A Vintage Muse

I often stumble across wonderful blogs inspired by vintage creativity that I feel compelled to write about on my own blog - the love needs to be shared around after all!

Today, I stumbled once again onto something wonderful...and not via my (work avoiding) cyber trawling and keyword googling methods that I usually get up to either.

Today, one of my very dear customers quietly mentioned that she would be putting up pictures on her blog of the 50's fair at Rose Siedler house that was on over the weekend (and which I forgot to tell you to diarise - I'm losing my touch!).

Having sold several of my favourite (Bowerbird) vintage dresses and vintage bags to her in the past I was more than a little curious to check out the site and to put a face to the name I knew so well. That's the downside to having an online store I'm afraid - no personal contact means I never get to see how the vintage dresses I sell are transformed by the women buying and wearing them. And sadly that's really the most fun.

I do get happy customers occasionally sending through pictures of themselves in their bowerbird vintage finery which is wonderful and a real thrill but I definitely miss the personal interaction and service that comes with owning a shop.

So, it turns out that my lovely customer, who is a Sydney journalist, writes a beautiful blog with tonnes of stunning photo's and bountiful information about all things vintage, thrifted, arty/crafty and creative. I Highly recommend that you drop by right here: A Wild Tea Party

Oh, and yes, she rocks a vintage dress!

Samsung Tap & Take Fun!

I don't usually blog about technology but this is hard to ignore...not only because it looks pretty fab but also because there is stuff to win!

Samsung is launching a brand new camera ST500/ST550 with some very cool new gadgetry including a Tap & Take feature and two LCD screens.

For someone who loves taking a snap or two, this compact little camera might be on my Christmas list this year . The double LCD screens (on the front and back) lets you take a photo of yourself and your friends while watching the image. No self timers needed anymore and no more decapitations or blurry images ever again. Great for street fashion blogging too!

The Tap and Take technology means that you no longer have to use those pesky little buttons on top anymore. Simply tap the screen and it focuses and takes the picture for you. There are heaps of other techno features as well...take a look at the very cool Tap and Take website for more details.

Oh, and here's the good bit! If you sign up to the Tap and Take Twitter and the Tap and Take Facebook page, starting from tomorrow August 20th, you have the chance to win one for yourself.

Simply watch for clues posted on various Australian Blogs, including little ol' Bowerbird Vintage, then solve the (easy peasy) clues and you will have a Samsung Tap and Take of your very own!

30 Days of Fashion Fun!

It was such a hit last year that ACP magazines are doing it again this September!

30 days of Fashion & Beauty will run throughout September and promises to be another fashion highlight for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane!

The entire month is jam packed with competitions, exclusive offers, fashion and beauty workshops, talks by your favourite fashion magazine editors, runway shows and much more.

The event is also aiming to raise $30,000 in 30 days for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC), a global breast cancer research charity. Just by donating to this worthwhile cause you could win yourself any number of fashion packs, including a Bobbi Brown make-up box, Pandora jewellery or stunning Akira Osawaga dress.

Check out the events calendar for a full listing of what's on each day of September.

Vintage Fashion at Sydeny Design 09

The Powerhouse Museums annual International Design Festival is on again from the 1st of August until the 16th of August. This year it is jam packed with fantastic workshops, exhibitions and talk from experts in all design fields including fashion. In fact, there are a number of vintage fashion events that will definitely weasel me away from my fixed position in front of the fireplace.

What looks to be a seriously unmissable workshop for any vintage clothing collector is the seminar on conservation & restoration of vintage fashion and accessories on the 2nd of August. Experts will be giving advice on preserving, storing precious textiles and garments, and restoring beading and fabrics in vintage dresses and the like.

Also for budding fashion designers is the From Trash to Treasure workshops which explain the process of creating fashion from what would otherwise be waste. The first workshop focuses on “upcycling” of discarded materials through textile manipulation and rich embellishment. Reworking vintage clothing is a passion of mine so I will definitely be booking a spot for this one.

There is a myriad of other fashion related workshops and exhibitions too so I suggest you jump online at the PowerHouse and take a look for yourself.

Of course, if markets are your thing then I highly recommend the Young Blood Design Markets at the end of the festival on the 14th-16th of August. These are one of my favourite markets in Sydney and are usually only on twice a year. You can meet and buy direct from the best design talent in the country including fashion, furniture, jewellery, graphics, landscape and lighting designer to name a just a few.

Vintage Swimwear!

I know it's not exactly sun baking or swimming weather here in Sydney at present but if you love a vintage aesthetic and you are daydreaming about warmer weather (like me!) you should get yourself along to the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour to see the new Exposed! The Story of Swimwear exhibition which is on right now until early October. Check out the ANMM web site for further details.

Sublime vintage swimwear and a history of popular culture and design influence. Oh, and it's free!

Thanks to the lovely Nicole at Circa Vintage for giving me the heads up!

Oh, to be free as a birdie

I've sadly become a terrible blogger...I used to be so good - sometimes I'd even blog 2 or 3 times a day about various going-ons. Now, it's more like 2 or 3 times a month. And I miss the lovely blogger community and just taking the time to sit down and have a little wander around all my favourites and other cyber haunts like Etsy and Madeit.

Life has gotten in the way! Businesses to run, studies to attend to and husbands to nag (not really...o.k sometimes...he likes it though...)

I'm always startled it's Friday - then the weekend flies by in a blink and away we go again.

I know! that's everybody elses life as well.

So, lets take 5 minutes out of our hectic day and look at pretty things...with birdies on them

...like these:

Someone...please buy me a handmade lamp from the Etsy store The Owls are Hunting

Made from reclaimed and vintage materials from the 60's, 70's and 80's

I'm in love...

or, I'd also be happy with adorable handmade little scarf from MINGUS. Who also makes lovely vintage inspired bits and pieces from reclaimed and recycled fabrics

and finally...

You can snap this little cotton tee up from Erin Jane at Strawberry Jam - home of all things handmade and vintage inspired...

It's that time again...

Yep, we are off on a vintage treasure hunt! Coasting down south this time with plenty of scheduled stops at my favourite vintage collectors and suppliers then back via the Snowy Mountians (Ski season opens this weekend!!!). I love a road trip - and after finally finishing off my Multi Media project for my Masters degree I feel like I deserve a bit of a break.

Actually, we have a lot of ground to cover and lots of vintage fashion and accessories to purchase in 9 days so it might be kind of hectic but hey, I've already bags'd the passenger seat (I'm dangerous driving long distances - I have a tendency to nod off as soon as I get onto the open road...makes for a long trip with 227 roadside stops doing star jumps to wake myself up!). Anyway, have lots of gorgeous new fashion mags for when I'm awake. Yes - I'm great company on road trips! I do share my crossword puzzles though...and my chocolate brownies.

One thing I hope to get time to do is visit the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. I'm very excited about the Vanity Fair Portraits 1913-2008 exhibition that starts tomorrow and runs to August 30. I've always loved the amazing celebrity portraits in VF and can't wait to see some of the vintage photography on display from the likes of Florance Vadamm. also on display are photographs by Mario Testino, Annie Lebovitz and Bruce Weber. Surely we can't miss that!

See you in a week and a half

x

Vintage Appeal - 1980's style

Hooray...vintage fashion is most definitely here to stay. With the passing of Rosemount fashion week and the latest winter trends from NY, Paris and Milan being showcased for their next season ...it is official – a vintage aesthetic is still the stand out design favourite with many of the top fashion houses both here and overseas.











Louis Vuitton does 80's glamour perfectly

Most notably, the 1980’s is having a huge moment with serious shoulder pads popping up everywhere and body con dresses in fluoro colours a catwalk fave! I’m thrilled. I’ve always loved the 80’s – the fashion, movies and music (maybe because that’s where I spent my teens and am ever so slightly nostalgic). It was such a fun era though and required a complete disregard for taste and rules. All you needed was attitude and confidence...the more colourful and flamboyant the outfit the better and nothing was too OTT. Obviously, there a many things best left behind, most notably blue eye shadow, bubblegum jeans and spiral perms (all of which I am guilty of wearing – occasionally at the same time!)

The great thing about referencing a fashion era is that designers now cleverly deconstruct the look. Shoulder pads for instance were often simply a matter of sewing in huge foam pads, giving the garment an often boxy, rather unfinished look. The current trend for power dressing and a sharp shoulder is all about amazing nips, tucks, pleats and rolls in amazing fabrics. It’s definitely OTT, but it’s also art – just look at some of the dresses and jackets from the likes of Balmain, Givenchy, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana – the beauty lies in the details.

Having said that, I have been collecting authentic 80’s for a few years now, particularly disco frocks and sun dresses in mad colours and prints with plenty of frills. For every trashy, poorly made garment from that era there are still a myriad of fabulous designer frocks in great condition to be found.

Unfortunately, during the 90’s when fashion took a turn towards boring and safe and I went travelling for a few years, I stupidly discarded many of my glorious 80’s wardrobe including high waisted cut off denim shorts (although I’m quite sure I would not wear these now even though I weigh less than I did then...no one needs to see a 36 year old women in tiny shorts) , a black leather pencil skirt, a leather biker jacket, a few man style jackets and a black silk tuxedo suit that would just be so perfect right now...sigh!

Beautiful Balmain get it oh-so-right!