Swing Sesh Christmas Ball

Hello one and all! I hope everyone has had a lovely time over this holiday season, which I suppose is still going but I've decided I feel ready to get back to blogging. So, here I am!

One of my goals, which I tried to work on whilst I was on my blogging holiday, is to take more photos of my friends. It’s a goal I’ve had for a while but was reinforced when I was watching Buffy one night and saw how many photos of the ‘Scooby Gang’ she had in her room. Anyway, it just so happens that some of you, in the past, said you’d like to see pictures of the Adelaide swing scene – combine this request with my desire to document my friends and these pictures are the result!

A few atmospheric shots…

In at least one of these you can see the Corner Pocket Big Band up on the stage (the Ball was held at the German Club).

My lovely friend, Abi, who you’ve seen here a couple of times before, I believe (here and here). She made almost her entire outfit! 

And here’s Abi again, first with Catherine and then with Enken 

The colour photo of Katey is pretty much my favourite shot from that night! 

And this is my other favourite! (Beck).

And here is yours truly, wearing a dress my mother made me, especially for the occasion. My 'hair piece' was actually just one of those bows you stick on presents. It was sparkly, too!

You can see a few more here at Flickr - didn't want to overload this post. Hopefully I can keep up with taking photos of my friends – as lovely as it is to have memories, it’s just as nice to have visual reminders of things that have happened, I think. I’m always tempted to print some out, too, as I miss the idea of the snapshot being something tangible as well as visual. How do you keep your photos? Just as something digital or do you print them, too? Or do you still use film (I rarely do now as I'm being a bit stingy)?

Also, for those of you who weren't following my blog last year, this is what I wore to last year's Christmas Ball.

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

Ukulele Videos + An Outfit

I think I mentioned the other day, when I posted the last ukulele video, that Kate and I would be performing the following week. Well, that all happened on Thursday and I'm happy to say that I have the videos for you to see (well, hear more than see as it was rather dark and there's not a lot to actually see in them):

Unfortunately we didn't have any scantily clad hula girls like were in this video from a Laurel and Hardy film (I don't know which one...)

We also performed Dolly Parton's Jolene (eep!). By this point my mouth was completely dry from nerves and I found it a little difficult to sing...

The performances were for the Isle of Swing Sesh Grad Dance (I made the fliers, which you should be able to see here) - The Swing Sesh runs six week Lindy blocks and has a different themed grad dance at the end of each block. Oh, by the way, Kate and I perform under the name They Call Us Tallulah (at least, now we've had one performance we can say that we do, anyway).

As the videos were so dark here's a very silly photo I took of my 'costume':

Wearing my Heyday trousers, again, and a striped t-shirt I found at a Salvos.

I do hope you enjoyed the videos! Playing ukulele is probably my favourite thing to do, after buying pretty dresses.

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

Outfit: You're not looking at a Queen, You're looking at an Ace!

In between my last post and now, I came down with a cold which completely drained me of my will to blog. Today, I am feeling better and come bearing an outfit or, rather, a costume.

Every six weeks there is a grad dance for the Swing Sesh (their courses run in six week blocks) - they used to be held on Saturday nights but now they have joined forces, I suppose, with the weekly social night, Light Square Stomp. There is always a theme and, as it was also a farewell for Lexi (one of the teachers - she's going overseas) the theme was Alice in Wonderland (it's Lexi's favourite). I re-watched the Disney version (which I still favour) to get some ideas and, after many which I would not have been able to achieve in the time I had, I settled for the Ace of Hearts!

Outfit details: hair bow - etsy; hair ribbons - ?; earrings - gift; shirt - op-shopped (heart + buttons sewn on); 'a' brooch - craft fair; skirt - made by my mum; petticoat - Hero Vintage; stockings - Whacky Shack; shoes - Kmart. 

I think most people thought I was the Queen of Hearts, though. Never mind!

I was inspired by Ruby's version of The Freelancer's Fashion Blog's five minute hair tutorial (which I think I missed the first time around? How did that happen?) but did my hair in plaits because...I didn't want to curl it and I have too much hair to hold in a bun. I usually don't bother with rolls and things because, frankly, I'm too lazy to perfect them! But I thought I'd do something different last night.

Boy, I hate flash. Shows up all those pesky flyaways.

We sewed buttons and a heart onto a t-shirt I bought at an op-shop the other day.

A few of you asked to see more photos of the Adelaide swing scene so I took a few shots last night during the Jack and Jill contest, just to give you a bit of a glimpse, at least.

As it was an Alice in Wonderland themed night it was a special 'Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum' Jack & Jill so everyone had to try to mirror what their partners were doing. It was a lot of fun to watch! I took some other photos with a point & shoot film camera I bought for 3$ the other day but we'll have to wait for those. Hopefully, they turn out!

And, to explain the title of this post, here's what is probably a terrible song from a terrible movie (sequel), which I happen to love, unabashedly.

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x

An Apple a Day

I just want to thank everyone for their comments/suggestions on my last post. I should clarify that I didn't mean I want to change anything about my blog but, as they say, variety is the spice of life and I was just looking for ideas of different things to blog about to keep it interesting for myself. Of course, I like to keep it interesting for the readers but, while I'm still going to do all the same things I've been doing, it's nice to have different things to blog about just so that I don't get bored.

A few people suggested posting things that make me happy so I thought I'd share something that I'm excited about, right now (in a very short post): over the next couple of weeks I'm finally learning how to do the Big Apple! I've been wanting to learn this dance for ages and, thus far, have been having a lot of fun watching my friends do it. For those of you who have never seen it, take a look at this video (the Big Apple is followed by some awesome Lindy Hop):

Pretty nifty, huh? I'm going to need a lot of energy!

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

P.S. It's past 1am, right now, and I've been out Lindy Hoppin' all night so I truly hope this post is coherent! Also, I've started a tumblr - just going to be a bunch of random, not necessarily vintage, things I like. I finally hopped on the bandwagon.

Outfit: Roller Derby Sunday

Yesterday, I went to the roller derby to see the Salty Dolls v. the Mile Die Club (the former won, for those interested). I was still feeling unwell but, having pre-ordered a ticket, I went along anyway. I also wanted to support some of my lovely friends - the Radelaide Ragdolls - who performed a smokin' blues routine at halftime. 

Because I wasn't feeling well I went to my default comfortable, yet still vintage-esque, item of clothing: yes, that's right, my Freddies jeans! I think it may have been dangerous to buy these because I want to wear them all the time and I used to be a very, very, occasional trousers gal. Oh dear.

Outfit details: scarf - op-shop; sunglasses - op-shop; letter cardigan - Revival; belt - ?; 1940s repro t-shirt - Freddies of Pinewood; 1940s repro jeans - Freddies of Pinewood; shoes - KMart.

As you can see, I'm also wearing the other shirt I bought from Freddies. They're both incredibly comfortable and fit really well, too. I think this one I got in a large, because they didn't have medium, but the blue I got in a medium. And, as I said, they fit perfectly. Oh, and I was snapped by a newspaper - it may have been The Advertiser but I didn't listen properly - and they asked me all about my outfit but who knows if I'll make it in. I shall have to keep a check on the papers!

And here's a snap of the lovely ladies I mentioned. They did a really great job! I was nervous/excited for them and it went really well. Huzzah for the Radelaide Ragdolls!

Love,

Andi B. Goode

x

While I was gone...

I shopped:


I got this amazing 1950s dress when I picked up another (which I neglected to photograph, terrible blogger that I am) from layby.

I had an op-shopping day with a friend (we lost steam rather early, though) and came away with a few interesting things...

Some more vinyl for my slowly growing collection (which is mainly made up of various 80s music and records I've bought for the kitsch value of their covers).

And two Pianola rolls. I don't have a pianola but if I ever get one these are sure going to be handy!

I wore clothes:

I wore this to see Brand New. I looked a little out of place but it never bothers me. I was happy to be able to wear the bow-tie I bought the other week. Plus, you know, Brand New are part of my past (fell in love with them when I was about 17 or so) and it was a nice night of nostalgia.

Outfit details: earrings - Diva; bow-tie - Midwest trader; dress - church op-shop; shoes - Big W.

I knitted a little:

I'm currently trying to get through this 'parka' (the hat) as it is referred to in the pattern, though this is a parka to me. It's the first thing I've ever properly knitted so hopefully it turns out OK. Mum says I seem to be doing well.

I played ukulele:

I also:

-danced at classes and at Stomp, which is a great way to start swing dancing (hint to anyone in Adelaide reading this who doesn't currently dance) as there are intro classes each week before the social.
-tweeted
-and answered some (but not all, because I am slack) questions.

Sorry for the slightly-longer-than-I-thought-it-would-be break but I am back now, hopefully for good. I'm not sure if I feel refreshed, exactly, but definitely happy to be back!

Just as an aside, this post shares its title with a rather dubious made-for-television film which I have somehow managed to see more than once.

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x

P.S. Miss Felicia is having a giveaway so I think you should all go enter! Her blog is super new but I think it looks swell and she seems like a really sweet gal, too.

Monday and Tuesday Nights are for Dancing

On Monday night I went to the Garden of Unearthly Delights for a night of swing dancing at the Deluxe Tent. I had a grand ol' time Lindy Hopping and what-not (I even got one gent to do a foxtrot with me because I had never done it before and thought it would be fun to give it a go - it was!) to some great live music from Lucky Seven, followed by a DJ set by the lovely Lili la Scala. I mentioned the other day that I've been in a bit of a funk and part of that was that I had no desire to go social dancing, lately, but I've overcome it and had a simply lovely night.

I took a couple of photos of the tent to show you all because it's such a lovely venue (I'll be sad when the festival is over for the year):



And my outfit for the night -

Outfit details: hair flowers - discount store; earrings - gift; necklace - Fisherman's Wharf Markets; sweater - Salvo's; skirt - op-shopped; shoes - KMart.

Here's another outfit from yesterday; I wore this to see A Single Man (which is amazing and left me speechless) and then to my dance class (we've been learning the Tranky Doo) -

Outfit details: neckerchief - Goodwill; blouse - Cotton On; 1940s repro jeans - Freddies of Pinewood; shoes - KMart.

Here's a little video of a foxtrot (or so it is labelled - it looks rather foxtrotty to me!) because a video is always fun -

Coincidentally, I am listening to the Easy Virtue soundtrack and just remembered one of the instrumental pieces on there is the Easy Virtue Foxtrot. Now I am going to play a bit of ukulele and then get ready for another night out. Hope you're all having a happy Wednesday!

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x

Valentine's Lindy Lounge

Last night I went out to the first Lindy Lounge of 2010 - the theme was Valentine's so it was suggested that everyone wear something red. I took the opportunity to finally make up (or, rather, get my mother to make it for me) a suspender skirt like I've wanted for ages - we shortened a circle skirt pattern and basically just added straps to it. It was that simple! And in true 'make do and mend' fashion, we used a table cloth that was too big for the table to make it.

Outfit details: ribbon - ?; blouse - Big W; suspender skirt - made for me by my lovely mother; socks - Big W; shoes - Spend-Less.

It twirled out very nicely when I danced - unfortunately I felt very icky for most of the night so only danced once. After the dancing at Cushdy was finished we moseyed on down to the Garden of Unearthly Delights and danced some more after we got food and drinks (pizza and Coke for yours truly), of course.

The skirt is definitely more 1950s as it is a circle skirt but I think I'm completely in love with it and got loads of compliments on it, too. I've been wanting a skirt like this for ages - long before I started Lindy Hop classes - and it's just so much fun to wear! I can't believe how easy it was to make, either.

ReVamp Vintage has a very cute repro A-line skirt with suspenders (detachable) for sale, that I absolutely love:

Found here.

Hope you are all having fabulous weekends.

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x

Back to blogging.

What ho, blogosphere! As you can see, I did not expire from a week of swing dancing - in fact, I had a simply smashing time. I'm a lot more confident with my dancing now and was very glad of the chance to be taught by some really great dancers, like Steven Mitchell, Evita Arce, Manu Smith, Mike Roberts and Laura Glaess, Max Pitruzella and Annie Trudeau (I found this website but it's all in French)...if you're interested in seeing any of them in action I'm fairly certain youtube will provide you with some videos to watch! I'm still relatively new to swing dancing so those names meant nothing to me before (and, to be entirely honest, I still don't know if the names mean anything to a lot of people but I'm certain they have to mean something to someone).

I was going to dedicate this entire post to Swing Camp Oz but I didn't take any pictures so it would be a very dull entry indeed. Instead, I shall just reiterate that it was an amazing experience and that it has helped my dancing very much - for one thing, I can now do a Shorty George after struggling with them for a while - and if anyone reading this has been wanting to take up swing dancing but can't find the courage then I urge you to just do it. I've been dancing for about six months now and, despite still being a little nervous at some of the social nights, I've never had so much fun in my life and almost everyone I've met has been super friendly and lovely.

All right, enough gushing from me. I also wanted to share some pictures of my finds from yesterday's inaugural North Adelaide Vintage & Fashion Fair.

This darling hat looks good with its brim up as well as down.

When I got home I realised there were two prices inside and I think I got it cheaper than I was meant to (4$ instead of 10$. Ssshh!)

1930s/40s handbag. I have a few vintage glo-mesh clutches (which are getting quite expensive but I've found authentic glo-mesh for only 4$ before and refuse to pay more than 20$ for one) but this is the oldest handbag I own, now.

The stockings in the pink box are incredibly sheer - I'm a little scared to wear them but they're beautiful. I like this little insert that came in the box -







Mum bought these for me because I was a little upset I had to sacrifice them in order to purchase the handbag.

Thanks once again for all of the suggestions on this post. I think it's going to take me a few days to get back into the swing of things (pardon the pun) after last week but I've got a few ideas for blog posts, I just need to set them in order in my mind.

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x

Silver Screen Sunday {Groovy Movie}

I'm afraid to say there is no 'proper' Silver Screen Sunday, today. I'm about to embark on Swing Camp Oz, an entire week of swing dancing and what-not. I'm more than a little bit nervous and also quite a bit intimidated by the thought of so much physical exercise. I can assure you my 'exercise regime' generally consists of walking to the television to turn it on and back to the couch. So, hopefully I survive this week. If not, send flowers!

As I mentioned, I haven't the time for a proper Silver Screen Sunday. Instead, I shall leave you with this short from 1944 entitled Groovie Movie, a spoof on instructional dance videos and also efforts to find high culture in the dance. It's rather corny but I think it's fun and more than a bit cute. I like the overuse of slang. There's a little bit written about it here, although this page says it was filmed in 1942.

If I do manage to survive, I shall see you all in about a week's time.

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x

Andi B. Goode, the social butterfly

So, I've been quite a busy lady these past few days. Today, however, I spent a good deal of time reinstalling my operating system as my computer died just a little bit. Everything is OK now and nothing (so far as I can tell) has been lost but I had an enormous scare, nonetheless. I am now quite frazzled and almost literally cannot type. So, instead of anything detailed, I bring you photos of the outfit persuasion.

Wednesday night I attended Lucky Seven's Christmas show, with my friend Stef, at the Casino. It was a rather great show and I felt I ought to wear something a little festive.

Outfit details: Santa hat (with sparkles) - ?; faux pearls - Mum's; 1960s dress - Rewind at Glenelg; bracelet - etsy; shoes - Big W.

I was also sporting second day curls that survived two very hot days!

Thursday night I went to Cushdy for the Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque Christmas show (Dear Santa...), which was absolutely fantastic. As I mentioned, I am frazzled and cannot write anything more than that at the moment, which is a shame. I will just say it was a wonderful night and I was glad to finally be able to wear this dress!

Outfit details: 1930s dress - Red Ruby Vintage; earrings - Diva; bracelet - etsy; stockings - Love Kylie; shoes - Big W.

And last night was the Lindy Lounge Christmas P-Jam so I wore one of my vintage nighties (but took a change of clothes as I went into town, after, for pizza and didn't fancy eating out in my pyjamas!) It was another fun night - I think I danced more in the one night than in all the social dance nights I'd been to up until then!

Outfit details: scarf - Mum's; curlers - possibly Hairhouse Warehouse; vintage nylon nightie - an op-shop at Victor Harbour; slippers - Big W. I'm also wearing a leopard print singlet and leopard print boxer shorts underneath as the nightie is incredibly sheer!

Apologies for the limited descriptions of my nights out but computer problems are so draining! Now I need to catch up on blogs and other internet things.

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

This week's transmission of Silver Screen Sunday is interrupted to bring you a special presentation of last night's White Christmas Swing Ball.

A few weeks ago I showed you a sneak preview of a dress I bought for a very special occasion and, last night, I finally got to wear it. So that means you all get to see it in all of its glory!


Outfit details: hair flower - taken from a bunch of cheap fake flowers; necklace - Diva; 1950s flocked dress - Red Ruby Vintage; corsage - home-made; shoes - Payless.

I really love my dress so so much. It's beautiful and I got a lot of compliments on it, too. And was also asked by a drunk guy, standing with a group of other drunk guys in the street, if I had just got married. How witty of him - his friends thought it was hilarious. I was merely amused at how funny they found it to be but I wasn't bothered.

I love the 'v' shape of the back.

DIY Corsage.

A couple of close-ups of my hair...

I curled it a fair bit tighter than I usually do in hopes of getting a shorter, more 1950s, style.

I didn't get any other photos of anyone else at all, except for this one taken of Jacoba (who bought her awesome dress from Midwest Trader) and I before we left. At least it's some proof that I know other people! Enken (who has her own blog, which is pretty darn awesome) took a few photos that have me in them so hopefully I can provide a link to those at some point as proof that I was actually there! Actually, it was the first time Enken and I ever met, which was lovely. We mentioned how it's very strange to know someone online, who lives in the same city, and to not meet them!

Anway, despite the lack of photographic evidence (my camera doesn't work well at all in low light and I'm not fond of on-camera flash) the night was a blast! The hall was decked out with fabulous decorations, there were absolutely outstanding performances by the Swing Sesh student performance team as well as Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque and the atmosphere was just great in general. I'm so glad I had the courage to start swing dance lessons when I did because I've had such a great time, so far, and look forward to continuing to have many more great times. Hopefully some others will upload photos of last night to various places and I can provide links...until then, you can, at least, see my dress!

Oh, I just remembered that I filmed myself twirling around because, well, it was fun! And I just love watching the way dresses swing out when you twirl around...it's not the most graceful footage of me but it's also the first footage of me on Ye Olde Internets. No talking yet, though!

Love,
Andi B. Goode
x