Kelly Doust introduces readers to her wonderful world of reviving and customising vintage pieces, while bringing a modern and unique twist to wearing vintage clothes – Dita Von Teese
Galerie Montmartre
Le Rouge Baiser
Every couple of months I browse the online gallery of vintage advertising posters at Galerie Montmartre. I’ve been wanting to purchase one since I saw them at a vintage market years ago, but how to make a decision? I don’t want to run into the one I choose everywhere.
There’s a new shipment in. I might bite the bullet and get one of these. I’m thinking the cat for Olive’s room, and the red lipstick or Chanel No.5 for my new walk-in robe (ha! just need to convince James we should convert the study… wish me luck).
Le chat
Chanel sac
Living Room
Updated frock number one
Last weekend the lovely Katrina and I stopped in at Black Star Pastry on Newtown’s Australia Street for morning tea. We didn’t have time to shop, but next door I spied this little gem of a store and earmarked it for visiting later.
I made it there on Wednesday and what a discovery: they’re doing exactly the same thing I’ve been doing with naff retro frocks for years, except with a much more inventive twist: whereas I’ll raise hems, shorten sleeves, and occasionally dare to cut a new neckline or snip off shoulder pads and shorten the width of the shoulders – adding a huge belt to cinch the whole thing in – the clever people at Living Room are adding details like elastic ruching on skirts, elastic on cap sleeves to add a puffy little flourish, and doing fun things with buttons to boot. The shop displays have a more-is-more effect, but you can pare any of them down for simple chic.
I wanted to buy this tiny blue number, but ended up purchasing the one below for a song instead. Prices vary but you’re not looking at paying a hell of a lot more than you would for pre-transformed eighties frocks from the Rozelle markets.
Bargain!
My little Balenciaga-style number
All sorts of goodies
Front window - cute hat as brooch
More crazy crochet
These are by Kate Jenkins, an artist from Brighton in the UK who was featured recently on Lost at E Minor – what did I say about food theming? Love it.
Inspiration everywhere
The engagement
I first saw this gorgeous site on Distillate. Is this not the cutest couple you’ve ever seen? J’adore the circus theme of their wedding.
This gets my crafty mind to thinking… have resolved to make Olive a strong man and bearded lady from remnant bits and pieces of fabric tout suite.
Easy peasy craft: I’m just going to find an illustration, scan it, print it out on iron-on paper from Officeworks then iron onto simple calico or hemp. Then I’ll cut two layers around the image and sew up by hand, stuffing with chopped-up bits of old jumpers as I go. Does that make sense?
And I’m going to make a kissing booth from cardboard and acrylic paint, because being a sideshow freak can be lonely.
Pics by Josh Goleman – what a genius.
Cutest darn wedding frock I ever did see
Excellent pompom skirt, lady
Bring back the kissing booth
Dance kids, dance
Too cute
A barn dance
A moment on the lips, forever on the hips
Craft gone mad
Fellow Crafty Minx Jody brought this hamburger dress to my attention – thanks Jody. What a unique marriage of two of my favourite things… a cheeky little frock and kooky craft all (crocheted) in one.
Would you dare? I might… just for kicks.
In praise of graffiti
Cute harlequin chick
That said (see previous post), even I am not immune to the gritty charms of graffiti. Wouldn’t want it on my home, but it’s fab living by some of the best graffiti art in Sydney. Newtown in particular – I love walking through the back streets. Favourite friezes above and below…
You gotta love Lichtenstein
Day of the dead
Aliens on the loose
Japanese dream
Oh Jimmy
Too cool for school
Future killer
Enchanted castle
Life's easier post-lobotomy
She loves Wheels & Dollbaby
Terrific trompe l’oeil
Trompe l'oeil French courtyard
I’m looking for a trompe l’oeil artist for two reasons: one, to create a cumquat topiary tree inside the recess near our red front door (it would look lovely against the pale dusty blue our home is painted) and two, to create an entire trompe l’oeil Tuscan garden against the neighbour’s wall (if only we can convince them first, and so that we don’t have a view of boring red bricks). Look at some of these – aren’t they amazing?
Trompe l'oeil cages
Secret steps
Tuscan courtyard with fountain
And if we go for the painted garden, we can finally put James’ idea of graffiti-ing the wall instead to bed. Too urban indeed for my tastes!
Buttons maketh the outfit
Winter coat with vintage horn buttons
It’s incredible how different an item of clothing can look if you change its buttons. I am forever swapping fastenings on favourite coats and cardigans to update or transform them into something new. Buttons in bright, contrasting colours will draw attention and can make boring high street clothes look far more expensive than they really are. Get rid of chipped or tarnished metallic buttons and replace dull plastic with vintage pearl, bone, shell or horn as I’ve done here.
Some of my favourite places for new buttons: All Buttons Great & Small, Bird Textiles and Ici et La. For cheap-as-chips tins of miscellaneous buttons, try your local charity store or flea market. And don’t despair if you can’t find a full set: who says they have to match?
Found: cute buttons
Covered buttons from Bird Textiles
Random acts of kindness
From Katrina & James via Jodie McGregor Flowers
It’s so easy to forget birthdays, get caught up in things, not register the milestones in friends’ lives. One can always do better, non?
Flowers arrived this week on Olive’s birthday, accompanied by a note congratulating us on making it through the first year. I heart friends.
Olive & I made these thank you cards. Well, Olive flailed about and grew increasingly tetchy while I hurriedly covered her in paint and splodged a few hand prints on parchment. I wish I wasn’t wearing my cream cashmere cardigan at the time. But I can tell she’s grateful, too… deep down.
Thank you
Hoorah for the 50s
Too too fabulous bikini
There’s only one thing more demoralising to shop for than a flattering, comfortable, flat shoe. Yes – the annual cozzie. There’s something about the absence of sun, sand or sea (and the presence of fluorescent light) that has me close to tears every time. And I’m afraid it gets worse with each passing year.
When I was 19 I found the most perfect 50s one-piece swimsuit in a secondhand clothing store. Bright yellow cotton, it had a kind of cross-hatched design in black and white like the surface of formica, and stiff conical cups; perky as you like. I had it re-lined by a clever seamstress and wore it until it grew threadbare – both on the beach and as a playsuit (I was 19) – but I’ve been chasing the train to reach swimsuit nirvana ever since.
No more! Balmain’s Prue Trollope stocks these cheery numbers and the flattering fit and polka dots (who doesn’t love a polka dot!?) had me smiling seconds before I purchased it on the spot. I’ve no desire to turn back the clock to pre-feminism, but hoorah for the era that embraced womanly curves. If only they served cocktails on the beach.