Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Ombre, ombre, yeehaa!

I love ombre and I love statement neckpieces.
These one-off, vintage handmade neckpieces are made from stained wooden "spikes" and arranged in a colour-graduated fashion.
Leave a comment or email me if you would like to make a purchase.


Sorry, I am SOLD
Curved wooden spikes (between 5cm-8cm), rescued
from a vintage necklace are now fierce ombre beauties. 



Peacock-feather blues, greens and purples make up this  neckpiece.
Plastic discs connect the necklace to a stainless lobster clasp at the back. 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Nailed it!

Ombre nails are it.
They're everywhere.
The best things take a little time.
Now, how do they do this...?
These are courtesy of Door Sixteen's Anna Dorfman.  
From Pinterest, originally from here

From Pinterest, originally from here.



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Showing off the loot

Seek and ye shall find, that's my picking mantra.
And the most recent looking has unearther some particularly worthy loot.

Finally, the disco ball arrives. I've wanted one for some time - god knows why, but they are the kind of thing that turn up on streets, in rubbish, and in skip bins, and typically, this one (with the motor etc still attached), was rescued from the tip. It was thrown in together with a heap of stuff from the Top of the Town hotel, in Burnie (oh, what has the disco ball been privy to over the years?).  The council workers didn't even bat an eyelid when we asked them to pass it to us, after we spotted it in the land fill about to be smashed up. The Panthers plaque was a recent score, as was the retro dartboard, while the white glass and metal light fixture is pure mid-century gold.
Getting to the garagies a little earlier paid off with a good vinyl loot to take home. "$1 you say?" "Why yes, I will take all of these fine, rare pieces of musical history, thank you."
Kookaburra outside my house is looking retro, new Tony Bianco shoes on old leopard, and a remarkably beautiful full moon.


Monday, November 19, 2012

Look, it's Lonny!

The new issue of Lonny is now online to view. 
Not only does it include a sneak peek into J Crew creative director Jenna Lyons' office (she's a stylish chica that one), it boasts the usual elegant interiors, the ex-Domino staff have become known for.

Jenna Lyons' J Crew office, featuring a lovely big desk.
Hmmm, that's quite an office, Jenna.



Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Shop with the lot

This LA fashion-homewares-accessories shop is just the business!
I discovered Mohawk General Store over at Bri Emery's designlovefest.
It's like the owners took my dream shop out of my head and made it theirs.
Vintage, eclectic, curated, industrial, ornate and minimal all in one retail space, plus little unexpected  surprises everywhere you look.
Nice...





Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Fashionable insider adviser


I love Style.com's pre-fashion week articles.
The best are those that focus on fashionable types' preparations for the week-long events in New York, London, Paris and Milan.
This one features the eccentric and chic offspring of '90s supermodel Stephanie Seymour and her ex-husband multi-millionaire Peter Brant; shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood; and swimwear designer Lisa Marie Fernandez among others.  
But it's those Brant boys' advice that takes the cake, additionally, they are so striking and prove that Stephanie sure has some strong genes.


Sunday, August 19, 2012

Capsule collection

I've always scoffed at the idea of a capsule wardrobe.
But, on a recent work trip to Sydney, I had no choice but to think of ways to make a few clothes go a long way.
So, I packed my suitcase with the following:

Two little black dresses.
One stretchy black pencil skirt.
Three cardigans.
Three blouses.
Black tights.
One belt.
Boots and dress shoes.

Sunday night neatness. Wardrobe ready to go for the working week.
Thursday's, Tuesday's and Wednesday's outfits (oddly happy in the hotel mirror at 7.30am).
Monday's and Friday's workwear. 

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Zumbo gambles on a sweet treat

Adriano Zumbo's quite a rock star up here in Sydney.
The "celebrity" pastry chef's Willy Wonka-esque shop in Star Casino, is like a big bag of mixed lollies and it appears to pack in the tourists and young girls and their dessert-loving male friends.
Ooh, how I'd like one of these lit-up letters...


This looks disturbingly like my husband. 




Thursday, July 26, 2012

graphic artiste

Graphics Pioneer Herbert Matter's rarely seen film marks sculptor Alexander Calder's birth from Nowness.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Man, she's a funny lady

Leandra Medine, of fashion blog Man Repeller is a very funny girl. She's a great and comic writer, but check out this YouTube video. She's mad and hilarious. I particularly like her face when she's going through the rubbish bin (at 45 secs) and flashing the pigeon (at 1 min).

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Making Miss Monroe

A photography book about Marilyn Monroe and photographer Andre de Dienes, given to me by my sister when I was about 14 or 15, is what inspired my life-long affection for Ms Monroe.
Marilyn, Mon Amour: The private album of Andre de Dienes was filled with scores of Dienes's black-and-white images, such as the one below, all before Marilyn was Marilyn. 
The Austrian photographer captured stunning images of a young Norma Jean in the late 1940s and early 1950s, right on the cusp of her imminent infamy.
What an incredible time.
It's a beautiful book and his photos are lovely.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Do something, Darling!


I'm a big fan of Gala Darling.
The New Zealand native, who lives in New York, is a stylish rebel and her posts are always inspiring. This post on evading procrastination is no exception.
Gala Darling (right) and her friend Kat on Brooklyn Bridge, NY.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Fashionable rooms



Long and lean, skinny black legs and elegant timber veneer are a timelessly chic combination for furniture.
Match that with dizzyingly high ceilings and a whole heap of stylish threads, and you'd imagine a lot of cash is dropped inside Orla Kiely's New York shop (which I found over at SF Girl By Bay).

Mini rooms inside the expansive retail space. 

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Black and white beauties


Talented, beautiful, stylish icons all of them. And shot in black and white, the actors below appear almost otherworldly. They just don't make stars like them anymore.

Marilyn Monroe
Sophia Loren
Brigitte Bardot
Jean Shrimpton
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
Charlotte Rampling

Sunday, June 3, 2012

What a thoughtful gif...


This GIF animation (click here to view it in motion) is amazing! I'd like to learn how to do it too. I also love live simply. breathe deeply.'s tumblr site. It's full of trippy images and lovely well-considered prose and quotes.
 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Mine, mine, all mine!

Well, here we are. A look in my wardrobe and beyond. You've asked, I've delivered. Finally.
Enjoy...
Colour-coded wardrobe. Yes, seriously. There's not much in there that was made after the mid 1970s. 
I have a signature fragrance, until it runs out, then I move onto another one.  My current choice, and the perfume I wore to my wedding, Tom Ford's White Patchouli (What about that bottle!  Hello 1970!). Behind that, its most recent predecessor, Aqua Di Parma Iris Nobile. And behind them both: a nearly empty bottle of Madame Rochas.

No, Converse do not need a shoe box, but the others do! I keep the boxes and use the photos for a few reasons: They are well protected and therefore last longer and look better, they  store neatly, and they are easy to find. Nerd!





Old meets new: a double-breasted tuxedo jacket from Zara and a vintage cotton lace and duchess satin frock.

Some of my jewellery. I make it. I buy it. I collect it. I covet it. Ugh. It's taking over.