ShowTellShare One Hundred and Ninety-Five

Sunday: A beautiful autumn day in Sydney…

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To have some fun, and celebrate my birthday…

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Yesterday we spent part of the day checking out some fabulous art at the Art Gallery of NSW. Not surprisingly, I responded *well* to the more colourful works…

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It’s like looking into a mirror…

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These artworks photographed are by Ugo Rondinone.

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Artwork by Sol LeWitt.

And *naturally* I was celebrating the day of my birth by wearing some new, vintage Ken Done. This 1980s shirt had found it’s way to Italy, when I then bought it back recently via eBay to its Sydney home, probably some 10 or 20 years later. I just love it! And, of course, I was also wearing some handmade work from Abuk at The Social Studio.

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Tell: Handmade earrings, Uniqlo skivvy, Ken Done vintage 1980s shirt, brooch gifted, necklace gifted for my birthday, vintage belt from UK, Tatty Devine bracelet, handmade bracelet made by Abuk from The Social Studio, ‘Diamonds Ain’t a Girls Best Friend’ ring from UK, Sportsgirl skirt from op shop, Jonathan Aston stockings, Happy Socks, Fluevog boots, and Tatty Devine balloon leather necklace.

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Artwork by Ugo Rondinone, adjusted here by the *spectacular* Hawaiian First Officer and me.

And then, because I’ve been a little ‘light on’ with outfit posts recently, here’s some from the last few days…

Saturday: An ongoing love with secondhand 1980s Escada…

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Tell: Handmade earrings, Kmart skivvy, vintage Escada shirt, Anthea Crawford skirt from op shop, Jonathan Aston tights, tights underneath from Japan and Fluevog boots.

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Friday:

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Tell: Earrings from op shop, Saba skivvy, Leona Edmiston dress from op shop, Tatty Devine cat bangle as necklace, Estilio belt, Sportsgirl tights as gift, borrowed socks from the HFO, Fluevog shoes, Tatty Devine balloon bag, gifted ‘Frida Kahlo’ bag.

Just me enjoying my mis-matched, but still matching earrings!

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ShowTellShare One Hundred and Eighty-Two

Show:

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Tell: Green earrings gifted by Kirsten from China, Wa-Nyika pink earrings, handmade orange beaded necklace, vintage beaded necklace from Santa Barbara, The Social Studio silk dress, Estilio leather belt, 1980s ‘Maggie T‘ dress from second-hand store, retail tights and Fluevog boots.

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Share: Today I met with some lovely staff within the Sydney Institute, TAFE NSW, to progress our working relationship. An important part of The Social Studio education model is the provision of TAFE-accredited, nationally-recognised training in the areas of fashion, retail and hospitality. At The Social Outfit in Sydney, we want to make sure we can also provide such integral support as well; so we’re all working hard to make it happen. Plus, I’m just a big believer in vocational and ‘on the job’ training as a key part of education and skills development here in Australia generally. So *hooray* TAFE! And in the meantime, we’ll keep progressing on our formal arrangements…

ShowTellShare One Hundred and Eighty-One

Show:

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Share: Friday was one of those really busy days; meeting with a range of exciting people, and then catching the moments in between to send off emails and make deadlines. I was zipping around the city from one stop to another, propelled in part by one of my favourite, *vibrant*, The Social Studio silk dress…

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Tell: Jenny Kee for The Wilderness Society scarf, earrings from op shop, handmade necklaces, beaded necklaces and bracelets gifted by my Dad and step-Mum from South Africa, The Social Studio ‘Magical Tent’ collection silk dress, ‘Birthday Suit’ stirrup leggings, Trippen shoes from Berlin outlet.

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First up I met with Melissa from Sew Make Create. Melissa and her *gorgeous-hilarious* dog, Pepper, were lovely hosts and showed me around their Ultimo shop and sewing studio. Sew Make Create is a great initiative; getting people together locally to learn sewing skills, and you can also hire the machines/overlockers there too. I really encourage checking it out if you’re in Sydney…

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On Friday I also had the absolute pleasure of doing some of The Social Outfit‘s planning work with the designer, Nina Maya Skrzynski. Nina has proven experience with her own fashion label, and she’s interested in lending her skills and expertise to develop The Social Outfit‘s business plan further. Needless to say, we’re very excited at this prospect!

Finally, the response from the ‘call out for artists’ for The Social Outfit Pilot in The Rocks has also been overwhelming. People shared the information far and wide, and we’ve had so much interest. So thank you! It’s brilliant to see so many artistic people out there excited about working creatively with Sydney’s refugee communities. Stay tuned to hear how our workshops develop, and a *big* thank you to everyone who made contact and has shown an interest.

xo

ShowTellShare One Hundred and Seventy-Nine

Show:

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Share: With family in town, we headed off to the Blue Mountains for the day. Love a bit a *spectacular* scenery, and love *dodgy-retro* motel signs just about as much…

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Tell: Ben Sherman shirt ‘borrowed full-time’ from the First Hawaiian Officer, singlet from op shop, ‘Paris Blues’ 1980s denim skirt from op shop, Sportscraft belt, vintage leather bag gifted by Tamara, boots from the op shop. Tatty Devine rings and sheriff badge as necklace.

Plus I couldn’t resist the opportunity to bring some of my own bird-life on our day trip…

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Hope you had a lovely weekend xo

ShowTellShare One Hundred and Seventy

Share: ’Twas a coloured-eyebrow kind of weekend clearly…

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Show: Sunday involved a Positive Psychology lecture at the Sydney Opera House, and a festive outfit to match my upbeat mood…

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Tell: Ken Done 1980s glasses from eBay, vintage beaded necklace from Santa Barbara, vintage handmade dress from op shop (with some adjustments by me), Jonathan Aston tights, Fluevog boots.

And Saturday was all about more Hawaiiana…

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Tell: Cambodian silk scarf as hairpiece gifted by my Mum, vintage Hawaiian top gifted by the Hawaiian First Officer, Katies skirt from op shop, retail tights, Happy Socks, vintage boots from op shop.

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Show: Friday Happy Blues…

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Tell: Ken Done vintage glasses, earrings handmade by and gifted from Iain, Tatty Devine fish necklace, Jessica Dance necklace, Reg Mombassa ‘Mambo’ singlet from op shop, Saba belt, Ken Done vintage handmade skirt from eBay, tights from Japan, Fluevog boots.

Share: I have no real interest in surf wear, but I have a deep love for the art of Reg Mombassa (Chris O’Doherty). I saw a retrospective of his artwork in Sydney a few years ago and felt completely inspired by his art practice. So when I found me some vintage Reg Mombassa art via this ‘Mambo’ shirt in an op shop, I grabbed it *hard* with both hands, with no plans to let go anytime soon.

A shout out too, to darling Frances at Corpulent for our shared love of Mombassa (amongst many other things)! xo

The Social Outfit work-wise, I’m back into the swing of things (now only with what I’m calling a *stabby* appendix), with an excellent fundraising meeting with Antonia and David from our Committee last night. Progress, progress.

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Weekend

… And here’s Kit and me from last Thursday, working busily on our The Social Outfit work… more meetings, more planning… you know, just good old-fashioned hard work! xo

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My earrings are actually vintage ‘Donna Karen’ which is fun, but not NEARLY as fun as thinking they stand for ‘Ken Done’! …

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Share: I’ve introduced Chloe briefly here before, but today I want to share with you more about her. So let’s start with a *gorgeously* fun photo:

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Chloe has been working with us at The Social Outfit since October last year. She was instrumental in helping us with our November runway event, and she’s simply brilliant to have around. Chloe is that person you have in a team who ‘gets things done’, and sees solutions in tricky times. Here’s a bit more about the professional life of Chloe:

In the UK, Chloe managed a successful pub for over ten years. This involved liaising with the council and police, managing staff, ordering, book keeping, stock control and other myriad tasks. Since coming to Australia in 2003 she has worked as a customer service manager, inventory manager and operations manager for Borders Books and as an inventory control specialist for Apple Retail. In the last couple of years Chloe has gained a Certificate III in Education Support and is currently working as a teachers’ aid for St Brendanʼs School in Annandale. Chloe is also working in a volunteer capacity for The Social Outfit.

As an upbeat and engaged person, Chloe also knows people. Heaps of people. Thanks to her, she’s connected us to some fine folks. Take for example, introducing us to Emma, our pro bono graphic designer who has helped us with some *fantastic* visuals for our ‘Case for Support’ (… she also designed this great photo of Chloe above). Most recently Chloe also connected us with John Spencer, our pro bono financial auditor. John’s professional history is nothing short of immense! We’re so pleased and proud to have him involved:

John Spencer, AM, GCStJ: John has worked as a chartered accountant for over 50 years. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, a Life Fellow of the Local Government Auditors Association of NSW, A Local Government Auditor and an Approved General Insurance Auditor. John has a vast wealth of professional experience, auditing over 25 local councils, as well as many large commercial clients over his career. John has also been a member of the St Johnʼs Ambulance for over 60 years. Starting as a cadet in 1949, he has held many offices, such as the Chief Superintendent of Australia 1986-93 and Director of St John’s Ambulance Australia, 1993 to present day. John commanded the St John involvement in the multi-state response to the 1994 bushfires in and around Sydney, and he also planned the St John involvement in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.  John Spencer has been recognised for his professional work and community commitments with many honours and awards, including Knight of the Order 1990, Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order 2006 and Centenary of Australia Medal and Order of Australia, 2002.

So my ongoing, heartfelt thanks to Chloe for showing The Social Outfit so much support. What a *joy* it is to have you around! xo xo

Show: And here’s me yesterday; feeling the green:

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Tell: Vintage earrings from Shag in Melbourne, handmade earrings, Tatty Devine necklace, handmade necklace, Toucan brooch from Canberra, Zara dress from op shop, Estillo belt gifted, vintage purse from op shop, retail tights and socks, Fluevog shoes.

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More of a ‘Show’ than ‘Share’ today…

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Tell: Ken Done for CanTeen scarf, earrings from op shop, Tatty Devine lobster brooch as necklace, handmade beaded necklace, vintage dress from op shop, Sportscraft belt, retail tights, Fluevog boots and Ken Done bag from op shop.

Vintage 1970s ring gifted by the Hawaiian First Officers’ Mum <3.

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Show: Kit and I were clearly both feeling ‘the floral’ yesterday…

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Tell: Tatty Devine earrings and necklace, handmade beaded necklace, The Social Studio drape cardigan, ‘Surf Knit Sydney’ vintage dress from op shop, retail socks, Camper shoes gifted by Bec.

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Share: We’re back into the work full swing now at The Social Outfit, planning projects and starting our meetings with potential supporters in 2013. Yesterday we secured our financial auditor (I’ll introduce him properly soon), and I met with both a large retail corporation and foundation about possible support. Exciting! Step by step, by step…

xo

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Show:

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Tell: Wa-Nyika earrings, Anthea Crawford 1980s jacket from op shop, Saba belt, Kmart skirt, Black Milk leggings, Fluevog shoes, vintage bag gifted.

Share: This was me on Monday. And, oh how I love me some 1980s Anthea Crawford jackets… it’s those short sleeves that makes them so-SO-80s-appealing!

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Show/Share: A Sydney day of 44+ degrees makes dressing with any kind of *verve* quite difficult. This is what I was able to manage…

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Tell: The Social Studio silk scarf as headband, The Social Studio silk dress gifted by Jo, singlet found in op shop, vintage beaded necklace from secondhand store in Santa Barbara, Uniqlo leggings from Japan, retail shoes gifted.

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Yesterday afternoon I met with Juneth (L) and Hawanatu (R). Hawanatu was one of our *spectacular* models for The Social Outfit’s November runway event. Juneth is Hawanatu’s friend, and she works as a model. She’s also looking to raise money through a charity project to support women who have obstetric fistula in the Congo. So we talked about organising charity events, and fundraising strategies, etc. It was lovely to meet up, and I look forward to hearing more about Juneth’s project as it develops.

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And below is Kit on Thursday this week. As we all keep working on The Social Outfit‘s short-and long-term development strategies, I’d say face number 3 was the most common over the day! As I have said to both Chloe and Kit, it’s so great to have them on board helping us in practical ways. Plus, I love Kit’s 90s floral shirt (note studded collar)… and, she’s sporting a Tatty Devine necklace; so RAD.

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ShowTellShare One Hundred and Fifty-Six

Show: … If you go down to the city today, you’re sure of a good surprise …

… If you go down to the city today, you’d better go in disguise …

… Because there is a GIANT RUBBER DUCK!

As soon as I heard this installation was a part of the Sydney Festival, I knew I had to see it in person. Who doesn’t *love* a giant object?! And a duck at that! Cute Duck Alert!!

Tell: Japanese umbrella gifted from my Mum years ago, handmade orange necklace, Tatty Devine necklace, ‘By Ottino’ dress with John Kaldor fabric from op shop, Kmart leggings, Fluevog shoes, Jenny Kee vintage bag.

Share: Yesterday was the last day before my 2013 working year begins in earnest. So I took the opportunity to spend some time in Sydney, wandering around and having a final relax before getting back on ‘Bring The Social Outfit to Sydney’ bandwagon this week. I’m excited! I’m ready! Let’s try and make this happen!

… This Tatty Devine necklace is known as part of the ‘Chamber of the Sun’ series. How apt for our weather at the moment, across Australia. Stay safe, lovelies. xo

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I’ve finished up working for 2012, and I’m now looking forward to a well-deserved break.

A SPECTACULAR thanks to you, dearest readers, for being a part of my year; and also part of our *hope* of making The Social Outfit a reality in Sydney in 2013 xo xo

Show: Wednesday’s Outfit:

Tell: Tatty Devine Giant Squid necklace, vintage Moschino men’s shirt found in Newtown op shop (Gold!), Katies skirt from op shop, retail tights and socks, Fluevog boots, *old-skool* television purse gifted by Kath.

Show: Thursday’s Outfits:

Kit rockin’ greens…

Tell: Tatty Devine crown necklace, necklace from op shop, vintage jacket from op shop, Katies dress from op shop, vintage belt from op shop, The Social Studio leggings, Trippen shoes.