The Colour of Summer

2011...a New Year...and if I can gauge by the pages of my favourite glossies, the stage is set for some fabulous trends in fashion. The Dolls have had a little hiatus...just enough time to relax, take a deep breath and prepare ourselves for a big year....and now we are just itching to get right back into the swing of things. We are hoping to bring our fans some of the best on-trend pieces - all ONE-OFFS, of course, and totally unique! Our new range, 'The Colour of Summer' will be available in just a few short weeks and we are just a teeny bit excited, to say the least. So, while we busy ourselves with the final preparations, we leave you with a few images...the postcard for our new collection and the inspiration behind it....and do keep an eye out for our 'sneak peek'... up in the next few days. Enjoy....
The Dolls x

That 70's....style!

Platform shoes and flared jeans. Flowing shirts and floppy hats. Lace and beads. Jumpsuits and tassles. The iconic fashion of the 70s has come full circle...it's everywhere you look. Here are some images of that classic style that celebrated soft, feminine lines revisited for 10/11. 

Sonia Rykiel Resort 2011

Disco glamour

Have a fierce fashionista for a mum who has held on to her goodies from the era?...you have a wardrobe to raid...go...right now!!! Otherwise...you might want to find a good Vintage Clothing dealer...wink, wink, nudge, nudge :) 

What 70s look wouldn't be complete without the cork platforms? These and much more...shop the closet at Vintage Doll now... Vintage Doll - Shop The Closet


Bri C
xoxo

Fearless Fashionistas

Word is that lilac hair is making a show this spring. Lilac hair!!! Really? I must say, if it was as easy as putting a rinse through my locks to achieve the seasons hot look, I could seriously save myself considerable time and money. But I'm not sure I will be reaching for the semi-permanant just yet... Let's just see if the look does indeed take off, and if it does, then who can truly pull it off. Kelly O has made a nice attempt at lilac tresses in the past... So too has Pixie Geldolf. But, these gals are truly fearless when it comes to style... Not sure if us mere mortals can rock it without looking like...well.... you know.... a granny.....

 Fearless fashionistas....they are to be truly admired. They are the leaders that will take an obscure fad into mainstream fashion. History is littered with them.

This pictorial looks at some of the ideas that, once considered ridiculous, somehow, took hold in our hearts. The early years gave us some of the more poignant fads and firsts, where practicality and equality poked their noses into the fashion realm.....Katherine Hepburn donning a pair of trousers on the silverscreen (SHOCK!) and Jean Shrimpton stepping out at Derby Day in a mini  (HORROR!)...Since then.... fashion has hardly taken a back seat to practicality (Eh hem...Alexander McQueens shoes) OR equality...(with bofriend jeans, boyfriend blazers and grandpa tops, I think we have more than arrived!!)

Who would have thought that we would love the likes of big hair bows, ra-ra skirts, shoulder pads and shutter shades in their many variations ....but, oh, how we do!!!

Lastly, here are some of those crazy fashions that, hopefully, will NEVER make it mainstream...

Vintage Doll works hard to dig up treasures from the past....some a little more over the top than others... so whatever your fearless factor, we got you covered!!!

Clockwise from top left: Tailored Black Mini Dress $69; Red Power Shoulder Mini Dress $69; Abstract Print Mini Dress $69; Wool High Waisted Tapered Leg Pants $42 all at Vintage Doll NOW...

Bri C

x

Do You Dress Your Man?

I know people who do...I know people who wouldn't dare...I fall somewhere in between. You could say that I gently persuade, tactfully pushing 'Bri's fashion tips for men' on my hubby. This advice is usually met in one of two textbook responses....1) okay darling...as he sucumbs to the garment choice I have made for him or 2) WILL YOU STOP TRYING TO DRESS ME!!!

Tell me, why do men (or is it just mine?) fight the advice of their female counterparts who, really, are practically born with a gene for all things 'image'? Cos, you know, if my car breaks down...I'm running straight to the expert...I can admit when I am out of my depth.

There again, it really is a gross generalisation to say that all men need direction from us gals to look good. Apart from trying to cheer up my Tuesday with a little eye candy, it is an interesting topic. The aussie male...I don't know...Gen Y is producing more fellas that know how to pull off a good look....but a lot of our boys just have no idea!!!

Travel accross the seas, however, and you will find places where the men invest more time in their wardrobe than the women...Take Japan for example - I have never seen such well clad boys in my life.

Blogger Jae @ Inowear talks about his thoughts on mens fashion in Asia in What Asia Taught Me About Casual Style

"...what REALLY caught my attention was the number of guys in these cities who had an aptitude for fashion.
So many of them had their own unique style of dressing, some of which I have never seen the like, yet very well put together.
I was in a world full of metrosexuals and people who seemed to really understand the power of proper style. I was shocked at first when I saw certain things that you would never see in America, like men who wore makeup or men who spent more time on their hair than their female counterparts.

I thought, “Has the world gone mad!? Where am I?”

I soon learned, that the same things that I found “crazy,” were things that people in Tokyo considered the norm around that area. Yes, I was a total tourist."

Wether they need our help or not, what is it about us girls that finds it necessary to impress our style sense on our boys? Is it that they are an extension of ourselves? Like a cute bag or some great bling, are they an accessory that needs to match our own sense of style? Absolutely!!! Just look at how we dress our children...sorry..more sweeping statements ...how I dress my own children. Same thing!

Okay, okay...enough intellectualising... back to the eye candy!!! No matter if they picked the look themselves or were dressed by their ladies, some boys just 'got the look'.

Here at Vintage Doll we are doing our bit too...offering some fabbo pieces that will keep your fella looking stylish! Take this Pierre Cardin studded jacket for example. Hot!! Now....only question is...how will you get him to wear it?

Bri C x

It's Been A While

It's been oh so long since I have written. Perhaps it was because of all the shopping we have been doing for Vintage Doll...some seriously cute pieces are heading on-line soon. Perhaps it is because we have been too busy planning our next few Vintage Doll events. Or perhaps it is because I simply did not want to fess up to how miserably I failed my no-shopping-for-a-month vow!!! Absolutely hopeless. In my defence, although it is a very weak excuse, I lasted about 20 days and broke the seal with a cheap little vintage purchase from my trusty Salvos...but the floodgates soon opened and I think I did some serious damage in the remaining 10 or so days :) What can I say? I was born to shop!
So, confession made, let's get on with it. Seriously, it has been a crazy few months for us at Vintage Doll. Two gals with huge ideas...but precious little time to see them come to fruition. But..WE WILL NOT GIVE UP!
Promise to write again soon...for now I will just share this..I think it is oh so cute!!! It reminds me of Spring...and that it is just around the corner.


Bri C
xxx

Sock it to me!

Perhaps I am a fashion prophet...more likely just  a lucky guess!! It was around 2 years ago, maybe more, that I first told my sister-in-law and now business partner, about my thing for socks with heels. Her horrified look quickly confirmed that I was alone in my obsession. But I was convinced! I had witnessed the first inklings of this trend whilst living in Japan. Those Harajuku girls...yes they really do got some wicked style. I had also seen it emerging in a few runway shows...Burberry Prorsum SS 08 deserves a notable mention. Didn't take much convincing me...loved it on the spot. 

My first foray into sock vs heel came with the purchase of some black and grey argyles. More disapproving looks from the SIL. Anyhoo, fast forward to now...THE SEASON OF THE SOCK!!! 

Everywhere you turn and you will run into it...team a wool blend with your ankle boots, some bobby whites with your wedges or some beige scrunchies with your courts or strappies...too cute. And what better way to revive your summer sandals during the colder months. Adore! So, enjoy these few snippets of great ways to work this trend...Oh...and, just quietly...there are a certain pair of PRADA cork wedges at Vintage Doll right at this very minute that are just screaming for a cute pair of socks to spend the day with!!! 

Bri C xx

Leaving on a jet plane...I wish!!!

Top of my wish list right now....a set of these utterly amazing travel pieces by Givenchy...oh, and a far-away destination to which they can accompany me...somewhere nice and warm. Sigh...in love...Givenchy is one of my favourites for Vintage pieces and now tops my list for must-have travel luggage!!!

The old...

And the new...love the boldness of this campaign...spotted at http://www.designscene.net/

And, somewhat closer to home...coming soon to Vintage Doll: Vintage Givenchy Gold Tone Logo Earrings :) Oh the beauty...Keep your eyes peeled for our Designer Collection coming soon.