#restyle2013

Today's post will cover August 10th, 11th and 12th of the #restyle2013 Photo a Day Op-Shop Challenge. If the challenge was to take a photo every day I've already failed(!) however I'll continue uploading my photos as I get organised enough to take them (cue first self-portrait taken in a rush last night!)

August 10th was for blazers: I so rarely wear a blazer that I had to dig deep into my spare wardrobe to find this ol' chestnut. Considering it has been over a year since I last wore it, the blazer has gone straight to the top of my 'outfit to donate back' pile; as usual I bought it too long ago to remember which op-shop I bought it from or how much I paid for it.

August 11th was for colour blocking which is another look I don't do a lot of. I've realised through this challenge that I am addicted to pattern and print, whether it's a wild polka dot or a subtle paisley, I'll always choose a patterned piece over a plain one. This DOES make for difficult mix and matching so I sometimes have to go op-shopping for 'single colour tops' or neutrals that will increase the amount of times I can wear my patterned pieces.

The photo on the left is my attempted self-portrait and shows me wearing an op-shopped skirt with a blouse from basque. Originally this skirt had a drawstring tie at the waist but since I like to wear close fitting tops I didn't like the belly bulges it gave me. I removed the drawstring and slipped a line of elastic through the waist band instead; then hand-stitched the elastic together and the slits closed. With a top worn out instead of tucked-in the hand-stitching is invisible.

Lastly I've already shown you my floral dress which I customised to make the bodice fit better and this dress represents August 12th: florals. This time last year I can honestly say I did not own ANY floral dresses (and hardly any floral patterned pieces at all). To me, floral equalled grandma, and yet, I had an awakening, a realisation that floral could be so much more.

Where? Why? At last year's Restyle on the Runway show! I LOVE vintage fashion and what I saw was a myriad of floral dresses, worn with heels and cute little cardigans and I fell in love. THIS is what had been missing from my wardrobe! So out I went with abandon to find all the cute floral dresses I could.

And now, one year on, I've embraced a new pattern and learned more about myself on the way.
Thanks Restyle! x

Restyle on the Runway: Photo-a-day Op Shop Challenge

I am WAY too excited. I just found out that this year the Perth Fashion Festival is holding a Restyle on the Runway challenge - talk about up my alley!

To fill you in, each year the Perth Fashion Festival holds a 'Restyle on the Runway' event which showcases clothing found in second-hand stores (called opportunity shops or Op-Shops in Australia). This year several bloggers are each representing a charity op-shop; they select clothes from their op-shops to wear in a runway show - about half a dozen complete outfits each.

This year they are adding a dimension to the event by creating a photo-a-day op-shop challenge. See the list below; I'm going to try to find something that represents each day at my local op-shops and then photograph the item (possibly with me wearing it).

I love to shop at second hand clothes stores, and if they happen to be charity shops (which most do) then it's even better. I can get a few new items of clothing for under $10 each and by buying second hand I'm reducing land fill (by wearing clothes that would otherwise be thrown out) and reducing pesticide use and my carbon footprint!

The carbon footprint of new clothes is insanely high, as is the pesticide use on all non-organic cotton. Once the cotton is picked it is shipped before making fabric then it is shipped again to make clothes which (you guessed it) are shipped again around the world. That $4 tee has probably seen more of the world than you have, and if YOU aren't paying the price for all that shipping, who is? The environment for one!

Who wants to join me to have the best excuse to go op-shopping ever?

Let’s talk Rockabilly

I love vintage fashion. I have always been drawn to the 50's silhouette of a tiny waist and hour-glass figure, which is NOT my body shape at all. I have an ‘athletic’ figure with wide shoulders and slim hips but that’s what is so amazing about 50's fashion – anyone can pull off this look. It doesn’t matter if you are large or tiny, if you can get into some spanx that allow you to cinch in your waist, you can rock a wiggle dress with the best of them; simple, classic, beautiful.

You’ll see plenty of examples on my Pinterest Style Board like this one. 

Rockabilly fashion is a sub-set of 50’s style that emulates ‘pin-up’ fashion of the era; think Bettie Page or even Marilyn Monroe. Here’s Bettie and Marilyn at work.

 

To me, the 50s look is a striking combination of feminine, sexy and vintage. Just look at Miss K,The Rockabilly Girl Next Door. I love her Bettie Bangs so much I’m going to get some cut in myself. I’ll upload before and after pics next month when I get them done!

Even as a ‘new feminist’ (someone who wants neither career nor family), I love dressing up in the style of the 50’s. Despite the fact it was a time when women were beaten for answering back to their husbands, they knew how to dress femininely and sexily (without being slutty). That’s why when Mad Men came on TV all the major designers brought 50’s silhouettes back, it’s just a classic feminine shape that’s suits most women (not just models).

The rockabilly sub-set takes the fun parts of the pin-up look, but does it fully clothed. You’ll often see bright hair colours, flowers, bows, curls and bandanas; makeup basics include heavy brows, wing-tipped eyeliner and red lips.

What makes a rockabilly look? Think of Rosie the Riveter 

a tough no-nonsense girl who is willing to put on her overalls, tie her pin curls up in a bandana, and get to work making those munitions while the men are off to war. Now she and Bettie Page have a love child. That love child is rockabilly.

First Post Introduction

Inspired by Leo Babauta from ZenHabits I am hereby beginning an attempt to write every day (well, at least every WEEK day). Encouraged to give my rambling thoughts some sense of order I decided to start this blog.

I don’t feel like a ‘natural’ blogger because I am quite a shy person at heart. Also my only previous experience ‘writing’ has been in a diary I kept as a child/teen and some essay writing for various courses I have studied over my life.

See? Already I want to go back and delete the previous paragraph. My inner voice is being critical; “who cares?” and “you don’t write well enough to be interesting”.

Well, it’s a start. I’ve actually considered writing a blog before, but what to write it about? Lack of topics isn’t exactly a problem for me, I have varied interests but compartmentalise my life to such a degree that combining all these topics had just not crossed my mind. That is, until now.

So I will be attempting to blog about these subjects which are close to my heart (these are NOT in any kind of order):

Self-sustainable living

Fashion: with a heavy leaning toward Rockabilly and Vintage

Sewing and other D.I.Y.

Anarchism and Self-Management

Practicing Buddhism

Being Vegetarian (I’m a vegan wannabe)

Dogs and Animal Welfare

Permaculture

Running and other awesome sports like roller derby

Alternative lifestyles

I’m sure there is a lot of ground I will cover otherwise too, as this process unfolds.

Most of all I want to be honest. Honest with you and honest with me. I haven’t always been honest to myself, or those who love me. I want to lose the fear I have of ‘everything coming out’, I don’t know why but I’m afraid if I truly let people get to know me, then they won’t like me anymore.

So I have ‘work’ friends and ‘girl’ friends and ‘couple’ friends but only a handful of people in the world know all the dark parts about me that I usually gloss over. They are the people who have seen me at my worst and have stuck around. True friends. I’m lucky to have even a handful of such amazing people.

Let me finish by introducing some of my favourite blogs/sites of the moment:

The Rockabilly Girl Next Door

ZenHabits

No Meat Athlete

JuliaBobbin

PLEASE feel free to leave any comments, good or bad, all criticism is welcome and will be taken constructively. OK, for total honesty, I will attempt to take all criticism constructively, but if I feel any rage rising I'll go back and read one of my favourite ZenHabits on A Method for Beating Anger, then I'll come back and reply from a better mental place. xxx