Someone Else's Shoes

I'm not really a shoe person.. or at least I didn't used to be. In fact shoe shopping seemed like more of a chore than a pleasure. However, I think that might be changing. Especially since I keep finding great second hand and vintage footwear for one tenth of the price I'd pay for a new pair of shoes. Having said that you should never skimp on shoes, the most important thing is that they are comfy. But if they're comfy, they look good and they are well priced it's even better.

So I thought I'd share my recent finds. The first pair are sandals in an amazing blue-green colour, similar to "Bolywood Jade" on the Dulux colour chart ... because we all refer to colours by their paint swatch names?? I mean seriously who comes up with the names for paints? There is no way I'd put paint on my walls the was called that!  Anyhow I'm getting off topic, clearly I"ve been spending too many weekends at Bunnings. 
These shoes are Hush Puppies made in NZ and I'm guessing they're from the 70's. They are still in pretty good nick and have a lovely summery feel that will go well with the 101 summer dresses I have (a slight exaggeration perhaps. Although hubby may not think so, given the proportionally small space he has in our wardrobe).

The second pair are light pink and while not technically vintage (and made in china...eeeek!), they have a very timeless feel to them and go really well with a mint green dress I have. Anyhow, at $12 who can complain. Obviously the inside of the shoes leave a bit to be desired but that's nothing some insoles can't fix.

HOWEVER, the real reason for this post is to share this amazing poem a friend wrote for me about 6 months ago. After watching me completely change my wardrobe over the course of a year, as I got more and more into vintage clothing, she said I had inspired her to write this poem. I was especially flattered when she called me "Mary Poppins", probably just the look I was going for. :)

She is a very talented lady, and as you will see, she captures the essence of wearing and shopping for vintage clothing perfectly. 

Someone Else's Shoes

Finding your stride in someone else’s shoes isn’t about fashion or style
It’s about the moment a garment catches your attention
The journey it takes you on 

With the simple way it intrigues and captivates you
 

It’s about the now, the what was, and the where to from here?

Vintage drags us back to a time foreign to our bones
Yet nourishing to our spirit,
Adorned in garments woven of fabrics in styles past is more than delightful
It’s the proverbial interwoven garden path that leaves you challenged to find more and reinvent what has become an ever evolving you

To the vintage shopper, there is nothing more exciting
Than to wander aimlessly amidst clothing racks of yesteryear
 Discovering treasures and allowing your spirit to dream
 

The confidence that accompanies vintage is more than restorative
It allows the wearer to indulge and be passionate, to be who they want to be
It gives a second life to a garment previously passed by, forgotten

Vintage is the now
It’s the second glance that catches your eye
It’s the possibility that is endless
The inspiration for today’s wearer to be nothing short of wonderful
And for tomorrow designers to be timeless

Beautiful! Let me know if you enjoyed this poem and if it rings true to you. Maybe you've come across some other great poetry with a vintage theme?

Wearing Someone Else's Clothes?

No,  I'm not talking about cross-dressing here (not that I have any issues with this). I'm talking about wearing second hand and vintage clothing. When I was young and hip (the latter is debatable) there is no way I would have been caught dead wearing something from an op-shop. Granny dresses smelling of dust and moth-balls was my impression back then, decidedly uncool for someone in their teens and early twenties. And of course if someone had pulled out a 1950's rose print dress and said "wear this", I'd of snarled at them as only a disaffected youth can. But it was the 90's so if it wasn't hyper-coloured or roller blades then it wasn't cool.

In fact it wasn't until I had my own children that I started frequenting op-shops, mostly out of necessity. Let's face it, after buying your children all the things our world would make us believe they need (because apparently children can't survive without pink "Dora The Explorer" everything), you no longer have a disposable income. So $5 dollars it was. Not being a fan of fast fashion (Supre, Cotton On and the like) the only place I was going to find something new, or not so new, was at an op-shop.  And this is where my obsession with vintage clothing began.  But not straight away.

For me it was months of wondering into op-shops and never finding anything I liked. Then it progressed to finding something, buying it and then throwing it in the cupboard never to be retrieved again. Or even worse, thinking it looked good, getting it home, putting it on and thinking "Oh My God... I look like my granny!!!", and then throwing it in the cupboard never to be retrieved again. And so the cycle went until one day I finally found something I liked, and looked good. I'd finally found my Mojo.

So I thought I'd start by showing you the first vintage dress I found that I actually wear. It's a gorgeous white dress with brown and orange roses. Very 70's with lovely flowy sleeves (I'm sure there's a more technical term than flowy.. but I don't know it!). The fact that this dress is also homemade makes it even better and their is evidence of it being altered at the hem. I love the history that comes with vintage dresses and would love to know the story behind each of them. There is also something charming about the fact that you are adding to their story each time you wear one.

You'll have to excuse the awkward posing.. Not really my thang!

 Ok, so now we have the awkward pose out of the way, tell me about your first vintage find. Can you remember the first vintage or second hand item of clothing you really loved? I'd love to know! Incidentally the pear tree in the photo above is no longer :( We had to chop it down as it was too big and too old.. such a shame to waste a fruit tree but at least we got a garden seat out of it.

Well that's it, first post done. Hope I haven't bored you to tears! Until the next dress..Bye.