The Dress - Picnic Patchwork

Forgive my outfit repeating. A girl can only have so many dresses in her wardrobe! I believe I've styled this dress quite differently from my original post about it, although I guess you can be the judge of that. :) Accessories can go a long way in helping to recreate an outfit. It's all about the mixing and the matching. By the way, Luke named this post. Pretty impressive I thought.

Dress: Revival

This dress has the best collar. The dark colours mean I find it easier to make this a "transitional" piece from winter to spring.

Cardigan: Mango

I did mention before that I wear this cardigan at least 3 times a week - well, it's true. I heart cardigans.

Hat: Swonderful 

I love this shop so much. It used to be located on Victoria St, and Luke found it kind of amusing that when walking by I would actually slow to snail pace and audibly sigh. The clothes are definitely more worthy of sighs than squeals; the price tags unfortunately make me weak at the knees. Since the shop has moved to Cuba St I haven't been for a visit, which is probably a good thing for both my conscience and my wallet!

 Why is cute clothing always so expensive? No fair. Anyhow, one day Bex and I were shopping and I spontaneously bought this hat. I had been looking out for one to wear in summer. I've also added a cheeky chin strap (trust me, you need it in windy Wellington!)

Stockings: Glassons

Seriously getting so much use out of these - coloured tights are the best!

Bag: Thrifted

I found this in a second-hand shop in a little country town called Shannon. Definitely a summer staple, and I love how much it matches the hat. It's like they were meant for each other.

Shoes: Mountfords 

Very comfy shoes. This is the first time I've experimented with sandals and tights. I think I can pull it off.

 Belt: David Lawrence

I had been really wanting to find a belt to match the sandals and my "mushroom"-coloured heels. Quite a difficult task. But David Lawrence had this great belt, which comes in lots of colours; the one I have, shown above, is "biscuit". Though it cost a few pretty pennies, I think I'll get a lot of use out of it since it matches my summer dresses. Oh, so many summer dresses and so little summer.

Until next time :)

The Song - Feel Inside (and stuff like that)

Okay, I'm not the biggest fan of Flight of the Conchords, but I will admit that Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are both extremely talented comedians/song writers. In case you didn't know, Bret McKenzie recently won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Man or Muppet".

Oh wait, if you're not from New Zealand you may not have the foggiest idea what I'm talking about... Flight of the Conchords is a comedy TV show which revolves around this pair as they try to achieve success as a band in New York City and try to develop an American fan base.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes: recently they wrote a song for Red Nose Day. As the song was for sick children, they decided they would go to kids and ask them to help write the lyrics. The results are pretty hilarious.

If you're in the mood for a laugh, watch the clip below:

Until next time :)

The Review - The Sapphires

I like to support Australian films. Let me rephrase that: I like to support good Australian films. So on Saturday night Luke and I forked out $30 or so to see The Sapphires.

The Sapphires is a drama/comedy based on a 2004 stage play of the same name. The film is inspired by the true story of four Aboriginal women who form a singing group and travel to Vietnam in 1968 to perform for the troops.

I found the movie very entertaining, with all the actors putting in a lot of heart and soul. I laughed and I cried. The characters are very well done, and the music is brilliant; it's just good entertainment. I must admit that I also enjoyed Chris O'Dowd's presence on screen, since I'm a bit of an IT Crowd fan. He was kind of playing the exact same character as in that show, just more sincere and heartfelt at points. Jessica Mauboy has an amazing voice but the other girls can hold their own too. Oh, and the costuming. Man, late 1960s clothing, way fun! Loved the colours. 

 

However, what I appreciated most about this film was the fact that it has a widespread appeal but also deals with Aboriginal culture in a respectful and sensitive way. The movie exposes audiences to atrocities such as the Stolen Generation but without completely focusing on this aspect.

Here's the trailer for your viewing enjoyment:

Until next time :)

The Request - Umph Pin Up Comp

Just a short one today, guys. Lazy? Who, me? Actually, it requires a little bit more effort on your behalf.
My absolutely gorgeous friend Tess is entering a competition to be the Jubly-Umph Pin Up Girl.

I've looked through all the entrants and to be honest she has definitely the most authentic vintage style of the lot. I really hope I look as stunning as her after having 2 kids. :) Anyway, I personally believe (and yes, I may be totally biased) that she deserves to win.

What do you think?

Well if you think "yes" along with me, please like her photo on the Jubly-Umph Pin Up Girl Facebook page.
Important note: the competition ends this Saturday (20 October).

Until next time :)

The Outing - WOW

So about three weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to attend one of the biggest shows/events/spectaculars in Wellington, not to mention New Zealand - the World of Wearable Arts (WOW). And what an experience. It's a very unique event and really unlike anything I've seen before.

Essentially, this is a fashion show where the models - as the name might suggest - wear "art". It's not only different from your normal runway events, but also worlds apart from couture shows (pun intended). But it's not merely a runway where models wear amazing, crazy costumes. The models also dance in their art to a fantastic array of music. Not only that, but there are also choreographed groups of dancers, plus a light show. You really have to see it for yourself to get a full appreciation. The impression it left on me was that of a visual feast. The show goes for 2 hours, and there isn't a second where you're not captivated by something on the stage: whether it be a dance routine, a light show, or an amazing costume. The costumes are created by designers, and with one third of them now coming from overseas, it is definitely a growing phenomenon. I guess the growing international presence is due to this being such a niche show - there is nothing that really compares anywhere else in the world, so New Zealand is lucky to have it. Every year it sells out and so I was very fortunate to get tickets.

So where did this all originate, anyway? The World of Wearable Art was born in 1987 when Nelson sculptor Suzie Moncrieff had an idea to promote a rural art gallery and thereby created a new genre of performance. An audience of 200 came to a community hall to watch a show that took art off the wall and on to the stage. 25 years later, it plays for over 12 days in Wellington to an audience of more than 50,000 and a crew of more than 400. It is big. There is now also a museum in Nelson.

Anyway, I guess you probably want to see some photos of the costumes, right?

Delight Of Light, Yuru Ma & Mengyue Wu, China

2012 Brancott Estate Supreme WOW Award - 'Winner' & American Express Open Section 'Winner'

Revive, Mengyue Wu & Yuru Ma, China

'Runner Up' to the Supreme WOW Award & Tourism New Zealand Avant Garde Section - 'Winner' 

 

Noor Reverie, Rebecca Maxwell, Wellington

WOW Factor Award - 'Winner' 

 Dragged Through A Hedge, Gillian Saunders, Nelson

American Express Open Section - 'Commended' 

I love this one. Upon first seeing it, I actually thought it was a comment on Wellington wind.

Rise From the Ruins, Nicole Linnell, Wellington

Shell Student Innovation Award - 'Winner'

As you can see, the creativity is just astounding, really. Of course, it's a bit hard to appreciate it from photos, so I thought I'd include a small video as well to give you more of an idea. The footage below is from the 2011 show.

If you're ever in Wellington in September, it's well worth a look.

The Verse - Psalm 16

I really appreciate that the church Luke and I attend often allows some of the young guys who have a gift for teaching to stand up and give the Sunday sermon. Recently, one of these guys has been doing a series on Psalm 16. His teaching, combined with our reading of Michael Horton's For Calvinism, has lately had me pondering the subject of sanctification.

Sanctification... it's a long word but a good word. I think we Christians shouldn't shy away from big words or be put off by them, because they often have so much depth and richness that if we were going to spell it out instead of using the big word, it would probably take a whole paragraph.

Sanctification in Christian terms is the process of becoming sanctified or holy. As Christians, we desire to become more and more like our Creator and Lord. The process of santification covers the whole of the believer's life and is never fully completed until we join God in heaven.  

The question is: how do we obtain progress in sanctification? I think at least part of the answer lies in Psalm 16. In verses 1-2, David writes:

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”

I believe one of the problems with the understanding of sanctification today is that we are constantly looking to ourselves in our efforts to make ourselves holy and thereby to "please God more".

Even the questions we ask ourselves and each other reflect this: "How can I improve my relationship with the Lord?" "How can I serve the Lord?" "How is my walk?" The problem with these questions is that they keep our eyes focused on ourselves. In the excerpt above, David acknowledges that there is no good in him, and any good in him comes from God. So when it comes to sanctification, we should be looking to God. "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2.)

Sanctification can only happen in, of and through Jesus's work on the cross, by which we became justified before God through the work of the Holy Spirit. In the process of sanctification God through His Holy Spirit regenerates us and makes us a new person with a new heart. 

The sermon last Sunday put it in the following way: "The focus of the Christian life is not our works or love for God, but the righteous life and atoning work of Christ."

If you want to become more sanctified, you need to immerse yourself in the Gospel, preach it to yourself, remind yourself of it, live it and breathe it. From this we will slowly come to understand more of who God is and become filled with the joy of knowing Him, which will cause us to want to serve Him, obey Him, trust Him and love Him more. This is my understanding of sanctification.

And I'm not saying that I do this - believe me, I'm preaching to myself more than anyone else. But we have to get to a point where we step back and realise: It's not about me. It's about Him. It's all about Him. I am nothing without Him. As John the Baptist said: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

David also understood this. Later in Psalm 16 he writes:

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
(Psalm 16:7-8.)

In For Calvinism, Michael Horton also comments that although God delights in our sanctification and good works, as a father does in a child's obedience, nevertheless "good works are not for my benefit or God's but for others: my brothers and sisters in Christ, my family, and my neighbours in need of loving service and witness... only God's work for us can prepare us for our work with others."

The Dress - Red Cherry Blossoms

What do we have here? More clothes from my wardrobe. Yes indeedy. I quite like matching, though unless you're colour blind you've probably noticed this. Actually, I must confess it's kind of my OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), yet to be officially diagnosed by a psychologist... however, I personally just like to think of it as being stylish. :)

Women in the 40s & 50s wore lots of colour. The fact is that we rarely get this impression because most of our photos of them are in black and white! Only quite recently has the idea emerged that if you're going to wear a bright colour you must "balance it" with a neutral tone. Before then it was more like: "You know what would look great with this bright-coloured blouse? I know, a bright-coloured skirt." This is the "more is more" theory. Unfortunately, most people aren't brave enough to wear colours on colours, so we do "colour blocking" and "toning down". But to this I say... bring on the colour.

Blouse: Thrifted - Max

I love pairing this blouse and skirt. It's like they were made for each other. I've posted on this top before, when I paired it with my 1940s swing pants. I actually found this top in a second-hand store for $10. Just because something is "not this season" doesn't mean it can't be stylish, and sometimes even chain stores get it right. It's even better when you can buy it at probably a tenth of the original price. Win!

Skirt: Thrifted

Another Savers buy. Oh, how I miss that giant second-hand store in Australia. I think I spent a whopping $4 on this item - pretty good for a 100% pure wool pencil skirt. I always used to mentally think of this as my Qantas air hostess skirt, probably because of the colour. Unfortunately, I've loved this skirt a little bit too much, and discovered the hard way that it wasn't meant for swing dancing - >.< Luckily I was able to repair it. From the style of the label I'm guessing it dates from the 70s or 80s. 

Stockings: Unknown

I really will find out this brand for you, I promise. Loving them so much. They're 15 denier, so are unlikely *fingers crossed* to get holes for a while.

Shoes: Ashleigh Dawson

I bought these shoes from the Atticus shoe shop on Lambton Quay. This store is dangerously close to where I work. I have a problem with black shoes; maybe I'm the only one, but the inside of the shoe tends to dye my skin-coloured stockings! Very annoying! Maybe I just have extra sweaty feet (sorry if that's TMI). Anyway, I had been crazily looking for some classy-looking flats that were: 1) not black inside, or any other colour that would potentially dye my stockings; 2) well-made, i.e. not going to fall apart after a season; 3) nice enough to wear to work; and 4) comfortable to walk long distances in. 

Too much to ask? Maybe. However, I had already spied these shoes about 6 months ago, so it wasn't too hard to see that they would fit the bill. And I love them. I can't find any website information on them, but they're made in Spain and come in lots of colours. I decided to go for the plain leather (100%, thank you very much) with a bow. So cute. Anyway, although they were somewhat of a *cough* investment, I'm hoping they'll pay off. And stain-free stockings - yay!

Bows!

Until next time :)