Wuthering Heights

*

Dress: Anthea Crawford stretch jersey & organza; beaded grosgrain belt

Cape: Gift, feathers & velvet

Heels: Emerson @ Big W patent

Bag: Vera May leather & marble with silver hardware

Cuff: St Paul's Cathedral Gift Shop silver

*

Sharing pictures of the outfit I donned to attend a recent stage performance of "Wuthering Heights" at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre - or QPAC for those who love an acronym (I don't). Emily Bronte's 1847 Gothic tale of twisted, all-consuming love that transcends death into eternity was given a modern overhaul by shake & stir theatre company but (thankfully for this ardent fan) retained the savagery & turmoil of the tragic yet brutal Heathcliff & vain, cruel Catherine Earnshaw as well as the stark spectre of the Yorkshire Moors in the staging, lighting & costumes... the latter reimagined by the supremely-talented Leigh Buchanan, a veritable "hometown hero" around these parts...

But I digress.

Such an intense tale required a look to match & this "symphony in black" by Anthea Crawford was the ideal place to begin. The dress itself is a fit-to-flare design with textured stretch jersey bodice & floaty "mullet" skirt (shorter at the front, longer at the back) made from swathes of organza & cinched at the waist with a sparkly beaded belt made from grosgrain ribbon that ties in a bow at the back.

Winter temperatures meant that the dress couldn't possibly be worn all on its lonesome (I'm not a big believer in suffering for fashion, unless we're talking about shoes) so the gorgeous feather cape that was gifted to me by a dear friend's mother - worn at a recent gala event - was the perfect choice to ward off the chill. What's more, the black, charcoal & dark green ombre effect of the feathers really made the LBD below "pop!" Keep scrolling to see what I mean...

When it came to footwear, these shiny black patent platforms from Emerson at Big W added height... & kept my toes warm at the same time. Under $20, the cost per wear has been pretty much negligible; needless to say they are one of my BEST EVER buys. All that was required then was to add a matching art deco style black patent handbag with marbled front panel detail (picked up a few years ago now at Simona Ricci/Bare Traps on a shopping trip with my mother) & it was time to go. 

Well, not quite. I still had to add one finishing touch: a divine silver filigree bracelet that I purchased at the St Paul's Cathedral Gift Shop on a trip to Europe four years ago. It seemed only fitting considering that "Wuthering Heights" is widely considered to be a quintessentially English 19th century novel...

*