American Indian

I may not be the best Wednesday Adams due to my natural tan, but people have mistaken me for being of Native American ancestry which I believe to be just a little bit cooler. What could be better than being adopted into such a wild and fascinating culture? There's feathered headdresses, suede with fringing and tassels, leather tooled bags as well as loose hanging shawls and cloaks in all manner of wonderful prints. So really, what's not to love? There's not so many of these pieces within Australia although there will be suede jackets with tassel fringing but in terms of finding say, the vibrant watercolour scarf of an Apache chief shown above. All the material you see there can be worn around your neck but I like the idea of wearing it as a cape and swooping around the house too or maybe a costume party with a homemade feather headdress and deep red lines on your cheeks.

I've seen quite a few vintage suede tassel jackets but I think this shawl type cape is one of the most extravagant; it's not everyday you see fringed suede down to your knees which started at your mid-arm so enjoy the sight while you still can. I happen to own the perfect pair of Aztec printed leggings to wear with such an ensemble and it goes well with novelty sweaters too.

The combination of embroidered triangles and sewn detail makes this one of the greatest cliche hipster coats I've seen in a while. I love the combination of the light beige and the tan brown together as well as the small diamonds on the middle seam. The structure is very loose and laid-back without toggles or buttons but I'm sure you could tie it off with a sash or belt if you so desired. I'm looking for a casual jacket/ coat/ kimono with vibrant colours and patterns to throw over the top of a plain black skirt as well as shirt, although I have never had to pick what I wear day-in and day-out I am determined not to dress in a boring manner for university and to minimise wearing the same or similar outfits twice.

I love the popularisation of leather bags into fashion again as well as the production of new leather bags with this tooled and etched effect. I don't own a bag such as this myself but I do enjoy scrolling through eBay listings as well as Etsy to find vintage treasure and all sorts of animals and motifs etched on the side. As much as I do admire the design and craftsmanship on these bags, at the moment I'm more or less drawn to the appeal of satchels in bright colours and the notion of mastering colour blocking.

I've never been invited to a costume party but I have been dying to have an excuse to dress-up as the American Indian Pocahontas and this large kimono with a versatile print of the land would be a stunning addition to any costume. Worn with suede tassel boots or perhaps moccasin and carrying around a toy raccoon and you'll be in business, oh, and a feathered headdress wouldn't hurt either. I like the chic look here and the detail on the low hanging sleeves but it's a very dramatic outfit and you are sure to earn a bit of attention for wearing it.

I wish there were more of these gorgeous vintage pieces featuring Native Americans in Australia! Luckily I have installed Paypal and am free to browse the wonderful world of Etsy which is full of dangerous and alluring vintage eye candy for me. The simple, light blue jeans with torn knees matches the main tableau of the jacket perfectly and the fringing around the edges isn't too over the top and the sleeves look cosy and roomy. At the moment I've already got my mind on pieces for layering and rugging up in Winter- I'm not sure how the heating at university will be but I will prepare for the worse and see how that pays off.

From the online store I sourced these photographs from, this is my second favourite bag and my favourite leather tooled bag showing exquisite three-dimensional detail of a man and a woman dancing. The detail on the woman's skirt, as well as the roses and vines are just beautiful- plus the small fur panel surrounding the circular leather panel reminds me a lot of Deadly Ponies bags I have lusted after.

I love the rust colour/ tan of this suede jacket but I'm so intimidated by the fringing down to the ankles of the model- without the heels I imagine the end tassels threatening to skim across the ground and wear off. It would be a tragedy to cut off the suede fringing as well and rob the piece of it's vintage appeal but I don't think, even on a good day, that I would have the confidence to proudly sport this jacket. Dancing around and twirling in the living room would be a joy though, so long as the suede doesn't whip at your bare legs when it finally stops.

Jeffrey Campbell Elegant Jewel

 

As a late Christmas present to myself I indulged in some suede black slippers as flats which are a little stiff at the moment but when I wear into them properly I am sure they will be wonderful. I could even make myself a fake pair of Jeffrey Campbell Elegant Jewel slippers by making a trip to the craft store and getting a reliable hot glue gun. Knowing me though I'd only muck it up and they are really lovely as they are... of course I only say that since I payed half price for them using a store discount but hey I have been looking for another pair of reliable black flats in suede. Hopefully I won't trash this pair by walking in the rain too much.

 

I love the use of colours as well as the sort of symmetrical pattern emerging from this birds' eye view- there's the symmetry of the colours used which of course means that you won't have two of the same coloured plastic gem in a row. That's very clever and I think important when doing something like this because it does make it seem a little more tidy and organised rather than just adding what gems where you feel like at the time. I'm even a little startled by the length of detail and the precise placing of each jewel, it is very eye-catching and colourful but in no way does it seem excessive or over the top. You've got to hand it to Mr Campbell, he really does know how to make a good pair of shoes.

 

What's attractive to me about the slipper style of flats is the way it exposes the top of the foot and leaves it showing any lovely hidden tattoos you may have collected during your life or in my case will let a little sunshine onto that patch of skin and leave it to tan. It seems like such a classic structure, looking a bit like someone else's slippers out of a war-time English special but the revival of such a structure is much welcomed by me and since I was able to buy my slippers of a similar structure for $15, well, it only makes me feel even more pleased.

I Dream of Rubi

My contract as a Christmas casual will be up in January so that means I only have a few days to decide what I'd like to get using my staff discount while I can use it... I am hopeful to be kept on but there are ten other Christmas casuals at my store alone and while two of them are hopeless I don't know whether I will be able to stay there. It has been a while since I had a look through the Rubi shoes online store and I was delighted with the range of shoes and accessories in a suede tone, for example the wine colour on these gorgeous ankle boots and there's also a matching envelope clutch to match it as well. The boots remind me of my child hood in which I'd stop around our garden helping my father out with odd jobs for a little bit of pocket money and the slick suede colour would look good with say, a leopard print cardigan, a black dress or something in pure white. 

They'd just be a nice touch for colour blocking especially with the matching clutch... although being super insecure it'd be wonderful if I could add on a gold chain to sling across my body. The stitching as well as the colour of this clutch is simply fantastic, and the metal clasp around the bottom lip of the envelope made it even more attractive. It's on my Boxing Day Sale hit list, I really do want to stock up on some fantastic things from Rubi while it's still cheap to me.

Another thing I've been searching for is plain black slippers to replace a lot of dead ballet flats and I can get away with wearing some minimalist and simple for say, job interviews and other functions where I must impress a crowd. Another reason I've been lusting after something like these is to try and add spikes and studs to them in a vague attempt to recreate loafers studded by brands such as Jeffrey Campbell or shoes by Christian Louboutin. Also there's the Charlotte Olympia ballet flats as worn by Alexa Chung with cat details that I've been really wanting to buy, but should I go cheap and get a few pairs of these instead? Oh, I only have so much money and have to come to some tough decisions lately.

Red shoes are often some of the more difficult to style with and can either be a great hit or a miss- red was my favourite colour all throughout Primary school and I do still have a soft spot for it but do I risk getting shoes that may not even be suited to a lot of outfits I want to create in the year? Even so, after I finish reffing all my basketball games it'd be nice to be able to change into a shoe like this and allow my feet to breathe for a bit, even if they do just soak up some unwanted sweat. A lot of the foot is exposed for these shoes so while they may not be suited to working it'd be nice to build up a little bit of a tan again and keep it while looking good. I may just get a whole heap of these suede loafer shoes in red, black and blue with the reasoning that I will not need to search for flats for a while and I will be able to relax and take it easy as far as shoe hunting is concerned.

The suede ankle boots have a pixie toe finish at the top and match the gorgeous wine coloured envelope clutch I now have my heart set on. The problem with the 21st century is that even without going to the shops and outside I know what I want to buy... no where is safe these days and my wallet will be sure to hurt within the next few days.