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Just a tiny part of the salt and pepper shakers display in our favourite collectibles shop in the 'hood!
Today is the first time that I've seen their whole shakers collection all together on one shelf because they've just moved from a tiny musty old shop (which I already miss!) to a more modern and clean unit a few doors down the same street with loads of room to display their wares in a more organised manner.
See that pair of squirrels in the middle? They are the reason I took the photo because I thought my pal Poochie might like them for her collection. Aren't they just so adorable?! And so different from all the other shakers that I've seen. So long and lithe instead of the usual short and squat.
Cat on a hot tin roof! There was another one before him, a skinnier white one with a red collar, but I was too slow whipping out the camera. Bah. The nice weather in Sydney today lured them out for a bit of sunbaking, I think!
See the lemons in the tree in the foreground? The people who are renting the house don't seem to harvest them beautiful fruits. And there are loads! What a waste, huh? If the tree is in our backyard, I'd be making copious amount of tasty cordial for lemonade, lemon curd, preserved lemon, lemon bars...lemon-everything! One day, I might just go knock on their door and offer homemade sweet treats in exchange for their lemons.
Sky writing! Wheeee! It's exciting to see such a Summer-y thing in Winter! Not so exciting is TBN TV. We Googled it. It's a Christian station.
And I've just made my first animated GIF thingamajig. So Johnny-come-lately, I know! Haha. Now that I know how easy they are to create (duh!), this blog might get GIF-bombed. Take cover! Wahahahahahahaha!
Winter Solstice, Doodle by Takeshi Murakami, 2011
Don't you love it when Google puts up cutesy shit above the search box to mark special days and occasions?!
These Takeshi Murakami characters (squeal! squeal!) made my day when I turned the 'puter on this morning! Wheeeee! The last one I really had fun with was the Les Paul fretboard earlier this month.
Emailing Ms Carpet yesterday about a photo I took of her last Friday when we were out and about made me realised that these days (well, since I started this blog), I make pictures of "pwetty things" more than of human beings. And I used to point my camera at all my pals all the time when I was living in Singapore seven years ago!
So, today, I thought I'd show you some pictures of girls in my neighbourhood. These were taken last Aussie Summer between December and January - the last time my camera's memory card was chockful of people - for the blog of a cute little independent boutique located in our neighbourhood that I was asked to ghost-write (a paid gig!) 20-something posts for. The boutique wanted Surry Hills-centric material - cute shops, good food, general going-ons - which was right up my alley because I love where we live. Street style-type shots were part of the deal too and these are some of the sweet and very obliging girls I accosted on our streets...
Alex, Brooke, Steph and Caley – I think they should form an all-girl band! They are all so stylistically-different as individuals yet when viewed as a whole, they are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that fit so well together.
Simone - I love her use of the colour blue as a common thread in her outfit.
Lisa - I saw her the moment she stepped out of a cab. Can't miss all that head-to-toe pink-ness! I said I love her super-bouncy dress and she told me about Electric Alice, her online store which stocks kawaii fashion and accessories from Japan.
Vanessa - I made her get off her bike because I loved the red bandanna in her curls! And then I noticed more accents of red in her earrings and her vest. Haha. She had just moved from her home in Italy to our 'hood.
Emily (on right) and friend - Her friend was visiting from the UK and they were on their way to the beach. What a kaleidoscopic sight, huh? Florals, batik, peacock print and Emily’s technicoloured Hmong embroidery bag…all in one frame!
Claudia - Another European "import" to Surry Hills! Claudia is French and was on her way to her first job interview (in retail, I think) in Sydney. If I was the boss, I'd hire her right away. She was just so sweet! And those eyes and that smile can sell me anything!
Megeara - How hot is Meg?! Flaming red hair + alabaster skin + endless legs! Most of us can only dream of pulling off that Emma Peel-like romper-suit-and-thigh-high-boots combo as well as she does. Everything that she's wearing is from her online store, Baby Likes To Pony, which I wrote about here.
Bianca - She was on her way to work at Grandma Takes A Trip one morning when I spotted her brilliant pillar-box red head of hair bobbing down the street. Can you tell that she loves cats from her vibrant lion's mane (freshly coloured the night before) and her "Jungle Kitty" dress? She told me she's got a Siamese kitten at home. One that sounds like a real baby when it meows.
There you have it. A one-off post with people (with heads on...haha!) instead of inanimate objects. The girls from my neighbourhood sure are a diverse lot, aren't they? The contrast in styles…the genres of fashion represented…the individuality of each girl…a choice seat in a Crown Street cafe sometimes beats the front row at Fashion Week.
And looking at these pictures have made me miss Summer. Boo.
I've been meaning to photography these kitty stickers on the wall of our local St Vinnie's for my cat-loving pals. Finally remembered to today probably because I didn't find any good secondhand shit to get all excited about. Haha.
So here you go, pals! The little white puffball is for you, G. And the stripey one with the slightly demented eyes (another one for our collection!) is for you, Ms Carpet.
My pink Connie-wonnies found a friend on the pavement yesterday!
On Friday, Ms Carpet and I did the first Chinatown version of our Bondi Bonanza bargain-hunting girly shopping expeditions. We had so much fun squealing in all the little Korean fast-fashion shops over cute shit (it's much more fun with Ms Carpet than my weekly visits with the boyfriend in tow) but it was at the chainstore discount outlets in Market City that our day peaked!
My colourful printy-patterny bargainous loot...
~ A patchwork print bustier from the sleepwear/"intimate apparel" range by Cotton On. The last time I bought a bustier was in the 80s! I had quite a good collection in different prints and fabrics - good for hot and humid Singapore. I don't know if this new one will be worn much (I bought it because I thought it was quite well-made with boning and all and was cheap and so colourful!) but if I do wear it one day, it'll be layered over something.
~ Stripey t-shirt. Also from Cotton On. I love how the stripes look like they've been drawn on and coloured in with magic markers!
~ Transparent neon pink (or should I say "fluoro pink", Skye? Tee hee hee) belt from Supre. My first purchase from the chainstore in years! I used to pop in for my fast-fashion quick fixes when I first moved to Sydney (suffering from Topshop withdrawal) but their stock stopped doing it for me ages ago.
~ Floral print maxi dress from Esprit. I don't think I've bought anything from them since I was a teenager when they were the place to go to for colour-blocking goodness. And hot male shop assistants! Haha. The dress is the bargain-of-the-day! In thick cotton, fully-lined, well-made and at a low low price of $20 (down from $150)!
I spent a grand total of $37.50 for everything! A whole outfit, really, if you think of it. I can wear the dress as a skirt (which I already do with my long dresses) with the stripey t-shirt over and then add the bustier belted at the waist...
A loopy clashy layered bag-lady Helena Bonham-Carter-style outfit. Helps that the colours on all the different prints and patterns are kind of complementary. Haha.
Ms Carpet spent slightly more - she bought the dress and the stripey t too (we love being twins!) + a few more stripey t's (including a hot neon/fluoro orange one!) and a skirt - but not much more and we think "Chinatown Cheapies" are going to be as regular a feature on our girly days-out as our "Bondi Bonanzas". Yeah!
Not too long ago, when the blogs and magazines proclaimed the Jil Sander S/S 11 Acetate Market Bag (and its various incarnations in silk-twill and leather) "The anti-It-bag bag!"..."Understated glamour!"..."A brilliant idea!"...la-dee-la-dee-dah..., I went "Bah".
I think it IS a brilliant idea (I love it when fashion makes a cheeky statement) but it's not new and I couldn't help feeling bah-some for the designers who were there first, with the same idea and the goods, years before the Jil Sander version bagged all the accolades. I hate it when good work is not recognised so here's credit to the lesser-known trailblazers (these are the only two that I know of...I'm sure there are more out there)...
Homespun
The swallow-print bag that you see above is one of many projects by Homespun, a Singaporean company owned by a pal of mine. Homespun helps young designers with big ideas and small production budgets find local makers/craftspeople with the right skills to transform those ideas into products. For an affordable price.
My bag is made from recycled tarpaulin adverting banner. Sewn by crafty old ladies residing in a retirement home, from patterns cut by patients in a mental health institution. It was given to me in late 2007/early 2008.
Slow and Steady Wins The Race
Slow and Steady Wins the Race is "a conceptual clothing and accessory line that reinterprets the classical everyday wardrobe. It is built on the belief that high design can be, and should be, accessible to all." If you have already clicked on the "cheeky statement" link a few paragraphs ago, you would know how much I love what Slow and Steady Wins The Race is all about and the few pieces from their collections that I'm lucky to own.
Image from here
So, their version of the plastic grocery bag is called the Bodega Bag. Available in black leather or chestnut lambskin.
I can't remember the exact year that it was released but I know it was waaaay before Jil Sander's because Poochie, my "personal shopper" in Singapore, saw it at a sale and called to ask if I wanted one. I said "no". As much as I love the idea behind the bag, I knew I won't get much use out of it (I didn't with the Homespun one) because I'm a bag-over-shoulder like-to-have-my-hands-free kind of girl (clutches don't count!).
So, there you have it. Those that came before. A round of applause, please, for these unsung heroes.
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Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing Raf Simons for not being original. I have always loved what he does. From his own menswear line to his collections for Jil Sander, there's always something new and exciting every season. And I have him (or do they have an accessories designer at Jil Sander?) to thank for this...
They came up with this brilliant idea of a belt/strap thing that can be attached to the handles of the Market Bag for it to be carried on the shoulder.
I've found a new use for my leather double cuffs! Which I wear as a dog collar sometimes as well. My Homespun bag will now hopefully get used more.
And I would have said "YES!" to Poochie to grab the Slow and Steady Bodega Bag if I had been as clever as the Jil Sander folks and thought of this earlier. I don't know why I didn't because I've seen old ladies at markets in Singapore attaching colourful raffia the same way on their plastic bags to make it easier for them to carry heavy grocery home.
Duh.
Grey Sweat Motorcycle Jacket - Sportsgirl, Stripey Thing - Remo, Schoolboy Shorts - Country Road, Boots - Palladium
Image from here
