Mad Men Dress // Tatyana



Brooch: Op Shop/Thrift Shop
Glasses: [eBay]
Shoes: Op Shop/Thrift Shop (no label)

Tatyana's Vickie dress is another of the million dresses I've been lusting after for a long time. I finally got my hands on this beauty during their 50% off sale in February and, let me tell you, not only was she worth the wait, but I'd say she's worth the full price tag of $126 USD. I know this dress has been featured and reviewed by a million bloggers but I just had to show you guys. I've been trying to find the perfect way to showcase her since she arrived on my doorstep and with the help of my friend I think we were able to do her justice.

The very first thing that struck me about Vickie when I was performing my daily ritual of scouring the internet for things I really can't afford to buy, was that it really reminded me of Christina Hendricks in Mad Men. Full disclaimer: I haven't actually seen Mad Men yet. I know, I can't believe it either. It's from a combination of my absolutely not having the time to watch it, and also my fear that if I do watch it I'll never do anything else with my life ever again. I just don't have time for that sort of commitment, you know? But, from what I've seen, I do love Joan's (and all of the other ladies) outfits. Green just looks so good with red hair. I've built pretty much my whole wardrobe based around things that look good with red hair and whenever I wear green I get a little bit sad about the fact that I'm actually in the process of going blonde! I wish I was like Tonks from Harry Potter and could just change my hair colour at will. I feel like I'm a redhead at heart, but you've got to have a change sometimes, right?

Anyway, we're getting distracted. Let's carry on...

Pencil dresses are one of the scariest things for me to buy online. I'm pear shaped (I think?) and typically where I'll buy the smallest size in everything for my waist and bust, my hips and butt need a lot more wiggle room. I ordered Vickie in an XS which, according to the size chart, should fit a 32" bust, a 24" waist, and 35" hips. My hipbones sit around the 34" mark, so they'd be in the clear, but the concern for me is that below my hips I have these glorious saddlebags that come in at 38". On the size chart that would pit me at a medium in the bottom and an XXS-XS in the top (although Vickie doesn't come in an XXS). Clearly I took the gamble and went with the XS and can I just take this moment to say praise the lord for stretch fabric!

Vickie stretches to hug all your curves without looking puckered or taught around the front and back. She's also firm and compresses and bulges, without feeling tight or uncomfortable. It's magical, honestly. I'm usually pretty self-conscious about my large and in charge hips but this dress is just so flattering.

One of my favourite details about this number is the slight gathering under the crossover waist. It flatters the tummy and disguises any little lumps or bumps you might have there. The crossover detail itself is an incredible design feature as it adds interest to the dress (and the little button at the back is so cute) but also nips in your waist. With a good padded bra I can actually pretend I have an hourglass figure. Speaking of bras though, one thing I noticed for me with wearing a "normal" bra is that because I had a little room in the bust (and probably a little room in the bra) the fabric would rest on the bra leaving these lines across my chest. Not all that sophisticated. I'll have to explore some other bra options.

I'm sorry this has been such a picture heavy post. There were so many amazing photos I was struggling to decide which ones to post. Hair and makeup artist, friend and fellow blogger, Camille Tragear, did my hair and makeup for these shots, as well as taking the photos which I then edited. A massive thank you to her for her work. She really captured the look I wanted. You can find Camille's blog [here] and her hair and makeup work [here].
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My Weekend With Marilyn


Dress: 1950's Vintage (possibly early 60's? still trying to date it)
Gloves: Vintage from The National Trust's annual sale
Belt:  Hell Bunny (from Sunrise dress)
Glasses: eBay

Last weekend we took a little road trip out of the city and through the Macedon Ranges up to Bendigo to see the Marilyn Monroe exhibition hosted by the Bendigo Art Gallery. I'd been itching to get up to Bendigo to check this out for ages (especially after I missed the Grace Kelly exhibit they held last year) and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

We'll get back to marvellous Marilyn in a moment. First, let's go over what we're wearing because, let's be real, that's what I'm all about.

In the words of Coldplay, when putting together this OOTD, it was all yellow. Well, minus a couple of accessories.  I'm not going to lie, I planned this whole outfit around this amazing hat I got from the National Trust. I've recently been in the market for some more vintage hats but I'm struggling to find ones that fit my giant head. Well, medium sized head and lion's mane of hair. I'd been trying for a hat with no luck until one day the stars aligned and this yellow baby was bestowed onto me. Word of advice though, do not forget your hat pin. It was incredibly windy out (can you even tell that I curled my hair that morning?), and that hat did not want to stay on my head. I love it though. It's beautiful and it completes me. I've no idea what year it is though. Any ideas?

Next up, the dress. I thought, if I'm going yellow I may as well commit. Go hard or go home, right? Plus the pants I was working on to wear to the exhibition are throwing a hissy at the moment in their fitting stage, so they won't be seeing the light of day any time soon. I've actually had this dress for a few years but I've barely worn it. It was way too big for me when I bought it and I did a really shonky job of taking it (I know, bad altering on vintage, I'm sorry) so I kind of got frustrated and put it away and that was it. I'm a little bigger now than I was when I first altered it though, so I'm breaking it out again. It deserves to be worn. The kimono sleeves are a little tight and the bust is a little roomy but aside from that it fits pretty well. My padded bra had to go for a Hail Mary to make this work but I think I got away with it. It definitely needs a belt though to nip that waist in. It's hard to take in a waist without either taking away from the fullness of the skirt, or separating the bodice and then putting it back together and ain't nobody got time for that. I mean, I'm meant to be writing an essay right now (five essays to exact) and yet here I am. I can't justify spending time on a complex alteration as well! This is also one of the only dresses I own that has a pleated skirt that actually looks okay on me? For some reason pleats around the waist usually just really don't work for me and make me look boxy. The belt probably helps though. If you were to take the belt off this outfit might turn into an episode of Scooby Doo with the belt removal as the unmasking and me crying "and I would have gotten away with it too"!

I think this might be my first post where I'm actually wearing my glasses. Pro-tip: if you wear single vision lenses Specsavers will put lenses in any frames of your choice for $99. At that price I can almost afford to have frames to match every outfit, and one day I will. These frames are just el cheapo ones from eBay but they're holding up bar a little flaking around the ears. This is covered by my hair though so it's all good. I believe they're a pretty popular style as I've seen quite a few Instagrammers rocking them in all colours of the rainbow. My gloves were also purchased from the National Trust. They have the cutest little wave detail running from the cuff down the ring finger of each hand. I love wearing hats and gloves, it makes me feel so proper and ladylike. I got a lot of compliments on my appearance at the exhibition, including one little girl who though I was part of it...

The exhibition itself was amazing. It really looked at Marilyn as a person, not just as an icon, and was very personal and respectful. It follows her development from childhood as Norma Jeane Mortenson/Baker/Dougherty to Marilyn Monroe and contains a large catalog of effects from across her life. There were a lot of iconic costumes and prints, with a lot of information about the history of these, as well as items from her personal wardrobe; her annotated scripts, and possessions such as her first camera and her childhood copy of a book on Hollywood starlets. There were some beautiful photographs from throughout her career, and the difference between her early and later years is striking. My favourite photos from the exhibition were of Marilyn portraying famous actresses, including Clara Bow and Jean Harlow. I can't believe I'd never seen them before! Shot by Richard Avedon in 1958, they're beautifully executed and I'm itching to get my hands on a print of one of them (or all, I'm not picky).


After the exhibition we explored the town and hit up all the local op shops (of course) and found a couple of bargains. We also found a lovely little hat shop and Luke bought his first fancy, handmade hat in a deep green to match his favourite suit. He looks terribly handsome in it, but I've told him that if he's going to wear it he's to wear it properly. A nice dress hat needs to be worn with the proper attire! He's usually pretty good at dressing himself though, so I trust him with it.

The next day we hit up more bakeries than we should have and went antiquing. I think we must have gone to almost every antique store from Bendigo back to Melbourne. It's great fun but the problem with antiquing is that you significantly increase your risk of bringing a cursed object into your life. I've been pretty lucky so far but every now and then I'm reminded of this. Exhibit A: this photograph of Seward Johnson's Forever Marilyn was shot with one of my old land cameras. Could this be because the film is expired? Possibly. Could it be because my camera is cursed? Almost definitely. I mean, it would explain why it was such a bargain. Speaking of bargains, we found a 1930's Box Brownie on Sunday but are yet to test it for spooks. Will report back in future.

Jumping back to Marilyn for a moment, Johnson's Forever Marilyn is currently on display in Australia as part of the exhibition. I think it's her first time out of the US, which is really exciting, and for some reason she's found her way to rural Victoria. The famous depiction of Monroe from The Seven Year Itch is 26 feet tall and weighs 15,000 kgs! I know Marilyn had an incredible hourglass figure but I don't know that she was ever 15000 kilos. It took her 33 days to get here by boat, so once she's gone she's gone; I can't imagine they'll be making that trip twice! What I'm getting at is, if you get the chance, make your way to Bendigo because she, and the entire exhibition for that matter, is something to be seen.

This has been a pretty long post. Congratulations for making it this far! As a reward I'm going to share with you a photo that didn't make the cut for the OOTD images. Every time we take blog photos Luke makes me do a Toyota jump and I don't know what happened with this one but something went terribly wrong and somehow I ended up floating. Imagine this hovering towards you in the middle of the night, or chasing you down a dark alleyway. A curse? Almost probably yes.
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The Marvellous Marriage // Collectif Clothing


Dress: Dorothy Tulle Winter Floral Swing Dress by Collectif Clothing
Shoes: Target
Accessories: Angus & Coote

This week I finally got to wear this beautiful dress by Collectif. I've been sitting on this dress (not literally) for almost a year, as I bought it to wear to my partner's graduation but it didn't arrive in time. Luckily for me one of my best friends had a lovely garden wedding this past weekend and it was the perfect opportunity to break out this number! Congratulations to the happy couple! Oh, and congratulations to my friend and her husband too!

We'll get back to the wedding in a second but first let's talk pretty dresses.

I had been eyeing off Dorothy since she first hit the site as part of their 2014 Spring/Summer collection. She looked a little different then:
Alas, me being me, I ummed and ahhed for too long and missed out on that run of the Dorothy (although I think it's been and gone again since? Don't quote me on that. It's still live on their website [here] so I believe it may be a regular item now). Luckily for me she would return in a dark and mysterious mauve for their winter collection and that's where our story begins.

Simply put, this dress is 50 shades of stunning. The crossover bust is very classic and very flattering, particularly on smaller chested ladies (like yours truly) who don't really have a bust of their own to showcase. It's tasteful and modest, and I think that even though it's marketed as a winter dress that the floral translates to all seasons.

The skirt is incredibly full and, like an onion, it has so many layers. 5 of them to be exact. It has an inbuilt petticoat (or two!) and is fully lined. It would be so close to being a 10 out of 10 dress for me if it weren't for a couple of little nuisances.

It. Is. Heavy. It is the heaviest dress I own (and if you've read my last post you know that I own some heavy dresses). This is fine when you're wearing it as the weight is distributed across your body, but I think it may be one of the main causes behind the one real problem I had with this dress. Dorothy fastens at the lefthand side with an invisible zipper. Now, in my opinion, invisible zippers are beautiful but I am yet to find one that is practical. Those tiny little teeth and pull just cannot hold the weight of those five layers of fabric. It took four people, fifteen minutes and some WD-40 to pull the zipper tab up over the waist seam (which doesn't feel or look bulky but evidently is a problem). I'm still laughing over the fact that we had to use industrial lube to zip my dress up. Unfortunately I don't think petrol is an in fragrance this summer. If someone wants to contact Mythbusters though you can let them know that I've tested what can adequately cover the smell of petrol and have concluded that dousing yourself in Chanel No. 5 will do the trick.

I still love the dress and think the struggle is worth it. I received so many compliments on my outfit! Also, who knows, maybe I got one with a dodgy zipper? If you invest in a Dorothy maybe just have a test run getting in and out beforehand, or make sure you've got some muscle on hand in case you get stuck!

The winter style is no longer on their site but they still have listings for the original (pictured above) and the Spring/Summer 2015 design (which is pictured below and you can find [here]) online so hopefully those will be back online soon.
The wedding itself was beautiful. Never ones to do things as expected, the couple had a lovely garden ceremony followed by a reception in an old church! A little in reverse but very them.

It was a lovely weekend for love.


P.S. I just wanted to apologise for the photo quality in this post. We were out of town when we took these and had forgotten our camera.
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1921



Dress: 1920s Style Emerald Green Beaded Sinclair Flapper Dress by Unique Vintage
Slip: Short Silver Satin Bias Cut Under Slip by Unique Vintage
Shoes: S0385 - Bloch Chord T-Bar Womens 76mm (3 Inch) Heel
Stockings: Voodoo Back-Seam Stockings
Earrings: Colette Hayman

Last Monday was my 21st birthday and on Friday I threw a 1920s party to celebrate! I was so excited to wear a different era of vintage from my usual look, and when I saw this dress I knew that it would be perfect. I'm so glad that I can finally show you guys this beautiful Unique Vintage dress that I've been itching to wear for the past year!

I paired the dress with some classic, black t-strap shoes, a silver slip (also from Unique Vintage) and some nude, back-seam stockings. I felt that because the dress had so much going on that I wouldn't go all out with the jewellery, and so went with some simple, art deco earrings. My hair and makeup was done by the lovely and talented ladies at The Distinctive Dame. They operate out of the incredibly art deco Mitchell House building in Melbourne, and the whole thing just suited the theme of the evening so well.

The dress itself is a real statement piece. The quality is incredible, and it's covered top to bottom with beads and sequins. It's pretty heavy as a result, but not uncomfortably so. I was able to wear it all night without feeling sort of weighed down or uncomfortable. The beads are also really secure, and I haven't had any trouble with the dress snagging on anything. Even if you do lose a few beads, the dress came with a whole bag of spare beads and sequins so you'll be good to go for some time. I love the simple and classic shape and the fringe at the bottom is a great detail. It's like, just the right amount of swishiness.

I had a wonderful night and am so lucky to have incredible friends and family. I don't know how I managed to find so many people that are okay with putting up with my demanding the celebration was not a Great Gatsby party but 1920's. Didn't stop people from trying to dress as a green light or an old sport though. At least no one died at my party, I suppose. Although that may be a pro or a con depending on the sort of parties you attend.

Sorry that this post has been so picture heavy, it's just been so hard to choose which photos to post! We had a good 600 from the night and I love them all and all the people in them.

PS Doesn't Luke look handsome in his green 3 piece suit that he picked out (on his own!!) to match me!
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