Vogue 7303 Archives - Page 6 of 8

Gelato colours

09/02/2010 3:05 am \ 5 Comments \ Carolyn

When wearing pastels, especially head-to-toe, one is in danger of looking sticky sickly sweet. Additionally if the silhouette is too “safe” you may come across as grandmotherly or queen-motherish. An outfit of this type needs some elements of hard-edge or rawness to save it; my ensemble here(worn yesterday) has a tweed skirt, a pink camisole and a little cardigan, all in safe pastel colours, so has all the sweet little old lady boxes ticked off right there. Not my ideal look, obviously. I think my normal style is aim for a little deconstruction, not too polished. But I’m still liking this look here.
I think it’s the unfinished fringe on the edge of my skirt and the raw edges of my cardigan that save it from being too pretty and ordinary and give the outfit that little zing of deconstruction that is needed. Although raw edges are seen everywhere now and hardly put you in the punk category anymore. Perhaps it’s also my jade green pedicure that also adds that necessary unexpected note. And my necklace, while composed of shades of pretty pink, has a kind of random twisty-ness quality to it.
So, “pretty in pink”? Not what I’m aiming for, but chic enough to pass muster, hopefully.

Details;
Skirt; Vogue 7303, fabric handwoven by my Mum
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; own design, coffee and white net
Necklace; own design
Sunnies; RayBan
Shoes; op shop
Nail polish; own mix of BYS French White and Mint Condition

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: accessories, cardigan, Fabulous fabrics, handwoven, own design, skirt, Vogue 7303

Khaki and lace

06/02/2010 4:54 am \ 4 Comments \ Carolyn

Today I look a little like I’m on safari. Hilarious, considering the only wildlife around the beach here is birds, possums, the odd bobtail and Sienna.

I know I showcased this olive skirt only recently, paired with a rainbow of colours; but I just couldn’t resist pulling it out again. Here it is in a neutral ensemble and complemented by all the soft subtle colouring that distinguishes the coastal palette. Smudgy khaki and browns have always been my best neutrals I think. I used to have a whole bunch of khaki clothes I took to Africa with me in the top of our wardrobe which have now inexplicably disappeared. Surely I couldn’t have thrown them out? That would be extremely idiotic, even for a forgetful airhead like me. Not impossibly idiotic, though…

My cream lace top is another old favourite that is more interesting than it appears from a distance; having lace strips sewn randomly all over and lovely old buttons.

My nail varnish is a colour I mixed up myself, after seeing a similar shade in a magazine editorial and immediately thinking “want”. Aiming for a light jade green I used mostly BYS French White with a little bit of BYS Mint Condition thrown in. Does anyone else mix their own nail varnish at all? I found it trickier than I thought. I recommend mixing only enough for one coat, then mixing the second coat when you need it; as the varnish dries so quickly you’re faced with a gluggy difficult-to-apply sludge by the time your first coat dries… of course I could have just paid ten times as much for the designer colour already mixed and saved myself the hassle, but that’s just no challenge to a DIY-er like me….

Details:

Skirt; Vogue 7303, olive green corduroy

Top; Butterick 4985; cream broderie anglaise cheesecloth with cotton lace overlays and crotchet tie

Overshirt; bought from Tinga Game Lodge, South Africa (stolen from husband’s wardrobe)

Belt; stolen from husband

Shoes; op shop

Bag; made by my Mum

Nail varnish; self mixed, using BYS French White and Mint Condition

(David Attenborough-style whispered voiceover) “Here we have a dangerously cute specimen which may attack without warning, smothering its victim with excessive licking… may mercilessly flay an unprepared observer with its wildly whipping tail… give this beast a wide berth”

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, Sienna, skirt, Spotlight, top, Vogue 7303

Olive green corduroy skirt, 6 different ways

21/01/2010 2:39 am \ 6 Comments \ Carolyn

My olive green corduroy skirt out of Vogue 7303 has been incredibly useful in my wardrobe and is something I grab without thinking on a regular basis, secure in knowing it will go with just about anything else I own. With one small exception, it can go anywhere and do anything. The exception, natch, is for dressy wear. It’s a corduroy skirt. Corduroy spells casual, no getting away from that.
Could you make a ball-gown out of corduroy, I wonder, and carry it off? Perhaps it could give the same look as velvet, in the right design, maybe? That’s food for thought…
Anyhoo, getting off track, as per usual…
This skirt is a fantastic skirt in that it has worked for me in all seasons; hot weather all the way through to cold weather, and the olive green colour is so handy in that it goes with every other colour (yes, Virginia, olive green is a fabulous neutral). I mean obviously it goes with the usual creams, white, black and brown. But for today I have tried to style it with all the colours of the rainbow to show just how great a colour it is.

Being a mini(-ish) it can be worn in hot weather; here it is casual, and then a little more smart, say for shopping…

Then, the corduroy texture still looks appropriate if the weather is a little cooler…

Finally in the winter it scrubs up pretty good with tights and looks kind of mod (OK, the sun is blazing brightly in these photos, you just have to use your imagination and conjure up a bit of rain and cold wind to get the winter vibe in these pictures…)

Just for interest, I am wearing the purple version for today…

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: 6 different ways, skirt, Spotlight, Vogue 7303

Cool neutrals

11/01/2010 1:33 am \ 4 Comments \ Carolyn

(Can I just start by saying that I looked back over a few of my old comments and people have written such kind and uplifting comments; thankyou all so much! Especially about my daughter’s ballgown, yes I am so proud of her, and some of the beautiful things you had to say truly brought a bit of a tear to my eye! It was very thoughtful, thankyou…)

Today dug out my favourite pale pink skirt for an airing. I love this skirt. Although pale pink isn’t strictly a neutral it seems to work as one with this skirt here. When I conceived this skirt I had a kind of creative mental maelstrom going on where I worked feverishly on the design with no thought to passing time and it all came together perfectly and was exactly how I envisioned it. The skirt has eight layers, four at front and four at back; the six under layers are attached to the lining separately, graduated and all slightly angled and offset to each other, it’s actually kind of clever and now I don’t quite know how I did it myself. It all just seemed to happily brainstorm together and worked out just right. Very rewarding…
I’m wearing it today because it’s practically cold in Perth … 27C!
Also I just felt like dressing elegant. After a coupla days of casualness I just wanted to up the ante for a change and look like a lady. So it was out with my beloved neutrals and hopefully channelling the sort of beige loveliness that calls to mind the careless cool of a previous era…..
Please note below the incredibly artistic reflective pool shot, in which one can contemplate with crystal like clarity the classy layered fashionableness of one’s ensemble… and be reminded that one should really skim the leaves off the pool before one’s photo shoot next time…

Details:
Skirt; own design based on Vogue 7303, from pale pink silky damask
Top; Tutte, from Mid 70’s, gift from my parents
Camisole; Country Road
Shoes; from an op shop
Nail varnish; Litl Boy Blue, Artmatix
Bag; Gucci

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Fabulous fabrics, own design, skirt, Vogue 7303

Boxing Day by the pool

26/12/2009 4:15 am \ 1 Comment \ Carolyn

Boxing day, and a quiet day by the pool planned, with just a few trips in and out to drop off/pick up my eldest son who is working. I briefly considered going to the shops while dropping him off today to see what was on offer at the post-Christmas sales, but the crowds of determined looking ladies striding purposefully into the shops was a big deterrent… I HATE crowds… I’m hanging out for Tuesday; my sister-in-law, my daughter and I are going to Fabulous Fabrics (early) for their 20% off sale. Really can’t wait and I plan to spend up big!! I don’t really have a stash at the moment, and apart from my autumn trench coat and a blue skirt I have currently in construction I will be needing some new projects for the New Year. Perhaps “wanting” is a more accurate word to use than “needing”!
Today I am wearing my cream light wool skirt from Vogue 7303 that I made about two and a half years ago, and I’ve included a few close-ups of the zip region with the lining sewn to the zip by hand on the inside. I always attach the lining at this point by hand as I’ve not managed to do this successfully by machine. Once or twice I’ve attempted it, but it hasn’t really looked very good to my eye and I always end up by unpicking it and re-doing by hand. I think a far superior finish is achieved this way.
Obviously I’m still influenced today by the whole Christmas colour scheme, but I like to think in a subtle way. If anyone ever sees me wearing a Santa hat, or Christmas baubles as earrings, please shoot me…

Other details;
Skirt; Vogue 7303, cream lightweight wool
Top; Morrison
Necklace and hat; Country Road
Shoes; Neo, bought at Nine West?
Nail varnish; Santorini Sunset; Napoleon

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Fabulous fabrics, skirt, Vogue 7303

Quiet study in neutrals

16/12/2009 9:11 am \ 2 Comments \ Carolyn

Today’s outfit is a little drab and neutral, however sometimes one feels like being drab and neutral. Especially if it’s the last day of one’s holiday (sad face). One is possibly overusing the impersonal first person pronoun here. However this is one’s own blog so one shall write however one damn well feels like it, no matter how silly it sounds…
I feel this outfit is nicely complemented by the drab and neutral tones of the tree bark in this photo. As well as by the rough weathered decking of our beach house.
Please note the floral fabric used as a facing in the skirt; a little secret prettiness known only to me, the wearer. Sometimes I like to add touches like this; plus this patchwork fabric I used is firm and flat so a better choice for facing than the thicker corduroy fashion fabric, which is a little stretchy too.
Btw, I did a double take when I looked at the photo of my skirt as it looks embarrassingly lopsided. It’s an optical illusion! I just measured the skirt and the side seams are exactly the same length, in spite of how it looks in the photo!
Notice the ancient grey cardigan, hiding behind the white blouse out of shame for its general mis-shapen shabbiness. It’s too awful for its own photo, but still impossible for me to part with this old favourite. It’s a perfect cardigan for days when I know will be several hours driving with no one to impress but my youngest son and Sienna.

Other details:
Skirt; Vogue 7303, olive corduroy
Top; Butterick 4985, selfstripe white cotton
Cardigan; Country Road
Sunnies; RayBan
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs
Bag; Gucci

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Butterick 4985, Fabulous fabrics, Sienna, skirt, Spotlight, top, Vogue 7303

Purple flowered shrub, what is your name?

14/12/2009 6:24 am \ 1 Comment \ Carolyn

Not as hot today as yesterday, thank goodness! Visited Castle Rock and lay about in the sun, occasionally getting up to splash about in the cool turquoise waters. Ah, but this is the life.
Today I dressed as inspired by the shrub outside our kitchen window; it has gorgeous iridescent purple flowers in spring/summer, followed by bright orange berries in the autumn; the berries often inspire people to rip these bushes out of their gardens as they’re a bit messy. I have to confess the purple cardigan has been on and off intermittently all day, as its really too hot for it in the sun, but I like the way it complements the green in my outfit, so dragged it around with me anyway! Oh, suffering for the sake of fashion is tres tragique, no?
Other details:
Skirt; Vogue 7303, lime print cotton
Top; New Look 6252, white seersucker
Cardigan; Saba, op shop
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Design
Hat; Country Road
Sunnies; RayBan

I also put in a photo of this magnificent peppermint tree in town. Can’t even imagine how old this tree is.

Included a photo of our views to the right and left of us on Castle Rock beach, as well as one of our group. Thanks for the photo-bomb, Tim, btw….

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Fabulous fabrics, New Look 6252, photo-bomb, skirt, top, Vogue 7303

Warm rocks and wet sand

12/12/2009 6:37 am \ Leave a Comment \ Carolyn

Beach-combing this morning; my husband was deeply disappointed that Mr Cappuccino Man seems to be taking a day off… So peaceful and blissfully tranquil out on the bay, we shared the beach with about fifteen people and everyone calls “good morning!” to each other, so nice; Sienna and other dogs sniffing each others butts politely along the lines of prescribed doggie etiquette… She trots past flocks of seagulls that chatter to each other in a vaguely outraged manner like little old ladies, and genteelly hurry along in a “don’t show them you’re scared” kind of a way. We brewed a pot of tea and had some of Mum’s muffins with yogurt for brekky out on the patio… It’s going to be a hot one today, so swimming again this arvo.