SUNSHINE AND THE SIXTIES

The jacket, bag and gloves are vintage, the dress Trashy Diva. And the shades are oh yes mint green!

A SMALL VICTORY

(and two small victory rolls)

Hah! After more than five, yes, five months (Damn you, climate!) I can finally wear heels outside!

A pretty big victory actually.

THE SUNDAY DRESS

I've been winterizing more of my summer dresses.

It's funny btw how a dress you were never really that interested in but bought as it happened to be on sale (that's the right consuming spirit, buy even if you don't care!) turns out to become your absolute favorite one. The cut is the Doris dress from Trashy Diva and it's just perfect, although it looks less interesting on the site.
(Well you can't see that much of it actually since it's "winterized" but anyway.)

The cherry brooch is by Frollein von Sofa.

COMBINED

Cold, snowy and windy weather isn't much about outfits to take pictures of but more about keeping warm. And it's also pretty damn dark most of the day so one might as well forget about natural light in photos.

But anyway, my point here was actually the one that you can very well use your summer dresses even though it's cold (well, when quite cold, not real freezing like minus twenty cold though), as long as you just layer right (remember?). Not the most sheer ones of course, but a good ol' cotton dress will do, preferably lined, worn with a long slip underneath, a blouse, cardigan and enough of stockings and socks.


I've been wearing some of my Trashy Diva dresses with wool stockings lately. The cardigan is vintage; a present from Ina for my birthday. The hat is from Made By (the Finnish version of esty). Lace up boots are old Vagabond.

I NEVER SAID I WOULDN'T AND SO I DID IT

It took me nine months but now it's mine!


The Trashy Diva Courtney coat - it's perfect. I should've just ordered it right away as it was bound to happen sooner or later, the way it usually goes with things like this...

It's very over the top, which is good, because that's the way (a-ha a-ha) I like it. (Every now and then at least.)


But, since Helsinki is not exactly New Orleans, at least climate wise (except for a few incredible months last summer), so this may not be the perfect jacket for the season. However, the very pretty collar is easily folded up and it actually works very well, both against wind and how it appears. And a pair of long gloves also come in handy to cover the fourth of an arm that otherwise would be bare.


And yes, then I had this little poll in my sidebar for a month, asking what you like to see on this blog. Not that the result would or will change the way I blog, as I still will post about what I like and the way I have the time for it. But it's also nice to find out what the rest of the world thinks. And almost all of you clicked outfits. Oh you, my readers. Outfit posts are the ones I find the hardest to find substance for and the ones that take the longest time to make (since I often tend to be in a hurry, or, ahum, a little late). But well, wouldn't want to disappoint you: here's what I wore underneath today; something a little less edgy than the coat.


Ps. If you're thinking of ordering the coat read the description on the Trashy Diva site; it runs a bit small around the ribs like they say so order a size up! Mine fits me well with just a plain shirt or tee underneath, but I had to move the buttons a couple of centimetres to be able to fit a knit there too!

ARCHIPELAGO WEDDING / EARLY SIXTIES INSPIRED UPDO

I have to break that image of me as a cabbage head and save myself for future references in the internet. All the following images should be named ulrikabacherulrikabacherulrikabacher.jpg to be sure they are the ones to hit the search engine first.

Well anyway Eddi and I went to a wedding last weekend (yes there's been a lot of weddings this year, my friend asked if we've done anything else this summer) in the far-away archipelago. I had a pretty dress and a nasty flu with me and did this 'do inspired by the early sixties. Mad Men if you so like (I have to start watching that show!).

The hair do takes under ten minutes to make with pre-culred hair and the help of some Bumpits'. The pearl bow hair comb is from Frollein von Sofa.


I think had the nicest outfit I've worn this year so far, but as you really can't have your picture taken all the time I don't have any proper shots of that. The dress is trashy Diva however.

I don't smoke anymore btw. Only sometimes. Like when I have the flu because it helps, eh.

BANGS.

Faux bangs. As in faux-faux, truly fake, not the one you create by rolling your hair into a fringe, but as in clip-ons.
But you can't really tell can you?
Mine is made of human hair and bought form Cybershop.

A bit too peroxide toned when it arrived, I have coloured it more into my own (or, should I say "own") shade at the hairdresser's and slightly re-styled it.(My hairdresser calls it "The Rat". Not like the rat you roll our hair with but the actual animal; it was a sad little grey piece of lump during the colouring, hence the name. Now I will have to colour the poor little rat again the next time I go to the hairdresser for The Big Change. Ahum. Nothing. Forget that. Ladi dadi da. *whistles*)

(The dress is my newly arrived Americana Dress from Trashy Diva)

(YOU CAN MAKE UP THE HEADLINE YOURSELF AS I CAN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING SMART)

One of the many smaller things I like about summer is that it is so much easier to dress. And nicer since it's less to think about. (And in general you can wear nicer outfits too, but that depends on how you see it. Sometimes I prefer autumn outfit-wise too). Either way it's not that warm here now, so I still have to drag a jacket along to be on the safe side.

This is what I'll be wearing today, for a little while while doing some errands. Then I'll slip into something more, eh, practical as I start painting doors in the new flat.

The skirt is vintage, found at our summer cottage, and the blouse Trashy Diva.

A GREAT COMBINATION

-Cars and girls!

Last weekend, just before the rain came and the week-long heat ended, we drove out to a car club to shoot some poster pics for Helsinki Cruising Club.

HCC happens the first Friday of every month from June to September. Radio Helsinki plays great rockabilly and rautalanka (♥) all evening long while the cars cruise. I always tune in. The club itself afterwards is at Nosturi, with acts like Kim Lenz, Rob Coffinshaker, The Barnshakers (at the first club) and us - at every club! But more on that some other time.

Here are some behind the scenes pics, taken by Itty-Bitty Lola M.:
Itty-Bitties in Trashy Diva trixie dresses.

Vera De Vil.

Jackie O'Lantern has a mini Diana!

Oh, tires!

Pickaboo from behind my Taunus (which, although a great car, was not part of the shooting :)

Marko, the photographer. He's really good. He took these (<- click) for example.

Final results to be seen later.

MAY.

Hope you all had a nice Valborg and first of May!



(I spent mine drinking, eating and picnicking -as usual, only this year in rather freezing weather- so today has been spent in bed.)

((My hair flower is made by Rascal Kosher and the dress is Trashy Diva, not the one I originally intended to get, the one I wanted was sold out, this is the Country Club dress instead and it's probably their best dress!Much better in real life than on the site.))

BUTTERFLIES AND BILLY ROCK

Every little chance I have to get myself all dolled up is welcome during a period of almost constant harbour work - I spend most of the day there in boots and workwear. So even though knowing it would get all painful the day after, as I have early mornings going on, I put on one of my new dresses and joined Ina (who now has a blog btw): & her Mr.T to Storyville's Billy Rock Station Club to see the Go Getters. A great night indeed, but one does get punished for dancing to that sinful rock n'roll music all night long if one has to get up at five the next morning. (And furthermore in not-yet-worn-shoes. Well, at least I've worn them in now:)

Here I am showing off my new dress. The pattern is very strong, I'm not sure about what I think of it but I like it all-in-all anyway. (Well of course since I bought it.)


And showing it off a bit more; yes, it has a big hem.

The shoes are these ones and the bag is vintage from my gran.

PACKAGE BLISS

I made up my mind, and now it was time for the postman to make my day - my Trashy Diva dresses arrived! (Yes, you read it right, plural.)

And like said before, it's not just getting the stuff that's in the box that's the great part, it's also the short walk home from the post office while making a tiny hole in the package for a little peak and the moments just before you actually open it that makes me feel like a little kid at Christmas Eve, as I love parcels and packages... Maybe I should start wrapping up old stuff of mine I don't wear or use anynmore and send it to myself..? Or well, maybe not.

IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN

If I would start this by saying " I need a new day dress for summer" I would obviously not only be lying to myself, aware of it, but also to the whole internet. Hehe. Definitely do not need yet another one. Want one? Yup. And miss-I-can't-fit-all-dresses-in-my-wardrobe-anymore is sick alone here at home and will most certainly let it happen again; start with the clicking.

The only question is: which one?

(PS. Obviously, if you didn't figure it out yet, you have to read the headline like this!)

I 'M NOT SAYING I WILL GET IT BUT I 'M NOT SAYING I WON'T (OR AM I?)

I am not one of those to make New Year’s resolutions. No promises, ever.

I have however tried it with improvements - the first time being last year. I was going to improve my manners of taking care of my paper work – organize my accounting, billing, bank and business papers weekly instead of once per the quarter– but that went horribly wrong. I actually became less organized than before. So this year I should probably give up on even trying in order not to fail again and feel all bad afterwards. (I didn't after last year's fail, which is probably a bit alarming. Or annoying. But I’m just born with this 'No Worries No Hurries' attitude towards these things and so far so good.)

Giving up in advance is however not the preppy spirit one is thought of to have around this time of year, ey? So if I would try it with a small restriction instead of an improvement this time? To stop buying things online all the time and instead save up for that mintgreen Smeg I have been babbling about for a very long time already, which I actually am going to get us this summer and put into a bigger kitchen! (Yey!)

That of course means that I will not for example buy this to-die-for jacket from Trashy Diva. No way.

A jacket that could only be used a few months per year due to the climate around here and with me already having enough of practically everything it is of course out of the question. Not even though it also comes in leopard print (oh! oh! I’m having a real hard time here now)!

So I have no intention of getting myself either one whatsoever, ahum, I am merely presenting it to you in case anyone is up for some spring jacket inspiration?

(Oh ♥)

STEP BY STEP...

I guess most of you younger readers will be speared the immediate association of adding "ooh baby..." to the headline. Hehe. (Needless to say, I was never a girl to like those kinds of bands btw.) Well anyway, the dress is Trashy Diva and the slip vintage (one of many things I picked up last weekend), the rest from here and there.

WHOAH! ONE MORE DRESS ADDED TO THE COLLECTION...

(Look ma! No hands - and almost no arms either! Great posing I have there, ey? :)

Ta-taa: it has arrived, the temptation I fell for: my Avian dress from Trashy Diva!

And it was delivered straight to my door - now that's what I call service! The doorbell rang and there was the postman and he just handed me my dress over. Why can't all things in life go as smooth?

Turned out it was a tiny bit too loose in the wast though so I was thinking of putting some ribbon in the back to chinch it in. However, after some bubbly and crispy at Punavuoren Putiikki's opening, a whole lot of tapas and sangria there after, an ice cream in the park - strawberry sorbet and peppermint cream. Great combination - and later on a big iced latte on a sunny terrace it fit like a dream! No loose fabric anymore anywhere ;)

But for the record, attaching two ribbons just behind the waist to tie into a bow in the back is an easy way to tuck in a dress a centimeter or two without any needles and pins and cutting. Less risky, easy to detach. Ribbons in the same color as the dress go rather unnoticed but can still make a small nice detail (or if you feel like it, why don't go for contrast colored ribbons as well?)

Oh, and also, since I get the question quite a lot - I can push my pedals perfectly well in my Parikka's. It's not that hard biking in high heeled shoes at all!

(Psst. You can here me quiz at Raio X3m tomorrow on Friday at 14:00 again. Let's see if I can make one more round...)

I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF

I did some of my kind of internet porn, which is watching pretty dresses on sites I have labeled as forbidden (like Trashy Diva, where I lurked today). This time couldn't resist the Click and ended up finally ordering a dress I've been drooling over ever since it appeared on the site. Oh!

LAST, FIRST, VERY RED

Happy New Year to all!!



Last outfit of the past year, first of the new one! (well, naturally. Unless I'd have changed clothes right at midnight or so :)

Everything was red expet for my lips and nails that were burgundy and my champagne that was pink.

(Trixie Dress from Trashy Diva, earrings from Silly Girl. The necklace is selfmade from a broken bracelet and also works as a brooch)