May $10 Op Shop Hop

In May with my hard earned $10, I bought the following items....


1 x scarf with red and blue chain and lock motif
1 x Nina Ricci Silk polka dot scarf
1 x 'Every Occasion' book by Ita Buttrose

Now, it would not be bbeingcool without the stories behind these items.


Scarf with Red and Blue Chain and Lock Motif


No story, it is generic. But, it did look like something that would look great with a nice white shirt and jeans and cute red shoes for a nice dressy casual kind of look.


However, this is how it has been most recently worn.

Miss A, as a girl Pirate.... Too Cute.

Nina Ricci Silk Polka Dot Scarf


I was drawn to the colours of this scarf - the green and navy blue was so fresh and clean. I thought it too would look great with a white shirt and a great pair of navy trousers or a skirt, or yes, my favourite, jeans.


I did not know who Nina Ricci was, I honestly just liked the design. But, Nina was a fashion icon. My goodness. She began an aprenticeship in dressmaking when she was only 13 and worked her way up the fashion food chain. She married a composer, had a family and then began her own fashion label at 49 (hallelujah, there is hope for me yet!). Her company started in one room, a little while after World War 2, the design house took up 11 floors in 3 buildings. That is great!


Her designs were always feminine and she actually made the dresses on the mannequins so that the fabric fell in just the right way. Before long she was famous all over the world for her feminine and romantic dresses.


There are not too many pictures out there of dresses made by Nina, but here is one. This shows her interesting use of fabrics...

The fashion house of Nina Ricci is still going on strong. It pumps out dresses, handbags and perfumes. They are about to launch a website - if only they had it all ready to go for this blog post - sigh - you just can't get good help these days. But... It is a lovely display of beautiful dresses. I am honoured to have something from that fashion house scrunched up in my draw ... 

ninaricci.com

'Every Occasion' by Ita Buttrose.

Oh, Ita. What a snippet of Australian legendness. Before Madonna made the gap between the front teeth sexy, it was Ita. She had that great blonde hair and that fantastic lisp. She has done everything from radio, tv, magazines and even promoting weight loss products. Ita is Australia, honestly.


She was the founding editor of Cleo magazine and was the youngest serving editor for Woman's Weekly, the world's highest selling magazine. She was also the first female editor in chief for Mr Murdoch in the 80s. Ita is renowned for her appearance and has written a variety of books on manners and etiquette.


Being the hostess with the mostess, I thought it fitting that I have this book on my shelf. It has been quite an eye-opening read. I had not known how to introduce an admiral at a baby christening or how to eat a snail. But, with this book in my collection, I will not look like a numpty at any social gathering. It is kitsch in its presentation and has fabulous charcoal drawings. I love the way she writes, as if every one out there knows that to give gardenias is to tell someone you love them and that you must telephone from a payphone if you are going to be late for a dinner party (it seems pay phones are as rare as dinner party invites these days).


Ita has not been in the spotlight lately. But her homepage did make me chuckle.... Check it out...

itabuttrose.com

April's Op Shop Hop