Ballroom Blitz

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Dress: Liz Jordan @ Noni B mesh & sequinned embellishment

Heels: Betts for Her iridescent patent

Clutch: Anthea Crawford patent & silver

Watch: Guess silver

Wrap Bangle: Swarovski leather & crystal

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver & elastic

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After some technical difficulties, I'm finally posting pictures of the outfit I wore to enjoy a performance of Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC. As a long-time lover of the 1992 film, I was interested to see how it would translate to the stage - not in terms of the music, dancing or costumes, mind you, but the emotion & HEART inherent in the main characters, maverick dance prodigy Scott & left-footed "plain Jane" Fran & the JOURNEY they take towards the National Ballroom Dancing Championships & each other... I needn't have worried; it was spectacular!

As this is a fashion blog & mostly about how & why I styled something a certain way, I'm not even going to get into a philosophical discussion about WHY, in this contemporary society, the name Fran or Frances evidently conjures up images of uptight, bookish, brunette & somewhat unattractive girls who find it more difficult than their blond counterparts to be sexy until they learn to "let go" through the magic of dance & become attractive, free, enlightened, sensual beings... but let's just say that it's two films so far - Strictly Ballroom & Dirty Dancing - & slightly irritating to those of us ACTUALLY named Frances. Is it because the name is classy & old-fashioned; the most popular British girls' name in the 1900s, pipping Elsie & Victoria at the post & yet to stage a widespread modern resurgence along with Violet & Sophia? The answer remains elusive...

But I digress. #rantover

To capture the glitzy "ballroom" theme of the performance, I decided on this navy mesh & OTT sparkly white sequinned floral embellished shift by Liz Jordan at Noni B with its navy shoestring strap & "sweetheart" neckline slip, sweet cap sleeves & Deco style yoke & just-below-knee hemline trim. Rather than my usual black patent accessories, I mixed the stunning dress with a pair of iridescent patent peeptoe platforms from Betts for Her & a navy patent envelope clutch with silver hardware from Anthea Crawford. 

When it came to jewellery, I needed pieces that could compete with the 3D nature of the dress - a chunky silver "androgynous" new season Guess watch, thick silver & elastic hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop & a white leather & crystal wrap bracelet from Swarovski for even more bling! Check out the items in detail below: 

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