Shake, Rattle, and Roll

 

Hello again! Welcome to the first official 'Me and My Clothes' post! There have been a few changes to JuneBook, of which I will explain in a moment, but first let me explain these photos. About two weeks before Christmas (yes, they're a wee bit late to be posted, I know) I hosted a small '50s themed cocktail party. While the era of the music was less strict (with Sam Cooke, Louis Armstrong, and Mayer Hawthorne all on the record player at some stage) I policed the dress code with an iron fist, and lord behold it worked! Looking around one could easily have believed it was actualy the 1950s, which was of course my goal. We didn't manage to take any photos of the actual soiree, but these are from before everyone arrived, when two of my darling friends came over to help set up.

Dress - Nigel and Daphne

Shoes - Peachy Keen

Gloves - Secondhand Store

Pearls - Secondhand Store

While I will continue to do outfit posts like these (filed under 'Me and My Clothes'), I want this blog to start functioning more like the original June Book for young girls did. From now on there will also be regular posts featuring articles from my vast collection of Girls' Annuals (mainly old June Book editions), and some more modern sources, which will come under the following categories:

Bob's Tells You How

Sewing, crochet, craft, growing roses, riding-a-bike-in-heels-and-a-pencil-skirt, vegan baking - if it can be taught, then Bobs will tell you how it's done. She's certainly branched out from her original JuneBook feature, as a 'Girl Vet' giving petcare advice. However there are some areas that Bobs agrees should be left to the experts, even if one is exceptionally multi-talented, such as beauty and fashion advice.

Gloria the Glamour Girl

Luckily, that's where Gloria the Glamour Girl can step in. Originally Sue Day's bad-tempered-boy-crazy-bombshell of an older sister (from 'Princess' Annual), Gloria now presents us with an array of beauty and style tips, not to mention articles on the latest pop sensations, and tragically hilarious romance stories from the '70s (accompanied by rather questionable relationship advice). 

Souper Cat

 The most heart-warmingly amusing poems and comics about cats, brought to you by none other than Souper Cat himself!

From Your Grandma's Pantry

This is quite possibly the section I am most excited about, filled with the natural beauty tips of the past, and using ingredients that you could have been found in your Grandma's pantry back in the day. Not only are they chemical free, but they can be made from local (and where possible, organic) ingredients -  making them environmentally responsible and healthy alternatives to products made by corporate giants (who tend to treat workers, the environment, and animals with considerable disregard).

More sections will be coming, and I look forward to posting much more often now that I've settled into my first year of University.

Enjoy!

Ball

It has been such a terribly long time since I've posted! I thought a good way to get back into semi-regular updating would be with photos of my recent school ball. I wore the same dress my Mother wore to her seventh form ball (which she bought vintage at the time), a little capelet she made me, and shoes from Peachy Keen. I really only went because a school ball is a rite of passage, and if I didn't go to at least one I would never have truly been a teenager. For me, the ball could have easily been re-classified as four hours of organised torture - as much as I love listening to blaring rap and mediocre popular music while locked in a hall with girls from school. On the bright side, the whole experience did wonders for bringing out my not-so-inner cynic, and allow my best friend and I to pretend we were in Ghost World for an extended length of time. About the time girls started taking off their heels (that's right, they went barefoot at a ball, you cannot even fathom my distress) and grinding we realised we desperately needed to get as far away form the dance floor as possible. This luckily resulted in the discovery of the tea table! Party animals, we are.

   The photos below are from before the ball, the wonderful pre-ball a friend of mine organised, and the official photography at the ball itself.

No Dull Moments or Dull Men Tolerated

 It's finally school holidays! Which means that I will hopefully be able to post more, although I still have a mountain of homework to attend to. This is being carefully avoided by watching the first season of Mad Men. I really enjoy it so far,  I daresay more for the costumes and set than the actual storyline. I do think it's good that there's a show that illustrates how advertisers manipulate people though, and how society is affected by the media. But Joan is the only character who really grabs me to be honest, and I tried to chanel her a little bit with this whole ensemble.

Wearing:

Dress - From a family friend (originally from Max)

Belt, Coat, Shoes - Borrowed from my Mother

Scarf - Made from a scrap of material

Bag - Second-hand Store

Gloves - Second hand store

It's all of a sudden gotten freezing cold, hooray for winter at last!

The Peculiar Behaviour of Lady Perdita

I covered all my school books with pictures from National Geographics (from the '50s and '70s). Just because I could. Also it's now far easier to imagine being somewhere else. School is always so much more exciting in old girls' annuals, the title of this post is in fact a story from 'The Bumper Book for Girls 1956' - why do we never have to solve intriguing mysteries involving a new girl from an exotic country? Today the most interesting thing that happened was my maths teacher comparing calculus to little rabbits with floppy ears that scamper away when you try to cuddle them.

 Also school-related : A homemade school bag and pencil case

 

Hit Me With a Flower

These photos are from a wee while ago - the first time I wore my petticoat! I love it so much. I've wanted one since forever, but the ones I found were always too expensive. This one was only $30 at a sweet little second-hand fair in a scout hall, a bargain! It's first outing was to my Gran's house (she's in the picture below) for lunch and playing in the sunshine with my little brother(also pictured). My Mum made both his adorable romper and my skirt! I then went to a tea party in the richest neighbourhood I have ever been in, at a friends Grandparents' house. There were beautiful tea-cups, a view of the sea, and vegan cupcakes. I adore tea-parties. Afterwards though I had to catch a bus from the north shore, which shouldn't have been hard, but our public transport system is about as functional as an ab-circle pro. I was at the bus-stop for more than half an hour waiting awkwardly, surrounded by huge houses. Extravagant displays of wealth make me a little uncomfortable, as do packs of rich women in jogging clothes. It was a welcome relief to go to the end-of-year volunteer gathering at the Greenpeace office- one of the places where I feel most at home. The vibes were definately better. Lastly I went to a suprise birthday dinner for a friend, so this certainly proved to be a versatile outfit! I'm actually amazed that I remembered all that considering how long ago it feels. I can't believe it's the middle of summer already!

Knitted Top- Op-shop Skirt-Homemade Petticoat -Secondhand fair Shoes - Etsy Necklace - Vintage store in Austalia Sunglasses - Used to be my Mother's

Holiday Time Fashions - Seaside Holidays

To the Seaside!
Ideally, you'll need two swimsuits - one for swimming and one for sun-bathing. Don't bother to take sun-oil with you, the kind you find abroad is excellent and cheap.

Also, take a look at this old post about retro swimsuits.

Take a four-piece beach set :

Remember that most continental resorts object to tourists wandering about their streets in brief swimsuits, so take some sort of beach wrap or shift dress to slip over your swimsuit from hotel to beach.

Buy a sun-hat when you're there - they're much prettier on the continent.

You probably won't find it necessary to wear evening dress for dinner in the evening, but you should change into a light dress, so pack two or three.  Everything dries very quickly in hot climates, so take two changes of cotton undies. Try to avoid taking stiff, frilly petticoats; they are very hot and prickly and take up far too much room.

 

Nobody seems to wear stockings on continental seaside holidays but I should take a pair just in case! One pair of sandals should be enough and you'll find that these are very cheap abroad. Take a pair of little flat pumps or court shoes to wear with dresses.

 Try to avoid wearing cardigans in the evenings - they stamp you as an English tourist right away! If you do feel chilly, throw your cardigan around your shoulders or get a stole to match your dress

And to truly complete your beach wardrobe, how to make a poncho and beach bag (from 'Smart Girl' 1964) :

Overdressed for Pak'N'Save

 Shoes:Vintage(Etsy),  Dress:Garage Sale,  Cardigan:My Mother's

 I wore this while accompanying my Mother to le supermarché yesterday, with more layers than originally intended due to the sudden cold snap (some excuse for spring this is!) . I usually find that I’m overdressed most places I go, but especially for Pak’N’Save, where people are frequently seen in nightwear. Not just pajamas either, the whole shabang – slippers, dressing gown and all. No matter what the time of day. At least my set of curls came out well – the night before I had them up when my friend and I waitressed for a family friends' vampire themed party. This is also the dress I wore to a circus themed party (I have been to so many themed parties lately it isn't funny), although with more accessories.

The last two photos were taken by my Aunt - I was doing door greetings at the party with a heavy russian accent at the time.
Dress:Peachy Keen Vintage, Shawl: Borrowed

Surf Life Saving New Zealand

 
Life-saving drill, probably on unidentified Taranaki beach

Photographed circa 1920s-1930s, by John R Wall of Stratford. Location unidentified, probably a Taranaki beach.

These photos and their captions are all from the National Library of New Zealand on Flickr (my comments are below in italics, though). Weren't the surf lifesavers fine!

 

Dominion life-saving championships, Lyall Bay, Wellington. 1950

A women's team carrying equipment at the Dominion lifesaving championships at Lyall Bay, Wellington.
I'm loving the blazer and short shorts combo of that judge. Very dapper. 



Dominion lifesaving championships, Lyall Bay, Wellington. 1950

A team is being inspected at the Dominion lifesaving championships at Lyall Bay in Wellington

Dominion lifesaving championships, Lyall Bay, Wellington. 1950

Two men paddle in on surfboards at the Dominion lifesaving championships at Lyall Bay in Wellington

A cup winning lifesaving team with their coach. 1911

Shows a cup winning team with their coach, 1911, probably in the Christchurch area.

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings, and why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings." Their couch is that walrus.

 
Group of girls practicing a life-saving technique. ca 1910s

An unidentified group of girls practising life-saving. They are standing in two rows in pairs (facing each other) outdoors on a grassy area in front of a wooden building. The life-saving instructor is standing on the right. All are dressed in bathing suits, some with bathing caps. 

I think this might be my favourite picture of the whole bunch. I can't imagine what exactly they were practising when this photo was taken, but their bathing suits are fantastic.