new year = new website and a GIGANTIC sale to celebrate!

We have been pretty darn reclusive recently. For a Summer on the eastern seaboard we haven't really gotten out of the house nearly as often as we should have...

The reason is; we've been rather busy!
As we mentioned in our New Years post, 2013 marks five years since we released our first collection and we have a number of special things in the works, kicking off with a brand new website and *newly* incorporated online shop...

Even this here twoshoes blog has had a scrub up! I think we can all agree floating in amongst these candy floss clouds is rather wonderful.

To celebrate this re-launch, we are offering a whopping 40% off everything from our most recent SS2013/14 La Luna collection. And yes, that includes the jewellery. Madness! This runs for 5 days only - one day for every year since our first collection! Don't miss out - we will never offer our jewellery or our divine Silk/Linen Riverina dress at such a discount ever *EVER* again.

Some examples....

Hop to it lovelies!
xo
g&j

A new year...

And just like that we all moved into a fresh, new year...

I particularly like the beginning of the new year. The summer heat lends a languid tone to everything; rushing feels impossible, lounging is the only sensible activity for the long afternoons and perspective seems an easier concept than ever.

I've never been one for resolutions (I spent part of my New Years Eve talking to a friend about resolutions as opposed to goals and whether there is a *real* discernible difference between the two...). The only one I ever made a few years ago - to drink more champagne - was quite done in jest, yet really did colour every social occasion in 2011 with a sparkling effervescence! More so than anything else I spend January feeling reflective and thoughtful.

The La Luna SS2013/14 collection was our most successful by far and as I start sampling for the Winter collection and designing the next Summer collection I have been considering how far the label has grown over the years. As a designer I have more and more confidence in my ability to create and feel a new-found belief in the customers who I create for.

'Riverina' Dress in Blanc, from La Luna, SS2013

I have in the past felt some panic over the fact I don't cater for everyone; i don't do skirts above the knee; that tailored designs aren't particularly forgiving; that everything I will ever EVER make will be high-waisted; that all my jewellery could be roughly characterised as 'dainty'; that my necklaces are always long; that nothing I do seems to reflect current trends...

For the first time I feel completely at peace with the fact I create clothes for tall women with hourglass figures, with nips and tucks at the waist and more buttons than zips. I recognise my products aren't for everyone and that as various eras of fashion fall in and out of favour, the vaguely 'vintage'-ish look of my designs will oscillate between being interesting or naff to the large majority of people.

'Bird on a Wire' headpiece in Emerald from Buttermilk Sky, SS2009

This October will mark the 5 year anniversary since I released the first collection of headpieces 'Buttermilk Sky' under the Ginny & Jude moniker; which seems like a fairly important milestone in a small fashion house. I already have some spectacular plans percolating away for this year, kicking off with a complete website redesign (which will be ready for launch in a weeks time...) and I feel genuinely excited for the challenges that lie ahead.
Excitement tinged with just a pinch of panic mind you!

And even more exciting; if everything does indeed go to plan, I get to take a month off to gallivant around the globe with my Love in the Spring. Hurrah!

Happy New Year everyone!

rabia
xo

Finders Keepers Markets this Friday!

Time really has whooshed right past us here at G&J HQ - can 6 whole months really have passed so quickly?! Apparently so, yes - because it's Finders Keepers time again!

WHAT: 

Sydney Finders Keepers Markets

WHERE: 

Australian Technology Park
Exhibition Hall, Locomotive Street
Eveleigh
(Entry via Henderson Road)

For those of you who have visited in previous years - this is across the tracks from Carriageworks!

WHEN:

Friday 6th December from 6pm - 10pm
Saturday 7th December from 10am - 5pm

COST:

$2

We are really pleased to be part of this amazing event once again - please stop by and say hello if you are visiting! We have a rather plum spot against the far right wall under the windows. AND we are next to the changerooms so we will be able to see all of you trying on our finery - something we rarely get the chance to witness with an online business!

As always there are countless incredibly talented designers and artisans taking part and these selections are just a handful of the stalls we hope to check out...

And not to mention all the amazing produce, pickles and assorted foodery from the Farmers Lane stalls and amazing music lineup!

If we were visiting, we would turn up first thing Saturday morning to be serenaded by the selections from Jack Shit and take a gander before the crowds descend.

See you all there!

xo
g&j

Three Cheers...

Today would have been my fathers 70th birthday; I am in Melbourne, staying with his wife in their home to celebrate regardless. There will be much laughter and gladness through the tears, along with copious cake and champagne.

At the Yarra Boathouse in Melbourne, 2008

My father passed away last September; just shy of his 69th birthday and not a day passes by where he doesn't slip into my thoughts at some point. As he was a musician, my family and I and every one of those who loved him (and there were many) are fortunate to have the most beautiful and resonate mementos to remember him by. His poetry put to music remains behind on this earth forever; tender wisps of a life that was.

As a young session musician before the beard and long hair, 1960s

In those last days before he dropped the body, his dear friend Guy Blackman of Chapter Music (you can read his heartfelt tribute in Mess + Noise here) was a constant bedside companion finalising the details of what would become a posthumous retrospective of collected recordings from a lifetime of songs; In The Doorway of the Dawn. It is an immeasurable comfort to have these to conjure him beside me at any time.

In the EMI Studios in 1970 aged 27, recording with his band Tully

Grief is a curious emotion. It seems foolish to revel in sadness, but in the sadness of remembering is the unmitigated joy of memory. And so I do find myself going for long walks listening to his music and remembering.

... that he loved Anne of Green Gables, telling me only a few years ago that there really was no better instructive work for young women than Anne... helping my brother and I try to save many an injured sparrow found on our walks by the Cooks River and the heartbreak of so many not making it through the night... his getting up before dawn to collect the songs of the elusive Blackbird in the back streets of Melbourne...  our tramps through the overgrown weeds beneath some overpass beside the Yarra River, trying to find those elusive dandelions he loved so dearly to uproot and take home... practicing violin in my grandmothers garage and the look on his face as he clapped, overjoyed that I had finally mastered the tricky Bach Allegro from Book 8... our jaunts around Melbourne chasing the best piece of chocolate cake... the elaborate rigging of traps along the most vulnerable areas of our childhood home in the hope of ensnaring unsuspecting intruders... singing to us as we were trying to sleep as children... that in the past few years we had begun to inexplicably greet each other in French 'bonjour papa!' bonjour ma fille!...

Kidding around at dinner with me, 2008

Nobody cast a shadow quite as long, or commanded a room with as much panache. Many will remember and cherish his warmth; his big hugs, his considered wisdom, his quiet authority. 

And so today on his 70th I remember him again - three cheers papa!
xo
rabia

Fancy bras and knickers

As I did my laundry this week I reflected with some sadness on the fact I don't have nearly as many pairs of colourful, fancy knickers as I once did. And don't even get me started on lingerie sets! It feels like a long time since I left the house with perfectly matching underwear. And more's the pity.
Why has this happened?? There are some practical answers - a smaller disposable income floats quickly to the top of the list - but really; I need to redress this issue. And quickly.

If (when, when!) I ever open a bricks and mortar shop, alongside my own bits and bobs I would most definitely want lingerie in there. Floaty, deliciously silky pieces in gasp-inducing brights and prints. Because nothing matches that feeling of beautiful fabric close to your skin; the flash of lace beneath a sheer blouse; that secret knowledge that underneath your clothes you look bloody fantastic.

Despite the fact I haven't bought any special lingerie for myself in some time, I spend an inordinate amount of time meandering and jinking through the internet looking at fancy bras and knickers. So, if I had a bunch of dollars to spend on lingerie right now, this is where I would be going....

1. Miss Crofton
Oh, you Londoners have it good! Miss Crofton is Georgia Campbell, an East Londoner with a wonderful eye for colour and form. If you're a local she has a regular stall at the Broadway Market in East London every Saturday from 9-5. For the rest of us, she has a nifty online shop. Enter at your own (financial) risk; I am keen on every single piece.

Delightful Delicacy Set / $96

Picture Perfect Bra and Knickers / $63 & $45

2. Katerina Nis
Stylish Sydney gal Katerina Nis recently launched her Boardwalk Taffy collection of lingerie confections and I've been quietly coveting several of these colourful pieces. That gorgeous silk Confetti Camisole will be mine. One day.

Cherry Soda Bloomers / $54

Confetti Camisole / $74

3. Lonely Hearts
This NZ label has just introduced underwire to their staple pieces, which is great news for us ladies who have an ample bosom, yet would still like to waltz down the street in a soft cup. And those highwaisted knickers in that most fantastic Forest Green. Stop it! Can't wait to visit their store in Auckland one day.

Sabel Highwaisted brief and Full Cup bra / $70 & $89

Anouk Underwire Midline Bra / $99

4. The Slipperie
For many years I have been a fan of online Vintage boutique Wildfell Hall.  I did small whoops of joy when I discovered that the effortlessly stylish owner Amy had opened The Slipperie; a vintage shop dedicated to slips, lingerie and all things lounge. I see many pairs of tap shorts in my future...

Vintage Silk Tap Shorts / from $36

1930s Rayon Slip / $75

And the best of Etsy...

Marianna Giordana
French born, Australian-based Lingerie designer Marianna Giordana uses lace in a most spectacularly sensual way.

Chantilly Lace Bra / $126

Sandmaiden Sleepwear
Whoever said that comfort was the antithesis of sexy clearly hadn't visited this store!

Bamboo Flounce Panties / $53

DDSL Girls
This collective make some pretty smashing pieces - this velvet set has me swooning!

Dominion Burgundy Velvet and Lace Set / $77

Have any other reccomendations? We'd love to hear them!
xo
rabia

Howards End

I got an early start on my passionate, romantic love for all things Edwardian. I was already an ardent fan of the carrot-topped Anne Of Green Gables (and therefore all things puffed-sleeved and early 1900s) when my mum asked my brother and a 9 year old me if we would like to go for a walk by the River or to go and see a film. If anything, this question says much of our love for walking; but on this occasion, we chose the film. Off we trotted to the city to the bright shiny lights of the George Street cinema complex.
The film we watched that Sunday afternoon was Howards End; the Merchant Ivory film adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel...

That afternoon would go down as a seminal moment in my childhood. This was no Anne-with-an-'e', this was something completely different - this was the murky world of adults; of lies, corruption, beauty, longing and ultimately death. I vividly remember with crushing terror the climactic scene where the bookcase slowly falls on Leonard Bast - the final moments of an already broken man; the gorgeous scene where Leonard walks through the night to see the countryside and finds dawn in a field of bluebells; the fiery shrewish pride of Helen Schlegal (a young Helena Bonham Carter) with her messy, curly pouffe of Gibson Girl hair; the thwarted kindness of her sister Margaret (a radiant Emma Thompson).

I really related to this - walking and walking and walking all for the hope of walking through a field of flowers. I hear you Leonard!

Leonard and Helen making out in a row boat. The epitome of a romantic fantasy!

Margaret as played by Emma Thompson sees Howards End for the first time

Helen reading in the window of Howards End

Time hasn't wearied my love. A few years ago I rediscovered this film and was again awestruck by its beauty, it's delicate pacing and exultant praise for nature. Yet, seeing the film through an adults eyes I found myself more keenly appalled at the wretched desperation of the English class system and the inherent social disabilities that came with being a woman in this era.

I have since re-watched this film many times. The opening sequence that slowly follows the train of Ruth Wilcox's dress moving through the long grass in the inky mauve twilight of midsummer as she walks towards Howards End is one of the most beautiful, quiet and moving scenes I have ever seen.

Vanessa Redgrave as the aging matriarch Ruth Wilcox in the films opening scene.

If you're yet to see this film, it I couldn't reccomend it highly enough.

xo
rabia

For The Love of...Via Tania & The Tomorrow Music Orchestra

It's been a while between 'for the love of...' posts here on the blog. But this is perhaps one of the most deserving we have written so far.

You may remember hair and makeup doyen Tania Bowers from one of our 'The Talent' posts here on the Blog back in January when we interviewed her following her tireless and faultless efforts on our G&J collection shoots. And between the hair and makeup talk you may have picked up on a couple of anecdotes she told us about being on tour. 'On tour?' you ask...

Because quadruple-threat Tania is also an incredibly talented musician under the guise of Via Tania.

After moving back home to Oz from the US some years ago and popping out a wee little bundle of joy, Tania revisited some of the work she recorded back in Chicago years ago that was never released and realised it was time to get back on that horse and finish that record!

To try and make sure this happens - and to make sure every hard-working musician in that Orchestra that has so far contributed their time for free gets paid - she has launched an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign. The way I see it, this is a pretty simple way to pre-order the record (um, also available on vinyl; awesome) and get a few sweet perks along with it. Like this awesome signed poster designed by London based artist Zakee Shariff...

The accompanying campaign video is one of the SWEETEST things you will ever watch in your life, and I can't recommend it highly enough...everything you see from the blankets to the figurines was made by Tania!



Beyond making quirky ethereal folk/pop, making up everyone's lashes and hair to perfection and being a kick-ass mum, Tania is also one of the loveliest and most humble people you will ever meet and more than most deserves our support. So get over there, have a listen and pre-order yourselves an album!

xo
rabia