Remember Midway

Last weekend I attended a 1940s style fundraising dinner with a few of my re-enactment friends and my parents. Held at the Caboolture Warplane and Flight Heritage Museum just north of Brisbane, it was a night of swing music, good food, good times and of course airplanes. The event was in aid of the museum and remembering the battle of midway (quite an important part of World War 2 in the Pacific).

The evening was wonderful. The food was great especially considering the numbers that the event was catering for, and the swing music added a great touch of atmosphere. It was a little unfortunate that they used microphones as the event was held in an aircraft hanger, so the sound system echoed badly and meant that any speaking was really difficult to understand. It was lovely though that they managed to snag an Andrew Sisters Tribute group. And I was really impressed by the attendees, most put in an effort to dress up for the night. We, of course donned our 40s finery for the occasion. I chose to rewear my late 1930s grey ballgown for the evening - a great opportunity as it really doesn't get worn much. My hair and makeup was on point for the night and I swear the camera is popping the colours in my hair as the pink is not quite that fluro in real life. So, some photos to share...

Queenies for Tea

I thought it was high time for a girls day out. On the weekend, I asked eight of my girlfriends to join me for high tea at Queenies in Nundah (North side of Brisbane). It was of course to be a vintage outing. It was so lovely to have everyone dress up in their vintage finery for a morning out to tea. A last minute cancellation saw my mum frock up to join us for the festivities. But it was a lovely group to spend some time with.

Tea at Queenies is fantastic. I pre-booked for us the classic tea. It is one of the best high teas I have been to in a long time, and a good deal at $35 per person. Quite a bit more affordable than many places that serve high tea. We sat down at our table and out came three pots of French Earl Grey tea to start us off. It’s a very beautiful blend and a great way to start. We polished off our tea and out came four more pots, this time stocked with Marco Polo – a rhubarb and cream black tea blend. It was so delicious that I picked up a bag for myself.

Then came the individual servings of food. We each got a three tier stand. The bottom, stocked with sandwiches, quiche and tart. The middle, with scone jam and vanilla cream, and the top with an assortment of sweets – rose jelly, chocolate butterflies, macarons, lemon tart. We did play a little food swapsies to accommodate the allergies of a couple of girls. It was a lovely spread.

For the occasion, I decided to wear my new yellow linen 1940s dress. I have so many of this pattern dress made up, but I love the style on me, it’s comfortable and it has pockets. What more could you want in a dress? And the linen is lovely to wear. Cool enough in summer and quite a summery colour. I felt very appropriate for the day. And I am glad that I made the effort to organise the event. Must do this more often in future.

Retro style picnic

Last weekend, I organised a Retro picnic to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens with a few of my girlfriends. We all brought along a little something to share for lunch, so it was a very yummy outing. It was simple and lovely to catch up with everyone in a relaxing environment.

For the occasion, I wore my new 1940s summer frock. I made it from an apple and bee print fabric that I bought to match one of the vintage hats that I bought many moons ago. It's a lovely light cotton voile, so perfect for warmer weather.

 I also managed to finish a new dress for my mum. Made out of a black and blue hibiscus print rayon in one of the newer vintage vogue patterns out on the market at the moment. It's quite flattering and looks very good on her. She is very pleased with how it looks and I am glad that I managed to get it made in time for her to wear it.

And the other lovely ladies in attendance: