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
Garage Sale Trail
Raggedy Ann 1930s sundress - before
Have you heard about this huge annual sustainability event, organised by the clever people at City of Sydney and local councils across Australia?
This Saturday 5 May’s Garage Sale Trail is looking to be massive, with ambassadors Marnie Skillings and Liane Rossler (Dinosaur Designs) on board, and sales all over the city at Cloth Fabric, The Society Inc. etc. Let’s hope the gorgeous weather holds out for some enthusiastic bargain-hunting. For some excellent guerilla garage sale shopping tips, click here.
I’ll be doing a workshop at the Sydney Antique Centre from 2-4pm this Saturday on how to upcycle vintage & secondhand clothes. There’s a few spots left if you’re keen to sign up, and I’ll be posting some images here on the blog soon so you can see some of the transformations we made to tired & damaged pieces.
... and after
Anhedonia
I came across this word in a Jonathan Franzen novel recently (the man’s a genius – I can’t imagine forgetting Freedom like, ever) and keep returning to it. What’s it mean? The inability to experience joy when you really should be.
That’s about the exact opposite of what I’m aiming for. I want to remember why life is so awesome. Every. Single. Day. When lazing on the sofa, licking the bowl, mastering a tricky skill or experiencing the pure thrill of not collapsing after a set of crunches. Needless to say, a happy family, fine meal and all the other super good stuff should inspire paroxysms of the stuff. Yep. That’s my goal.
Seems like every email or newsletter I receive lately, someone is harping on about how busy they are. So busy! No time to breathe! I’m the same – every message or conversation starts with “Sorry I haven’t been in touch / apologies for the delay responding.” Note to self: journey, journey, journey.
I want to share with you this very American TED talk I’m trying to live by. It’s about training your brain to be happy and redefining your idea of success. Which can only be a good thing, right?
Annual Fashion Less Waste competition
Robert J. Carroll from Strand Hatters with the entrants awarded for having the best accesssory hats in 2011. Photography by Stuart Humphreys.
Have you heard about Fashion Less Waste, the Australian Museum’s annual fashion design competition? I hadn’t, but it sounds brilliant: entrants are asked to design and construct an outfit mostly made from materials used for non-clothing purposes/recycled materials, which are judged by such luminaries as Akira Isogawa, Dinosaur Designs’ Louise Olsen and Kelley Sheenan of the excellent Peppermint Magazine. This year, entrants are asked to find inspiration from creatures of the deep.
Fashion Less Waste aims to encourage a more sustainable fashion industry and foster an appreciation of the natural world. Entrants can win cash prizes, have their outfit featured at a gala catwalk event, and the winners’ work will be on public display at Sydney venues including the Museum, Strand Arcade and Reverse Garbage. The finalists will be revealed at a fashion parade on 26 July at the Museum itself.
Entries close 5pm 8 May 2012. For competition details and more photos and videos from previous years, click here.
Nicola Jacobsen models the 2011 winning entry by Stephanie Powell from Sydney
Isabella Mason wears the runner-up design of Katie Coogan-Mason & Maiki-Jane Blakeney from the Shoalhaven region of NSW, 2011
(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.
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
Costume Appreciation 101
Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in The Artist
I went to see this at the Open Air Cinema a few nights ago and anticipated admiring the recreations of 1920s and early 30s-era screen style, but was unsure about a silent, black & white film enthralling for the full 100 minutes. But I adored The Artist, the new French film nominated to win a Golden Globe tonight, which is pure delight from start to finish. Featuring one of the best tap dance scenes in cinema history, it also gets my vote for best film ending ever.
But back to the vintage-look threads: costume designer Mark Bridges previously styled Mark Wahlberg and Heather Graham (aka Dirk Diggler and the memorable ‘Roller Girl’) as 1970s porn stars in Boogie Nights, and Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz’s as 60s drug dealers in suits and maxidresses for Blow. A good part of my enjoyment in each film came from soaking up the era-appropriate set design and costumes, and The Artist is no different. I was in danger of missing some excellent sight gags while off on a brain-tangent admiring the painstakingly-detailed frocks and embroidered cloches in this charming, clever film. And who knew a top hat and tails could be so very appealing?
Vintage lovers, you must watch this. Then opt for a spot of real-time fashion, forties-style with The Maltese Falcon and Notorious, two of my favourite old-Hollywood b&w flicks, which I’m currently digging out of the DVD cabinet. Watch the film trailer for The Artist here, and feel free to comment with your own favourite costume films. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris was another recent favourite.
- ‘Peppy Miller’ – peppy by name, peppy by nature
'George Valentin' - eat your heart out, Clark Gable
Cocktail Couture
Come to this event in the Blue Mountains if you can – it’s for a good cause and a visit to the mountains always lifts the spirits, don’t you think? I’ll be attending in one of Charlotte’s precious frocks from The Darnell Collection. Can’t wait.
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
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