Dressing up a dress

I was thinking about how some of my dresses I only wear very rarely, because they're not versatile.  I don't go to cocktail parties very often (or never) but I do go to university, to work, to the shops, to church, and occasionally to fancy events like performances and parties.  So if I want a dress to really work for me, it needs to be able to be worn casually and dressed-up.  I made a few polyvore coordinates using a dress I own from UniQlo.  I liked it because it's cute and spotty, and also because it's a collaboration with the cute Japanese brand Milk.  Plz excuse how it looks in the coordinates, it looks way better on a human.  Most Milk dresses are like that I find!

First coordinate: Casual.

This is the exact coordinate I wore in Sweden when we recorded Maria's piece.  Grey jeans, cons, dress and cardigan.  The dress is short enough that it looks good with jeans, as long as they're the skinny variety.  This is a good look for going shopping or whatever, because it's comfy.

Casual by Chrissaah featuring long sleeve tops

Next: Fun!

In this coordinate I wanted to play up the cute pink and blue spots on the dress by pairing it with pink tights and cardigan, and a blue brooch and shoes.  Love those shoes!  They're Melissa.

This kind of coordinate is good for parties (fun colours yay) or a casual day where you want to add a bit of colour (except maybe not with those heels!).

Fun by Chrissaah featuring a cropped cardigan

Lastly: Classy.

What is a classier colour than black?  There is no classier colour!  This coordinate is pretty simple, the belt and necklace are the only items added really.  It's still fun though, with the spotty shoes from Irregular Choice.  I'd wear this coordinate to dinners, cocktail parties and the like.  This dress is still a fun dress no matter how you wear it!

Classy by Chrissaah featuring a sheer hosiery

Maybe I'll make some more posts like this.  It's the kind of thing I like to do!

Library Changes and Protests

As most of you know, I work in my university's Music Library.

Here's me at the library a couple of years ago.  Shelving some CDs, wearing a skirt!  Photo taken by the wonderful Lisa.

ANYHOW

Recently there's been a proposal approved to move the Music Library up into the Art Library space due to financial problems.  Obviously there's a lot of upset over the proposal, because it would be super inconvenient for us music students to walk to the Art Library to get our stuff, and because the new combined library will have to house twice the amount of books and twice the amount of students.  It's simply not going to work.  Anyhow there are lots of reasons why I think it's a bad and shortsighted idea.  I won't go into it here.

We had a fun "study session" protest the other week where all the Music and Art students crammed into the Art Library space to show how crazy it is and how it won't all fit.  We music students all brought big scores to "study".  It soon became clear that it would never work as a library for two sets of students - and that was without all the extra materials in the library itself.   Then people made speeches and there was cheering etc.

Pictures!

Here's my friend Yvonne (of Professors in Dresses) studying a giant score that is more like an ironing board.  She's wearing the original collar - the one I made the replicas of!  And there's my laptop about to get trodden on.

So many people!

Even more so many people!

There was a video taken of the protest that has been put up on youtube.  

Now the challenge is to keep the protests happening to alert the public to what is going on.   We have a new Vice Chancellor so hopefully he'll disagree with the merge and take steps to keep the libraries separate.  We need to make it clear that SOME THINGS ARE WORTH PAYING FOR.

NYAN FOREVER

Dresses for the Summer

Since I'm going to America in their Summer (my Winter), I'll need some nice cool dresses to wear!  And all the great brands are coming out with new dresses for Summer in Japan!  Here are my two favourite that I'm considering buying:

First is another Melche Shutilforc beauty.  It comes in two colourways, this gorgeous brown X pink, and a cream top X light blue floral skirt.  This was only released today I think!

It also has a detachable halter neck with frills.  Cute!  I also really like the underskirt peeking out.

Which colour would be best on a paleface like me?

And this lovely Victorian Maiden summer dress.  It comes in three colourways: this one (cream and purple flowers), cream and yellow flowers, and black and white gingham.  I think I'd go for the cream and yellow colour.  This is still on reserve, due to come out in May.

I'm not usually a fan of fully shirred items, but this is done very well.  It's nice and understated.  I like the ruffled neckline.  It looks so cool!  Able to be worn without a blouse for maximum air flow!

One thing these dresses have in common is that they're quite casual.  I could wear these to the shops, or to a cocktail party, depending on my shoes and how I wear my hair.  I like clothes like that!

To be able to wear them in America for what I'm doing, it's important to be able to breathe and move easily.  A lot of dresses I've bought (thankfully not the expensive ones!) are really pretty but constrict my giant rib cage* and so never get worn.  It's kind of a shame!  I would like to fix them but don't want to fail and ruin a lovely dress.  The Melche Shutilforc dress looks a little constricting but the VM one looks amazingly comfy.

I added these two dresses to my Wishlist, because in all honesty, I wish I had them.

Haven't updated in a while whoops!

It's going to be a busy month ahead for me!

I'm performing my first recital of my Honours year next Friday the 29th.  It was a bit of a rushed decision to put it so soon, but I realised that next month is going to be amazingly busy with rehearsals and performances for the Canberra International Music Festival and I'd better just get it out of the way.

So!  I'm playing Marimba Concerto no. 2 by Ney Rosauro.  He's a cool dude!  I saw him play that piece in 2009 when he was visiting Sydney (he's from Brazil) and all the Canberra kids trooped up to hang out.  He also was judging the Percussion Eisteddfod which I played in the next day.  He was really nice and interesting - just like his compositions!

I just had a rehearsal with my accompanist (and friend) Ella this morning.  I think it's going to be okay.  But gosh I'm nervous!  And I seem to be getting a cold just in time for the Easter weekend!

Here's a lovely blurry photo of me and Ney Rosauro at the Percussion Eisteddford in 2009.  See how long his arms are compared to mine?  They're like twice as long as mine.  No wonder he puts so many big intervals in his piece.

I can't believe I've had that skirt for so long.  I need to make a new one.

Time to spill the beans...

I am going to America!

(Just for a couple of weeks).

I have been accepted to the Bob Becker Ragtime Xylophone Institute which will be held in Delaware this August!  Ragtime xylophone music is something I've always had a lot of fun playing, and I've even decided to do a themed Ragtime recital this year.  Ragtime is old-timey jazz.  So, it's fitting that I'd want to go to this workshop this year.  Bob Becker is The Guy for ragtime xylophone.  He's a famous percussion dude!  I'm going to learn a lot from him.

Conveniently, there's a simultaneous workshop on Jazz Vibraphone which Charles has been accepted to!  It's being held at the same university and we can share a room!  This will be living the dream - we'll both be going to do awesome separate things in a cool place with famous people!  Learning lots and playing music all day!  Then coming home and being together in the evening!

While I'm in America, I'm thinking of going to New York for a few days to see all the things!  I'd love to see Central Park where Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers roller skated.  I'd love to catch a They Might Be Giants show - but I don't know how to do that.  And I'd love to go to Tokyo Rebel, since I'll be there a lot sooner than I'll be in Tokyo.  Fun times approach!

Here's a video of a great percussionist Morris Palter and his group playing a rag called Jovial Jasper.

Here's the video of my last Recital (third year).  I played a rag at the end BY BOB BECKER, so skip to 35:40

Christina Recital 2009 from Charles Martin on Vimeo.

But I really want to be able to play like this guy!

Labyrinth Polyvore coordinates?!

So a while ago when I was bored, I made up some co-ordinates on Polyvore of my favourite two characters: Jareth and Sarah!  Since I'm a girl, I made the Jareth outfit out of girls clothes!  A girl Jareth!

I am really very fond of those boots by Demonia.  The VM blouse is my favourite blouse in the whole world, which I own!    Then I thought I'd prissy the whole thing up with pretty gloves, sparkly nail polish, and eye shadow.  Of course you can't do Jareth's hair without a bunch of hairspray, so that's in there too.

You would think that Sarah's co-ordinate would be easier, her being a girl and everything.  Not so!  I wanted to do the ballgown look, because her normal look is so 80s it hurts my eyes.

So I had no choice but to use a short white Lolita skirt.  I'm not sure if this is a petticoat or outer skirt, but it's quite pretty.  The blouse is VM of course.  I think I did much better with Jareth - this looks too much like a wedding ensemble.  It's hard to wear white dresses without looking like a bride!

Mind: blown

I just read this blog over at Painting The Roses Pink about lolita weddings.  She posted up the usual stuff, churches, cakes, invitations, and dresses.  But some of the dresses blew my mind!  They're by a Japanese brand called Sugar Kei, which as far as I can tell, rents out amazing wedding attire.  Maybe that's what Japanese people do for weddings - rent dresses instead of buying.  Sounds sensible, but a bit sad to give it back afterwards!  Anyway here's the eye candy:

Speaking of wedding dresses, my parents brought my Nana's wedding dress from 1940 home from Melbourne.  She left it to me when she died in 2009.  She actually wanted ME to get married in it a few years ago, but I politely explained that I wasn't getting married and I also wanted to buy my own dress.  It's 70 years old so quite dated!  It's a bit damaged, but in pretty good nick for something so old.  I might steam the creases out and take photos some time!

Dresses!

Woolen Things

I do lots of craft sometimes.  I like to have something in my hands when I'm watching TV or something. I like crocheting mostly!

This is one of my two ripple blankets.  The ripple is the kind of stitch - it's like a wave.  This one has a weird colour combo - purple and camo blue?!  What was I thinking.  I picked out the colours ages ago, because I only crochet my blankets rarely.  They're nice to come back to after ages!

This one is knee-rug sized.  I still have to make it about twice as wide.  That'll take me another year or two at this rate!

While in Sweden I started knitting a jumper for Charles.  I managed to do the whole torso!  I found the pattern online at GarnStudio.  They have thousands of free knitting patterns online, it's an ad for their yarn.  I saw some of their yarn in Sweden (it's a Swedish company I think) and it was really nice.

The bottom is ribbed and the top section is moss stitch.  The rest is stocking stitch.  Made on a circular needle!  So now I have to do the sleeves, but they're supposed to be done in the round on double pointed needles.  I find double pointed needles WAY TOO FIDDLY so I'm thinking of just doing it flat and then sewing a seam up the arm.  I also need to do the neckband.

Stuff Doing!  All The Time!

Outfit Post!

This outfit is from Saturday.  I couldn't wear the long blouse the whole day because I got too hot!

Fence shot

Head shot

Full shot

Back shot to see the cute bow on the back of the dress.

Dress: Melche Shutilforc

Blouse: Victorian Maiden

Tights: H&M

Shoes: Vintage

Dorothy polyvore edit!

So I did that Dorothy polyvore coordinate a few days ago but I just have to change the dress.

Innocent World have released a new dress on reserve, which is a much better match for Dorothy!

Dorothy by Chrissaah featuring hair bow accessories

What do you think?

Cute present!

My percussion teacher has recently been to America to visit his family, and while he was there he went to Disney World!  He was thoughtful enough to buy all of his students a present, and check out what he bought for me!

Minnie Mouse hair clips!

I AM MINNIE MOUSE

Wishlist

Everyone seems to have a wishlist on their blog.   I love looking at them, and well, I do have a few wishes myself.  My wishlist is quickly diminishing because the style I like is becoming more and more focussed.  I used to want all the pretty things - now I just like a few things that suit my style.  Let's get this show on the road!

Click on the pictures to go to the websites!

The number one thing that I want, the thing I'm pining for daily, is this cream coloured jacket from Mary Magdalene.

Sometimes I check their website to see if they've re-released it, but never!  They so rarely release anything.  It never comes up on the sales community either.  I guess I could post a Want To Buy!  VM did a similar jacket but it's just not good enough!!

Next is a dress I tried on when I went to the Victorian Maiden Press Room in 2010, the Dorothy Doll Dress.

I like this burgundy colour.  It has little frill sleeves and a collar part with detachable bow.  The ruffles are full and glorious.  Looks lovely with or without a blouse underneath.

This dress is also sold out.  I have high hopes of them doing a re-release sometime in the future, because this was originally a Beth dress back in like 2008.

Next - a replica of a Victorian Maiden dress by Surface Spell - available through Qutieland.  The reason why I haven't bought this one is that I don't know what colour would suit me.  It's available in heaps of colours!

I like the silhouette of this - it's not too puffy and you could wear it for a vintage look.

This coat from Melche Shutilforc - a brand that I discovered for the first time a few weeks ago.  I really like all of their stuff, but this coat looks really nice and warm.

It's got lovely embroidery and a detachable fluffy collar.  And pockets!  I need pockets.

Also really like this skirt from Melche Shutilforc.  I really like that brand now!

It's really pretty and tasteful, falls nicely and isn't too fussy.  

That's all actually.  No other wants!  I expect this post will be added to periodically.

If anyone has any of these things they'd like to sell me, my feedback is here!