WHEN I THINK 1970's I THINK THIRTY YEARS AGO

Ok so it is July already. No biggie. Just prepare mentally for Christmas already, and 2021 and Dag graduating. (I was going the say "the retirement years" but I think we all know I most likely will never really retire from anything...)

Well anyway it is summer and even if it is brief it means sunshine (hopefully), outdoor breakfasts and dresses for now. So today it was 1970's vibes all the way in a dress I bought at a vintage store when I was in Paris last month.

And yes I know, in a few months it will be 1990 that was 30 years ago BOOM.

LATE EVENING SUNSHINE AND SOME BONUS LEGS

It's nice when it is summer and the nights are pale and light again!
Here we are outside at 10pm.

It is also nice when it is warm and one can wear light clothing in just one layer.
Dresses. No socks, no jacket.

And it's even nicer when your dress is not a dress but has legs! Ha!

BECAUSE LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR PLAIN CLOTHING

a.k.a. it was aliens!

Some time ago I made myself a UFO-sweater!

Somehow I managed to go almost 38 years without one.

I bought an appliqué (via Etsy*)  and sew it onto a sweater.

Or, first I carefully ironed it and then as it did not stick everywhere I went with plan B and sew it.

*) Always Etsy. Late at night. But small birds that have their stores on that platform have told me most of their sales do happen at night so I am not alone in this world after all!

The skirt is handmade by me late last year. Still have enough of the same fabric to make pants but those are very much still in their folded-fabric state, safely tucked away in a pile of other awesome fabrics. (Kind of like the KITTY FABRIC FROM 2011. Ta-F:ing-da! But as I remembered that it still exists it might very well be that it turns into a skirt or so this year.)

PLUM, DARK BLUE, AND ALL THE COLOURS OF AUTUMN

You've seen me talk about it trough the years - my love for autumn. I do enjoy all seasons (except perhaps for spring, as spring in Finland often turns out rather not only short but non-existent; two months of disappointment. Sadly), but while I always long for a short (hah!) snowy winter and feel most alive during summer autumn still turns out to be my favourite time of year. And this year it has been magical! Like you would have wanted to walk around with your mouth open all the time and just do a constant 'Wow!'.

 

Ah, the light, and all the colours!

My colours for this autumn turns out to be plum and dark blue. And all things checked and plaid, as usual.

But the bye-bye to all of this this is around the corner; the inevitable will soon come – no more light, no more colours.

It's a good thing we have candles, fairy lights and red wine to battle the Mordor-months with! Bring it on!

SUMMER VIBES FROM WHEN IT WAS (ALMOST) WARM

October! The month changes and the sun says 'K bye!' and we get Halloween-ish storms in an instant. Not that I am complaining per se; I have big shawls and red wine and berets and turbans to cover my hair with.

But here's a throwback to an planned-but-unposted  (applies to 99%of the photos on my memory card since 2016...) day and it's outfit  from summer when I wore a turban in much more sunnier weather:

This summer I have been filming a thing that, for the first time in a long time allowed me to have a purpose to wear lots of nice clothing again! Meanwhile, something very strange had happened during the past as I suddenly find a lot of garments in my closet can no longer fit. Or not comfortably at least.

But happy to notice this old Trashy Diva-gem of mine still does!

The cardigan I've customed myself with iron-on patches, the turban is from Rubylea and the sunglasses broken by now.

And you know what? It's not even that long until it's summer again!

LOST SPRING

Waiting for spring like -

WHERE IS IT!

Apparently spring is like a month late here or so by now they say on the news and in the papers.
Well yes, thanks, we kind of noticed. The true definition of "april weather". Sun and rain and random snow and temperatuare yo-yoing.

But the spring gear has however premiered. Even to the extent that I treated myself to a new vintage Pendleton and a pair of vintage boots, to stomp around in the mud over here in, via Etsy.
My pyjamas-like high waist wide-legged cropped pants are from Light in The Box.

(They promised -PROMISED - it'd be +20c this weekend so keeping my thumbs and hopes up for that. And if not, then - oh well, damn, it's the weather, then you still just can't do anything about it...)

FOUR THINGS RIGHT NOW: 4 x BROWN

Gingerbread brown blouse that I came across for less than 5€ the other day at the Fida thrift shop.

Breakfast. Or, part of it.
Also: unintentionally inspired by my post a few days back, matching my snacks.

1970's vintage cowboy boots that I bought via Etsy some time ago. When you live in the countryside you need boots.

And then the best thing about Easter.
Mignon eggs. Full, solid nougat.

THIS WINTER'S SKIRT

So far this year I feel I have mainly been living in a turban,  a thin knit and in this forest green knitted skirt with a strechty waist. Easy to pull up over the dance leggings and tops, to add an extra layer underneath to when it got really cold, and good as it is with just tights when it's been closer to zero - winter has been a real yoyo this year.

The top is from Lindy Bop and the skirt was a Christmas clearance piece from Lindex.

I am often asked about where to get turbans; the black soft ones I have are from Kuokkasen peruukkiliike in Helsinki, but Etsy, for example, has a lot of turbans! Apart from the constant black beret, turbans are a must-have; you simply can not have too many of them.

Also this is pretty much the only place in our house where one can take any pictures. Everything else is still full of boxes, in renovation-mode or covered in some fringly sparkly burlesque-project mess. Uh.

WINTERIZING SUMMER STRIPES

Well, it's that time of the year again when you either have packed some of your clothes away (if you are the organised type that actually does that instead of having to lean against your closet door to close it. Not saying I'm either one  though, ehrm), or have started indulging in some hardcore layering, in my vocabulary known as winterizing.


I wear quite a lot of my dresses during the colder season as well paired with thicker tights and something underneath plus a layer or two on top. It depends a bit on the dress weather it works or not; the thinnest materials seldom look good that way, but this cotton is a bit heavier.

This is a cotton summery dress that I got from thai vintage store Sugar & Cream Vintage, that you might remember me writing about some time ago.

It's in mint condition with hidden buttons in the front and, like in the red vintage dress I have from the same store, this one also has a hidden zipper in front in able to step into instead of having to pull it over the head.  Handy!

But I just might (or: will, eventually) have to add a pair of patch pockets, which, as you know, makes everything better - I have a cotton fabric with similar soft coloured stripes, just a few more hues in the blend. It will sit pretty well there.

And no, I didn't cut my almost-there outgrown bangs back; this is a wig! I use some pieces on stage and in shoots for all those days that I did not have the time to roll my hair the evening before, but some of them can make themselves useful during the bad hairdays of everyday life as well.

For those who want to know; apart from the Sugar & Cream Vintage dress the belt vintage too, the bag from the early 00's, boots new and the wig from Annabelle's wigs.

RED & YELLOW, SUGAR & CREAM

The darker and more desaturated it gets outside the nicer it is to wrap yourself in colours. Well that, and -a bit contradictory I guess - all black as well (which is still a very common day-to-day choice for me). But today it was deep red för hela slanten as one would say in Swedish. (Well probably not the young folks to be honest, but that's how I'd say it.)

This is a damask pattern chiffon dress that I received from Sugar & Cream vintage store.
My bag is vintage (that I haven't apparently used, or emptied properly in some time as I found a concert ticket to Gotan Project from 2010 in it!) and my red lace-up high heel boots are from somewhere on the internet from a few years ago. With the boots the dress gets kind of a folk-y vibe to it.

You know I love shirt waist dresses and this one also as an elastic waist (comfy-points!) plus a hidden zipper in the pleats in the front which means you can step into it and don't have to pull it over your head! That gets points too!

Sugar & Cream is a Bangkok vintage store ran by two sisters; you can visit their actual shop in Bangkok but also shop online via their webstore. You can also find them on Facebook here. 
I will be writing a couple of posts for their Sugar & Cream blog in the near future!

DRESSED UP FOR OCTOBER

I went to a Octoberfest-themed party in the weekend and dressed inspired by myself in 1983.

(Even though I remembered my tiny dirndl had the colours the other way around, with a red skirt.)

I did not have that much time to put together an outfit and also wanted one just inspired by the look of a dirndl, not to create one. But if there's a next time I'll sew myself a pair of high waisted lederhosen-inspired suspender shorts (or skirt) instead!

This is a selfmade skirt and the waistcoat/corselette is one I use on stage as part of a very differently themed outfit.

This was also a great opportunity to get to use one of my petticoats! I seldom wear them nowadays.
I should go to parties more often I guess (not just perform at them).

SILK & POLYESTER

Channeling some 70's lounge vibes with my blackjumpsuit, peeptoes and slinky silk shirt.
It's all old stuff from the closet.

AT THE PIN-UP FINLAND FINALS

One thing about getting older, I've noticed, is that you get more tired doing things that before did not tire you as much. So after a weekend of working for about 30 hours, of which half of those hours in high heels, walking an uncountable amount of time back-and-forth between stage area and back stage at a huge fair center (note to self for next year: bring a pedometer!) it does take some days, not just a, to recover. But because work and moving apartments and such those days have not yet appeared; this is the first time in a week I managed to sit down by the computer and do internet-stuff from a bigger screen than the one in the palm of my hand. Phew!

Here are a few shots from the Pin-Up Finland pageant that we were working on last weekend -
It's not really a pageant per se, that focuses on looks, but a modelling competition that values over all style and how to embody the modern pin-up, as well as modelling skills live and in front of the camera. The pin-ups this year were between ages 18 and 35; the age range is usually quite wide, as is the style of the contenstans. We produced the final event with all it's hundreds of bits and pieces and also help coach (=calm, mostly) the girls for it. As said before, I've never been much for competitions myself, but as one competitor put it: it did not feel like a competition; more like a pin-up camp. All contestants usually become great friends, plus get a lot of new opportunities via the events around the competition.

 My hosting-face.

 Our lovely ladies on stage of the first round, that they get to style themselves.


Milkshake break!
@Nancybites snapped this one of us.

 Backstage with the girls before the second show of the day.

We had one go-go themed round and Eija sew these amazing groovy outfits our of vintage materials for the girls! So much want there!

Cherry Liqueur, who would win the competition, at the final show of the event, featuring beautiful robes and fluffy pyjamas from VintagEija's, and and on-stage boudoir we put together with furniture borrowed from Kymen Viiri

 After the show with our winner Cherry Liqueur!

We will produce the Pin-Up Finland 2017 finals again next year, and also work on the photoshoots and other happenings around  the event, so if you want in as a sponsor or to see your products featured throughout the summer season do get in touch.

Photos by Harri Antikainen and Operation Rocking Piggy.
(Instagram photos by me.)