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
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
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
The New Artisans
If you own The Crafty Kid, you will have read about my good friend Olivier Dupon before. Olivier used to operate an exceptionally special French homewares store in Rozelle, Sydney called Lola et Moi. Since shutting up shop, he’s been working on his wonderfully edgy Dossier 37 blog, as well as this vast project: a collection of profiled artisans, published in Australia this month by Thames & Hudson.
The New Artisans captures the new mood in craftsmanship – a return to a preference for the unique and the handmade. Olivier, a former buyer for Christian Dior and various luxury labels, has sourced the cream of the contemporary design world from all over Europe, Australia and the United States, profiling 75 artisans who use craft techniques rather than mass-production methods to create stylish, whimsical, covetable objects. 850+ colour photographs feature a huge variety of crafts including art, ceramics, furniture, glasswork, jewellery, lighting, metalwork, papercraft, textiles and woodwork. Complete with a directory of products, and personal recommendations for inspiring shops and websites to visit, his is the perfect resource for discovering unique and beautiful objects made by new, talented artisans from all around the world.
Here’s some of my favourite spreads and profiled artisans below – ‘like’ the Facebook page for regular updates. A further book is already in the works… top secret for now, but more to follow soon I’m sure. Prepare to be inspired!
Inspired by… vintage ethnic
Old as the hills: cross-stitch skirt from Vietnam's Sapa region
I’ve been asked quite a lot lately about my favourite eras in fashion… difficult to answer, given the latest book is all about cherry-picking the best bits from the past and mixing up your references. But my response is the 1950s for evening wear (for the drama and decadence and romance which followed the sheer austerity of the war years) and 1970s by day.
Why? Because despite its awful connotations of wide lapels, shag hairdos and disco-babe synthetics, I simply adore the global mood which found its way into fashion with the advent of widespread air travel. Previously far-flung countries such as Morocco and India and those in the the Far East opened up as desirable holiday destinations, and infected fashion with a hippie luxe vibe and sense of adventure. The seventies foray into kaftans, bell sleeves, floaty scarves and historic decorative techniques is irresistable, and not dissimilar to the Ballet Russes / Oriental-inspired mood of the 1920s (but seventies pieces are easier to find, and will set you back less).
The golden years of fashion in fifties America also saw some dabbling in cross-cultural references. South Pacific-inspired florals, Mexican tooling and vibrant prints ruled, and I’m always on the lookout for those items which have survived a good half-century or more to be worn today (case in point, the bandeaus seen in recent runway cruise collections – very fifties but very now).
As a mother who works from home, this sort of detail – worn elegantly dishevelled – always wins out over clean lines for me, and informs the relaxed vibe of a modern home and wardrobe. If only these crafty, authentic techniques with metallic thread, mirrors, dye and pattern-mixing were available in mainstream fashion, and not just for the couture crowd. A trip to Rajasthan is on the cards, as I’d love a lesson in how to do it myself. Maybe when Olive hits five, and we can start her off as well. Long live these ancient skills.
Afghan charm: seventies kaftan
South of the border, down Mexico way: a fifties hand-painted circle skirt
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
Castle & Things
Work in progress by Rachel Castle
Rachel Castle is one clever lady. I don’t usually do ‘serious’ art, which is why I adore her whimsical, bright, playful pieces. Check out the website for new designs, beautiful bedlinen I guarantee you’ll love, and pretty paper garlands. Even a sunshine-coloured velvet pompom cushion or two. Delicious.
Top ten tips for a DIY childrens’ party
We had a little shindig for Olive’s 3rd birthday yesterday. Here’s my top 10 tips for hosting a successful, vintage-inspired birthday party for kids:
1. Take it outside – pray to all your gods for good weather, throw open the doors and festoon the backyard with decorations and a cheerful 50s tablecloth or two. Or find a prime spot in a local park with access to shade, picnic tables and a playground. Stake out your colony with blankets and a radio tuned to hits.
2. Set a theme for the children – how about simply dress-ups? Easy on the grown-ups, and lenient enough to allow for princess, fairy and pirate fixations.
3. Bunting – festive, easy, cute… need I say more?
4. Be at one with the sugar content – there are times when fairy bread, cupcakes, lollies and chocolate are okay. This is one of them (adults won’t be complaining, either).
5. Keep it short, sweet and small – set a time limit of say, two hours, and only invite friends your children recognize. All-day affairs with squillions of guests are a modern, somewhat tiring phenomenon.
6. Old school games – pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey, What’s the time, Mr Wolf?, egg & spoon and 3-legged races are all oldies, but goodies. Pack a few extra prizes for cheering up teary kids who came last.
7. Alcohol – for the grown-ups, obviously; reward for spending their precious weekend watching a bunch of kids go nuts. Failsafe drinks? Champagne and Bloody Marys. And keep the number of guests without children to a minimum (your twenty-something co-worker might say they’d love to come but trust me, she’s just being polite).
8. Save your efforts until children are old enough to realise what’s going on. If you start with the first birthday, you’ll be over it by the time they hit 3, and that’s when the fun really starts.
9. Keep a list of who gave what – parents will appreciate a thoughtful note, saying thank you for the welcome doll/Lego/book/princess shoes they spent good time making or shopping for.
10. Goodie bags for all the kids – compensation for watching their host tear apart gifts with wild abandon, screaming ‘mine, mine, mine!’
Spring has sprung
Sixties silk kaftan from Rozelle markets, pre-repair
This week Sydney has turned on her charms like the cancan dancer she is, and made me remember why I love living in this city. The balmy breath wending its way through the house today is dispelling the cold memory of winter, and the air seems to thrum with its energy. Ah, spring.
Yesterday I wore a silk kaftan for the first time since March – with bare legs – and was overwhelmed by a desire to throw open all the windows and doors, and take to every space in the home with a duster, in full-on editing mode.
Hello, window-box geraniums. Hello post-dawn morning yoga classes, and trips to the fish markets. Goodbye winter colds, let’s be done with you. Come hither, sun.
Windowbox cheer
Swapping wool for DK cotton - my somewhat wonky decorative crocheted potholder
Storybook Rabbit
Hand-painted bunny plate from Storybook Rabbit
My new favourite Etsy shop – how fab are the chain-link scarves and reinvented vintage saucers at Storybook Rabbit? And I especially like these unique laser-cut brooches.
Chainlink scarf in Autumn colours
Polka dot bunny brooch
Hipster bunnies
Pinspiration & yet more crochet love
Crocheted mushrooms from I Knit
Hours whizz by perusing Pinterest, the virtual mood board for all things inspiring. Type in crochet, and there you have some of the cutest, weirdest things anyone could think to make. Love it.
Don’t ask me why, but I’m obsessed with crocheting fruit at the moment. The plan is to fill little bowls around the house with fancies (just because I can). Here’s the first attempt below – two pears and a strawberry, made from one of my Japanese pattern books (which is entirely in Japanese – a bit of a punt following its instructions, but we get there in the end). The pears measure about 5cm from top to bottom, using a 1.75mm crochet needle. I’m going solo next, and trying to attempt making my own cherries and apples.
Fruitbowl
Below is our pinboard, depository of all beloved imagery in the kitchen, and the crocheted brooch I made Olive recently but am saving for a day when she won’t cause some horrific accident or maim herself with it (bull in a china shop doesn’t come close to covering it, god love her).
Kitchen pinboard = happiness
Klimt would love this Koigu yarn
And check out my new crochet bag, found at the Rozelle markets a few weeks ago. It’s currently storing the shapes below for a new, Swedish-style blanket I’m whipping up in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino – heaven to touch.
Will this crochet obsession ever end?
A cheery little crochet bag
Another blanket on the way