Best Swish in Town

Our Swishing mini event within the bigger VVV event on Sunday 23 May starts at 2.30 pm. 'Swishing' or more commonly known as clothesswapping is traditionally regarded as a fun and frugal way to refresh your wardrobe and at the same time make a small contribution to the life of our environment. We, at Vintage Vixens and Vamps, see it has a much bigger place, and for that reason are putting a lot of our acquisitions over the last few months and on the day into the 'pool' - just to make it that little bit more tempting and invite you all to get involved. Our VVV Swishing is just the first. Whilst our next big event will probably coincide with the Perth Fashion Festival in September we are looking forward to having some fun at the local level in between. Body shape based presentation and swish events .... Boho and American Chic swish events .... Swishing and Accessory events ... they are all in the pipeline as well as Vintage Cocktail Hours, Vintage Dinners and whatever else comes to our creative minds. For gals of all ages, I invite you to Swishhhh and play with adorning the beauty within. Swishing .... 5 quality used items no longer coveted .... $15 ..... swapped on the day with lovelies from all the other gals and the added temptation of additional indulgences from Vintage Vixens and Vamps!

Recycled and Refashioned Spell STYLE!

What I really, really, really like about Vintage clothing is not just the gorgeous fabrics and colours! What I love is its STYLE! But wearing vintage clothing on their own doesn't necessarily equate with being stylish, that comes from knowing how to wear it and how to use it ... in a contemporary society. Unless one is attending a era specific themed event then dressing strictly according to styles in the 50's and 60's today may not work as well... today we have different bodies, different tastes and dare I say it we might be facing different climatic conditions! On the weekend I ventured to the Craft and Antique and Collector's Fair to meet and see the work of Jody Pearl, dynamo behind ReInvent. She is taking recycled clothing and upstyling them, giving them a contemporary look or taking a contemporary garment and giving it a vintage look! Her beautiful dusty pink jacket with cherubs and lace is just beautiful and very 40's. Not everyone can find the perfect true blue vintage garment in their size and colour to highlight their body and shape. But we can take what's available in the op shop arena and convert into into something reminiscent of the style from the past. In November the Craft and Antique and Collector's Fair will be holding a Recycled Fashion Competition in two categories - wearable garment and wearable accessory. I have been talking with a host of vintage and retro inspired very creative refashionistas in Perth and I am sure they will all give this competition a run for its money - as well as teach a few of us along the way. Vintage Vixens and Vamps will be hosting some of these creative ladies at our event on 23 May with further vintage refashioning platforms in the pipeline. May vintage and retro fashion continue to play its part in imbueing Perth with style !

Tumbleweed and Beleza

The names of two fantastic retro and vintage stalls coming in to Vintage Vixens and Vamps on 23 May. As these photos show their clothing ranges from high end pre 50's to popular 80's pieces. Tumbleweed is located in Armadale and both businesses trade through Sugar Blue Burlesque, Leederville Markets and the newly launched We Heart Vintage in the Velvet Lounge of the Flying Scotsman. Together with clothing they will have bags, hats, belts and vintage accessories. Marina will have some antique linen whilst Claire has a lovely collection of Murano glass and retro collectibles - they just hope they have the space to accommodate it all!

What to Wear Today!

Woke up this morning, today's look floating around in the ethers. Alison Houtte of Hooti Couture talks of using vintage as the centre piece for dressing according to one's personality. In their fabulous book 'What do you want to be today?' Trinny and Susannah offer iconic vintage and retro looks for all of us to experiment with. Me? I'm beyond one look to my personality or one vintage era I like to reflect, I like to wax and wane according to how I am feeling! Very individual. Today ... I started with tiger and leopard print leggins courtesy of Maureen and New York, black A Line mid thigh skirt I had made, black op shop 60's style shirt, thick belt, 60's gilt metal necklace bought at a recent auction, recycled metal earrings purchased yesterday at Guildford Art on Swan, leopard print long scarf - a long ago gift from Italy - and black leather boots purchased in the 90's, again Italian. Italian shoes, I just can't resist. Bought these ones at an op shop on Wednesday, brand new, leather sole, beautiful ... but need a home, they are one size too big.

New York Couture

'Alligators, Old Mink & New Money' - One Woman's Adventures in Vintage Clothing. That's the title of a fabulous book I am currently reading, the author of which has Hooti Couture in Brooklyn, New York. Maureen has it on her 'must visit' list and will be there in just over a week!

An ex model, Alison Houtte encapsulates 'vintage' "as using older pieces to help create a fresh, one of a kind style, with almost no rules as to how that’s achieved. It means looking at what designers are putting on their runways and fashion editors are putting on their magazine pages, then finding the real thing, merchandise from the twenties to early eighties that has inspired the latest hot looks, as well as pieces that compliment them. It means introducing customers to designers – dead and alive – whose signatures they may never have seen before. Finally, vintage style, is as much about wardrobe accents as it is about ‘investment’ pieces like a Chanel suit or Burberry trench. ... Dressing with vintage is the ultimate ‘mix and match’ between the twenties and twenty first century of fashion, inspired by a hodgepodge of labels that draw as much from pop culture as from a specific decade or designer. Vintage is about surprise and fun and affordability, meeting individual everyday style needs with pieces from the past."

I love that description! This comes from woman born in '60 who will wear leopard print leggins with a close knit jumper and a leopard print scarf tied around her neck! Maybe Perth isn't at that point yet, but how exciting is it to introduce others to the intrigue of using a vintage piece to create a small piece of individual style, with maybe bold one of a kind style down the track? I hear the 80's are in, big, androgynous, assymetric, I remember my red Grace Jones t-shirt, the look of Annie Lennox and of course my favourite - Stuart Membery. And then there was Laura Ashley, not my style but the fabrics were gorgeous to touch, sew and look at.

If you haven't read the book or visited the website, then do, the photographs are truly inspirational. I rue the fact that I don't live in a place overflowing with Vintage fashion. But I also know we have some amazing creativity in this town that is transforming what is available into something reminiscent of style from the past. I'm looking forward to it all coming together at our first Vintage Vixens and Vamps event and blossoming out in the months following. My mind is already busy what we will bring together for Vintage Vixens and Vamps #2 .... July 2010.

A Taste of San Francisco

Some pics have arrived, the first taste of what's available in the US. Gorgeous! I will post the rest at a more decent hour.