Franny Gets Frocked: Exhibitionist

Dress: Gorman x Dana Kinter cotton

Pinafore/Vest: French Connection corduroy

Ankle Boots: Renee Loves Frances leather, silver zippers

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Urban Originals via TK Maxx vinyl with silver hardware

Brooches: Artisan Collective metal, enamel

Sunglasses: Sportsgirl faux tortoiseshell enamel

Finally sharing the glorious pictures from a day spent exploring all that the Royal Queensland Show (or EKKA as it's become known among us Queenslanders as the slang diminutive of Exhibition) has to offer with my darling mother in tow... From the lights & sounds of Sideshow Alley to the vibrancy of the cultural exhibits including the fashion show, amateur artworks, sculpture, photography, cake decoration, cooking & sewing; the hustle & bustle of the market stalls; the interactivity of the agricultural pavilion with its emphasis on all things farming, fisheries & bee-keeping to the Old Museum Complex with its gardening displays, Quilt Show & schoolwork competitions as well as various arenas showcasing water fowl & livestock, singing canaries & all manner of fare from food trucks to gourmet dining & the celebrated charitable strawberry ice-creams to name but a few, there just wasn't time to see & do absolutely everything in just one day... but we certainly gave it a good shot!

For the occasion, I wore a gorgeous botanical-printed cotton long-sleeved smock dress with ruffled hemline & Indian-style yoke detailing & shoulder trim from the collaboration between Aussie label Gorman & celebrated artist Dana Kinter with a midi-length blush corduroy pinafore-turned-longline-vest from French Connection over the top to add shape, a pair of black leather ankle boots with silver zippers from Renee Loves Frances' beautiful boutique in Bulimba, a pair of 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz that kept my legs feeling toasty-warm in the early morning but didn't add too much weight or bulk as the temperature started to rise towards the afternoon, a black vinyl crossbody bag with silver hardware from Urban Originals that I picked up from my local TK Maxx store to hold all the essentials while keeping my hands free & a pair of faux tortoiseshell sunglasses from Sportsgirl to protect my eyes from the harsh UV rays. Jewellery & further embellishment was kept to a minimum - merely a pair of EKKA themed, kitschy metal & enamel brooches depicting some of the best-known "Show Day" motifs of a Dagwood Dog & Sideshow Alley Clown, made by Brisbane's own Artisan Collective. Truth be told, by the end of the day I had added two more brooches to my collection - a Kewpie doll & Bumper Car - all ready for next year!

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

Ahoy There!

Roast Beef Roll from one of the Gourmet Food Trucks

Echoes of the past...

The absolutely divine Natural Fibres Fashion Show, comprising of looks from a plethora of "environmentally considerate" Australian designers including some of my all-time favourites, Maiocchi & Sacha Drake. The show was utterly stunning; an ideal collaboration between the lighting, sound & designs teams, showing off some of the biggest trends for this Spring/Summer, including the movement/craze of all... the desire to create beautiful clothing that is manufactured in a sustainable way to help save the planet.

Making the most of Channel 7's Instagrammable backdrops...

Cultural Pavilion

Agricultural Pavilion

Old Museum Complex

Sitting pretty amongst the greenery of the Brookfield Nursery display outside the Old Museum...

Feeling like a fairy at the bottom of the garden... albeit a slightly disheveled, slightly sweaty one... the wintertime sun in Queensland still has a real bite to it!