forgotten jeans

Love this look. It look as if someone has accidentally left a brand new pair of jeans in a bucket of bleach for days (maybe trying to freshen them up a little), pulled them out and thought, "F*ck it, they're still good". 

Sometimes I like to make up little stories about clothes in my head. Does anyone else do that?

DIY inspiration? Definitely. I'm off to leave some jeans in a bucket of bleach now....

Emily via Jak and Jil

Kaye xx

it was winter......

I am so happy to say 'Winter is officially over!' YAY! I find it difficult in the wintery months. The snow, the cold, not seeing the sun for months, trying to jog on snow and ice, train delays.......... and the list goes on, but I must say I am grateful to have experienced a number of German winters. I love the gluwein at the extremely corny Christmas markets, making snowmen, having snowball fights, playing soccer on snow, seeing the kids in onesy's and on sleds. One particular winter related thing which intrigued me this year was the trail of dead discarded Christmas trees which lined the streets. 'Why would people leave their Christmas trees on the streets?' I thought. 'it's so sad'. So, I asked one of my german friends about this strange occurrence and she told me that one thing she loved about the aftermath of Christmas was pushing the tree out of the window. 'It's a good feelings, it's satisfying'. So this explained why I was seeing random trees all over the street. I think it is very sad. All those poor trees thrown out of the window, only to live their last fews days next to the grotty black, polluted, cigarette butt and poo infested old snow. boo hoo. Plastic trees which fold up neatly into a box is my kind of  Christmas tree.

The photos:

Strolling through Friedrichshain on a wintery Sunday afternoon inevitably results in a visit to the Boxhagener platz flohmarkt. These are one of my favourite markets in Berlin where you can generally find some treasure. You also can't help but visit Burgeramt for a very yummy Mediterranean burger. This is the BEST burger in Berlin. We have visited a number of Burger places which claim to have the best burger in town. The problem with the German burgers is that they are made with the sugary cheap buns and they are light on the salad. The burger meat is OK in most cases, but the meat is not the only factor in a good burger. So I strongly recommend the vege Mediterranean burger.

The jacket:
Three items of clothing which are necessary for a cold European winter include a beloved jacket, a beanie and a scarf. The scarf was crocheted by my very talented friend SS (it's one of my most prized items). My last jacket (a $12 Salvo's jacket) lasted me 2 winters. I was lucky enough to get an up grade for my birthday earlier in the year. I also received this beanie (i think it is a Kalamunda market find by designer Sharman). Thanks to my fam and friends for thinking of me in the cold! and of course to mum (thinking of you in your birthday week!).

Photos: Michael Dooney

 

Oh no.... it's getting to "boot" season....

Shit shit shit shit shit......... its getting to that time of year. That time of the year when all I see is boots. Must.... save.... for ..... Europe.

I think this guy is a nice change to the black leather and silver studded version that we have all seen a few times. 

Get the Warrior here

The Mercer shows no mercy

The Mercer Wedge

An architectural heel for $100. Yes please.

The only problem, is which colour?

Get it here. 

mahaila knitted shorts...FINALLY

I ALWAYS feel anxious when sending post from Germany. Once I made some booties for my cousin and they ended up flying around the world for so long that by the time it reached the kid, they didn't fit. Then I sent one of my knitted birds to a friend in London and it is still flying around or it died on the journey. 
So when I sent my many months long project, the mahaila knitted shorts to Kaye in Aus, I was EXTREMELY anxious. We decided to take photos just in case they  didn't make the long trip. AND I spent so much time with them that I had to give them a good send off. Michael had access to a photography studio and we decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Plus the weather is still really cold here in Berlin, so I was happy to stay toasty and warm indoors. 

After deciding to take some photos with the shorts, I felt that I needed to make a top for them. I ended up with this little blouse. I am generally not a fan of the 'no waist definition' blouses and I must say I am still not very happy with them, but I did enjoy using the lace curtaining on the yoked section. I am also a fan of utilising tucks and pleats in garments, and I will continue to experiment with these techniques.  I flared the back section and I believe that this was a bit of a mistake. Overall, I think the top turned out OK.

Before knitting the final pair of shorts, I knitted a sample. The orange thing around my neck is what I created. Kind of like a pair or shorts if you were a pole. If you look closely, you can just see the pattern which I later decided to scrap. It was a really nice complicated pattern, but I was scared that it would distort the shape of the shorts and pull in all the wrong places. So I ended up with some more cabling. I LOVE cabling.... makes garments look so interesting and it is so easy to do..... if you can count.

Bye bye shorts. Have fun in Aus with Kaye! Kaye I hope you like them. They look great on you!

Making of the shorts blogged here

Photos: Michael Dooney

THEY'RE IN AUSTRALIA! The Mahaila shorts styled by Kaye

(Knitted shorts: made by Mahaila. Top: Agent Ninetynine. Boots: Topshop. Rings: Fashionology. Sunglasses: Forever New. Cardigan: Borrowed from mum. Necklaces: Fashionology and Etsy)

MAHAILA'S KNITTED SHORTS ARRIVED IN AUS!! As soon as I saw the brown paper package I ripped them open and ran up to my bedroom to try them on! I immediately called my brother and his girlfriend, Brendan and Sarah, and we raced off to shoot them. 

I'm amazed with the amount of detail that has gone into these bad boys. Mahaila has even added an invisible drawstring made out of wool so that you can tighten them around the waist.... they fit like an absolute dream - and they are so comfortable! I have no idea how she did it, but she did. After challenge number one, number two, and with the knitted shorts being challenge number three, I think we have reached a new bench-mark! What's next??? I think it might be my turn to create something :)

I wore the infamous shorts out to The Garden with my girlfriends the other night and I received mixed reactions........ "Are they.... knitted shorts?" I simply replied with a huge grin on my face, "Yep, my sister knitted them for me". Not too many girls can say that :)

Kaye xx

Good old Fremantle

Good old Freo.... having grown up in Fremantle, I can't help but love the place. The general laid back community feeling, the fact that you can walk around with bare feet without receiving strange looks (not that I have) is what Freo is all about. The best of Freo is not immediately apparent. You really need to step away from the cappuccino strip to find great food, coffee, fashion and entertainment. 

For me the best cafe in town is Aubergine in South Fremantle. The coffee is wonderful and the food is really nice. I love to sit outside with my coffee and home made muffin. Yum! If I am in the middle of Fremantle I would generally head to Angels Cafe on Essex street. It is a nice quiet, relaxed place. Gino's is one of the better coffee places on the strip, but I find them too inconsistent to give them a good reference. 

One of my favourite streets is High street. I love visiting the fashion boutiques Hustle and Love in Tokyo  . Loop has some nice jewellery, particularly for men. The New Edition Bookshop is my favourite shop in Fremantle. It has the best selection of classics. Strangely there is a fashion store called fi & co  located inside the bookshop. I find this concept kind of weird, but I do love the vintage pieces and jewellery in this store.

Market street is worth a look for fashion. There are a number of shoe stores, little boutiques and some more established boutiques such as Subway DC and Billie and Rose.

You definitely can not go past Little Creatures. It is one of my favourite pubs! I love going there in summer and having a wonderful beer in the sun. Love it! Other pubs in Freo which are nice for a beer are Clancy's Fish Pub, the Norfolk, and the Mad Monk. If you like seeing local and international bands the Swan basement, the Fremantle Arts Centre, Mojo's and the Norfolk basement are worth a visit. 

I used to buy items of clothing off ebay and this top is one of them. I minimised the ruffles, as I felt a little too puffy in it. I do love this top, it is one of my favourites. I made the shorts to match a top which I previously blogged here.


Photos: Michael Dooney

What is he??

This guy just doesn't know what to do with himself. Is he a glamorous cocktail ring featuring gems and pearls for the pretentious girl? Or is he a creepy skull ring for a girl who likes her accessories with a bit of edge? He's undecided and just has everything jammed into one, with no compliance to a traditional composition. 

Whatever he is, I like him. 

Get him here

Future Music Festival

(Dress: Stylestalker. Boots: Shoebox. Rings: Fashionology and eBay. Necklaces: Fashionology and Etsy. Sunglasses. Forever New.)

This year's Future Music festival was the best festival I have been to (except for Breakfest..... no Perth festival is as good as Breakfest!) About half way through the day I lost all of my friends and there was absolutely no phone reception......... I entertained myself by absolutely losing my shit to Dizzee Rascal and Steve Aoki. The night ended with a spontaneous decision to ditch the two headlining acts and make an appearance at Cosmic Gate (a trance duo) where I found all of my friends that I had lost for the most part of the day. No time to say "hello" and discuss our adventures of the day.......... the only thing to do was hug and jump all over each other and dance as hard as we could to some amazing tunes. 

when I can't be bothered

 

I often have this urge just to make something. Something quick, easy, patternless, no drafting and not much thought required. This top is a good example of that. I made it on my well loved Aus dressmaking doll which has recently received a much needed make over (thanks dad!). She is in good health at the moment, though perhaps she needs a work out from Kaye whilst I am away in Berlin.... does that sound like a challenge????? So, this top is made from a scarf (which has lived in my fabric stash for a while and really needed to see the sun!). It is a quick simple strapless top with some pleating at the front. 

And yes, you probably spotted it. These photos are taken at Southbound 2011 at the start of the year. It was an extremely hot day (perhaps you can see from the second photo, a sprinkler tent), it was 40 degrees plus.. but as an Aussie (and an over enthused music lover) very hot days + music = a typical summer festival day. For me, Southbound this year was quite disappointing. I was so excited about seeing Cold War Kids, but they were quite formulated and uninspiring. The highlight of my day was bumping into people that I had not seen for a while... including the fantastically talented musician Miss Claire Hollingsworth who never ceases to amaze me with her intellect, uniqueness and quirkiness. So unfortunately thumbs down to the musical Southbound experience... thumbs up to the people who love music!

Photos: Michael Dooney

All Of The Above Creative

(Dress worn as shirt: Plastic island < ------ remember it here? Shoes: Joe's Jeans. Bag: Sportsgirl: Faux leather shorts: Mink Pink. Owl necklace: gift from mum)

During the week I was lucky enough to attend the All Of The Above Creative launch. I tell you what, this is one creative bunch. The work displayed on the night was just beautiful and I can't wait to see what the team produces in the future.

I wasn't feeling particularly "snap happy" on the night due to a loooooooong day at work, so my photos represent only part of what was a really great night. I did, however, get the chance to snap some of the Perth bloggers that attended the event (including the talented Emma!!).

1. Farah and I. 2. Susan and Abby, 3. Bonnie < ------ how insane are those hot pink corduroy pants??, 4. Tara, Jessie and Emma, 6. L and Tara

Kaye xx