a red oldie

This red dress is an oldie but a goodie. I made it a few years ago to wear at my friends wedding. I followed a basic bodice pattern for the bodice and then shaped the skirt on my dressmaking doll. It was one of my first boned bodices. Now that I have made a corset with metal boning, I won't go back to plastic boning. I remember when I was a bridesmaids and we had the dresses made... by the end of the night the crappy cheap boning had curled up and the dress is pretty much ruined and can't be worn again. And the dressmaker called herself a professional... anyway 

These photos were taken at the Kino International. When stepping inside the building you can't help but feel that you have stepped back in time to the 60's. The foyer is lit with many light bulbs on the ceiling. Walking up the stairs you are welcomed by a number of chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. The cinema is like an old theatre. You can just imagine the acts which would have performed there to the many locals and tourists of Berlin. On this day we saw a film called London nights. When it started I had a 'Oh, this is just great, I thought the film was in english' feeling. The guy spoke Spanish and there were German subtitles. There is no way that my German language is strong enough to read the subtitles... but luckily, it was just the beginning. The rest was in English. Phew! It was a nice film, and now I want a polaroid camera.

photography: Michael Dooney

reaching homeostasis

(Dress: Shakuhachi. Clogs: Sam Edelman. Tights: Random)

Yes I know, a few of my posts have featured the Shakuhachi label... sorry about that. 

I wore this out to a friend's 30th birthday party at a cocktail bar in the city. I didn't really want to wear tights with this dress, but the weather wouldn't permit naked legs. Speaking of temperature, I learnt that there is one thing that you have to be prepared for when wearing this dress............. "Isn't one arm colder than the other?" My answer to everyone that asked... "YES! Yes, one arm is colder than the other. And no, it doesn't bother me, I'm quite comfortable." 

Hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend!! xx

BERLIN FESTIVAL 2010....What a disappointment!

This last photos fits in with the theme of the Berlin Festival 2010.... this photo ended unexpectedly... much like the festival. Music stopped 4 hours earlier on Fri night... so heaps of bands didn't play Friday night.. well early Saturday morning. Then Saturday ended 7 hours earlier at 11 at night. We missed most of the bands that we wanted to see and the one's that we did see (sorry, but Fever Ray was VERY disappointing as a stage show). This event was definitely not organised well. They were surprised that everyone went to the 2 side stages when the main stage closed and consequently freaked out about the amount of people there. I suppose that they were paranoid because of the VERY unfortunate events which occurred at Love parade.

The outfit: I decided to have a go at making culottes, so I made these floral shorts. They are actually based on a skirt pattern, not a pants pattern. The fabric is of course from the Turkish markets. The top is a reglan t shirt pattern. I then made a bow for the waist.

Please if you are thinking of going to next years Berlin Festival... DON'T

sushi and ice-cream

(Maxi: Oasis. Vest: Shakuhachi. Shoes: Topshop. Rings: 17th birthday present and Fashionology. Studded bracelet: Oroton)

I wore this out to meet Robert for sushi and ice-cream. A gross combination? I think not.

Anyway, I got this vest off the website for 75% off. Shakuhachi is one of my favourite labels, but their shit is just so expensive! So for each new collection, I fall in love and then patiently wait for the 50% off sale at the end of the season. This method has not let me down yet, so I'm hoping that the Love Etc collection (I posted about it here) is not going to be an exception to the rule. Having said that, the local boutiques in my area have already sold out of most styles in my size.... so fingers crossed....

Flanging around with a yoke

The theme for this outfit is flanges and yokes. I decided that I would make a skirt which featured a yoke. I saw the floral material at the markets and thought about it for a few days, then went back to find an orange fabric. I also wanted to make a blouse with flanges inserted at mid shoulder. You can not see the top of the yoke skirt as I felt that, as an outfit it was better to leave the blouse untucked. The skirt is a high waisted skirt with a diagonal yoke. 

The bird necklace... if you can see it, is from one of my favourite shops in Mount Lawley Perth, Behind the Monkey. This shop has heaps of local jewellery and stocks my favourite jewellery designer, Victoria Mason (I am probably wearing my tea cup earrings in these photos, but will have to take some close ups).

And of course I am wearing my favourite sunnies from Mauermarkt.

On this particular day we decided to ride our bikes to Treptower Park. It was sunny one moment and stormy the next... one of the not so exciting downsides of living in Berlin. We walked around the park through to the Soviet War Memorial. This is an amazing memorial and would suggest that it is a must see for any Berlin visitors. The park itself lies on the Spree. In the summer it is always full of people having a grill, beer or exercising. We ended this day with a relaxing beer in the sun (I was savouring the moment as I knew that summer would soon end...boo hoo).

Photographer: Michael Dooney

sorry... I will add the definitions now
Yoke "The yoke is a design element which located at the top of a shirt, skirt, pants or shorts, and is cut separately to create a pieced illusion. Yokes are sometimes cut on the bias or cross-grain to define a style( for example, the cloth over the shoulders on Cowboy style shirts.)" Burdastyle 

a flange is just an extension or a part which is a continuation of the garment. So in this case I added a piece of fabric about 3 inches wide which ran from the waist to the mid shoulder and through to the back. On the second photo you can see the folds in the blouse. This is the flanged section.

MANIAMANIA

Maniamania via MyCatwalk

I love how MANIAMANIA has done a slightly varied version of the Immortals ring over their collections (previously here and here), each just as enticing as the next. Sadly, at $300-400 a pop, I'll never own any of them. 

On another note, that Oxidised Bronze ring and bracelet combination? Genius. 

beached

(Leather jacket: Asos. Scarf: Portmans. Shirt: Sunnygirl. Jeans: Supre DIY ripped and bleached)

Stopped by the beach on the way home from IKEA. The sun was setting and as soon as I stepped onto the sand I had to take off my leather jacket, scarf and boots to really enjoy the sunset. The perfect taste of the exciting summer to come. 

I've had these jeans since high school and I can't let go of them (remember when I wore them in this post?) I decided a while ago that I needed to re-invent them so I attacked them with a cheese grater and steak knife, then left them in some diluted bleach for a couple of days. 

Boheme Sauvage: a visit to the 1920's

A few weeks ago we attended the Boheme Sauvage party in Mitte Berlin. The dress code was 1920's. There are a few organisations which hold 1920's inspired parties in Berlin. We will definitely be attending one again soon. I think that the Hamburg one is happening this weekend. On the way to the party we stopped and took some photos of each other with our black and white film. 

The dress is actually a H&M dress which was on sale.... as soon as I saw it I knew that it was perfect for the party. I cut it half way down and inserted some lace to make the garment look longer. I planned on making a hat for the occasion, but I got a little lazy (plus I find it hard to find good felt here) so I just tied a scarf around my head for a 20's look.  
For Michael we hired some suspenders and he wore his new glasses. These beauties are from a Berlin company Funk Optik.  They sell frames (they have heaps of good sunnies too) and have an optometrist working there too. Very handy 

Photos: Michael & mahaila

"Is that a skort?"

(Jumper: Woolovers, shorts: Topshop, socks: Topshop, shoes: Steve Madden)

I love clothes that are deceiving. These shorts look like a skirt that is just too short, but the little division between the legs make them only just wearable. 

I've been after a camel coloured jumper for a while, and had been looking in chain stores because I wanted one that wouldn't break the bank. It turns out I had been looking in all the wrong places. I found this one at Woolovers, which looks like a site for people in their 50's. It has heaps of different jumpers in a huge range of colours and fabrics. This one is made of lamb's wool and its super comfy. I'm so glad the picture on the site didn't stop me from purchasing it:

Maybe I should buy one for Robert too. 

F*#% Parade! Yes it WAS summer......Mein Lieblings Sommer Kleid

The F%#*k Parade was definitely an experience. 11.4 km anti establishment protest/parade/party. Development along the Spree was the major topic of concern. Around 10 vans drove from Potsdamerplatz to Friedrichshain playing various styles of dance music. We rode to Potsdamerplatz to hear the speeches then made the 11.4 trek. As the parade progressed through the streets of Berlin more and more people joined the party. Berlin is an awesome city to live in!

The glasses were purchased from Mauermarkt. Not my favourite market in Berlin...but these are my favourite glasses. They are second hand and are quality. You will be seeing a more of these.... well at least until the sun goes on holiday. 

The dress: I  made this dress when I first came to Berlin... and waited and waited and waited until I could wear it for summer. Finally summer did come. I always feel extra summery in this dress. I like the low back and the ruffles on the skirt.
This is not my pattern, it is from vogue. 
FABRIC: purchased in Australia. I can't remember where exactly from...