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 :)
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