Shop Profile: Black Friday's

First up, I should probably apologize for my lack of posts lately. Paloma's doing a great job of staying on top of this whole blogging business, where as I have spent the last week in a frenzy of tattoos and shopping and general laziness.

Which brings us neatly to the topic of today's post. In search of a new retro rockabilly dress, I ventured into a shop I had read about but never actually been to: Black Friday's in Sherwood. Neatly located behind True Love Tattoo on Oxley Road, Black Friday's is my Favourite. Shop. Ever. Cheesecake pin up posters adorn the walls, the wooden floors creak underfoot in a homey, comfortable way and the speakers blast the best rockabilly tunes. They stock the finest in repro (and genuine) vintage: Stop Staring, Bettie Page, Heartbreaker, Rock Steady, TUK and Pleaser Shoes, Sailor Jerry... the list goes on (they also stock pomade for the gents). For all you pin-up princesses out there, Friday's also sell hair flowers, cosmetics, jewellry and compact mirrors. I purchased a rockin little pink and black diner dress, TCB magazine and US Kustom Cars catalogue for $160. Rad? I think yes.

Run by Lauren and Dutch, the whole shop has a laid-back vibe which means you won't feel awkward coming back again in the space of about two days. (I did just that. Trust - you won't be able to resist.) Check out there Myspace here - you can also buy items online - and if you're in Brisvegas, get yourself down to Black Fridays, ASAP.

New Discovery: Style Stalker

My littlest sis is down visiting from Cairns during her school holidays, and I took her shopping in Paddington last week, in a failed attempt to find her these cute Melissa flats (I know, I know, too much Melissa talk. I would stop if they would stop making such damn desirable shoes!):

Zen Girl Flats -  AUD$79 at Melissa Australia

Luckily though, the trip was not for nothing - anyone familiar with Brisbane knows Paddington is a very fashionable part of town, with many clothing boutiques lining the streets. Unfortunately these boutiques (even the op shops) are quite pricey, so it's not exactly a shopping spree kind of place. Or at least, not for me. I'm a bit of a scrooge when it comes to spending money on clothes - I have to really, really like something to spend more than $100 on a single item. However we did find a few great pieces, in particular, this Military T-Shirt from Australian label Style Stalker:

This tank is really versatile - the shirt fabric means you could dress it down, say by wearing it with skinny jeans and converse sneakers, but the epaulet detail means that you could also dress it up with a cute highwaisted skirt. You know what else I like about this top? The price - it sells for AUD$59 at Style Stalker's online store.

Upon making the singlet discovery, I did what I always do when I find a piece of clothing I like - I looked up the label online. And while not everything of theirs is quite my taste (studded leggings with mesh insert panels? No thank you) they do have some cute pieces at reasonable prices, so I will definitely be keeping my eye on their work.

Check out my other favourites from their range below:

Bustle Skirt in Black - AUD$79

One-Shoulder Bow Dress - AUD$149

Stud Skirt - AUD$89

Brisbane Dust Storm

Courtesy of the dust storm Eugenie alluded to in the previous post, everything in our house is now finely coated in powdery red dust. Thanks years long drought!
I was out and about during the worst of it and wow, it was amazing, it came on so quickly. I'm really enjoying a photo set Quest Newspapers have posted of the Wynnum seaside. The sepia tint of the dust goes really well with the general nostalgic dagginess that is Wynnum. These photos brought back lots of memories - when we were kids our family used to go there for fish and chips and rollerskating. I haven't been there for a long time, but by the looks of these photos, nothing much has changed since I was a little girl.