Daily Outfit: Jackie Onassis

I love earning outfits inspired by Jackie Onassis when I'm on holidays.  It is one vintage style in particular that fits in with the climate here in Sydney and the activities I'm involved in.  Today it was going to the zoo.

Jackie Onassis and Valentino - from here

I love Jackie's style at this time of her life.  Everything is very simple and easy to wear, easy to care for and functional.  I have the most amazing book called: Jackie Handbook.  The above photo is in that book but it seems to be unavailable at the moment from the Book Depository but you may be able to find a copy on eBay.  The book chronicles Jackie's greatest looks at important times of her life with a few interviews thrown in.   It is about an inch and a half thick so there is a lot of material and it contains a lot of photographs I had not seen before - especially those taken in the second half of her life.

From here

Incidentally I also have the Marilyn Handbook which has just as many photographs and is great for studying the style of clothing worn by Marlyn throughout her life.

Here is my outfit inspired by Jackie:

Daily Outfit: Pregnancy Uniform

Over at the Glamorous Housewife during the week she asked if we wear a uniform (she does).  I have to say that thinking it through I have noted that I have been while pregnant.

It's odd because I always just thought that my style was "vintage; sort-of"!  I don't have all vintage pieces nor do I go in for a specific era but I do love the look and feel of most vintage clothing from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Being pregnant has also allowed me to wear the vintage clothing that was a bit too big for me but just had to have at the time.  I am also looking forward to carrying out this process in reverse as I gradually (hopefully) return to my former size.

So, when I found out I was expecting and had told everyone I bought a few things, very cheaply, thinking that I would have to buy new clothes every few weeks.  How wrong I was.  As I write this I am 39 weeks and 1 day and am wearing clothes that I was when I was not pregnant (a stretchy skirt and singlet) and while both are pretty tight, when I go out today I will wear a huge cardigan and look ok.

My uniform has turned into yoga pants and a singlet with a fancy top or cardigan for pretty much my whole pregnancy.  When working I would wear the one pair of "dress" pants that I bought (but they are not maternity) with a singlet and fancy top.  Here is an example of what I have been wearing underneath (I am almost 39 weeks in this photo):

 

 This photo from my baby shower shows me wearing my only piece of vintage maternity wear that my Mum got me from ebay.  I love the colours and how cool it is to wear (it's all cotton) but I hate how my arms look - hence the second photo - from the same day - with my trusty cardigan.

 

The cardigan has been great as I have been pregnant during the Australian Winter (which isn't that cold where I live).  It came with a skinny leather belt - but I don't like skinny belts and cannot get it done up anymore anyway.  I also found it great when I was teaching as it covered my bump (when it was smaller) and stopped pesky students asking questions - like "are you married?", "do you have any children?", "would you like to have children one day?" - that is the general line of questioning to "are you having a baby?" It looks something like this in real life but mine was from Best and Less:

From here

 

During my pregnancy I have had to go to three weddings and a few other special occasions.  For a night at the theatre last week,  and a wedding we had to go in early September, I wore this dress (I bought two in different colours - $20 each) which I accessorised with vintage.  With the mustard dress I wore vintage beads and had a shot silk coat (which in normally too big for me).  For the theatre I took a vintage bed jacket and some beautiful costume jewellery that my Mum had also given me.

This last photo I am not fond of but it shows almost the same thing, leggins and singlet on the bottom with a stretchy skirt and wrap cardigan on the top. This is our anniversary photo from this year (can you tell we didn't know how to use the tripod and everything properly in this shot) which was on August 27th, so I was 31 weeks.

 

Hopefully after I have had the baby I will have a chance to wear some of my more summery vintage clothes (I have some great blouses) as it will be hot.  I can also see myself sticking with the yoga pants for awhile yet!

This post has been linked over at The Glamorous Housewife

Inspiration on a Monday: Glamorous Mum No. 3

Here is my third glamorous Mum: Candice De Ville also known as Super Kawaii Mama.

 

Super Kawaii Mama was one of the first blogs I ever began following - I think I may have created a blog just so that I could follow her.  I love Candice's style and quirky accessories and for me, being Australian, it is great to see fashion posts that I can apply to my wardrobe - at once!

This photo belongs to the gallery entitled Daily Outfit - please find it here.

I very much admire the way that Ms De Ville keeps her professional life separate from her home life but at the same time manages to convey her love for her girls and home.  When I started my blog I thought that it would all be about fashion and vintage things but I have been unable to keep food out and recipes and pictures of my cat etc.

This photo is under this post

Again, SKM is one of those mothers that seems to have-it-together and is not apologetic for the fact that she will turn up at the school gate looking like she is loving the life she leads.  I think that the balance she has struck between work and home life works very well.  And what's more, she is so generous with her knowledge.  On her website you can find links to her video tutorials, beauty secrets, product reviews and information about the regular workshops she holds for ladies who have an interest in vintage styling.

Please click here to visit workshop news

                                              

For more about Candice De Ville and her lifestyle you can find her Twitter here and her YouTube channel here

A recipe and a Day Out

I have just loaded all of my photos on to the computer and realise I have so much to blog about so this is a two-in-one.  First a recipe.  On my honeymoon in New Zealand I, and my husband, fell in love with creme fraiche.  Food in NZ is very good and feels cheaper than Australia (it prabobaly is) so we ate way too much creme friache in 10 days.

Imagine my delight when watching Annabel Langbein's show and she made it!  And it was easy - well it looked easy.  I have two of Annabel's cookbooks but the recipe was not in there so I found it on a NZ TV website.  Here is the link.

I have tried to make yoghurt before without my yoghurt maker and failed so I was a little apprehensive that it could be so easy - but like the rest of Annabel's recipes it was as easy as she says.  You only need two ingredients: cream and buttermilk.

Here are my pics from my attempt:

 

The Vodka bottle I have saved from awhile ago - don't stress I haven't been drinking.

 

This is what it looked like straight away and only a tiny bit thicker when I put it into the fridge but after 24 hours chilling it was much thicker - like the stuff you can buy in the shop (but with no gelatine - yea cows).  I have used it instead of cream on pikelets, in a risotto and in a delicious potato torte recipe from Laura Calder.  I think that the total cost of the creme fraiche (about 2 cups) was around $4 - and I had cream and so much buttermilk left over.  Considering last time I priced it was near $7 I am ecstatic with the result.  Thank you Annabel!

 

And I can't help but to add this photo from our honeymoon of the area where Annabel has her "cabin"

When I am not called into work I don't tend to leave the house.  Is that shocking?  I don't know - we have a big house and a garden so I am usually cleaning or gardening or reading etc.  So when my husband has a day off and I am not called in to work I plead with him to take us for a drive.  It is my job to see to the provisions (usually a thermos of tea and some sandwiches and tim-tams).  This time we went to Soldiers Beach with is quite a famous surfing beach in our area.  In the background is Norah Head Lighthouse - I think you can actually stay there. Here are some photos:

 

 This is a close a we are getting to an outfit post as I had no make-up on and didn't feel great.  I am wearing my everyday clothes apart from the jumper - which rather than being maternity is just a lrage size - and it is so lovely and warm.

 

A good start

Here are some photos of my good start to the year!  Including an outfit!  I thought that I should follow the adage of beginning how you mean to go on so....

This outfit was just for being at home and running to the shops.  Sadly, nothing is vintage but I think that the  t-shirt is a little bit Bardot maybe.  I pinned my hair up as the weather is feeling more like Summer (at last).

 

This was dinner as a few nights ago.  Home made chips (Kipflers), roast asparagus and baked fish with hazelnut dukkah on top.  I made the salad below to go with it (based on one of Nigella's).  The salad is roast chillis (giant ones) skinned, feta, almonds and mint.  Yum!  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all.

I hope that your day was full of feasting, family and fun.  Today in Asutralia, is Boxing Day - I don't really know why it is called that but usually it is a day for eating leftovers, watching the Boxing Day Test (cricket), going to the beach and catching up with friends.

Here is a picture of me the other day, with my Poirot inspired hair (specifically 5 Little Pigs), which I am now addicted to watching. 

Daily Outfit

This is what I wore to work yesterday (a cold Friday). It is more casual than I would normally wear but it was the end of the week and too cold for bare legs.

The blazer has a matching pleated skirt of the same colour. I love the three quater sleeves of the blazer and how warm it is (wool).

Underneath is a slate coloured silk tunic and gray leggings.

A wedding dress worthy of a Royal occasion

When the Royal wedding was going on I went over to my Uncle's for a British dinner and to watch all the festivities with my Grandparents and Uncle and Aunt. I wore the wedding dress of my great, great Aunt. I am amazed it fits because she is tiny - but I have to confess I took it off to eat!

I made veils for all the girls to wear out of some tulle I had and you will have to excuse the photos beacuase when I asked my Uncle to play photographer he got a bit carried away and started rolling on the floor Austen Powers style!

The dress is beautiful blues and greens and I am guessing was made for the wedding as there is no label in it. I hope the Duke and Duchess will be as lucky as my great, great Aunt and Uncle were - they were together until the day my Uncle Harry died and truly were happy in their match.

Picnic Daily Outfit

The other day my husband and I headed to Nelson's Bay for a Picnic. Nelson's Bay is about an hour and a half from where we live so it was not too far to go. So we packed some sandwiches (cucumber since you asked) and our brand new thermos that we got for a wedding present and two teacups.

I decided that I was going to wear all vintage and sometimes my husband will wear something a bit vintage-y when I do.

Everything I am wearing has either passed down to me or I have bought from a shop like Vinnes or Sallie's apart from my hose, glasses and shoes.

New Years

I know that this post is a bit late but I have just arrived back from my honeymoon to discover some nice surpirses in my inbox - not just bills. It was a selection of photos from New Years Eve. These photos have been taken by the photographer extraordinaire who did all our wedding photos.

For New Years Eve it's traditional in my family to head to my Grandma and Grandpa's to watch the 9 pm family fireworks from their balcony overlooking Manly. There is always a great buzz in the air with people camping out almost the whole day to get a good view from the beach - however as my family is obsessive about real estate and having views - I am lucky enough to get to watch the fireworks with the best view, without camping out, with air conditioning and a lovely bathroom.

I think that the city out did themselves as usual - with our family fireworks going on for almost 20 minutes. I do feel a bit sorry for all the bats and Lorikeets though that hate the noise.

For dinner it's usually salad, BBQ (rotisserie) chicken and buttered bread. My Mum made a pavlova for sweets - it's Nigella's and always turns out delicious. I made the same one for my husband to take to work on Christmas Day as he worked and it was a big hit.

The Pavlova

Before I started to get ready Mum and I were watching the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and I have fallen in love with another red head - Kelly Reilly. In the film she play Caroline Bingley and I just love the hair and skin and how they work it beautifully with the clothes. I also think the soft hair and flowing lengths of the gown really show that underneath her ice-cool exterior and acid tongue she has a softer side. I also wish my lips were as full as hers.



I tried to model my hair on the style that she wears during the day and the parting that she has at the ball.

Finally here is my Mum and I before dinner looking very glamorous.

Smile!

Again, I know that I have not posted in forever but am getting busy as have picked up some casual teaching work and have the wedding in less than 3 months!  Also have secured a maternity position for all of term 3 at one of the best schools in Sydney so I'm over the moon and excited about that.

I have been remembering to take pictures but haven't been posting them so here are some pictures of me mainly with pin-curled hair and in outfits I like....

This dress is one of my favourites but now it's almost falling apart.  I pin curled my hair two days before and this is how it was on the third day.

Dress - Supre

Cardigan - Glassons

Shoes - Target

Bag - Vintage

Here is my hair another time that I pic curled it.  I tired to keep the back smooth and the curls around my face and nape of my neck.  The back was a bit uneven but I though it was ok.

This not-so-flattering picture of my face - and the ones that follow are how I did my hair on the first day after sleeping in pin-curls.  My hair was being horrible and I couldn't do anything with it so I had a go at some victory rolls and tried to give it some height at the top.

Here is my favourite grouch on the planet - Coco just after we moved.  She is loving living in a house and has been for a walk on the grass once or twice with her lead on.