Sometimes I can’t believe the radness you can get on eBay. I was sure I was going
to get into some kind of horrid bidding war on this one – a vintage Hasbro Sew Easy
play sewing machine with, according to the listing, ‘real clickety clack’ sounds.
But happily not, and now it’s safely in the arms of my little niece, Teak. We gave
it to her and within two minutes she was already feeding her blankie through,
and then bits of paper. Thank you, eBay!
OK – I’ve been inspired to follow Lara’s lead and show off a bit of expert eBaying
myself. I’ve become slightly obsessed with all the vintage quilts on the American
eBay site, and have been bidding on them for ages, only to be pipped at the post
by evil people who use those gazumping programmes that come in at the last second
and up the bid. (You wouldn’t believe how cutthroat America quilt buyers are –
friggin ruthless.) So, I was extra excited when, after 10 months of browsing and
bidding and getting frustrated, all my online quilt lust paid off with this lovely
antique quilt top. I know it’s sad, but I really feel like patting myself on the back.
All right, this is a bit of an old photo, but I just wanted to give a little love to the city of Toowoomba, which is about an hour’s drive west of Brisbane. One of my favourite people in the world, my friend Michael Stevens, is from there, they have ace Devonshire teas and flower shows, the Lifeline there is, arguably, Australia’s raddest vintage shop, and then there’s this... Rhonda’s Refits. Where rodeo-going cowboy folk come to get their secondhand western boots and shirts. It’s even better than it looks in the photo.
Holy moley. I went to one of these The Way We Wear Fairs in Brisbane a while ago
and it was literally like falling into some down-the-rabbit-hole vintage wonderland
full of everything from 19th century gloves to ‘60s sundresses and earrings from the
1980s. So. Much. Fun. I walked away with bags full of secondhand lovelies. (Maybe
too many in my case, I seem to remember being a bit poor after that!) Anyway,
Sydney has its turn this weekend with a two-day fair at the Hunters Hill Town Hall
on June 28 and 29. Then there’s fairs Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide over the next
couple of months. Check their website for details – definitely one to pop in the diary.
Hold onto your hats – Mattel has just released plans to make a Hitchcock Barbie inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1963 thriller The Birds. Based on Tippi Hedren’s character (and wardrobe) the doll seems to come complete with menacing birds and snazzy ‘60s outfit. You might have to do your own sound effects though. “The birds! The birds!” |
| Mistress of the Upper Fifth is a lovely little label of necklaces, brooches, bags, purses and wallets. Sophie Splatt, the craftster behind the Melbourne-based label is a vintage fabric collector and is particulary inspired by design from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Her products are available at selected stockists in Melbourne, Sydney and online. |
| Are you a hoarder? Clean out your wardrobe and take the excess to the op shop only to return with more, in some sort of vicious fashion-buying circle? If this sounds a little too close to home, then you need to rescue those poor little pieces and take them on a trip to The Clothing Exchange. Just bring six garments (or accessories) to 10A Fitzroy Place, Surry Hills for this special Sydney swap titled ‘My Sister’s Designer Wardrobe’. It’s all happening on September 23rd at 6.30pm, and you can book online to secure a place. For $20, you’ll receive a glass of wine (which is sure to make saying good-bye a little easier) and a night of mixing with like-minded hoarders, op shoppers and vintage fanatics, who are all up for the big exchange. |
Proving that style isn’t all about high fashion, design students and Salvos stores are collaborating once again for this year’s Recreate Fashion Show. The students have been given a brief to build a collection from items found at Salvos Stores, which they then re-use and re-style into a selection of outfits for the catwalk showcase. This year’s diverse collections include Lucy Swift and Jess Eisenhauer’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Lauren Glasson’s Garden Tea Party and Venice Carnival Collection by Amy Falentine, plus lots more re-creations. If you’re in Melbourne you should check out the whole show on Tuesday 14th October at Ormond Hall, Prahran. Make sure you reserve your spot here. Ooh, and we have a double pass to give away. Email your details to here with Recreate in the header. (COMPETITION CLOSED) |
Deborah’s one rule when launching Ma Bel Ailie was she wouldn’t sell anything she wouldn’t wear myself. She’s been passionate about vintage clothes since walking into a Vinnies store in her hometown of Redcliffe, QLD, in 1979 where she purchased a black 1950s bombshell dress with huge pink flowers on it. Since then she’s trawled the world for vintage, from Portobello Road in London to the flea markets in Paris to thrift shops in New York. Deborah started selling her vast collection on eBay and has now launched an online vintage store named in honour of her two grandmothers, Mabel Davies and Ailie Cooke. Ma Bel Ailie features a selection of clothes and accessories from the 1950s to the 1980s and the best thing about it are the prices! |
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Brissie is in for a treat this Sunday, November 15 when 180 outfits from the likes of Andre Courreges, Valentino, Missoni, Krizia, Emilio Pucci, Roberta di Camerino and other international fashion houses circa 1970, will be on show at the Brisbane City Hall for the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) fundraiser. The show called A Match Made in Heaven is the brainchild of 72-year-old Creative Director Carmel Kambouris, a reputable boutique dealer and 85- year-old Mary Lipshut owner of ML Vintage in Melbourne. Carmel says, “It began as a private showing of my vintage clothing and then I contacted Mary to seek her involvement – before I knew it, I had gone from 20 outfits to 180 outfits, and not just any outfits, all international designer vintage, many touched by the original founders and designers of the world’s most famous and glamorous fashion houses.” Head over to A Match Made in Heaven for ticketing details. |
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