Tag Archives: Fabulous Fabrics

St Patrick’s Day

17/03/2010 5:40 am \ 6 Comments \

How do I know it’s St Patrick’s Day, even though we don’t make a big deal out of it here in Australia?  Why, because the Spotlight stores, which are heavily influenced by American merchandising choices are simply chocka with fluorescent green top hats, fluffy-haired leprachauns, wigs and shamrocks, which will most likely and sadly go unpurchased by Australians….
So, even though I don’t have a single drop of Irish blood in me my outfit for today is influenced by my perception of the Irish manner of dress which is quite different from the Spotlight examples.  My one Irish friend S has quiet and subdued tastes in her colour choices of apparel and kelly green rarely makes an appearance on her person…  I’m wondering if the holiday is becoming more an American tradition than Irish?  Thoughts, anyone?
When we were living briefly in the US we bought this simply gorgeous bedspread from a shop called Orvis, a store which had a beautifully provincial huntin’/fishin’ vibe that truly gladdened my rustic little heart.  This bedspread is made completely from patches of pure Irish wool tweed, which in their previous life provided warmth to Seamus’s and Liams on their daily pilgrimage to the village pub, or so we believe.  We’re always on the lookout for a recycled objet d’art and this one has dressed our bed every winter since we got it, and I love it more and more with each passing year.

On another, only slightly related note: conversation with my son last night illustrating the youthful Australian take on a sainted day…
T: “Do you know what day it is tomorrow, Mum?”
Me: “St Patrick’s Day.”
T: “No, it’s Touch-A-Boob Day”
Confused pause, then “Whaaaaat?”
T(patiently):”Touch-a-boob day.”
Me: “No, it’s not…”
T: “Everyone knows it’s touch-a-boob day…”
Later on…
T: “Dad, do you know what day it is tomorrow?”
C: “St Patrick’s Day?”
T: (sighing) “It’s touch-a-boob day…”
C: “Oh reeeeally…”
We’re so behind the times…

Details:
Skirt; my own design based on Vogue 7303, lace knit
Camisole and cardigan; Country Road
Shoes; so old I can no longer read the name on the inside…
Bedspread; Pure Irish wool, Orvis

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Borrowing from husband’s wardrobe, again…

15/03/2010 7:01 am \ 5 Comments \

Woot, for autumn!  I think the hot weather has finally settled down after a last scorcher on Friday and I’m in the mood for some of my cooler weather gear and some cooler weather colouring….
This skirt has been a winner; it was wonderful to reach for during the hottest days of summer as its so light and airy, and I’m thinking its cheerful hues will carry me through the cooler months too.  When I first bought this floral fabric I was a little afraid it wouldn’t be particularly versatile as it’s such an eye-catching print, but I’ve been proven wrong as I’ve worn it in so many ways; for today I decided to put it with the linen shirt I made recently for my husband (he’s going to get a surprise when he sees it here today!), worn as a kind of light coat unbuttoned and belted at the waist.  I love the colour combination of the deep port-wine shirt/coat with the bright reds/pinks of the skirt; feels so autumn-y, vibrant and rich, a fortuitous marriage for sure!
I’ve often expressed how much I love menswear to be worn by women; I think it can be a very sexy and feminine look, especially when paired with overly feminine garments like this blowsy floral skirt….

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 2894, floral cotton
Camisole; Country Road
Shirt/coat; Burda 7767, port wine linen
Belt; had since teenage years
Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, from Hobbs
Nail varnish; Crimson Sparkle, Revlon

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Evening bag, specimen 1

14/03/2010 2:19 am \ 6 Comments \

So a new year brings with it a new round of birthday prezzies to be conceived.
For M’s birthday I made her this little evening bag.  It is made out of some leftover silk hessian (remember the heather purple dress?), with sparkly net overlay (remember the light summer cardigan?), velvet ribbon trimming and with pale pistachio green satin piping and lining.  I used a couple of large silver rings for handle loops and I sewed in one of my own labels, for fun.
I enjoyed making this bag, I think it’s cute and it was a lot less time consuming than the tea cosies of last year….

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Candy floss colours

13/03/2010 8:42 am \ 1 Comment \

The colours in my photos have disappointed me a little as my camisole is really pinker than it appears here.  Today I felt in the mood for an artificial and unnatural candy-floss pop of colour, a peek into the Hello Kitty world with its both hard and soft clashing colours.  Thus my atypical backdrop, a grey and black concrete and glass monolith all hard edges and manmade lines with not a speck of nature to be seen.  (And how fortuitous that the building should have my initial inset in marble and brass in it’s doorstep?!)
I’m also inspired by this Josh Goot dress I spied in the latest Vogue magazine; the colours so sharp, impossibly lolly-pink and  blue with the touches of stark black and white; stepping just out of a sci-fi cartoon world.  Nothing natural here.  Bring on the digital age, yeah.  I would love to have this dress in my wardrobe, but for now I’ll just have to settle for reproducing its colour scheme as best I can with what I’ve already got, but isn’t this fabric out of this world?
Though if I really look at these hues again wouldn’t they be just right for a sunrise peeping over ocean waters lapping onto pristine beach sands, the charred remains of a midnight driftwood campfire scattered about…. the epitome of a natural environs…. ah nature always has one tucked up the sleeve, does it not?  Just when fashion has contrived a seemingly artificial colour scheme mother nature slips in the reminder of a colourama of her own…

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 1023 view C, turquoise polycotton
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Metalicus
Scarf; made by me
Bag; pink satin Olga Berg, birthday gift from a friend
Shoes; Perrini, had these for so many years I’ve forgotten where they came from
Nail varnish; Fools Paradise, BYS

Photo below from Josh Goot, Spring/Summer 10

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Carpet of leaves

10/03/2010 3:59 am \ 7 Comments \

Autumn is my favourite season.  The extreme of heat has passed so the mornings are pleasant and cool, and yet the days are still warm enough for swimming, walking, picnics and enjoyable sociable activities.  And who says Australia doesn’t get autumn colours?  I found this divinely pretty little spot under the trees carpeted all in soft greens, golds and browns… all I needed was some morning tea in my backpack and a friend to share these beautiful surroundings with.  A friend apart from Sienna, that is.  She would be more than happy to wolf down a few snacks with me but the vet told me this morning she is a tad overweight and needs to go on a diet.  Oh, and since we had to squeeze this visit to the vet into the morning schedule I’m also lacking the all-important time to have this hypothetical morning tea anyway….
I wore this skirt a lot last year but it’s only had a few airings this season as it’s just been too hot to wear it.  Now I’m feeling its warm bright hues are just right for the colourful mood I’m turning to in my autumn wardrobe lately…

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 7880 view C, cotton print
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Metalicus
Necklace; souvenir from Santorini
Sandals; Neo, from Nine West (I think?)
Nail varnish; Fools Paradise, BYS

 

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“What a curious feeling…”

08/03/2010 5:01 am \ 4 Comments \

When I sat under this tree today I felt a bit like a gypsy-ish Alice in Wonderland.  I had this big solid tree comfortably at my back with its branches swaying and drooping, its canopy of foliage like a whispering crowd of woodland onlookers, I’m looking over a lake sprinkled with silent and watchful ducks and a couple of black swans drifting and foraging in the mud at bottom… all I needed was a cake and a bottle marked “Drink me” though the pool was not of my tears and I could see no dodo… my dog lay peacefully and companionably in the dry grass nearby watching me and waiting patiently for me to finish this strange early morning photography ritual… she’s a faithful soul.
I’m getting braver in my choice of colour combinations; a month ago I would never have worn this top with this skirt.  These golden jewelled sandals always feel so light, sparkly and frivolous on my feet, but the solid brown beads anchor me back down.  I need anchoring, to be reminded me I have a job to do and it’s time to check back into the office and leave my daydreaming for another day…

Details:
Top; Country Road, dyed with turmeric
Skirt; Vogue 7880 view B, multicoloured polyester chiffon
Necklace; made by me
Sandals; Anna, from MarieClaire
Nail varnish; Fools Paradise, BYS

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Orange skirt

06/03/2010 3:03 am \ 8 Comments \

I’ve finished a new skirt, as part of my autumn wardrobe plans!  It was a little delayed in getting finished as I debated whether to go and buy matching cotton to finish the seams ; yeah, HongKong seaming is my new passion!…. but I eventually settled for a bit of leftover print in my scraps bag (you may recognise it as the remains of the floral skirt I’ve been wearing a lot past summer).
It’s using Vogue 7303 again, cut short and lined.  This is a plain pattern but one I turn to over and over as it fits me so well, and I really wanted this skirt to be a plain unadorned little number to add a splash of bright cheery colour to my wardrobe, I think I got it, no?  Most of my encounters today resulted in a complimentary comment, so I’m very happy with it!

Skirt; Vogue 7303, lined, orange hessian silk
Top and ballet wrap; Metalicus
Sandals; op shop
Backpack; my son’s, souvenir from Santa Fe

 

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Chocolate, gold and turquoise

02/03/2010 5:10 am \ 2 Comments \

Above, the sky is a rich intense shade of turquoise with not a single wisp of cloud to mar its relentless plane of colour; it’s not surprising I was drawn to this vivid and gorgeous shade of nail varnish… (if only I’d had it in time for Saturday’s photo, no?!)   The name of this shade is Fool’s Paradise, a message, perhaps?  Need to shake this lethargy and get onto the officework, I think…
The air is still and heavy and this heat is seriously sapping my will to live, but I’m doggedly pursuing my plan to branch into autumnal fashion and leave the hues of summer behind.
Luckily the Bouchee dress is of a shade to pass any autumn colour test even though autumn here isn’t of nearly the richness of colours that it brings to colder climates, our version is more of a season of relief and recovery from the harsh ravages of the summer months.  And today being another 36C scorcher this dress is tolerably cool and a joy to wear.  I’m glad I rescued it from my Salvo’s pile….
Today I’m wearing it with a necklace I bought as a souvenir from Santorini, the island my imagination wanders to on so many occasions, and my golden jewelled sandals, which were bought, er here, sadly no romance or memories associated with their purchase, driven just by a prosaic need for summer footwear.  Nonetheless I have my necklace and my turquoise toe-nails to transport me mentally back to the happy casual handholding days of Greece….

Details:
Dress; my own design based on McCalls 4454, brown self-embroidered cotton
Necklace; souvenir from Santorini
Sandals; Anna, bought from MarieClaire shoes
Nail varnish; Fool’s Paradise, BYS

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