All At Sea

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Dress: Jayson Brunsdon Black Label @ Myer silk, embellishment

Cardigan: Yarra Trail mesh

Brogues: Country Road leather

Bag: Olga Berg @ L'Onda, Sunnybank Plaza patent with silver hardware

Watch: Pascoe's Jewellers silver, calico

Hinged Bangle: Gift, vintage silver (1940s)

Dreamcatcher: Gift, woven thread, wool, haberdashery

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Finally posting (many, many) pictures of the outfit I wore to bid farewell to a dear friend who - despite the many accolades & accomplishments of his corporate life, frequent trips abroad & countless hours spent enjoying ballet, theatre & opera performances in several states - was never happier than when he was "messing around in boats" as Ratty from The Wind in the Willows would say. As such, his memorial service & wake were fraught with meaning yet rather low-key; the latter including a catered boat ride along the Brisbane River, which I was obviously paying homage to with my outfit choice, many elements lovingly gifted to me.

The look revolved around this stunning navy satin 1930s-style midi dress dotted with 3D silver beaded embellishments from Jayson Brunsdon Black Label, exclusive to Myer stores. I loved the way it harked back to what many regard as the "golden age" of leisure cruising & was dressy & almost a little bit "prim & proper," as my English ancestors would say. 

Obviously the late Winter weather meant a further layer was required (particularly on the river) & this navy mesh, three-quarter-sleeved "waterfall" cardigan - knotted at the front - from Aussie brand Yarra Trail was ideal, providing warmth without covering up too much of the dress. I'm not one for hoarding (well, anything OTHER than dresses, anyway...) & when I "spring clean" I am usually ruthless, but this is certainly an advertisement for keeping clothing items in classic colours that you may need some time in the future. I purchased this particular cardigan from the Jindalee DFO almost ten years ago & with a quick airing, it was as good as new!

Scroll down to check it out in even more detail:

And with the mesh cardigan untied & left to drape on either side...

And without the cardigan altogether; allowing the sweet (almost) "butterfly" cut sleeve to be seen...

When it came to footwear, these supple, silver leather brogues with bone laces from Country Road were an unexpected yet inspired choice; giving a nautical nod to proceedings while maintaining an air of relaxed sophistication with the shiny colourway. It is also interesting to note that they give the illusion of longer legs & more height due to the fact that the dress is midi-length (therefore "cutting me off" at the most flattering part of my leg) & the brogues are cut away to expose the ankle bone. Just goes to show that the "fashion rulebook" isn't always right & it's important to experiment & TRY THINGS ON before discounting them altogether. 

Rather than a shiny silver tote or clutch, I decided to carry a dainty Olga Berg single-handle "box" bag (yet another 1930s-style touch) for a polished look. Truth be told, the shade of silver isn't identical to that of the brogues; it is more a mixture of the silver leather shade & the bone hue of the shoelaces. It was really just luck that I found it - after looking EVERYWHERE for the perfect bag for the occasion, a pair of shoes caught my eye in the window of the L'Onda boutique at Sunnybank Plaza... Long story short: the shoes didn't work but the bag that was sitting across from them on the shelf was the one I had been searching for... & it was on sale! Talk about a dream come true; fashion-wise, that is.

With regards to jewellery, less was definitely more this time. I chose two pieces in total - a vintage silver fleur-de-lis hinged bangle from the 1940s that a dear friend gave me for my 30th birthday & a sailor-style silver watch from Pascoe's Jewellers with a large navy face & navy & white woven calico band/strap that I picked up during a shopping trip with my cousin to fit the theme of the day.

Lastly, just a word about the beautiful "dreamcatcher" that features in the vast majority of these photographs: it was a posthumous gift from the dear friend who passed away, chosen because it reminded him of my various aspects of my personality; beautiful sentiments I am keeping to myself for now. I will treasure it always.

Vale, Professor.

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Fountain of Youth

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Dress: Anthea Crawford velour, jacquard

Jumper: Forever New knit

Boots: Witchery faux snakeskin

Sockettes: Mix by Coles nylon

Bag: Basque vinyl (from Myer)

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Posing up a storm next to the fountain at the newly refurbished & extended Orion Springfield Central in one of my all-time favourite winter dresses from Anthea Crawford with its sleeveless high-neck velour bodice & 50s style green & grey jacquard baroque printed skirt with tulle underlay; charcoal knitted jumper with roll neck & asymmetrical hemline from Forever New (purchased in an extra small size to work better proportionally with the fit-to-flare nature of the dress beneath); black, white & grey faux snakeskin booties from Witchery for a touch of pattern-mixing (nylon sockettes inside from Coles) & a large black vinyl tote bag from Basque at Myer to anchor the entire ensemble.

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Garden of Verse

To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you that you ought to prefer is to have kept your soul alive.

You can give without loving but you can never love without giving.

And my heart spring up anew

Bright & confident & true

And the old love comes to meet me

In the dawning & the dew

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Dress: Chi Chi London satin

Trench: Events organza & silk

Loafers: Wittner patent with silver hardware

Bag: Vera May patent with silver hardware

Charm Bracelets: Thomas Sabo faceted beads

Dress Charms: Wallace Bishop silver, resin

Eiffel Tower Charm: Gift, silver

Elephant Charm: Gift, silver

Faith, Hope, Charity Charm: Prouds silver

Star Charm: Gift, silver, bronze, copper, engraving

Pearl Charm: Gift, silver, pearl

Turkish Bracelets: Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant, Southbank

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Finally posting pictures of the darling outfit I styled up for a day spent immersing myself in the timeless words of Robert Louis Stevenson with like-minded individuals. Many of you will probably recognise this celebrated Scotsman as the author of novels like Treasure Island & Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde & while I love those tomes dearly, I particularly adore the poetry, inspirational, religious quotes & insightful travel writing he composed in his all-too-brief 44 years. I was introduced to 1885's A Child's Garden of Verses - particularly "The Land of Counterpane" - by my mother when I was very small after she, in turn, was introduced to it by her own mother before her, so it really has stood the test of time. In fact, I believe that the thoughts contained within its pages are as poignant & relevant today, among both children & adults alike, as they ever were.

Thus, a rather special outfit was required for this outing & I had just the piece to build the entire look around - this amazing large-scale rose & floral print satin fit-to-flare midi-length "prom" dress with tulle underlay & dipped back by Chi Chi London (via Asos) that really made a statement & brought something "botanical" to the mix. Check it out in all its unencumbered glory below:

To ward off the winter chill, a jacket was necessary, so I chose this stunning sheer black organza trench coat with satin piping detail from Events (found at the Lifeline store in the middle of Brisbane City for less than $10... talk about the bargain of the year) to add the required warmth without compromising on the print beneath. Keep scrolling to see me strike a few poses near our front hedge in the dying afternoon light... yep, that's me becoming all "poetic" in keeping with the theme of the post...

When it came to footwear, these shiny black patent leather loafers with silver clip detail from Wittner were an obvious choice. As bizarre as it may sound, wearing a midi length dress with flared hem & relatively flat shoes is a match made in heaven... even if you're five-foot-nothing like I am! This is because the dress stops at the smallest part of the leg & the entirety of the ankle is shown, creating the optical illusion of both length & fragility. 

Rather than match the colour of my shoes to my handbag, I decided to instead match the texture, choosing a red patent leather shoulder bag from Vera May (sourced from the Simona Ricci store at Mt Ommaney) to pick up on the vibrant colour of the roses in the pattern of the dress.

More was definitely more when it came to jewellery - a pair of black faceted bead Thomas Sabo bracelets with a myriad of gold, silver, bronze & brightly-coloured charms on one arm & five "evil eye protection" beaded bracelets in shades of red, blue, green & white from Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant at Southbank on the other.

All that remained was to complete the look with a hint of Clinique "High Impact" mascara (I need all the help I can get in that department; God didn't see fit to bless me with thick, lustrous eyelashes) & a slick of deep red lipstick from Revlon; a shade called "Romance" that I feel works well to give life to my otherwise pale skin tone.

To be wholly devoted to some intellectual exercise is to have succeeded in life.

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