A walk down jaydee"s vintage lane Long before jaydee paino took home racewear"s biggest win, the vrc oaks day fashions on the field award in"That"Dress, she was a champion of vintage.She shares her memories of journeys around the world looking for magical pieces that speak to her and above all, communicates why fashion for her is such a great love. Just as any true lasting relationship may take a lifetime to find, an individual commitment to their own style, fashion or lasting impression often requires the same amount of persistence. At 26, my last fashion success is only as close as my next fashion faux pax, for finding a true sense of style, shaping a tangible, realistic impression of what suits you and what doesn what you love and what you think you love, is just about the only constant in a journey that i embarked upon without even realising it, many years ago. Like the doyennes of fashion, the glamorous magazine women, and closer to home, my beautiful grandmothers smiling at me from the photographs on my bedside table, we are all subconsciously tied to fashion, trends and style in one way or another. As so eloquently pointed out by meryl streep character in the devil wears prada, when you select a piece to wear, whether it be a dress, hat, shoe or earring, what you may not know is that you are telling the world:Here i am, this is me expressing my individuality, my mood and my style.Whether you are an avid follower of fashion or not, whether you know your birkins from your birkenstocks, Cheap Bridesmaid Dresses there is no denying that the choices you make are a direct reflection of who you are. It is this knowledge that can create a sense of excitement and joy, and alternatively anxiety or even dread, for telling the world so plainly and obviously who you are is an enormous step if you yourself are not so sure. As i write this piece, i am reflecting upon my own style journey, and throughout the process all of the emotions, memories, style hits and misses have come flooding back. I coasted through my childhood and early teens on the seat of my denim shorts.It was a fairly standard uniform around the traps in the late and early looking back through old photographs brings a smile to my face.I cannot remember ever feeling an expectation or any pressure to dress or act a certain way.Such is the beauty of childhood, dressing up or dressing down is never on the agenda, and i seemed to meander along without a care in the world. Into my late teens and this is where my own style began to appear.Mossman was, and still is, a friendly, relaxed town with significant history built upon generations of cane farming.Digging deeper reveals a sisterhood of Cheap Flower Girl Dresses fine dressmakers. At 16 i wore my first couture gown, a debutante dress made from yards of white duchess satin, intricate embroidery and a full hoop underskirt.I felt like a princess in mossman shire hall that night, as i was presented to society in an ageold tradition.It was only natural that my love for all things traditional flowed onto the choices that i made regarding my clothing. In my younger days i would feel almost embarrassed when my mother would buy me something"New", which was actually only new to me as it had come from Vinnies.Then suddenly i was at university and struggling to make ends meet.It became perfectly acceptable to buy and wear secondhand, although it was about this time i renamed these pieces"Vintage".It an all encompassing term which, to me, means unique, romantic and steeped in history.More than just unwanted old clothes, i became mesmerised by the stories i imagined they could tell me as i wore them. Living in cairns now, studying law and then nursing at university, late at night i would tune into a certain program about four single new york women.I was made aware of this fabulous, fun side of fashion, all about taking risks and finding individuality.I agreed with carrie when she said that in her younger days, she would forgo dinner in favour of vogue because she felt it"Fed her more". Working parttime while studying helped foster my frugal nature.Suddenly, like some sort of sandstorm, the hobby became an obsession, scouring the internet long after lights out, never having a word document open without halfadozen net tabs vying for attention. It has been nearly 10 years since i logged on to the world wide web of vintage fashion, and for all the pieces That have taken my breath away when they arrive on my doorstep, so too have come the pieces That may never see the light of day.The canary yellow organza satin and daisy embroidered prom queen gown hangs alongside a certain lime green and fuchsia pink martiniglass printed shirtdress, jostling for space between the teal blue velvet scalloped edge frock.Maybe one day the time will be right to reveal them.It is for this reason That although i have bought many moreDresses than i could even hope to have events to wear them to, i have not sold a single one.Even a certain blue horseprinted frock sat ignored for several months before it was transformed into"That"Dress. Travelling abroad had me likening myself to alice exploring her wonderland.I took a wrong turn down a japanese street and stumbled upon a pandora box of european vintage.A cobblestoned scottish boulevard delivered my first and only vintage handsewn ballgown.In the basement of the topshop flagship store in london i found a 50yearold circle skirt jostling for space alongside kate moss capsule collection.Paris nothing could prepare me for the sheer romance of this whimsical city no book, magazine or photograph can capture the je ne sais quoi of this city i crave to call my home one day.It is a true fashion feast of style inspiration! Sometimes i wish that half of the time i spent thinking, reading, admiring and daydreaming about fashion actually translated into real life style, like some form of osmosis. If all that knowledge could somehow seep into my subconscious, revealing an epiphany of easy sartorial elegance, headturning grace and nonchalant style, a very happy lady i would be. But that is just it, it not easy;Everyday people do not always get it right.However when you do, you know it! These days my style continues to evolve.I am learning how to incorporate current fashion trends into my love for vintage, dvhs and although at times i dream of living in headtotoe vintage all day, every day, i know that i will continue on this journey, and at this stage all i can offer is my advice:Never let your journey end! Take pride in your successes, don dwell on your disappointments, take the time to think Formal Evening Dresses about your style, read widely, research, embrace your environment and, most of all, let the confidence within yourself shine through.
