1970s

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What I wore: royal purple

A few weeks back I was on my way to pick up the office’s stationery order when I passed the local Red Cross shop.  In the window was a gorgeous long-sleeved vintage 70’s dress in the most lovely shade of purple.  It was a fairly simple design, a straight skirt, boat neckline and button detail, but my eye was instantly drawn to it.  The following day I made the decision to go to the shop in my lunchbreak and pick up the dress.

Alas, when I arrived it was no longer in the window.  My heart sank when I realised that it had probably been sold, and I resigned myself to taking a quick look in the store to see if I could find a consolation purchase.  And there, on the rack with the other dresses, was my purple marvel.  Silly me!  It hadn’t been sold, they’d just changed the window display!  I snapped it up for $5 and walked gleefully back to work with my treasure.

I am wearing:

  • Royal purple vintage dress (thrifted)
  • Black boots from Ebay
  • Mrs Doubtfire pin from Amy Blue Illustration
  • Celtic knot brooch (gifted)
  • Art deco earrings (thrifted)

I wore this particular outfit for mother’s day brunch with my family.  I chose my jewellery carefully.  These two brooches are to pay tribute to two mothers who are important to me but who weren’t present for Mother’s Day this year- my late Nana Dot and my ex-mother-in-law-now-friend Judith.  The Celtic knot was a gift from Judith and I always think of her when I wear it.  I chose Mrs Doubtfire for Nan because it was a film that she loved and we used to laugh our asses off watching it together.

 
I’m thrilled with this dress.  I have very few long-sleeved vintage dresses, so this was the perfect addition to my winter work wardrobe.  The colour is superb and the slight stripe texture makes it a bit more interesting than just a block colour.  I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of this now that winter is here and the temperatures are dropping.

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Logan’s Run Style

One sweltering afternoon last month I stretched out on my loungeroom floor to watch Logan’s Run.  The 70’s sci-fi classic has been recommended to me so many times, that when I found a copy of the DVD at my local library I just had to check it out. There’s something quite special about 1970’s science fiction.  It was an era that had a real obsession with space-age costuming, and the outfits from this time always manage to look both futuristic and retro all at once.  There’s always this hint of disco-fabulousness mixed in with the shiny fabrics and eyes-forward cuts.
Another element that appealed to me was the monochrome styles in each “class” of costumes.  There are four different classes of people who live in Logan’s world and each one wears a very distinct colour palette.  I liked the idea of this kind of social uniform and the subtle differences between the styles of each.  I thought it would be fun to play around and create an outfit for each of the four classes shown in the movie.

The Cubs

 

The cubs are the youngest of the four classes, all of them are aged under fifteen.  They wear a palette of yellow, mustard and brown.  These earthy, golden tones are so evocative of the 1970’s, when such bright colours were popular.  The Cubs’ clothes have a playful, childlike element to them, and tend to be somewhat distressed and  torn.

Jessica

 

The character Jessica represents the next age group, loosely between the ages of  15-25 (this is not specifically defined in the film).  The citizens from this age group wear shades of green, and their outfits are more revealing than most.  Many of the citizens who are a part of this age group are preoccupied with sex and hedonism, and as such their outfits are the most overtly sexual of all.  Short skirts, transparent fabrics and bare limbs are hallmarks of the green-wearing youths.  Their outfits feature adornments and jewellery to highlight bare wrists and ankles.  Few members of this group wear an ankh charm, a symbol of the idealistic utopia of Sanctuary.

Last Day

The eldest inhabitants of the city wear red, and their clothes are more mature than their younger counterparts.  Although still sexy and form-fitting, they tend to be less revealing than the greens.  Silky, slippery fabrics and gorgeous textures abound, as well as the ever present red life-timer: a jewel fixed into the palm of the hand which turns red upon your thirtieth birthday.

Sandman

The Sandmen are the law enforcement, and it is their job to catch “Runners” who attempt to flee to avoid being killed once they turn 30.   The Sandmen wear minimalist, utilitarian outfits of black and silver.  The lines are sleek and smooth, fabrics are industrial and adornments are few.
As you can see, each category is distinct in palette and style, and yet all manage to look both retro and futuristic at the same time. This blending of elements makes the costumes from this film so appealing and visually striking.  Any of the uniforms is easy to replicate, and work into a modern-day outfit that evokes the sexuality and starkness of the film’s story.
Which outfit do you think you’d be most likely to wear?
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Daily outfit 26/1/2016

Woo-hoo!  It’s my first outfit post for 2016.  I am excited to show off this outfit, which was worn for a trip down to Melbourne to catch up with friends and do a little shopping.

 

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This outfit comes close to being my dream outfit.  I felt like a million bucks wearing this ensemble, which was inspired by Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin.  Although I love vintage styles from many different eras, the 70’s is  possibly my favourite decade to draw inspiration from.  I love the bright colours and earthy tones.  I adore the contrast between the form-fitting garments that hug the body and billowy fabrics that are lighter than air.  I like the rock-and-roll vibe and I feel so sexy when I wear a 70’s inspired outfit.  It’s the decade that I feel fits me best, and the styles from that era also really flatter my body, which makes me feel even sexier.

 

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I am wearing:

  • Black felt hat from Coo Ca Choo
  • Black tank top  from H & M
  • Black lace trousers from H & M’s Coachella collection
  • Brown Zu platform shoes (thrifted)
  • Red kimono duster (gifted)
  • Body chain from Louvisa
  • Four leaf clover ring from Grandma Funk
  • Moonstone ring from Louvisa

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The day I wore this was mostly spent on public transport and lounging in bed at The Windsor with Miss Fairchild.  And I was crazy comfy.  These trousers have loads of give and aren’t stiff or scratchy as lace can sometimes be.  I had so much fun swishing about in this kimono duster, which was a Christmas gift from my parents.  My body chain has become pretty much my favourite piece of jewelery this summer because it is the ideal way to give a little hippie-meets-BDSM vibe to any outfit (an aesthetic that I’m so into).

 

I think it’s fair to say that this outfit comes darn close to being perfect for me.  It was comfy and sexy, touched on my favourite vintage decade and had some head-turning details. Awesome!

 

What would your perfect outfit look like?

 

 

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Daily outfit 25/8/2014

I’ve started op-shopping in my lunch breaks.  I get a long lunch break, and by the time I’ve scoffed my home-made lunch there’s usually a while to go before it’s time to head back to the office.  So I’ve been sneaking in a cheeky op-shopping trip in the middle of each week.  So far they’ve been very profitable.

About two weeks back I spotted this sweet 70’s vintage frock in my local Salvos.  I have another dress that’s a similar cut with the same sheer sleeves in a floral print.  I wear that dress all the time, so when I spotted it’s slimmer-cut cousin in a painterly print I couldn’t resist it.

Last Monday was a struggle to get dressed.  I’d been sick with a cold all weekend and the last thing I wanted to do was head into work.  So I pulled this beautiful dress out of the cupboard and shimmied into it.  The bright pops of colour helped to perk me up, and the cut is so comfortable it was almost like wearing my PJs to work!

I am wearing:

– Vintage 70’s dress (thrifted)

– Leona Edminson fishnet tights

– Nine West patent leather heels

– Silver hoop earrings

– Vintage bird belt (which belonged to my dear friend’s grandmother)

– Beaded flower ring (gift from my mother)

This flippy, floaty dress was just the thing to keep my spirits up (even though my nose was still blocked and I had practically no voice)

I’m looking forward to rocking this baby with bare legs and chunky wedges when the weather starts to heat up.  And I think she’d look divine paired with some huge bangles and sandals too.  What a brilliant find to come across during my lunch break!

Do you do any thrift-shopping in your lunch break?  Have you found any bargains lately?

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Daily outfit 13/5/2014

I’m a fairly budget-conscious person.  I don’t like the idea of having a “Summer wardrobe” and a “Winter wardrobe” because I’m not prepared to shell out the cash for two entirely separate wardrobes.  Plus, I don’t like the idea of some of my favourite items languishing in the wardrobe until the right weather rolls around for me to wear them.


While not all items can be made to work double-time, I like to get extra wear out of my warm-weather gear by layering tights and long sleeved tops underneath them.  Today I’m wearing one of my favourite vintage dresses (which is definitely more suited to Summer weather) with some clever layers to make it work for Autumn.

 

 

 

I am wearing:

– Blue and white 1970’s vintage sundress from The Dookie Emporium.

– Black tights

– Black bodysuit from Remember Me.

– Black and white vintage mod flats.

– Black beret from Target

– Black beaded drop earrings (a gift from my aunt).

-Liquorice allsorts ring

 

 

Wow. I didn’t realise what a terrible job I did of ironing my dress until I looked at these photos.  Let’s just move right along, shall we?


Can you tell that I’m pretty chuffed about my fishtail braids?  I’m pretty smitten with this style lately.  It’s so easy to do and my hair seems to stay tidier in fishtail braids than a regular plait now that I”ve cut it short.

 

Even though this dress is from the 70’s, I feel like the checkered print on it has a bit of a mod feel to it, so I decided to play on that with my graphic flats and huge earrings. I love mixing eras and playing around with all different styles that appeal to me.  I’m not the kind of person who will try to faithfully recreate vintage looks, but rather I prefer to draw inspiration from all the different styles of the past that I feel drawn to.  In this way, I feel that my style is more my own, rather than a facsimile of someone elses’.

 

 

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Daily outfit 2/12/2013

While I love all of my vintage dresses, some of them are just a tiny bit more special than others.  The 1970’s maxi dress that I’m sporting in today’s outfit post is one of my favourite vintage garments.  I snapped this baby up for $17 at a store on Smith Street a few years ago.  I’d been after a long, flowing 70’s dress for a while, and I bought this without trying it on (not something I would ordinarily do).  Luckily, it fit like a dream.  I adore the beautiful floral print, the colours and the sweeping hemline.

Another reason that I love this dress is that it’s super-comfortable.  The fabric is really cool even though it’s synthetic.  I wore it on Christmas day a few years ago, when I realised that the stretchy fabric and the busy print would hide my post-Chrissy-lunch food baby.  The absence of a waistband also eliminated the usual Christmas night indigestion that I often suffer from.

DSCF9160I am wearing:

– Blue floral vintage maxi dress from Smith Street Bazaar

– Leather butterfly hair ornament from Sportsgirl

– Silver beaded necklace (gift from my friend Tom)

– Copper bracelet (belonged to my mother)

– Brown studded Zu platforms (thrifted)

DSCF9162I wore this outfit to take myself out for an amazing Indian feast.

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DSCF9164I’ve been having lots of fun experimenting with different summer hair-dos.  I’m loving braids at the moment, particularly when they’re slightly messy and topped off with an ornate accessory.

DSCF9165Do you have an extra-special, ticks-all-the-boxes-awesome vintage item in your wardrobe?

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My style icon: Penny Lane from Almost Famous.

Today I’m teaming up with a number of my favourite bloggers for another outfit collaboration.  The theme for this post was “My Style Icon”.  I found this kind of tricky, because I am inspired by so many different people and characters.  I could list dozens of people, both real and imaginary, who have influenced my personal style.  So choosing just one was kind of tricky.  I decided to select a fictional character, who has had a profound influence on my style, but who I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned on my blog before.

That character is Penny Lane from Almost Famous, played by Kate Hudson.  Penny is a groupie, and her style is very sexy with a hippie feel.  There’s a good dose of rock-and-roll blended in there as well.  The film is set in the late 1970’s in America.  Although there are a huge range of vintage styles that I adore, I think that this late 70’s era is my favourite to emulate.  I feel very comfortable in jeans, peasant blouses and other folksy styles.  I love the relaxed and laid-back feel of this time.  This flowing, free-wheeling manner of dressing has a very sexy edge to it that really appeals to me.  There’s something so alluring about a peek of skin, bare shoulders, flowing hair and arms loaded with bangles.

DSCF8908I vividly remember watching Almost Famous for the first time and being drawn to the look of Penny Lane and the other Band Aids.  All of them were dressed in bright colours and sheer fabrics with a liberal amount of flesh showing through.  Their outfits always had a tactile element: feathers, fur, lace or beading which made it look as though they’d feel amazing if you were ever lucky enough to touch one of them.  The whole look was so fun and free, with a bit of a dress-up box feel to it.  You can imagine how that appealed to me!  At the time I was obsessed with Janis Joplin’s late 60’s fashions, but somehow these 70’s inspired looks were more my speed.  They had a sexier edge to them, and incorporated a lot more colour and fun elements that I loved.

DSCF8909For my own Penny Lane look, I borrowed heavily from the first outfit you see Penny wearing in the film.  It includes high-waisted jeans with massive flares (these ones are vintage 1970’s) and towering platforms.  She wears a little lace top and a delicate necklace.  Over the top of these, she has a huge fur-trimmed coat.  The one I’m wearing in these pictures belonged to my mother in the 1970’s.  She bought it when she was just 16 and gave it to me as a gift for my 16th birthday.

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DSCF8915I decided that it was only fitting that I take my Penny Lane-inspired photographs on my bed.  I don’t think she’d have it any other way.

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Even though I first watched Almost Famous more than ten years ago, I still find a lot of Penny-inspired elements in my wardrobe.  My love of bohemian and folk styles paired with jeans and cute skirts harks back to my teen years.  I also like to include tactile elements and rich colours in my outfits, which are a definite staple of Penny’s wardrobe.

DSCF8929I also have several items in my wardrobe which are directly inspired by Penny, such as my sheer button-down blouses and my fuzzy cossack hat.

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Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers who are participating in this link-up!

Jenny from Magic Cat Jenny

 

Who are your style icons?  How have they influenced your style?