Deep Breath - New Buys for a New Decade

We might look back on the noughties as a fast paced, consumer-driven, bling-encrusted decade with fond memories and maybe a cultural cringe or two. In theory, that means we can look forward to a decade (what are they called? Teens?) where we learn to slow down, appreciate quality over quantity, and focus on the whole (I'm talking friends and family, community, planet) rather than looking inwards.

With that in mind, I want to borrow that wonderfully understated British WWII slogan and gently suggest we all bare it in mind:

In order to do this, let's borrow some of that noughties spirit and buy a few little things to get us on our way. Good things though; useful things. I promise.

An inspirational notebook to jot down your thoughts. And get this: you could even use a pen to do so! A PEN! Notebook, $24.95; 'Bow' pen $6.95; both from Notemaker.

A book which not only looks pretty, but teaches you how to grow your own vegies and how to cook them. That's right, rants about Coles will soon be (mostly) a thing of the past! Delia's Kitchen Garden, $36.45 from Book Depository.

Some cute fabric to create your very own Sound of Music curtain-dress moment. $12.95 per 1/2m from FunkyFabrix.

Bling doesn't have to disappear altogether - in fact, give it a new lease on life by supporting independent artists who use recycled or reclaimed materials. Brooch, US$34.99 from ecobling at Etsy.

Tread softly on the earth - but make sure it's in a jazz style shoe in organic leather. Dorothy, $219 from tHeHorse.

And float about like a cloud in a supersoft organic cotton tee. $120 by Bassike.

Deep breath.....now, doesn't that feel better already?

Monday Street Style

Welcome to a new section at FrockOff - you know how Mondays can leave you a little blah? Particularly when, like today, it's a public holiday which means you're in full-on holiday mode and thelast thing you want to do is head back to work in the morning? Like how it's a whole 5 days until Friday when you can bust out those awesome new heels? Or how you're staring into your wardrobe wishing the office was an appropriate place for your new sequinned jacket? Or how you just can't find anything in there you like, despite it bulging and heaving and groaning uder it's own weight?

Well here's a snippet of street style to get you inspired - you might even realise that old cardigan you're sick to death of can suddenly be worn in a totally different, and thus new, way. There's also some celebs thrown in for good measure - but only on the street, in their natural habitat.

Think about Mondays as a blank canvas for a whole new week of outfits!

Sources: The Sartorialist, Lookook.nu, JustJared, ImNotObssessed, Face Hunter

Amazing Christmas Lights - Probably Not Seen In A Suburb Near You

Here's a video that, er, the business manager at Aus Post emailed me. Well, they are striking so I guess she didn't have a heck of alot else to do. Anyway, this is a ridiculously fantastic example of OTT Christmas lights (fast forward to about 45 seconds if you want to see it really get going!):


Merry Frocking Christmas!

Featherhead: Handmade feather hair accessories

If you're a regular visitor to our What's New page you may have noticed our latest label, Featherhead. If you're an avid magazine reader/streetstylewatcher/glamvintage kindalady, you'll probably have noticed that these kinds of accessories are HOT right now. And not in a Melbourne Cup kinda way either.

Handmade in Sydney (by a lovely Frock You customer, no less!) each piece is as unique - no two feathers are the same! If you're not game (pardon the pun) for a full-on plume, go for the absolutely gorgeous thin headbands ($39.95 - $49.95) to trial the look. The clips are a massive hit with bridal parties, and you can contact Featherhead through their website for customised pieces. From jewelled tones to full on sequins, they make a blah outfit beautiful. A party piece for yourself would make a fab last minute stocking filler, no?

Kiva for Christmas

This year, instead of sending out the usual cute trinkets and cards to all our lovely Frock You associates and regular customers, we decided to save a couple of trees by sending a funny and slightly rude e-card (everyone cyber-giggled though, so it's ok) and used our Christmas funds to donate to Kiva.org, which you may remember I waxed lyrcial about last Christmas.

Kiva aims to help fund entrepreneurs in the third world. You can donate as little as $25 to any person or business group that you choose (the lists are huge!) and the funds go straight to those people. At checkout, you can give Kiva themselves a voluntary donation so that they can keep their very worthy organisation running. The funds work as a loan, so you do get paid back eventually, at which point you can then re-donate if you wish.

We chose two businesswomen who had nearly reached their loan target to donate to, so that they are now fully funded. And look, I set up a lender page so that everyone can keep track of our donations!

Our Frock You associates were hugely appreciative of our 'gift', and several have now set up their own lending pages for their companies which is absolutely fantastic! Restores a little faith in humanity, doesn't it?

Cakewrecks: Feel better about your Baking

I found a book today called Cakewrecks. It was one of those wonderfully ridiculous, lol-inducing tomes that is hard to explain to the serious man in glasses next to you who is getting a bit huffy over your attempts to hide your snorting. I didn't buy it because I'm cheap like that, but also 'cos I noticed the book, in a parallel life, is also a blog. Which means you can enjoy many snickers and giggles for free, in your pj's, or perhaps in the office when work is just TOO dull. Much like lolcats, these lolcakes are just too awesome to pass by:

Incidentally, I think I will buy the book and give it to my Nanna for Christmas. She actaully does snort when she laughs, which will in turn be increasingly hilarious to watch. Spreading the festive cheer!

Personalised Santa Video Message

Here's something we never got as kids - a personalised online video message from Santa himself! This was just posted on facebook from the Bebeonline blog, and I couldn't help but give it a try to surprise my daughter in the morning. It's really very cool! Think back to when you were a kid and rekindle some Christmas magic - HOW excited would you have been to have a personalised message like this! Kicks the arse of those personalised book club books we all had.

Portable North Pole lets you create messages for babies, kids, teens and adults, and email them directly to the recipient, or refer a friend. Give it a go, it's made my night!

Most Complained About Ads of 2009 - Are You Offended?

I love politically correct people. They are so gosh darn funny. Especially when they get all up in arms about jeans or clothes dryers or soft drink cans.

The Advertising Standards Bureau released the Top 10 Most Complained About Ads for 2009, with a billboard advertisment for Gasp jeans taking the number 1 spot:




Only displayed in Victoria, a community group distributed a form letter, resulting in about 250 complaints. In one of my favourite lines from the media release, CEO of the ASB, Fiona Jolly, said that many of these complaints were "from locations where the ad could not be seen".

It's a distracting ad, sure, but the ABS dismissed the case, hopefully because they are reasonable people, who, like the rest of the reasonable part of the population, understand that:
-GASP are not suggesting everybody go topless, though it is only marginally worse than the current pantless-leggings look;
-A topless svelte model is less offensive than an overweight frumpy grumblebum;
-The ad is not offensive to women, the underlying message being that these jeans are sexy, and don't we all want to feel a little bit like that once in a while;
-The jeans are actually pretty fugly and thus more offensive than the hint of boob.

It's important that consumers have a voice. An online campaign via Mamamia led to Cotton On Kids withdrawing some completely inappopriate slogan t-shirts from their stores. Everybody has the right to voice their opinion (hence, the blogosphere). But bloody hell, we as a populace overreact a fair bit, don't we?

Why don't people worry more about climate change? Or wealth distribution? Or war or famine or animal cruelty? (I know they do, but it seems people who ring the police becuase someone across the road left a transit van parke don the street for more then an hour, and the police actually come along to investigate, have a louder voice. That's a true story by the way, between two of our neighbours. Yeah.)

Number 4 on the list was an ad for Target involving people getting in and out of a clothes dryer to dry their jeans. The issue was "health and safety" and Target withdrew their ad. But is mankind so fecking stupid that we would all actually assume that you can dry your jeans BY WEARING THEM IN THE CLOTHES DRYER? Surely we give ourselves no credit, we are taking away any semblence of self-responsibility. The sick thing is, if somebody had actually done that and injured themselves, they could have successfully sued Target. Much like prams which have tags telling parents to 'remove child before folding'. What kind of fucked-up bureaucracry are we living in?!

The Advanced Medical Insitute received 3 places in the Top 10, due to the portrayal of "sex, sexuality and nudity". Ok, so it's not totally appropriate to be bombarded during the school run with a radio ad where people talk about orgasms; but on the flip side, aren't the Advanced Medical Institute simply advertising their product?

KFC got a rap on the knuckles for an ad where a man lies about owning a car when asked to move it, so he can stay where he is and enjoy his bucket of heart-disease inducing goodness; and Cadbury Schweppes a light spanking for a Solo ad where a man litters the can after finishing his drink. I've never even remotely considered Solo a Health and Safety (Section 2.6) concern. The only time I've considered KFC liars was when they advertised some horrid potato and gravy/corn/grated cheese concotion as 'tasty'. Both cases were dismissed.

The last year saw more complaints than ever to the ASB. Either this is because communication is easier then ever, or because we are shitscared about the wider issues facing humanity and channelling our bubbling outrage to more menial issues in order to cocoon ourselves. That offends me so much more then a man in a tutu.

Sources: mUmbrella, bandt, news.com.au

30% Off 3 Day Sale!

This Christmas has got to be the most heavily discounted on record. Seriously, everyone from department stores to chain stores to boutiques and especially online stores are offering ridiculous discounts and incentives - PRE-XMAS. Don't think too hard about what's to come in the after-Christmas sales or your 50% -off Alannah Hill feathered hairband just might pop right off your head. Sites like Nevershoppedout, Missy Confidential, and the Vogue Sales Forum always have the latest and greatest deals so if you haven't alrady bookmarked them, do so now. Right now. And then come back and read alll about Frock You's awesome 3-day (yes! 3 WHOLE MOFO-IN' DAYS!) 30% sale!

You can buy pretty things like this:

Piper Lane Tearaway Cami $79.95 SALE PRICE $55.96

Or cool things like this:

One Teaspoon Jaguar Tank $129.95 SALE PRICE $90.96

Or cute things like this:

Birds of a Feather Superdocious Tank $49.95 SALE PRICE $34.96

or essentials like this:

GRAB Flashdance Tee $49.95 SALE PRICE $34.96

or things you probably don't really need but can't pass up at this price, like this:

Lucky 13 Sequinned Singlet $89.95 SALE PRICE $62.96. Actually that's a lie, a sequinned top is a definite must-have of the season - and you'll still be wearing it come AW'10, which is a vertiable orgy of sparkles, beading, zips, studs, fringing.....

Only til Friday!

LipBalmLabz - Make Your Own Lip Balm!

How much fun is this - LipBalmLabz, depsite dubious spelling, let you customise your own lip balm, from the tube to the flavour, for $3 (that's Canadian dollars, but pretty much the same in $AU). Or you can get 5 for $10. Or hundreds upon thousands if you need them! There are 28 flavours, from fixy root beer to orgasmic orange, and 9 tube colours.

The ingredients are all natural and if you are in Toronto, you can head along to Dufferin Mall and experience an icecream stand-styled lab, where you choose your flavours and colours, and 'mixologists' wearing tie-dyed lab coats dance to thumpin' beats as they pour out the hot melted lip balm. Once it solidifies, you walk away with a tube of lip balm, "exactly how you like it". Awesome!

Worldwide shipping is just CN$1.99.

Nude Summer '09 - HOT!

Just had to draw your attention to the new arrivals by Nude for Summer before they all sell out - they are all completely fabulous and are walking out the door (pardon the sort-of pun). Oh, and did I mention that the sandals are all under $90?

There's something for every taste - if you like a tough, studded gladiator to work the grungy-cool look or to contrast with pretty florals, go for the Panama City Strappy Stud Gladiator ($89.95).

For simple, casual chic with a bohemian edge, the Miami Beach Plait Ankle Tie Sandal ($79.95) goes with just about everything and looks seriously sexy!

Or if strappy ain't your thang and a bit of glam is what your summer wardrobe needs, we're loving the Bronte Beach Plait Ring Thong ($79.95). In a pale metallic gold, they add instant chic to your casual day outfits, but also look fab with a breezy maxi dress for cocktails!

Party shoes? The Pipipi has actually nearly sold out already (instore time: 1 week) becuase it is one of those OMG-must-have styles that looks sensational and is *shock* comfy. If you have wide feet they'll still fit nicely - it's a bit of a wrestle to get your foot in past the crossover ankle strap but once you'vde done it a few times, they will give a little and mould perfectly to your foot. This means wearing them around the house while you vacuum isn't as ridiculous as it might otherwise be. Or for outright glam, Etini is high, strappy, metallic, and sexy, and perfect for eveningwear, weddings, or dancing the night away! Both retail for $169.95 - which also means free post!

Christmas without the Crap

I read a gorgeous post by Super Kawaii Mama (oh how I envy her eyeliner!) the other day - enough with the negative, jaded Christmas articles about crackers that don't pop and annoying Auntie Jean and the stress of navigating the supermarket on Christmas Eve. Onwards, instead, with appreciating the last Chrissy spent with 92 year old Nan, donating money to worthy causes, and heck, breaking into song in public once in awhile.


I'm all for that - I welled up with pride when my daughter told me she didn't want anything else for Christmas aside from her bouncy green Space Hopper that Santa has been specifically told about - instead she thinks we should put a pressie under the Wishing Tree "for the children who haven't got any toys". If this is the thinking of i-Gen, there is hope for humanity yet.



So this Christmas, depsite unintentional internal smirking, I will compliment my suburban Auntie on her flashing Christmas jewellery, tell Mum her turkey is a-ok, make sure every card is personalised and handwritten, and listen and learn when the older generation tell us about Christmas "back in the day". Oh, and sing glooo-ooor-oor-oor-oor-oor-oor-oor-oor-oor-oooooooo-r-i-a at the top of my lungs in the supermarket.

Computers Will (Not) Save The World (language warning!)

Just thought I'd share a scan of an actual letter that came through the Aus Post sorting system today. It managed to get this far because at every point the barcode is simply scanned and a real person barely glances at it. I've crossed out some of the most naughty word and I was also told I had to cross out the adressee's name:


Scarily easy to do, slightly amusing to look at. Over-reliance on "time-saving" computing systems, much?

(My partner works for Aus Post btw. He drives a big red Mercedes for them. Which is not as glamourous as it sounds).

Sex & The City 2: Pics, Poster, Keep Calm and Carrie On

When people ask, I tell them that my daughter was named after Charlotte Bronte. This is 99% true, but the other 1% came from my favourite SATC character. So as you can imagine it's like Christmas come early when pics like this surface:

Love that dress! and big floppy hat!

Here's some more pics from the movie, due out May 2010. Sparkly harem pants, shiny turban-esque headbands, flowing frocks...can't wait!

And here's the first poster - remember ladies...Keep Calm and Carrie On.

Image sources: Wikifashion, Sexandthecitymove.org, SassiSam

Helicopter Parenting: Approach with Caution

I read a great article from Time Magazine last night - "The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting" by Nancy Gibbs. Basically, the gist is that we're slowly realising that letting our kids be kids doesn't actually equate to bad parenting. In fact, thanks to the wonders of the internet, there are now many blogs and sites out there where parents can confess to their less-than-perfect moments and get a little reassurance that merely being human is a-ok. That if their kid would rather glue paper to their face instead of going to the Art Museum, that's ok. That if you don't purchase every piece of shiny battery-operated plastic claiming to 'educate' your kid, that's ok. That if you don't take them along to an extra-curricular activity every afternoon, that's ok, too.



And that's such a relief. I know as well as any parent the urgency with which one feels to make sure their precious bundle has every opportunity to succeed. To make sure they never go without, are never bored, not missing out on activities or toys or events that other kids experience. Unfortunately this means kids are getting less and less of a chance to just be themselves, to gain some independence and confidence and self-awareness. I think back to afternoons when I was little, hooning around the streets on my bike or flitting between friend's houses and going to the local shop for a 20c bag of mixed lollies. No mobile phone so Mum could keep in touch, not much more than a "be back before dinner". The thought of letting my daughter do that is a bit scary, but when I consider it, I was outside being active; taking the initiative and making up games with friends; learning how to safely get myself places; and taking the responsibility upon myself to be back home by teatime. Many of my friends walked by themselevs or used public transport to and from school without a second thought. Nowdays the traffic gets ridiculously congested around school areas because every 4wDrivin' parent 'needs' to drop their kid off at the school door. Heck even in Kindy we got the school bus by ourselves, with Year 6 kids appointed 'Bus Monitors' to look after us - responsibility all round!



Helicopter parenting, as it's termed (ie parents 'hovering' over their kids) isn't just for tots though. Nope, Time reports of parents attending College Enrolment Days to 'help' their kids 'choose' their subjects and get settled in. So how are these kids going to fare when the big wide world opens up to them? Will they be able to make risky business decisions, take the plunge and invent, chair coroporate boards - or will they expect or need somebody else to do it for them? And how will they in turn parent? Probably, hopefully, in the complete oppposite.



Nobody is a perfect parent. All we can do is our best in whatever way suits us. I think we can all take a leaf from our kid's books, so to speak, and try to remember what it's like being a kid -and then take a step back and let our kids be just that.

Everyday Glamour: Frock You For Childhood101

I was lucky enough to be approached by the lovely Christie at parenting blog, Childhood101, to contribute to her fabulous 'Everyday Glamour' series. You can check out my post on simple fashion tips for glamming up your wardrobe here, but of course while you're there you might as well enjoy tips on makeup, health and fitness, and general yummy-mummy-ness!

I admit I hadn't read Childhood101 prior ot being asked to contribute, but after spedning an evening browsing through the archives I'm happy to report that this is a no-nonsense, practical, and delightful blog. Indeed, its not just a parenting blog - it's THE Parenting Blog of the Year (Nuffnag Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2009). Yeah, go Christie! It's the type of advice you really need when it's 6pm and your toddler is hitting crazy time (or, as Jo from Monster Baby accurately puts it, Bitchin' Hour) - from craft ideas to cooking, early learning, developement and milestones, and advice on how to stay sane when you've found crayons mushed into the good carpet (my tip number one: give up on the idea of "good carpet"), it's dished out from the front line, as Christie is not only Mum to a gorgeous 2 year old, she's also a Child Care Centre Director. Well worth bookmarking!

Mugs to Love

Every Christmas and birthday, someone, somewhere, will buy me a new set of mugs and/or a teapot. I'm not a crazy teapot lady (yet), though I do have several teapot-themed necklaces courtesy of Etsy. Come to think of it, my pj's have teacups on them too. Hmmm. So when I found Love That Mug, well it was like Christmas had come 3 weeks early!

Love That Mug design "favourite mugs", ones that express your personality, are conveniently dishwasher safe, and naturally totally rad. I love this little purple owl, or the Shower Me Not for cold wintery days. Or the Dairy Moo Mug, which thoughfully includes an arrow (behind the cow) pointing up to 'Insert Milk Here". hehe!

For $17.95, they're a pretty cool stocking filler. My Christmas stocking, in particular...!

What's In The Pantry?

Here's a website that may take over from Taste as my go-to when MIL asks for a quick Greek Salad for the weekend family BBQ and all I have in the cupboard is SFA. Supercook is the work of a genius - just enter the products you have in the pantry, it gives you some recipes, and you don't need to skulk round Coles in your Ugg Boots looking for the right kind of pitted olives. I found this site thanks to The Showpony, and thanks to The Showpony I've been sitting here for half an hour putting all sorts of ridiculous combinations into Supercook to see what would happen, or if it would self-implode if I put in "bananas, sweet chilli sauce and couscous". (It didn't, weirdly it just suggested "Namibian Black Eyed Peas". Yum). If you're thinking your New Year's Resolution is going to be a combination of organising your pantry/buying less, wasting less/spending more time on amusing websites, give Supercook a go. It's handsdown more interesting than simply reading about 4 Ingredients.

All I Want for Christmas Is Just One Thing. Truly.

It's the 1st of December, which means we can all officially say "Christmas" without fear of a grinchly whack in the bum. It also means spending - sorry, 'giving'. I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to shop, but what with the whole credit crunch/attack of eco-consciousness, the huge amount of wastage that Christmas entails has dampened my spirits slighty. (Only slightly, my daughter and I have been busy making an advent calendar, cutting out Christmas baking recipes, glueing and coluring handmade cards, writing Santa letters/avoiding Santa in stores, and generally being festive now that she's old enough to understand what's going on).

Think about it - mountains of wrapping paper, loads of leftovers, endless cardboard boxes and those annoying twisty tie things that hold things in place...it all makes the green side of me a bit nauseous. Still, there are things you can do - recycle, donate, plan. There is one part of Christmas that really really shits me and there isn't anythng you can do about it except blog it out - overbuying. For kids.

Naturally, small talk on the playground recently has been centred on "what Santa is bringing". It's a sickening sign of the times that I feel like a stingy old grinch when the inevitable question is asked of me and all I reply is "a space hopper". There follows a questioning pause, after which I am expected to fill the silence either with an ongoing list of pointless plastic crap, or an endless reasoning on why that is all Santa will be chucking down our chimney this year. Lately I've been so over it that I just cross my arms and smugly state, "she doesn't want anything else. Nor does she need anything else."

This is true on both counts. Despite browsing through every toy shop in town with the instructions to "pick anything you like to tell Santa about" and continual hints ("how about a doll's house?") all I get in return is a disaffected "meh, I don't really like anything except the soccer ball (Nanna has grabbed that one)" and "I want a green bouncy head! That's what I want, I told you already!". Said green bouncy head came in at $29.95. This is about one-tenth of what her friends' present spending comes to.

I should be rejoicing, decking the halls with all those saved $$$. Instead, I have to explain to everyone why this is all she wants. Doesn't that reiterate:

1) that little kids have no concept of monetary value and couldn't give a fudge if the presents under the tree cost $10 or $1000;

2) the only 'contest' to get the best pressie is between parents;

3) the simple things in life truly are the best, and we as a society are a bunch of greedy fat status-seekers;

4) spending bucketloads doesn't make you a better parent ("oh but I got her 5 DVD's and a swing set and a trampoline and an ipod. But geez I get annoyed when she asks me to read to her at bedtime, I'm too tired!";

5) we could learn alot from kids.

Some of her little buddies got 'big ticket' items like bikes or cubby houses "just because" earlier in the year. How are you mant to top that at Christmas? And how are you meant to keep that up - are they going to understand in a couple of years when you give up in a frazzled heap and just buy them a Barbie? No, most likely they are going to expect more, More, MORE. And we're training them to think like that.

I'm not a perfect parent. Both mine and my daughter's wardrobe is overflowing, we're not eco-friendly Earth Children by any means. Last year she got a bike and she loves it and it gets used pretty much everyday. She hasn't got a swing set or a trampoline (yet - should note here we also hardly have a backyard) or loads and loads of toys that never get used but that I can at least say she has, so she doesn't get 'left behind'. If a space hopper makes her happy, then that's good enough for me. And I shouldn't have to make excuses as to why that's all we bought her.