Exception #3

This Saturday was International Women's Day.
Where I'm born, ex-Yugoslavia, this day was celebrated. It was a nation-wide celebration; The inclusion and acceptance of women had to be marked, so all women got presents and flowers from both men and children.

Where I live now, Denmark, this day has never been a very big deal. It has been more sort of a political matter, and this day was a day of remembrance; a day to focus on the century-long oppression of women.

This Saturday was different. This Saturday a group of women decided to celebrate the day with an event.
In co-operation with the Danish National museum and 42 model we put up a show that showed 100 years of women's underwear: 1880-1990.
I was one of the model, and I represented 1880. I was the one that opened the show, and for 7 minutes I stood in front of 600 people that watched me get dressed. It was intimidating, it was scary, and it was hell a lot of fun.

Click the images for a bigger version

What I'm wearing here is a chemise and a bed shirt. This is the first layer of four layer in all. 

Courtesy od Karen Mardahl

This is the process of the dressing. 

First my dresser took the bed shirt of. Then I put in to a pair of pantalettes. The next step was the corset. This was such a fun. I head several people from the audience squeal, and some of the even said "oh no" when my dressed to the corset from the pile of clothes. I guess it took her 5 minutes to tighten the corset. She didn't want to tighten it to much, cause she was afraid it would break. Even though I was up for a tighter lacing I think the audience got the point. 

The last layer was the undershirt and a short shirt to keep it all in place, and to hide the corset fully. 

Courtesy of Per "Rock" Mogensen
One of my friends recorded my part of the show, so you can watch it on youtube. 

I must say I'm very excited that I got this opportunity to be a part of this show, and to make people remember how much actually has happened the past 100+ years.

Happy late 8th of March. Remember the feminism and equality of the sexes is not in your clothes, but in your mind. 

Exception #2 - Reflections upon style and fashion

Most of you don't know me very well. This blog is mostly about dresses, style and fashion. But to understand my style, you have to understand me as well, or at least know why I act and dress as I do.

I've loved fashion since a very early age, and except few exceptions I've never been part of the mainstream fashion. For me it's always been about style rather that fashion. So already in my early teens I started to experiment with different styles.

I guess I've always been on of those people who dress after mood, which has made my style a tad schizophrenic over the years.

As a teens I decided to become a hippie, so I started wearing big, colorful and flowery skirts and dresses, I was all about boho and I was more or less the only one. Yet something was missing, so already at age of 15 I started twisting the style.

During my high school years I started experimenting with the more darker sides of fashion as well, and before I knew it I was all about goth. Yet I was just a tad to happy to be all goth. I didn't really feel the pain you had to feel to be a goth.
And that's when I stopped trying to fit within a box and decided that I could be 60's boho and goth, well not at the same time, but I could switch between both styles, if I wanted. Who was there to stop me?

During my twenties I stated dressing in some way MOD. I'm not sure I was aware of that fact. But none the less I wore long boots, short dresses and had a very high bob.
I loved the 1960s and the MOD style as I have pointed out before on this blog. Yet the MOD style wash't fit for the stockings I loved so much. And as my fascination for stockings grew, so did the length of the dresses I wore. I guess it was a natural process for me.

I've been wearing post-world war II fashion the past 3-5 years. (More seriously the past 3 years). And I really do love the style, but the past year or so vintage has been hit by an inflation. More and more people are interested in vintage clothes. Interested in the lovely and elegant style of the 1950s. The New Look is back and I'm so very glad...

And then again I've never been the part of the crowd, and I actually think I've grown to like being the odd (wo)man out.  For me style is about making fashion and clothes personalized, but as the better part of the danish women are dressing 1950s inspired, I back out.

I woke up yesterday and didn't know what to wear. Well actually I knew exactly what I could wear, but I was getting bored, and just didn't feel like it anymore.
I somehow felt trapped and wearing the pretty dresses from the 1940s and 1950s just felt like a routine rather like pleasure. So I wen't to my parents attic and found my old MOD stuff.
A lot of it was unfortunately given to charity, but I still had some of the classics, and I will make some changes in my wardrobe.

I've realized I'm not schizophrenic just because I don't follow the same line of style for ever.
It's rather that I like to experiment. I mean, why shouldn't I? Style and fashion is all about been creative....

Fashion is fluent. That's easy to see because it always changes, yet it is always inspired by earlier styles. But what I came to think of is that style is fluent as well. As people we evolve, and we change; At least curious people, who are willing to explore life and the world, are evolving and changing.
That is exactly the same with the style. As long as you are aware, as long as you explore, your style will follow it will change and expand.
A lot of stylists are scolding women for lacking consistency within the style. But you don't need consistency. You need to play around and try stuff out until you find something you like. The best part is though when you get tied of the style and you go out to explore a new one.

I think choosing just one line of style for yourself is rather a sort of security blanket. You know what fits you, you get used to it, and you just keep going on like some kind of repeat.
I'm not a person that falls in to repetition or monotony. I like to challenge my self.

I don't have any plans of changing my style 100%. I still love all of my 100 1950s dresses, I just plan to broaden the boundaries I've put upon myself and my style the past year or so.

That's why I will be welcoming 1960s MOD back in to my life.

1960s was all about bright colors and big hair. I'm wearing a bright red a-line skirt that is just above the knee. I've matched the skirt with a black knit blouse and a pair of knee highs.

It's extremely important to me not to look like a teen, which you easily can end up doing you you don't give the look a lot of edge and some kind of twist. I've done it with the hair. This was one of my favorite up-does back than, but I've was never able to make it, cause I always either had a bob or a pixie-cut. 

The huge hair makes the look some how more grown up. 

I'm wearing big bracelets with bright colors. It's all about adding some kind of edge to the look. 

But it still has to be very fresh and young. 

#36

My hair is too long and my wardrobe is about to be used up. I think it's just about time to get the summer stuff up from the basement. 

I think it the time of the year where the restlessness is kicking in and I feel nothing is good enough. 

Actually I'm kind of excited. 

It's still winterish in Denmark. But I've been living her for so many years that I know that I should always keep my Wellingtons and a wool coat close to me. 

Beeing aware of those facts gives me a possibility to wear lovely summer dresses even though it gets cold. 

I feel a bit uninspired. And I'm not very much in to those A-line skirts these days. I don't feel my waist is tiny enough, and I'm just not up for wearing tight corsets for a whole day at the Library. None the less I've got plans tonight so I had to look just a tad more stylish that I've been the past couple of days. 

I bought the skirt at etsy.com last year, I think. I haven't been able to wear it, cause it was to tight, but apparently today was one of those lucky days. It's simple, but I just love the tartan pattern. Maybe I should try to wear it during the coming christmas. It has those amazing vintage Christmas colors. The fabric isn't anything special, I guess it's some kind og cotton, but it's very breathable and that suits me. 

Firstly I tried to match the skirt with a green blouse, but it was just off, so I chose a transparent black shirt and accessorized with a black belt and black jewelry. 

I've had these earrings for ages. As most of my jewelry they are bijouterie, but they are simple and that's always a plus in my world. 

The ring is actually gold, and it was a present form my granddads sister. She was hell of a lady, and she had an amazing style.

The pin is actually a hat pin, but I still need a brooch that combines gold and black, so I use the hat pin as a brooch, when in need of that combination. 

#32, #33, #34, #35 - Summing up... forever

So, basically I'm not sure where the past week has gone. It's as if the days just slip through my fingers, and every morning I wake up, its a new week. 

It's almost three months since I've started this crazy project. And actually I'm starting to feel that I'm getting to the end of my winter wardrobe. There is still a good amount of dresses and outfits, but I am getting to the least favorite of them now, and I don't have the same urge to show them of. I mean all of my dresses are nice, but it's as if I forget to take the pictures in the morning. 

Last week was hard, and I ended up being home for two days, cause I caught some kind of bug. 

But none the less this is a selection of the outfits I wore last week. 

Monday: I found this dress on a flea market last summer. I was a bargain, and one wonders why. I almost ended up in an argument with my dad about this dress.  I still thinks it's as ugly as hell, and believe it or not, but I agree. None the less I love it. It's crazy, edgy, and it makes me smile every times I wear it. 

I'm pretty sure this is a 1970s pice, but, the crazy colors aside, it has actually a very 1940s style. Both the collar and the cuffs have pretty 1940s details. 

The Monday dress is more or less impossible to accessorize, cause it has way to much going on, so I just went with a simple pair of silver earrings. Mostly cause feel naked without earrings. 

Tuesday and Wednesday I was at home, so this is the Thursday's dress. This is actually the dress I planed to wear all those times I ended up wearing pants. I had a date on Thursday, so I decided to wear a dress. 

I love this dress. I actually designed it and my tailor in Montenegro made it for me. I just have a weakness for all things buttoned in the back.

It's inspired from the 1930s style, and actually it is supposed to be worn without a belt, but sometimes I wear it with a belt, just to give is some shape. I actually loved this dress so much that I asked my tailor to make me one more, but in different color. 

Usually when I wear the green dress I wear this jewelry. These is just something about green and cold. It fits perfectly. 

Friday... Well, I also had a date. I guess the Spring is on it way. So I wore a one of my many pencil skirts and and shirt I tend to forget I have. Usually I forget how pretty this shirt is. I've had it for ages and I bought it on sale in h&m. Once again it has this 1940s inspired style and color so with the right styling it ends up looking all vintage. 

And today. Today I'm almost in the 1970s. If it wasn't for the shape of the collar and the style of the pants, I'd go for a Disco-Diva today. 

Basically everything, except the hat, I'm wearing today is bought in some kind of high street shop. 

You don't have to buy expensive and fancy clothes to look stylish and elegant. It about being creative, and of course taking care of the clothes you wear. 

I always change when I get home, and I always wear my house coat at home. That's how I keep my clothes mint for several years, and even though they are bought in h&m og any other cheap hight street shop they look good and almost as new.