I Love Honey West and So Will You

OK I’m in an internet cafe and it smells vaguely of urine and looks like a cave, so i had better make it brief.

But seriously - am i the only person in the world who didn’t know about Honey West?

The Vintage Detective: Now Broadcasting From NZ

The title really says it all, but if you’re up for some serious wafflage TVD style, then read on.

Costume Envy: Earth Girls Are Easy, 1989

I bet you didn’t see this one coming.

Here’s the scenario. The beau and I are in our local video shop. The beau approaches me as I dither around in the ‘Highly Recommended’ section:

The beau (holding ‘Shooter’, which stars Mark ‘Marky Mark’ Wahlberg): How about this?

Me: Marky Mark? Really?

The beau: You love cheesy action movies.

Me: You’re right. Nothing like a bit of Jean Claude Van Damme-age.

The beau: So we can get it?

Me: Sure…but if we get that, then we’re also getting THIS.

Stakeout: The Way We Wear Fair, Williamstown, 14 – 15 June 2008

I was seriously looking forward to this 1940s-themed fair, as will be seen from the total gush-fest I posted last week.

So, now for the question – was it everything I hoped it would be?

Fashion on the Ration: The Way We Wear Fair This Weekend!

For those who haven’t heard about the ‘The Way We Wear’ fairs, they’re vintage clothing, textiles and accessories fairs that happen around Australia throughout the year (mostly in Melbourne and Sydney). And, well, they’re pretty awesome. There’s stall after stall bursting at the seams with all manner of glittery, tactile, glamorous and outrageous clothes and other finery, and much of it is very affordable.

Zip Tips: Factoids on Zips in Vintage Clothes

Oh, how I slaved to think of a pun on ‘zip’ . Sadly, I failed, so we’re stuck in a pun-free zone for today. Fortunately I managed to work the word ‘factoid’ into the title to make up for this sorry, sorry lack.

Also, I have learned that the creator of what became the modern day zip was named Whitcomb Judson, so the world of zips hasn’t been a total loss as far as gags are concerned.

Anyway, here’s a brief and hackneyed history of the zip

Stakeout: Coastal Trader, Portarlington

I was in Portarlington over the weekend, and had absolutely no expectation that any second hand fossicking would be on the cards. But my, oh my, how wrong I was.

A friend of a friend took my wee party to the Coastal Trader, a large, cluttered second hand emporium on the outskirts of town. It’s in a row of galleries and other like- bohemian-man style places (at 32 Geelong Road), and is only open on the weekend.

Though the quality of stock here is variable at best, and dust and disorganisation reign, I can and will wholeheartedly recommend it to you. Why?

Note to Self: Ugly 1970s Porcelain Has ‘Arrived’

So there I am, flicking through a collectables magazine in my local newsagency, when I come across an article by some baby boomer collector who’s enamoured with all things 70s. ‘Oh yes’, I thought, ‘I see where you’re going with this’… lots of brown, lots of orange, lots of big ugly stylised flowers. Right on. Then I saw a picture that sent a shiver down my spine.

It was of a blue, white and brown dinner plate – the ‘Moon’ design from one of Midwinter’s 1970s ‘Stonehenge’ dinner service collections (there were matching ones in ‘Earth’ and ‘Sun’ – did I already mention that this was the 70s?)

Now this might not sound like a big deal…until

Stakeout: St Mark’s Opp Shop, Spotswood

This place is one of those Lost Cities of Op Shopping; if you don’t know where it is, you ain’t gonna find it. I don’t even know the name of the street it’s on; basically, you come off the westgate bridge, go along Melbourne Road until you hit St Mark’s church (there’s an antiques store – bonus – opposite), hang a leftie and thar she blows.

The other challenge, of course, is the opening hours – they’re as narrow as they are unpredictable, and while this has the benefit of meaning that stock can sit around for a good long time, it also means that your best bet is to completely ignore the listed opening hours

Remebering the Legacy of Yves Saint Laurent

I’m sure you would have heard on the news that Yves Saint Laurent, a legend of the fashion world, has died aged 71 after a long illness.

Saint-Laurent was one of those truly great designers that don’t just concern themselves with aesthetics, but with the broader political and social implications that fashion can have.

His support of feminism and women’s lib is well known;