high or low?

I'm going to buy some white chucks today, the ones with the red and blue on them. I'm leaning towards low, I think. I will protector spray the chucks so I don't ruin them. And then they will be my chucks forever. I like this picture of Elvis wearing Chucks. It sums up how I think they are best worn: crisply, with letterman sweaters, slacks a la Take Ivy, with pre-fat Elvis.

Incedentally, this movie, Change of Habit, looks really good. That's Mary Tyler Moore with Elvis. Photos are from here.

When I was 16 I bought a pair of chucks that were black and had "Mangere" embroidered on them. At the time I thought I was being really funny and ironic, but in retrospect I think I was just being a little shit. 

I've often moaned about my inability to dress as preppily as I would like. Never mind that I only seem to wear grey marl, blue denim, tan shoes and khaki anoraks: I just can't shake that grungy, rumpled feeling. Maybe white chucks will help. But perhaps the answer is that I should iron my clothes.  

Another topic I frequently rant about is how much I love Linda Ronstadt in the 1970s. Well, get a load of these photos from her Simple Dreams tour. *Also get a load of JD Souther (far right). Babe.

Everyone on that tour was impeccably dressed. I love the flares, I love the short shorts, I love denim on denim, I love shirts tied up in knots, I love flowers behind ears, I love hirsute bands.

Image from lurve.

current inspiration

Loose pants, "mannish tailoring", natural shiny hair, little bikinis and big hats, no make-up, goofy smiles.

Images from all over the internet including here here here here here and others I just had on my computer.

1970s / 1900s

Darling Han is coming to visit Melbourne Very Soon and I had the best idea this morning for a fun, slightly random, away from the city but still inexpensive activity today: a Picnic at Hanging Rock!

(That's us obviously)

Tea party at hanging rock! With a man who slightly resembles a grumpy Donald

Our picnic will probably involve less tea and more quencher (pictured here as 'non-descript alcohol'), and boys in jaunty pants if we're lucky

we will take ipods

Picnic at Hanging Rock1 by Lou1 featuring Miss Selfridge

Items in this set:
VINTAGE COLLECTION Peach Crystal Pleated Dress, $185
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN KL06F04 CREAM SILK -, 540 GBP
High Neck Ruffle Top, $38
Petites Cream Crop Blouse, 28 GBP
Leather Combat Boots, 415 GBP

If you didn't already know (gasp!), Picnic at Hanging rock is the name of a book written in the 60s about a group of school girls in 1900 who vanish during a Valentine's Day picnic at the site of an enormous rock formation. The rock formation featured in the story, Hanging Rock, is an actual geological formation located in Victoria, Australia (thanks Wikipedia). The book was made into a great movie in 1970 which is full of floaty lace dresses and straw boater hats...

hanging rock2 by Lou1 featuring Opening Ceremony shoes

Items in this set:
Chloe Draped silk halterneck gown, $2,338
Stella Mccartney Sheer Organza Silk Blouse, 375 GBP
Free People - Downtown Ruffle Mini Skirt (Nude) - Apparel, $58
Opening Ceremony Suede Bow Front Wedges, 295 GBP
MYPETSQUARE boater hat, 39 AUD

I'm sorry, I just had to put this one in here for it's 'This Guy' potential

hanging rock3 by Lou1 featuring Miss Selfridge

Items in this set:
Nude Lace Crop Top, 25 GBP
Jason Wu Silk-chiffon pleat-knot skirt, $1,105
Halter neck ruched swimsuit, 250 GBP
Two tone wedged ankle boot, 490 GBP
picnic blanket

Side note: The clothesey stuff was totally inspired by this post - thanks Almie, and kind of progressed from Edwardian inspired to slightly more realistic attire for the Melbourne Summer/our tastes to Holy Hell I want those Chloe boots baddd, and that sweet crop top...

PS Thank you thank you han for the Fantastic phone call minutes ago (with operatic office caroling in the background - amazing!)

PPS This idea needs to become a reality, anyone in Melbourne with a car who wants to come/take us, let me know!

the canyon

I want to dress like this, all the time. It's hard to do, though. You need that "effortless" thing that these 70's babes exude.
I'm definitely not effortless.

It makes me want to go to Woodstock

As the child of what may be the biggest Crosby Stills and Nash fan of all time, I was forced by my father to read a book called Hotel California a few years ago. It chronicles "The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagles, and Their Many Friends" and was written by Barney Hoskyns. Its largely set in Laurel Canyon, which sounds like an interesting and amazing place to have been in the late sixties and early seventies.

In the canyon things like this would happen: here is Eric Clapton hearing Joni Mitchell for the first time, with David Crosby looking on.

I'm currently re-reading the book, and it has totally reinvigorated my love for late 60's and early 70s singer-songwriters...I don't care if it's cheesy! Suite Judy Blue Eyes is probably going to always make me giggle and I'm probably going to wind up like Emma Thompson in Love Actually and say things like "Joni Mitchell taught your cold English wife how to feel" when I'm older.


Also, this book (or, more fittingly, the photos in this book) has called to my attention the fact that a lot of these people were extremely attractive. See JD Souther, above. He's not overly famous, but from what I gather, he wrote a lot of pretty songs. Look at him! And below, he's wearing the best jacket I've ever seen. Jackson Browne is on right, also looking adorable and Deadwood-esque.

Hoskyns pretty much sums it up - he says (and this isn't an exact quote) that they all looked like "Jesus after a couple of weeks on the coast"*. I guess that's my type.

Here's JD Souther.



*Apart from David Crosby

Woodstock photos from here by Shelley Rusten.