Snippets of the City

I LOVE Melbourne. The CBD is alive with culture, fashion, food and fun. But I remember a time when that wasn't really the case. Being the age I am (no need to guess at that folks) I remember when the CBD was pretty dead. Full of business people during the day, dingy empty allies, shoppers in the Bourke Street Mall only and NOTHING at night - save the Metro Nightclub and a few pockets of restaurants. Bravo to all those involved with transforming Melbourne's CBD into one of the hippest, fun-loving, creative and delightful city centres on the globe today. Here are some of my own personal favourite places to hang out when I'm downtown - all with a tinge of something vintagey about them.....

 

Cookie

 

A fantastic restaurant on Swanston Street, buzzing with fun art, great music and of course, yummy food. I particularly love the Little Golden Books on display and the wall of lipstick kisses.

Captains of Industry

Gentlemans outfitter and café. Once again, this place has a wonderful vibe - great music, great food, great atmosphere. AND you can watch a vintage style barber, shoemaker and taylor at work while you sip your late. Fun.

 

 

Clementines

 

This place is Divine with a capital D. Every city should have a store like this. Every regional town should have a store like this. In their own words "We love to bring you produce and products made and crafted in Victoria, Australia. We're very proud of our artisan makers and growers." Totally brilliant. Need I say more?

 

 

 

La Belle Miette

 

Oo la la ! My daughter (Rainbow Girl) and her Fancy Nancy books would swoon at this shop. Macaroons in every colour of the rainbow - the perfect fuel for a superhero princess. (Can I let you in on a little secret though? Super Mummy also thinks this shop is a dream, and simply breathing in the beauty of this boutique patisserie is enough to empower you for a day's shopping.)

 

 

 

 

Circa Vintage

 

Who doesn't love glamorous vintage frocks these days??? Read any novel worth its salt, watch any timeless movie, pick up any history of fashion coffee table book and vintage dressing or classic clothing features in inspiring forms. The same is easily said of Circa Vintage. Although a little, shall we say, intriguing to find, this beautiful vintage clothing shop, perched on the second floor of one of Elizabeth Street's darling art deco buildings, is well worth hunting for - the victory of discovering such a treasure only adds to the memorable experience!

 

 

 

So there you go. My five favourite destinations in Melbourne CBD. For that something different, wonderful, creative and quirkey, this beautiful city wins every time. Hoping to bring you more great destinations as I venture into inner city suburbs in months to come.



Vintage Living Fashion - Swimwear Sirens!

Alice Jean's is all about living with a vintage aesthetic in a modern world. It's about leaving behind the need to want and have the latest and greatest in exchange for classic, timeless, holistic living. No where is this more visually evident than in the clothes I wear - home made from classic patterns, bequeathed to me or purchased from thrifting shops, my increasingly bulging wardrobe is full of outfits and a certain style that I hope will endure through the changing tides of the fashion ocean.

 

I wanted to share my belief that a vintage look can work timelessly today in our modern world, and so I have embarked upon a series of fashion shoots using my beautiful friends, my beautiful clothes and my beautiful home country. I do hope you enjoy these fashion posts as much as I have enjoyed bringing them to you - infact I have found it quite addictive, I think there will be many more to come!

 

 

Swimwear Sirens

 

Photographer: Brooke Orchard Photography

Stylist: Alice Jean's - Vintage Living in a Modern World

 

Bathers from: Bettie Sue Boutique, Sugar Doll and Vintage Jantzen

 

Location: 1.Koondrook Goods Shed with milkshakes from
Long Paddock Food Store.
2.Cohuna Island Road.
3.Koondrook River Front with lookout tower from
Sambrooks Building.
 

 

Models: Bree Laughlin

Sonia Wright

Somayeh Katebiyan

Danielle Marko-Parsons

 

Special thanks: I cherished hopes that my friend, up and coming male model Rees Grima, may have been available to 'lifeguard' for this shoot, but as he was not free, I wish to thank Claude for stepping in to brilliantly fill the void at VERY last minute notice.
 

 

 

 

 (The image below has been edited by Alice Jean's - not Brooke Orchard Photography)

 

 

 

 

 

Use of these images will require approval from Brooke Orchard Photography or Alice Jean's. Please contact us if you wish to re-use these images anywhere else in cyber space or otherwise.



Oh la la - Sweet Pins Stockings !

 

As I continue to age (hopefully as gracefully as I am able) I am becoming loath to put photographs of myself online. Not because I am ashamed of my body or anything - I am starting to care less and less what people think of me, maybe that is part of the growing up process! - but more because I take such shocking selfies !!! I follow my dear friend Marianne from Esme and the Laneway, and am always inspired by her creative and artistic images. I on the other hand, find I am constantly frustrated by my own attempts !

 

Which leads me to my story here today. One of the wonderful delights about blogging is when you get a request to try out a new (and blog appropriate) product. Naturally I was thrilled to bits when Sweet Pins offered to send me a pair of stockings to try out - and do I love them or what! But then, the day came when I realised I was going to have to photograph myself in them....not only a selfie, but one in my underwear no less !!! Hmmmm.

 

But before we get to that horror, (I want you to have some time to brace your self for it), let me tell you candidly how I found these stockings.

 

Firstly, they fit my tall frame bea-utifully. Score one.  

Secondly, unlike some other Cuban heeled stockings, I found that these gripped ever so much better. Have you worn Cuban heeled stockings? My feet oftentimes ache at the end of a night in them simply from trying to hang onto my shoes. How my beautiful friend Chrissy Keepence ever manages to dance in them is beyond me. So score two for Sweet Pins.

 

And also unlike other natural coloured Cuban heeled stockings I have worn, Sweet Pins delightfully highlighted every curve and muscle in my legs. In the past my natural stockings have tended to have a flattening, or 'matt' effect, but not Sweet Pins. They felt sexy and they looked sexy ! Score three. LOVE them.

 

But it wasn't all sunshine and lollypops. In winter (when I am more inclined to need to wear stockings) I actually tend to dress in 40's trousers, leggings or 60's capris. And in the spring/summer, most of my dresses are lovely light weight and light coloured cottons. Here in lies my only problem with Sweet Pins. The black band at the top and adorable bows - with most of the dresses I wear stockings with, this band is visible through the light coloured cotton. This means I will need to wear a petticoat - which isn't so bad....think Elizabeth Taylor from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This is also why I don't actually own a much more sexy black garter belt/ or girdle, as you will see in the delightful photographs. I have only white as I am so practical - I need it to be invisible under my light colour dresses. Maybe I need to get myself a man to dress up in a black suspender belt for.....but that sounds like a topic for another post, another time.......

 

Firstly, thankyou Sweet Pins, for this wonderful opportunity to test drive your fantastic product - loved your generosity, and really loved your stockings !

 

So - deep breath shoppers - here you go. Photographs of these delightful stockings as modelled by yours truly in some truly hideous selfies. A thousand apologies in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LETS GO SHOPPING......

Well, if you are in Melbourne then you definitely should. Go shopping at the lost and found market that is !! Its wonderful - full of quirky vintage from most mid century eras - furniture, toys, clothes, books, records....its all there. You will be inspired. You will be chuffed. You will lighten your wallets for sure ! Get on down.......

 

  

While you are visiting this cosmopolitan wonderland, you should also drop by Title Records....wow, they have a groovy selection of vinyl, CD's, books and films - very retro, very quirky also, very much impossible for me to ever walk out empty handed....

 

 

 

 

And lastly, after all that shopping, its great to have something to do before sitting down for a coffee in the big smoke. Check out this exhibition of classic Hollywood costumes at Fed. Square.....totally awesome. After all, its not everyone who owns a blue gingham dress and sparkly red heels !

 

 

 

 

All in all, have a terrific time in Melbourne this coming Autumn/Winter. It is no wonder this regal town is fast developing a name as one of the hippest creative cities on the planet....get in on it people !

Catch a Thief Glasses........

 

 

Whats not to love about vintage sunnies - especially cats eyes, studded with dimontees in all sorts of colours? And mens wayfareres or clubmasters are the ultimate in old school cool, dont you agree? (You have probably read before how a pair of classic mens wayfarer style reading glasses makes me go weak at the knees !!) But if you are like me, once you have paid a premium for a great vintage pair on ebay, the last thing you want to do is leave them sitting in your car on a 45 degree northern Victorian summers day, or shove them in your handbag amongst all the other gear in there to get scratched and damaged. And if you are lucky enough to have have a retro sunglasses case for your vintage frames, very ofton I find the case just doesn't fit in my dainty and oh so cute vintage hand bag. Well, to me the obvious solution is to purchase a replica pair of vintage frames for every day use, and save the real deal for special occasion dressing. So with that in mind, take a peek at these lovely numbers, available from Catch A Thief Sunglasses (and photography by the beautiful Brooke at Brooke Orchard Photography) Simply classic style !

 

 

Beautiful Readers, I occasionally get asked to host guest posts, or link to other blogs etc for promotional purposes, and I dont always buy into this because a) very often there is no incentive for me to do so, b) the product endorsements have little or no association with the historic theme of my blog or c) I want to steer away from insulting the intellegence of my readership by promoting gimiky crap. If you do see me promoting a service or product on here, you can be sure that I believe in the product, it fits the theme of my blog and I am most likely not receiving any cut from doing so.

Fabulous Vintage Hairstyles

 

Today I am off to the Kerang Boxing Day races with my lovely friend Mardi (photos to come later) and although I adore hats and have a lovely little collection of them, somehow I just never feel they do me any favours. So, the decision has been made, I am going with my usual flowers in hair instead (and summer brolly to save my skin!) That being the case, I need a wonderful vintage hairstyle to sport my flowers, and where better to look than my WONDERFUL Vintage Hairstyle Book.....

I picked up this treasure in preparation for the fashion parade I hosted last November.....there I was, walking innocently down the main street of Camperdown, at the Camperdown Rockabilly Festival in October, when this book literally accosted me on the street. I picked it up and simply could not leave it there - not when it was jam packed with wonderful advice, hairstyles galore, instructions and inspiration. It was perfect fodder for encouraging my fashion parade models !

 

 

 

I have been wanting to promote this book on my blog ever since, but to my great dismay, I have lost the business card of the wonderful woman who sold it to me! Honey, please forgive me ! I know you are a reader of my blog, however, so please please please contact me and I will rectify this unfortunate situation immediately - I want to give you the recognition you so deserve, and promote your great products !

 

 

My fabulous fashion parade models getting ready with their vintage hairstyles !

 

In the meantime, let me share some of my favourite styles from this book, hoping that you find the inspiration my fashion parade models and I did. As for my race day hairstyle, hmmmm, well, in an attempt to invoke the whole 60's thing (I have just finished watching Mad Men Season 5) I am going to attempt a Sophia Loren look below I think, with flowers of course !! Stay tuned to see if I actually pulled it off !! Happy Boxing Day people......

 

 

 

From Wikipedia:

 

In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This custom is linked to an older English tradition: Since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

Burlesque Bargains Galore.....

If dressing to thrill is your bag baby, then you simply must attend this event......

Brought to you by the beautiful girls from HiBall Burlesque, this is what you can look forward to....

Hi Ball Burlesque presents The Burlesque Bargain Bonanza...

CLICK ON 'SEE MORE' FOR A PREVIEW OF ALL THE LOOT :)

Over the last 10 years, the Hi Ball ladies have accumulated enough costumes, props, gowns and supplies to support a whole army of showgirls. Our wardrobes ar...e screaming for mercy, so it’s time to make some room. We’ll be selling top quality stuff at crazy prices… Many new with tags, and all at a fraction of what we paid!


BRANDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

What Katy Did, Leg Avenue, Siren Doll, Feather.com.au, Crystelle, Paper Doll Lingerie, Alannah Hill, Maria George, IC France Lingerie (USA), Wittner, and many genuine vintage 1950s pieces.


TYPES OF STUFF WE’RE SELLING:

Showgirl essentials - Bras, knickers, girdles, garters, stockings, gloves, shoes, pasties, hats, head pieces, rhinestone jewellery, eyelashes.

Costumes – Complete costumes, props, group costumes with multiple matching pieces.

Sewing and craft supplies – Feathers, rhinestones, sequins, beaded motifs, trims and decorations.

Vintage clothing – gowns, cocktail dresses, separates, jewellery, handbags, mostly 1950s vintage and many larger sizes.

Most items will be between $1 and $25… So don’t miss out, because a sale like this only comes around once every 10 years!

Handcrafted Handbag....

The other day my adorable children returned home from school toting this amazing handbag for me - you can imagine my surprise and delight with it !! The office manager at their school had had it made for me by her mother, who is one amazing seamstress. I simply had to share it with my readers.....

The bag is so lovely - perfect size for a mummy who needs to carry everything with her, and the handle sits at perfect height on my hip too. The colours match my wardrobe beautifully and who could fail to love the cute vintage print fabric !! Dee's (Office Manager's) Mum does not have an official business as such, but she does make exquisit handbags that she sells at her daughters shoe store - Adeles Shoe Gallery in Kerang (which is also a great shop to visit - they stock sensational shoes that are just that little bit quirkey and different !) If you would like a bag as divine as this, head to the Adeles Shoe Gallery facebook page and get in touch to place an order! And remember that in doing so you support local talent, local industries and businesses.......makes for one very satisfying purchase ! Happy Shopping !

For those who dont sew.......a discount on vintage style dressing.....

I LOVE to sew.....can i repeat that once again? - I LOVE to sew!! For me it is soooo very satisfying to bring together something beautiful out of a sheet of fabric. The creativity of wandering into a fabric store or stumbling across a darling length of pretty pattern in an op shop, and instantly seeing what it could become in my head. The leisurely joy of taking a quiet Saturday afternoon, putting on some music, pouring a cup of earl grey (or two or three!!) and setting about to transform the ordinary into the beautiful. Like I said before, ahhh, satisfying ! At least for the creative person that is me.....

I frequently come across people who lament that they cannot sew, who wish they could acquire a distinctive wardrobe with a vintage touch, but they have never had the opportunity to learn, and now find that they dont have the time. I totally get that too....... some are academics, some are sporty types and some are creatives etc.....not everyone is able to find joy in creating. For my friends who are fulfilling their particular role in the world that does not lean towards sewing your own , let me tell you about one particular dress company that does a mighty fine job of providing beautiful vintage-esque garments.

Below are some of my favourite images from the Shabby Apple website...and arnt they lovely and inspiring?

 I am also a big fan of the fact that Shabby Apple functions with this attitude of service....

"Because serving women and families is a core value at Shabby Apple, we devote a certain percentage of our net proceeds to charitable causes serving women and children."

The needs of women and children around the world are a big motivation in my own life - so I totally identify with that !! And, oh my goodness, check out their wonderful 'Emerging Designers Program' !! Awesome !!!

Now, usually I am a BIG promoter of buying local products by local artists and designers, but I am also dedicated to uplifting the beautiful things in life that make this world a more glorious, pure, delightful and joyous place to be....and Shabby Apple garments fit that bill !! So, for those of you who dont sew your own, Shabby Apple and Alice Jean's can offer you a 10% discount on your Shabby Apple purchases. Simply use this coupon code when you order alicejeans10off  and just be aware that this wonderful offer expires on December 8th 2011 - so get your Christmas shopping done early !!

How totally delightful - and I tingle at the thought that I am partnering with a company that encourages and provides opportunities for the creative people in our world !!! You go guys !!!

Ok, so now we can all look like Audrey, Grace, Katherine or Jackie....... oh clap hands !!

Beauty is so joyous !!!!