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A travel wardrobe…

19/06/2012 11:15 am \ 45 Comments \

Time away: 
27 days
Where to:  
Rome, Umbria, Cinque Terre, Lake Como and Milan in Italy: and finally Paris
Season: 
the later part of spring.  Going by current and previous years’ weather forecasts in these parts of Europe we could (and did) experience daily temperatures of anything from wintery 19C and quite wet, right up to summery 31C days and quite humid.
Expected activities: 
light to heavy-duty rural hiking
sight-seeing in small rural villages as well as big bustling cities
one formal cocktail party.


What I packed: (each garment is linked to its original construction post)
(L to R, top to bottom)
Hand knitted Colinette raspberry chenille scarf
Burda 7786 (modified) beige cotton trench coat
Vogue 2894 raspberry hessian silk cropped jacket
self drafted coffee and white net cardigan

(L to R, top to bottom)
Vogue 1247 (lengthened and lined) cream skirt

(L to R, top to bottom)
Burda 7863 black stretch cotton corduroy jeans (incidentally; I originally made these as flares, and on a whim mere hours before this trip, unpicked the leg seams and bootlegged them)
Burdastyle 10/2010, 110 hiking pants, khaki ripstop cotton

(L to R, top to bottom)
Self drafted dress of choarcoal and black striped cotton jersey, with Metalicus petticoat underneath
Hand knitted chocolate brown cardigan, of Jo Sharp summer cotton

(L to R, top to bottom)
(L to R, top to bottom)

The miscellaneous extras…
(L to R, top to bottom)

Hiking shoes, Merrell from Mountain Designs
Cruddy old raincoat (high up on my list of things to replace, grrr) KMart  
And incidentally, can anyone recommend a reliable source for raincoat-suitable fabric??  That is not just a rhetorical question and I would really like to know… in Perth waterproof fabrics like gore-tex are just about unknown, which is crazy; I know it doesn’t rain here much, but it does rain!!  I have even considered buying a few shower curtains or a plastic tablecloth to chop up, but thought it might be a good idea to ask here before resorting to such drastic measures  🙂  
Straw hat from Country Road
Suede, chocolate brown, high heeled pumps, Sandler
Flat black leather shoes; Enrico Antinori from Zomp shoes
Thongs, KMart

Oh yes, naturally I packed underwear too but did not take any pictures of those  🙂

My entire set of holiday outfits can be viewed here

So, briefly; what was wonderful and what was not?
Spread out like that, it seems like a lot of clothes, doesn’t it?  Trying to pack minimally for the length of time away, the varied activities and even more varied weather conditions we were expecting?  Was difficult.
I admit that early on in the trip I felt that I had packed far too much.  Whilst we were in the mild and warm Italian climate, all my winter-y pieces; my corduroy jeans, chocolate cardigan, the raspberry jacket and my trench coat; seemed superfluous, taking up valuable suitcase space, and I seriously wondered if I would have been wiser to have left them at home…. of course once we got to unseasonably cold Paris I was extremely glad of each of these pieces!!  In fact by the end of our trip I was wishing I had a few more things to choose from! like another winter-y top since in Paris I felt like I was wearing the same Tshirts layered over each other, over and over again; but that was probably more to do with the fact that I was fairly bored with all my clothes by this time…  
So I guess that means I managed to get the numbers just about right!  🙂

Three pairs of shorts seemed like overkill, but all-day hiking is sweaty business and the truth is I was glad I had “splurged” by taking that extra pair.  
The hat surprisingly was not worn at all  :O  so I could have left that at home!  Even on the hottest days I found the sun to be very mild in Italy.

There are a few “nice” tops,  like my orange blouse and my grey blouse, that appear superfluous since they turned up only once each in my daily pictures…   but actually, on the evenings of our hiking days in Italy I would change from the sweaty hiking gear into a skirt, one of my smarter blouses and leather shoes for dinner, so the blouses did get worn more frequently than it appears.  So, I think I had exactly the right number of tops and skirts, and enough different styles of tops to keep my outfits varied and interesting.  
My raspberry red silk jacket was a last minute chuck-in and turned out to be a great and gorgeously colourful thing that cheeried up every outfit it graced.  So I did come to this important conclusion: whilst crushable “nice” clothes might seem impractical and extravagant to pack in the suitcase for a long trip, they are fantastic for the inevitable one or two days when one is tired and feeling a little low, and just randomly wishes to look feminine and pretty; just to boost the ol’ morale.

So!
What item of clothing do you find to be invariably indispensable when travelling, and have you ever packed something that seemed essential at the time but that turned out to be a big white elephant in your suitcase and you wish you hadn’t bothered??
Do tell!

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Paris in the spring; such a marvellous thing

16/06/2012 5:13 pm \ 30 Comments \


9 June
Self drafted dress, Metalicus petticoat, Vogue jacket in red silk hessian, also a self drafted Tshirt underneath (not seen) for some extra warmth.  This photo above was taken by Craig on the Pont Neuf in the setting sun.
I had a perfectly lovely day, meeting up with Donna for some very enjoyable girly chatting, lunching and shopping in the fabulous fabric stores in Montmartre, and for knitting yarn at the most divine little knitting cafe L’Oisive The.  It was such fun, and it was so nice to meet you Donna!

 


10 June
Ok, going for the touristy shot here, but when one is a tourist one is but helpless to resist, no? That’s my excuse, anyway…  😀
Here I am at the famous landmark along with about a bajillion other people… wearing my creamy ivory Vogue 1247 skirt made of a curtaining remnant, a self-drafted Tshirt (not seen), KwikSew 3667 light grey fleece hoodie (thank you Mary for this cute pattern!), and self drafted grey/beige footless tights. I confess I laughed to myself when I tossed these tights into my suitcase, thinking no way am I ever going to need these. After all, it is nearly summer in Europe, right? But I figured, oh well, tights don’t take up a lot of space, so what the hey… And here we are; and it is freezing in Paris. Thank goodness I did pop in the pair of tights!!
Now, just to note: Craig has taken all of my travelling photos so far, submitting patiently and good natured-ly to my strict instructions about where to stand and how to frame the shot although I have to admit that some photos were candid and were not stage-managed by the camera control freak (ie. me)  However on this day he was attending a conference, the real reason behind our sojourn in Europe; and so this is a self portrait.  I did not take my full size tripod, but used instead my little gorilla-grip tripod and the self-timer button on the camera.
 


11 June
Attending the conference dinner, a river cruise; and aha! I just knew I had to have brought those annoyingly space-guzzling high heels for some reason other than to just look glamorous on the plane!!  Also wearing a lace skirt of my own design based on Vogue 7303, self drafted white cotton Tshirt, Colinette chenille scarf, Burda beige cotton trench coat.  I had intended to deposit my trench coat in the cloak room and wear my scarf draped glamorously across my shoulders like a stole since it looks quite nice that way, but it was so cold! so I wussily did not remove my coat all evening  🙂

12 June
Self drafted and dyed purple Tshirt, Burda 7863 black stretch cotton corduroy jeans, my hand knitted fitted cardigan in chocolate brown Jo Sharp summer cotton.  Another self portrait since Craig is again at the conference and I spent another quietly self-indulgent morning exploring Paris on my own.  This photo taken in the Jardin du Luxembourg.

Later edit!!
13 June
I got confused with the dates (easy when you’re my age) and almost forgot to include this day, which is ridiculous since it was an important one… we spent the day with our simply delightful exchange student Laura, and had the pleasure of meeting her lovely mother for lunch also.  We became extremely fond of Laura during her stay with us in Perth, she was like a daughter to us and it was wonderful to see her again.  Isn’t she just totally gorgeous?  This blurry action shot in front of Notre Dame is the only one Craig took this day showing my outfit… my black jeans, my chocolate brown hand knitted cotton cardigan, my Colinette chenille hand knitted scarf, and not seen here but I am also wearing a self-drafted Tshirt and hand knitted socks, as usual

14  June
Taken in the Jardin des Tuileries; with the Louvre in the background.  Wearing black corduroy Burda 7863 jeans, a self drafted Tshirt (not seen), the grey fleece KwikSew 3667 hoodie (thank you Mary!), and my Vogue raspberry silk hessian jacket.  Oh, and hand knitted socks of course, not seen either.  Our last day in Paris  🙁  but I am very glad to get home and see my children again.
And so that is that!  Thank you to all those who were kind enough to comment on my travelling wardrobe and I am looking forward to catching up with returning comments now…
We are now at home and I am tackling a mountain of washing, but I do have some wonderful new fabric and wool purchases to play with, as well as a holiday knitting project that I took away with me to do, and is finished and ready for showing off as soon as I can get my photography act together again; watch this space…  🙂
Later dudes! or should that be, au revoir…?

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Gadding about

08/06/2012 9:46 pm \ 26 Comments \

4 June

Here I am about to pay a visit to my pal George Clooney in Lake Como… just kidding, hehe. I don’t know who lives in this beautiful villa in Varenna, Lake Como; but the white iron lacework gate is simply gorgeous, no?

Weatherwise, this was one of those difficult-to-dress-for, weirdly cold/hot days; freezing in the morning but quite hot by early afternoon.

I am wearing a lace skirt of my own design based on Vogue 7303, Jo Sharp fitted cardigan knitted by me in Jo Sharp chocolate brown summer cotton, Burda 7834 blouse in crushed silk (just seen).


5 June

Burda 7723 shorts in hot pink linen, peekaboo/hoodie from Pattern Magic 3 in blue knit, and socks hand knitted in Noro yarn.
A hot day with some medium-duty
hiking from Pigra to Lenna in Lake Como, Italy


6 June

Self drafted and dyed Tshirt, Vogue 1247 skirt of red cotton velveteen ombré dyed brown, Burda beige cotton trench coat.
A day in constant transit, with time spent in each of Lake Como (pleasantly warm), on a ferry (briskly windy), a train (cold), Milan (very hot) followed by another train (warm and stuffy). This combo coped pretty well!


7 June

Self drafted Tshirt, Vogue 1247 skirt of curtaining remnant, Vogue jacket of red hessian silk.
A very wet day in …. guess where! I wasn’t sure about whether these garments actually went together at first, but I ended up liking the outfit a lot!


8 June

Self drafted Tshirt, Burda 7863 black stretch cotton corduroy jeans, Burda beige cotton trench coat.
Up until now I’d been wondering if it was a waste of luggage space to pack my wintery corduroy jeans, but Paris is cooooold! This fabulous twisty sculpture is in the Jardin des Tuileries.

Kbenco suggested a round up of my travel wardrobe when I get home, thank you for the fantastic suggestion Karen! I too am very interested in what other ladies choose to pack to take away for long overseas holidays and why; so I will do a summary post at the end of my trip. That is if I do not toss the whole lot out. Just kidding. Sort of. I admit to feeling a little jaded by my travel wardrobe now, a wee bit stifled by the limited selection; and I am really looking forward to getting back to some of my other of my clothes and particularly some other shoes!

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Tripping

03/06/2012 5:41 pm \ 38 Comments \

Me made May has been successfully completed, and the majorest challenge for me this time round was putting pictures in the Flickr group… A monumental difficulty when one does not have a reliable computer! Thank goodness for Craig whose expertise with all things computer-related made it possible for me to post a picture onto the Internet using our iPad, as well as solving all sorts of unanticipated and dodgy connectivity issues. I was very pleased that I did manage to post my picture onto the Flickr group each day… And I think I managed to keep up with commenting within the group. Once we started our trip my computer time became so limited all I had time to do was post my own picture and then look at and comment on only the ladies who were kind enough to leave a comment on my own efforts, so if I left anyone out then I apologise!
When traveling of course one’s scenery is always going to be varied and interesting and I was blessed in this respect. I was also fortunate to have the rare luxury of a built-in photographer! and of course tourists are supposed to take photos of themselves, so there has been none of the usual embarrassment factor in that aspect of the challenge!
Now, what have I learned by doing this challenge for the fifth time around? Unsurprisingly not much new. Just that I really enjoy challenges that allow me to play about in my wardrobe 🙂 As far as my wardrobe goes; I have very little that is not me-made any more so finding something to wear is not a problem. I did not repeat any outfits, but a few current favourite pieces in my collection popped up more than once. And I have no gaps that need “filling” 🙂 quite the opposite ;D
Of course, being on holiday means that we are still taking photos daily! so I might extend the challenge for a bit longer, put a few more photos here, just for fun and to show some sights, and how my self-made pieces work out for travel. To see the remainder of my me-made May daily photos and a very brief summary of the day’s activities, the link to my entire set is associated with the me-made May ’12 button at right.
But in the meantime…

1 June
Self drafted dress
Metalicus petticoat
Taken on a really cool structure in the Parco Sempione in Milan, an amphitheater made of concrete with old cafe chairs embedded within for the audience to sit on. So cool! I also wore this dress during our long long flights over; because it is super comfortable and non-crushable. Important for something one will be spending hours in, and sleeping in. This ensemble is a beaut for such situations.

From Handmade by Carolyn

2 June
Taken at Lake Como, Italy
The bamboo shoot top from Pattern Magic, Vogue 1247 curtaining skirt, and chenille scarf. It was very warm in Milan thus the summery feel, but I had my chenille scarf for our train and ferry ride to Lake Como, which was chilly. Having a big warm scarf that one can “wrap up in” is indispensable when travelling. I’ve used this one heaps on the cooler evenings and for air-conditioned spots, such as the aforementioned trains.

3 June

Burda 7723 white linen shorts, a self drafted Tshirt (not seen) and a fleece KwikSew 3367 hoodie; a pattern that was a gift from the lovely Mary. Actually have worn this hoodie several times while hiking during this trip, but happened to be not for any photos. Oh, and also hand knitted socks!
Another day of reasonable heavy duty mountainous hiking, this time from Varenna to Esina Lario, at Lake Como, Italy. Taken with one of the “ghosts” at Castello di Vezio; very atmospheric mediaeval ruins, situated on a peak halfway up the mountain. Naturally, we continued on up the entire mountain!

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Green

18/05/2012 3:48 am \ 30 Comments \

Today’s mini photo challenge for the me-made May group is Green.
Yah, a fairly unoriginal backdrop but that is all I have time for today.  I hope my ultra-smashing outfit more than makes up for it, haha.

So, talking of; I’ve seen clashing prints worn together in a few editorials lately and really liked the un-mixy-matchiness of it; so I decided to give it a whirl.  And I likey!  The floral and the check here are wildly different prints, but they have white and deep purple-y navy in common, tying them together, along with my old navy blue silk blazer for a bit of warmth.  Navy blue was once upon a time a colour I wore daily; the colour of my school uniform.  Consequently I avoided it for years.  Finally I decided it actually suited me quite well, and embraced it again.

So, sorry about the post-haste nature of this, er hasty post (hehe)  This may be my last for a while.  We are heading away on our trip… and since I have no idea how easy or how extraordinarily difficult it will be to get on here, so will have to assume the latter.
I am reeeeeallly looking forward to meeting up with Donna while I am away… that will give some clue as to my eventual destination  😀
in the meantime, wishing everyone a perfectly luver-ly day!!

Picture taken around 10.30m;  Temperature at the time 19C.
Overnight low: 11C; Today’s high: 23C
Fine and sunny

Details:
Top; based on top “a” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, by Natsuno Hiraiwa, blus and white polycotton, details here
Skirt; Vogue 2894, floral cotton, seen first here, and see it styled in 6 different ways here
Blazer; Simplicity 4698, navy blue raw silk, seen first here, and see this styled in 6 different ways here
Thongs; KMart

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The Dingo Flour Mill

17/05/2012 9:08 am \ 24 Comments \

Thank you so much for the positive comments, and I’m so glad my featured Perth landmarks are giving some extra interest and enjoyment to the usual rather repetitive “outfit shots” that I admit I am getting just a tad tired of myself…. :S  I know, barely halfway through and already: sad, huh?
My location today takes in the Dingo Flour Mill, a working flour mill that has been on this site since the 20’s.  The big red dingo painted on the side is an iconic image here in Perth.  These heritage listed buildings are right across the road from the dog beach where I walk my own dog with a frequency that this blog can attest to  🙂  It was a tough call! but I forwent my usual favourite ocean backdrop and pointed the camera in the opposite direction this time.

Sienna was very patient, watching and waiting for me, tied to a nearby tree.

She was a very happy and satisfied doggie, given that just minutes earlier …

So; a very appropriate me-made May photo given my actual daily activities with my very own, real-life, red dog, no?

My outfit is nothing new and has been seen here before, but is still a firm favourite, one I wear with monotonous regularity during the colder months. So much so that I don’t know what I will do when it is no more.
There is just something about it I love to bits… and I always receive compliments whenever I wear it.  (The former no doubt influenced by the latter  😀  )

Picture taken around 12.30m;  Temperature at the time 21C.
Overnight low: 8C; Today’s high: 21C
Some sun, some cloud; fine all day

Details:
Top; the twist top from the Japanese pattern book Pattern Magic, by Tomoko Nakamichi, charcoal jersey knit, details here
Skirt; self-drafted, made from the same fabric.
Shoes; Enrico Antinori, from Zomp shoes

btw, my husband thought the uncropped photo to be far more interesting, so here it is for comparison…

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The DNA Tower

16/05/2012 6:03 am \ 24 Comments \

Please allow me to introduce to you, the DNA Tower.  
Hehe, I am being sorta touristy on the blog lately! but not completely since obviously Perth has always been the backdrop to my life… 
The DNA Tower was built in the early 60’s, and I have lots of fond memories of my brothers and me having the time of our lives pelting up and down the tower as fast as we could, while Mum and Dad boringly sat with the picnic on the grass nearby.  And since we would come home so tired all we could do was to fall into bed early, then I’m sure the DNA tower was equally beloved by Mum and Dad as well…!
When my own children were little they loved running up and down the tower too, so each whole new generation repeats the same routine.
Nowadays, the tower is much beloved by fitness fanatics too.
So I am enjoying my me-made May photos at the mo’… employing a few Perth landmarks certainly makes the photo-taking, always the most challenging part of the, er, challenge for me, a heck of a lot more exciting and interesting.  And happily this is another spot that is basically on the way home from dropping my son Sam off at uni, which is part of my current daily routine.  He is learning to drive, and guess who gets to be the driving instructor?!

Picture taken around 11am;  Temperature at the time 19C.
Overnight low: 11C; Today’s high: 21C
Fine and sunny

Details:
Top; top “a” from the Japanese pattern book Unique Clothes Any Way You Like by Natsuno Hiraiwa, white cotton, details here
Jeans; Au Bonheur des Petites Mains PLH08002, strawberry pink non-stretch cotton denim, details and my review of this pattern here
Cardigan; knitted by me, the Fitted Cardigan 04, version 1 with the lace edging and three-quarter sleeves, in Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton; colour Calico (shade 216), details here
Thongs; KMart

In an almost complete hat-trick of me-made sightings in my household…
Last night Cassie wore a cocktail dress made by me, to a party 
Cassie’s dress; Vogue 1105, silk charmeuse

Today Craig again wore again the blue linen shirt I made for him, and Tim wore the shirt I made for him for Christmas
Craig’s shirt; Burda 7767 modified, blue linen, details here
Tim’s shirt; Burda 7767 modified, blue check crinkly stuff (a blinkin’ nightmare) details here

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The Boatshed

15/05/2012 6:39 am \ 26 Comments \

Isn’t it nice when you open a winter woollies drawer and discover a little something that you had finished off a few months ago, in the height of summer when you could not wear it, and suddenly you can wear it??  That is the serendipitous case with this blue cardigan… 

My location today is the Crawley Boatshed which has been here since the 30’s; a real iconic photo-spot here in Perth, it’s practically a cliche to take a photo here actually.  I felt extremely un-innovative standing here…  😀   On any weekday one has the spot to oneself, but over the weekend there is bound be a bridal party or two, or three, rocking up to have their portraits taken here.  I don’t usually like to be so obvious in my choice of locations; but it is such a beautiful little spot and it seemed logical that I should use it at least once, someday!  And since I was dropping Sam off at uni any way… so, yah…
Plus maybe I am getting a little sentimental; in a few days we are heading off on our trip, and since I am soon going to be featuring beautiful locations from another part of the world (well, hopefully!) I thought I could show off some of the nicest of the spots in my own hometown too.
So I hope my me-made May photos are almost like an enjoyable little peek at Perth; and not merely a trivial documentation of my wardrobe and what I am wearing  🙂

Details:
Tshirt; the top part of a dress drafted from the Japanese pattern book Pattern Magic 3 by Tomoko Nakamichi, white cotton jersey, details here; later chopped up to make this and a few other Tshirts, details here
Skirt; Burdastyle magazine 10/2010, skirt 136 (the Karl Lagerfeld skirt) lengthened, black suiting, details and my review of this pattern here
Cardigan; Garter stitch jacket from Jo Sharp Knit 6, in Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in colour Iceberg (the individual pattern is available by digital download here)  details here

Shoes; Enrico Antinori, from Zomp shoes

Picture taken around 12pm;  Temperature at the time 19C.
Overnight low: 11C; Today’s high: 21C
Cloudy and fine

Later edit: I almost forgot!  Today Sam wore the jacket I made for him…
Sams; jacket; Burda 7767 modified, navy corduroy, details here
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