Romance in Paris!!

This spring and summer has a very eventful one for me. I met this amazing stylist called Lucy- If you ever met her you would say "quirky"!! She has the most amazing ability to pull a photo shoot togther. Hair make up the model and even the set she pics the most amazing back drops for the whole shoot.
Lucy works for the Gold Coast Buletin's Paradise Magazine!! I really appreciate the oppertunity to work with such a talented person!!

Recently, I have been a bit flat so I have been cheering myself up with what I call French Romance and before you ask "No - I dont have a new beau!!" I have been filling the shop with gorgeous Paris staples such as Louis Vuitton Trunks and Elegant Chanel and to add a touch of playfulness Jamin Puesh bags!!

Lucy captured the essence of my mood when she set this photo shoot at the Ferry Road Markets.
I hadn't realised what a great place that was until I saw the photos taken that day!! I mean we all know the Latte's and The' are great there, but how often do we let ourselves really feel the atmosphere of the place. We are often so busy with the pressures of modern life that we forget to smell the flowers.

The day of the photo shoot was a scorcher!! But the first place we went was around the back of the markets where a stand of Bamboo grows. It's Verdant colors went a long way to cooling us down,  the breeze russling throught the bamboo was also cooling. It reminded me of Viet Nam. The next place Lucy chose was a slate wall which formed a perfect backdrop for the colorful swimwear.

Next we went in out of the sun to Gallery One- have you ever been there? They have the most amazing exhibitions that day they had Bromley works on display and I loved the way they made the place feel!! Fun, playful and soothing are the words that spring to mind.

The shoot was hard work the but it was so much fun and so exciting!! It really made me feel like I was alive. Everyone just pulled together on this and I was really impressed by Lucy's ability to communicate her whole concept and everyone knew just what was needed. Not all of the photo's have been published yet but I will add more later!! These are the one's that were published in Paradise Magazine over the past two weeks!!

Here is a peek at what else I have in store at the moment this old LOUIS VUITTON Trunk was made in 1918. I bought it from the original owner's daughter, Florence who is in her 90's. She told me the trunk was ordered for her mother to take on her honey-moon. She sat in her kitchen and served me tea while we discussed where the trumk had been. It's first trip it went to New York on a steam ship. It has been right accross Europe, to Egypt and Northern Africa. Florence's discription of her mother gave me a sense of the history and how loved this trunk is. It has been used as a toy box by Florence's children and most recently it sat in a shed with pots and gardening tools in it.

I have cleaned off all the grime, polished the timber and glued some of monogram canvas back in place. It is not a new shiny piece but it is absolutly stunning I love it. Let me know what you think!!      

You have got to love Layby.

Is it just me or did no one else have a mother who dragged them around the shops and put things on layby? She would then have an excuse to go back to the shop and give the nice lady money every week and one day we would put some huge parcel wrapped up in brown paper with the name on it in the back of the car.. after that it would go up into the void on top of her wardrobe or in the linen press never to be seen again. My parents were divorced so we never heard "SHH dont tell your father." ( Not that any of my cusomers would ever do any such thing.) My mother's constant chant was " SHH dont tell your grand mother. "

Today- I met a great young lady who told me she would never be able to own a designer hand bag because she had never had more than $600 in her bank account. I proceeded to tell her that I also do layby if that helps. "What's that she said? " So I told her well we take a deposit and then you come in every week or fortnite for six weeks or until you finish paying for it whichever is shorter. Being a very savy late teen she asked and how much is the interest?" When I told her you don't get the goods until the payments are completed. She was so astounded..."OMG she said That's great!!"

 Her next question was "What kind of people do layby? " I told her all sorts of people do layby. There was a lady out the front of the shop in a very nice car- she said to me " She wouldn't do layby- would she? She drives a Mercedes!...I winked at her and said " I think she is here to pay something off her lay-by." & she was!!

"Wow !!!" She said You know what ? I think I will have that one!!" She picked up a beautiful Gucci hand bag! 'Yes!' I thought as I carefully packed the bag up for her. The next minute she was upset..."What's the matter?" "I don't have enough money to pay the deposit & pay-day isn't till Friday! I won't ever get my lay by now!! "

Then I told her about 'holds' and said I would keep the bag till Friday for her and she could come and pay her deposit then. She was jumping out of her skin- she was so excited. She spent nearly 15 mins thanking me for teaching her about these great ways to buy bags. As she left the shop I asked her what her plans for tonite were. " I am going home to tell my mum about this!- She will love it!"

As for myself I came home with a smile on my face. I can't wait till Friday and ask her what her Mum said when she told her!!!      
  
  

Oh no NO CHANNEL!!

Today I had the funniest experience a lady walked into the shop and said to me " Wot Channels av you got?" At first I didn't understand what she meant and started to tell her "Sorry but we don't have a TV in the store." to which she answered "Why would I walk inta bag shop and ask 'bout a TV CHANNEL? Ya dumb git! I want a CHANNEL andbag!! Show me a CHANNEL bag!!"

Two weeks ago- I sold most of what I had in stock so I showed her the beautiful camel colored one in the cabinet and she said WOT? This it then? 'ow much? So I told her that it was $1595-

I was then told "Oh F@@K OFF Mate. What's it made of? Gold?" I could see I wasn't going to sell my CHANEL bag to day. So Ellie and I took her advice and went down to the beach for a good run!! We came home and watched news on chanel 7 .

Today I am grateful that I had another customer who loved the store!! God- I feel good today!! I am so greatful to all of you who make my life so rich!!   

Egyptian Revival Jewellery.

Today I found two awesome necklaces they are Egyptian Revival I didn't really know what that meant so I did some research and this is what I found out!!

Egyptian revival was a movement that touched almost every aspect of life in the 1800's. The movement began as a result of Emperor Napolean's army returning from Egypt with large quantities of Egyptian Antiquities. Architects, Potters, Painters, and Jewellers all started to copy the new craze for all things Egytian. Between 1820 to 1850 Egyptian revival became very fashionable and many buildings built during this period were fashioned after Egyptian monuments.

In 1922 Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered and Egyptian Revival once again became popular. Tutankhamen's treasure was one of the first to travel the world and to be seen by so many people. The resulting interest generated in Egyptian revival heavily influenced the Art Deco movement.

These necklaces were produced prior to World War II- and not many pieces survived the war because governments collected it & melted it down to be used for the war effort. As a result pieces like this are extremely rare and very difficult to find!! These stunning necklaces are caste and are extremely ornate. I have put them on my webshop www.avoir.com.au  I hope you love them as much as I do.

Renovating a unit!!!

 Almost 12 months ago I purchased this grungy old unit! The day I saw it I knew it had potential the light in the living room was amazing!! I could see that there was a lot of work to do on it but I was up for the challenge. All I could see was what it could be like!!!

 I love the high ceilings the old brick work and mostly I loved the light that came through the banks of windows that lead out onto the balcony. The timber floors were also fantastic!!!

Soon after I bought the unit I met Nic. Nic has a little workshop over at Budds Beach he is also an amazing artist and his creativity blows me away!! Nic is a really great guy...he loves surfing and paddle skiing. He has the funniest sense of humour and can stretch a dollar!!! He found amazing tiles that we used instead of a glass splash back the cost $25!!! and they look Amazing. Frankly the balcony was so pokey it wasnt really useful. Nic created a bench that sits over the railing creating an outdoor room!!!

It looks amazing- and am a bit sad to have to say I am selling it. Cant wait to do the same to the Labrador Duplex!!! 

     

Ornella's Aurana Bazar on Chevron Island!

Today's post is about Ornella- have you met her? If you havent you are really missing out on an experience. At first glance Ornella's shop is crammed to the rafters with stuff but you need to go in and take a closer look. Everything in there is unique and there is something in there for everyone.

My favorite items at the moment are the big silver telescope in the front window, A beautiful pair of moonstone and silver ear rings. There is also an antique silver and crystal jug!!! They are absolutley stunning.

But what I like most about this store is the stories that Ornella tells about the antiques she tells you about the history behind the vintage pieces that she has on sale!!! I bought a beautiful vintage cushion from her and it is made of soft velvet that had worn in places and some of the little mirrors that are embroidered on it have fallen off but mostly the reaction my little dog has to that cushion is so cute she stands on her back legs and pulls it off the couch turns it upside down and sleeps with her head near it. never on it.

If you have never been in to Aurana Bazar pop in and tell Ornella, Michael suggested you go in.

It is a really pleasant place to be. Ornella is also a very accurate psychic. Everything Ornella predicted for me in her readings have been spot on, I enjoy Ornella's company immensely!!! Go see her!  

Kenneth Jay Lane Costume Jewellery.

Have you ever looked at the Jewellry that SJP's character Carrie wears? It is always very unique and richly decorated. A lot of it is made by Kenneth Jay Lane he is a very interesting designer. He uses lots of rich rolled gold, pearls, crystals and draws inspiration from nature and creates beautiful butterfly jewellery I have decided a picture is worth 1000 words so these pictures will tell it all.

His most famous customers were the Duchess of Windsor, Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor- what better recomendation could you have?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr1_G76tDNU

Care of Leather goods-Patent leathers.

Let's face it just like me Patent leather is high matenance!!! I hate it! It goes sticky sometimes the surface goes cloudy. Here are a few simple tips for restoring that nice bright shiny look that your GOGO girl boots from the 1960's should have!!!

The key ingredients are PURE acetone, cotton wool swabs (preferably the non fluffy kind with a film of gause over them) , Vaseline and vinegar (white not brown or apple cider we are conditoning leather not pickling it darlings!!!).

First, make sure your PATENT LEATHER really is PATENT LEATHER and not some kind of synthetic which WILL MELT  if you put acetone on it!!!

Using the cotton swabs do long fast swipes across the surface- try to do as few swipes as possible but completely clean the surface of the leather. Now polish the surface of the leather with a soft lint free cloth.

In many cases this is enough to bring back the shine on Patent leather. However if the leather has gone cloudy or sticky it may need some extra help with vinegar and vaseline depending who you ask some say vinegar then vaseline others say the opposite. I find it is not the order that matters so much but rather the quantity used TOO MUCH of either and you will end up with a bag that feels and smells like yesterdays fish and chip paper!!!

Put a  level teaspoon of vaseline in the microwave for 10 secs so it goes really soft almost liquid but not too hot leaving the jar in the sun for 10 mins has the desired result too. Now soak a cotton swab in it and spread this all over the leather surface and remove any excess with a second and even a third swab use a polishing motion to do this. Finally use a very small amount of vinegar to finish it off (the swab should be just damp. )  and polish with a soft lint free cloth!!!

Black List!!!

 We have many lists in out lives - there is the wish list, the to do list, the list of things you keep putting off , shopping list, the A list and the D list. Well I also have a black list.

Having been in business for a long time I have seen many things. I generaly see the best in people. But I have also seen the worst too. Today's topic is about my black list it has one person on it. I hope that my black list doesnt get any longer. This is the story of how my black list came to exist.

Last year, I got this gorgeous Louis Vuitton Hampstead in absolutely pristine condition, naturally everyone who saw it fell in love with it. About 2 days after it arrived in store one of the regular visitors to the shop fell in love with it and decided she wanted it.

Well she pushed hard for a discount but I wasnt budging. I knew I could sell it even without a discount. Finally after two hours of pleading with me she agreed to pay my price. But she would put it on layby. She drip fed money in and took 3 months to pay it off...and then she only grudginly came in and made the final payment because I told her she had exceeded the layby time and I was taking back the goods and her deposit if it wasnt paid and picked up.

(Haras) as this person is known because that is how you feel after having had to deal with her for more than two minutes. (I know that's not how you spell Haras ;)  ) So anyway getting back to the story Haras came in to pick up her bag and proceeded to use it for over a month before bringing it back and telling me "I saw a fat woman at Ferry Road Market with the same bag!!!! So I don't want it anymore." I had to explain to her that just because someone else had the same Louis Vuitton bag this was not a valid reason to return the bag!! " NO NO NO !!!" Haras shrieked "Your missing my point- the woman was really fat!!! " Finally I had had enough and told Haras to take her bag home because I had better ways to spend 3 hours on a busy Saturday morning in the shop 3 weeks before Christmas!!!

You might think- end of story BUT no there is more! Haras waited for a day that I was not working in the shop and decided to try her luck again with a staff member we will call her Norashii. Only this time she made a fatal mistake. (The real reason she wanted to return her bag was she had been was she had been on a trip to Thailand and found "this great copy" even she couldn't tell the difference.) Well apparently not because she returned the copy for a refund and kept the real bag. I dont keep cash in the store and No rashii informed Haras that she would have to speak to me again...because I was the only one who could issue a refund. I was hopping mad when I got this terse phone call from Haras who told me I had 7 days to refund her money or she would make a complaint to Fair trade. I told her she had 7 minutes to pick up her copy before I reported her to the police for trying to defraud me!!!

That day I went into Facebook downloaded her profile pic and stuck it on the stock room door!! The note underneath it reads "BLACK LISTED DO NOT SELL THIS WOMEN ANYTHING!!!"  

FYI -The last we heard from Haras was in the Gold Coast Bullie- her husband was arrested for drug trafficing and all her fake bags were lined up on the front lawn and photographed by the police before the whole lot were confiscated. We dont see her on Chevron Island anymore.  I dont miss her...I am not sure if anyone else does!!        

Karl Largefeld!!!

Karl Largerfeld is one of my favourite designers. I am however more interested in his early work. Everything he made was a big statement piece, yet his designs are very feminine. When I think of Karl Largerfeld I think of the 1980's and the opulance that the era represented. Karl Largerfeld costume jewellery is beautiful and richly decorated with luxurious materials. Large Faux pearls, heavy rolled gold bases, supple leathers, are just a few things used to create his timeless creations.

Karl Largerfeld's creativity draws on a wealth of inspirations. He has used an ordinary chair as inspiration for this charm bracelet. The cuff looks like an ornate photo frame and I imagine some ancient royal treasure was the inspiration for the choker and earrings.

Vintage Largerfeld for me, evokes that feeling of luxury not found in today's retail experience. It is very sad but today most of what is produced lacks individuality. It is mass produced and even among retailers there is no point of difference. By that I mean, once Myer and David Jones were very different. Myer and David Jones had a definite point of difference that no longer exists in todays retail.

Shopping for vintage is fun- you can pick up something that almost no one else will have. I have several beautiful examples of Karl Largerfeld right now I hope you like them.         

Vintage Costume Jewellery

 I love vintage costume Jewellery the bigger the better. What better way to jazz up a little black dress? The trick to choosing a piece of costume jewellery is to choose one bold statment piece that will compliment a number of outfits!

Forget about slavishly matching earrings with a ring and necklace. Rather choose one great statement piece and make that the focus of your outfit!! My favorite choice for today are these fabulous Aztec Mask Brass Earrings. They are an unsigned runway pieces that are hand crafted in Mexico. These earrings pre date 1980 and are for pierced ears.  The Aztec Masks are made of carved Jade on Brass bases. They are available from AVOIR luxury vintage on Chevron Island. www.avoir.com.au