A truly beautiful Minxy mix of charm, inspiration, practical advice, and pretty projects to simplify and beautify your life and home. - Jane Brocket, The Gentle Art of Domesticity
The countdown is on… competition closes Monday
A touch of Dior
You only have a few days to get your Minxy Vintage Treasure Hunt entries in, dearies. Here’s a few favourite recent entries (I do like the clothes displayed on real people, and more atmospheric shots… you look awesome, clever readers).
How ever will I pick a winner?
Best $6 ever spent
The Wonder Years
Nana got style... Edna & Irene in the '40s
That Green Dress
Peachy Dreams
Home again, home again
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of events and book-related activities. Just chatting with other vintage lovers has been deeply good for the soul, and reaffirmed my passion for all things with a past and a story to tell.
The only downside is, my family and home are feeling a little neglected. Nothing a relatively free weekend in together won’t fix, and some hours spent gently reacquainting myself with house & garden. This morning I’ve been adjusting favourite corners of the home and tweaking here and there in my own version of spring cleaning, which has less to do with dusting and more to do with delight in finding new ways to display things.
I’ve returned home to a riot of flowers in the front garden – three summers after small clippings were planted, the star jasmine is finally taking over and curling prettily up the facade. Along with gardenia bushes which have seen fit to bloom after long months of tightly-furled buds, the scent through our open bedroom windows is intoxicating.
It’s good to be home.
Delicious new reading material
Love Vintage wrap-up
Ah, Love Vintage… why are you over until March next year? I’m in withdrawal.
Glam 1930s-era hairpiece from Circa Vintage Hats
Last weekend’s event was by far the biggest and most buzziest I’ve been to in some time. Perhaps it’s because vintage is so hot right now (need evidence, Mugatu? Read this article… if the Tele says so it must be true). Or perhaps it’s because all the workshops and talks – which I adored, by the way, and thanks to the scores of lovely people who attended mine – were just brimming with enthusiasm and admiration for such high-quality pieces from yesteryear. Indeed you could barely hear yourself think above the chatter, tip-sharing and general gasps when gowns fit like the proverbial glove. It was every vintage vixen’s dream.
Heart it: true vintage by Rosalie, Giorgio & Robyn
Channelling Betty Draper / Veronica Lake, thanks to Mistress Chrissy of the Lindy Charm School
How many 50s prom dresses can one girl own?
Jess Guthrie weaves a little feather magic
Lindy Charm school recreates Underbelly: Razor
I may not wear vintage head to toe in everyday life, but this was the place to indulge latent screen siren fantasies. Thanks to the fabulous Chrissy, Lucy Topp and ladies of the Lindy Charm School for Girls for their stunning ‘dos, MC Bonnie Rose and to Charlotte Smith of Dreaming of Dior fame & the Darnell Collection for her fascinating forays into clothing’s social history. Not to mention all the dealers who made the journey out to Canterbury Racecourse to sell their wares. Thank you thank you Coco Repose, Garden Street Bazaar, Empire 47 and Circa Vintage Hats, to name but a few.
Until next year.
Orange silk poppies on my immaculate Coco Repose 60s Wiggle dress
Garden Street Bazaar for spectacular vintage everything
And today's job: tea-dyeing white lace to cover the holes in a 1950s coolie-style hat
Frocks published in China & Love Vintage
I just returned home after a lovely, meandering chat about vintage on morning radio with ABC 702′s Deborah Cameron and setting up a Minxy Vintage window display at Cammeray Bookshop, when I heard the news A Life in Frocks is being translated into Chinese! What a thrill to see my book written in the language I so struggled with learning a decade ago (Mandarin, that is… although I was living in Hong Kong at the time, I didn’t even attempt Cantonese – typical gwei-lo).
Pop on your dancing shoes & head to Love Vintage
Writing this post in a stolen half hour before heading off to Love Vintage, in full shopping mode and ready to officially open the fair tonight (shopping first, officiating second). Here’s a few reasons why you need to be there:
- Discover stylish, quirky, glamorous gear for girls and guys, plus designer vintage fashions from New York, London and Paris
- Attend my free workshops on how to wear and revamp vintage for a modern look
- Shop for linen, lace, jewellery, antique tablecloths, hand-made aprons, buckles, vintage sewing patterns, magazines, antique prints, jewelled ’50s compacts & lipstick cases, rare Bakelite brooches, the prettiest parasols, and so much more
- See summer and special occasion fashion presented by Mistress of Parades, Miss Bonnie Rose
- Learn tips and tricks for perfect ‘hair and hat’ race-day styling with the Mistresses from the Lindy Charm School for Girls
- Enjoy presentations of gorgeous gowns from the 1920s-70s
- Buy fabulous shoes, hats and handbags to complement a race-day outfit, classic suit to wear in the office, or to-die-for party dress.
Tonight is ‘Best Dressed in Vintage’ night, so dress to impress. There’s also prizes being given out all weekend, so you can rock your favourite vintage look anytime at the show.
Be there or be square.
Learn of the Evans sisters' intriguing story, and see their original 1930s dresses up close
Feather magic
Jessica Guthrie & me at the Minxy Vintage launch
The Sydney Antique Centre hosted a small soiree for us last Thursday night to celebrate the opening of Coco Repose’s 1900s-1980s clothing retrospective, and launch of Minxy Vintage over truffles, tea and champagne. To see more pictures taken by The Sunday Telegraph, click here.
The setting perfectly demonstrated how a little vintage goes a long way, and if there was a theme at all, it was feathers. I’ve always been intrigued by the use of feathers in vintage hairpieces and clothing, and as a design motif. Indeed, it was the shimmery emerald sheen of the feathers shown above which inspired the entire design of Minxy Vintage, keeping it rich and jewel-toned instead of illustrated with the pretty pastels seen in many other gorgeous vintage titles.
A feathery headpiece or strip of feathers added to a jacket or coat (as I’ve done with the 1960s-era black lace bed jacket shown above) is just the ticket for understated glam.
Feathered friends = instant party plumage.
Florence Broadhurst peacock feathers from Signature Prints
Vintage headgear on display at the Antique Centre
My dear friend Lisa & her Dad, sporting 1940s feather headpiece
The Treasure Hunt is ON
Drive me Miss Daisy
I know I shouldn’t play favourites, but here’s three supercool new entries in the Minxy Vintage Treasure Hunt. Daisy’s a cutie, but you know what would make her a knockout? Some added 60s vintage beading at the neck and hem. Dee’s already snipped her off to a better length for pin-strutting. Watch out.
More, please… vicarious thrills for me, and fab prizes for you.
nutty clutch
Poodle please - Candy Jayne's customised skirt