A nurse, a nurse, my kingdom for a nurse!

Its been a crazy week, my Mother broke her wrist on the same day that her Husband, Cliff, went into hospital for a hip replacement... And while I could take all this very seriously, I decided it would be much more fun to be a little silly!
Today we broke Cliff out of hospital. Of course my main duty was chauffer, since neither of them can drive a manual. I really dont like driving, and thats why I dont have a car, so I had to drive Cliffs car and I had to take the tunnel, Ugh! So, to take my mind off it and to give the folks a giggle, I played dress ups!

... and who doesnt like a nurse?














My Inspiration? Nurse Ratched for the hair...

 and the Louis Vuitton Nurses of course!

Marc Jacobs took his inspiration from Richard Prince, who I also adore, for his creepy take on pulp art...

...and since we are on the subject of creepy nurses, this photoshoot from Interview magazine is amazing...

Click here to see the rest of the set.


And finally, proof that I took it all the way to the hospital, a rather awkward photo...

A little something I forgot to mention about stockings.

Q:

What does Denier, Gauge, and Needle mean?

A:

Opps! I forgot to mention this in my earlier post about stockings! If you want to know more about stockings you can read about them here.

Basically denier, gauge and needle refer to the sheerness and density of the weave of the stockings.

Denier is the most common term and its still used today on modern stockings and tights. It refers to the thickness of a single thread of the yarn used. 15 denier was the original minimum thickness used, although you can get 5 denier stockings. 15 denier stockings are ultra sheer and they can also be referred to as “dress sheers”, they aren’t generally considered strong enough for day to day wear. Vintage stockings for everyday wear generally start at 30 denier, and they use multifilament thread.

Gauge and Needle are simply different ways of measuring the same thing, they measure the number of stitches in 1 ½ inches of stocking. 60 gauge equals 474 needle. So the higher the gauge the tighter the knit, its like thread count in sheets, the tighter the knit the stronger the stockings.

In dress sheers there are 3 very common combinations used, 15 denier and 51 gauge, 15 denier and 54 gauge, 15 denier and 60 gauge. With 60 gauge stockings considered the most prized, the most luxurious.

I’m going to be very honest here, I really can’t tell the difference. I’ve heard people say the 60 gauge isn’t as sheer but it feels much silkier and firmer on the leg. I’ve taken a photo of three different stockings for you, to see if you can tell which is which, but unfortunately with the autofocus on my camera its a little difficult, but see what you think...

The bottom pair 60’s, the middle 54’s and the top 51’s. All are 15 denier vintage stockings but not the same brand or age so that probably affects things too.

Tell me you love my new black diamond heels, because I adore them!!

...and what do you wear for the Diamond Jubilee?

What does one wear for Lovely Liz's Diamond Jubilee?

 

I heart the Union Jack Shoes of course!

And a period apropriate dress wouldn't hurt! Our Queen Maj accended the throne in 1952, so this looks about right...

 

Of course with the right dress, you must wear the right lingerie!

Probably best if you keep your clothes on though...

Haha, procrastination over, its back to the sewing for me, I hope you enjoyed that!

x

Simone

But I don't have a thing to wear! Wardrobe planing with some 1960's advice.

Winter is Coming! No, I haven't watched too much Game of Thrones, here in sunny West Australia, its getting chilly. And I haven't got a thing to wear, I swear!

I'm desperately trying to halt the flurry of new season spending and credit card singing and I'm taking advice from my 1960's textbook on style, and I'm wardrobe planning.

"Have you ever looked in your closet and said "I haven't anything to wear?" Of course, you had something - your closet wasn't empty. What you really meant was that you didn't have a suitable item for a certain occasion"

Oh, right, yeah...

So, I'm taking the "Dress" challenge because...

 "A wise girl knows that, three and three can equal nine, clothing outfits"

Sure, I knew that... but to make things a little harder, I'm not going to use any black clothing items (I wear black all day at work, so I'm not so keen on wearing it for play) and I want every outfit to look as different as possible, no-one needs to know that I'm wearing the same three skirts and the same three cardigans every day!

So the items I chose for my 3 and 3:

Cardigan 1. A little bit of preppy argyle from Cue, I love it and its wool so its warm!
Cardigan 2. An old favourite my Faster Pussycat Cardi.
Cardigan 3. Something I bought last summer on Etsy, a mid-century vintage beaded number, its an Angora and Lambs Wool blend and fully lined, Yummy!

Skirt 1. I've had this for about 5 years and I wear it all the time, a vintage navy leather pencil skirt I found on Ebay.
Skirt 2. A bit of green boucle from West Australian fashionista Suzi Homemaker.
Skirt 3. I bought yesterday from Good Sammy's for $13, its pure wool and a-line with front pockets. All kinds of practical I'm just not sure how it fits with my existing wardrobe...

1.

OK, I started off with something easy, as I've worn this before.

The top is a lovely piece of vintage pink nylon with a seersucker effect that I bought at Memory Lane.
The shoes are from Wittner, I bought them for $22 on sale, and they hurt like a bitch after only a few hours shopping, oh I hate you Wittner!!
The handbag was a bit of a splash out purchase from Alannah Hill, worth every penny.

...and red is always a great highlight right?

 

2. 

Oh, so proud of myself, I bought these vintage shoes at a market last year and I've never worn them, they are olive green with an orange insert, but look, they go with my new little orange hat - only $12 at Love Couture.
The shirt is embroidered Chinese silk and the handbag is from Forever New.

Damn it, no earrings, surely a fashion faux pas already...

3.

So... this skirt doesn't go with my usual look, So I went all Navajo I understand its in right now?

With knee high leather boots, wool skirt, wool cardi and unbelievably warm wool scarf from the Country Road clearance outlet. If you wanna go do Peyote in the desert, I'm totally ready...

4.

Another tried and true favourite outfit, I got the tartan bustier from the Cotton On Clearance for $2! I doesn't fit well, but under a cardi, you can hardly tell!

My slime bag is from Dangerfield and the Union Jack shoes my Mum bought for me in the UK, love you Mum!










 

 5.

Mmm... not sure about this one, is the pussy bow scarf to much? Not sure about the bracelets either... I really should bring those creepers out more often though!

6.

I was trying to channel Ralph Lauren, I think there is something kinda Ralph about this skirt... but those shoes? Really? Purple?

FAIL

7.

Ah... and then things continue to go down hill, the cardi, skirt and leopard print singlet - that I made - yay! Too easy, they go together just dandy.
The massive mint green vintage earrings? No!
Pink glitter wedges? HELL NO!
Jesus!

 

 

 

 

 

8.

Hold on, I think I'm back on track, this lovely vintage nylon top is all pin tucks and diamante's and it just arrived from the US yesterday. I love you etsy! Teamed with my Kiss Me Quick torsollette, worn throughout, its just dishy!

Oh and I cant forget my Marc by Marc Jacob heels, bought on sale of course!

9.

Here we have it folks, absolute and irrefutable proof that 3 and 3 does not make 9, three and three makes 6! because this skirt and this cardi are never, ever going to go together!!

So its all justifiable, the unending wardrobe choices, the bargain hunting and vintage stalking, the "I've got nothing to wear" dilemmas...









My next problem? What am I going to wear to church...

Pasties were pointier in the 60's

A little bit of fun from Squire Magazine June 1965

DIY - Showgirl Stockings!

This is one for all the crafty people and the DIY burlesque ladies. 

Prompted by a question posted on a burlesque forum, Where can you get showgirl stockings, the type that appear to have no band around the top and come all the way up under your butt?

I actually don’t know where you can buy them, but I know how to make them!

In fact I've been making them for years, it’s a great way to resurrect a pair of fishnet tights that have... err... given out, in the crotch, it happens to us all! Or, because stockings don’t come in the variety of colours that tights do, you can have some crazy patterned or coloured stockings that no-one else has. 

 

 These are some that I made a long time ago, but they are still my favourites!

 The Tutorial

Step 1. Choose your tights! 

I havent tried working with opaques or stockings, the ladder factor does concern me, but since these are showgirl tights, fishnets are definitely the go. If you’re really tall and you want them to gather a little or roll down at the top, buy the biggest size you can get, you can always make them shorter.

Step 2. Get cutting.

Cut just below the crotch, use sharp scissors and  long snips. Too easy.

Step 3. Choose your elastic.

I use what I call "knicker" elastic; there are heaps of different kinds available. Elastic that stretches further feels thicker and quickly returns to shape, like the black one I chose is going to fit firmer around the thigh. So its more secure. I also chose some vintage silver lame elastic, just for fun.

Step 4. Cut the elastic.

to judge the length just wrap the elastic around your thigh, you don’t want it too tight, just what feels comfortable. Add 2cm for overlap and cut 2 lengths. Then you want to sew the ends together to make circles of elastic. This bit I find is easier said than done.

Step 5. Get stitching.

Pot the elastic around the top of your tights, stretch them out and pin them down at regular intervals, this helps you to get the gathering even. I sew it on twice to get a better finish, so, sew it on first frilly side down the leg.

Just use a basic zigzag stitch.

 Once you've done that, turn the frill up and sew again.

 And ta-da! You’re done! You can add bows or pompom's or diamantes’ to your heart’s content but I'll leave that up to your discretion!

*** EDIT***

Due to popular request, from all the non-sewing lasses, you can now buy showgirl stockings here!