my glamorous new dressing room

If you were reading my blog in August last year, you’d have seen my post “Glam New Dressing Room with Shoe Storage“.  (If not, check it out now!)

Glam dressing room

I thought it was about time I unveiled the newish configuration of my dressing room/study. What’s changed? I’ve purchased a drop-dead-gorgeous set of wardrobes from Brescia Furniture that are far more sleek and streamlined, not to mention taller and wider.  I can fit so much more in them! My ceilings are so high that I can still fit storage options on top of them, which I have done with some black felt baskets.

I also now have a beautiful rug (from DecoRug) that is zebra patterned, yet the design also looks a bit like a spine. It is very plush, alternating high pile in the off-white, with a tight low pile in black, for contrast of both colour and texture. My little doggie loves it!

Add to the equation a very sleek white desk and sexy ‘z’ chair in black faux-alligator, and the room is looking a whole lot more luxe. These were both from UFO Furniture at Euston Road, Alexandria. The desk has a glass panel on top, so I can put wallpaper, say, underneath the glass and totally change the look of the desk.

I discovered that if I turned my bookcase shelving on to its side, I could fit more shoes in each slot – bonus! Now I can fit 4 shoes, or 2 pairs, in each box instead of just 3. The shelving is lower and wider this way, meaning I could put another one on top. Now that I may just do…..

But on to the photos.

Let’s start the tour off with the amazing wall of shoes that lie opposite the windows. This is the bookcase that I turned sideways. On top I added two Ikea hutches that I found in the bargain clearance section. They don’t look too out of place, and allow me to add another row of boots. On top of the lot are some of my hats from my millinery days, and two very burlesque peacock feather fans.

I tried to keep the shoes colour-coded, with the black and white platforms together, the coloureds, the leopard print shoes, and so on.

The wall of shoes is on your left as you enter the room; on your right is the upright bookcase with the majority of my boots (and hats and wigs) displayed.  Next to that is the desk area, which is lovely and sunny, being next to the windows.

dressing room desk

 

The window luckily has a wide ledge so I can put these slimline TRONE Ikea storage boxes on it…

…with jewellery and other decor on top of those:

  

The 2 fabulous coloured deer heads are from Miho,  while the large plainer one is a Beyond the Page MDF deer head from Midwest Scrapbook on ebay.

Back to the wardrobes, or closets as some like to call them; they are directly in front of you as you enter the room.

And here’s a peak at the insides:

        

Dresses and skirts are in the first section of the closet, with bags underneath; jackets are in the second section with drawers underneath for scanties, socks and tights; and tops and pants are in the third section, with belts in the shallow drawers beneath (and corsets laid on top, for now).  No, I’m not the tidiest or most organised, by any means.

The only thing missing now is the floors, so here is the rug…and Fritz enjoying it. His tail is blurry cos he’s wagging it…awwww!

 Miniature pinscher

Obviously the walls need some decoration. I do have some beautiful aqua wallpaper that I may use behind the desk area, and a large teal bamileke feather headdress to attach to a wall too. I am also on the lookout for the right padded pouffe or other glam dressing room chair to sit on while putting on my shoes. The desk may well be moved upstairs and a French style ornate dressing table take its place, along with a large ornate mirror…but if I waited til it was finished, I’d never post.

What about you – do you have a system you’re happy with? Have great ideas but not the room (or money?) Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Any ideas from here that you’ll take away? I have to say that pinterest is a great source of inspiration for me, and I’ve gathered my faves in “Amazing dressing rooms/studies/home offices“.  If you’re on there,  come find me – http://pinterest.com/trashtastika/.

My travelling wardrobe

So I’ve been a dirty rotten stopout for not posting very much…it’s hard when you’re travelling, you know? I thought I’d just post a few fashiony shots, so here is my lovingly merchandised rack of clothes as seen in my Seoul hotel room (click on any to see larger):

  

The pink vinyl biker jacket is from Seoul, found on Level 5 of the Noon Square mall in Myeong-Dong. And boy, have I been wearing it everywhere!  The orange skirt is from Zara, also in Seoul. Everything else I brought away with me.

 

Obviously those shoes are just SO WRONG…so I went out to Hongdae and bought a pair of coral platforms that  fall between the orange & pink (& a pair of green ones at another store). Drool at the shoes behind us in the pics…

 

AS for the shoes themselves…you’ll just have to wait for my haul post, coming soon…

Esperanza and R & E Shoes 2011

Since I featured Randa yesterday, I thought it only fair to check out some of the other big shoe labels in Japan.

Esperanza

The cut-out heels we’ve seen elsewhere have made their way into the collection, and I especially like the tie-dye and metallic silver boots here:

 

Unusual platforms are also to be found in the sandal section – it seems the footwear designers have adapted some quirky elements from couture shoes into their high street lines. I adore these anything-but-boring floral platforms with the fabric extrending down the heel:

 

The fringing seen in the wild-western clothing trend has also surfaced in the boots – my faves are the blue suede. One – because I love bright colour, and two – because everyone needs to own a pair of “blue suede shoes”!

 

Some boots have been opened up to make them cool enough for the warmer months. The floral tapestry style would go really well with Dolly Kei or girly gyaru outfits:

Goth girls are going to love these next boots, which in addition to coming in black, each feature a little skull, bow and rose!

 

Retro spots, gingham and bright colours take the spotlight away from the edgier styles and bring fun and girliness to the fore:

 

R & E or Rosessence

The standouts for me are the platform brogues (first seen in-store in January), although there are more sedate brogue versions available too (which again, would suit dolly kei and mori girl wardrobes well):

 

The retro theme continues here as well, with spots, checks and nautical stripes in evidence:

  

Likewise the 70’s trend continues with rope, cork and wood heeled platforms:

  

..and the ubiquitous fringing (combined with hanging beads for a little je ne sais quoi):

A mini-trend seen in this collection is the use of charms and chains at the ankle – something to watch for.

 

Somehow I feel there must be more exciting models still to be released, as most of these from R&E do not make my heart race. I do love the first two from Esperanza though, and will struggle not to bring one of them home with me.

What do you think?

Randa Spring Summer 2011 Collection

Although it’s just hit Autumn here in Australia, elsewhere in the world March 1 marked the first day of Spring! Time to go checking what the new trends are, and what better to check out than shoe trends in Japan?

Randa is one of my fave Japanese shoe stores and they’ve released their Spring Summer 2011 collection, “Natural and Luxury“.

Obviously very on board with the 70’s theme seen everywhere at the moment, I’m pleased to see that chunky platforms are featured heavily, yet with a girly, feminine twist.

 Not the clodhoppers from the 70’s as such, here the chunkiness of the platform is offset by delicate flower cutouts.  Heels are either wooden or covered in leather.

As the word “natural” suggests, the colour theme is overwhelmingly taupe, sand and beige. Not my favourites, as I tend to go for black or bright colours, yet I can see how versatile these will be with many outfits in the 70’s vibe.

There is embellishment galore, with beading in evidence, my favourite pair with hidden/covered platform seen below. 

Even the beaded Winter models that used to be in black, have been introduced in the new pastels: pink, cream and dove grey.

Or for those who prefer closed toes:

Others have embellishment by way of brass detailing and silk scarves, or tribal design inserts (love these!):

There ARE pops of colour, for those like me who love it, as in these snakeskin print shoes which each have a mauve underside, or the yellow boots with twisted leather detailing:

There’s even a version of the Jeffrey Campbell “Lita”, so popular has this style proved with bloggers and models alike:

The “real deal” below

There are also dainty beaded flats and flower embellished shoes, as well as bright coloured pumps and espadrille type wedges with rope heels, but why not hop on over to the Randa webstore and check them all out for yourself?

They are also available at the Rakuten website: New Arrivals, Re-arrivals, Bootees. And the good news is, you can get items shipped internationally, even if some stores on Rakuten wouldn’t normally ship to your country.  Tenso.com will buy it for you, package multiple items together if you buy several, and send them onto you – all you need is Paypal. Check out the Tenso buying guide here. There is also the Buy Japanese shopping service, but they are not accepting new orders just at the moment – keep it bookmarked for later.

Oh, I just know I’m gonna be in agony deciding what shoes to buy over there, yet again, this season. Which are your faves?

D Squared spine heel shoes – ZOMG shoe lust

I don’t usually buy designer shoes…mainly Japanese brand Yosuke from Marui One, as well as Wittner, Jeffrey Campbell, Demonia/Pleaser etc.

But sometimes you just think…MAN! Those are spectacular! And though the Alexander McQueen lobster claw shoes are probably more spectacular, so was the price. When I saw that Luisaviaroma was having a sale, with up to 50% off, I decided it was time to pop my designer shoe cherry.

I did think about it for a day or so…but when I got a Christmas bonus at work, the “be sensible” angel sitting on my left shoulder got drowned out by the “be FABULOUS!” angel sitting on my right.

On December 9 I placed my order. The shoes arrived yesterday – Dec 15th. From lust to satisfaction in less than one week!

Oh the excitement of opening a new box…

Inside the shoes were wrapped in tissue paper, tied with a beautful ribbon.

 

Gently I took them out of the box…and started taking photos of them, as you do!!

The complexity of the heel is just astonishing.

spine shoes

And finally I had to try them on – with leopard print stockings for added oomph.

spine shoes

They are, in fact, a little snug, due to the fact that I have wide feet (read:bunions), so perhaps a size 39 might have been good. But I think a little leather stretcher applied to the front section should do it, as it’s the width, not the length that is the problem.

I do prefer the boot and strappy shoe versions, truth be told, but they weren’t available, and I’m glad to acquire a pair of such iconic shoes.  While they are no doubt, one of the very few designer shoes I’ll ever buy (unless my addiction starts now), and a grand extravagance, I will definitely be wearing them out. I already wear platform shoes, and these are same height as some platform boots I already own.  Given my penchant for gothic and alternative clubs, these will fit into my wardrobe beautifully and will be worn, not put on a shelf like special china in your nana’s house. For that reason, despite the price, I do not regret buying these.

Dsquared2 is the label of Canadian twin brothers, Dean and Dan Caten, and has stores in Milan, Monte Carlo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Capri, Kiev, Cannes and Greece. Check the Dsquared2 website for more of their couture clothing and footwear.

I have to say I recommend Luisaviaroma based on this experience…and there’s still a sale on, so maybe you can let your “be fabulous” angel/demon loose too 🙂