Exciting news!

Hi everyone, I've got some exciting news to share! I've been selected as one of 25 finalists in a vintage fashion competition. I had to submit a photo of myself in a vintage outfit and decided to enter wearing a dress that I bought during my second day at the vintage fashion fair. Some of the other finalists are also bloggers and vintage store owners so I'm definitely up against some strong competition.

edit: Thanks so much for all your votes everyone. Unfortunately I didn't win but better luck next time :)

I just loved the cut and fit of this dress when I tried it on, not to mention the beautiful bright floral pattern. The owner of the stall where I bought the dress has a shop in Gleneg called Liebe Fashion Gallery and I can't wait to go and check out what other goodies they have. I got the bag and shoes from an op shop for a friend's 50s themed 21st last year - too bad I didn't have the dress then because it would've been perfect! The bag is so cute and looks like a mini suitcase :)

Day one vintage fashion fair

Hello everyone, this is a bit of a belated post but nevertheless I hope you all had a nice Easter :) If you're anything like me you're still revelling in the joys of leftover hot cross buns with real butter, yum! Over the Easter loooong weekend I travelled with a lovely friend to The Way We Wear vintage fashion fair held at the Burnside Ballroom to spend my Birthday money. The fairs are held in states across Australia and I believe the Gold Coast is up next so check the dates on the website. I highly recommend going if you can make it to one! This was the first vintage fair I'd been too and it was so much fun; Glomesh heaven I tell you!! There were two delightful levels full of vintage clothing, jewellery, homewares and other bits and bobs. Here's a picture I took from the upstairs level...

There was just so much great stuff to look at - I think I was having heart palpitations. You have to do at least a couple rounds to really have a good look at everything. All the stallholders were so friendly. One lady had a stall full of old and quirky buttons and was telling me how she sources them mostly from overseas. She had some really cute ones shaped like Jatz biscuits - I didn't buy them but wish I had taken a picture!

Now I know you're probably thinking that I must've gone slightly nuts with buying up Glomesh but I'm proud to say that I only bought a couple things that I'd be unlikely to come across in an op shop and didn't buy any handbags. I did, however, see a white Glomesh satchel that I'd bought in an op shop for $4 being sold for $75 so was a bit chuffed about that (although no one had bought it so perhaps is was priced a bit high). Anywho enough chat and on to the purchases!

My first purchase was a cute little umbrella brooch made of tin or something similar. The lady at that stall had lots of lovely brooches and jewellery set out as well as some small vintage handbags and sewing supplies. At the next stall I got a bit of a shock opening a trinket box with a cameo on top to find a lock of plaited hair inside (!) but quickly got over it in my excitement at finding this Glomesh sunglasses case. I didn't even know such a thing existed and snapped that up without hesitation. The cigarette case (to keep my imaginary cigarettes in), on the other hand, I went back to about three times before buying but am glad I did because I've been looking for one to add to my collection and this was in really good nick with the Glomesh sticker still attached inside.

My final purchase for the day was this beautiful lilac beaded chiffon dress. It was made by an old Sydney label called En-Ka Fashions and must be quite old because the sizing is labelled as XSSW and is marked as No. 15. The stallholder offered for me to try it on in the bathroom, which I found a lot of stallholders were happy for fair-goers to do. The dress was $90 and he must have seen me hesitating when I came back because he offered to knock $20 off the price to which I replied "yesplzilltakeit!". The colour and beading is just so lovely and I can't wait to wear it :)

So that concludes day one of the vintage fair. I didn't realise it when I bought the ticket, but a couple of the stallholders let us know that they could be used for multiple entries to the fair over the weekend. I cheekily asked my friend if I could have her ticket so I could come back with my Mum on Monday, which we did, so stay tuned for round two :)

Vintage party

Thought it was about time I did a post on the vintage party I went to a few weeks ago. The party was run by a lovely lady called Rene who went to a lot of effort hanging clothing up on portable racks with nice wooden coat hangers and had a table spread with bags, purses and jewellery. I thought it might be a bit expensive and I was surprised at how reasonable to pricing was with dresses ranging from $20 to $60 and bags from $20 to $40 for a burgundy Glomesh handbag (which I resisted the urge to buy!). It was so much fun getting to rummage through and try on all the clothing and I was sad that there wasn't more that fit me because some of the dresses were so nice! I did however buy a small tapestry clutch and a sheer polka dot dress which I'm going to have the sleeves taken in on because they're a wea bit floaty on me.

That was the last party Rene will be doing for awhile but I definitely recommend you check out her online store In Love Again Vintage on facebook or catch her at the North Adelaide Vintage & Fashion Fair held on the second and fourth Sunday of every month :)

Also wanted to share with you our attempt at Raspberry and Coconut Slice. Looks a bit brown here but it tasted good! I think it's better served in a bowl with ice cream though; not really what I'd call a slice. We made some muffins as well and cookies using ninjabread cutters but they turned out more like weirdly proportioned sumo men, oops!

Have a lovely Easter everyone :) I'll be spending tomorrow with my friend at a vintage fair, can't wait!

Celebrations

Oops, I didn't realise how quickly the time has gone since my last post! The 'vintage party' I talked about as happening in a few weeks is actually this Friday and I'm really excited to see how that goes. A couple weeks ago it was my Birthday and I spent a lovely time celebrating that milestone with separate family and friends gatherings and a nice lunch in between with my Mum, Dad and boyfriend. I was so spoilt by the thoughtfulness of everyone's gifts. I received a beautiful pearl ring from Mum and Dad and a fancy new watch from my boyfriend to replace Mickey who finally died after multiple battery changes. Gran and Grandpa gave me a beautiful key pendant which I had picked out myself and absolutely love. I wore it with a pale blue 1950s day dress to my family birthday gathering (cue awkward posing)...

Dress: Etsy | Shoes: Sportsgirl

In amongst all the shiny new gifts, I also received some wonderfully old things including this gold (!) Glomesh bag from Mum & Dad to add to my favourite collection.

Gran gave me this small Park Lane purse that belonged to my great grandmother. The original warranty certificate states the date of purchase as Christmas Eve 1973. The purse has been kept brand new in its box all this time and had a couple lucky 2 cent pieces inside. Also in the box was a small card that reads "INSPECTED BY No. 5" - how curious! I wonder who "No. 5" is? Sounds a bit sci-fi to me!

In other news, my followers have reached triple figures! (Sounds so weird saying 'followers' haha). I'm hoping to celebrate with a giveaway in the near future so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for something nice. I was thinking perhaps a nice vintage bag or scarf but who knows!

Winter woolies

Even though it's so warm I can't help beginning to think about winter and wearing wonderful layers and tights and boots. These two jumpers are tucked away in my cupboard waiting for the weather to cool down so they can make an appearance...

I got this cute kind of cable knit red jumper with little stitched flowers for only $1 off the op shop's 'reduced' wrack. I was just thinking that it's kind of odd for op shops to have such wracks considering they're so cheap already, but when you look at the prices of clothing at some stores it's another story! I also got the coffee coloured jumper below with flower motif for $2.50 half price :)

I think these will look really cute with a collared shirt poking out and have been keeping my eye out for some with peter pan collars (no luck yet!). Also on the lookout for a detachable leopard print collar and have spotted some on etsy that look nice. What are you looking forward to wearing this winter? Or if you're already in winter share some of your favourite pieces :)

Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka dot...

Well this is neither itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, polka dot or in any way a bikini, but is a gorgeous yellow vintage bathing suit I found at the op shop for $4. It has a skirted lower half, frills along the neckline and a low scoop at the back; so lovely! I wish it were itsy bitsy but unfortunately it's way too big for me. I'm holding onto it though because I think it would look nice as a wall display in my future house/multi-million dollar beach shack. I did buy some new bathers but I can tell you they cost a lot more than $4! I bought a fifties style black boyleg one piece with pink rose print and a halter neck. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet as the weather's been a wea bit hot for my liking and I don't fancy burning to a crisp!

I'm still here!

Despite not having posted for a wea small time, the lovely Kani has given me an award for my blog. I love Kani's blog and she has a great eye for thrifty finds so this award is a huge compliment, thankyou =)

In return I'd like to pass this award on to some of my favourite blogs...

Tune into Radio Carly
Carly is a great writer and discusses lots of interesting topics on her blog.

Clothed Much
I love Elaine's blog because she proves that you don't need a lot of money or a huge wardrobe to look incredibly fashionable, which is a philosophy I've held for a long time.

Kendi Everyday
I love the writing that accompanies Kendi's posts but most of all her outfits!! At the moment she's currently remixing 30 outfits from 30 pre-selected items of clothing which again fits in with the minimalist wardrobe theme.

Our Tea Party
I'm so glad Penelope re-opened her blog as I love reading about her nifty finds. She has a cute etsy shop which you should check out as well.

Remade in Melbourne
Hayley writes about mindfulness and ethical living which I find really inspiring. She's also written a great series of posts on personal style which is definitely worth having a read of.

I'd also like to welcome all the new readers to my blog as I've noticed a steady increase since Kani's kind link. I really do try to post as often as I can and although that hadn't been for a couple months up until now it was mainly due to undertaking close to a four month field placement for uni. I appreciate all the readers who have continued to follow my blog regardless of my sporadic posting! To prove I haven't been completely slack here's a taste of one of my recent finds at a new op shop I discovered while on placement.

I found this sheer floral blouse for $6. I love the way it flows and I think the colours suit me really well. Can't wait for the weather to warm up (but not too much!) so I can wear it more.

Tell me more, tell me more...

'Twas a very successful shopping trip today of the op variety. I took my friend around to some oppies to find her a costume for a 1950s themed 21st that we've both got coming up. We found a pink faux leather jacket, a black skirt and bought some tulle to sew underneath - hello Pink Lady! I've already bought a dress from Etsy but you'll have to wait for the finished product. In the meantime I managed to stumble across these beauties and yes, it was love at first sight!

I found this pretty dress at the Salvos for $6. I love the style of this dress with its little capped sleeves and gorgeous colours. It has a ruffled hem and ruffling on each side of the row of buttons that goes down the middle.

I also found this wonderful wool/poly blend mustard coloured coat at Vinnies for $18! I have been craving a coat in this colour for a while and prayed hard that it was my size when I saw it. Lucky for me it's a small 10! I think this will turn out really nicely after a good dry clean. My Dad thinks it looks like one of the old jackets that real estate agents from Century 21 used to wear but I love it! It's a swing-style jacket that kind of flares out a bit at the bottom. I found a couple pairs of earrings and a brooch today as well. One pair are Avon earrings that cost 50c! Saving those for another post though ;)

Summer days

I mentioned towards the end of my last post that many op shops are beginning to open after the Christmas & New Year break. Now, and for the whole of January really, is a great time to go op shopping as people are de-cluttering for a fresh start to the year as well as donating unwanted Christmas pressies. I've had a bit of a de-clutter myself so hope to get my op shop on sometime this week when some nice (ie. below 40 degree) weather kicks in.

Speaking of the weather, here are some cute Summery dresses I found a while ago. Did you notice my segue there (as opposed to segway which is the thing you ride. Took me ages to figure that one out!) ?

This one's a Valley Girl dress (I'm beginning to see a theme with Valley Girl clothing) made from light cottony material with a cute matching bow at the front and cost $5.

This second one I think may have been made by hand as it doesn't have a tag. I think it would look cute with a light denim jacket. This one cost $2.

Both dresses need a little bit of altering of the straps and such. I'll have to get someone to do that for me; It's times like these I really wish I could sew!

Fill me with apples

Haven't op shopped much clothing in a while so thought I'd do a small post on these two tops I managed to nab at my favourite op shop when they were having a half price sale.

The on on the left is a navy Valley Girl top with apples all over it and cost $1.75. It zips up at the side so fits really nicely and has pleats at the front. The second one is a light blue dotty shirt from Temt, also with a zip up the side and cute puffy sleeves, which cost $1.25.

The coat hangers the tops are hanging on are most likely from an op shop too. Op shops are great for finding padded coat hangers, especially the knitted Nana style ones. I think these are better for your clothes than wire or plastic hangers. Hope you're all not melting in the heatwave! A lot of op shops re-open next week after the Christmas and New Year break so hopefully it will cool down a bit by then.

PS. You can now follow my blog with bloglovin'

Capes and things

As promised, here are some photos of the clothing I've collected over the past few weeks.

I got this Mink Pink dress from Gilles Street Market a few Sundays ago for $10. As well as second hand clothing, designers also sell clothing they've made, which can make the markets a little bit expensive. It just means you have to search extra hard for some hidden gems. I bought a necklace as well which I shall post about another time.

I found this cape (!) for $8 at an op shop a few weeks ago. It's 100% wool and so nice and warm :) It has a little scarf thing that's attached as well which is cute. I feel a little bit Lord of the Rings in it though so haven't been brave enough to wear it out. What do you think, is it too blanket-y looking?

I absolutely love this forest (emerald?) green skirt I found the other day for $4. It's a nice silky material with pale green lining on the inside. I think it's been handmade as there's no tag. Can't wait to wear this out somewhere, I already have a few outfits planned.

Lastly are these boots I found for $2. They're a little bit worn but I like that they look sort of beat-up and tough haha.

Tour de op shop

Mum and I had a great time on the op shop tour :) A bus took forty-five of us around to nine op shops in four hours. With a bus full of eager op shoppers (all ladies besides the driver, Bruce) Mum and I had to hone our bargain-hunting skills and put our elbows up. Our tour guide, Joanne, told us no one had ever gone home from an op shop tour without buying anything and we couldn't break the record now. Doesn't she know op shoppers don't operate well under pressure?! At the first three op shops ladies were buying bag fulls of clothing and other items, but neither Mum or I had found anything! I feared we had lost our op shopping mojo but Mum assured me not to despair...

I think it was in about our third stop where I found a gorgeous dress at the Unley Salvos. It's made of a silvery, sparkly kind of chiffon material and has a satin bow which ties around the back. I was surprised that the brand was Valley Girl because it's actually quite good quality and the last few times I've visited the shop I haven't felt very inspired by the clothing. It cost $13 and I almost didn't buy it because I'm used to the ridiculously cheap clothing at our local op shops. Mum (bascially) told me not to be so stingy and that was the end of that. I'm going to wear this to my cousin's wedding in October :) Sorry about the glaring light. Try not to look directly at it or it might temporarily blind you.

Our second to last stop was a Vinnies store which was our favourite op shop on the tour. Mum and I would have liked more time to look around, but we were on a tight schedule and it was kind of crowded. They were busy before we got there so an extra forty-five bargain hungry ladies didn't really help the claustrophobia factor. Mum ended up finding two necklaces - a silver Avon rose necklace for $4 which was for me, and a gold necklace, which we think has little bits of opal in it, for $2. I wasn't too sure about this one so Mum kept it for herself. I also got a little blue leaf-shaped dish for $1 that says "Fine China Made in Japan" on the back.

Even though some ladies were buying bag fulls of stuff, we didn't want to buy things just for the sake of it or come home with a whole lot of junk which is what I think some people did. Overall we had a really good time on the tour; it was good getting to visit op shops in areas we wouldn't normally get to, although because we had such a tight schedule we didn't get time to have a really good rummage. Some of the op shops were quite expensive; I have a thing for glomesh bags and they wanted $20 - $25 for the ones we saw! Made us appreciate the cheapness of our local op shops :)

Lady in red

I found (well technically Mum found) this gorgeously floaty batwing style Sportsgirl top a couple weeks ago at Mum and I's favourite Save The Children op shop. I don't usually shop at Sportsgirl as I find it to be a bit (a lot) expensive for a chainstore, so was very very very happy to pick this up at half price for a mere $1.75!

After a quick stop at another nearby op shop I picked up these earrings for $2 in total. The little old lady at the op shop informed me she had some similar ones at home and that $2 was a bargain because they're Avon earrings :) The earrings on the right matched the Sportsgirl top I'd picked up perfectly, so I wore both out to a housewarming party that night :)

Clothing

If you source your wardrobe from op shops you can find some really unique items and there's little chance someone will be wearing the same thing as you. It can be hard to find clothing in small sizes, so I was lucky to find these pieces...

Ladakh dress - $2.50
Colorado dress - $1
Free Fusion from Target dress - $1.75

I am yet to wear the Ladakh or Colorado dress, but I think I'd wear the first with shorts as its a bit short and slightly see through, and I'm imagining wearing the Colorado dress with a belt, black leggings or tights and a long cardi if it's cold. The Free Fusion dress is nice and cool for around home.

Little Potty Red Shoes dress - $8
Olive dotty dress - $2

I was really excited to find the Little Potty Red Shoes dress in Vinnies as I'd heard of this Adelaide designer before. The dress is really tight fitting but looks great, can't wait to wear it! The tag on the olive coloured dress has been cut off so not sure of the brand, but it looks nicer on than on the coat hanger. As much as I dislike the overuse of the word, it's very 'vintage' looking.

Mink Pink blouse - $1.75
Target lacy shirt - $2.50

I love both these shirts. Mink Pink is quite an expensive brand I think so was happy to find this.

Target jacket - $4
Jacqui E jacket - $12

Both these jackets are a great fit, but haven't had a chance to wear them yet as it hasn't been cool enough. $12 is usually more than I would pay for an op shop jacket but it fitted so well I couldn't say no.

So there's some of the clothing finds I've made at op shops over the holidays. Most of the clothes were extra cheap because they were half price =)