Friday 18 September 2015

Furry







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Dress: Brigid McLaughlin lace & ribbon
Coat: Now @ Kmart "furry"
Booties: Corelli @ Williams suede & neoprene
Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier
Bag: Novo patent
Ring: Southbank Markets, shell & wood

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All of these dark & stormy nights have me thinking about all of the amazing outfits I styled up during Winter 2015, one of my favourites being this amazing lace dress & furry jacket combo that I wore to go late-night shopping in the City with a friend...



This timeless black lace Brigid McLaughlin dress - with flesh-tone satin underlay, ruffled peplum detail & ribbon waist tie - was purchased a few years ago in a mega-sale at the now-sadly-defunct Mood store in Paddington & goes perfectly with the long-line "furry" overcoat I picked up for an absolute bargain price ($8) at my local Kmart store. It just goes to show that what we consider to be "designer" fashion mixes just as well with "chain store" or "high street" fashion to create a cohesive look for a myriad of occasions. 



I chose to dress this look down with my trusty pair of black suede & neoprene booties from Williams (& yes, I realise that when people think "more casual" they don't think "high heels" but as I'm a measly 5 foot, I need that extra bit of lift sometimes, okay?), 40 denier tights from Razzamatazz, a boxy, patent handbag from Novo & a funky, wood & shell mosaic ring from the Southbank Markets.


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Monday 14 September 2015

Father's Day







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Dress: Anthea Crawford stretch jacquard
Cape: Tulip felt
Cardigan: Little Lies @ Revolver, Springfield wool
Booties: Corelli @ Williams suede & neoprene
Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier
Bag: Sportsgirl suede & leopard print
Belt: Blue Illusion stretch & bronze
Thick Bangle: Vintage, brass (from America)
Thin Bangle: Tree of Life brass
Ring: Tree of Life brass & onyx
Hat: Jendi wool

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Saturday afternoon & evening revolved around the belated Father's Day celebration for my dad, Rayne, after the previous weekend's festivities were scuppered by a bout of illness in the family. Although one day & a few carefully-chosen gifts (books, DVDs, shirts, boots) could never be enough to adequately express the depth of love & gratitude we have for such a selfless, moral, kind-hearted, strong & all-round wonderful man, it is certainly a good place to start... especially if a delicious dinner at one of our favourite Korean restaurants, Madtongsan, is involved... 



But I digress. 

This is a fashion blog & I suppose you're wondering about what I wore as much as what I did, right? Well, the look was built around shades of navy, grey, black & tan... mostly so that I could wear the amazing Jendi wool cloche that my parents gave me for my birthday... It started with amazing textured jacquard dress from Anthea Crawford with flattering portrait neckline, covered with a dove-grey felt Tulip cape, folded under the aforementioned collar & secured with tan & brass stretch belt from Blue Illusion. Check out this combination in detail below:




To match the buckle detail on the belt, brass jewellery was chosen - a chunky, twisted vintage bangle from America that I picked up at last year's Frock Up Brisbane event; a thin, brushed brass bangle that I found at my local Tree of Life store & an epic, oval brass cocktail ring with onyx stone centre. Scroll down for a closer look:


Added some more pieces of jewellery to my look when Louise gave me some amazing souvenirs from her recent trip to China - among them, a sparkly black "wrap around" bracelet & handmade ring in the shape of a flower... & in my favourite colour, cobalt blue!



As usual, black accessories "anchored" the Wintery look - a pair of suede & neoprene heeled booties from Corelli @ Williams, 40 denier Razzamatazz tights & a suede handbag from Sportsgirl... with brass hardware & faux horsehair leopard print mid-front panel for swagger! Speaking of cold weather, a further layer was required to combat the falling early Spring nighttime temperatures, in this case an oversized, knitted woolen cardigan - with sparkle! - from Little Lies @ Revolver, Springfield with tortoiseshell buttons. Keep scrolling to see it in all its glory, slung nonchalantly over my shoulders...





And, of course, the piece de resistance: the navy & tan Jendi cloche with oversized flower. I absolutely adore the 1920s & the wardrobe of Zelda Fitzgerald & THIS gave me that vibe in spades, particularly when mixed with my short, blunt bob haircut. It wouldn't seem out of place in Paris' Cafe de Flore but I think it was equally stunning at a Korean BBQ restaurant in suburban Sunnybank...




Now that all of the clothing details are out of the way, it's time to take a peek at how the evening unfolded... Apologies if you haven't already had your breakfast, lunch or dinner when you view the following pictures!


Beef Pancake & Seafood Pancake


Kal Bi Jjim 
Beef Ribs Stew with Carrot, Mushrooms & Potato


Bi Bim Bab
Beef with Vegetables on Rice


So glad to have Louise back from China! Here she is enjoying her (spicy!!) meal...


Side Dishes... I LOVE LOVE LOVE the honey-covered roast potato!


Washing it all down with a Sakuraya Milk Tea with Black Tapioca Pearls

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HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, RAYNE!
Thank you for being the anchor in our ever-changing world.


Penny Family (circa 1992) visiting a Magnesite Mine in North Queensland. 
Clearly I was a fan of pattern-on-pattern even then... 
(bunny rabbit teeth & super huge glasses notwithstanding)

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2015 Family Photographs at one of our favourite holiday spots, Point Danger on the Gold Coast...

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HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Poppy, Richard!
Love you very much... even if your "height" genes skipped this generation!
#shortpeopleproblems #heis6footsomething #yesreally

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HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Grandfather, Ivan!
Missing you so much & wishing you were here.
Still the only Granddad I know with a "six pack" on the beach...
#sunbaking #sunbastingreally #itwastheeightiespeople #notshortofvitamind

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Saturday 12 September 2015

Parklife





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Dress: Anthea Crawford guipure lace
Vest: Vintage, embellished brocade
Wedges: Betts for Her suede
Bag: Gift, vintage "carved nut" & leather
Necklace: Tree of Life silver & semi-precious stone
Cuff: Gift, silver & semi-precious stone (from India)

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Finally posting all of the outfit pictures from a day spent enjoying an "interactive" Shakespeare in the Park experience (& cider tasting!) to celebrate the birthday of a dear new friend, where participants were randomly chosen to supply the next line from the some of The Bard's most popular plays, including Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, As You Like It & King Lear. Phew! It was lucky I paid attention when we studied the comedies & tragedies at high school & university... & also lucky that none of the historical plays were involved, as I've never been particularly interested in things that actually happened. Yep, not an enthusiastic documentary watcher by any means...


But I digress.

This green guipure lace, empire-line dress by Anthea Crawford was the perfect option for a Spring day full of celebration, particularly when mixed with this vintage, late 1960s embellished bolero vest that a haberdashery store seems to have thrown up on... Seriously, though, it is an absolute work of art & utterly unique. Scroll down for a closer look at this amazing find!





With two "busy" pieces already in the mix, sculptural accessories were chosen to "ground" the look - a pair of black suede lace-up wedges from Betts for Her & a vintage handbag made from a whole carved Brazil nut with 1970s patchwork leather strap. Dubbed the "nut bag," it was a present from a good friend & is always a talking point.


Jewellery with a bohemian vibe was a must - a chunky silver cuff with a variety of coloured semi-precious stones, brought back from a friend's trip to India & a matching (albeit inadvertently) necklace from my local Tree of Life store that actually opens up like a little pouch! Keep scrolling to see the pieces in all their glory:



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"And though she be but little,
She is fierce."

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