Take me back to our last summer

Summer inspiration: Favourite ASOS sunnies, black plastic basket bag (recent purchase from H&M Singapore), one piece bathing suit in 50's cut and RED & WHITE GINGHAM print (recent purchase from Modcloth)

Oh me, oh my.

It's been almost a month since I last wrote a post here. Forgive me, for my life has been in disarray and I am just starting to pick up the pieces again. 

Right now, I should be feeling cold, for it is autumn in Sydney. I should be wrapping myself under my doona and warming my hands with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea. 

But no, I have a portable fan whirring ceaselessly beside me. And despite having my hair all tied up in a bun, I am still sweating.

The sweltering heat in Singapore is a constant reminder of my last summer in Sydney. And it doesn't help that I am surrounded by inspiration of summer.

Procelain cups with tropical island-inspired design. I got them at a random knick-knack shop in Singapore and have absolutely no idea what I want to do with them at the moment. But hey, they cost just S$2 each. Perhaps I will grow a cactus in one of them.

Wallpaper in the fitting room of a Kate Spade branch in Singapore. I had to fight back all of my desire to stick my cheek on the wall and purr like a kitty. What would it be like to have this wallpaper on a wall at home? Hmmmm....

That isn't too late to me.

Green plastic basket and 60's style thermal flask from a random knick knack shop in Singapore

And to complete this post, here's a video of me singing a Hawaiian song with my ukelele. Yep, I picked up the ukulele around August last year when I was still in Sydney. Since my return to Singapore, I haven't really been playing much. This was recorded about a month ago for a very special friend. Then I decided to make it public. Eep!




That's all for now. Stay tuned for a post on a summer-inspired sewing project! 

I love you, Sydney.

x gwen

Sewn: 60s-inspired Mondrian Shift Dress

Dreams do come... partially true.

(via)

This 1965 Yves Saint Laurent "Mondrian" Day dress is one of the reasons why I fell in love with the 60s. (That and the whole flower power movement and the Twist and Twiggy and british pop songs from those years and.......)

Ok, I digress. 

Yes, this 1965 YSL dress is divine. All other (cheap) Mondrian-inspired dresses manufactured by clothing chain stores are crap. This F21 remake is an example. 

But it's impossible for me to own the genuine 1965 YSL dress. It is also impossible for me to wear a cheap remake without feeling repulsed. And so, I set my heart to making an acceptable remake of the dress.

You have no idea how I squealed when I saw this fabric in Mondrian print in a craft shop last year. The Little Gwen in my head even did a little victory dance. 

And several months later, this dress was born. Life is good.

Pattern: New Look 6049, option A
Fabric: 100% cotton in Mondrian print (front), black polyester (back)
Modification(s): I shortened the hem and reduced the size of the bodice (as usual).
What I dislike about this pattern: Nothing!
What I love about this pattern: IT'S A SHIFT DRESS!

The mysterious Far East

If you look carefully, you will realise that I am Asian. 

That was a joke. Of course, I'm Asian. Although I don't often identify with my own Asian roots, there are days when I suddenly feel Asian all over and have a strong urge to capitalise on my Asian features.

This was one of those days.

Wearing: Vintage dress in Japanese-inspired print (probably a 70s does 40s design), Chinese umbrella, faux victory rolls, red Rubi flats

And if you look carefully again, you can discover vintage Singapore - little corners of Singapore that still embrace the good old days. The Singapore Food Trail at Singapore Flyer is one of them. This 1960s themed foodcourt houses a wide range Singaporeans' most-loved street hawker food. At one end of the foodcourt, there is also an area with common 1960s household items on display. 

I would totally steal one of these thermos flask.

Satay

Unsurprisingly, the cost of food at this themed foodcourt is slightly steeper than the usual foodcourts in Singapore. Nevertheless, the food is good and I still recommend everyone to check it out at least once, especially if you're interested in learning more about what Singapore was like in the 1960s. 

And now, excuse me while I revise the history of Singapore. 

The Singapore Food Trail

On this hot, sunny island... I wear red gingham pants

How does one survive in this godforsaken sweltering weather? Well, some people hide in air-conditioned shopping malls while some people curse under their breath all day long. Personally, I prefer to take a folding fan with me everywhere I go and simply refuse to sweat. Yes, that's right. I. SIMPLY. REFUSE. TO. SWEAT.

That doesn't work all the time, unfortunately. Like on that day when I was at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I swear I could just stand and do nothing at all but still sweat. Besides, the portion served at Food for Thought, the place where I had brunch with my friends, was abysmal. I highly do not recommend it at all.

But at least my trip to Ann Siang Hill later in the afternoon wasn't too bad. It was worth all the sweat my body was producing in protest to the relentless sunshine and white-hot heat. 

Shophouses - MASSIVE LOVE!

Hipster haven

Those tiles

That combination of wood and coloured, floral tiles

Anyhoo, my outfit was inspired by the 60s and The Shangri-Las. The look would have been more authentic if my pants were high-waisted. But hey, I try my best with the little I have. 

Inspiration (via)

Wearing: White tee, gingham pants from Uniqlo, plastic green basket (with a bunch of flowers for a purely decorative purpose), and of course, my favourite ASOS sunnies

That's all for now! x

A trip back to Sydney and my new Bettie Page bang

Bettie Page bang!

I was back in Sydney about 2 weeks ago for my graduation ceremony. To be honest, the ceremony was just a big excuse for me to get back to Sydney to do all the things I love again. 

And now I'm just going to let the photos do all the talking.

All set and ready to go

First night: Rock 'n' roll and rockabilly dancing at Rocklily, The Star. 

Second day: Matching bag and shoes on graduation day

"Hahahaha! I graduated!" 

Pre-loved clothing store near uni. This is the kind of shopping that I like.

Third day: Bettie Page bang haircut at Sterling Hairdressing Parlour and milkshake at Jazz City Milkbar. Yes, that's THE place to  go for milkshakes.

Third night: Wanda Jackson at The Factory Theatre. Old is gold.

Fourth day: Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival

Fifth and final day: Sailor Jerry at the airport. Of course I bought a bottle. I would have bought more if I could!

Time flies by when you're having fun. Before I knew it, I was back in Sydney and back to work. But I'm already starting to think about my next trip to Sydney and possibly Melbourne...

Sewn: Red and white cherry dress

Cherry is da bomb

Ah, a sewing post. 

I made this dress over a year ago but never had the chance to write about it on my now defunct craft blog. So, here it is, featured as a sewing project for the very first time on my new blog! (Yes, check out the old blog if you are keen on knowing more about some of the things that I will continue to write about here.)

The dress

Matching seams!

The pattern

Pattern: New Look 6020, option D (bottom right)
Fabric: Cherry print in polycotton for skirt, red polyester for bodice
Modification(s): I shortened the hem and reduced the size of the bodice (as usual).
What I dislike about this pattern: Zipper on the side rather than at the back
What I love about this pattern: Two words - sweetheart neckline!

Sweetheart neckline

Despite reducing the size of the bodice, it still ended up a little too big. But that only means that the next time I use this pattern again, I'm going to continue to reduce the size a bit more and it's going to end up perfect. Regardless, it's a sweetheart neckline!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

And you have no idea how much I love cherry print. Cherry prints are cute AND sexy. What are the chances for something to be cute and sexy AT THE SAME TIME!? I think I have made my point. 

And because I am cheesy, I like wearing this dress with my very treasured pair of cherry earrings which I bought from the Sydney Rock 'n' Roll and Alternative Market a few months back. Oh god, I miss those days...

In other news, I have too many photos to share and too many things to write again. Stay tuned for another blog post soon! 

English afternoon tea

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and my friends took me to Goodwood Park Hotel in Singapore for English afternoon tea! 

I love having afternoon tea. More importantly, I love having an excuse to dress up.

Wearing: Handmade dress, ASOS sunnies, DIY straw bag

Obviously enjoying my tea

I made this dress less than a year ago using a Butterick 6582 Retro 1960 pattern. But I guess most people would think that it's a design from the 50s because of the rather fitted bodice and the full skirt. This dress is meant to be worn with a petticoat. But unfortunately, I still do not own a petticoat of my own. Hmmm.. that's another item to add to my 'To own' list.

The straw bag was a $4 steal from an op-shop in Sydney. The bag was originally just a plain straw bag. I added the lace and ribbon myself. The original DIY project can be found on my now defunct craft blog here. 

English afternoon tea at Goodwood Park Hotel is different from the high tea I used to have back in Sydney. The former is buffet style, and offers a range of pastry and 2 pots of tea for each person. TWO! Not one, but two! And of course, one of the 2 pots of tea I chose was Earl Grey. xx