Lavender & Twill : August 2016

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

༺ When Starlight and Midnight Collide ༻

Ooof! I hope this post isn’t too much of a photo overload… I know there’s a lot here, but I really found it difficult to narrow them down, especially with so many more pictures left on the cutting room floor ~ metaphorically speaking of course.

I had such fun taking this series of photographs. As silly as it might sound, I have been eagerly waiting for the wattle to bloom this year. I have worn this outfit, or variations of it, all through winter, but I knew that the best backdrop to showcase it would be my favourite golden yellow puffballs.

So I waited through the wintertime months, and here we are finally. Yay!

But while I snapped lots of pretty pictures, and have loads of inspiration for future ensembles, photo shoots, makeup tutorials, YouTube videos, and more ~ I really am feeling the writer’s block side of blogging at the moment.

I can’t quite tell if it’s because life is chugging along too quietly, and so I have no stories to tell, or if it’s because my usual round of winter colds and flues have drowned my brain with all the world’s supply of unwanted liquids… It’s really snot fun..… ₍₍ ₍₍ ｡｡｡(๑• •๑) *snufflesoff*

Lol. My Mister’s dad jokes have finally infected me for good. No wonder I succumbed to that cold.

One thing I do have to say though ~ how hard it is to find navy shoes?!

Even our wonderful vintage reproduction shoe brands don’t really seem to do blue shoes, so I’m on an everlasting hunt to add a pair{actually ~ let’s face it, two or three pairs in different era and season styles, as well as hues!} to my wardrobe.

Because, as you might be able to tell, my navy obsession is going strong ~ I am just as infatuated with the shade as I was last summer. Around about the end of last year, I decided to start collecting all the midnight blue items I could find that fit my aesthetic sensibilities, and I don’t think I shall be stopping anytime soon.

It’s such a classic hue. One I really love to wear, partly because it’s also a bit rare these days and you don’t find much of it around {unless it’s little girls clothing… Because only toddlers and babies can wear navy??}.

Haha, but you know I love anything a little bit {or a lot! ✧٩(•́⌄ - ́๑) } different.

Now I’m going to put to the hive mind ~ anyone know of a good 40s or 50s reproduction, or even vintage-looking, navy shoes{vintage isn’t as helpful with this quest because high chances are they won’t fit my feet. Just so you know, having babies really changes ALLLL of your body!}?? Have you found any of these rare treasures? If so, please spill!

Also, what’s your most-sort-after-hard-to-find shoe colour? I’m sure I can’t be the only vintage gal out there with the agonising problem of trying to match her shoe colour to her gloves, hat or purse…

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Thursday, August 11, 2016

༺ Lady by the Lake ༻

I wore this lovely 1940’s inspired, sepia Hell Bunny frock to the cinema two weekends ago when the Mister and I went to see the new Bourne movie. We are both fans of the franchise, but spoiler alert: it wasn’t worth bringing Bourne back for this flick…. (๑-﹏-๑)

And while I think this dress gives off a lovely 40’s impression, I suspect I might have made a minor mistake with my styling ~ I picked my harvest brown gloves to go with my ensemble as I thought “Ooo, matchy-matchy! Yay!!” but then in the photographs I realised that my arms pretty much disappear into my dress and I look like I don’t have any hands… Hehee… Oops! (๑´ㅂ`; ๑)

What I did like was how this hand-beaded vintage purse coordinated so beautifully with the outfit. I can hardly believe how excellent the condition of the beading is! I’m not sure which era it’s from ~ it practically feels like new, which is so cool because I wonder what special occasions this delicate, sparkling evening bag was saved for. A date night is a perfect outing in my mind, and a fun photoshoot to boot!

The winter twilight besides the lake was a symphony of pale, luminous colour, and beams of golden sun ~ but, let’s be real here ~ gales of icy winds too. I was so cold taking these pictures!

I had bought a cardigan to wear {not that that would have saved me much as it was 4:00pm in the afternoon, so it was still freezing}, but I clean forgot about it as I was so eager to capture the gorgeous button detail on the sleeves, and the gathering on the bust.

And then I was so inspired by the light gleaming on the columns and steps, the strong angles of the architecture, and the stunning vista of green foliage and blue water, I couldn’t stop playing with my camera! *sigh* It’s that moment when you are swept away in the flow of creativity, j'adore!

Of course, the glowing light fades all too quickly, and that’s when you start shivering and sniffing and realising just how cold you are and isn’t it great that the car is just around the corner with nice seat warmers waiting to be switched on… No? Just me? Haha, okay then.

Can we quickly take a moment to appreciate the reproduction quality on this Hell Bunny dress though? I have been really impressed with their 1940s styled offerings I’ve picked up recently. First there was my aubergine dress, and now this one. Yes, the cut of the décolletage is too low, so I slipped in a modesty panel at the front {I tucked a cream silk handkerchief over the front of my slip} and it worked out nicely I think. (⁎＾ᴗ＾⁎)

Overall, I do like the cut, I think it has that authentic feeling. {With the glaring exception of the middle zip up the back ~ ugh, why?! The middle zip was around in the 40s, but rarely was a dress finished that way back then, and you know what ~ I can see why. Isn’t the whole line of the back of the dress just ruined by the bunching of that by that zipper! *sad*} The best part is however ~ the fabric!

I am super impressed with the fabric of both my Hell Bunny dresses. For me, the fabric has been a major component of the authentic effect that both these dresses have achieved. How it swirls and glides with your movement makes a such a difference to how the cut appears, and I think that it is a strong marker of the reproduction quality of the vintage look. Modern fabrics interact with the finished design, and the body wearing it, in a radically distinct manner to vintage clothing.

It has a lot to do with the rise of man-made fabrics, with design methods, and also the use of household appliances such as washing machines and tumble dryers, instead of wringers and clotheslines. It is interesting to ponder how these evolutions came to be ~ fashion is shaped by economic climates, war, politics… It’s all an endlessly fascinating rabbit hole, but I shan't dive down it right now.

What do you think? Do you agree with fabric being a crucial component of good vintage reproduction? And even more importantly ~ back zip…Yay or nay? I’m firmly in the nay camp. I like the zip to be in the side seam. I think it’s more subtle hidden under your arm, and best of all, you can do your dress up by yourself!
( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧