Part 17 Gypsy's Final Adventure - wish her good luck!

Sadly, Da Loop is closing its online 'doors' on Dec 31, and Gypsy and Co. will be out of a job...

...but Gypsy's going out with a bang!

Gypsy, Dave, Traeger, Sam, Gypsy's Mum, and Louise and Tanya bid you goodbye, and Da Loop thanks all of the wonderful (and extremely tolerant) people who helped with the filming of Gypsy's madcap escapades.  We loved every minute of it.  (Well, not quite.)

Thank you to Valerie and John for the use of their beautiful garden at Kangarilla for these photos.

Gypsy's Wedding Album

Gazman shirt, Da Loop, currently on sale for $7.50!

Waiting for my guests, FFS...  

Vintage wedding dress, coming soon to Da Loop.

Jenen Vintage Prom Dress, Da Loop, $25.

Gold vintage handbag, Da Loop, $25.  

Pink plastic flowers, priceless.  

Shoes, model's own (but simply won't stay on).

Vintage Moss Bros Top Hat, Da Loop, a steal at $50!  

Lemon yellow fingerless mesh gloves, Da Loop, $5.

Dave's shirt coming to Da Loop soon. 

Sam's ugly pendant - um... price on application?? (I don't think we'll upload that one unless there is particular demand.)

Monica dress, coming soon to Da Loop.

Vintage peach satin handbag, Da Loop, $25.

Miss you guys already,

xxx Tanya

(Note, I am not speaking for Louise here.)

Back To The Start - Gypsy's Adventures Part 16

 If you missed Gypsy's Adventures the first time round, tune in now for the final episodes of mannequin mania!

(Note: all Da Loop stock featured in the original adventures is no longer for sale.) 

Sam struggled to see through the haze.  She clawed at the ground, fighting against an enigmatic pull that was sucking her into the soil.  Chaotic swirls and coloured spots exploded erratically behind her eyelids and in the confusion she vaguely remembered a fall from a great height (see Episode 14).

All of a sudden there was a loud ‘whoosshh!!’, the force reversed and she was propelled from the earth’s surface at great speed and through the cold mist for an indeterminate time… then her flight slowed and the fog cleared and she found herself looking upon a tragic sight – two young people dressed in black standing by a headstone.  

She squinted.  Hang on, one of the young people was HER!  Wtf??  Why was she in a cemetery, with Gypsy’s ex, and… eek!  With a poncy hat on?? 

She squinted again, and then sucked in her breath in disbelief when she read the inscription on the headstone.  Her best friend, Gypsy, was DEAD!

After some hyperventilation the cemetery scene was replaced by a vivid and gruesome image of Gypsy - crushed, lifeless (even moreso than usual) beneath a large tree limb.  And equally upsetting – Gypsy’s frock was in ruins and her Bally handbag (Da Loop, $90) was lying in the dirt.

Sam screamed and found herself travelling swiftly through the air again, the fog wrapping and flapping around her as she flew.  Suddenly with a gasp she opened her eyes to a concerned and quite hairy face peering at her from above.

‘Sam! Are you OK? I think I had better get you home…’

She jolted upright in a panic.  ‘JJ! I need a phone, I have to call Gypsy! OMG OMG OMG!!’ 

Her camping buddy obediently pulled Sam’s phone from her own pocket and silently handed it to her, sensing that ‘keep your hair on!’ was not going to be an effective line here. 

‘Siri!!  Call Gypsy NOW!!’ shrieked Sam at the phone.  Siri promptly sent Gypsy a text telling her she was a cow, but by then Sam had found Gypsy in her message stream and hit the ‘call’ button herself…

‘Shall I or shan’t I?’ Gypsy pondered when her ringing phone interrupted the juicy dialogue that had been iterating in her head while she sat dreamily on a park bench eating her lunch.  She had just dropped Dave home after their weekend getaway involving sun, swimming, sex and a marriage proposal, and didn’t feel like being jerked back into reality by a phone call.  She glanced at the screen – it was Sam.  Well, of course THAT was different – she had gossip to share and hadn’t talked to Sam in ages!

Gypsy got up from the bench and stepped out (in her Docs) into the open to take the call, but all she managed was ‘Sam! I have to tell…’ when there was an enormous CRACK!!! and THUD!!! followed by a scream from the phone (which she dropped in shock).  A huge tree branch was now lying across the bench in the exact spot where Gypsy had been sitting five seconds before!

After what seemed like an age, a shaken Gypsy picked up her phone (from which she could hears screams and sobs emanating) and said tearfully and gratefully to Sam:

‘Babe, omg, you just saved my life.  I was a total goner. I can’t believe you rang right at that second, almost like you KNEW! I am sooooo sorry I have been self-absorbed and busy chasing criminals and juggling men and not paying us any attention.  YOU are the most important person in my life and the best bestie ever!! And, look, I know this will sound even more self-centred, but I’m getting married and, well, would you be my maid of honour?’

Sam sent her biggest grin through the phone to Gypsy.  She was alive!!  And as maid of honour Sam knew she would get to drink champagne, wear an awesome get-up and receive a lot of male attention!

Suddenly she was feeling better -things were going to be JUST FINE.

But who’s to say the bridesmaid dresses won’t be bloody awful??

Find out soon!

A big thank you to Kayla for this Episode’s photos!  

Back To The Start - Gypsy's Adventures Part 15

 

Da Loop is taking you back to where it all began.  Over the coming weeks we'll publish all of Gypsy's original adventures before breaking into new territory.

(Note: all Da Loop stock featured in the original adventures is no longer for sale.) 

After a failed attempt to break into a sweat in the tube sauna (predictably so), Gypsy was floating in another universe, colours swirling behind her permanently open eyelids, in the midst of an in-house massage at Maslin Beach Healthy Stay.  The romantic getaway was to celebrate a year since she and Dave had first met.

While her thighs were being pummelled and her chakras aligned, Gypsy fondly recalled her first sighting of Dave (a cellar rescue – see Gypsy’s Adventures Pt 5)

In a moment of clarity, she realised there was an important task at hand this weekend…

Gypsy emerged from the massage room and poured herself a Martin Miller gin (because she has impeccable taste).  The sun-drenched deck with views of the crystal-clear ocean beckoned to her and she sat, deep in thought for a few minutes…

(A bit later…)

“Hey, Babe! I think I can feel a stretch in my leg somewhere!” called Dave as they tested out the exercise equipment on their way for a swim.

Gypsy gave him a ‘Der, you’re a mannequin’ look (this happens often) and plonked herself on the leg lift machine.  Standing around in shop window displays for a living promotes good leg musculature, and after she’d counted 200 leg lifts Dave got sick of waiting for her and headed for the sand, trying not to scare any small children in the playground on the way past.  But then, sitting on the beach by himself he realised that five minutes without Gypsy was five minutes of significantly diminished fun and significantly diminished meaning, and he decided he needed to do something about it…

Gypsy bounced her way down the stairs to the beach and sat her Stevie May-adorned bod (fringed top, $30) next to Dave on the sand.  Never one to time-waste, she straight away began digging around in her peach Sportsgirl shorts pocket (sz 11, $10).

“Gypsy…”  “Dave…” said Dave and Gypsy simultaneously.

“You go” said Dave.

“No, you go” said Gypsy.  “I’m trying to find something.”

“Well, what I wanted to ask was…”

“Ah! HERE it is! Da-daa! Will you marry me??”

“What?!  Hang on! You stole my line!” exclaimed Dave incredulously.  Confused, he watched as Gypsy slipped a slim blue band on his finger.  Even more confused, he said “Gypsy.  This is a mood ring.” (Butterfly design, $4.)

She said “So?”

“Well, don’t you know how they work?”

“Of course I do, silly!  They don’t really change colour with your mood, they change colour with your changing skin temperature.”

Dave’s turn to give Gypsy a ‘Der, you’re a mannequin’ look.

“Anyway”, she pouted, “you haven’t answered my question.”

“That’s because it’s MY question!” He also pouted.

“Well, yes”, said Gypsy.

“Yes?! Hang on, are you agreeing that it was my question or are you saying that you’ll marry me?” asked Dave.

“Both”, Gypsy replied.  Then she put her head in her hands.

“I think I just answered my own proposal.”

“Yes!” exclaimed Dave.

“Are you saying that you’ll marry me or are you just agreeing that I answered my own proposal?” asked Gypsy.

Dave grinned.  Gypsy squealed.  There were a few playful punches, a lightning-quick pash, and then they hit the water, laughing and splashing as all couples who are madly in love but don’t feel the cold do. 

And we will leave them there for now.  

Hang on, what’s that splash? Where’s Dave’s arm gone??  OMG is it a SHARK??!  Or just a prop malfunction?? Ha ha ha, find out next time!

In addition to the items already mentioned, Gypsy wears bikini top $10, and carries beach tote $10 and own thongs.  Dave wears Hurley T-shirt (XL, $10) and own bucket hat.  Well, actually, it’s Jo’s bucket hat because Tanya left Dave’s Pacman cap home.

Sincere thanks to this episode’s crew: Jo, Sarah, Tara and Les, and to Bryony, Louise and Mel for laughing in the right places when shown the photos.

Note: we were going to film Gypsy and Dave on the nudey bit of Maslin Beach but then decided it was a bit pointless seeing as the point of Da Loop is to sell clothes.

xxx

  

Back To The Start - Gypsy's Adventures Part 14

 

Da Loop is taking you back to where it all began.  Over the coming weeks we'll publish all of Gypsy's original adventures before breaking into new territory.

(Note: all Da Loop stock featured in the original adventures is no longer for sale.) 

Sam was a little over hearing about her best friend Gypsy’s perilous activities and associated explosion of male attention.  In fact, she had accepted an invitation from her childhood friend, JJ, to go camping with some of the old school gang just to have a short break from Gypsy’s perpetual joy. The gruelling window-modelling career that Sam and Gypsy shared was challenging and exhausting enough without jealousy compounding the problem… 

After flopping into her camp chair and finding that she couldn’t get up again, Sam realised that she must have been near breaking point when had she received JJ’s text.  Never mind that everyone except JJ had come down with the flu the day before the trip (problem: Sam had planned to gate-crash the girls’ tent as she didn’t have one of her own), and never mind that JJ, the once tiny and timid bookworm, was now a 6 foot 6 barefoot and bearded barrel of muscle (possibly axe-murderer) – none of this was going to stop her from getting a little R & R!  She poured herself a celebratory gin and tonic...

A little later, Sam asked JJ if she could help with dinner.  (She was feeling a little guilty for not having brought much food to contribute.)

“Look, you’re welcome to half my Trangia stew if you’re too stuffed to cook”, JJ offered kindly while passing her a glass of red.

“You know, that would be just too awesome, if you’re sure you won’t go hungry”, said Sam.  “But just watch out it doesn’t turn into bilby stew!”  They both chuckled and the bilby scampered off.

“I have a huge bag of marshmallows to fill any gap in my stomach”, replied JJ with a grin.

So Sam ate and drank, and as the sun began to set more wildlife gathered around, admiring her politically correct faux fur Sportsgirl vest (XS-S, $20) and Earth vegan shoes ($30) (worn with FCUK tee, Levi jeans and silk beanie).  At one stage she got up, pulled out one weedy African Daisy and collapsed back into her chair feeling dizzy.  Sensing that she needed some spoiling, JJ fed her toasted marshmallows from his state-of-the-art four-pronged marshmallow stick, and Sam soon began to feel a little heady from the smoke, wine and sugar.  So much so that she decided that:

a)  a) a strange khaki vest worn without undergarment was a fashion statement;

b)  b) she needed to be prostrate;

c)  c)  she needed to be prostrate, but was not THAT exhausted that she didn’t start to wonder if R.M. Williams zippers were of superior quality to those sewn into other men’s brand jeans, and whether or not she might be able to test that out while she was prostrate.

In a nutshell, she was horny.

But morning broke with JJ’s zip still firmly in place – he’d been too much the gentleman to allow any hanky panky on what was essentially a first date (boo, hiss!).  You’ll be pleased to know, however, that he did encourage some alternative camp frolicking such as star-gazing through the tent window, bird-watching at dawn, and climbing the magnificent Pink Gum and Peppermint Box trees.

“Hey JJ!  Come on up!” Sam coaxed, relaxing in a tree fork.  JJ looked up and was about to oblige when suddenly Sam’s usually animated face (ha ha ha) went blank and her skin turned (even more) ghostly pale.

“Are you OK?” JJ asked, suddenly worried.  But it was too late – Sam was spinning… spinning… colours… swirls… swirls…falling… and even after landing safely she was still falling… spiralling… drawn into a curious and persistent vortex reaching for her from beneath the grass façade…

Wtf is wrong with Sam??

Is she really just worn out?

Did she try and smoke that African Daisy?

Has she lost her marbles?

Have aliens come to suck her into their spaceship?

Or does she just need a good you-know-what?

                                                                           Find out next time!!  

Back To The Start - Gypsy's Adventures Part 13

 

Da Loop is taking you back to where it all began.  Over the coming weeks we'll publish all of Gypsy's original adventures before breaking into new territory.

(Note: all Da Loop stock featured in the original adventures is no longer for sale.) 

“So.. FINALLY we get to spend some time together without being interrupted by gun-wielding thugs, floodwaters or… irresponsible ex-boyfriends’, said Dave to Gypsy, rather pointedly she thought.

Gypsy, looking stunning in green Zara ($14), took a large bite of her avocado, pineapple and mushroom pizza, munched away for a bit, then replied “Well I’ve got a thing for bad boys, so I think if Traeger really was as irresponsible as you say then I wouldn’t be sitting here with you in your cute beanie, would I? I’d have followed him off to Woop-Woopland or wherever the Witness Protection Program has now taken him!”

 “I was stirring you”, Dave said with a smile, but Gypsy noticed that he took a few large gulps of his Prancing Pony and nervously adjusted his beanie.

“He seemed like a nice bloke”, Dave continued, squeezing Gypsy’s arm.  “But are you saying that to hold onto you I have to go get naughty??”

“Maybe!” Gypsy grinned, then looked up and waved to Rebecca who was slaving away in the Aldgate Cafe kitchen.

“Hey! Rebecca! Feel free to join us tonight for Da Loop’s 1^st Birthday party next door!  There’ll be plenty of food, bubbly and dancing if you’re up for it.”

Gypsy loved the friendly atmosphere in Aldgate Cafe, and was indeed grateful to be hanging out in her hometown with the man of her dreams on this day.  That morning they’d walked some of the Valley of The Bandicoots Nature Walk, dropped in on Elvis at the Aldgate Pump Hotel and now she was sipping mulled wine contentedly and looking forward to a frolic at the Da Loop birthday celebration, and maybe a bit of Dirty Dancing with Dave back at his apartment later on… 

Rebecca promised to join the crew for a bubbly, then Dave finished his fourth Pony and the two lovebirds headed next door.  Amongst the party crowd were Sam (Gypsy’s bestie, dressed in pre-owned Metalicus top and skirt, $18 and $20 respectively), Ron (Traeger’s non-evil twin, casual in Kenji knit, $12), Tanya & Syb from the Da Loop Mannequin Wardrobe Department (dressed impeccably in items purchased from the best recycled clothes shop in the world), and Mel and Louise from the Da Loop Props Supply Branch.  

Syb was assisting Sam to hold on to her wobbly arm, while Tanya messed with the CDs, trying to make the destruction of Louise’s favourite (‘Psychedelic 70s’) look like an accident.  Gypsy became engrossed in a conversation (shouted above the music) with Ron, trying to coax information out of him regarding what would soon be his new Witness Protection Program identity.  She had no luck, but was so intently involved in the discussion that she didn’t notice Dave polishing off twelve more beers. When she finally tried to catch his attention with suggestive comments about her intended private ‘after-party party’ she was answered with a loud burb and a thud as he toppled face first onto a table, where he remained for the rest of the night, entangled in his Dungeons & Dragons Hoodie ($28).  Gypsy decided that, as easy-going as he was, he possibly didn’t handle stress very well. 

At 3am, Gypsy, Sam and Ron were still standing. (Well, actually, Gypsy was sitting.  Because that’s what she does.)  They clinked glasses in salute: Happy 1^st Birthday, Da Loop, may you remain dry and in business for another year!!

Note: Sam also wears EDC jacket, $25.  Gypsy also wears Lili skirt, brown velvet and lace NWT $20, and her necklace is $12. Dave’s beanie was purchased between photo shoot and story upload so was been replaced with another $8 beanie! 

Back To The Start - Gypsy's Adventures Part 12

Da Loop is taking you back to where it all began.  Over the coming weeks we'll publish all of Gypsy's original adventures before breaking into new territory.

(Note: all Da Loop stock featured in the original adventures is no longer for sale.)

Dressed in a fashionable but no-nonsense outfit (black vintage Jill Fitzsimon jacket) and armed with a box of chocolates, a new phone, and a list of swear words as long as her gorgeous legs, red-headed Gypsy marched into the Good Times Hospital and asked for Traeger Jackson, her ex-boyfriend.

A helpful doctor directed her to Room 13. That’d be right, unlucky 13, Gypsy thought. 

She entered the room and Traeger turned his face from the window to look at her…. and she promptly burst into tears. NOT part of the PLAN!! Bugger, what am I supposed to do now? March out again?? She turned around to leave, but Traeger said “Wait Gypsy, please! I need a chance to explain.”

“It’s been explained already.” said Gypsy coldly, wiping snot on Jill’s sleeve and avoiding Traeger’s eyes. “All that time, you couldn’t trust me enough to tell me about your real self, your family, your f…ing tail-less dog…!”

“Don’t! Please… don’t make it any harder for me to apologise to you. Being in the Witness Protection Program is serious stuff, and you were in danger! I loved you… I still love you! I couldn’t… can’t… risk anything happening to you, Gypsy – God, you’re my whole world! The best day of my life was when you drove into Joe’s Garage and chose me to service your car. I just didn’t realise it at the time.”

He was right – she had had to choose her mechanic. She smiled as she remembered driving in at 9am and seeing three mechanics sitting out on the office step in the sun drinking coffees – Charlene, Pete, and Unknown-Dark-And-Handsome Man. (Note Traeger isn’t dark anymore - he keeps changing his hair colour to trick his assailants.) In response to her puzzled look, they explained that they couldn’t work because there was a power outage (common in Aldgate, it seems).

“So the cars have been rolling in and we’ve just been sitting around and haven’t even decided who’s fixing whose”, said Charlene. “Take your pick! Hey, this is Traeger, who the cat dragged in from Mount Gambier two weeks ago. Traeger, this is Gypsy. She’s a great chick with a well-behaved car and a well-behaved Mum who also comes here.”

“Well, you’re entitled to your opinion”, Gypsy retorted, with eye-rolling.

“Do you mean you’re not a great chick?” asked Traeger. 

“I meant about my Mum!” laughed Gypsy, and immediately fell for Traeger’s intense blue eyes, square shoulders, his tousled (but rather solid) hair… basically everything about him. He was tanned, fit, alluring, luscious… and she was of course young and impetuous. 

“I pick…. YOU!” she giggled stupidly, and then instead of doing her shopping she stayed while he worked work on her car, watching his muscles ripple and hearing his soft, sexy voice swear gently now and then. The minute she left the garage she was on the phone to her bestie, Sam, raving about the new man of her dreams. Three services later she coaxed him to the movies, five services – her bedroom…  

“Oh God!” Gypsy gasped as she realised she was practically orgasming in the hospital room when she was supposed to be giving Traeger a piece of her mind. No wonder the relationship was a big fail! She thought, pulling herself together.

Of course, Gypsy hadn’t realised at the time that the increased need for car service was because Traeger (real name Andrew) was a crop consultant, not a mechanic, and knew stuff-all about Mazda RX7s. She had simply thought he was lusting after her. Sam, used to Gypsy’s impulsiveness, had tried to slow her down but to no avail.

 Back in the present, Gypsy sighed. There was no point blowing her stack (in any manner). “You don’t love me”, she said.  “I made you love me. I gave you no choice! Look, I’m a grown-up now, and I am learning from my mistakes.” 

Traeger shook his head. “You’re wrong. You didn’t make me love you, it really happened! And don’t go changing your personality because it’s perfect the way it is. Look, we may have started the crack-down on this drug ring but it is far from finished, and my family is in danger. I can’t ask you to come with me because you’d have to change your identity and move away from your family and your friends and from Da Loop….” 

He paused, and Gypsy wondered for a moment if he wasn’t really hoping she would do just that. They locked eyes.

“I know, I can’t!” Gypsy choked, dropped the chocolates and fell forward into Traeger’s arms and vintage Billabong tank. Her lips were on his and her hands were in his hair (I mean ON his hair) and suddenly she was half on the bed…

““Aaaaaieeeeeeee!!!!!” Traeger screamed. “My bloody shoulder!!!!!”

Gypsy jumped back off the bed and gasped “Oh no, I didn’t even ask you how you were feeling!”

They looked at each other and Traeger laughed despite the intense pain and broken heart, and Gypsy laughed despite the extreme ridiculousness of everything, because the plain truth was that even though it had started as a lust thing, she had loved Traeger/Andrew in a young-and-no-cares-in-the-world kind of way, and she would always love him somewhere in her heart.

But her place and her future was here (in Free Fusion OMG! knit $10), with her wonderful Dave (in Drill Hawaiian shirt $8) and with Sam and her silly Mum and with Da Loop. Bring on their next adventure!