Double Duty

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Dress: Gift, jersey & twill

Heels: Forever New vinyl

Bag: Olga Berg patent with silver hardware

Watch: Pascoe Jewellers silver, calico

Bracelet: Karen Walker silver with cameo

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As a stylist & fashion blogger, most of the comments I receive are part & parcel of a central theme:

Aren't you bored wearing only dresses?

Aren't you worried that everyone has already seen you in that dress?

Don't you feel there's not enough variety in your wardrobe when it consists primarily of dresses?

How do you make dresses fit so many different dress codes & occasions?

As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing better than a dress that does "double duty;" one that can be worn in a myriad of ways to many different occasions (at all times of the year, thanks to leather jackets & black matte tights!) with just a change of shoes, bags & jewellery. This beauty - with its high-neck, cut-away black jersey bodice & twirly 1950s-style midi-length skirt with mullet hemline - is one of those dresses; worn to two wonderful Festive Season celebrations with dear friends...

The first, a Nativity Play & Gospel Choir Performance, meant that "dressier" accessories were required - a pair of sky-high silver vinyl heels with dual buckle details from Forever New, matching silver patent boxy handbag from Olga Berg, funky silver & blue "Cameo" bracelet from Karen Walker & finally, a striped calico watch with large silver face from Pascoe Jewellers.

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Dress: Gift, jersey & twill

Heels: Forever New vinyl

Bag: Olga Berg patent with silver hardware

Watch: Pascoe Jewelers silver & calico

Bracelet: Karen Walker silver with cameo

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After dressing up with high heels & a tiny handbag, it was time to "tone it down" (so to speak) with some smart-casual accessories for a trip to the movies to see the Royal Ballet's performance of Kenneth Macmillan's ballet, Anastasia, streamed live from The Royal Opera House to the movie theatre at The Barracks. Originally premiering in 1967, the haunting full-length production (conflated from a one-act ballet merely depicting what is now Act III) is a compelling exploration of identity in the wake of the turbulent Russian Revolution & the woman, Anna Anderson, who believed herself to be the long-lost Grand Duchess & was certainly an experience on the "big screen."

Instead of stiletto heels, I opted for a pair of silver wedge sandals with cross-over strap detail from Betts for Her, soft rectangular shiny silver vinyl handbag with stud detail from Adorne with a contrasting purple-paisley-printed chiffon scarf wrapped around one of the handles for added flair & the same funky jewellery pieces - the silver & blue "cameo" bracelet from Karen Walker & striped calico watch with large silver face from Pascoe Jewellers.

Enjoying some tall, icy-cold refreshments from Movenpick after the show...

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