Red, Red Rose

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Dress: Anthea Crawford satin-backed crepe

Jacket: Forever New polyblend

Mules: Wittner suede

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

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Attending an event in city wearing an Anthea Crawford dress that is not only quite special but a little bit different to my usual look & style. It's timeless & classic. It's black. It's crepe. It's a body-contouring kind of fabric that is cut so it really hugs my curves. Moreover, it has the MOST GORGEOUS strip of red rose embroidered lace across the cold-shoulder neckline for interest. Suffice to say, I absolutely adore it, particularly when mixed with this vibrant red polyblend jacket with fluted sleeves from Forever New & these nonchalant black suede pointy-toed mules with chunky heels from my go-to shoes haven, Wittner & simple black leather handbag from Pigeonhole.

Scroll down to see the dress without the jacket...

The Seat

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Dress: Anthea Crawford stretch pique

Cardigan: Review knit

Ankle Boots: Witchery leather, brass studs

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Nautica nylon, textured vinyl

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Sitting pretty on one of the "concrete seat" art installations in Queens Park wearing a gorgeous large-scale blue, purple & black floral stretch pique dress with midi-length hemline from Anthea Crawford (ideal for hanging out at the park with the small fry), cropped black knitted cardigan from Review, flat black leather ankle boots with brass stud detailing from Witchery, 40 denier tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs toasty & a black nylon & textured vinyl crossbody bag from Nautica to hold all of the essentials.

Now, if you think my seat is pretty awesome, check out the dual swing seats the boys found:

Wolston Farmhouse

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Dress: Taking Shape neoprene

Jacket: Portmans leather

Puffer Vest: Rockmans nylon, duck down

Ankle Boots: Wittner patent leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

Ring: Georgini silver & onyx

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So excited to finally share all the pictures from a morning spent exploring Wolston Farmhouse & enjoying a High Tea experience with my fellow history buff, Finn. I had been given a voucher for the entry fee & refreshments for my birthday (thanks Bronwyn & Mirandah) & had only a few weeks left to use it, so booked for a Sunday morning that turned out to be an incredibly blustery day, one of the coldest & windiest we've had in Queensland for years & years & years... which, truth be told, only added to the sense of adventure, as despite the fact that it was only a 20 minute drive, I hadn't actually BEEN out to the Farmhouse in 24 years, the last time being when I visited for a school excursion in grade 5, all dressed up in what I've dubbed my "pioneer girl" costume, complete with faux wool braids peeking out from under my bonnet. My outfit this time was remarkable different to that, I must admit.

Owing to the fact that it was basically an extension of my birthday celebrations (vouchers have a way of making you feel like the revelry lasts & lasts) I decided to wear my new, large scale floral neoprene fit-to-flare dress from Taking Shape in shades of navy, black, emerald green & chartreuse, cropped black leather jacket from Portmans (the ideal shape to nip in my waist before the flare of the dress skirt), vibrant chartreuse puffer vest with hood from my local Rockmans store that I picked up in the sales for under $20, shiny black patent ankle boots from Wittner, 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz & matte leather shoulder bag from a funky little store called Pigeonhole in Brisbane's Wintergarden. Jewellery was kept simple: a single silver & onyx cocktail ring from Georgini.

Scroll down to see how the rest of the morning unfolded...

Brisbane's oldest surviving residential farmhouse, Wolston Farmhouse was built on 640 acres by Dr Stephen Simpson in 1852 & named after the place where he was born & baptised in Warwickshire, England. In 1860, the house was purchased by Matthew Goggs as Simpson had decided to return to England. His son then sold the property to the Grindle family in 1906 who established a dairy & supplied milk to the surrounding suburbs until the 1930s. Farmer Bert Hurley bought the estate in 1956 before selling it on to the Queensland Government. It has been considered to be a key property in the National Trust portfolio since 1963.

Sitting Pretty on the sweeping verandah...

Clearly appreciating the National Trust's painstaking recreation of the life of the Simpson, Goggs & Grindle families...

Being only 5 foot does have some perks, I suppose...

A mid-morning meal at the Tea Terrace Cafe...

Scale model of the house in its entirety...