by Candice DeVille | May 11, 2014 | daily outfit, Events
Last night was a Mother’s Day night out treat for my Mum and I. We headed into the city early for some delicious Pho and green tea ice cream before the rest of of evening spectacular began, and it certainly was spectacular!
I wish you could have all been with me at the Regent theatre last night to see the pure perfection that was the Australian production of Wicked. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a show so thoroughly that I was already planning my next visit before the curtain had fallen.
I’d heard all the songs, and had a little idea about the story, but I’d decided not to really research the show before seeing it so I could be properly enthralled. If I could describe this show to you in a nutshell, it is this;
Wicked is like the best of Harry Potter meets Legally Blonde, all wrapped up in the delicious bright Disney style of musicality. The short of show from which Fandoms are made.
I wanted every costume, every sparkle and to sing every song with the intensity of the day when you feel you are truly winning. It is sharp, witty and perfectly executed by each and every actor. In this age of technology, it is so easy to forget the intricacies of live theatre; the pressure on every member, seen and unseen, to get it just right. The occasional glimpse of the conductors head bobbing in the orchestra pit, reminds you that what your seeing is living art, and I can’t wait to bring both of my girls into this thrilling picture!
Although the theme for this “green carpet” event was indeed, green; I opted instead for something warm and autumnal that could handle a wet city street. My fabulous long, sweeping skirt is an old Ralph Lauren favourite that has been in my wardrobe earning it’s keep for almost ten years, and still going strong.
Outfit Details
Red and black plaid woollen skirt – Ralph Lauren
Jewellery – Lovisa 1960’s styled collection
Cashmere shrug – Op shop find
Black top – Luca and Marc
Evening bag – Black velveteen 1950’s vintage
Shoes – J Maskrey for Melissa collection
Lips – MAC Russian Red
If you fancy enjoying Wicked in Oz for yourself, I have an exclusive pre sale code for you here, available only until Midnight tonight, so hurry!
by Candice DeVille | May 8, 2014 | 1950, daily outfit, Shopping, Uncategorized
It may be Autumn in Melbourne already, but we are lucky to sneak in a few lovely days here and there. Provided you bring a cardi, you can enjoy a bit of a brunch in the sun.
The fabulous ladies at Trashy Diva, who I met while last in New Orleans, kindly sent me this wonderful polka dot version of my favourite Trixie Dress the other day. It’s rare that I go down the polka dot vintage dress road, but for Trixie my wardrobe door is always open. This is without a doubt, my absolute favourite dress block in the range they make. I have it in about seven different prints and fabrics, and that still isn’t enough!
The halter neck and shirred sides make it easily adjustable and very forgiving if you don’t fit a ‘perfect’ size. The folded style bust line is super flattering both on larger and smaller busts. In fact I can comfortably say, that if I were only allowed to have one dress style in my wardrobe, this would be it!
The Trixie Dress in Polka Dot and cropped green cardigan from Trashy Diva.
(this is the inadvertent “oops, my head piece is sliding out” pose)
I’m planning on packing all my Trixie dresses for an upcoming tropical jaunt, as not only do they look the business, but they hardly weigh a thing and fold up tiny. This means lots of extra room for all the shopping I plan on doing. And speaking of shopping, if you fancy adding this gorgeous dress or any other of the multitude of spectacular treats from Trashy Diva to your wardrobe, I have a special discount code for you!
Simply enter the code: Kawaii10 in the checkout to get 10% off any orders until the end of May.
Pour yourself a cup of tea and have a little look around their store. Let the love affair begin!
Outfit Details
Dress – Big Polka in ‘Trixie’ by Trashy Diva
Cardigan – from Trashy Diva
Bangles – Op Shop find
Fruity head piece – A DIY project of mine
Shoes – Vivienne Westwood for Melissa “Lady Cherry”
Lips – MAC Russian Red
by Candice DeVille | Oct 7, 2013 | Beauty Advice & Tips, Hair, watch me
Creating vintage hairstyles with naturally curly hair is easier than you think.
I’m always surprised when I have clients with naturally curly hair, that they have so little idea what to do with it. Then I remind myself; I used to have hair like this when I was younger and had just as much frustration. I would iron it, gel it, slick it and go to bed wearing a hat, all in the hopes of waking up with perfect locks. It wasn’t until I began to learn the secrets of vintage hair styling that I realised just how lucky I was to have naturally curly hair!
In today’s episode of Ask The Editor, we look at a viewers question in regard to vintage hairstyling for naturally curly hair.
Everyone has varying opinions on this topic, but in my experience with hundreds of clients over the years, I can comfortably say that yes, there are simple and fast ways to create vintage hairstyles with naturally curly hair.
If you have curly hair and can add some of your own feedback for us, please join the conversation!
Over the week I’ve also had a bunch of questions about the scarf I use when setting my hair, so I’ve also included some simple to follow instructions on the DIY headscarf you saw me wearing here- Middy Haircut and Setting tutorial.
Making your own scarves is very simple and rewarding. It’s a very quick and inexpensive way to change up an outfit and hide a multitude of hair sins.
If you have more tips for Mona D on how to wear her curly hair in a vintage style, make sure to add your comments to the video where everyone can see them.
by Candice DeVille | Oct 1, 2013 | 1940, 1950, 1960, Hair, Tutorials-Video, watch me
There is so much talk on the vintage pages of the internet about “what is the perfect hair cut for vintage“? While there is no single answer, given we all have preferences for different eras, different hair types and different lifestyles; the most often recommended style is The Middy Cut. There are original cutting diagrams floating around of these, and so many of you will have already taken these to your hairdressers, often with disappointing results. You can read more in last week’s post about my new 1950’s Middy hair cut here.
In the wake of showing you those photos and telling my story, I’ve received a flood of messages from ladies wanting to get the same hair cut. I have sent my hairdressers details to a number of you in Melbourne, but it must come with a word of warning. This is NOT a wash and wear hair cut. You must be committed to styling it every day. This isn’t necessarily time consuming, but you need to have the skills to do it. In fact, it takes me about ten minutes each evening to roll this up, then about five or less in the morning to style it. And so, today’s tutorial is designed to help set you on the right path and show you how I style my Middy Cut with a simple pin curl set.
This set is all rolled in a downwards direction from the centre part and takes about 2-3 hours to set, or even better, can be done over night. The key to this style is knowing how to do a good comb out. You’ll see how with the same pin curl set I’ve achieved quite a variety of looks, from the soft and sexy, to the sleek and classic.
Please feel free to ask me comments on the video (so everyone can benefit from seeing the answers there) and make sure to share this tutorial as it is one of the keys to success in understanding why Middy Cuts and vintage styling isn’t just a one step solution.
by Candice DeVille | Sep 16, 2013 | 1940, 1950, CDV Vintage Salon, daily outfit, Hair
Since 1997 I have been trying to get this hair cut. Like many of you I have all kinds of pictures, illustrations and even original cutting diagrams. So the questions is, after such a very long time, why have I never been able to get this cut to happen correctly?
Although I’ve had some fabulous hairdressers over the years, I now understand what the difference is. It is all in the training. The modern hairdressing schools teach a very different style of cutting than was taught in years past. There is a myth out there that hairdressers all know how to do the same thing, and nothing could be farther from the truth. They all have different skills and different specialties.
For instance, the hair styling that I provide in my Melbourne based Vintage Hair and Makeup company, is far more complex and time consuming than what most hairdressers have ever tackled. It it what I live and breath, as well as requiring a very different skill set than those skilled colourists for instance. But I don’t cut, I don’t colour.
Last week I was recommended to a career hairdresser (Maggie Timms) who has had over 40 years experience and was taught the Vidal Sasson way of precision cutting. She has an excellent understanding of the finished styling I want to achieve, and although this cut isn’t asked for by her day to day client, the core requirement of specialty precision cutting remains. In no time at all, (and without any diagrams needed), she snipped away and created my 6inch middy hair cut.
It is perfection.
Although my regular colourist is also an excellent cutter, the difference between the close approximation of a 1940s or 1950s style hair cut I usually sport and this new cut, has made an incomparable difference. How can I tell? This cut looks perfect set or unset, it brushes out into so many different styles with the one set, and it has cut my rolling time by more than half.
In a nutshell, if you’re looking for the key to a successful Middy Cut, it isn’t in bringing pictures and diagrams, but in finding a long term hairdresser experienced in precision cutting.
What do you think?
What are the biggest problems you have when trying to explain your hair cut requests?
