Time to Bye

For everything there is a season: there is a time to buy new shoes (ie, all the time), and a time to say goodbye. This autumn I sighed over my adored little ballet flats. There was no way around it. I had to face facts. They were trashed, completely and utterly.

And when it comes to trashed shoes, I am utterly ruthless. Though they served me well in their time – so soft and comfy, so ladylike and elegant – and made my feet look quite petite, these Supersoft walking shoes by Diana Ferrari were truly on their last legs.

Early one morning I took them out of the house, and tenderly placed them amongst the autumn leaves shed by the great elm above to capture their last moment of glory.

And then I threw them in the bin.

I already have their replacements, two pairs of suede Mary-Jane flats, one black, one red. Stay tuned. 

Whatever Happened to the Spencer?

Once upon a time, in the Regency period, the spencer was a woman’s short jacket worn over the long empire-line gowns of the era. Day dresses, particularly for younger women, were usually made from white muslin or other light colours, and the spencer added some colour – as well as warmth – to the ensemble. They often featured puffed shoulders as well as decorative trim in the form of braid or tassels, or intricate detailing in the fabric such as pleats, gathers or ruffles.

Hat from Naples split on the sides. Spencer in velvet with bursts in satin. Dress has flounces.A cream spencer gorgeously edged in black and trimmed with tasselsMy herringbone patterned spencer is by Catalan designer Celia Vela, and is part of a suit. It is an unusual hybrid, featuring an Oriental neckline and closure (those little buttons are a right pain to fasten and undo), but it has puffed and gathered sleeves rather than puffed shoulders in the Regency manner. It was those sleeves that sold me when I saw it in a boutique in Sitges, Spain.

A modern day equivalent to the spencer would be the Spanish bolero, which is most often buttonless and worn open. This more formal and tailored jacket should not be confused with a shrug, or short cardigan, which is typically knitted.

But today there still exists a spencer, in the form of a warm knitted undergarment – that may or may not be matched with that very elegant piece of lingerie, the longjohn. The woollen spencer allows one to wear skimpy clothing in the depths of winter, and is thus a very useful garment to have in one’s arsenal.

For all its brevity my little woollen tank spencer has its own charms, does it not? I did own, once upon a time, a matching long sleeved spencer – the perfect length of the three-quarter sleeves kept it safely out of sight when worn under tops – but it has long-since gone to the Great Tailor in the Sky. I had black and white versions with both long and no sleeves in fact, but only this black tank survives.

Strangely, these versions of the spencer are difficult to find today, which is a pity, for they would prove extremely useful to those pretty young things who insist on gallivanting about on freezing Saturday nights in inappropriately flimsy garments.

What I Actually Wore #0081

Serial #: 0081
Date: 08/08/2012
Weather: 16°C for Cold, very windy and miserable
Time Allowed: 15 minutes

Pants are great for lazy winter days when tights seem too much maintenance, but it’s all dependent on mood, which persona I’m channeling that day. This looks a little bit like winter land girl, with tweed trousers, a cosy cardi, and flat beribboned brogues.

The orange cardigan is by Anthropologie, and I bought it on eBay. At the time I couldn’t decide whether to buy the warm grey version, or the burnt orange and I finally went with the bright pop of colour. Occasionally I wish I had chosen otherwise, as this winter I have gone back to an old love: shades of grey (somewhat less than 50 at a time). As the trousers are wide-legged and loose, I added a double belt for some definition at the waist.

I am wearing a rather eclectic collection of jewellery: my leather necklace knotted with wood and glass ‘beaded beads’ that I hand made myself; my charm necklace and Turkish coin earrings; and the two rings I always wore stacked – the onyx, and the silver concave ring. Sadly I have since lost the silver ring because it slipped off my finger one day walking to work!

The punctured leather brogues I also bought online in a sale store, with the deliberate intention of discarding the boring shoelaces and threading ribbon through the eyelets – not an easy task. I do love that look though – it’s also very land girl: your shoelaces broke? Make do and mend with an old hair ribbon.

Items:

Knit: Kookaï
Cardigan: Moth for Anthropologie
Pants: i67
Hat: Melbourne boutique
Belt: Alta Linea
Earrings: from Palm Beads
Necklace: handmade and collected
Rings: souvenir, Roun
Shoes: Urge

Mode à la Daisy

Celebrating the Roaring Twenties in a Special Series

À la Daisy :: Tinto 1848 // C-Type Plate // No flashOne of Daisy Buchanan’s accessories I liked in The Great Gatsby was her black and geometric print white headscarf. I looked at it, admired it and thought, “I can do that.” I have a long geometric silk scarf already and have worn it today, double wrapped and tied above my left ear. It’s received the approval from my fellow fashionistas in the office too.

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in a scene from “The Great Gatsby

Between Takes

Celebrating the Roaring Twenties in a Special Series

So I might have been a little underwhelmed by the film experience, but these portraits by Hugh Stewart in the May issue of Australian Vogue are just beautiful. They were taken on the set during breaks in filming. I like to imagine the actors rushed off one set straight onto another in whatever they were wearing – sort of like a ‘come as you are’ party – which is entirely appropriate for a film about a man who gave the most fabulous parties ever. 

Click images for larger versions.