by Candice DeVille | Mar 23, 2016 | Style Inspirations, Vintage Style Playbook
Corporate vintage looks are one of the most polished and put together choices in your vintage playbook.
These looks are an instant way to boost your credibility, authority and have your style noticed for the right reasons.
How you pull your look together is all a matter of personal preference, but having these guidelines in place, you’re far less likely to experience buyers remorse.
Today we’re looking at the staples you’ll need to pull off a vintage look in a corporate job.
Tonal dressing
Pick your colour palette for the season and layer your pieces accordingly. You’ll be able to mix and match these into other looks, but for the office, creating an ensemble with a harmonious colour balance is a cornerstone to the vintage look.
Keep your patterns simple, and when in doubt go for textural variation rather than polka dots, plaids or paisley.
Waist line
Your natural waist is a beautiful thing, and knowing where it is will make a huge difference to getting this look right. Your natural waistline is the smallest part of your waist, often in line with your belly button.
You want to choose pieces that sit either on or just above your natural waistline, not below.
Keep it defined with matching belts or simply by tucking in your blouse.
Length – Hemline is everything
Below the knee is a must for corporate environments. We’re talking just under the kneecap, not mid calf or ankle length. Hemlines that end mid calf are problematic for all but the most shapely legs and finding something flattering off the rack is extremely difficult.
Ankle length is suitable only for evening wear, so if you’re in any doubt, have your skirts hemmed to your own measurements.
Shoes
Vertiginous heels have no place in vintage style corporate wear – can I get a collective sigh of relief?
Lower heeled pumps, kitten heels and structured flats are both practical and business like.
TIP
When you’re searching online for the right kind of shoes trying these terms: Kitten heels, Low heel pumps, court shoes.
For separates try: Blouses, pussy bow, midi skirt, knee length skirt, pencil skirt
Coats – Black is Boring
Overcoats play a large part in vintage dressing. The huge variety of colour and shape is something sorely missing from our business districts, certainly in Melbourne where basic black has become boring black.
You don’t need a huge wardrobe of coats but choosing a colour and silhouette that works for that season and your main colour palette, will add that ‘next level’ touch to your vintage game.
Bags- No schlepping allowed
Matching your bag to your shoes and the rest of your ensemble is a sure fire way to amp up the vintage factor in your look. Changing out your handbag to match whichever colour you’re wearing that day is also an excellent incentive to keep the contents of your bag streamlined and organised.
A structured bag that is large enough to hold your work essentials without becoming overstuffed is a good guideline. And never, ever, schelp along a nasty reusable shopping bag with your lunch!
TIP
You don’t have to spend a packet to find a great bag. Here’s what to look for in quality instead of just brand name: Metal feet, metal zippers, real leather (it can be cleaned and fed to last), solid stitching not glue.
Brooches & Other Bling
Keep it simple.
Brooches are an ideal way to add a little more individuality to your look but be careful not to go overboard.
For corporate looks stay away from heavily jewelled or sparkly pieces. Instead opt for pieces with distinctive structure or understated novelty.
This is the perfect style addition to allow a stronger influence from your favourite era.
TIP
While it may be harder to find these sorts of office appropriate pieces from times when women weren’t in the office (think 1920s), the best solution is to source from a later era that referenced the original. For example 1980s brooches can often be seen to take on a more Art Deco look.
Building a wardrobe of vintage style staples requires a game plan.
You need to have a handle on your lifestyle and what it actually demands as opposed to the “dream life” you’d like to dress for. It’s by falling into this trap that we find ourselves with closets overstuffed with things we never wear. Trust me, I’m still fighting with mine.
Dressing within the confines of a certain era is not for everyone, and this is by no means the only way to wear vintage or vintage style fashion. The choices are endless, and unless you have the time and budget to experiment with anything that takes your fancy, there are certain guidelines that can help you find a shortcut to your perfect style.
BONUS: Download this style guide as a handy PDF!
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by Candice DeVille | Mar 7, 2016 | Community, Events, Travel, Vintage, Vintage Shopping
Do you remember “finding your true home” in the vintage community?
And how wonderful it was to discover that your passion was shared and cherished by others?
I do. It was at the best vintage fair I’ve ever been to (still to this day).
There, for the first time, I didn’t feel out of place in my 1940s suit, hair piled high. From the moment the first person tapped me on the shoulder and asked about the “soutache” on my lapels, I knew I’d found my people.
It was a long way from home, a plane ride away. I had saved for almost a year to acquire my own pieces of history. And although I went alone and didn’t know anyone there, when I walked into that room, heaving with smiling people, I felt instantly at home.
Finding Your Vintage Story: A Source of Inspiration
That experience set the bar for me on what an exceptional, authentic vintage fair and event should be: a community of like-minded people, with myriad styles and inspirations, brought together by their mutual love of historical fashion.
There were no hard and fast rules as to what should be worn and how. Instead what I found was a genuine exchange between friends, buyers and sellers, hardcore fans and the curious, all sharing their joy and finding appreciative homes for each treasure.
However, in recent years, as the vintage trend has taken hold, I’ve seen hyper commercialism chipping away at this wonderful camaraderie at the heart of why so many of us love vintage.
What I didn’t realize, back at that milestone event, was how much it would later inspire me to create and launch a new initiative to bring out the best in vintage for our community.
Ready, Set, Go! Breathing New Life Into Vintage Markets
I’m thrilled to announce the debut of Vintage Current Fashion Fair, coming this May 7-8 (Mother’s Day Weekend) as part of Ballarat Heritage Weekend 2016!
Having inherited my love of fashion from my mum, with her talent for sewing and restyling old outfits, and nurturing the love of vintage in my own daughters, teaching them to shop smart and appreciate styles from bygone days, hosting this event over Mother’s Day Weekend is an extra special treat for me.
Just as exciting is the opportunity to collaborate with so many talented, passionate vintage lovers around this event.
Thanks to our partnership with the brilliant teams at the City of Ballarat and Ballarat Regional Tourism, we anticipate a crowd of 20,000 enthusiasts at Ballarat Heritage Weekend 2016, and we’re working with several partners, vendors and sponsors to make this premiere event one for all to remember.
Here’s just a taste of what you can expect during this fun-filled weekend …
Pictured clockwise from top left: St Pat’s Hall VCFF heritage venue, local Ballarat fashion blogger Finding Femme, ladies ready for the Tweed Ride, Charlotte Smith on stage.
We’re teaming up with our good friend Charlotte Smith, author of Dreaming of Dior and Dreaming of Chanel, to host an interactive session on how to discover and refine your own vintage style. Charlotte is also hosting an array of stunning vintage fashion parades plus her “In Conversation” sessions with the fabulous Catriona Rowntree and Claudia Chan Shaw (pictured below).
Amongst our fast-growing list of wonderful VCFF vendors, you’ll find:
- Audrey Scarlett Vintage a personal favourite for their extensive range of affordable pieces.
- Frizzy Vintage with a great range of accessories and stunning Japanese vintage frocks.
- Vintage Online who carry a superior range of genuine vintage jewellery to fit every budget.
- Jack’s Daughter our friends set the standard for authentic vintage reproduction fashion (several of their designs are in my wardrobe right now).
- Steady with Betty Vintage Clothing beautiful vintage pieces, with show-stopping gowns, featured in countless glamour shoots I’ve styled.
- Recycology always makes me smile with their exotic collection of brightly coloured, fabulous pieces (including the most stunning burnt silk velvet kimono I had to have).
That’s barely the tip of the iceberg, as our plans and partnerships are rapidly growing, and the other key ingredient we’re looking for now is YOU.
Vintage Vendors, Makers and Sponsors: We Want You!
With over 25 years as a collector, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know some of Australia’s finest vintage vendors — the backbone of these events. Their tireless sourcing, restoring and curating is what makes these people as rare as the gems they sell.
The same goes for the vintage makers, who take the time to faithfully reproduce garments and accessories to our needs. From hoarding buttons and trim, to custom making the perfect piece just for you, these dedicated individuals are creating the vintage of the future.
And of course, the re-imagineers (a term I much prefer to upcycling), who allow us to see what is possible for things that may otherwise have reached the end of their lives. They breathe new purpose into pieces, giving us the chance to create a new story for them.
Join Our Vintage Current Fashion Fair Mission
We’re proud to be creating a new haven for quality vintage vendors and passionate shoppers to come together during Ballarat Heritage Weekend.
We want to bring back all the reasons you fell in love with vintage in the first place, and that’s shaped our mission for Vintage Current Fashion Fair:
- It is unique – allowing you to explore your own personal sense of style to create something that reflects who you are.
- It has a story – vintage has romance and history, quietly weaving the tale of social change through each hemline.
- It is a responsible choice – wearing well and living through generations, teaching us about true value per wear and quality of make.
- It inspires – No longer are we slaves to the vicious cycle of fast fashion and the dictates of trends, we get to write the story.
- It represents real value – The hand beaded, pure cashmere sweater you find on these racks can be had for ½ or less the price of a mass produced high street version, and is made to a quality standard rarely seen today.
Whether you are a collector, a vendor, a maker or any manner of vintage enthusiast — anywhere in the world — if this mission resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you!
If you’re a seller of quality vintage, based or trading in Australia, let’s work together to help promote you and your passion. Click here to learn more and apply to be part of VCFF!
(Note: If you’re not based in Australia, don’t worry: We’ll be sharing videos, photos, posts and more online, and you can catch the buzz via our #VCFF event hashtag.)
by Candice DeVille | Mar 3, 2016 | Accessories, Shopping
I thought I had the weather outsmarted.
Two weeks ago it had gotten quite cold and grey. It rained every day and I’d come to the conclusion that summer was over. In my enthusiasm I pulled everything out of the wardrobe, packed away all my summer clothes and did the usual opshop run. I could hardly wait to get my hands on cute new autumn fashions.
Then the sun came out again. *Sigh*
The benefit of being a bit ahead of the season is that I’m already well into shopping for great new finds to supplement my autumn winter looks.
As you might imagine, I’m constantly on the lookout for cool vintage inspired cardigans and accessories to freshen up my wardrobe staples. You also know how much time that can take, wading through massive online shops to uncover a few knockout pieces.
Knowing that one of my favourite online stores often has such gems, I did the hard yards for you and put together this selection of my favorite vintage-inspired finds.
Check out these fun, inexpensive pieces to kick off your own autumn fashion fantasies!
Editor’s Picks: Autumn Knitwear
Top Row, Left to Right: Swallow Print Cardigan / Pointelle Cardigan
Bottom Row, Left to Right: Pussy Bow Knit Top / Dot Patterned Deer Cardigan
Editor’s Picks: Autumn Hats
Left to Right: Fedoras in various colourways / Beautiful veiled black hat / Rosette Beret
Editor’s Picks: Autumn Accessories
Top Row, Left to Right: French Bulldog bow band / Scissor hair clip
Bottom Row, Left to Right: Rhinestone Stars Headband / Classic Bow hairpin
Left to Right: Macaron Luggage Tag / Macaron Parasol Umbrella
These picks are just the tip of the iceberg, of course. Do yourself a favor and visit Yesstyle, but be forewarned: it’s a massive site, so have a cuppa or glass of savvy B on hand when you browse the virtual racks.
As you know, I only recommend products and services I believe in, trust and/or use myself. Clicking on the Yesstyle links in this post not only takes you to fantastic fashion, but you’ll also help support our blog and community. Happy shopping!
by Candice DeVille | Feb 25, 2016 | Beauty Advice & Tips, Hair
It finally happened: I agree with Kim Kardashian on something.
Believe me, I didn’t expect it either. But flipping through a beauty mag recently, I spotted an article declaring that washing your hair only once a week is now a thing — apparently because Kim said so.
Would it be rude to say, Welcome to the party? Or, Better late than never?
Let’s investigate this “new” trend and trace it back to the roots (sorry) …
A bit of hair washing history
Washing your hair with shampoo didn’t even arrive in the western world until 1898.
That’s when shampoo came to Britain from Colonial India, where the people of India had been making their own version of shampoo since the 1500s.
And before liquid shampoo was invented in the late 1920s, shampoo existed in bar form, like soap, and was marketed and seen as a health product, not a beauty one.
When the days of modern chemistry really kicked in, scientists developed a cheap and easy wash to suds up our hair, leaving it feeling soft and clean. Thus a goldmine was created.
The familiar trend of washing your hair more than once a week is also a relatively recent one, and one we’ve largely been conned into at that.
We’ve been brain washed by Mad Men
Imagine if you will, Don Draper and his team sitting in their office wondering how to get women to buy more shampoo. Eureka! Let’s tell them they not only need to wash their hair every day, but to rinse and repeat!
Thus we all fell for yet another marketing ploy.
The psychology of shampoo marketing is actually quite fascinating, as it focuses largely on our vanity and how “bad hair days” affect our emotional state.
A quick intro to keeping our hair healthy
As our body grows, changes and heals itself, it sheds debris from skin cells and excreted fats (ewwww, but yeah) known as sebum. This sebum waterproofs and moisturises our skin and hair. Our sebum glands are at the base of the hair follicle, all over our bodies, but with the highest concentration over our head and face.
Sebum is essential: without it, our hair and skin drys out and cracks. And when we wash our hair, we’re basically washing all this off.
Why do we do this? Because oily hair is limp and pretty unattractive. It can also smell.
But do we need to wash it everyday? The answer is no. In fact, by washing our hair more often than every five days or so, we’re perpetuating an unhealthy habit that wastes time and money and makes our hair less healthy.
Put down that shampoo bottle
Whenever you wash your hair, you remove the natural moisturisers. These need to be put back in with conditioners, serums and treatments.
Now, think of all the cash and time you’ll save if you kick the daily habit of washing and conditioning!
I know, those of you with oily hair might be thinking you couldn’t possibly go a day without washing your hair. But did you know that your oily hair is directly related to washing it on a daily basis? It’s true: the more frequently you wash your hair, the faster your body works to try and catch up and protect the hair by producing more sebum.
Of course, it takes time to retrain your scalp into producing less and less oil, so I’m not suggesting you simply stop washing your hair right away.
Finding the right solution for your hair
Ok, so what should you do? That truly comes down to personal preference and hair type.
Never washing your hair — which has also gained momentum as a trend in recent times — is asking for trouble in my opinion. The buildup of sebum can cause a flare up of acne of the face (even if you’ve never had it before) and scalp, bacterial infections, hair loss and thinning, and even weeping sores.
As a hairstylist, I’ve seen what this looks like first hand and believe me it’s not pretty.
For someone like me, who likes to set their hair and gets lots of volume and bounce, washing my hair every five-to-seven days is perfectly adequate and keeps my strands in very good condition. In general, this is a fine place to start for most people.
More hair care solutions to consider
Simply put, the more naturally you treat your hair, the better the results.
If you opt to shampoo and condition every five-to-seven days, choose hair care products that have no petro-chemicals. Not all of these are expensive. As consumers have become more savvy, more of these products have become available, and prices have gone down.
There are also natural solutions, such as using bi-carb soda or rice powder to dry shampoo the hair and absorb the excess oil. As someone with dark hair, I can say that this doesn’t work too well for me, but they’re both an excellent option for lighter hair shades.
Rinsing your hair with lemon juice can also improve the alkalinity of the scalp and hair, balancing the ph of the scalp and making the hair shine.
Shampoo products and recipes I recommend
I’m often asked about specific hair care products that I use and recommend. And while I preface my responses by noting that my hair likely differs from yours, there are a few options I feel confident in passing along.
For the best natural shampoos, I highly recommend shopping online with Nourished Life. My buddy Irene runs this incredible store in Sydney and she’s passionate about supplying the very best natural, organic and safe beauty products to help you look your best.
If you’re more of the DIY type, here are a few DIY shampoo recipes you might like:
DIY Lemon & Coconut Shampoo
3 Ingredient Honey Shampoo
Super Easy DIY Dry Shampoo
I’m often asked how women of the past century had so much spare time to do their hair. What many people don’t know is how infrequently they actually washed it. Many women had their hair set and styled only every week or two. The style was then simply altered or changed up a little for the next day.
When you think about it, taking a page from the vintage hairstyling playbook still makes all the sense in the world today: Washing your hair only once a week will keep you looking fabulous, make your hair much healthier in the long run, plus save you time and money.
Even a Kardashian could see that’s all win.
by Candice DeVille | Feb 23, 2016 | Home & Garden, Shopping
Yes, this post was inspired by felt doughnuts swooshing through my Facebook feed. You never know where or when inspiration will strike.
My good friend Chris Carroll at The Life Creative, who has brilliant taste and style, has just launched his new online store, The Life Creative Shop.
Filled with chic, simple and bold homewares, Chris has curated a collection of pieces that appeal to our sense of fun with a modern vintage vibe. (He’s even made decorating with Macrame stylish, which isn’t always easy.)
Lured by the felt doughnuts, when I popped by The Life Creative shop, I came down with a serious case of lust over the latest range. And here’s where it gets even better …
I asked Chris if he could provide Vintage Current readers with a special offer to celebrate his site launch. He very generously agreed — see details below!
A Few Favorites + Special Offer for My Readers
I could fill a virtual cart with the items I loved on the new site, but here are a few of my personal favorites to give you a sense of the style and range at Chris’ new shop.
Let’s start with this piece that is, to my mind, a must have for any home office, kitchen party or kitsch lovers abode.
Felted Doughnut Garland
It’s 2.5 meters long and comes in 5 different doughnut styles and colourways. *Drooling*
Flamingo Wall Hooks
These guys are made of hand painted birch plywood and can hold up to 10kgs!
Monstera Leaf Print Cushion
No retro home worth its salt should be without a Monstera Leaf motif. From midcentury to the late 1970s, these giant tropical leaves were a ubiquitous decorating choice.
Foxy Print
A good animal print never goes out of style. I particularly love this “Foxy” print because you can never have too many reminders that you are one!
These items should give you an idea of what’s in store, but there are heaps more to help you perfect that mix of classic vintage and modern style in your own home.
As I mentioned, Chris was kind enough to offer our Vintage Current email readers a special limited-time 15% off storewide discount code!
If you’re already subscribed to our email updates, you’ll see that code in this week’s issue. Please be on the lookout for it and let’s show Chris and his new store some love!
And if you’re not currently receiving our updates, we can fix that right away.
Subscribe today and you’ll get the 15% off bonus, plus a free copy of our popular “10 Minute Morning” style guide!
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