FABULOUS FURRY FEMME FATALES

A while back, myself and a bunch of my super fabulous friends were kicking back talking fashion 

(as we do) and we got to talking about FUR. 

Turns out that pretty much ALL of us have some sort of vintage fluff in our bulging wardrobes and yet we rarely wear it. 

Wearing fur is a tad controversial as there are quite a few people out there who really don't like the thought of draping themselves in the pelt of a dead animal.

I'm not going to get into that debate on here.  

My view is if you don't like it then don't do it. If you do like it then do it.  

Our group reached a consensus that vintage fur is ok. New fur is not.... but it depends on what the fur is and how the animal was killed.

Anyways.................

We were whining about how we never get to take our furs out.

"Well stuff that " I thought " I'll create a night that we CAN wear it without fear of having someone throw red paint on us".

So I created a Facebook event and pretty much invited every vintage 1950s loving dame on my FB list. I made the date of the soiree 11th July because last year it was recorded as the coldest day in 100 years.

This also provided me with the perfect excuse to buy MORE fabric. I was able to get the most devine 1950s leopard print velvet from the gorgeous Joy Taylor in Adelaide & so I set about making a cape, pencil skirt & pill box hat ensemble.

I used Vogue pattern 7505 for the cape & my favourite pencil skirt pattern Burda 8765.

For the hat I just bought one of those hat bases from Lincraft, ripped the hideous bow flower thing off and covered it in the fabric and hot glue gunned the shit out of the inside.

At 5pm we descended on Lefty's Old Time Music Hall. A fitting venue I thought because it is filled with taxidermy animals and it is also a gorgeous venue with nice big leather lounges to pose... I mean SIT on.

An early start time? Yes. So we could get out before all the young douche-bag hipsters and drunken hens parties arrive at around 9pm.  It's such a beautiful venue and it's just a nice place to kick back & listen to some old time country music like Charlie Pride & Hank Williams but I've found that since their opening the place's attitude has become very 'too cool for school'. It feels like unless you have a patchouli oiled beard, a man bun and skinny jeans you really feel like the staff are looking at you 'eww like whatever *hair flick*"

BUT..................  

STILL A VERY COOL PLACE TO GO AND IT HAS FANTASTIC LIVE BANDS PLAYING THERE ALL THE TIME.

It was just lovely to have the ladies fur-up and frock up.  It was great. We took over the top floor where we sprawled across the furniture and basically just chatted about stuff and things for about 4 hours.  Everybody looked so damned glamourous and beautiful. 

It was hard to take good photos because the venue is very dimly lit but after many experiments with flash settings we managed to capture a few keepers.

Thank you to everybody who came along.

I'm sure I'll think of another themed affair soon enough if you couldn't make it.

Stay hairy ladies

xoxoxoxoxo

"WOMEN HE'S UNDRESSED" Movie Premiere

Friday night, myself & the dames from Brisbane Vintage Mafia attended the premiere of the documentary "Women He's Undressed" at Palace Centro James St.

As usual, all the ladies looked absolutely stunning and created quite a stir with the other film goers oogling their beautiful frocks, furs & hats.

The documentary was directed by Gillian Armstrong is about the costume designer Orry-Kelly.

Orry-Kelly was a Hollywood legend, his costume designs adored by cinema’s greatest leading ladies – but in his home country of Australia his achievements remained unknown. 

He was the chief costume designer for Warner Bros. Studios from 1932 to 1944.

He worked on more than 300 films during his career.

The movie/documentary was just wonderful. It was very quirky, funny in parts ,part movie and part documentary with some fascinating interviews with people who worked with Orry-Kelly.

After the film there was a Q&A with Gillian Armstrong which was really interesting. 

I loved hearing her stories about behind the scenes of the making of this movie and, without giving too much away, her serendipitous connection she made with Orry-Kelly's family which was very funny and quite amazing.

It was also great to see Nicholas Inglis again after going to his Hollywood costume exhibition at the Brisbane Museum only a few months ago.   

He (naturally) owns a number of Orry-Kelly originals & had them on display. 

Penny, Gilllian Armstrong, Nicholas, Moi and Billie

Orry-Kelly himself seemed like a real character and even though he was extremely well known & admired in Hollywood during the "Golden" years, it appeared that he retained a real Aussie sense of humour and he was a bit of a larakin.

  The footage of all the movies in which he designed costumes (Some Like it Hot, 42nd Street, Casablanca and Auntie Mame just to name a few) had us dramtaically clutching our chests with loud 'oOOOOS and Arrrrrassss of appreciation". So much vintage fashion porn! 

Speaking of porn. I must say that there were a number of times that Billie and I clutched each others arms in flushed excitement at some of the vintage photographs of a young Carey Grant with his "room-mate" Randolph Scott. 

Oh my Oh my. 

I'm afraid my imagination was running wild with images of these two in .... 

well...... different scenarios. 

If you LOVE vintage clothing and movies from the 1930s-1960s you simply MUST go see this film.

Not only is it visually entertaining and fabulous , it is also a really interesting film about a 'famous' Australian that nobody in Australia seems to know about.

 He was Australia's most prolific Oscar winner, having won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design.

ORRY-KELLY AT WORK

www.womenhesundressed.com

To see more photos from the night go to Weekend Edition: 

http://theweekendedition.com.au/captured/reel-fashion-film-festival-opening-night/

AND more at Fashion Weekly magazine:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153185748684006.1073741861.77255424005&type=3

PHOTO FROM FASHION WEEKLY MAGAZINE

BUST A MOVE - THE PINK PATOOTIES

If you would have told me that I would WILLINGLY sign up to do 6 (YES SIX!!!) x 45 minute blocks of hard core cardio exercise in one day I would have back-handed you and told you to go and have a good hard look at yourself in the mirror.

But, that is exactly what I did.  

I signed up to do BUST A MOVE BRISBANE.

According to the website:  http://www.bustamove.org.au/  

Bust a Move is the best day out you'll have all year! 

There are six energising and exciting sessions - think black light Zumba complete with glow sticks, 80s style aerobics and a once in a lifetime opportunity to train with the incredibly hunky blue trainer from TVs The Biggest Loser, Shannan Ponton! 

It's going to be a heart-pounding, exhilarating, life-changing day of hope.

Bust a Move teams raise funds for Mater chicks in pink support services. These provide practical assistance for women going through breast cancer treatment, and can include counselling, yoga therapy to assist in rehabilitation after
surgery or specially fitted mastectomy bras. The money you raise will also help fund world-class research to improve the way we treat cancer and fight for a cure.

=====================================================

I was joined by the fabulous Yvette, Sheri & Bianca and we created a group called 

The Pink Patooties !!

We arrived at the Convention Centre in our matching gingham bandannas, full of excitement and a underlying feeling of "what the fuck have we signed up for?".

9.am IT BEGAN!

TIGHT & BRIGHT WITH TODD

45 minutes of totally toned terrrrrrrrific Todd dancing about on stage like an extra on Priscilla Queen of the Desert.  It was heaps of fun because the music was awesome (& mainly about arses I noticed). I was going ORF! I was even slappin' my arse to that horrific Nicky Manarge song Anaconda!! WTF...... Loved it! 

GROUP KICK – KICK IT

45 minutes of Miss Piggyish "Hiiiiiiyarrrrrrrrrr" karate chops. Again I loved this. I haven't done kick boxy stuff in yonks.

I totally SUCK at the kicking part but man could our group punch the FUCK out of an invisible assailant.

THEN IT WAS TIME TO FOR MY FAVOURITE ......

LUNCH

The food was bullshit good and healthy of course.  We were sweaty and panting but managed to find the energy to cram as much of the buffet into our gobs as we possibly could.

We also did a quick run into the free photo booth for some fun pics!

BLACK LIGHT ZUMBA

We were given arm band glow sticks to put on and it was time to get back into it.  At this point my thighs & knees were starting to feel the first pangs of anger but these were forgotten when the Bollywood dance sequence came on! 

The Pink Patooties were all over that shit! It was so awesome.

I really loved zumba. I merangayed the shit out of it. HOT TAMALE!

GROUP GROOVE

OK this is when it all started to go pear shaped like my arse.  Sooooooooo many squats. Soooo many grape vines. The instructors were WAY too chipper & upbeat for my liking.

I was beginning to get tired and grumpy now.  My knees were screaming. My MAC fushia lippie was smeared across my face and I was beginning to snarl at people.

YOGA HONOUR HOUR

"Thank fuck" I thought :time for yoga".  I was hangin for some savasana & child's pose action.

NUP. I don't know what school of yoga this girl went to but it was BULLSHIT. It was more like more friggin aerobics with a couple of warrior poses chucked in. 

I was NOT happy and Ooming.

TIME FOR ANOTHER BREAK. 

This time we took advantage of the group of young well sculped men whose (unfortunate) job it was to massage the shoulders of the stinky sweaty heavy breathing women. 

It was so terrible (not). I may have gotten a bit flushed.

We tried out the Gatoradey slushey machine which gave us all freeze brains but it was freaking delcious.  I skulled some more coffee while eavesdropping on some mega fit looking gals who were saying the last class is the hardest. My bowels clenched in terror.

Yvette (wisely) decided enough was enough. Poured herself a slushie & kicked back on one of the many beanbags available.

In a flurry of excitement we were told to clear the area of all towels & water bottles and get ready to greet ....

SHANNAN PONTON !!!!!!!!!

Thus began the WORST 45 minutes of my life.  Sweaty glistening boganesque dorky Shannon proceeded to pretty much TORTURE the room of women while constantly screaming at us how much of a bunch of awesome CHICKS we are.  

Bianca & Sheri raised their arms about 10 minutes in and called "Fuck this shit!" and joined Yvette on the beanbags. For some reason, maybe it was pride, maybe i just went nuts but I decided that if the size 24, 60 year old woman next to me who had survived breast cancer could do it then so could I. Considering I have the athletic stamina & body of a dead blob fish this was ....

 So very very foolish.

I was paired with a very young, very fit, very bubbly, very happy, very lovely girl who I wanted to punch in the face because she hadn't even cracked a sweat and was just so, well very chirpy.

MOLE.

I cannot tell you WHAT exercises we were FORCED to do because I can't bear to relive it.

Imagine the most awful (as in pain inducing) exercise class EVER and multiple it by 100.

Why the fuck they would put the most difficult class on LAST is beyond me.

IN YOUR FACE SHANNON IN YOUR FACE

Then it was over.... We had done it!

A young Bust a Move support crew girl dashed up to me and squealed "You rock!" , thrust a clip board in my face and giggled "So you want to sign up for next years Bust a Move?".

She scurried away rather quickly when I growled "Fuck. No."

Am I glad I did it? Of course. Will I do it again. Not in a million years.

By the following Thursday my knees felt like they had been hit with sledgehammers ala Stephen King's Misery and I really thought I had done some serious damage.

I cannot believe that on the day they had free massages & facials and instead of dropping out of a session & doing this I killed myself on the mat. Nut. Bag.

So was it heart-pounding?  If by heart-pounding you mean I felt like my heart was beating so hard it was going to literally burst from my chest in spray of blood & arteries. Then yes.

Was it exhilarating? If by exhilarating you mean my muscles are still shaking and I lost about 10 litres of sweat then YES.

Was it  life-changing? If by life changing you mean my knees will never be the same again. Then yes.

A day of hope? If you mean did I hope the session with Shannon would end with him giving me a full body massage with Nuturmedic oils. Then YES.

AFTER

AFTER ALL WAS SAID AND DONE WE DID HAVE A GREAT TIME AND THE PINK PATOOTIES RAISED A TOTAL OF $1603.58 .

WHICH IS BETTER THAN A POKE IN THE EYE WITH A BLUNT SICK. 

(as my Dad used to say).

Now pass the Deep Heat & wheat pack.

Thanks.

xoxoxoxxoxo

WELCOME TO THE NEW LOOK RAYON DREAMS !

So I figured the ole blog needed a bit of a spruce up.
To be taken outside and given a good shake out to get rid of all the dead skin cells and hair.



I've been having a hard time with my blog.
I love it but I also hate it.
I really beat myself up about it.
I really should write SOMETHING.
I've got nothing to write about.
You're a boring dickhead Vicki.
Shut up Vicki.
Nobody is interested.
Shut up Vicki you should just be writing for yourself anyway.
Why do I blog & why do I get so upset with myself about it when I feel like I can't?

Why do I care so much ?

I realised this morning that this problem seems to run over into over areas of my life.

I really do seem care too much about what other people think of me.

What if people think I'm an idiot?
What if people look at me and think I'm weird or fucked in the head?
(note: I actually am weird and fucked in the head)
What if I don't FIT IN?
What if people judge me and hate me?
What if I'm not a good person?

I really didn't think that I thought this way.
But I realise that I do.

Sometimes it is hard being part of a 'sub-culture'. The vintage "scene" is very much about appearances and this can (if you let it) put a bit of pressure on a girl sometimes.
To fit in.

I know that I AM a vintage loving gal. That is WHO I AM. It's not a phase.
I couldn't even IMAGINE dressing in 'modern' fashion or doing my hair & make up in anything other than a some-what vintage style yet.....

I put so much pressure on myself to present myself in a certain way and sometimes it's .... well.... tiring and stressful.

I didn't think I was the type who looked at others and feel envious or jealous .....  but I am.

I wish I could write like them. I wish I looked like them.  I wish I had their clothing. blah blah.

Yesterday I was in Spotlight & I saw some amazing brightly coloured bird print fabric and my tummy did it's flip flop of excitement when it sees something that it falls in love with.
I picked it up & swooned over it.
Then my internal negative Vicki voice says "yeah but it's not very VINTAGEY is it? You'll just look all bright and crazy in that. You should get something more AUTHENTIC looking not that silly thing".

I stood there for a bit and suddenly thought "You know what Vicki. Shut the fuck up. I fucking LOVE bright weird novelty print things and if I want to sew a THOUSAND of the same simple boring blouse in crazy coloured kooky prints and wear them even though they aren't remotely vintagey than I fucking will!"

Negative Vicki was stunned and quickly backed away into the naughty corner of my brain muttering obscenities under her breath.

So, I have decided to embrace this new sometimes vintage sometimes weird sometimes daggy Vicki.

If I want to write about doing the washing up then I will.
If I want to blog about sewing I will.
If I don't feel like blogging for a month then I won't and I won't beat myself up over it.
If I want to sew nothing but blouses then I will.
If I want to take a shit ton of selfies I will & not care what anyone thinks.

I feel like embracing my new style and it will be silly and colourful and a bit mental.
I will take inspiration from the ladies of "Advanced Style". (a wonderful documentary that you MUST see if you haven't).

I know I am my own worst enemy.

But I'm getting better. So my new mantra is "FUCK IT AND DO IT ANYWAY"

SPRING FOR COTTON FROCK !

 

 

One of my all time fav sewing blogs Lucky Lucille always has these glorious little sew-alongs where you are given a month to sew something according to whatever that sew-along's theme is.

You then post your pics on a dedicated Flickr page where other sewing freaks doing the challenge can Oooo and Arrrr and Drooool over each other's entries.

 

Like I need any encouragement to sew

ANOTHER FROCK !!!

 

The latest one is "Spring for Cotton".

 

What is Spring For Cotton?

It’s a self guided, non-competitive, vintage inspired sewing challenge. Choose a decade (1920s – 70s) and sew a garment inspired by that era. The challenge is, you can ONLY use 100% cotton!

 

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr what to sew???!!!

So many things I want to sew!

So many potential projects!

Time to consult my gazillion photos on my Pinterest inspiration boards

 

I sew about 99.9% of my things out of cotton anyways because

 

A. It's so fucking hot about 10 months of the year.

B. I'm terrified to sew with any fancy schansey fabrics

C. It's fucking cheap.

 

So I decided to sew a frock AND to do it in a colour I would not normally wear

........   GREEN.

 

 

Off I dashed to Spotties when they were having a *hyperventilates* 40 per cent off EVERYTHING sale, where I proceeded to spend all my 'healthcare' money that I had allocated to fixing my dodgy back on deliciously wonderful fabric !!

 

The fabric I chose for my frock was from the quilting cottons, is a lovely soft cotton and was (with the sale) only $10 a metre & I only needed 2 1/2 metres!!!

 

It only took me about a week to sew doing about an hour a night after din dins & feeding the moggy.

It was really easy.... even for me!

The only kind of tricky bit is the neck line & to be honest I'm not super happy with how it sits...

It's a bit... well... boofy.

 



Show us ya mirror selfie!!!



 

 

And surprise surprise green actually doesn't look too band on the old girl!

It feels really comfy on as the cotton has a bit of 'give'.

 

 

CHEERS !!

 

 

http://luckylucille.com/2015/03/spring-for-cotton/

 

Lucha Libres, Luscious Ladies and Butterick B5880

When I saw this pattern I immediately thought "I'VE GOT JUST THE FABRIC !!!"
About 50 years ago (give or take )Spotlight released a bunch of really lovely retro Hawaiian print cottons and I bought up a stack.  In ye olde days I used to buy fabrics but then get a dressmaker to whip me up something fabulous. Pfft!
In my stash I had some luverly buttermilk yellow Hawaiian print fabric that I thought would be perfect for this sarong style frock!

 

Now, I would LOVE to tell you that it was a piece of piss to make and I just whipped it up in a couple of hours but..... I would be lying through my lilly whites.

I had to quick unpick it a number of times.  I lost count of the amount of times I THOUGHT I'd done what the pattern said but it would be upside down or back to front so I would unpick it and then suddenly like a light from the heavens I would suddenly GET IT.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh THAT'S what it means!

Those front pleats almost gave me a nervous breakdown!

 

HOWEVER, now that I have made it, I would definitely make it again because once you understand what the pattern instructions actually MEAN it is actually pretty simple to make.

I would love to make this next in a nice classic navy satin back crepe.

==============================================

B5880 FIRST OUTING

ANDREA'S TACKY TIKI LUNCH & MOCKTAILS

 

How amazing is my hair flower from Kat's Cadillac Vintage!!!

www.etsy.com/au/shop/KatsCadillacVintage

 

The lovely sewing legend Mz Andrea invited a few of us from THOSE DARN SEW N SEWS

(my illustrious Facebook sewing group) around to her home for a light lunch & some delicious (and may I say professionally garnished ) mocktails to chat about all things sewing and fabric. 

The weather was super steamy but this was all but forgotten after sipping on some super refreshing mocktail bevvies. THEN a delicious lunch of slow cooked pulled pork on home-made (by Andrea's mother) bread rolls with coleslaw.

OH MY LAWD. SO GOOD.

It was just wonderful to just sit around with Andrea, Kim & Andrea's Mum sipping on cool drinks by the pool near her gloriously kitsch outdoor TIKI bar!  If I squinted I could just imagine we were in the Maldives. Thanks Andrea you are wonderful.

 

 

 

B5880 SECOND OUTING

BIG SANDY & LOS STRAIGHTJACKETS AT "THE ZOO"

 

ERMEGHERD The perfect frock to wear to see instrumental surf band Los Straightjackets !!!!

I freaking LOVE LS and remember vividly dancing like a crazy woman to them last time they toured.

So I was mega excited to be seeing them again & I must admit I was a bit chuffed with myself that I was going to be wearing something that I had made myself with my chubby little fingers!

The whole night was just fantastic.

The Hi- Boys are freaking lunatics and I reckon are just one of the best rockabilly bands out there purely for their sheer energy & raw crazy performances. Shit even after breaking ALL (I think) of his guitar strings from going positively psycho on stage Scottie the lead singer & guitarist just kept on going.  Now THIS is what rockabilly is !!!

THE HI-BOYS WEBSITE:    http://thehiboys.com/

 

 

 

Then it was the legend himself Big Sandy with his Aussie back up band "The Oz-Rite Boys".

As usual, Mr Sandy was his charismatic self with a voice that is smoother than a melted block of Cadbury.  The great thing about The Zoo is THERE IS ROOM TO DANCE!

Alas, I did not dance as I was too busy chatting to everyone but it was great to see a few people up taking advantage of the space.

 

 

Then it was time. 

I quickly dashed to the stage to get right up the very front with the other girlie fans.

What can I say?  From start to finish I bounced up & down, did the twist, did the Charleston when they did a rockin' version of Sing Sing Sing, jumped, shimmied and shook and SCREAMED!

The crowd went nuts and the addition of a mystery lead singer who looked suspiciously like Big Sandy just added to the excitement.

 

 

I do not know how those blokes can play in that heat in suits WITH Mexican Lucha Libre masks on!! CRAZY.

And when I say play.........Los Straightjackets don't just get up on stage & play.

No no no.

They put on a performance!

 

 

I love their little choreographed dancey moves and how they interact with their audience. 

Crowd favourites were La Bamba & Tequila. Personally, I loved Sing Sing Sing and the theme from The Marlboro Man. 

 

I reckon by the end of their set I had lost 5 kilos in sweat and had nearly lost my voice.

The darling Kel got a bonus when Big Sandy ripped off his sweat soaked mask at threw it to her.

Yes she was so excited she immediately put it on.

Ewwwwwwwww.

Tracey. This lady is the main reason I took up sewing.
She is a sewing genius & makes the most incredible frocks!

My Big Fella

 

 

Thank you SO much to Lori Lee of Robot Productions ( www.robot.com.au )

for another crackin' night. You're the best!

 

ANOTHER SEWING SUCCESS STORY !!