apron dress for tropical heat

Living in a tropical climate as I am now, it's important to wear as little as possible while still feeling comfortable. Cotton apron dresses are excellent for just that! It leaves my back mostly bare (remember sunblock!), and it's got a good length just below my knees. Of course a strapless bra is vital to any halterneck outfit, at least in my opinion. This dress is from Emmaus, maybe 4 years ago. Just as I was leaving the store, I saw the pretty fabric sticking out of a sale box where everything cost 20 kronor. I grabbed it immediately and didn't even find out it was a dress until I got home, and was very happy to see it also fit perfectly. It's been one of my favorite summer dresses ever since.

pretty things on the wall pt. 2

I've got a sort of phobia of white walls, that is empty walls. Minimalism is not my cup of tea, at all. Ever. And I like combining all sorts of things I find pretty enough to want to look at on a regular basis, be it posters, post cards, origami paper, wrapping paper, album covers. This wall's arrangements is one of the bigger in my Stockholm apartment, cos it's the only wall without a door or any furniture, so what else could I do with it? With a few re-arrangements, it's looked pretty much the same for maybe 4-5 years now. In the upper left corner in the black frame is a Arcade Fire vinyl single cover. Below that is the reason why I first got into The Decemberists, their cover for 5 songs that I saw at a friend's place many years ago and immediately fell in love with. I did like the music as well, but as superficial as it may sound I love their aesthetics just a little bit more than the music, even though I think in the end it's all part of a great package. Just take a quick look at their website! And all their covers! Carson Ellis is the one responsible for most of it, and I love her work oh so much. But they use so many brilliant graphic designers for their tour posters, one day I would like to buy all of them. Underneath The Decemerists are two framed italian handmade papers, very different in style and equally beautiful. Sorry I forgot to take close-ups of these things. When I get back I'll take care of that.



Here is a close-up of another amazing Arcade Fire cd cover, and an adorable butterfly origami paper in a vintage frame. The origami paper is from one of my absolute favorite stores in Stockholm, Ljunggrens Pappershandel in Gamla Stan (Old Town). I found the shop I think back in 1996, when I still wrote a lot of letters by hand on paper, and I think I must have went there once a month or so. Just browsing all the different kinds of paper, and envelopes, and stamps, and note books, and pens, and ink ... Usually not buying that much, but enough to keep writing letters on pretty paper. I'm happy to say it's still there, still as good as ever, and still makes me as happy as the first time I went there.



Bell Orchestre I went to see cos I was a bit obsessed with Arcade Fire in the beginning, and they shared band members. It was a very good show indeed, but most of all I love buying this gorgeous poster afterwards. I've been into band's cos of their graphic design of album covers and such for a long time actually, mainly since I got into 4AD bands back in 1990 or around that time. Sometimes I would even just buy an ep cos I liked the cover and knowing that 4AD would never put anything out that I didn't like. Mostly I knew what I was buying though, and I bought a lot of records and still do. Nowadays I have for economic and convenient reasons started to buy digital music, but I still feel a bit bad about it. The Decemberists is an exception though, I always buy the real thing when it comes to them simply cos of what I explained just now: Carson Ellis in print.



I'll conclude this with one of the most precious gifts I've ever been given, this completely wonderful Decemberists poster that my brother bought in the States and carried all the way back to me. It's so so so so so pretty in every sense of the word, just a completely perfect piece of art. So there you have it: a wall of personal interests as art.

pretty things on the walls pt. 1

In my South African home I don't have any Chinese girls on the walls. I do however have this probably Indian beauty. My 2 year old niece (at the time) thought she looked like me. I wish. I was out looking for things to decorate the house with when I first moved here, and immediately fell in love with this painting (or poster), as much as the exquisite wooden carved frame. 300 rand was a bargain! It's from one of my absolute favorite stores in Durbs, NSA Gallery's gift shop. A place where you can get so much, for so little. Now she hangs over the bed, and I get happy looking at her every time.



This poster I found in a very nice local design shop here in Durban. Right now I can't remember the name of the shop, but it's next to The Corner Café in Glenwood, and another one is on Davenport Road just a few blocks away. They've got so many nice things there, but a little on the expensive side for a bargain hunter like me, which probably isn't really expensive compared to most design places though. A few posters and a note book got to come with me that time. If you go there, make sure to have time for some excellent coffee and light food at the café as well, and check out the little clothes and jewellery shop in the backyard too. There is usually a nice selection of seriously good local designs there, I'm still agonizing a little about one dress and a pair of earrings I didn't buy, a whole year later. I'll make sure to go there again soon, and see what's new in store.



When you stumble across something as beautiful as this book cover, it just takes my breath away! I am a big fan of Poe as well, but have already got most of his stuff in other editions. One of them is close to this pretty, but I lent it to someone, against my better judgment, and of course never got it back, so this one almost makes up for that loss. I don't care that it's torn, I just care about the gorgeous green colour and the spiderlike trees and the bird and the moon and the amazing lettering! It simply makes me happy. What else is there?

five favorite flower prints

Let me present to you one of my all time favorite dresses! It must be about 5 years or so ago I found this a summer day outside a vintage shop that unfortunately no longer exists in Stockholm. I hesitated for a minute, cos I thought 250 kronor was a bit much, but considering how much I've worn it that was money well spent for sure. It's got a perfect fit, and it works in all seasons. Well, since it's polyester maybe not during the hottest of days, but the cloudy ones at least. It's just something about it that makes me feel very good about myself each time I put it on. And I've always loved black and white.



Sleeveless cotton dresses are a better pick for those scorching days, and this pretty pink on black thing has also proved to be an excellent investment. Think it's also maybe 5 years old, and actually from H&M, but vintage. For a brief period their store at Brunogallerian had a corner with vintage clothes, don't ask me why. I remember it being the day before midsummer's, a weekend I particularly used to hate, cos for some reason even the closest of friends tend to pair up and forget about the singles who has to stay behind in the city. I'd decided to not care about it that year though, and not do anything but at least together with my brother. He likes not doing anything as well. I still wanted to get something pretty to wear for this not doing anything event, and what better than a flowery thing like this. Don't really remember how much I paid for it, but I've got a vague memory it was about 150 kronor.



What happened in the summer of 2004 was that my band at the time (Dexter's Moon) got a show at Vinterviken, and I decided that was an excellent excuse to finally buy this incredible vintage dress I'd seen in the window at Emmaus in Götgatan. A bit nervous I went there hoping it hadn't been sold in the meantime, cos it wasn't in the window anymore, and I'd told myself I could get it if it didn't cost more than 300 kronor. Luckily it was still there, and it cost 280! I'll post pictures of it some other time, but it's a white dress with black polkadots and tiny yellow flowers scattered over it. It had long puff sleeves and was full length, very 70's looking, and the first time I saw it I thought it would make a great wedding dress! Since I had no plans of marriage at the time I shortened it and cut off the sleeves. From the left over fabric I made a matching hair band. The show was at 3 in the afternoon, and I swear it must have been one of the hottest days that summer, and the stage was in direct sunlight, my guitar is black and you can figure out for yourselves how hot that guitar got ... I was barefoot, and by the time the show was over my dress was like a second skin on my body. It was still a very good day, and it started this fix idea that I was allowed to buy one dress for every new show we got with the band. Maybe I should add that I was really broke at this time, and shopping was kept at a minimum. Fortunately my economy got a lot better around the same time as we suddenly got a lot of bookings, and during spring of 2005 my wardrobe grew considerably.

This red dress is quite similar to the pink flowery one, and it's a bit difficult to see but it's got tiny white flowers on it. I don't remember at all where it's from, could be from that H&M vintage selection as well cos I remember it's from that same summer.



Here's a non vintage dress! It's got a nice retro feel to it though. I got it during my first visit to Durban, when I got so overwhelmed by Mr Price, the chain store very similar to H&M in my opinion, but even cheaper. And with a pretty bad name. Who cares about that when you can buy a new dress as pretty as this for a mere 110 rand (about the same in kronor)?!? I sure don't.



This was a christmas gift last year from my mother-in-law, or rather two years ago I guess. I love halternecks, and I've got very few green dresses although I love green, so this has become a favorite. It's not vintage, and I don't know what it cost, but it's from a store called City Girl here in Durban.

a sight for sore feet

So I've made my first little shopping round here, but I did good not spending very much on things I don't really need. A pair of ice blue peep toes from Mr Price for 40 rand (about 40 kronor) had to come home with me though, how could I resist? Most importantly I got a coffee plunger and fresh italian coffee and have made really good ice coffee for two days on a row. Got some coffee getting chilled now as well, can't wait for the next drink. When the temperature reaches 30 outside, it's lovely staying in front of the fan inside, watching dvd's and sipping ice coffee. Or going to a friend's new house with a pool, like we did yesterday, having a nice evening dip before dinner and a movie and cold white wine.



Flying here last weekend I had my mind set on going to the Heathrow Clarks store, where I wanted to buy these shoes I've looked at a thousand times at their website. When I got there though, my feet were so swollen and warm from the flight I couldn't really try anything on properly, even though I wanted to buy probably 10 pairs right away! For some reason most Clarks shoes don't make it to Swedish shoe stores, just the classic ones, but there are so many other cute ones I want to get my feet in. The pair I'd got my eyes on had a bit stiff heel, and my heels are ridiculously sensitive, so I decided to get these ones instead. They were also on sale and cost a mere 25 pounds. Of course I regret not getting the other ones now, and these super cute pink sandals. If I get to pass that terminal going back in June I'll see if they still have them and get them then. In the mean time it's not like I don't have anything to wear on my feet, and during the day I still very much enjoy not having anything on at all. On my feet that is.

vintage vegas

I have never travelled as light as I did this time, only bringing 3 dresses! And some skirts and tops too, but still. It was an effort, and I'm quite proud of myself for making the cut. On the other hand, about 80% of my summer wardrobe was left behind here, so it's not really like I'll have to wear the same clothes over and over again. The one above is a flea market find for 60 kronor, from my only visit to Skrapan Vintage Market in Stockholm. They call it vintage market, but to me it definitely was more of a garage sale. A woman and her mother were selling some really nice real vintage things, lovely jewellery and old hats for example, but the prices were set a bit high for what I wanted that day. This dress was the only nice thing I found from the rest of the sellers, and it fit me perfectly. It was really 100 kronor, but the zipper is a bit tricky to get up sometimes, so I got a discount. The woman selling it said it was bought in Las Vegas, which is kinda cool.



This pretty little thing is one of the 5 dresses I got from that hair dresser basement vintage store on Götgatan, and it had to come along for this trip too. I just fell in love with the colour, and you can't really tell by this pic, but it's also got tiny freckle like black polka dots. The top part is see through though, so I'll have to wear a vest or something underneath, which isn't exactly ideal in this climate when you want to wear as little as possible, but I'll find a cloudy day to wear it I'm sure. The belt is missing too, but I've got a nice black one I can wear instead. It was also 150 kronor, like the rest of the bunch.

I'll take pics of the dresses I've got here pretty soon, and of course I'm looking forward to some more shopping while I'm here, even though summer season in the stores is almost over. Coming from a much colder climate it feels weird calling winter here winter I must say, but having experienced most seasons here by now (except spring) I can appreciate the difference between the seasons, although it's far from being as apparent as up north. Both ways is the only way I want it, to quote one of my favourite author's latest book.

great book cover art

It seems suitable to mention some great South African book cover art on my first day back here. Good thing I discovered these awesome new titles from publisher Modjaji Books. This one above is particularly my favorite, and by a very talented artist called Hannah Morris. Not only is she a brilliant illustrator, but also very good at hand lettering, a combination I might have mentioned before I'm very much all for. I also really like the title, and short stories, so as soon as this book is out I'll be sure to get a copy.



Any book cover with classic 60's dress silhouettes will catch my eye and draw me in.


More hand lettering and a beautiful use of colouring. In general I'm not a big fan of less is more philosophy, rather the opposite, but simple yet striking letters sometimes don't need anything else.

My cats here, especially Missy and Pixie, have affectionetly showed me how much they've missed me, and making me feel right at home again. The new addition to the family, Milou the little white fluffy dog, also seems to accept me fine, and I'm sure we'll become friends. And I'm grateful that it's been cloudy since I landed yesterday, making it a bit easier to ease into the heat, which is a huge climate change from the snow piles in Sweden. I was however accused of bringing a cold front, but I swear it was never my intention!