Tag Archives: Chie Mihara

The Yellow Brick Road

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Top: Uniqlo

Skirt: DIY

Tights: Heist

Shoes: Chie Mihara

So, it’s been a month…  I haven’t quite managed to keep up with my promise to post at least once a fortnight, but I’m afraid you’ll just have to forgive me!

It’s been a crazily busy month, but rewarding as well. I went up to Canberra to surprise my little sister for her birthday, kicked a few professional goals, caught up with some wonderful friends, and did some (a lot) of sewing.

The Mister and I are settling more and more into our wonderful little home. Suki’s beside herself with delight about the quantity of light she’s getting streaming in through the window, and I’ve been gradually adding to the bookshelves (and the picture wall) while C has been busily doing some home handyman type stuff and also creating a little inner-city oasis of plants on the balcony. I’ve been going to yoga down the road twice a week, and can touch my toes again without straining, which – let me tell you – is an achievement. The three and a half flights of stairs up to our little eyrie are still a slog – especially after a long day – but the pleasure of opening the door into my own home at the end of it never seems to get old. We’re very lucky.

I got an email from someone a couple of months ago that had me thinking about how much has changed in the past five years. It’s been a rollercoaster, huh? I kind of wish I could go back to 2013 me and just let her know it’s going to be OK. That, yeah, things are going to be pretty rough for a bit and there’s going to be a couple of hiccups, but her wonderful friends will be there every step of the way, and by 2018 she’s going to be engaged to the most lovely man, her sister will be well, she’ll be working in a job that she adores, and living in her own home. Also she’ll definitely be going grey pretty quickly, but it turns out it’s not the end of the world.

It’s a pretty low-key life, but it leaves a lot of room for reading, sewing, writing, and cooking. Spontaneous movie nights. Netflix binges. Farmer’s markets and design fairs and crafternoons. Eventually I might even start planning a wedding.

Anyhoo, that was a whole lot of a waffle and not a lot of wardrobe. Shall I tell you about my skirt now? I made it myself using the skirt part of the Fen Dress pattern from Fancy Tiger Crafts, and a fantastic Wizard of Oz themed fabric from Leah Duncan at Cloud9. I’m forty now. FOUR. OH. FORTY. And while I’m not wearing as many novelty prints and florals and bright colours as I did when I first started the blog (oh my god) ten years ago, my soul still ascends any time I see something Wizard of Oz themed.

This one’s particularly fun – a Where’s Wally-esque find-and-seek that takes its inspiration more from Baum’s book than the Hollywood film. Look closely and you can find the yellow brick road, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow, a field of enchanted poppies, and – uh – a bunch of folks who seem to be cosplaying as a tea set (residents from China Country).

In totally unrelated news, my work is hosting a free event with Taryn Brumfitt in a couple of weeks. If you haven’t heard of Taryn before, she’s the writer and filmmaker behind the wonderful Embrace documentary, and a prominent voice in the body-pos movement. She’s going to be in conversation with paralympian Jessica Smith on Monday 3 September here in Melbourne, and it should be fun. I’ll definitely be there (in a work capacity) so make sure you say hi if you come along! You can find the details here.

Smocker

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  Dress: Cottage Industry

Shoes: Chie Mihara

Bangle: Dinosaur Designs

Necklace: DIY

 

I’ll be honest, it hasn’t been a great month; but I’m faking it til I make it, I guess. I turn the big four-oh in May, and the thought is terrifying me. Not because I’m getting older – age is a privilege after all – but just because there are so many things I thought I would have achieved by this point in my life. I’m making a concerted effort to focus on the present instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, and when I think about it, I have a lot of blessings to count: I have a lovely boyfriend/fiance (whose birthday it was yesterday, happy birthday my love); my family is well; I have a job and workmates that I enjoy to the point of being embarrassing about it; I’ve got my foot on the property ladder, and I love my new home; My friends are extraordinary, and every single day I think about how lucky I am to have such wonderful people in my tribe.

Anyway. I actually put this dress up on Instagram a cool two months ago, and the photos I took have been been sitting in my draft folder since then. I love this dress so much that I just treated myself to a second one (in a black and white gingham) and it reminded me that I hadn’t posted a blog about it yet.

This is the harvest smock dress from Cottage Industry in Fitzroy. The legendary harvest smock dress from Cottage Industry? Yeah, let’s call it legendary. I’ve been seeing these dresses around Melbourne for years now. Sonya (formerly of Australian Fatshion) has one, and my friend Ella has the top version, and I’ve seen countless effortlessly cool women of all ages and sizes wearing them around town.

After being told for the fifteenth time “Thanks, it’s from Cottage Industry” when I’ve complimented someone on their frock I finally decided maybe it was time to go check them out in person.

“In person” is actually the only way you can check out these dresses. Dressmaker and shop-owner Pene Durston doesn’t have an online shop – she tried it once, but gave up after customers kept sending the dresses back saying they were too big. Because they’re a lot, you guys. There is a lot of beautiful, tactile, linen in these frocks. Three of me could probably comfortably fit in this dress.

This much fabric, and no waistband… I should look like the size of a barn, but somehow I don’t. Pene’s managed to cut some clever seaming into the yards of fabric – the curved waistband, the batwing sleeves, the upturned sleeve cuffs – somehow it all comes together to make a drapey, voluminous dress that flatters every figure I’ve ever seen wearing it. It’s basically witchcraft.

It is a lot though. I went back to the shop four times before I found one that I liked the look of on me. Fortunately the staff at Cottage Industry are a delight, and perfectly happy to let you try on every dress in the place before you make your decision. They’ll offer advice, tell you if something isn’t quite working, and they have The Book, where they take requests if what’s on the racks isn’t quite perfect. Pene is always experimenting with different prints and fabrics – the best place to keep an eye on the range is actually via her instagram – but if you see one you like, act quickly as she often sells out within the day.

The Harvest Smock is available one-size-fits-all in a top, a short, and a long style. I bought the long (because the short showed my knees, and you all know how I feel about my knees) but lopped a couple of inches off the hem so that it hit me mid-calf. It’s easily the most comfortable dress I own, and it’s been getting a work-out over summer, especially those really hot days when I can’t stand the feel of anything on my skin but being actually naked isn’t an option.

You can layer the dress too, and I’m looking forward to wearing my new black-and-white version in winter with tights and ankle boots, and a long cardigan and a scarf. (I have this whole farmers-market-Northside-lady image of myself buying pumpkins and putting them in a string bag before going home and making soup, can you tell?)