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
(How I wish I could) hit the UK vintage trail
Desperate to tag along on this divine-sounding adventure, but sadly I think it might be out of the question for this year… Perhaps you can go and report back? Promise to quell the envy. Dreaming of Dior’s Charlotte Smith has collaborated with Travelling Divas to create a tour of Vintage UK, including fashion, culture, gorgeous accommodation and stunning historic sights for an intimate group.
From Charlotte:
“I am so very excited to introduce this tour: London is my favourite city in the world and countryside UK is unbeatable, particularly in the Somerset, Dorset and Devon areas we’ll be visiting on our fabulous luxury journey. Dynamic, sophisticated, full of so much history, culture and now a true gourmet’s delight with some of the best restaurants in the world, this elegant and stylish tour is a combination of all the places I love most, with inclusions to die for.
We stay in beautiful accommodation at the Bath Spa Hotel, will be pampered at the divine Bovey Castle in Dartmoor (why not indulge in a little falconry or sloe gin making?) and finish in London at the stylish Montague on the Gardens, a converted town house in the heart of Bloomsbury which was once the favourite stamping ground of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Set. Indulging our need for retail throughout, we visit some of the best vintage shops you can find, including those frequented by the celebrity set; in London we spend a day learning how to combine vintage with high street, including a private shopping session at Harvey Nichols. To get our fill of the fabulous British culture, we hit some of the greatest museums on offer and visit beautiful stately homes; spend time with a world expert on Indigo Dye and clothing on the silk route; go behind the scenes with the Curator of the Museum of London costume department; enjoy a private tour and breakfast in the Orangerie at Kensington Palace before it is open to the public, and spend an afternoon with Victoria & Albert, checking out the amazing exhibition of ‘British Glamour: Ballgowns since the 1950′s’, finally heading out on our own private London Bus for sightseeing and lunch at Fortnum & Mason’s. Oh, and did I mention French Bubbles on the London Eye? We haven’t forgotten pampering either with a spa treatment at Bovey; the food aspect is covered with many meals included (including a private dinner at River Cottage) plus a night at the Theatre. But with so much to talk about I think the itinerary is the best place to get the full details!”
For more info, click here.
Craft for every season
Stripy shopper
Okay so it’s Autumn here in Sydney, but to celebrate the release of Crafts for Every Season (a.k.a. The Crafty Minx) with US publisher Thunder Bay Books, here’s the instructions for my super-simple ‘Spring is Here shopper bag’, made from lovely linen fabric from No Chintz. Fold and pop one of these cloth shoppers in your handbag year-round to avoid plastic and remember: it’s all about the print!
Youtube channel: callout to aspiring videographers
I’ve just returned from a two week holiday in the south island of New Zealand and week-long retreat at Varuna Writers’ Centre, finishing off the first draft of book 5 (more on that soon). Now, if I could just move The Remarkables mountains of Queenstown to Sydney (yes they’re really called that) I’d be in heaven.
Feels like I blinked and missed the last few months, but new projects have been keeping me busy and awake at night, as well as a determination to get fit (sadly I lost the right to use babyweight as an excuse when Olive turned 3… the 5am starts are a killer) and entertaining all sorts of life-changing thoughts. Namely, how can I do more with The Crafty Minx, keep everything else running smoothly and still find time to actually create? I’m up for the challenge.
One of my plans is to add short tutorials, author talks and how-to videos on my Youtube channel to offer you a bit extra in addition to the books and for international readers, and to introduce a wider range of crafts I’ve been investigating, such as bookbinding and quilting. I wrote The Crafty Minx to share how easy it is to find joy in making things by hand when daily life conspires to keep us away, so I’m hoping you’ll be inspired to try some of these skills yourself and spread the word.
If you know any videographers, cinematographers or producers who might be interested in taking part in my Youtube project, I have a small budget but elephantine memory for good works! Please ask them to email me at kelly@thecraftyminx.com.au, and stay tuned for more news,
x
Lordy, it’s Love Vintage
Back to the Future
Feels like yesterday we were having a ball at the last Love Vintage, and yet the next one’s on in less than a month. The new venue means more stalls, more events, more fantastic people-watching opportunities and more vintage thrills. Plus I’m doing workshops again on Saturday and Sunday. Can’t. Wait.
Check out these pics from last year’s festivities, and pop March 23-25 in the diary – hope to see you at one of the workshops below.
Cheongsams and fur
Lindy Charm School for Girls
Stayin' Alive
Can't beat a turban
Vintage clothing restoration with Kelly Doust
Saturday 24 March @ 11am, Sunday 25 March @ 12pm
The bestselling author of Minxy Vintage, A Life in Frocks and The Crafty Minx will be sharing her hints, tips and creative ideas for restoring all vintage clothing at this free workshop. Come along to hear Kelly’s advice on how to fix or customise preloved and damaged pieces, giving them a new lease of life for many years to come. These are fun, easy and environmentally friendly skills for even the least crafty. Feel free to bring along an item or two for specific advice on restoration – after this workshop you’ll never look at those less-than-perfect finds the same way again.
My top five tips for revitalising vintage pieces:
- Shattered silk and holes can be almost invisibly repaired with iron-on bonding – available from Spotlight and most haberdasheries – paired with fabric sneakily borrowed from a generous seam or hem (this works best on printed fabrics rather than block colours).
- Expel musty odours by dipping your vintage piece in a warm bath and adding ½-full cup of white vinegar. Dry in the shade before dipping in a second bath, this time with a few drops of sweet-scented lavender or grapefruit oil, to eradicate the smell of vinegar.
- Eucalyptus and tea tree oil remove stubborn oil stains and chewing gum. Simply apply directly to fabric, before finishing with a handwash or popping hardier items in the washing machine.
- Most other stains can be faded or disappear with Napisan. Dip item in dissolved solution and dry in full sunlight without rinsing. The enzymes react with the sun to bleach stains (be aware this may also fade bright colours or delicate fabrics – try a test patch first).
- Badly stained items are easily revitalised by dyeing to a new hue. Some shades are harder to achieve when added to the original fabric colour but when in doubt, black covers almost everything and is eternally chic.
Signed copies of Kelly’s books will be available at Love Vintage from Coco Repose (stall no.C02) and at both workshops.
Thinking stencils
Damask Fleur de Lys Stencil, hennydonovanmotif.co.uk
We have a sort of alcove in the hallway which, up until recently, was decorated with mismatched frames portraying family photographs, illustrations, artwork and favourite postcards, but I took them all down in readiness for a change. I know the entire hallway would look striking and gorgeous wallpapered on both sides, but I’m loathe to make such a big commitment (have you seen what a faff it is to remove? Scary). So my new thought is creating a stencil to repeat in the alcove, then try out down one wall and then the other, depending on how it looks. At the very worst, I can paint over the lot.
Here’s a few motifs I’m considering – fleur de lys, crowns, tropical birds or orchids – but perhaps we’ll steer away from the traditional with a Banksy-inspired graffiti print, which could work a treat. Decisions, decisions.
Graphics Fairy crown motif
Rainforest mural, madstencillist.com
Orchid, madstencillist.com
Banksy poster
Another favourite Banksy creation
Upcoming events for 2012
Visit the Events page to find some of the places I’ll be appearing at this year to speak about Minxy Vintage. Free styling sessions, workshops and champagne soirees aplenty… hope to see you at one or more.
x
Graduate designer Rebecca Bombacci
It’s the unique theories behind a designer’s work I find most inspiring, such as Luella Bartley and her debut Daddy I Want A Pony collection back in 1998.
I met Rebecca recently, a graduate from the University of Technology, who shares the collection created for her course with me here. Based on how life on the road inspires the use of nature as shelter and protection, Rebecca used raw fabrics such as wool, cashmere and leather and created her own contemporary lace from alpaca fleece. Softer textures were inspired by the longing for comfort, warmth and familiarity when moving around or living out of a suitcase. The harder elements seen in the leather pieces suggest the natural human instinct for shelter and protection, hence the earthy tones. Apart from the shoes, this is all her original design work – designed, pattern made and sampled, with outsource assistance brought in for the final garments where specialised equipment was needed (dyeing, leather construction, etc).
I love Rebecca’s futuristic take on such old, raw materials, and her adventurousness with accessories. It’s something to keep in mind: even if your own machine doesn’t do the job, there are ways and means of having your ideas turned into reality.
Sonia Hensler illustrations
Sonia Hensler private commission
I’ve been researching illustrators recently for a new project I’m working on, and happened to come across the work of Sonia Hensler. Sonia’s work incorporates traditional drawing, mixed media and photography which is so modern and very now, with commissions including magazines and fashion brands such as The Wall Street Journal, Coco de Mer and TopShop, amongst others.
These are some of my favourites which I thought I’d share - loving the carnival atmosphere and opulence of her dreamy concoctions.
Wall Street Journal coverT-shirt design for Topshop Bus campaign, Warsaw
T-shirt design for Topshop
Self-portrait, Sonia Hensler
Feeling fifties (again and again and again)
Bring it on
Behold the latest Prada campaign. Is this gas station chic or what? Totally mesmerised by the Pink Ladies-meets Betty Page-meets To Catch A Thief feel of Miucca’s new collection, which appears to be shot in out-takes from the drag race scene in Grease. Check out the flame-rider shoes, won’t you, paired with all that bling from the new jewellery collection.
Somewhat more than inspired.
Pretty in Pink
Printastic
To the Riviera please, driver
The matching set - Michael Pitt gets in on the act
Paper craft by Anna-Wili Highfield
Horse mask for Hermès
If the craft material of choice for winter is woolly yarn, for the sizzling days of summer it must surely be paper. I’ve long admired the cool, modern style of Sydney-based artist Anna-Wili Highfield’s paper sculptures, having seen them in various magazines and window displays over the years. They have the still-life fascination of taxidermy but the abstract details of torn paper, hanging threads and hinted-at forms make them more lively and desirable than any stuffed animal.
Currently working with paper and copper pipe, Highfield’s paper pieces are constructed from archival cotton paper which is painted and sewn together. Her commercial clients include Carla Zampatti, Bianca Spender, Anthropologie and Hermès, with client commissions from across the globe. One day I would love to purchase one of my own. Perhaps a paper Pegasus, or one of her many fine owl studies.
Boobook
Copper deer sculpture
Robin
Anna-Wili Highfield portrait, Jai Odell