Krauthammer store - a bookshop specialising in art, design, architecture etc. that they had bought up a few years ago. Now their main shop has a Krauthammer department. That may sound nice, but it's too bad that the big specialised store is gone which of course has the even better selection. Browsed through some interesting and beautiful books, but still... it's wayyy too small! Looks great, but if you look at the actual selection - it's pretty small! On a positive note, they featured both shoe books by Jonathan Walford prominently - though in the German translation.

From my new year's trip to Vienna, I had also brought this cute kelly green 1970s dress - just right for St. Patrick's Day:It's home sewn, and not overly expertly at that, but still, it's sweet. And it has an even sweeter secret underneath, on it's lining:Anyway, it needed a new zip and it had one small hole. This is the kind of work that I like to do in front of the TV - ripping out a 50cm zip that was sewn in by machine is not something you do in 2 minutes, and basting the new one in and sewing the lining back on to it by hand isn't either. Ok, can't do it watching a movie, but for watching some documentary or crime drama, that's just fine by me *g*. Now, it only needs to go to the dry cleanears' and it will be as good as new!

A day out shopping & waiting for the Oscars

Yesterday I spent a most pleasurable Saturday - first sleeping in, then an afternoon vintage shopping and discovering totally new shop - could there possibly be a better way to spend a day?

First, on the way to my weekly "big" grocery shop, I dropped a bag full of books off at the Caritas shop. German books sadly do almost not sell at the flea-market, but this Caritas shop takes only German books right now - and the shop assistant certainly was happy with my bringing them in. Of course that was also a good pretext for a browse around *lol*. And it was certainly worth it! First, a pair of new and un-worn Italian pumps - very chic, very comfortable, and I can already see them looking great with skinny jeans!
Also, the sweetest little blouse, made of black crepe and blush heavy silk and with lovely slightly puffed sleeves came with me. It's tiny, but it fits me ;-).

I love the label too, though my research has so far turned up nothing... sadly!
After that, I later took another bag - with English books too - to the Salvation Army. Again, the shop personnels' reaction to this was super-thankful.
They happened to have clothes at only 2.- a piece yesterday, but of course all the "good" stuff was already gone. And not a single dress left there! Well, two English books came with me at least, and their new special sales plan - of course the annual toy sale is always the most interesting.

Leaving the Salvation Army, I came upon a combination of graffiti and stencil art that was just too much fun not to photograph.
The quote reads "someone (female) has to do it after all".

My next destination were the new shops in the old railway viaduct near Geroldstrasse - Im Viadukt. There were shops there once before, but it was bare walls, darkness, musty smells and a general feeling of dampness - in short, it was pretty simple. Then they were all closed and the viaduct completely renovated. Now it hosts a row of hip shops, a market hall, restaurants, art galleries and other things, catering very much to the hip in-crowd that has moved into the area around it in the last years. But there are some jewels in between. Like the Caritas. The shop almost looks like a posh boutique, but the prices remain at Caritas niveau and the personnel was super-friendly. They have a whole rack full of evening wear, and I spotted quite a few very colorful 60s and 70s poly maxis. More vintage than my local Caritas shop usually has. I enjoyed it immensely and was just too sad the custom-made silk cocktail dress from Hong Kong that I tried on was about a size too big. Ahhh... black shantung silk with accents of hot pink silk satin... a shirred bodice with a low-sitting skirt - with several layers of softest tulle underneath *sigh*. Well, in the end I discovered a beautiful vintage Maggy Rouff silk scarf, which was a steal at 25.-.
Further down the road, the shop Famous Ape caught my eye. Now that is a place after my heart. It reminds me a little bit of Urban Outfitters, but on a much smaller scale. A smattering of trendy clothes from labels I admit I've never heard of, crazy t-shirts, loads of weird gag and cartoon things - both useful and useless, decorative and simply tasteless, and an interesting selection of vintage things upstairs. However, the prices were still on the reasonable side, and I have certainly never, ever, seen such a collection of the most garish, colorful, huge, sequinned chunky sweater from the 80s... you know the kind. Even better if they have shoulder pads... What a picture they made - the were even arranged by color. Well, in the end I left with a sweet new romper for summer, and an eel-skin purse from Denmark.
I continued on to the market hall, which is lovely and sells lovely food - better not look too long or I would have spend too much money on too much food... Memo to self: next time go there when the fridge is empty!

Tonight is the night of the Oscars! I admit, I record the whole show every year, and watch it all. I'd never watch it live though - too many commercial breaks, and I do have to work on Mondays... Why do I watch it? Yes, of course I want to see all the dresses. Call me shallow, but honestly, I want to see it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. Again and again I am mystified by the fact how some Million-Dollar worthy movie star can turn up in a dress that looks so bad no sane woman with less money (for example - me!) would wear it if given it for free. And there is always at least one of those. Of course, I also want to see those whose style (or stylist's choices) I nearly always like and who seemingly can't do wrong - like Cate Blanchett or Kate Winslet. And it's never the same seeing a dress "in action" as just seeing it in a magazine. But then, the magazine is part of the yearly ritual too - next week I will buy at least two celebrity magazines to get the low-down on everything I didn't see on-screen. This really is the one time of year I go a little celebrity-mad (unless there's a big-bang royal wedding on *lol*). And of course the whole thing has to be capped off by going through the good, the bad and the ugly with someone - an over-the-phone-glee-fest with my mom. "Did ya see that dress...?!" Oh the joy of it!
Well, of course, this year, I also have to keep all fingers crossed for Colin Firth - he really SO deserves it! I haven't seen "The King's Speech" yet, it only started in cinemas here last week, but he's such an amazing actor, and he already didn't get it last year. And his performance in "A Single Man" was so incredible, so heart-wrenching, so... can't even fully describe it. But then, I always found him an amazing actor. And he looks goo on top of it, no questions asked. And if you must ask, yes, I did first see him in "Pride and Prejudice", but it certainly wasn't because of that wet-shirt-scene that I adored him immediately. It's funny, when people nowadays talk about that series and Colin Firth, it is always about that scene. Let me be honest - it never impressed as being so terribly sexy that I would have to swoon - which it sounds like judging by certain comments (in my humble opinion - the fencing scene and his muttering afterwards "I will conquer this" is much more so). No, I just loved his acting. Just upon watching the whole series again in one go a few months ago, I thought to myself, show this to someone who doesn't know the story and tell them to pay extra attention to his facial expressions - and they will know exactly where this is going. It's all there in his face, without saying a word or without overdoing it. And that is what impressed me from the first moment.

Scarf of the month, new vintage finds & more

I know I haven't been exactly communicative for some time - sorry 'bout that. Production of our new brochure was harder work than usual (not that we hadn't know that) and the last week, when the goal was pretty much in view, cumulated with a few ummmhh... night shifts. Anyway, I have have learned a lot, and the thing is at the printers' now, so I actually have my life back!

I know, the Scarf a Month is already overdue, so I won't dally but introduce it right here:


Silken polyester??? What an incredible idea for a fabric! The weave certainly looks like a heavier silk, but the touch, even the sound of it and the way it falls immediately give it away as synthetic. Still, I like it! I've a mind to test it that claim on it being water repellent...

Despite all the chaos at work, the late evenings and the rare time spent at home, I did make some more fab online vintage buys, and I shall present them here in time. The first search, which I had started on already in December, was for vintage housewear. There was a time when one would have a house dress or lounging gown or whadammayacallit... The idea was that it should be "dressy" enough to answer the door in - or even receive friends in it, if it had to be, yet it was something that could be pulled on fast & easy, and it should also be practical for wearing probably all-day at home. Styles, and maybe also reasons to wear it changed over the decades, but anyway, after spying some fab pieces online, this seemed to be just THE thing. Stylisher than a track suit, and maybe even comfier. Of course, the best pieces also command prices that you probably wouldn't pay for something you buy to slouch around at home in. In the end, after a few long evenings searching through etsy and VFG member shops, I came up with these two that I finally bought:

Okay, this is later than what I had been looking for, my guess is early 70s, but it's just too darling not to buy it! Synthetic velour, but comfy & warm enough, easily washable, and the victorian styling is adorable.

This is about what I'd actually been looking for, and it was just a little bit over budget, but too perfect to resist. A beautiful 40s house dress, slightly longer in the back, with a sweetheart neck, a long zip down the front and two big, practical front pockets, made from the most beautiful rayon. The fabric is relatively heavy and falls beautifully. And of course the dress has shoulder pads too... (and no, I have still kept two track suits - for cleaning...)

Even though I said that my living room walls are full... they have recently received a few additions. First is this lovely set of illustrations, which might originally have been ideas for book or advertising illustrations. They're beautifully framed, and even though the black and yellow would fit perfectly with my bedroom's color scheme, their style is just too pop-artsy as not to put it up on one of my living room walls.

Also, my gorgeous vintage souvenir plates have finally found their place just above my sewing table.

Why not in the kitchen, you ask? I found that I don't have a heart to take anything on those walls down, to be honest! And besides that, my sewing table has recently developed such a "domestic kitsch" leaning, that it seemed only naturally to put them there.
In fact, that all started with a Christmas gift - the cutest ever pincushion, made from a vintage silver plated cup and saucer. Add to that a small porcelain pot that I took out of my display case when selling part of my small china collection online. Nobody wanted this one - no wonder, besides the hand-painted Augarten and Herend stuff, this one here, whilst pretty, is transfer printed and just didn't impress anyone. However, I've decided to keep it to hold my sewing machine needles, which keep lying around here & there because I have to change them quite often, depending on the fabric I'm working with. Add to that my new sewing machine cover, which I whipped up on a Sunday afternoon when I desperately needed to do "something different". Fabric courtesy of Forget Me Knots in Christchurch.

On another note, I have also recently received a few issues of a very interesting vintage magazine. My friend in Vienna found them - don't ask me where. They're practically falling apart, and she thought they might provide some fun additions to my Willy-nillies. It's called "Little Puck" and was a bi-weekly magazine aimed at those wanting to learn or better their English. It contained a few pages of short essays, conversations, jokes etc. with explanations of more "difficult" words, together with some readers' letters and some grammatical explanations. Judging by the ads, the target audience of Little Puck seems to have been young men (the kind who needed to earn their own money) all over German-speaking Europe. The letters from readers and companies in the ads range geographically speaking from Switzerland to Germany to Austria-Hungary to Romania and wherever else German was spoken at the time. They were all published in 1909 in Hamburg. A lost world, if you will. I don't know yet if I will cut them up or not, to be honest. Somehow they feel too much like a piece of history.


Those living in Switzerland will have seen the cover of last month's issue of the fashion magazine Annabelle everywhere I guess... To celebrate the 40th anniversary of women's vote in Switzerland (yes, we are THAT much behind!), and aided by the fact that our national council for the first time in history is dominated by women, they put said four women on the cover. Nope, I did not buy the mag. I don't usually spend money on fashion mags - too many expensive ads and not enough brains if you ask me - but this issue miraculously landed in my letter box as a "try out issue". Oh yes, once the Ringier publishers have your address, you're registered for life! I'm just wondering I haven't received one of their famous "would you like to subscribe" calls yet. Honestly. Oops, sorry, I'm losing the thread! Anyway, to be honest, I found the cover pretty bad. Stilted, posed, and the black & white didn't help either. Can't see why they needed a "star photographer" for that. Sorry. However, upon opening the mag, I found a spontaneous shot that is just so much better...!
And will I subscribe? Or by the mag again? Nope. They may say all they want, and Annabelle might have a little more brains than most of them, I still can't get into it. I'd rather spend my money on the occasional celebrity rag - at least those are a laugh!

On a last note, as today was my sew & mend day it seems, I also took care of this little lovely, which I picked up looking like this last autumn at the Caritas:


Even though it had two rather nasty looking, but not very big, stains, I bought it. The embroidery is exquisite, the fabric a lovely, soft, light cotton, and the price was reduced due to the stains (I have already reduced them but am still working on them).
Looking at it at home, I came upon some obviously newer alterations like shortened straps (it actually closes with metal snaps at the straps on one side), a not very nice, more utilitarian looking cotton ribbon through the loops, and some traces of darts, which had been removed at some time.
I asked the VFG forum about it and they deemed it older, possibly even late teens to early 1920s, probably a shift - the thing you wore underneath your corset. Wow.
Well, today I removed the old ribbon, added a nice satin one (though that's just for show - I will have to buy one that's a bit wider), ironed it and re-sewed the darts, which give it a bit more shape:

Now, I have the idea of wearing this in summer. Don't know yet with what underneath, bit it a non-see-through slip, three-quarter-lenght leggings or whatever... (suggestions, anyone?). But I finally found that perfect wide waist belt at Yendi on Saturday (so much so that I bought it both in white and black), and I say I find it rather fetching paired with that:


Well, that's all for now... there'll be more to read here again sooner than the last time - promise!