Polaroids of a young Valentino

Good morning all, hope you're looking forward to the weekend as much as I am! Today I fly out to Alice Springs in the very centre of Australia to visit my boyfriend who is currently working out there. Apparently it's a very beautiful place, I look forward to touring around!

Before I go, here are some polaroids I found of the gorgeous Valentino in the 1960's, what a handsome man!

Valentino Polaroids in the 1960's

Ciao!

x Sianne

Got Sauce?

Once again I have been scouring the internet for cute circa 1950's advertisements and came across this little beauty. I love the iconic posing of the model and her uber cute grocery shopping outfit!

It would be nice to see ladies dressed up in public all the time.. This being said I find myself constantly revelling in the joy and wonder of People of Walmart, it's an incredibly hilarious site.



x Sianne

Summer pleasures in 1960

Entertaining is perhaps my favourite part of summer, though not everyone might have the time or inclination to dress herself and her lunch table with such elegant ease, in June 1960 bare arms made a larger hat almost an imperative (a small hat made one look ‘like a sightseer’). For their table, Hostesses were advised that pale linen and organdie had returned to favour, as well as uncontrived flowers and simple, classic crystal and china.

It's love.

x Sianne

Lovely ladies in red

Happy Monday! Hope you've had a flying start to the week, unfortunately I slept in and missed the window of opportunity to go for a swim. Unfortunately we're experiencing Springtime rain on the Gold Coast.

Point of the post.. Earlier this year I posted some old photographs with colour themes covering yellow, blue, green and today I give you some glorious red themed vintage fashions. I've got a heck of a lot of this colour in my wardrobe from summer dresses, swimmers and sandals to evening dresses, high heeled shoes, jewellery, belts and scarves. You just can't go wrong with red!

Please enjoy these few I've found - next week I hope to cover shades of purple!

Model by the seaside

Model in red crepe dress by Christian Dior.

American advertisement for female nightgowns. Circa 1954.

Marilyn Monroe in the iconic red dress from the film, Niagra 1953

Photograph of Marilyn on set during the shoot of the film Niagra, 1953

Suzy Parker models red dress by designer Norman Norell

Marilyn Monroe in red negligee reading fan mail

Image from Vogue US,  June 2005 issue

Veruschka wearing striped wool full-length coat over striped chiffon dress by Valentino, 1966

Model near spires in Istanbul wearing red crepe toga-dress with asymmetric hemline by Larry Aldrich.

Barbara Bach straddles tile steps of the Castello San'Nicola outside Palermo, Sicily; wearing a bright red dress  by Teal Traina, with broad brimmed red hat by Halston, 1967

Model at Castello San' Nicola outside Palermo, Italy, wearing a large brimmed red hat with a red chiffon pleated dress with chin high collar by Junior Sophisticates, 1967

Until next time

x Sianne

Fashion Feature; Dotti; Never underestimate a chain store

Once upon a time, before being able to afford boutiques and before discovering eBay, I shopped almost exclusively at chain stores. One of these stores was Dotti - cheap, cheerful and a useful one-stop-shop for my girlfriends ever changing wardrobes.. I've recently heard that their clothing lines are cute again so I wanted to showcase some in-trend pieces. 

The best thing about chain stores is the price - it might not always be the best quality (not to say that this is always the case) but if you're buying a piece for one season only then you may as well do it on a budget!

The Lace Broiderie Dress
Okay, the name of the garment annoys me slightly.. maybe a little more than slightly. Failure to complete the term 'Broderie Anglaise' properly gets on my nerves. Regardless, this sculpted strapless number is perfect for this summer's romantic trend. The fitted bodice and high waistline are slimming and cool to wear. I personally have been wearing this style for years - it never goes out of fashion when worn with the right accessories.

The Lace Broiderie Dress by Dotti
Priced at $69.99 AUD

The Roses and Diamonds Top
Perfect for work or play with gorgeous chiffon, ruffles and sparkle this top is ultra feminine and bang on trend this year. Dress it up with a pencil skirt, fishnets and a shiny jacket or go casual with jean shorts. You can create this look at home if you've got some plain singlets and skills on the sewing machine however for $39.99, Dotti has the look in store ready for you.

The Roses and Diamonds Top by Dotti
Priced at $39.99 AUD

Contrast Bow Belt Short
Although you can't be sure without trying these babies on, my best bet is that they give some extra room for the thighs, hooray. Cute sewn in cuff at the base of the short as well as a reasonable length leads me to believe that these are a perfect buy for the fashionable lass. One thing I hate seeing in the summer-time is skanky girls with half their butts hanging out of teeny-tiny sad excuses for shorts - not pleasant gals!

Contrast Bow Belt Short
Priced at $49.99 AUD

Floral Lining Blush Blazer
It's refreshing to see so many soft pinks making their way back into chain stores. This jacket is ultra flattering with a single button hitting you at the smallest part of your waist. I have reservations about the print on the cuff however it's a pretty damn cute piece and perfect to dress up a cotton dress on a cool evening or introduce florals to your wardrobe if they're not usually your style. Wear it with a belt to break up the colour if it's too much for you.

Floral Lining Blush Blazer by Dotti
Priced at $79.99 AUD

One of the best things about the Dotti collection online is the uber cute model. It's nice to see a healthy girl with the ability to smile. Here are some of the styling idea's.

All of the above images were sourced from http://www.dotti.com.au/

x Sianne

What is it about coffee that we love?

Every morning, rather religiously, I turn on the kettle and wait to make my morning coffee before dealing with the day ahead. I don't think it would matter what was going on outside - rain, hail, shine or cyclone - it's best to avoid me until after that first cup of heaven has been drunk. 


I honestly don't care what type of bean has been used, whether its instant or carefully brewed.. I just want my caffeine and quick! Whilst research has found that caffeine can be highly addictive, drinking up to three cups of coffee a day has no affect on the area of the brain involved with addiction, dependence and reward... three cups is not enough! These scientist are obviously tea drinkers.


This brings me to some pictures I found of some gorgeous ladies in the 1950's enjoying their coffee...

Model in floral kimono style wrap, magazine clipping circa 1953.

Model in simple florals. Magazine clipping, circa 1953. 

I adore this beautiful black and white polka dot twin set.. 

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you enjoy your coffee (or tea if you please) and have a wonderful day x Sianne

A trip to the Gallery of Modern Art; Valentino Retrospective

A few weeks ago I, along with a group of treasured girlfriends, took a trip to the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane to see the exclusive exhibition 'Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future’ . For our fair city it is a major exhibition.  It explores the work of the celebrated Italian fashion house Valentino.. reason enough to buy a season pass I should think.

Described by the gallery as "encompassinghaute couture from the first collection designed in 1959 by the house’s founder, Valentino Garavani, through to work from the Autumn/Winter 2009–10 creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli", I must say we were not dissappointed! The range of clothing on display was amazing and the major pieces were all in place to drool over (from a safe distance, thank you security squad!).

A few of my favourite pieces were on show and I wanted to share them..

Valentino evening dress (detail) Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2009–10, Look 33.
Collection: Valentino Archives

Valentino evening ensemble Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2007–08, Model 170.
Collection: Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
Photograph: Jean Tholance.

Valentino evening gown Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2003, Model 130.
Collection: Valentino Archives.
Photograph: Jean Tholance

Left: Valentino evening gown Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 1992–93, Model 218; Right: Valentino evening gown Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2005–06, Model 126.
Collection: Valentino Archives. Photograph: Jean Tholance

Left: Valentino strapless cocktail dress Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1960, Model 66 ‘Sarabanda’;   Right: Valentino strapless cocktail dress Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1959, Model 79 ‘Fiesta’.
Collection: Valentino Archives. Photograph: Jean Tholance.

If you're in Brisbane anytime before the 14th of November, I would recommend giving this exhibition a visit!

x Sianne

Three odd mod bobs

In my online search for cute mod bob's this little beauty popped up... They're so cute!

The mod style is similar to a bob, but it adds more texture to the cut and is a lighter type of cut, you'll usually see clean looking bangs on any girl with a bob. Thank God my hairdresser know what she's doing.

x Sianne

Too cute; Jean Shrimpton and Bertie

Jean Shrimpton succeeds in proving that cardigans are indeed a superior item of clothing and that puppies are the best accessory of all time.

Photographed by Eugene Vernier, February 1963.

Jean Shrimpton and cute puppy, Bertie

x Sianne

Adoring the glamour, Beyonce'

Forgive me for such a short post.. Recently I was asked what I thought about Beyonce's new-found love for the '50's pin-up' look... Upon doing some light research, it's evident that she has always had a flare for old world glamour. Just as well, she looks like an absolute dream-boat in the genre.

Here are two beautiful images of Beyonce' Knowles for Vogue, Italy.

x Sianne

Design drool; T.shelf by J1 Studio

Being an avid reader of Frankie Magazine, I often come across inspiring projects and cute home decor ideas to drool over & today has been no different.

Check out this incredibly swanky T.shelf by J1 Studio, one of many inovative pieces available by custom order on their website.

T.Shelf is an abbreviation for Triangle shelf. It is a unique shelving system that can be setup around your existing furniture, or can be just hanging by itself on a wall as a sculptural object.

"The concept was to create furniture for modern nomadic culture. It is easy to setup and pack flat for space saving transportation. The first approach was to get rid of screws. This also gets rid of the tools in assembling the furniture. T.Shelf uses cable and zipties to tie every triangle into one piece of furniture/sculpture and functions as displaying books, magazines, plants, pictures, or anything you want to display." *Text from http://www.j1studio.com/index.php?/ongoing/tshelf/

At first glance I didn't notice the zip-ties but I think they would distract me if I were to have the T.shelf in my house... I'm also wondering how long it would take to put together! Thoughts anyone?
 
Either way it's a very cool idea and kudos to Frankie Magazie for sharing.
 
x Sianne