Orange, orange, green and brown...or what I didn't wear

Does anyone else ever have those days (or evenings/nights) where they've planned an outfit for however long in advance only to put it on and...not feel quite right in it? That's what happened to me last Saturday night. I was determined to wear this late 70s maxi-turned-mini dress (and even bought new tights to wear with it) but when it was on I knew I loved the way the outfit looked but it just didn't feel right for that night. And it was even stressing me out because I had had my heart set on this outfit (pictured below) but I didn't feel at ease in it for some reason, even though I loved (and still do) the way it all looked together and even how it looked on me. So I ended up changing (into this outfit, more or less) and feeling infinitely better. But I did take photos and I didn't want to waste them so I thought I would do a what-I-didn't-wear post, instead.

Outfit details: 1970s dress - op-shop; jewellery - various; tights - Sportsgirl; 1940s shoes - etsy.

I've already mentioned that, ever since dyeing my hair red, I've had a craving for orange clothes, despite never having been much of a fan before. And aren't these tights a delicious colour?

The main reason I didn't wear this was that I didn't feel like wearing it for a night of cabaret shows. If I'd been going out to dance the night away to some indie and/or 60s tunes then I would have been more than happy to wear this. It's so very silly, yet one of the most important things for me in my personal style is to feel comfortable and at ease (if not always physically then mentally and emotionally) and I didn't, so I changed. Quite simple, in the end.

I'm not entirely certain about these shoes with the outfit but black felt too harsh and, despite being a pair of '40s shoes, the shape still goes quite well with the outfit (not surprising as '40s styles, even in shoes, were reused in the '70s, anyway). But I think I'd like a slightly lighter pair of shoes or maybe something that isn't lace-up...or maybe flat shoes. Shoes are so often a stumper for me! Orange and brown is so very '70s, though.

As I said, I still love this outfit - the colours of the dress are gorgeous - and I will be wearing it at some point again, before the end of winter...and I'm sure it will even make it out of the house then!

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

Sunday Markets, Plaid Dress

While I'm still not feeling 100% up to blogging, I snapped a couple of phone photos of the outfit I wore yesterday when I went to the Fishermen's Wharf Markets with my mum. We've been going there ever since I can remember and it's still one of my favourite places to go, though (as with anything) it can be hit and miss.

Outfit details: vintage barrette - gift; 1950s dress - etsy; belt - Valley Girl; tights - supermarket; shoes - KMart.

Brown isn't  a colour I'm all that keen on for clothes, usually, but I love this dress - the cuffed sleeves, the full skirt and round collar - and I think it looks very autumnal combined with my current hair colour.

This is what happens when I let my mum take photos! And my grabby hand shows just how attached I am to my phone, I think. Eep.

I tried to convince my mother to buy this magnificent set for her teapot collection - the teapot is of the two ducks dancing together! - but, sadly, I failed.

I may not have bought anything vintage (by what I usually blog about) but I was pretty happy with what I found! As soon as I saw the Special Agent Dale Cooper book I knew it was coming home with me but I deliberated over the rest of my purchases...except for Winter Sport Barbie. She's only missing a little skirt & some ice-skates. I've blogged about my Barbie collection before, but only the vintage side which is just a small portion. You can see more of it at Flickr if you are at all interested.

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

Vintage Barbie Fashions

I'm still feeling a bit knocked around from this darn cold so here is a little blog post I had saved in my drafts for the proverbial rainy day. Hope my readers are still interested in my Barbie collection!

Right from the outset, Barbie has been a fashion icon but it wasn't until I started collecting vintage Barbie items that I thought of her style as being inspirational to me! Pink is the main colour associated with Barbie now (at least, it was when I was little and buying Barbies) but looking through the vintage Barbie fashions, there is relatively little pink. The clothes, however, are all gorgeous. Here's a look at a few vintage Barbie dresses I own:

{Titian Midge wearing Cotton Casuals #912}

I love the multi-directional stripes in this strapless number. The ribbons on mine have seen better days but, overall, this dress is in very good condition. 

{Repro Ponytail Barbie wearing Fancy Free #943}

I love the use of colour in this plus it has pockets and ric-rac! Tiny little ric-rac on the teensy pockets. So cute. If only it came in my size! Sigh.

{Blonde Midge wearing Movie Date #933}

The attention to detail in these vintage Barbie dresses is so impressive. The little bow, the layered fabric with a trim that matches the underlay...and they're so well constructed, too.


Here are a few that I don't have but would love (I also wouldn't mind these in my size, please!)

Clockwise from top left: Theatre Date #959; Senior Prom #951; Busy Morning #956; Barbie-Q #962; Mood for Music #940; Country Fair #1603.

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

Andi. B Goode & Lady K Loves...again

Quite some time ago now I showed you all photos of the finished product of the collaboration between myself and Lady K Loves. Now I get to show you it again but this time on me! I've had my own dress for a little while now but, with one thing or another, I've not had the time to take photos. Then I took photos on the weekend and came down with a cold so didn't feel like blogging. Excuses aside, here's what my design looks like on me...

As you can see, I'm wearing a little top underneath - the neckline plunges just a little more than I thought it would but I think it looks nice with this underneath. I'm also wearing my own belt that does not come with the dress.

I think I didn't realise it was quite so plunging as I'd only seen it on bodies less full in the bust than mine so hopefully seeing the dress on a different body shape will be helpful for some (well, a larger body, if not a completely different shape).

Still in love with the buttons and trimmings that Lady K Loves chose! And, remember, the fabric and trimmings, etc. are all vintage.

I'm kind of glad I waited to take photos as, ever since I dyed my hair red, I've had this urge to wear orange! It isn't even a colour I usually like but the orange of this fabric is so lovely.

Ha! The expression on my face in this one is priceless.

For more information please see my original post on this dress. You can still buy your own here at the Lady K Loves website - there are 5 left. And you can see the creator, herself, wearing her own at her blog here.

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

Square buttons and a round collar

Just stopping by with another outfit post! That makes the third in a row - hopefully I'll have a bit more content during the next week or so but I also hope you all enjoy the outfit post, nonetheless. I'm wearing a refashioned vintage dress that was given to me as a gift just last week. It definitely had the 60s babydoll feel to it, it just needed to be shortened! I'm really pleased with how it looks at its new length and I love the little details like the Peter Pan collar and the three square (non-functional) buttons.

Outfit details: refashioned vintage dress - gift; tights - Coles; shoes - Rubi Shoes.

Once again, I'm sporting my hair in its natural state. I've just been really uninspired to set it, lately, or do anything aside from brushing it after I've dried it. 

I'm still not used to wearing shorter dresses and I forgot how much they can ride up when you sit down! Ha! Even just last year I wouldn't have worn a dress like this - I'd have told myself it was cute but not 'right' for my body shape and I'm trying to stop myself from doing that. I like this cut of dress and I do feel comfortable in it, despite fearing I may not (because how I thought I would look), and I don't want to stop myself from wearing clothes I like because I told myself it wouldn't be right for me or I was influenced by outside sources. This taps in a little to what I wrote here but I think I'd like to explore these ideas further one day (I'd link to other great posts about similar ideas but I'm kind of tired right now). But for now I'm going to wear cute 60s style dresses and just not care.

And this would have been one of those 'outtake' photos - I was trying to brush my fringe out of the way and this is what my face did when I was unsuccessful with my endeavour. It's probably a more accurate representation of me than a lot of other photos.

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x