September 8, 2012, 9:49 am
Dress - Handmade by me
Shoes - Chelsea Crew
I've been spending a lot of time on the roof lately and thought it may be nice to take a few snaps of my outfit before hitting the town for Mexican and Margaritas last night. It was was pretty momentous evening, not only did I try my very first beergarita but also humiliated myself by asking a 'waiter' for corn chips... as he walked away smiling politely I realised he wasn't a waiter at all, however he ended up bringing me corn chips and we had a good laugh so it all worked out in the end.
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September 10, 2012, 8:10 am
All photographs courtesy of
The Briar Rose BlogIt's always such a nice surprise when I see my handmade dresses being worn by lovely ladies of the internet. This morning I stumbled across this shoot of Megan from
The Briar Rose Blog wearing one of the custom dresses I made for
Audrey Grace Boutique. I love the English garden setting and the contrast of Megan's magenta locks with the ice blue organza dress.
This girl is seriously the queen of the flower crown, scrolling through her archives I was amazed time and time again by the beautiful selection of floral arrangements adorning her cascading locks. Isn't that butter yellow flower crown with butterflies the greatest?
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September 16, 2012, 8:06 pm
Dear ladies of the internet, I love you. New York Fashion Week has come and gone and it will be remembered as one of the greatest weeks to date. The days and nights were filled with slumber parties, karaoke, beer, picnicking in Central Park, worms in dirt*, dancing into the wee hours of the morn and all with some of the most amazing women I've had the pleasure of meeting.
The week of wonders finished up with a Rookie Prom this past Wednesday. I don't think I've danced that much in years, it was like all my favourite Prom movie scenes come to life in one wonderful night. I even got to shimmy next to Ira Glass for a few songs before I retired from the dance floor grinning ear to ear.
I took a lot of pictures on film which will be popping up in the coming weeks, in the mean time here are a few outfit snaps.
*Worms in dirt are a crazy American treat consisting of chocolate pudding in a cup, covered by a layer of crumbled up chocolate cookies with candy worms on top. Hands down the best sweet I've had since being in the USA... and that's really saying something!
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September 22, 2012, 9:07 am
Photographs by
Oliver AbbottThis past year so many people have told me how hard it is to find work in America, how the country is in a recession and one kind man even exclaimed "If all else fails you could probably get a job at McDonalds as they are always hiring but no one wants to work there"... Rest assured I was pretty nervous about the prospect of the job hunt. Visions of burger flippin' and unemployment plagued my thoughts.
Well my friends, i'm excited to say that this week I found the job of my dreams sewing costumes for the Nutcracker. My days are spent in a handsome Garment District studio nestled between hot dog vendors and more fabric stores than you can poke a stick at, I feel right at home. I'm pretty damn chuffed, getting to do what I love five days a week seems almost too good to be true.
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September 25, 2012, 6:18 pm
During New York Fashion Week myself and some of the loveliest ladies of the internet were interviewed by Erin of Calivintage for a sweet ModCloth street style video. If you've ever wanted to hear my funny accent, see me having a jive in a grimy New York street or just want to see some of the dreamiest gal's around in action then watch away!
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September 27, 2012, 7:09 pm
Photographs by
Oliver AbbottI really wanted to share my new bobbed head with you but seeings as its far too dark for picture taking by the time I get home from work it will have to wait until the weekend. I'm pretty lucky to have Oli 'Home Haircutz' Abbott in my life, boy does he know how to bob hair! In the mean time I thought i'd share some older snaps of my favourite cuts over the years.
I've had short hair for near 6 years now, what started as a bowl cut soon developed into a pageboy and before too long was a concave bob. I instantly fell in love with this style and dreamt of one day having an army of children with matching do's.
In a moment of weakness I pledged to grow my hair for one year in 2010, I spent the entire time feeling like a phoney baloney and sighed a great sigh of relief when I felt the scissors against my cheek in 2011. Do you have a hairdo that you makes you feel like you?
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After 24 long years of longing, this will be my very first Halloween. As a kiddy I used to watch American movies wide eyed, dreaming of the day I'd get to partake in such a frivolous, treat filled holiday.
Naturally I've been plotting and scheming my costume ever since I saw the first themed candy hit the shelves. I'm quite taken by these lovely ladies of the sea, if time permits I have high hopes of stitching a spangly tail and adorning myself with a shell brassiere ala Ariel.
Halloween celebrator or not, I'd love to hear about the costume of your dreams!
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1950s wool jersey top- thrifted in Calfornia
Lion belt - thrifted in Washington
1940s Skirt - thrifted in California
Shoes - Chelsea Crew
1950s seamed stockings - Ebay
There has been a cool change this week and as far as I'm concerned it couldn't have come sooner. Each morning I find myself grinning from ear to ear as I roll out of bed into stockings and wrestle forgotten woolies out from the bottom of my suitcase. I always feel a tad out of sorts during the Summer and never put all that much effort into my outfits, If I had my way I'd spent the entire three months in underwear and bare feet.
Perhaps the most exciting part of Autumn or Fall for you Northerners, is the sudden appearance of pumpkin related delights in the grocery store. Pumpkin spice roobios tea, pumpkin teacake, pumpkin beer, pumpkin chai, pumpkin macarons and about a million other varieties of sweet pumpkiny treats. Who would've thought an ol' pumpkin could be so darn versatile?
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Back when we were living on the road we headed through Louisiana and spent one very hot Summer's day in New Orleans. The adventure began with some of the greatest BBQ I've ever tasted. Pulled pork, beef brisket, corn bread, mac 'n' cheese and coleslaw that tasted so darn good I thought my mouth would explode. My heart is still a little broken that I was way too full to squeeze in any pecan pie.
Later in the afternoon we headed to the French Quarter. The old buildings were so beautiful, such a juxtaposition to the sites we'd seen over the past week as we travelled through Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. I couldn't help but envision the old Storyville days, semi clad women leaning over the verandas beckoning passes by. There were horse and buggy tours a plenty trotting by and I'm kinda embarrassed to admit that I stood awfully close to one buggy as the guide gave a thorough history of the area. Did I hear some stories!
After hearing some incredible impromptu jazz, downing some icy beverages, wandering through every cobblestone street in sight and soaking up some voodoo vibes we called it a day, climbed into Woody and headed towards Alabama.
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October 13, 2012, 8:15 am
Cloche - gift from Oli's Ma1950s sweater - gift from my housemateFletcher Jones skirt - gift from my MumShoes - Chelsea Crew1950s seamed stockings - Ebay
It wasn't until I wrote this post that I realised I was wearing an almost entirely gifted outfit, what a lucky lass I am! This past Monday I was delighted to have one of my favourite gal pal's
Anja in town. I caught up for a tipple with
Emily,
Amy and
Anja at a old fashioned bar in Williamsburg, it was the very best way to kick off the working week. Anywhere that adorns the tabletops with flickering candles and labels the bathroom the 'WC' is the place for me.
The past few nights Oli and I nestled ourselves in the loft and indulged in our new obsession, The X-Files. I was always too terrified to watch it as a kid and to be honest I am still pretty scared. I do a lot of hands over the eyes and I've had a fair few spooky nightmares this week but its well worth it if I get to eyeball Mulder episode after episode. I'd love to hear about your favourite television series, past or present!
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October 16, 2012, 5:33 pm
Photographs by
Oliver AbbottNot many things from my Melbourne closet made it over to America. I was pretty ruthless in those last few months and vintage darlings were being discarded left, right and centre. Luckily I hung on to a small number of special items. Although it seemed pretty stupid lugging around a suitcase filled with woolies I am now rejoicing. As the Autumn chill has started nipping at my nape i'm ever so grateful that my favourite coat came along for the ride.
These photographs were taken back in Melbourne, where in Winter you can get away with wearing something as simple as this, usually I'd be hiding a sheer summer sundress under my coat. Somehow I think the encroaching New York Winter is going to call for much more...
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October 22, 2012, 3:58 pm
Last weekend Oli and I took a day trip to Coney Island. It was just as run down and eerie as I always imagined, serious creepy carnival vibes! We wandered along the boardwalk, ate hot dawgs from Nathan's and looked at photographs of old Coney when seemingly everyone is NYC would visit on the weekend. Later in the afternoon we went on the Wonder Wheel which has crazy carts that travel on winding tracks as you are heading skyward, flinging you out into mid air.
The whole park was covered in spooky Halloween ghouls and spooks which would've had my childhood self running away in hysterics. Nowadays I am much more frightened by the idea of going on the rickety 'Cyclone' roller coaster.
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October 27, 2012, 6:15 am
Last night my housemate came into the bedroom and declared that Oliver and I reminded him of John and Yoko, the way we spent every moment possible hanging out in bed together. This was perhaps the greatest compliment I'd ever received and
this song instantly popped into my mind where it's been lingering ever since. I'm hoping we can soon venture into Bagism as eating copious amounts of chocolate whilst nestled in a bag sounds pretty good to me.
I yearn for the weekends as we can stage lengthier bed-ins. Tucked away in a loft drinking endless cups of tea, eating New York cheesecake, watching X-Files and spooning is the life for me. With all of these boudoir activities I thought I'd share my favourite lounging outfit, the most beautiful white cotton Edwardian corset cover and pair of drawers. If I had to choose one outfit to wear for eternity, this would most certainly be it.
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October 30, 2012, 5:22 pm
Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, leaving a path of destruction behind her. Oli and I are safe and sound, as the storm rolled in last night our internet promptly cut out so we had no idea how bad the damage was until this morning which was pretty nerve racking. We spent the night watching 1930s Murder Mysteries, nibbling on storm snacks that we'd stowed away and decorating our room with candles in case we lost power. I knew that one hundred movie box set would come in handy one day.
This morning cabin fever began to set in so we took an immensely windy stroll to a nearby cafe for a cup of tea. I was delighted to see most of the neighbourhood had the same idea, the cafe/donut bar was bursting at the seams and our bow tied sever couldn't make the donuts fast enough as everyone exchanged stories and warmed their chilly hands with cups of jo and tea.
Sending my love to all the East Coasters out there, I hope you're faring well x
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November 3, 2012, 11:37 am
Photographs by myself and
Oliver AbbottI don't think I've ever been quite so eager for the arrival of the weekend. Attempting to commute this week after Hurricane Sandy was a comedy of errors. On Wednesday I sat on a bus for five and a half hours straight, for a journey that usually takes 45 minutes. By the time I arrived at work it was near time to pack up and head back home. The following day a few workmates and I tried hailing taxi cabs for an hour before giving up and walking from Time Square to the East Village. With power outages affecting most of lower Manhattan we walked through the eerie pitch black streets before wandering into a candle lit dive bar where we warmed our selves with cheap well whiskey.
These photographs were taken in our very first week in New York. It seems like an age ago now, back when the weather was warm, the subways were running and I still had my trusty pair of rose tinted glasses.
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November 8, 2012, 7:59 pm
I'm keeping my fingers crossed but this may be the very last wool free outfit post of the year. These photographs were taken a few days ago, before New York was transformed into a snow globe! Yesterday I was sewing away at work when I looked out the window to see snow falling in abundance. I've seen snow a handful of times but never before have I seen it falling from the sky. I spent the rest of the afternoon sneaking peeks over my shoulder at the delicate snow flakes nestling on the window sill, grinning like a five year old and listening to Christmas Carols on my Ipod.
Oli and I decided to celebrate this momentous occasion by going out for burgers, this was a great idea but with the nearby subways still out of action we spent many hours traipsing through the thick blanketed streets. I also spent quite a bit of time on the ground... I'm bracing myself for many public humiliations this winter.
Despite my wet buns and numb fingers it was a pretty magical night, to my dismay by this morning most of the snow had already melted. Maybe I still have a little while left before snow boots and furry hats become a part of everyday life after all.
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November 11, 2012, 6:38 am
I recently had the pleasure of guest blogging over at
It Girl, Rag Doll whilst Emily was hanging out with Rock 'n' Rollers on the West Coast. I shared some photographs of a recent visit Oli and I took to Rockaway Beach.
I grew up a stones throw away from the seaside so even though I'm a million miles away from Australia I feel right at home when I hear the waves crashing against the rocks and feel the ocean breeze in my bob. The only thing that was missing was a family of kittens living in the rocks, one of my favourite memories of my hometown. Be sure to pop on over to
Emily's blog to read my full post.
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November 14, 2012, 9:56 am
This past Sunday Oli and I spent an unseasonably warm afternoon strolling around lower Manhattan. I had never seen this part of the city before and was delighted to find a quintessential old New York vibe that I'd been searching for since August. I'd begun to fear that the New York I'd dreamt of as a youngster when watching Breakfast at Tiffany's and Annie Hall was long gone. Fear not, it is alive and well! The fallen leaves, nibbling squirrels and streams of hazy sunlight on the old buildings gave the afternoon a dreamy timeless quality. Heck, it wouldn't of surprised me if Holly Golighty herself sauntered past.
When the sun started to fade and the chill set in we jumped on a subway and headed for home, but not before swinging by a local cafe to stock up on choc-chip cookies the size of our heads. With our sweet loot and warm cups of tea in hand, we clambered up into the loft for a few episodes of our favourite show before slumber. This was quite possibly the very best way to end the week.
Do you have a favourite Sunday ritual?
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November 17, 2012, 11:28 am
I've spent the majority of this week embracing the title of 'full time homebody'. My dream job finished up last Friday so I've been endlessly scouring Craigslist and chain tea drinking like nobodies business. I'm happy to say my efforts were rewarded, yesterday I found a sewing job that I will be starting on Monday. Yes!
Sometimes New York makes me feel so tiny, like theres no way I can survive in this crazy city. People are always talking about job shortages and how no one wants to employ non-American's, it's hard not to let this banter get the better of me. But things always seem to work themselves out and when they do this metropolis doesn't seem so big and scary after all.
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November 24, 2012, 8:59 am
Sunset in Brooklyn has become a favourite of mine lately, the fading sunlight on the golden leaves gets me every time. A few days ago we took a lazy stroll to McCarren Park, I hadn't been here since the Summer and was surprised to see how Autumnal it had become. The change of seasons is much more apparent here then I ever remember it being back home.
This past Thursday I celebrated Thanksgiving for the very first time. We made an early start to make it to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I snapped a bunch of film photographs and cheered like a lunatic. We spent the rest of the day meandering around Central Park eating honey roasted nuts and watching the brave folk on the ice rink. My housemate threw a Thanksgiving bash so the evening was spent gorging on pie, wine and a ridiculous amount of festive meats and sides. I had such a jolly time that I think I'll take the holiday tradition back to Australia with me!
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