Hell Bunny Lily Dress

This dress will look familiar to a lot of you as it is one I have already blogged before, however since I last blogged it I ended up having some alterations done to the hem to make it look more vintage. Originally this dress had a mullet hem so when I saw the alteration Lauren made to her dress I was inspired to follow her Flapper Hack tutorial and do the same with mine! Here you can see the original blog post with how the dress looked before it was altered, however I definitely prefer how it looks now as I find this length to be more flattering without my knees exposed.

After having a quiet Easter and doing no Easter activities whatsoever (other than gorging myself on hot cross buns) this outfit was worn on a trip to the pub - an original 1920s pub which I will be posting about more on instagram later, and shopping for reduced Easter chocolate.

It's apparently autumn at the moment, everyone seems to have their fires going even though it's 30 degrees every day. People in Brisbane are clearly terrified of the possibility of it being even slightly not hellishly hot so they are doing their best to keep summer going all year long rather than enjoying the two weeks of cool weather we get each year - as my friend cleverly observed!

I too jumped the gun and wore this hat that I've been eager to wear for a while now, and since I spent most of the time in the air conditioned pub it didn't matter too much. You might have noticed that I am really loving Bait shoes at the moment - I have to admit I am obsessed. I am relieved to have finally found a brand that makes not only affordable, but very nice looking art deco shoes. In terms of sizing I seem to be the one of the few people who has not had any issue - I always go half a size up from my regular size and so far so good.

Wearing:

Hell Bunny - dress

Ebay - hat

Bait Footwear - shoes

à la russe

The early 1920s saw Western fashion start to experiment with Eastern elements. With a large Russian population now living in Paris following the Bolshevik Revolution, major couturiers such as Chanel sought inspiration from the costumers of the Russian ballet and elements of traditional Russian dress suddenly became a part of mainstream fashion. As a result of fabric shortages post war, embroidery became very popular as it was an affordable way of adorning dresses with an elegant design and enabled designers to use the simpler fabrics that were available. Embroidered dresses and blouses modeled off the traditional Russian peasant style were popular for their exotic appearance and nostalgic charm.

I love this style not only because of the association with my homeland, but because peasant dresses are the most comfortable dresses to wear, especially in this climate. While there are quite a number of authentic 1920s dresses available in this style, there are also some great reproductions too and with the cost of 1920s vintage as it is, not to mention how frail it is to actually wear...I would recommend going for a reproduction.

In an ideal world I would have loved to pack this dress on a visit home to Russia, to photograph it in the lupin field near our house, but sadly as it is I will not be going back this year so photos in the Australian outback had to do. Not quite the same, but how sweet is that cockatoo? I didn't even notice he was there until we finished taking photos - if you look carefully he is photobombing in the third last photo! We took these photos at my favorite hiking trail, the morbidly named Slaughter Falls. As you can imagine all sorts of urban legends surround this place about slayed picnicking couples and the rumor of a lady in white being seen, but not this afternoon, no, just me in this lovely embroidered white frock.

Wearing:

The Deco Haus - Dress

Bait Footwear - Shoes

reverefolie - Bebe Earrings courtesy of reverefolie

Peacock Flapper Coat

I bought this fabulous robe, or flapper coat - whichever you'd like to call it - in the middle of summer and so it has been a painful wait to finally be able to wear it. Apparently it's autumn now, and indeed it has cooled down very slightly so that I can finally take this gorgeous, most luxurious and fun to wear garment out of the closet. A cross between lounge wear and evening wear, I honestly don't care how flamboyant I look wearing this coat, therefore making the peacocks most appropriate! I wore this fabulous coat to the cinemas last week to see Hail Caesar and it kept me nice and snug in the chilly theater. It is fairly safe to say that I am obsessed with these coats and there will be a few of them making appearances on the blog throughout autumn and winter.

Something that I really love about the fashion of the 1920s is that accessorizing is so encouraged. I have never worn earrings on the blog before my last post because I have never actually had my ears pierced. I am terrified of anything sharp and painful so piercings have never been my thing, meaning my whole life I have missed out on wearing earrings. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I was contacted by reverefolie who have a fantastic range of handmade jewelry that offers customers the option to choose clip on earrings! reverfolie have a beautiful range of pieces inspired by jewelry from the 1900s to the 1950s with many fantastic art deco inspired designs. I love the instant glam that a pair of statement earrings like these add to an outfit and I get complimented non stop when I wear mine out.

Wearing:

Trashy Diva dress

thrifted flapper coat

David Lawrence heels

Miss Harlow Darling earrings & ring c/o reverefolie
Modcloth hair pin

Queen of the Damned

Boardwalk Empire was my gateway drug to the 1920s but it was Underbelly Razor; an Australian television series, that really made me fall in love with the styles of the twenties. Although both of these shows are set in the same period, there is a stark contrast in the fashion the characters wear despite the fact that both shows center around underworld figures. I admit that I turn my nose up at Australian television so when I first watched Razor I scoffed at the costumes and wrote the show off for a few years. Critics have panned the wardrobe department of the series as cheap and tacky, but as I later realized - of course the clothing worn by Australians in this period was going to be far less lavish than that or their contemporaries in America.

Whereas America was enjoying an economic boom and period of prosperity during the twenties, Australia was a young country that had lost a massive percentage of it's countrymen to the Great War and times were tough. This was reflected in the fashion worn by every day people and there was a far lesser degree of decadence in the styles worn and what was available. Therefore of course the wardrobes of the characters in Razor were going to be less luxurious and more grungy with a lived in look. Looking at the historical context made me realize that my snobbery towards the show had been uncalled for.

One of my favorite characters in Razor is brothel entrepreneur Tilly Devine and this outfit is a sort of homage to the stylish underworld queen. Tilly's wardrobe is the most lavish of the characters in the series as she is one of the few who can afford to drape herself in velvet and silk, with the trademarks of her style being various shades of purple worn with single strand beaded necklaces. I believe this beaded dress would definitely not look out of place hanging in Tilly's wardrobe, especially as it is quite a luxurious piece covered all over in beading.

As a result of all of the beading it actually is quite a heavy dress to wear and my first impression on trying it on was that it was almost akin to putting on chain mail! So it will amuse you to know that the first time I wore this dress I got caught in a downpour on my way to dinner and was thoroughly drenched to the bone, you can imagine how much heavier that made the dress feel! The main thing about this story though is that I remembered to wrap my head in a scarf so although I was soaked from the neck down, my hair remained unscathed - thank goodness. It was but a small consolation prize as I drank my cocktails while sitting in a puddle of rain water.

Wearing:

Unique Vintage dress
Modcloth slip worn under the dress

Bait Footwear shoes

Lovisa necklace

earrings courtesy of reverefolie

The Fountain at Twilight

When I first saw this dress it brought to mind the outfit worn by Kiera Knightley in Atonement in the famous scene with Cecilia and Robbie by the fountain. Although Cecilia's outfit is actually a two piece blouse and skirt set, the colour scheme and the floral print on this chiffon dress is slightly of reminiscent of the outfit in the film. As a sort of tribute to this scene, I did nearly fall into the fountain several times, and in the second last photo you can even see the sash dragging in the water...good thing I didn't fall in as that would have upset the rather plump goldfish that was the single resident of this beautiful lily covered pond.

Wearing:

Iconic by Unique Vintage dress

Wittner Shoes

The Perfect 1920s Beach Dress

At the risk of disappointing a number of you, it is my sad duty to inform you that this wonderful reproduction of a 1920s sailor dress was discontinued back in 2010 when Collectif had some marvelous 1920s pieces. As such, this particular dress is hard to come by at this point in time, so last year when I got my hands on the same dress in navy I was pretty ecstatic. However despite it being my regular size, back when the dress was in production the sizing was slightly different and this particular dress ran a few sizes too small. So with a heavy heart, I sold the navy version of the dress on and gave up hope - only when a week before Christmas, this dress turned up in an op shop, in a larger size -  brand new with tags and for an absolute steal of a price. I admit, I did freak out a little.

It was hot, windy - the sun was burning my retinas - but I couldn't care less because I was so happy to finally get an opportunity to wear this dress! Even the wind trying so hard to mess up my hair could not possibly ruin my mood!

As my search for 20s reproduction continues it is always exciting to find a piece that looks like it could of come from a 1920s catalog and has the same charm reminiscent of true vintage 1920s pieces. If you are lucky enough to come across this dress in your search, I would suggest sizing up two sizes - or even four if your figure is an hour glass rather than the lithe athletic build favored during the 1920s. There has been a lot of discussion about who can and can't wear twenties styles, and I for one think it is absolutely rubbish. Women of all sizes existed in the 1920s, however although many of them did take to binding their chest in favor of imitating the garcon style, today we know that doing this can cause tissue damage and I for one, strongly advise against it. Instead, go for a size up and you will find that you can easily pull off the same look, not to mention think of the freedom of movement that this will allow - which was the whole point of the flapper look to begin with!

Wearing:

Collectif Dress - op shop

Parasol - ebay

Sunglasses - ebay

Shoes - Funtasma

Modcloth Cause for Delectation Jumpsuit

January is by far the hottest month, and today being no exception to this rule, it might seem a bit odd that I am wearing a full piece like a jumpsuit rather than a dress! However, the light airy fabric and relaxed fit of this one piece makes it completely comfortable on days like today. This outfit was worn for drinking iced coffee and browsing books in a vintage book store. With all of the space in our new place I find myself constantly buying books lately, coming home with heavy bags full of them rather than shoes or clothes. If truth be told I am honestly not that much of a fan of novels these days (a major in literature and creative writing can put you off them I'm afraid...) and instead I prefer fiction, crime, history, and autobiographies. And maybe a few books on historical fashion thrown in for good measure!

Jumpsuits and beach pajamas always bring to mind Anna May Wong who wore them so glamorously. I am a bit disappointed that there aren't any vintage reproduction companies who specialize in beach pajamas - but a girl can dream, right? I love the rather androgynous silhouette that jumpsuits evoke and the ease of movement that they allow. This Modcloth jumpsuit was bought with work in mind - I like the strong sleek lines and the not so playful and more austere dark shade. The platforms I'm wearing with it may not look practical but they add a considerable amount of inches making me almost six foot tall - and I walked all over Bondi in them so they are as comfortable as platforms can be!

Other than books, something I've been enjoying lately is paying closer attention to Brisbane's architecture, which all started with some local history books that I bought. I often don't take the time to appreciate the beautiful older buildings in our city which I had long written off as "not as beautiful as Sydney" - however one has only to look up and find the beautiful architecture that is everywhere. Like for example - this cat gargoyle who I had walked past for years and only noticed this week - he has since been dubbed "Anatomically Correct Cat".

Wearing:

Modcloth Jumpsuit

Novo Shoes