Sunday, June 26, 2016

EPITOME OF FLAIR - SIMONE DeYONG



Who are you?
Simmi De Luxe A.K.A Simone de Yong.

I like to design and create retro and kitsch inspired clothing, but I definitely didn't start out on this path.
Years ago I ran a home cupcake business in Mackay North QLD where I met an amazing woman named Anna (of Anna Dutton Couture) when she made my first custom designed 'Housewife' dress to wear to an audition and that dress literally changed my life!
I'd just had baby #4 and still had 10kg of baby weight to lose but instead of feeling frumpy I felt fabulous! The dress was made perfectly for my shape so I didn't feel a need to hide my curves, in fact they made the dress look better!
When hubby and I relocated to the Scenic Rim, north of the Gold Coast, I began sewing so I could keep growing my wardrobe. I'd learnt to use a sewing machine when I was 6, and even though I was making work wear and dance costumes by 16, it had been 20 years since I'd last made a garment so I pretty much had to relearn the craft. There was a lot of unpicking going on!
Anna quickly became my gal pal (because you don't let girls like that get away!) and introduced me to vintage repro fashion and I've been a convert ever since.
We'd built our new home in the Scenic Rim with a second kitchen so I could carry on my cupcake business but as fate would have it I became chronically ill, so plans had to change. Being sick gave me a lot more sewing time and I'd often post my garments on Facebook and Instagram, I then started getting messages from ladies asking me if they could order items from me and I realised I had a knack for this sewing thing!




Describe your fashion style.
🗣 It’s a mash up of rockabilly, kitsch and late 1950’s vintage repro…
I love the shape of clothing in the late 1950’s so I lean towards that area and combine it with my love of bright colour and patterns and then splash it up with bits and pieces that reflect parts of my personality, for example a recent dirndl skirt I made had sarcastic housewife images printed all over it yet it looked so sweet ha ha ha!



Who is your favourite style icon & why?
🗣 I don’t know that I have one? I make my own clothes and wear what I think looks good on me so I don’t really look to style icons, but I applaud anyone who has their own obvious style and confidently wears it without caring what others think.


Name your 5 essential fashion pieces
1. Properly fitted under garments- underwear lines and sad boobs can ruin the best of outfits in a second!
2. Mid or low black heels- as soon as you throw on a pair of heels you instantly lift an outfit, so a pair of low or mid heels in black are a good go-to pair of shoes for those days you don’t feel like wearing heels but still want to look your best.
3. Well groomed eyebrows- I attended a makeup course when I worked in a salon and the first thing I was taught was that well defined eyebrows will take any makeup to the next level, over 20 years later and makeup trends have changed dramatically but that one piece of advice still applies even today.
4. Midi skirt- every time I need a new outfit, a pick me up or just see a fabric that I like then I whip up a new midi skirt (circle or dirndl) and I have an instant new outfit!
5. Confidence - it's not really a fashion piece as such but a woman who owns herself and wears her self confidence with pride gives off an air of awe that no item of clothing can offer. And I'm not talking about loud extroverted confidence that's sometimes worn like a bad fake tan, I mean the real "I'm not perfect but I like the person I am " confidence, that's the best bling for any outfit.




Do you have a special prized fashion piece in your wardrobe?

I have two!
My beautiful champagne satin wedding gown is my most loved piece, it was a simple and cheap formal dress that I had altered into a unique vintage styled gown reminiscent of the 1940’s. My wedding day was at the beginning of the 2010/11 Brisbane floods and even though we were flooded in and my hair and makeup were ruined, that dress was amazing!


The other prized piece is actually a costume that I made for my entry into Garterbelts and Gasoline Pinup Contest in 2014, it was my first time creating a costume and I made it from scrap fabric that I had in only 5 days as I was moving house at the time, I am so proud of it and even though I’ve no where to be able to wear it again I just can’t let it go.



What is something surprising about you?

I have a wall in my house dedicated to Hot Wheels cars that my hubby and I collect, all in their packages and in pristine condition.



Do you have a favourite sewing pattern? What is it?

Kind of. My go to sewing pattern is a dirndl skirt which most sewing enthusiasts know doesn’t have a sewing pattern rather its just one of those garments you make off the cuff. I love the way dirndl skirts sit on my figure and since I can whip one up in an hour or two I have a closet full of them!





Sunday, June 19, 2016

EPITOME OF FLAIR - Nada Bos


Who are you?
My name is Nada Bos and I am owner of Something Else Clothing.
I create 1940s and 1950s style ladies clothing.

I started my own label after my 40th birthday. I always use to sew a bit here & there, but nothing serious. When I got back from a 6 week trip away from the USA, I just knew I had to get back in touch with my love of clothing from the 40s & 50s. I thought if I don't start being true to myself now, when will I be and I didn't want to get too old to enjoy all this stuff. I started sewing bit by bit & realised I was actually better at sewing than I thought I was. Maybe it was my perfectionism...when I started I sometimes made say 10 of the same item and every time I made the next one, I would look at how to improve the finish & my sewing.
My claim to fame is that I french seam all my clothing and ensure the inside of the garment is as (or almost) as lovely as the outside. Where I cannot french seam, I use satin ribbon or fully line the clothing.
And also that I make 1940s made to measure swing pants.
I also work full time in a day job, so the clothing I make is for the love of it & pays for my fabric habit.


Describe your fashion style

My fashion style is a mix between 40s & 50s, depending where I am going or what I doing. But I do love to wear a beautiful dress. Feel a million dollars, wearing a stunning dress.


Who is your favourite style icon & why?

All the women in the 40s & 50s movies. I don't have just one, I loved them all. I grew up from a very young age watching movies from those eras and dreamed of one day being able to wear clothing like that. Little did I know that I was going to be creating beautiful clothing like that one day and getting to wearing them. I thought I would have to be an actress to wear clothing like that, but no,
I just had to know Vintage Gals that loved to dress up, go out and have fun.



Name your 5 essential fashion pieces

1. Pencil Skirts (the first item I learn to make at the age of 9 years old)
2. All my 1940s & 1950s Dresses (I made like about 9 in about 3 weeks, before I went to New York a few years back) I wear them practically everyday to work in warmer days.
3. Vintage Cardigans (loveeee cashmare & wool beaded cardigans. I have maybe 20 and love all of them)
5. My Accessories (pearls worn around my neck, lovely earrings, maybe a broach on the jacket or cardigan if it is plain & one or two rings on my fingers. oooo shoes and a lovely bag. Are shoes & bag accessories ??? Love beautiful shoes & bags.)
4. Vintage Fur lined collar coat (love a coat with a bit of old fur around the collar - very glam !)

Do you have a special prized fashion piece in your wardrobe?

My Hawaiian Dresses. I am a collector of Hawaiian Fabrics and make a new Hawaiian dress every summer. I am always looking for special Hawaiian fabrics (that no one else might have).



What is something surprising about you?

* I love Japanese/Chinese sword fighting movies (loved Croaching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
* I can't spell and have made a living out of it by using simple words (I am a Technical Writer/Trainer by day)
* I love nuroscience and reading about how the brain/mind works.
* I love food, or maybe people know that about me already hehehe



Do you have a favourite sewing pattern? What is it?

Anything that has a few pieces as possible in it. If I find a pattern I really like, I make several dresses out of it and put a pencil skirt, semi circle skirt and any other skirt style that might be different on the bottom and then I look to see how I can change the top and make several different styles from that too. I mix and match. There is 5 new outfits.......


Monday, June 13, 2016

EPITOME OF FLAIR - Sheree Finney aka Sherry Knee


Who are you?
My name is Sherry.
I have no shop, and no claim to fame, aside from being the friend of some amazing, spectacular women.
Describe your fashion style
Eclectic.
I pinch a bit from here and a bit from there. Of course vintage, but not exclusively.
I wear boots and jeans and western shirts to work most days, but will rock a good frock on "casual Friday" (which i know as "Frock up Friday")



Who is your favourite style icon & why?
I hope I can say a few....
The spectacular Clara Bow. Her hair, her clothes, her cheeky nature, her gorgeous husband, her famous 'bow' lips. The most celebrated woman of the silent film era. She was so effortlessly cool. (And i am sure the effortlessness was in fact intentional and time intensive)

Modern day style icon would probably have to be Diane Keaton.
The woman has always danced to the beat of her own drum.
She is stylish (her staple being huge skirts with masculine shirts) she is her own self, and unapologetic about aging. I LOVE that!

In my own life, my real life style icon is Billie.
Because, well... Billie. She is a dream boat!
I love her for some of the same reasons i love the above 2 women.
Effortlessly chic, beautiful inside and out, and comfortable being herself.

Me, as Tesla's pigeon, with my real life idol Billie

Name your 5 essential fashion pieces
1) Good foundation wear. Investing in era appropriate undergarments makes your outerwear look so much better.

2) Eyebrow pencil. Although not technically a 'fashion' piece, I can't be without mine. (If only I could go back and tell my 20 year old self how important the right eyebrow is)


3) A distinct evening dress. Not necessarily a gown, but something that is not totes OTT, but still glamorous.


4) BROOCHES. I LOVE brooches. I am pretty sure i don't need to elaborate about them.... oh okay i will. I have cheap nasty ones, I have ornate vintage ones, I have ones that my kids have made, I have giant ones fashioned from fake grapes, i have replica Norse/Viking oval apron brooches, leather, clay, resin, dogs, cats, owls, stars, otters, captain america shields.... I should stop now.


5) Hats. Function and fashion! From giant floppy straw hats, to felt cloche hats, and tilt hats. They just finish off any look. (I am waiting for the day to return, when I can wear a hat and matching gloves without the general public thinking i have been inflicted with moonstruck madness)



Do you have a special prized fashion piece in your wardrobe?
I do! I have 2 things that i love so much.
First up is "Roberta" she is a dress from the Fred and Ginger movie of the same name.
A gorgeous black and white gown.
Made for a woman much taller than myself... but i love her none the less.
AND
For Christmas 2014 my husband gave me a pair of shoes that are genuine 1943 green suede wedges.
They came on the original box, with the original tissue paper intact.
Never worn, and i am working myself up to being okay with wearing them out of the house.


The "Roberta" Dress

What is something surprising about you?

I lived and worked in the Qld Outback for 11 years. Most people are shocked to learn that.



Sunday, June 5, 2016

EPITOME OF FLAIR - EVELYN WOOD


Who are you?

My name is Evelyn Wood I am a vintage fashion re-designer!
I create glamourous, authentic vintage reproduction s from the 30’s 40’s and 50’s and I sell them through my online store, which I like to all my Vintage Fashion House!
Describe your fashion style
I would have to describe my fashion style as an eclectic mix of different eras!
I don’t stick to just one look really, sometimes it is 20’s other days 40’s.
I dress for my mood and like to recreate the image I have in my head. I mix real vintage with reproductions and refashioned op shop finds.
I like to be over the top and completing my look with many accessories! I am a hat wearer and lover of turbans!
I wear my good things every day, nothing is saved only for special occasions in my wardrobe!



Who is your favourite style icon & why?

One of my favourite style icons has always been Marlene Dietrich.

I remember looking at beautiful black and white images of her when I was just a teenager and admiring all the glitz and glamour she extruded, and obviously all the fur that she seemed to surround herself with!
I love the look she had of the 30’s and 40’s,
I love she dressed for herself and didn’t concern herself with what others thought yet was all about the image!


Name your 5 essential fashion pieces

Stockings
Tilt hat
Red Lipstick
Vintage rayon crepe dress
And fabulous sunglasses



Do you have a special prized fashion piece in your wardrobe?

Currently I think my most cherished item is a stunning 1930’s green floor length evening gown.

I found it in the remnants section of a country op shop (about to be used as an oil rag I’m sure!) for just $1!!
It only needed a little repair to the velvet trim on the neck line and it fits me perfectly! It is just so beautiful and I love rescuing fashion items from a premature death!
This dress is both beautiful and has a beautiful story!

What is something surprising about you?

I didn’t wear pants on any kind for about 6 years!

I am now getting into 20’s and 30’s style pants which I just love, but before that I took a pant hiatus as they just didn’t interest me at all!

Do you have a favourite sewing pattern? What is it?

I couldn’t possible pick just one pattern!!

But my favourite patterns are the ones that come with the Home Journal magazines.
They were some of the first vintage patterns I used and really like getting a free magazine with it! I just love that sewing was once a life skill everyone had and that there was just so much assumed knowledge,
I had trained in fashion, and the first time I used one of these patterns it still took me a while to work out what to do with it!