The last couple of days I’ve been rugged up in gloves and ear muffs, sorting through my closet and putting together the first of my winter outfits. The staples are there; the woollen skirts, the cardigans, the wide leg pants. And I’ve even been pulling out all the accessories to make some new combinations. But while I have years of collecting to draw on, I know that isn’t the case for most of you, and it is so very difficult to go out vintage hunting and find a whole seasons worth of items in just your size.  So today I’ve done some virtual shopping for you on my current fav site, and waded through the masses on offer to give you the best of the bunch.

I’ve pulled out all the pieces that have a strong 1930′s and 1940′s feel that can be mixed and matched with ease. I’ve chosen pieces that use higher quality fabrics (WOOL), good detailing, and for all the apparel- under $100! (The boots go up to $133.00)

I’ve bought from OASAP twice now and have been very impressed with the quality of their pieces. The shipping was fast and free and they also offer free returns. For me, this makes up for any small currency conversion fee and I generally use my Paypal account too. I try to keep any US dollars I might make from auction sites, held there for future purchases, then their is no exchange rate fee at all.

Lace up, leather wedge boots with furry trim

Snowflake and Deer pattern cardigan with cool buttons.

Cute wool and angora cardigan with embroidered flowers

Red knitted orlon skirt

Long pleated woollen skirt

Upturned cloche style hat in a camel wool felt.

Personally, I want them all.. I don’t need them all, but I’m just saying. There are some on this list that are must have’s, to fill a few wardrobe gaps though (HAT!!!)

Which is your favourite?

Its on again!! This weekend the Love Vintage Show & Sale comes back to Melbourne in the Royal Exhibition Buildings, Carlton.

The Icona Vintage team will be there in their super cool Kombi to make you an espresso and show you how gorgeous this range is in the flesh.

And this time I have 4 DOUBLE PASSES you could WIN!

All you need to do is leave me a comment telling me…

What does the “Olivia” Icona Vintage Range inspire in you?

Make sure to use the hash tag #IconaVintage.

The entries that are judged to convey the spirit of the range, will win themselves a double Pass. Valid for any of the show dates from Friday through Sunday – ENTER NOW!

SHARE and get your friends to enter too, because you never know, they may be the ones to win it for you!

HURRY – You have until 12.00pm tomorrow May 17th EST to get your entries in. Tickets will be available at the door.

I thought I’d just keep quiet about this for a bit and see if anyone noticed the difference in my last few posts. Those of you who follow my Facebook page will already be in on the secret. No longer do I have my blonde streak; I now have NAVY BLUE HAIR!

The blonde has been a constant friend for about 7 years now and has become quite iconic; but ever since I first started reading Manga comics as a child I’ve always wanted blue hair. So when I knew that the time had come to shake things up a bit, and it wasn’t just a whim, I went to seek the advice of my hairdresser and we came up with a plan to make my blue haired dream a reality.

The colour is a very dark blue, what some may call a French Navy. After seeing the results, I’ve named this colour “Tretchikoff blue”.  I’m having a lot of fun experimenting with it, and especially the way it ctaches the light. For the most part it appears to be black on a dull day, but when the sun hits it POW!

So what do you think?  Do I suit being the “Lady with Blue Hair”?

When the lovely Iolanthe from Ruby Slipper Consulting emailed me to say she was planning a getaway, I nearly died of joy. Not only was it the perfect idea, but she planned to take us exploring down on Victoria’s Mornington Penninsula. This means food, relaxing and HOT SPRINGS!

I’d been down to these little towns a few times, staying in everything from caravans to B&B’s. All very quaint but nothing so luxurious as the hidden gem she’d found for us; the Aquabelle Apartments.  One of those places you wouldn’t know was there if you looked, hidden away above the main street and over looking the beach front. Aquabelle was that winning combination of understated rustic glamour with touches of a cozy home. I knew I’d come to the right place when I walked into the living room and saw the crocheted nana rug draped over the leather sofa.

On the way down to Rye, Cecylia, LeeYong and myself hit up all kinds of vintage stores and came away with the most fabulous haul of treasures! One such treasure was an AMAZING late 1960′s pegnoir set (that’s nightgown with matching robe set) that I just had to bust out immediately.  Luckily, I’d be chosen as the official cocktail maker for the evening, so I was very much in the mood. If you’d like to see a silly video of my cocktail making (after a long road trip I might add) have a look at this – My Humingbird Cocktail.

(Aren’t my glasses fabulous? You’d never know they are travel friendly plastic from Target!)

Waking up at Aquabelle is an exercise in tranquility. I could sleep in (my body says 7.30am is enough for me though), drink tea in bed, and browse through Etsy all before having to throw off the soft feather duvet.

But the golden morning light the rising over a sea view outdoes it all.

We had a whole bunch of adventures like dining with Felix in the Alley and I’ve so much more to tell you about this delightful weekend.  Stay tuned for the next tale of Sexy Pizza!

This year we were treated to an hilarious guest appearance by Magda Szubanski, star of the recently released film Goddess. If you haven’t heard about it, the movie is all about a house wife type, who takes up video blogging and becomes a super star. A musical comedy that is a bit of fun, has some very realistic scenes (aka bare bottomed Ronan Keating), but the ending did tick me off somewhat. I won’t spoil it for you though. Magda herself is… well if I say “quite the character”, that would be an understatement.

Me, Magda, Angela (from Kids Style File) and our Mercedes-Benz host.

The staging and decor was simply superb. Tiny terrariums dotted the room, complete with miniature people, landscapes and micro Mercedes-Benz cars.

Admittedly, one of my secret favourite things about these days is the food. A crusted skinned Atlantic salmon with a mash that just melts in your mouth. The kind of meal you want to linger on every mouthful. Then they served desert and outdid themselves.

Shards of pure white chocolate, atop a molten chocolate ball of mousse-like ice cream and raspberry coulis. Homer Simpson drool worthy.

And wouldn’t you know it, the theme of me unwittingly dressing to match my surroundings continues.  The rest of the room was filled with plain bentwood chairs, only the odd setting dotted around the room in a different colour. My allocated seat just happened to be the exact same shade as my palazzo pants!

And yes, I did also spend a decent portion of the day swanning around and playing with cars. I am SO in love with this new CLS Shooting Brake AMG, heritage style model. It even has a cherry wood lined rear cargo section, complete with alloy running beams. I could sure carry all my gear in style there!

Then we posed around some more and had a wonderful time planning all the fabulous road trips we could take in these beautiful machines.

Planning a child-free trip in this little red convertible may have got us just a tad too excited.

And if you think they couldn’t top all that, Mercedes-Benz know the way to a woman’s heart… with chocolate!

You’re not seeing things, that is actually a full F1 car made entirely of solid chocolate!! The colour makes it look as though it is cast in pewter, but those wheels will melt in your mouth.

The whole day was like some kind of dream sequence from a film. From the moment a chauffeur driven Mercedes-Benz arrived at my front door, (I discovered my driver was actually one of their racing team!!) to the matching place settings and coveted linen gift ware. They really know glamour. Food, fashion and fancy cars make for one fabulous day!

A full on outfit, for a full on cold day. Wait until you see what I did in this one!!

Outfit Details

Red puffer jacket – Enystay

Black jersey top – Portmans

Red and black woollen check skirt – Ralph Lauren

Sunglasses – Prada

Black handbag – Charlie Brown

Red Sequin bow – Colette

Black ballet flats – Diana Ferrari

I’m just a bit in love with today’s outfit. I’ve been planning ahead for winter and since February have been browsing for all kinds of cute pieces to put away for when the weather turned. Today was that cold morning that said, “give me a hat!” So I did.  This gorgeous red cat ear hat, is actually a proper wool felt structured hat with little combs attached to the inside and a proper interior band binding. I came across it while browsing on (possibly my new favourite) shopping site, OASAP. If you haven’t been there, warning…. it contains so many utterly gorgeous things you won’t know where to start!

I’d also had on the ‘things to buy’ list, a long wrap around cardigan to keep me snuggly when working in the studio where it can get quite cold.  This long grey one has a sort of late 1920′s feel to it. I was planning to wear it with a fitted top and wide leg pants, but had to debut it today with a grey bowed and ruffled top instead. The cardigan, also from OASAP is a heavy cotton knit, with a beautiful weight to it, and deliciously warm.

Outfit Details

Long Grey Cardigan – OASAP

Black & Grey bows & Ruffle top – Lolorraine

Black ponti pencil skirt – Portmans

Red Suede Shoes – Vibe

Red Cat ears beret hat – OASAP  ($30!)

These are the finds…

Circa late 1950′s early 1960s; this is a high waisted, gored skirt with a mettalic magenta thread running through it. Being a vintage size 16 makes it the perfect fit on me!

A 1960′s pink shift dress with metallic golden thread woven in. In need of a button replacement and a few stitches to the zip, this is another miraculous find that fits like a glove.

A super cute 1970 child’s sewing box, an unused, miniature version of the grown up type ones. Perfect for training my girls how to repair the mess they make of their uniforms.

A circa late 1960′s men towelling pool robe with Hawaiian print! I bought this the second I saw it, having visions of the Mr. sitting beside the hot tub while Elvis’s Blue Hawaii plays.

Tea cup sets! I found three amazing sets all with their matching plates. Bone china with both decals and hand painting, these will be available for you to sip from when you come to my vintage hair and makeup salon to chat over tea.

How wonderful is it to have friends with the same obsessions? I’ve gotten to know a delightful artist who is just as mad about treasure hunting as I am. She came across this stunning 1960′s mint green wool suit and just knew it would be my thing. And she was right; a perfect fit!

These little Spanish themed fellas are plastic money boxes. With all the flamenco themed art work in my vintage living room, these guys now live on the cabinet with their cheery faces.

A beautiful, dusty pink vase with a speckled glaze. I’m not entirely sure of it’s era as I’ve seen these from the 1940′s onwards.

And more tea cups… because after that mammoth picture post, you’ll need one!

All of these finds have come from op shops (thrift stores) around Metropolitan Melbourne. So for people who say that there is nothing good still to be found, I say you just need a good eye and a bit of luck. Then, trust me, you’ll want a “Genius” sash too!

Xx

Oh the joy of a hidden gem! I’ve just arrived home from a weekend away with five other delightful bloggy ladies, on which we treasure hunted, relax and indulged; all on the Mornington Peninsula. Not only did we kick off the weekend with an Op Shopping Odyssey, (to be ‘haul’ posted later) but also came up with so many unexpected wins. Felix and The Alley was one of these amazing moments. Each corner held a new discovery, a clever idea or a show piece from the past.

Unassuming from the outside, Felix is a little curio vintage homewares shop on the main drag in Dromana. The idea was to bring some of the eclectic, Fitzroy-esque vibe to the sea side, but they have achieved something more special than that.

Established about a year ago, the idea was the eventually have a little cafe area so friends could come and nurse a coffee or two while the rummaged through all the treasures hidden there.  Only a few months ago, The Alley became a reality. A gorgeous little cafe area located down the side alley and opening up in the rear of the store, this place seemed to be a stylistic echo of our group of bloggers. Adorned with tiny plants in vintage tea pots, nana rugs for cool mornings and the charm of a country car boot sale; we wanted to stay all day.

Our hostess smiled up beneath her halo of Heidi styled plaits, the image of a children’s fairy tale in her vintage yellow dress and brogues. Our tea menu called for things like, “White Peony” and “Rabbit Berries”, or something similar, and a simple vase of pussy willows was at once both warm and charming.

We fought with our stomachs to decide if we sat to eat first or jumped up to peruse the closet of vintage gems in Felix whilst the tea brewed. Treasure hunting won out, and I sneakily evaporated from the table, as my tea pot changed from clear to amber liquid.

Felix had such a wonderful selection of unique curiosities, from hand embroidered 70′s sweaters to souvenir shell ornaments; the kitsch of which I never appreciated as a 10 year old. Beautifully rusted old trunks that, in the city, have ‘Decorator’ worthy price tags, but here could be had for $60!

But the food.. of the food was magical! Locally grown, baked or raised; the fullness of flavour and delicate combinations had us making some rather obscene sounds of gratification. This was one of the rare occasions I wished to order the same dish one after the other.

The next time the urge for a weekend drive hits you, or if your planning a visit to Victoria, take the time out to head down to the peninsula and spend a while with Felix and The Alley, the best place to eat and shop in Dromana.

You may never want to leave.