༺ Pearl of Asia ༻

We were so lucky this April to spend four days in Phom Penh, Cambodia. We had six days away in total ~ one travel day on either side of the trip, which worked out to be quite a good amount of time for a short tour of the city.

I’m really glad we got to visit Cambodia ~ they have called Phnom Penh the “Pearl of Asia” and I can understand why.

There are so many fantastic historical sights to see ~ and I thoroughly enjoyed the chance I had to spend the afternoon out in the city exploring. {I did that by myself while the children went with the Mister to a waterpark ~ much more fun for them than sightseeing!}

I can’t express enough how beautiful I found the historical, heavily French-inspired architecture throughout Phnom Penh. I love how the French influence has mixed with the local history and culture to create a singularly spectacular city.  I really enjoyed visiting the National Museum of Cambodia, and the Royal Palace. The Silver Pagoda was spectacular, and there was a plethora of inspiring colour palettes and patterns that I just soaked up… And took a gazillion photos of!

I think the nicest thing about solo adventuring is the ability to go completely at your own pace and see all the things you really want to see. I’m perfectly horrible as a traveling companion because I want to see EVERY SINGLE LITTLE thing and take photos of IT ALL. I’ve been told on many occasion to hurry up, but that doesn’t work on me anymore as I now know if I don’t get the photo when I see it, I won’t have another chance and then I’ll regret it later! I’m such a visual person, I simply must capture the pictures I find ~ it’s kind of like treasure hunting to me and I love it.

Although I really do enjoy exploring by myself for a day or an afternoon, one thing I have to say is that it’s certainly not great for getting photos of yourself in all the exotic locations! Haha… I’m going to have to invest in a tiny travel tripod for my phone I think…

Alas, it also means that I didn’t get to take the outfit pictures in the city like I was planning. I did manage to get some photos at the housing complex where we were staying so I was glad about that. Not exactly a jaw-dropping location, but it was peaceful, and even the simpler example of a Cambodia building was pretty to me.

The day of these photos was the first one of our trip, and we had gone out earlier on a boat tour of the Tonlé Sap River. Honestly ~ I was sooo impressed that my makeup {and my curls} managed to last all day in the humidity and heat!

Thailand has been so dry, I forgot how humid tropical weather can get, but boy, oh boy ~ Cambodia was a very moist reminder.

I had a very easy time packing for this short jaunt and after I looked at everything in my suitcase, I realised why ~ I’d packed four pink outfits to wear for all four days!

And you know what?

I wasn’t the slightest bit unhappy about that. It made accessorizing easy, my makeup could be a similar peachy-pink look every day, I could wear one pair of shoes {instead of bringing the three or so odd pairs I usually do.. Haha!} and that one pair would match my purse!

Now that might sound a little crazy, but I really do like making sure my looks are complete from head to toe. I miss dressing in true vintage style which really is about co-ordinating each and every part of your ensemble ~ from the undergarments to accessories.

In the spirit of vintage fashion, I try to style each part of my look along the same rules that dictated a chic and elegant ensemble in the 1940s and 1950s ~ and essentially make sure that my co-ordination is on point!

And actually, I had some locals enquiring about my look ~ they thought I was a stylist because my whole outfit was matching so perfectly. It was sort of true, but not really in the way they were thinking… I’m a stylist for myself! Haha!

Creating a capsule travel wardrobe based around my favourite colour certainly made the whole process of packing very simple, and it also meant that each outfit made me feel really happy to wear it. It’s not really something I’d thought of before ~ most people suggest building a capsule wardrobe/suitcase around a “basic” colour such as black, white, blue or tan.

But I think that if you have enough of your favourite colour in your wardrobe, all of the right accessories are probably already there. It’s also going to be a colour, and the clothing, that you feel comfortable in which will create the perfect mood for a day exploring.

Now I just need to find enough purple dresses to create a capsule wardrobe in lilac!

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Signature Double Rose in “Peach”  | Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Rosie and Ralph Lovebirds Brooch Set | Teacup Girl
Unique Vintage Peach Stripe Picnic Dress | BSS Group
Hello Kitty Travel Purse | Sanrio Gift Gate
Penny Loafers | Big C, Chiang Mai

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༺ How to Wear Vintage Style while Traveling ༻

Flying to Phnom Penh, Cambodia was the perfect holiday for us.

I had the best time exploring the city ~ I really enjoyed visiting the National Museum of Cambodia, and the Royal Palace. The Silver Pagoda was spectacular, and the architecture throughout the capital city is so stunning.

During our time away, I realised I’ve been a bit spoiled in Chiang Mai with the weather ~ one thing that was stood out to me was how much more humid Phnom Penh is compared to Chiang Mai currently. It was more like Koh Lanta, southern Thailand on-the-beach level of humidity, or Penang Island in Malaysia.

It also reminded me that I still haven’t written about all the tips and tricks I’ve picked up for dressing in vintage style while in the tropics from living here for the last two years. Some of this also applies for general travel, but obviously if you are heading to cooler climates layering with warmer clothing will be a must. Either way, here are my tips ~ please enjoy!

~ Tips for dressing Vintage Style while Traveling in the Tropics ~

• Sundresses are your best friend. It might be an obvious place to start, but a light 1950’s style sundress will get you through hot weather and allow your legs to keep cool. Alternatively, a peasant blouse with a full skirt, or a 1940’s shirtwaist dress are great options as well.
  
  
• Light clothing that isn’t confining is the goal, but remember that a vintage silhouette from the 1940’s and 1950’s always had the natural waist {just above the belly button} defined.
  
  
• A belt will help to define your waist, and you can also try adding a sash, or knotted fabric belt for a less structure, but still accentuating a nipped in waist. If it’s super hot, a skinny belt is a good way to reduce the heat factor.

• Skip foundation garments ~ seriously, you have too ~ and go for a vintage style brassiere to keep the correct shape underneath. What Katie Did or Rago have amazing reproduction vintage styles, but if you’re a babe on a budget, go to Target or Kmart and skip the pretty bras for the wireless “granny” bras. Look for a ‘lift and separate’ shape give you just the silhouette you need without having to spend too much. If you’re still not sure what style you are looking for research old vintage lingerie ads to find out. From the 1930's through to the 1960's brassiere structure didn't change that drastically unless you are specifically looking for a bullet-bra, and the right style will cover all of those decades.
  
  
• Cover up! The sun isn’t as harsh in the tropics as it is in Australia, but you will still get burnt. Especially if you are outside sightseeing all day. Borrow a tip from sun-safe Asian travellers and carry a light foldable umbrella. It really will save your skin and keep you cooler while you walk around. It’s also more convenient than a big hat to tuck away and get out of photos when you want to snap a picture.
  
  
• It goes without saying, but invest in a really good sunscreen. My favourite out of all the sunscreens I’ve tried is Avène Sunscreen Emulsion SPF 50, which has a matte finish and goes beautifully under makeup, even through a day’s wear of “glistening”.

• Open sandals are a popular vintage vacation style, as well as being comfortable for walking in, but watch out for the tops of your feet getting burnt. Apply sunscreen before going out for the day. Go for styles that strap on so you don’t have to worry about them flopping loose. This will help if you find yourself walking on less than great pavement; or short rocky trails.
  
  

• Carry a backpack. If you are traveling around a lot, carrying a purse isn’t always safe if it’s over your shoulder, and a large shoulder bag can hurt your neck after a long time. Backpacks balance the load and if you are looking for the perfect vintage style backpack – Anello do beautiful backpacks in different colours and sizes – my favourite is found here and here.

• Be prepared to have your hair up continuously. Even if your hair isn’t curly like mine, and can cope with the humidity, it will just be too hot and add extra sweat to have it down on the back of your neck if you are outside for any length of time. If you are inside, most places are airconditioned in the cities, so you can do your normal ‘dos.
  
  
• For vintage style updos – poodles, ponytails, Gibson rolls and braids are great for getting your hair out of your face and off your neck. I love to add hair flowers, or a vintage nylon scarf for a cheerful holiday touch!

• Makeup can be tricky ~ a powder foundation will stay on longer through the sweat, pop it in your bag for touch ups. Try to let your face dry naturally before touching up, if you touch your face while it’s damp you will remove your base. Also, if you apply powder over the top of a damp face, it will get cakey. Wait if you can until it’s dry and then touch up.
  
  
• For eye makeup ~ waterproof mascara is a must, and if you want to wear eyeshadow you will need a primer to help it stay. Try to set your brows with eyebrow powder if you use a pencil or pomade to fill them in, as that will help to prevent them sweating off. I haven’t found an eyeliner that will stay on for a cats eye flick, and so going for a 40’s makeup look will work better for the heat.
  
  
• A good makeup setting spray is invaluable for all day glamour, so try out Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, or L'Oréal Paris Infallible Fixing Mist for a budget-friendly option that works brilliantly. 
  
  
• If you are wearing red lipstick and drinking a lot {as you need to do to stay hydrated in the heat}, carrying a reusable straw will be handy to keep the lipstick off your face. It’s also great for the environment so that’s an added bonus. Alternatively, look for a reusable drink bottle that comes with a narrow drinking spout, or an attached straw.

• Carry a hand fan. Besides looking lovely and elegant, a hand fan can be your best friend besides your water bottle if you are stuck in a stuffy hot spot!
  
  
• Try to avoid wearing true vintage if you can. You will start sweating as soon as you walk out the door, it’s like walking into a wall of damp heat, or a wet oven. My experience has been that you can only wear a garment once and then it will need washing to remove sweat stains. True vintage won’t hold up to continuous repeated washing, will fade from the sunlight faster, and could go permanently yellow. I’ve a couple of reproduction dresses go yellow even though I wash them after wearing, simply because of the constant sweat contact. The heat seems to set the yellowing into the fabric, so it’s really difficult to remove. If you think your true vintage will stand up to the harsh wear, then by all means go ahead, but personally I think it’s better to wear repro and save your vintage.
  
  
• For the voluptuous ladies, some anti-chaffing precautions should be considered. I really love Dove’s Men + Care Extra Fresh Deodorant stick. I’ve tried other antiperspirants, but this is the first one that’s really worked for me and stopped thigh chaffing. My top tip for this is to go for one that has moisturizing properties, as well as being in stick form. Other types of antiperspirant won’t work, and can make the chaffing worse. I don’t know why, but men’s deodorant seems to work better for me than ladies, but you may need to shop around to find the one that suits you best.
  
  
• Alternatively, you can wear bike shorts or lingerie shorts under your skirts to stop the rubbing, but beware as these can make the situation worse if they stop at the wrong spot on your legs {like the point of contact between your thighs}, or end up rolling up. Plus, the extra layer that will add to heat factor so that’s something to consider. 

• For style inspiration, look for vintage vacation outfits and advertisements, and go super light and relaxed. Linen and cotton are fantastic fabrics if you can find them, but you can’t beat a seersucker for being light and comfortable whilst remaining crinkle free throughout the day’s adventures.
  
  
• Brooches and fun earrings are two of my favourite accessories to travel with. One, they are small and easy to pack. Two, they don’t add any extra layers to your skin as necklaces and bangles can do.
  
  
• A pashmina or light cardigan will come in handy, as sometimes it is actually a little on the cool side if you are in air conditioning.

• When traveling, jersey knit dresses are amazing for a pyjama level of comfort whilst looking put together. Another favourite trick for flying is to bring wipes in your carry on for refreshing and cleaning ~ your face, body or your seat tray. And pop on a sheet face mask for overnight flights for moist, fresh looking skin when you walk off after that 14 hour flight.
  
  
• A top tip for taking photos in all these exotic locations ~ find your favourite poses in the mirror and remember them! Once you have one or three poses down, you can be sure to take good photos.
  
  
• Glamourous vintage style sunglasses are perfect for bright sunny days, so you don’t have to worry about squinting in the light. Cateye shapes look really good with 1950’s sundresses as they were the fashionable style for that era.

I hope you find these tips helpful ~ and if you have any tips or tricks for traveling yourself, let us know in a comment! Traveling is one of my favourite things to do, and I’m firmly convinced you don’t need to sacrifice personal style to do so, unless you wish to. Otherwise, go right ahead and look as fabulous as all those fascinating sights you are admiring!

xox,

bonita

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༺ Wonderwall ༻

The rainy season has well and truly set in. We’ve been having so many wet days, that sometimes a whole week will pass without sunshine. It feels so weird because all I remember last year was sunshine for most days, then rain for an hour or two.

The Mister reminded me that we were actually in Malaysia this time last year, and it suddenly makes more sense!

I can’t believe we’ve been living in Thailand for well over a year now, but I guess it feels a lot shorter as we did have that five month extended stay in Australia ~ smack dab in the middle of it all.

Despite the rain that’s constantly rolling in, I was lucky enough to get a blog shoot squeezed in last weekend.

It was a bit of a gamble as to whether it would come together at all. It was late afternoon by the time I could head out. The sky was becoming quite cloudy, there was hardly any light left ~ and I didn’t even know where to go! It’s always a nerve-wracking race if you are spontaneously doing a shoot at the end of the day, you’re scrambling to get everything sorted out before the sun sinks, frantically racing those last golden beams as they disappear over the horizon.

I searched google maps for the nearest public park ~ and I found one that was only 3.5km away, but the problem with traffic in Thailand is that it is a little like Sydney. If you hit the roads at the wrong time, the dense traffic and abominably slow lights {It takes 10 minute to get a green light, sometimes even longer if you miss the change due to the backup of traffic. We avoid traffic lights wherever we can, though some are most definitely worse than others!} can mean that it can take up to 30 minutes to get that 3.5 km!

Then I was risking that the park would have any good locations to set up, or not be crowded with people, or actually have a nice backdrop. You know, all those important things ~ haha!

Thankfully, there turned out to be some lovely scenery, and this very pretty house with awesome architecture, although I wouldn’t be going back for the park itself. That turned out to be the corner of a block that was terribly overgrown with grass, and there was a giant shine in the middle, taking up most of the space.

I’m very cautious about photographing shrines, as I want to make sure that I respect Thai culture and not appear like an insensitive foreigner! Which, being a foreigner and blogger can really be the worst combination. Even though it was a super quiet neighbourhood there were a lot of people running past exercising, or walking dogs, and my little venture with the camera out at dusk meant I was the ninth wonder of the Thai locals! Awk-ward!!

And after all that fuss, I wasn’t even sure I’d have enough photos to do this post, as I broke the number one photography rule and went out with a semi-almost-dead camera battery… Which meant that my battery died before I could finish the shoot… naturally.

…Whoops!

I keep saying that I need to buy a spare, and maybe now that I’ve had the worst happen I’ll finally do it? Haha, or it will end up like my camera lens and take me fifty-million years get that done…

Busy as we are at the moment, I have found the time to do a little thrifting ~ second hand and vintage shopping is not really the same in Thailand as it is in other places, but I’ve found some cute pieces here and there. I picked up this lovely chestnut leather purse last year at a street market, I think it might be from the 60’s or 70’s.

My hat I found at a second-hand stall in the shopping centre carpark (!!) where we do our grocery shopping. {Stalls in Thailand are weird, they exist just about anywhere you could think or want to set one up. We even bought a brand new, custom built couch in the carpark!!}

I really loved the idea of pairing them with this repro dress from Sisjuly, as this late 1930’s or early 1940’s inspired frock really felt like it needed touches of 30’s fashion with it. I know that technically the skirt is too short for a true 30’s look, but those sleeves! They are definitely 30s worthy with that glamorous flouncing, and I just love them.

I’m also fond of the sage green fabric. Although it often feels like there is way to much green in my photos of Thailand already, somehow I still find myself wearing shades of green far more often than I ever do in Australia. I guess my love of matchy-matchy even extends to which biome I’m living in!

So do you think my look passes for a 1930’s inspired ensemble or should I stick to the 1940’s and 1950’s? I’ve been eyeing off a lot of 30s fashions a lot lately, and I’ve even bought a stack of 1930’s vintage patterns as well as some of the Simplicity re-releases. As much as I love it, I really couldn’t afford to buy true 30’s vintage, {not that it would ever fit me}, and I’d be terrified of ruining it.

Plus, I’m not sure I could ever get my hair to behave for finger waves. I’m hard pressed to get a decent pin curl set out of it, so in these pictures I just rolled it under for a faux bob. I feel like if I worked a bit more on it, my faux bob could look okay, so I’m seriously thinking of dabbling a bit more in 1930’s styles, hence buying the sewing patterns.

It’s an era of fashion that is calling to me, but I’m a bit unsure if I can actually pull off 1930s properly… There’s no harm in trying I suppose? Or is my style just not accurate enough to make it work? Would you have any tips for a first-timer? …Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough. 

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Navy & White Cloche | Thrifted
Sage & White Walking Dress | Sisjuly
Vintage Chestnut Purse | Street Market, Chiang Mai
”Love, Forget Me Not” Brooch | Teacup Girl
Sheer Vintage Gloves | Gifted
Tan & White Giselle Spectator Heels | Chelsea Crew

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

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 ̑̑✧

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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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