The Technicolor Phase.

As a commenter suggested, instead of wallowing in my no-autumn misery, I am instead going to attempt to enjoy the warm weather while it lasts and I reckon around this time at the end of winter i'll be complaining about the lack of sunshine around here...so i'll enjoy a plum covered lawn and fried yellow grass while it lasts!

Recently my sister got her sewing machine fixed! This was great news for me as I have a big big big container full of, if this was just tweaked it would be so much better garments.
So last night I set out to take up the hems of the many vintage dresses that make me look dowdy and disagree with my legs.

With scissors pins and no experience behind me I managed, due to some form of miricle to hem the dress to perfection, well...ok I won't go quite that far...lets just say it won't fall apart on the next wear.

Many stiches later and only one major fist fight with the sewing machine later I have mangaged to save four dresses from exile and crammed in a veiwing of the ever popular sew along movie "Free Willy" too.



80's ruffle bib dress, has the most delicate buttons, my favourite out of the lot! Can't wait for Autumn to wear it with black tights and brown leather ankle booties.



Homemade Heidi-eque dress. Accumulated off my friend. Had a cute floral hem that sadly had to part with, when taken up.


80s floral dress, I found this dress yonks ago in a north island store. Tried to hem it just by cutting the bottom off. Didn't really know what I was doing and it came out massacred. I saved it now, but has been hanging out unworn in my closet for about 3 years....oh yes i'm THAT type of hoarder.



1970s ex maxi dress. I know some people that see will want to kill me for lopping off a mazi dress to make a mini, but it just looks so much better and I will get so much more weaqr out of it this way. Plus the bottom part I chopped off is going to be made into a long overdue miu miu style puff skirt!

Toodles!

Hello Beautiful.

These are some older finds I found on my computer, accumulated before the festive season. I thought since I went to the trouble of taking these pictures, uploading and editing them, they deserve a post here. All finds are from my town called Rangiora, found at the local Salvation Army. The 1960s pink suitcase was full of vintage dolls clothes...which silly me I only had eyes for the suitcase and ended up snagging it for a few dollars!

Summer has bought on my brown leather obsession. Trust me there are many more collected items where the few pictured came from! It just fits in so perfectly with floaty summer dresses and long flowing tousseled hair...which sadly I am still lacking...
I love spring and summer in New Zealand. The little town I live in, in the South Island has the highest recorded temperture ever in the whole of New Zealand. I'm not surprised because at present I am boiling! However there's just something about the constant rays of sunshine, ice blocks, loud music, road trips and beach hang outs that never fail to make me smile.

Lately for some reason or another I have been craving autumn. I love it's crunchy leaves and just warm enough temperatures and in fact I feel, although summer is my favourite season, that i'm a little over the crazy temperatures and constant sweltering heat that has been here. Don't get me wrong I am definately not a winter girl at all. It is pretty, but the thought of cleansing my face in the mornings in icy cold water makes me shudder.

I love the fall/autumn fashions that have been shown on my favourite blogs. I am greatful to the influx of New Zealand bloggers, that I have begun to discover, that give me summer inspiration for now. Frankly I fear that the only reason I want fall to come around already, is not for the final cold break from two summers in a row, gained from working on an American Summer Camp, but because finally my beloved tights can adorn my legs without gaining stares from the heat exhausted population, that pity/scorn my tight obsession.

The Best Little Secrets Are Kept.

Along the same lines of the previous post, lies the whimisical and much loved movie "The Secret Garden".
This movie was reminded into existence, from my childhood by the wonderful Meagan of Left Hand Endeavor (who coincidently I'm a big fan of) on my last post!
It is yes, yet another children's film filled with magic, fantastic sets, location and most importantly wardrobe. Also it is the 2nd movie to be added to my movies fashion bloggers must see list (which at present only exists in my head)

Mary, the main character of the film spends the entire movie taunting and mocking me by wearing a series of outfits that I thought only existed in heaven. From billowing smock dresses to delicate night attire, this young lady has one of the wardrobes I envy most within a film. I swear if this movie was created and filmed simply to banish my closet into the realms of shame, it has admirably succeeded and I am in dire need of a perfect hair bow and doll dress combo.

However with this movie the male characters are dressed nearly as intricately as their female counterparts and because of this I find my inspiration eye mindlessly wandering to their perfectly dapper waistcoat and button up shirt ensembles. It may sound crazy, but as beautiful and stunning as Mary's, costumes are, I would be perfectly content with any of the young boys attire topped off with a red-ribbon neck tie and elegantly disheveled hair for myself!

I remember sitting in front of the telly as a youngster always being swept away by this movie. I even thought Dicken was a wee stud and had a bit of a crush on him everytime I saw it. I love movies like this so much because I feel this type of fantastical children's films with real heart and less cheap raunchy jokes, like what filled my childhood have ceased to be made lately. It makes me sad to think that the children's movies may only further decline into more Chicken Little and Wall-E money grabbing films, than movies that take you away, even upon viewing as an adult into a magical world of possiblity.

I Am A Pirate You Are A Princess.

One of my favourite movies as a child was "A Little Princess". The storyline is simple, yet the costuming and scale of the movie is elaborate, delicate and visually stunning! Everything one of my favourite movie characters of all time, wears in this film is exactly what I love now. Full of bows, heart pendants, dandy shoes, perfect coats, lacey ruffly ultra-feminine dresses and the most perfect ringlets. Plus that part where she walks into the door makes me laugh my face off everytime...

If you haven't already I would say that you must get your hands on the movie! Not only it up there with my favourite movies of all time,but it is a timeless classic (well in my eyes). I have not met one single person that doesn't like the movie or haven't wanted to be Sarah Crew in their lifetime.

I pray that my fall wardrobe morphs into something as wonderful as even the 4 outfits pictured above. Heck i would sell my mother just to get my hands on the school uniform!

Stunning!

A Girl In Port.

Kaikoura is a wonderous little tourist town that I loved to visit when I was younger and obsessed with Dolphins. Theres something beautiful about a town where time doesn't seem to exist!

Christmas festivities are over, a New Year has passed and Autumn is creeping up slowly towards us in the other hemisphere.
Life has been so busy lately, as it always is, everyone deciding what to do with their lives and new adventures to face.

My boyfriend, that I met while in a America this past summer (American summer) has moved down from the North Island to come join me in the far less temperate South Island. He has left everything behind. I always wonder if I would be risky enough to do that. To leave the familiar streets, routine and faces that ground me here and have for the past 19 years.

I'm taking a leap into the unknown, moving out of the place I grew up and into a flat with 2 others and a flat with 5 others right next door! It's not to far away from my hometown, but I don't have anyone to fall back on now....and should really learn how to cook. I'm so distractable that I often burn rice, oven fries and noodles ...probably all at once if ever the opportunity popped up...

That atleast explains a tiny fraction of my absence, the other part is pure laziness on my part....I may aswell be honest...plus I also blame it on my current obsession of aquiring and reading every Goosebumps book in existance, but more about that later (oh yes it deserves it's own post!) R.L Stine was a book machine! I managed to carve throught three yesterday...did I just brag about that?