Lavender & Twill : March 2016

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

༺ Brocade, Taffeta & Some Thoughts on Dresses ༻

I honestly can’t believe how last minute this outfit was…

I usually try plan ahead for events ~ particularly special ones such as the wedding we attended recently, but we have been soooo busy, {ever since Christmas really!! (ô □ ô) …} that I just haven’t had a single minute to think. Not one!

I literally lay down in bed Friday night {the wedding was Saturday evening} and went, “Oh ~ that’s right, we have a wedding we are going to tomorrow afternoon… Now what am I going to wear??” And you’d never guess, but I did not have a thing that I could wear!

I searched my dress closet, and even went so far as to ransack the mending pile ~ figuring that I had time to do the mending if I found a suitable dress, but no… After rejecting a few different options, there really was only one thing I could do. (• •๑)_ ₎₎ ₎₎….

I had to go shopping.

Mind you, I absolutely do enjoy hunting down the perfect vintage dress for an event, so you know that shopping itself is never a problem. {Haha, maybe it should be?} However, I knew that having two hours to do the shopping was going to be the interesting part. I had no option but to go retail. Say what??

The whole family came with me to help pick out the dress, and I decided we would check out a shop in the city centre called Review. I’d been in there once or twice already, and I knew that they had a very nice “vintage” look to their pieces. Their knits are all gorgeous and completely vintage appropriate, and I was hoping that I would be lucky enough to find something that would both work into my wardrobe, and also be good for a formal reception dinner. Spoiler alert ~ we found a dress.

It did take a bit of finding, as I spotted the 50s inspired taffeta brocade frock straight away, but wasn’t convinced that the coppery tones would suit me. I picked out a few other dresses that seemed to be more in my style. They didn’t work out, for although the fabrics were more to my taste, {pearls, pastel pinks, florals, etc} the cuts were just too modern-does-vintage for me. Too short, too strappy, too sharp…

Then it was a decision between a 1940’s influenced dusky blue lace dress, or this one… I was still a bit meh, but I tried it on a second time and discovered ~ it. had. pockets!! (•̀o•́)ง✧

Of course I was sold then and there ~ that was the perfect vintage touch to my very 1950s modern cocktail dress. It was just a matter of figuring out what accessories to wear, and what colours to accentuate when styling my ensemble. Once I paired the dress with a fabulous vintage beaded handbag{the best evening bag I have due to it being on the larger side ~ winning!}, gloves, and some vintage jewellery, I actually ended up with an outfit I totally adored. This frock made me feel pretty for the first time in a while, despite my health issues, and it was a good feeling.

The nicest thing about the whole ordeal of finding a dress to wear to this wedding, was that I realized that it doesn’t have to be a vintage dress to feel special, it just has be a dress that feels like you.

I love vintage, I love my vintage dresses ~ particularly those amazing evening dresses with divine couture details. But what I like about those dresses is how wearing the right one makes you feel so comfortable, yet elegant at the same time. The perfect dress allows your inner beauty to shine through and enhances you. You wear the dress; the dress doesn’t wear you.

When that happens, it feels amazing. *.⋆( ˘̴͈́ ॢ꒵ॢ ˘̴͈̀ )⋆.*

And that’s why personal style is so personal, but also why as a vintage girl ~ or indeed, anyone who wears any kind of alternative fashions, or simply clothing full stop{!} ~ we still need to stay true to ourselves. Because when we do that, it doesn’t matter how old the dress is, or isn’t, or where it came from, be it a thrift shop or a couture house ~ it will be the right one to wear, anywhere.

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

༺ Over the Boardwalk ༻

We spent another delightful weekend at the coast this Canberra Day long weekend. The water was so warm ~ I really enjoyed swimming, and I didn’t even get chilly ~ not one little bit! (° ロ °) *le gasp!*

I was happily surprised, usually I’m purple within five minutes of jumping in the surf, and in another ten I have to get out because I have gone numb. No, I don’t swim at Australia's south eastern beaches very often because they are just too cold!

Merry Beach, however, seems to be the exception ~ it’s just perfect around this time of year. Our trip was a breath of fresh air ~ warm surf, just the right amount of sunshine, cool sand, beach strolls at dusk, playing Kingdom Builder with the whole family {a tabletop game, and ~ the whole family, except Lottie who was in bed!}. Leisurely mornings, and slow drives back through beautiful scenery that we only got to see and admire because of traffic jams! Ha! A silver lining for the two hour trip between Batemans Bay and Braidwood that should have only taken forty five minutes.

Last year, I took some photos on Merry Beach, but this year, I wanted to visit this picturesque boardwalk I had spotted last year. Back then, we had no time to stop and take a snap or two ~ and this year it was a toss up between the lush coastal greenery, or the tumbling waves. Decisions! (✖ ｡ ✖) Such agony you go through deciding on shoot locations… Everyone totally has this problem right? No?…. Bloggers! Haha!

As you might be able to tell, the little boardwalk won this time around ~ it’s a short platform walkway for getting over the mud when it’s too wet, instead of a sidewalk. I thought it quite charming and cute! Can a bunch of boards even be cute?? Apparently so!

Not as cute as the combination of polka dots, Erstwilder and a Sun Jellies basket though… Yes, my ‘Alice’ basket came with me to the beach again, and being the perfect beach bag that it is ~ it wins a permanent spot in my travel luggage. It’s light and flexible, the mesh style is perfect for shaking out that inevitable collection of sand, it’s big enough to carry my hat and anything else I might need, and finally ~ I simply adore that perfect shade of cotton candy pink! (*ˊૢᵕˋૢ*).˚‧♡

Plus, isn’t it just dreamy paired with the Erstwilder Cooktown Glory necklace? My necklace was a present for Christmas ~ this year I shamelessly asked for only Erstwilder, and handed out my wish list! It worked though, my dear sister graciously bought my top favourites for me, and I was so happy to receive the beautiful pieces I’d been eyeing up for the better part of the year.

You must tell me though ~ do you find architecture cute at all, or am I certifiably nuts? I mean I always knew I was crazy, buuuttt…. Heehee! I do so want to go back to Merry Beach again next year, even if it is only for another mini vacation. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it might become an annual trip, as I enjoy it so much. (✿◠‿◠) ∠♡

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

༺ Hop, Sock, and a Jump ༻

Warm, lingering evenings at the park with the family ~ that is pretty much the epitome of summer isn’t it? ｡･ﾟ☆ヽ(*^ｰ^)人(^ｰ^*)ノ☆｡ﾟ･｡ We took the children out for a before-dinner play, as the weather has been quite hot lately, and it’s been too scorching to go outside for long during the day. It’s as if the first day of autumn arrived and summer decided to burst in with a loud “Hellloooo! I’m here!”

We’ve had more hot days in a row this March than all of summer, two weeks of soaring low to mid thirties temperatures. It has been okay though, because they have also come with lovely cool, crisp evenings that calm everything down with a hush, rather than leaving it sultry and breathless. I feel as though these dog days of summer have me longing for autumn, for the fresh air and the energy that always come with the turning of the season. Ah, but I can enjoy the end of the warm weather with a few more floaty dresses and fun skirts!

To the park I wore this sweet vintage 1950’s ‘Farmer’s’ blouse in robin egg blue with tiny black and pink rickshaws all over it. It’s my first vintage novelty print blouse, and I think it’s super cute! I do love novelty prints, but I tend to prefer them to be kind of subtle, so nothing in particularly bright colours. But then again, I don’t tend to do bright colours of any description ~ novelty or not ~ so that shouldn’t come as a surprise to me. Haha! (*≧▽≦)

With subtle novelty in mind, I couldn’t resist an obscure reference to the good ol’ Sock Hop dance, in the form of random pun. Sock Hop… Hop, Skip, and a Jump? ‘Coz I’m wearing socks…Anyone?? Haha…. I’m sure no one particularly finds my feeble attempts at witticism that hilarious, but if you can’t amuse yourself just for fun, well then, that’s a rather sad state of affairs is it not? (๑•̑з•̑๑)੭

Lame jokes aside, is it just me that find vintage novelty prints often do a fantastic job of creating simple and punny {haha, you know I just had too!} ideas that are not just cute, but also really clever? My favourite novelty print, and I’d love to own a dress or blouse with this kind of fabric, is the much sought after “lady’s hand holding a letter” or “lady’s hand holding a posy” print. Almost everyone loves it, and so do I! Which one is your favourite, or do you prefer a plain or non-novelty print prints?

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

༺ Shall We Eat Cake? ༻

I was at a small vintage fair last weekend ~ and my, there were so many beautiful clothes. I spotted a pearl white Lucite handbag with a mirror inside, and get this ~ rhinestones on the handle and around the lid! I swoon, and cried inside a little when the price tag put it firmly out of my reach. There where even some amazing antique dresses ~ a bubble gum pink {of all the shades!} gown of silk and lace from the 1800s. A darling little cap hat from the 1940s with felt flowers circling the brim, decorated with rhinestone centres ~ so cute…. And it reminded me that I’d forgot to put my own hat on before walking out the door that morning! (ô д ô)

The Mister was away at the coast for a trip with friends, so I was bringing all three of the munchkins along for the jaunt, I’m actually surprised we made it all in one piece… Haha!!

What I really love about the outfit I wore is that I felt like it turned out to be a very Marie Antoinette~inspired look. There is something quite iconic about baby blue for her style ~ whenever I think of her dresses, I think of baby blue and frothy white lace.

It all started when my new~to~me vintage dress had a pretty baby blue and white stripe that matched my new ‘Miss Ellen’ fascinator from Daisy Jean Floral just perfectly. Then my wicker handbag with the floral Lucite inset coordinated so beautifully, it was like the pieces where made for each other! It was the perfect set to create a ensemble in Marie Antoinette’s opulent pastel style.

I think it’s one of those awesome wardrobe moments when everything comes together and creates an ensemble you didn’t even know you had until it’s there! (•ᵕ ᴗ ᵕ•)❀

I also modelled a leaf from Ms Dita’s book, and turned a small blemish that had encroached upon my chin into a beauty mark with just a touch of eyeliner. I feel like that really helped to create that 1700s French courtesan air, with just a touch of a smoulder.

And also, it was fun! I definitely think that for a look that is a step up from my normal vintage make up, I will be coming back to the beauty mark. It is perfect for an elegant evening out! Have you ever tried wearing a beauty mark? ʚ♡ɞ (• ᴗ •❁)

xox,

bonita

Disclosure | Daisy Jean Floral Designs and Lavender & Twill have partnered up this year to bring to you some amazing floral hair accessories! I bought the DJF hair flowers because I really like them, but I’m also excited to feature this wonderful Australian small business, and the pieces I buy are discounted as part of our agreement.

༺ ♡ ༻

Thursday, March 3, 2016

༺ Currently: Flail Flail ༻

‘Currently’ posts are a series of memoirs, featuring snapshots of one small life story by briefly touching on events that are occurring in my day-to-day journey. These episodes feature photos from my Instagram, do come and say “Hi!” if you are around. Also, if you would like to participate in this feature yourself, please feel free! I’d love to read your posts, so don’t forget to leave a link. ♡

READING:

Since January I’ve been on a Georgette Heyer divertissement ~ I’m romping through my collection again and have read: Arabella, {my favourite! ❤!}, Frederica, The Grand Sophy, The Unknown Ajax, These Old Shades, Devil’s Cub, Bath Tangle. I just polished off Regency Buck today ~ and I’m starting Sprig Muslin or April Lady next. ʚ♡ɞ ( • ᴗ • ॄ❁)

WONDERING:

If the rest of this year shall be as crazy hectic as it has been since the beginning… It’s not looking good! (￣。￣;)

FEELING THANKFUL:

For small things that bring drops of joy to my day.

EATING:

Wayyyyyyy toooooo muuuuuuuuuuchhhhhhhhhhhh chocolate….. Yeah, I’ve put a kibosh on chocolate, and I hope it sticks, because eating chocolate is not actually helping me at all at the moment.

WATCHING:

Nothing currently. I’d like to start Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. The children watched Kung Fu Panda with me a week ago, and it’s been particularly hilarious watching them jump around exclaiming “Ha!” “Ya! “Huh!” all the while practically falling on their heads as they get about two centimetres off the ground….. ヽ‘ ‘\(*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ *flail flail*

WORKING ON:

Everything. Blog stuff. Design stuff. House stuff. Horse stuff. All the stuff!!

LOVING:

Riding lessons, and all the things Copper and I are learning! Coffee. Ugh, I’m addicted…. And on that note, my new coffee machine?! Erstwilder’s PinUp Picnic range. Miss LadyBug’s cute tees. The Mia skirt from Collectif. Pockets in everything!! Makeup tutorials on YouTube. Experimenting with makeup. Hanging out with new friends. Pilates. Open ended hair pins. Vintage hats. Separates ~ I’m feeling the circle skirt/soft blouse or tee combo!

ATTEMPTING:

To regain control over my eating habits. I’ve been rewarding too many negative behaviours with comfort/unconscious eating, and coupled with my Thyroid disorder, this is causing a lot of trouble for my health; physically and mentally. *sigh*

WANTING:

To be healthy again. To feel healthy again.

DOING:

A myriad of things all at once. I’m in the middle of pulling apart the office to reorganize it, and a host of other project simultaneously, including a media kit for Lavender & Twill. Is this a good idea? … Time will tell! ₍₍ ◟(• ू •๑)◞ ₎₎

(‘Currently’ post inspired by Danielle of Sometimes Sweet and Kaelah of This Charming Life)

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

༺ Brocade, Taffeta & Some Thoughts on Dresses ༻