New Dress!

It's been a while since something pretty arrived in the mail...



This little one is from Heart City Vintage on etsy...

Sweet detailing!




Pleats, bows and pearl buttons!

What do you think?

Now I just need to find some shoes that match!

Picnics, Jedi Sheets and Rock n Roll...

Last night we went to see Clairy Browne & the Bangin' Rackettes play in Fitzroy gardens. A hasty picnic was concocted.

After that, we went to see Damn Terran at The Old Bar.

It looked alot like this...

New Project - Wedding Dress!

I was asked to make a casual 50's style wedding dress for a client at the shop. It was a little daunting, but I'm getting through it. Here is my progress so far...

Drafting the pattern:



Positioning the pieces...


Pressing the darts...


Pinning on the facing...



Final check before sewing..

Ta Da! Skirt to come...

(Sorry about blurry iPhone pics and un-ironed fabric!)

Dress Winner, Lace and The National...

Hey hey! The winner of the Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway is Amy, who said she'd give the dress to her sister, who has lost her wardrobe in the terrible Queensland floods. I'll be in touch Amy!
Thanks so much to all who entered!

* * * * * * * *



In other news, I went to see The National play at the Palais Theatre on the weekend. It was awesome! I looked like this:



It was the first time I had worn this dress. It's pretty delicate, and made from Chantilly style lace and linen. The buttons are bakelite and rhinestone!



I also quite like the tag..."Grosscraft" - strange name!



It was pretty hot, so I wore my hair up off my face. The band was amazing and we got really good seats, a few rows from the stage.



The theatre was built in 1914 and is the largest in the country. Lots of beautiful art deco architecture...just look at the roof!



See you soon!

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

Hi!
Gatsby and Me has hit 300 followers! Thanks everyone! And...the lovely ladies at Shabby Apple have been so kind as to help me out with a dress giveaway.

If you haven't heard of the brand before, here's a bit of info:

"After years of not being able to find stylish dresses that covered enough skin to make you really feel comfortable (without wearing a tank top, cardigan or long slip), owners Emily and CK decided to do something about it.

They visited trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios only to discover the problem was not that department stores weren't buying the right dresses, but that designers weren't designing them.

Shabby Apple is proud to offer you fantastic dresses that allow you to look fabulous, without having to compromise anything else.

A return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit. No need to add anything...no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing (except accessories, of course!).

Shabby Apple also focuses on helping women worldwide. Through our charitable work with women throughout Asia and Africa, we are able to convert dress sales into lifestyle changes for women and children."

Great, right?

You can win a beautiful "Bette. D" dress (pictured above) just by leaving a comment on this post about your dream outing - wearing this dress of course! Click here for more info about the dress.

Entries close on the 12th of January, 2011 and anyone from anywhere in the world can enter.
Good luck!

New Dress Design...

I had a few spare hours in the studio yesterday and decided to use up this blue knit fabric I've had for a while.
I drafted a simple pattern with raglan style sleeves and a pussy bow neckline. I decided to use two darts either side of the waist to bring it in a bit.

Pattern ready for cutting...



Raglan sleeve...


Darts marked...


Pinned...


Sewn...


It turned out ok...




I wore it with my great aunt's marcasite brooch.


So, this style is now available from the shop!

Latest Finds...

I went for a drive down the Mornington Penninsula yesterday and found these:



Vintage linen thread, dressmakers pins in a cute tin and some very old ink...Total price: $4.50



And a Canasta card set! $3.00.

Thrifting can be a little hit and miss. I found nothing at all clothes-wise, but these little things made the trip worth it!

Seven Fold Ties and Gift Vouchers...

A lovely chap called Brendan is getting married and asked me to make him some ties. So I did.

They're a 7 fold traditional design, handsewn and made from satin backed crepe.

I made up little calico pouches to carry them in with care instructions typed on my typewriter.

Thanks Brendan!

Golden Age now does gift vouchers...here is one I made today:




It's typed on the typewriter and backed with a vintage comic page. I feel productive!

Damn Terran and The Boy Scout Getup...

Last night I went to see Damn Terran launch their new EP. It was rad. Check them out here. On the way there, an old man told me looked like a boy scout. Also rad.





I wore my 30's green wool skirt with a cream shirt and green silk scarf. It needed something else, so I added my Pan Am Junior Flyer pin from the early 50's.



Add some red lips and a pincurl set and it's not quite boy scout, but it made me happy anyway.

Nice Press!

Penny and the gang from Melbourne's Three Thousand were nice enough to feature The Golden Age on their site. Thanks guys!

Golden Age Photoshoot!

I did a photoshoot yesterday which involved running around Melbourne in the 32 degree heat in silk stockings and suits. Here are a few results from inside my shop...








Thanks to Ming for the amazing work! Check him out!

The Store is Open!!!

After lots of hard work, The Golden Age is finally open. Check out this nice article from The Melbourne Agenda...(click here to read bigger...)



yay!