Miss Fisher’s Style Secrets Can Now Be Yours

Miss Fisher’s Style Secrets Can Now Be Yours

Brought to you by Nuffnang, The National Trust & Miss Fisher Collection

Miss Fishers Accessory CollectionStepping into the sultry, glamorous world of lady detective Phryne Fisher has just become one step closer to reality.

Phryne’s own award winning costume designer Marion Boyce has just announced the release of an exclusive, limited edition line of Miss Fisher accessories to charm and delight.

“Golden hour” was the perfect time to visit Marion at the historical Labassa Mansion, the stately home where episode 6 of the latest series 3 was filmed.

Labassa Mansion

Including scarves, wraps, handbags and jewellery, each piece in this range has been lovingly created to exceptional quality standards.

The collection was designed to reflect Miss Fisher’s sense of irreverent elegance, taking cues from the colour palette and luxury of her 1920’s look rather than being overtly art deco influenced.Miss Fishers costumes

“These [fashion] pieces are all made in Melbourne, by the same team I use to make Phryne’s costumes.

Finding the fabrics was one of my greatest challenges, as in Australia it is just very limited, so I need to go back to one of my favourite places – the Shanghai fabric markets. I’ve been collecting trim for months and months.. it is all hand sewn.”

Cloth is very much a part of Phryne’s style, I use cloth as a character for her. She has this quite volcanic nature so fabric needs to announce itself into the room with Phryne. I’ve tried to incorporate that, fabrics with beautiful sounds.”

The jewellery collection, sourced from around the world, is all hand made in sterling silver with touches of marcasite, green agate and freshwater pearls.

 

These are timeless pieces that can be worn in a classic or cutting edge modern way. What we like to call Future Vintage – pieces you’ll keep forever.

There is a distinct hallmark of quality in all of these pieces evidenced by the drape, the weight and the finish. The shawls swing with purpose, hems weighted with superb trims. There is no “nasty Nylon” in this range.

“All of these pieces can transform what you’re wearing very simply. I wanted them to be devices so that if you need to dress up quite quickly for dinner, you can just have simple black dress or little top, then wrap yourself in this…. It has a great silhouette. You don’t need 65 new pieces of clothing, just one beautiful piece that can completely transform and make you feel a million dollars.”

It is no overstatement to say that with a few pieces of simple black in your wardrobe, this collection could enhance their beauty and purpose to an entirely luxurious ensemble. They make the concept of keeping a minimal wardrobe with exceptional accessories incredibly appealing.

Regardless of age or your existing closet, there is something in this range to suit every taste, from the extravagant to the understated.

The Miss Fisher Collection is available online now (yes, with international shipping) just in time for Mother’s Day. The range is also available in the National Trust retail stores as part of the travelling Miss Fisher’s costume exhibition.

For even more Miss Fisher glamour to add to your look, check out our Phyrne inspired 1920s hair and makeup tutorial!

July Winter Styling Workshops

July Winter Styling Workshops

A VERY BEAUTIFUL DAY copy

Invest in yourself!

Over the last six months you’ve been sending me your considered feedback on what you’d like to learn, helping you make each day more stylish, more affordable and faster to achieve. You’ve told me about how little time you have for yourself each day, how when a special occasion comes around your excited, but not sure how to pull it off. You’ve told me that you want to shop smarter, use your wardrobe better and create impressive hairstyles with the flick of a wrist. I listened, and together you and I have put together the outline for our brand new workshop series!

July 25th in Doncaster, Melbourne will be your opportunity to join us for this experience. Our workshops are like nothing you’ve done before, we make hands on, lasting knowledge the foundation of our sessions. Sure it’s a fun day out, but this is serious stuff.

Think about how much do you usually spend at the salon every month? Around $150-300 if you’re like the average Australian woman. Styling your hair and wardrobe can be expensive, time consuming and intimidating. It doesn’t have to be that way!

I know from your feedback that most women would love to manage their own styling, both hair and fashion, but don’t know where to turn for trustworthy and affordable styling advice in a real and effective sense. And that’s exactly why we developed these brand-new styling workshops; with input from our top styling clients of all ages.

For a game-changing day of style and glamour training, we invite you to join us at our newest workshops …

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Vintage House and Garden

Vintage House and Garden

Glory Days Cover candice deville

It is with absolute joy that I can share with you so very exciting news. I’m a covergirl for Glory Days magazine! Based out of New Zealand, Glory Days is a wonderful publication covering all manner of lifestyle and beauty features for vintage lovers of all eras.

I was first turned onto them around twelve months ago and was seriously impressed. It seems that there are quite a few vintage and pin up mags popping up these days, but few have the quality and depth of articles as Glory Days. This isn’t just a publication with a bunch of pretty pictures, but contains all sorts of inspiring lifestyle ideas and accessible resources.

I so enjoyed being interviewed by Natasha. Our mutual passion for vintage and business came together in a long conversation I didn’t want to end. We spoke for hours about life as business owners and vintage lovers, which leads me to my next exciting announcement; I’ve now been invited to become a regular columnist for Glory Days and head across to New Zealand on tour!! Boy did we kick off winter with a bang!

Glory days on standsGlory Days in store

Images via Glory Days Facebook page because I’m a bit excited!

It never ceases to amaze me how this blog has changed my life and my ability to take ideas and morph them into something new. This year, my Year of Living Bravely, is only six months in and already the seismic shifts in my direction have been astounding.

Last month I emailed you to find out more about what you love, what you want to learn and what’s holding you back from achieving your dreams. Your heartfelt responses have been overwhelming, so much so that I’m still in response mode. I knew I wanted to take Vintage Current in a slightly different direction, one that was more focused on you and less on my day to day. The challenges you face, be they style, business or personal, are not at all dissimilar from those I’ve had to master. So I want you to get more. More than just outfit inspiration, more than just a lovely read, I want to give you the keys to the kingdom. All we need is your permission to deliver them to your inbox.

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You can order this issue here and check out the Glory Days Facebook Page for daily updates.

A Cozy Winter Outfit Idea

A Cozy Winter Outfit Idea

ava gardner in winter suit 1940

It has been a long time since I was last excited by the thought of an impending winter. Over the last few years I have been travelling through the most of those months and have missed out on those deep grey and rainy days.

Since being in Philly and getting a rough idea of what winter is like here (to say nothing of Chicago), I feel for you my American readers. The early spring days were cold enough for me, colder even than most of the Melbourne winters I’ve ever seen. The stories of snow so thick you have to stay indoors for days, that towns almost shut down as people struggle to go about their business. Rugged up in my thick winter puffer coat, furry collar and gloves, I was still so chilled by the wind that it gave me a headache. Putting winter into perspective has given me a whole new wave of inspiration and, as I think about all the lovely things I have in storage, I’ve started planning what I’d like to wear in these coming months.

With only a few days before I’m back on a plane to Australia, my friends at home tell me I had better be prepared for the cold grey days. And I remember, that being prepared, having a plan for go to outfits on those “freezing” days when you simply don’t want to get dressed, is the best way to get through those grey days with a smile on my face.

Oddly, I find that each season has a certain era to it in my mind. Spring and Summer are all 1950’s and 60’s, Autumn is more 1930’s, and Winter seems very 1940’s to me. I imagine that this is because there are certain iconic pieces from each era that work so well for those seasons. The 50s floral day dresses and 60s shifts, 1930s wide leg pants and jaunty knit tops, and those stunning 1940s waisted suits.

While I love, and have quite a collection of those suits, they really aren’t the most comfortable or practical option for someone who spends most of their time working from home. I also draw a very big line at working in my pyjamas or anything resembling a tracksuit, yet the appeal of soft warmth on those days is quite intoxicating. It has given me an idea.

What if, just maybe, I could find a way to work some nifty pants in a soft, track pant like fabric (gasp!) into my 30s and 40s inspired wardrobe?

I have so many patterns, I have my sewing machines and I have a very creative way of piecing things together. Why not? I know I won’t wear leggings or yoga pant styles, and as much as I loved jodhpurs, my hips don’t. What if I can find just the right kind of fabric in navy, black and chocolate brown, then perhaps I may be able to make something so versatile and comfortable it could be the vintage lovers alternative to the jegging?

Perhaps I have gone completely mad, but my instincts tell me I may be onto something.

So I’ve been poking around to find the right inspiration for patterns and ensembles. Looks that are appropriately polished enough, yet will still work with these sort of stealth slacks.

1940s-pants-winter

Of course the success to this idea (other than the construction) will be all in how they are styled. Here’s what I’m imagining.

winter outfit ideas vintage

Toasty chocolates and camel wools. Tan leathers and knitted berets, all ready for adventure.

winter outfit ideas vintage

Rich berries, tone on tone with soft and cozy wide leg pants. A belted vintage blazer with a strong shoulder line to dress it up.

Winter outfit ideas vintage

A simple boucle knit with the same wide leg pants makes lounging around a pleasure. Add a fabulous cape, turban and these incredible gloves to head out for a spectacular evening.

I’d love to hear from my fellow sewers as to what you think of this idea. I’ve worked in all kinds of fabric, including fleece for blankets, but I’ve never tried to create something more structured from this fabric. Have you done anything like this? Have I gone completely mad?

Daily Outfit – Vintage Pake Muu

Daily Outfit – Vintage Pake Muu

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

My treasured vintage Pake Muu

Inside my vintage clothing collection there are a few prized possessions; this is one. This dress is an original 1940’s Pake Muu, designed for elegant holiday lounging. It is a cotton dress with a long zip up the back and is extremely fitted with no stretch. Sadly, this is the last time I wore it , as it is as the seams have become to old and fragile, the fabric is now tearing beyond repair. This illustrates one of the key reasons I buy such pieces in the first place; they are so beautiful that if I can own them and make patterns from them, then they can live on for many more years.

As a hostess dress, this is one of the most flattering and comfortable garments in my wardrobe. It has a simple elegance not seen in this century, the kind I always long for. Many of these original dresses can be seen for upwards of $300 online, but in my opinion, if you are a keen sewer and like to work from the detail of an original piece, they are a great investment.

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

1940s Vintage Pake Muu

 

Outfit Details

Original 1940s Pake Muu via Etsy

Yellow bakelite bangle

Leopard print Tiki heels – Pinup Couture

Lips- MAC Russian Red

Shot on location at – Porter Davis World of Stye Bali Room