Thursday, August 31, 2017

༺ Why I am Dedicated to Vintage Style {Even While Traveling} ༻

Tropical palm trees and summer vintage style | Lavender & TwillWearing a 1940's inspired outfit in the tropics | Lavender & TwillWearing a 1940's inspired outfit in the tropics | Lavender & TwillPalm trees and park benches in Chiang Mai, Thailand | Lavender & TwillPalm trees and park benches in Chiang Mai, Thailand | Lavender & TwillWearing a 1940's inspired outfit in the tropics | Lavender & TwillTropical palm trees and summer vintage style | Lavender & TwillWearing a 1940's inspired outfit in the tropics | Lavender & TwillWearing a 1940's inspired outfit in the tropics | Lavender & TwillPalm trees and park benches in Chiang Mai, Thailand | Lavender & Twill

When we decided to leave Australia and travel in South East Asia for the next two years, I must confess one of the immediate concerns that crossed my mind was: how on earth can I manage to wear vintage for the next two years? {Closely followed by, what am I going to do without all my sewing and crafting supplies?!?!}

Despite the fact that we were going to the tropics, where it’s so hot and humid all the time, and despite the fact that we had initially planned to travel for two years with carry on luggage only {yeah, that did NOT last long!}, I KNEW without even having tried any of that, and without ever having visited a tropical country, that I would not be happy if I had to forsake my vintage style for the next two years...

Long before I’d fallen in love with vintage, and how much I felt like “me” wearing it… It’s story time!

Many years ago {Feeling old here…. Haha!}, I travelled to Europe with my sister. We had a trip planned out where we were spending a lot of time on farms volunteering our work in exchange for board. So we did the practical thing and only packed jeans, boots, old t-shirts and jumpers ~ clothes that you really didn’t mind if they got completely wrecked and dirty.

What we didn’t account for where our days off and the latter part of our trip where we were traveling with sightseeing tour. I can tell you though, by the end of our five and half months away we had both replaced the entirety of our packed clothes with new ones ~ right down to our very expensive boots that where supposed to last the whole trip as our “walking shoes” {but had started falling apart anyway after days spent working in the stables}.

It was an amazing experience, but something that really stuck with me throughout that trip was how much I hated wearing clothes that I didn’t feel suited me or my style, or that plain didn’t fit in with the places we were going too. Beautiful art museums, stunning old churches, decadent palaces that where breathtaking in glittering gilt and lush ruby velvets, and I? …I was wearing such basic, boring clothes. I felt ugly. It was like pins where prickling into me, and I hated it. Like, really hated it.

I felt awkward and uncomfortable walking around wearing jeans and t-shirt when I should have just been enjoying all the awe-inspiring vistas before me. It didn’t help that we were traveling through Europe, where everyone was fashionably dressed pretty much all of the time, but it was also became clear that I didn’t like wearing jeans and t-shirts. 

Some people would, and that’s perfectly fine of course!

But for me, I was miserable.

So when my husband delicately asked if I might just be able to just “drop the vintage” for a couple of years, I looked at him, shook my head emphatically, and told him the above story. I had already learned the lesson that while it might be “easier” to travel with jeans and a t-shirt for simplicity’s sake, for me, sacrificing my personal style for simplicity doesn’t make me happy.

So here we are now, and while sometimes I do think I’m crazy for trying to maintain a fashion style that sticks out like a sore thumb in a land where clothing and fashion entirely revolves around looking as cute as possible with the minimal amount of fuss and stuff on your body {think light, floaty, short and bare, or plain and simple, with minimal makeup of a fresh face and soft, just-been-kissed lip stain}, I also think it’s been worth it.

I still love my vintage dresses {though they are all reproduction or vintage inspired these days}. I still love a bold red lip, and I will forever be enamoured with hats and hair flowers! (• ᴗ •❁)  Undoubtedly I’ve had to adjust my preferred vintage looks to suit the environment, and the traveling, but it can be done, so I do it.

And it’s still just as fun to dress in vintage style as it was back home!

Plus, you can find some very cute vintage appropriate clothing in South East Asia. They love their gingham, and folk-esque style of fashions as you can see in this cute seersucker frock I picked up at a local Thai market. I thought it was a great vintage appropriate piece ~ very 1940’s teen on the beach or on summer vacation!

Which is absolutely perfect for where we are, so I went with it. Sweeping up a quick poodle, and grabbing my floppy hat from the the cupboard near the front door, I took the children to the park and they played while I snapped some photos.

Palm trees and vibrant green {wet!!} grass, everything is a vivid shade of emerald in the mountains, and you can’t escape the cheerful, brilliant tones that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Traveling in the tropics is definitely an adventure in colour! It is different to what I am used too, and sometimes I really do miss the golden hues of our “wide, brown land”, but wearing vintage wherever I may end up, suits me and makes me happy.

What do you think? Would you, or have you ever, changed your style for traveling? Or for the sake of simplicity? Let me know ~ I’m keen to hear why you would/wouldn’t wear vintage, and for that matter, any other fashions traveling!

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ First blog post from Chiang Mai! Yay!! ◝( ′ㅂ`)و ̑̑✧

༺ ♡ ༻

Giant Floppy Straw Hat | Ebay
White & Red Blooms Hair Flower | Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Blue & White Embroidered Seersucker Dress | Local Thai Market
White Gladiator Sandals | Zulily

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Friday, August 25, 2017

༺ 18th Century Shades of Blue ༻

Cheong Fatt Tze - The 18th Blue Mansion, Penang Island, Malaysia | Lavender & TwillCheong Fatt Tze - The 18th Blue Mansion, Penang Island, Malaysia | Lavender & TwillCheong Fatt Tze - The 18th Blue Mansion, Penang Island, Malaysia | Lavender & TwillRetro inspired style featuring Sisjuly | Lavender & TwillVintage 1940's summer looks for traveling | Lavender & TwillRetro inspired style featuring Sisjuly | Lavender & TwillCheong Fatt Tze - The 18th Blue Mansion, Penang Island, Malaysia | Lavender & TwillVintage 1940's summer looks for traveling | Lavender & TwillRetro inspired style featuring Sisjuly | Lavender & TwillRetro inspired style featuring Sisjuly | Lavender & TwillCheong Fatt Tze - The 18th Blue Mansion, Penang Island, Malaysia | Lavender & TwillVintage 1940's summer looks for traveling | Lavender & Twill

It was our last weekend in Penang a month ago, and I knew that I had to go out and do some historical sightseeing before we left or I’d really regret it!

We had spent some time wandering around fun interactive museums, and hitting up allll the shopping centres {actually, we didn’t even get through half of them I don’t think…} but dragging small children around for a“don’t-touch-don’t-run-don’t-break-it(!!)” kind of outing is not really… fun… for anyone.

The children hate it, and the adults end up questioning their sanity and hating every moment of it as well as trying to enjoy it, so talk about conflicted and…Yep. So I left the little people with the Mister, and caught an Uber into Old Georgetown to visit the Cheong Fatt Tze, or The Blue Mansion.

Listed as one of the Top 10 Greatest Mansions in the world to visit by Lonely Planet {One down, nine more to go… Haha!}, the 18th century building is an absolute masterpiece in eclectic architectural style. Restored with traditional methods and materials to retain all of its charm and the unique vision of Cheong Fatt Tze ~ the man who moulded his business place and home into an ‘Indigo’ work of art.

The mansion functions as hotel and restaurant, so much of the building is restricted from public access, but there are guided tours inside a small portion of the building and the grounds are absolutely stunning. Completely surrounded by modern and old Penang, I really enjoyed the experience of such decadent luxury from centuries ago.

While I ramble on about luxury though, I do have to say, I absolutely loved the dress I was wearing that day! Another affordable, yet gorgeous offering from Sisjuly, this stunning 1940’s inspired dress felt fantastic on. Even in the humid, sticky and hot Penang weather!

The fabric is really lightweight, and reminds me a lot of a vintage rayon or viscose ~ the hand and drape of it works perfectly for a vintage reproduction piece. It’s honestly my favourite dress from Sisjuly that I have tried so far. It all comes together in this dress for a really pretty, wearable frock!

I mean, it has pockets!! Besides that, I love the square cut neckline, it’s one of my favourite neckline shapes. I love the dainty floral print. I love the colours with the aqua background, peach flowers and navy foliage, and again, the material they used ~ it’s just perfect. Needless to say, but I’m going to say it anyway, I am a huge fan of this dress.

And of blue houses. Haha, it’s nothing really alike at all, but the Blue Mansion sort of reminds me of our Blue House that we had back in Australia. (*• ᴗ ᵕ*)∠☆  Ah, good times.

But speaking of houses ~ we left Malaysia the day after I visited the Blue Mansion, and we have now been located in Chiang Mai for a month.

We found a house to live in, we are beginning to learn our way around, and I have even been driving myself around! Which is really nice to be able to do actually, as you can’t always expect to be able to drive yourself around safely when you are overseas! I would not drive in Penang, and probably many other countries around the world.

All that aside, we have really been enjoying the city and now that we are starting to find our feet here, I am looking forwards to going on more adventures and really exploring our new home town. I can’t wait to show you Chiang Mai! (‐^▽^‐)

xox,

bonita

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40's Aqua Floral Me Away Dress | c/o of Sisjuly
Caramel Crush Soft Wedge | Local Shop, Malaysia

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