༺ The Dressmaker ༻

~ True vintage 1950’s silk cocktail frock ~ she is divine and my most favourite thing ever ~

~ Vintage girl camouflage on point… Am I as fabulously dressed as these mannequins yet? ~

My best friend-really-actually-sister told me that she wanted to take me to the National Sound and Film Archive to see a costume exhibition that was for The Dressmaker. Although I’ve heard of the movie and read costuming blog posts about it ~ I have never actually seen the film {but I do plan to see it soon}.

It didn’t take much convincing for me to go {like, none at all} because I’d seen the movie stills and knew the clothing was abso-flippin’-lutely fantastic. And I was right. It really was an enjoyable display, there was quite a bit to see, as well as a short film on the behind the scenes process of costuming the movie which I found fascinating. I adore looking at the fabrics, and seeing the all the amazing details close up.

There were some simply divine true vintage pieces that were also used amongst the lovely reproduction vintage. I fell hard for a 1950’s silk cocktail frock in fire red with the most fabulous hip swag in the shape of a bow!

I’m sure I was drooling as I stood there admiring it and taking a billion pictures of its structure. I really want to try and reproduce that frock when I have the skills one day because it was utter perfection…

My second favourite outfit was the ballgown embellished with Swarovski crystals and the most delicate beading. My friend pointed out where one of the embellished strands had fallen off, and it’s really great to see the wear on even these stunning pieces. It makes them feel more comfortable and like actual clothing.

Though the French pleated silk chiffon cape looked like something out of the fairy kingdom ~ honestly, it is so inspiring to see how it sits and flows. It really feels like you were looking at true haute couture as the garments are impeccably crafted. Even the distressed pieces looked perfectly, truly destroyed and lived in for twenty five plus years.

My only complaint is that I couldn’t poke inside the garments and really see how they were constructed… But of course, I know why not… Just, wouldn’t it be amazing if you could!

And although my hair was stuck 1980 and not 1950 ~ much to my dismay ~ I still couldn’t resist the chance to take some photos with the stunning art deco architecture of the National Sound and Film Archive. So if you needed more close up photos of my Dior New Look inspired ensemble, that’s coming soon.

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻
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༺ Bon(i) Voyage ༻

If you where to ask me, the absolute best friends and fun times includes dresses, cocktails and high tea!!
｡･ﾟ☆ヽ(*^ｰ^)人(^ｰ^*)ノ☆｡ﾟ･｡

Not this last weekend, but the one before, I was up in Sydney for my Bon(i) Voyage party {Such a perfect pun on my name suggested by my good friend @emmaamie that I just could NOT pass up the opportunity to use!}. Essentially, it was a chance to catch up with all the gorgeous gals I’ve met over the last year and a half or so, and have one last big bash before I fly off with the family to Thailand!

I drove down Friday afternoon ~ after a lot of stress in the morning from packing and fitting our first round of travel immunisations {ouch!} ~ for a cocktail evening at a fabulous little bar called Kitty Hawk. That bar is super amazing, but before I could get inside to check it out, I got totalllllyyyyyy lost!…

I caught the bus from where I was staying, and my GPS said that it was only an eight minute walk to Kitty Hawk, but FYI ~ Google Maps does NOT work in down town Sydney ~ particularly if you are on foot.

The stately, towering buildings block satellite signals from positioning you accurately, so Maps will keep sending you up and down several of the same {very! steep! hilly!} streets three or four times {in your “going out” heels… *dies*}. Then you will call your husband for a desperate rant which starts with “I hate Sydney! It is a maze and I’m totally lost” and ends with him being your Virtual Guide via directions that he looked up on his computer that he is relaying to you as you walk literally for three minutes more and find the dang place after so long being lost that your friends start checking up on you with worried messages..…

But I had a fabulous evening once I finally arrived. It was the cutest spot, with fantastic 1940s inspired décor, and so atmospheric {although totally too loud to talk much!} and I really enjoyed hanging out with the loveliest bunch of girls for the evening. I even met some new faces which was so great!

The next day was a farewell high tea at the Queen Victoria Building Tea Salon. I absolutely adore it there. It’s my all time favourite tea room, and their Gluten Free scones are literally the best GF sweet treats I’ve ever had….! (灬ºωº灬)♡

It was a quiet and intimate party of three, and I was grateful for the chance to have a really good catch up with two of my dear friends ~ Ellen of A Wild Tea Party and Harlow from Miss Harlow Darling.

We chatted and ate and giggled our way through the afternoon and I had such a blast ~ I can’t even say except that I never want that kind of fun to end!

We walked around a bit as well, and Ellen guided us to one of her favourite photo spots {which just happens to be a super popular spot with anyone taking photos in Sydney CBD} ~ the King George V & VI Memorial Gardens.

We tried to “look whimsical – dammit!”, snap our ensembles {as you must ~ did you even dress vintage if there are no photos?}, and did the good ol’ floating-the-camera-on-a-bush trick to get a couple of group pictures.

Basically ~ no tripod? No problem! Haha! (• ̤̀ᵕ - ̤́๑)૭✧

And because I hate goodbyes, and can’t figure out how to end this post, I will just leave you with an outtake and the pictures of us together…

~ Caught in the middle of a good giggle ~


~ Never underestimate the vintage girl’s ability of magically conjuring up camera supports to get a good photo! ~


~  Love these girls… #vintagegirlgangforever ~

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

1950s NOS Milk Glass Snowdrop Necklace and Earrings | Instagram
Empire Dress in Cornflowers | Retrospect’d {hand beading embellishment by me}
Vintage Floral Swirl Beaded Evening Purse | eBay
1950s Vintage Court Shoes | Thrifted

༺ ♡ ༻
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༺ WoreSawHaul: AAVGM 2016 Rock’N’Roll ༻

It’s that time of year again ~ the Annual Aussie Vintage Girls Meetup {AAVGM ~ a mouthful I know… :P Here’s last year’s post}!

This time we were at the Rock’n’Roll Markets being held at Sydney University. I thought this worked quite well as it was slightly less crowded than the Round She Goes Markets in Marrickville Town Hall we were at last year. This was mostly because at this particular venue, all the vintage vendors where outside the building and the rockabilly/pinup/retro vendors where all inside with the bands and dance floor upstairs. 

We browsed, coffee’d up, shopped, chatted, shopped some more, then decided to go for lunch. So after a short walk and a long {relatively, haha!} photo session, we ended up at a gorgeous café for delicious food and tea. It was such a fabulous day! ✧*｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡

But as I have a whole post dedicated to what I wore, let’s skip that bit and head straight to the SawHaul parts…. :P

~ WHAT I SAW ~

~ These gorgeous ladies! L to R: emmaamie, ladylaurabell, awildteaparty, lilajeanvintage, ….& me – lavenderandtwill! Thanks to the lake’s bridge we had a great prop for the camera. Though, as LilaJean pointed out, anyone spectating would have wondered what on earth those nutty ladies where standing there smiling at… Why, a fence post with a camera on it of course!! … As you do. Naturally… ~

~ Sydney University, with loads of lovely architecture; more coming later… ~


~ Park near Sydney University which we walked through to get to lunch; but first! Stop and paparazzi time…!! #bloggerlife #vintagegirlsgoout ~


~ Outside at the Rock’n’Roll Markets ~


~ More park scenes ~

~ Saying goodbye to the girls after lunch; so didn’t want to end the day, but I had to drive back home to Canberra… ~

༺ ♡ ༻

~ WHAT I HAULED ~

Surprisingly not much. There where some decent prices, and pretty vintage {always pretty vintage to drool over… Haha!} but nothing that really caught my eye or struck my fancy. I did pick a couple of things though ~ a wooden découpage handbag from the 70’s, some clip on earrings and the cutest Deer Arrow brooch.

I was really pleased to find the Blue Birds brooch as I’ve been thinking about buying this particular piece for a while. I do love a lot of the Deer Arrow designs, but somehow it took me a long time of thinking before I made the plunge and bought my first brooch.  When I found it in person though, I knew I wasn’t walking away without it, and I didn’t! 

༺ ♡ ༻

So that was my day out in Sydney with the girls ~ I had such a lovely time, and once again had a lot of fun just chatting and giggling over all the the things that girls do.  Our meetup was a bit smaller than originally planned, we were missing some ladies that couldn’t make it, but that’s okay, we will see them next time hopefully. ٩(+๑╹+ꇴ╹)۶

Large or small groups, long or short times ~ hanging out with your friends is always a good thing!!

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

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༺ Stitching Stories: Corbett Tulips ༻

You know, sometimes having too much to say can almost be as bad as not having anything to say at all… Where do I even being? At the beginning? Haha, that seems about right! But be warned ~ the beginning of this story literally started months ago… It’s a long one, so you might want to fetch a snack and a cup of tea.  I’ll wait.

Ready?

My friend Tanith {Tanith Rowan Designs} and I have been trying to meet up since the start of this year. We picked Bowral as a nice “right-in-the-middle-for-the-both-of-us” spot and made plans, but between sick children, rain, cars breaking down, and goodness knows what else, six or so months later and we said we are doing this no matter what, and guess what… We did it! ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑ ˂ᵒ͜͡ᵏᵎ⁾✩

I drove up to meet her by myself {the traffic was horrendous} so I was very glad to arrive and have lunch and tea at a cute little Alice in Wonderland themed café. Tanith and I both agreed that their Sweet Potato chips where the way to go!

We had a little wander around the town after lunch, and while we were both disappointed to find that the fascinating antiques shop we were planning to explore had shut, there was still a nice little fabric shop with all sorts of gorgeous silks, lush velvets, and buttons ~ vintage buttons!

Then we made our way to Corbett Gardens. I’d driven past it when I was hopelessly scouting around for a parking spot {main street was MUCH too busy} ~ and we thought it might be nice to take a proper look.

And even though it was freezing and the weather was miserable, I must say, the garden was certainly worth the time!

I didn’t even mind so much about missing the antiques shop {But only because I’m planning to go back..! I do really want to see inside ~ it’s an old ‘shops within a building’ historic site and the whole thing has been converted to into an antique shop and café which I think is just marvellous} ~ all those beautiful flowers where so delightful!

The Corbett Gardens are a veritable tulip wonderland, and so excellently designed. There were two rotundas, one small one nestled under a cherry tree, and one large one surrounded by all the flower beds ~ which were these fantastic terrace gardens. They looked like blooming layer cakes, or colourful pyramids, but the great thing about them was that it was so much easier to take photos of the flowers with all the height to the flower beds! Which of course, made it blogger heaven…  Haha! (*≧ꇴ≦)

And best of all, I totally blended right in because everyone else was taking loads of selfies with the flowers too…  :P

Now onto what I wore ~ this is a Stitching Stories post after all!

I had started this Simplicity 3688 skirt to go with a matching Simplicity 1940’s pattern of a bolero jacket last year. I had to put it aside to work on something else ~ my Christmas blouse I think? Anyway, I knew I could finish this skirt to wear out, but I needed a top to go with it.

I’d seen Christina of Gussets and Godet’s blog post where she wrote about the 1940's wrap top she had made and I really wanted to make it so I thought ~ why not? And went for it! 

It’s a super easy pattern to make up and works beautifully, but I must say that my photographs are not the best example of how well it can work, and yes, I’ll tell you why….

Story time…. Again! Still have that tea? Or do you need another cup by now? 

I had parked the car before meeting Tanith, I needed to change from my driving shoes ~ flats, to my co-coordinating with my ensemble shoes ~ heels. As I was bending over to buckle my shoe I heard something pop… “Uh-oh… But what could it be?” I thought. “Anyway I’m running late, must ignore it for now.” Then I buckled the other shoe, heard some more popping and nothing else. Quick check, couldn’t see anything wrong, “Well okay then, we must be alright…”

Fast forward to me messing about with my blouse while taking photos ~ “Why is this thing floating about everywhere!? I know it’s windy, but yeesh, it doesn’t want to stay tucked properly!” Fiddle, fiddle, fuss, fuss… Tuck it in and smile for the camera!

Fast forward again ~ I’d finished taking the photos, Tanith had had to leave before then, and now it was my turn to drive home. I hopped in the car, but before I started off I wanted to shed some of the constricting elements of my outfit for a more comfortable trip home. As I took off my blouse to change it for a knit top, I realized that the back tie was dangling by one strap ~ *ding!* “Oooooh! That’s why the dang thing wouldn’t stay tucked in properly!” … And also why it looks a bit poufy and weird in some of the pictures. It’s not solely the wind and the rain blowing right down one sleeve and out the other!

The moral to this story is ~ sew straps that take a lot of strain more securely next time. And maybe pay attention to any popping noises you might hear… (๑˃́ε˂̀๑ )

~ Project Details ~

• Year: 1940’s
• Pattern: Simplicity 3688 Retro Release & a 1940’s wrap top tutorial
• Fabric: Mint pinwale corduroy and rose print poly-cotton fabric
• Notions: One grey zip and a silver button 
• Time to complete: Two hours-ish for the wrap blouse, and I’m not sure, maybe that for finishing up the skirt? I had to hem it, insert the zip, put on the waist band, and do the button and button hole
• Make again? I do like the 40s skirt pattern, it’s a good basic, but it’s not a pattern I really love so I don’t know if I will make it again. I will see. But the wrap top ~ this is not going to be the only version of this, for sure! I am itching to try it out in a crepe or silk, and a jersey knit, and… I foresee a few variations on this pattern. I like it a lot. It’s easy to make, easy to wear, and it’s just brilliant!
• Wear again? Yes, once I mend the blouse… And re-enforce those strap seams!
• Total Cost:  I’m not sure, because I can’t remember the price on any of it, but I know it probably was under or around $20.00 for the skirt and blouse.

xox,
bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Vintage Straw Flower Pot Hat | Instagram Sale
1940’s Vintage Bomber Jacket | eBay
Wrapped Up in Roses | Me Made, October 2016
Peppermint Spring 40’s Skirt | Me Made, October 2016
Harvest Brown Gauntlet Gloves | Etsy
1940’s Vintage Brown Leather Clasp Purse | eBay
Tan Heda Mary Jane by B.A.I.T. | Zulily

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