Franny Gets Frocked: The Clash

Sunday 5 February 2017

The Clash

Dress: Anthea Crawford twill with grosgrain & leather ribbon belt

Heels: Wittner suede with chrome hardware

Clutch: Nine West woven with resin clasp

Bangle: Chapel Hill State School Fete stall shell chips, silver

Cuff: Botanical Gardens Market stall twine, shell, beads

Ring: Botanical Gardens Market stall twin, shell, beads

When it comes to fashion, for me it's all about THE CLASH. Nope, not the band (although I am quite partial to a bit of 70s British punk rock, actually... when I'm not listening to 70s psychedelia, protest music & down-home-southern-american rock) the clash of patterns & textures & styles & price-points that make an outfit interesting & above all, memorable.

This outfit - chosen for a night out to dinner at Peak Thai, one of our favourite local restaurants followed by dessert at Chocolateria San Churro - is a case in point: The amazing floral twill fit-to-flare dress with grosgrain ribbon & leather bow belt is from Australian designer Anthea Crawford; the vibrant orange suede t-bar heels are from Wittner (an absolute bargain at 70% off their original retail price); the pattern-mixed woven tribal clutch with black resin clasp detail is from Nine West (also reduced to under $40); the matching handmade twine, shell & bead cuff & ring are from a little stall at the City Botanical Gardens Markets & finally, the shell-chip woven bracelet with silver "F" charm is from a little tiny stall at the Chapel Hill State School Fete & was acquired for the tiny sum of $5. So to recap, there is a clash of textures (twill, suede, woven plastic, twine, shell, faceted beads, silver) followed by a clash of styles (ladylike, bohemian, edgy, tribal) followed by a clash of price points (expensive dress; super cheap beaded bracelet) yet somehow it all just WORKS. That, my dear friends & readers, is the magic of fashion & why it has the power to continually surprise & captivate us.

Well, now that the diatribe is over (there are often glazed eyes at home when I wax lyrical about the majesty & artistry of fashion) scroll down to check out some snippets from the evening... including the food, glorious food!