Boxing Clever

Boxing Day 

noun 

1. A holiday traditionally celebrated on December 26, traced back to England in the 1830s when postmen, errand boys & servants of various kinds would expect to receive a gift known as a "Christmas Box" from their employers. The term, "Christmas Box" however, can be traced back even further - mentioned by famous Naval Administrator & Member of (British) Parliament Samuel Pepys in his diary entry for December 29, 1663 - & refers to a present or gratuity given at Christmastime, either gifts, money or leftover food. Seeing as servants were required to work for their wealthy employers (who were often entertaining guests or hosting lavish parties) on December 25, they were permitted to visit their families for their own meagre celebrations the following day. 

2. The first retail shopping day after Christmas & the biggest shopping day of the year in Australia when many retailers discount items up to 80%, parking lots become battlegrounds, a vast majority of self-confessed "bargain hunters" start to take leave of their senses - pushing & shoving as though they have forgotten how to act in social situations & were never taught any manners by their parents & teetotal shop assistants feel tempted to take a liiiiiitle drink at the end of the day...

I HATE crowds. Really hate them. So much so that I avoid them if I can - watching the ANZAC Day parade on television instead of travelling to the city only to jostle my way to a somewhat decent vantage point NEAR the front in order to have some hope of actually catching a glimpse of the parade, going to the EKKA on one of the last days when most people have already lost interest, catching the bus & train either before or after peak hour... the list goes on... So there was NO WAY that I was going to fight the crowds on Boxing Day for a few measly retail savings, right? 

Well, sort of. 

I spent the ACTUAL day - while everyone else seemed to be lining up outside of either Myer or David Jones or similar from the crack of dawn, waiting for their chance to fill their arms with copious amounts of napery or shoes or queuing to beg sales assistants to allow them to return unwanted Christmas gifts sans reciept - playing board games & watching Christmas movies with the family before enjoying afternoon tea with friends...

The sales shopping I left until the 28th. 

Less crowds, same bargains. Truth be told, it was still busy (due to the wet weather) & there were some individuals acting C.R.A.Z.Y but it wasn't as fervent as the the preceding two days seemed to be... According to the nightly news coverage, anyway...

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LOOK #1: AFTERNOON TEA

Dress: Anthea Crawford textured jacquard

Wedges: Novo suede & rattan

Bag with Scarf: Unknown (Christmas Gift from Louise)

Necklace: Portmans gold & faux pearl

Hinged Bangle: Adorne

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Vibrant lime textured jacquard was the idea "spirit lifter" for the day when you realise that there is ONE WHOLE YEAR until the next time you celebrate Christmas Day. Instead of mixing this sumptuous hue with the usual white or tan accessories, I decided to go a more unexpected route: black suede & rattan wedges with thin ankle straps & a yellow bag with black edging. To tie the colour palette together, a teal, yellow, brown & white clock printed silk scarf was wrapped around the bag's handle, tied with a large bow at one end. (Thanks for doing that, Louise!)

Jewellery was chosen to both match with the shoes & add a metal element to the ensembles "yellow" tones - a chunky gold & black corrugated-look hinged bangle & a gold choker with black faux pearl ends, the latter elongating my decolletage by sitting at the top of the low v-neckline. Scroll down for a closer look:

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LOOK #2: SUPER SHOPPER

Dress: Anthea Crawford textured pique

Wedges: Novo suede & rattan

Bag with Scarf: Unknown (Christmas Gift from Louise)

Necklace: Dissh silver

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver & elastic

Ring: Sistaco silver & stone (Christmas Gift from Susan)

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An emerald green, bateau neck dress was the order of day for braving the "Boxing Day Sales" crowds. A calming hue with a sophisticated high neckline & below-the-knee hemline meant that bending down to try on shoes or reaching over to find my size on sales rack was not a problem... And the zip-up back was a God-send when trying things on as it meant that I avoided the dreaded messing up of the hair & make-up!

Once again, my black suede & rattan wedges with ankle strap were buckled up & ready to go, along with my new yellow handbag with black piping. This time, the teal & yellow clock print of the silk scarf wrapped around the handle toned in with the dress' emerald hue, creating a cohesive look.

Silver jewellery was chosen to match the dress' "cool" tone - a chunky long necklace that sat perfectly flat against the square neckline to create a point of interest, a silver hinged bangle & a silver & teal stone ring that was a Christmas gift from my Aunt. 

And now to the most important part - the HAUL...

Pairs of shoes

One sparkly belt

A couple of dresses

Some bangles made of recycled paper

Bars of Fair Trade chocolate

Lingerie

How did you do?

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