Franny Gets Frocked: Jolly Holiday (part 1)

So excited to finally be sharing all of the pictures from our recent two-night trip to a 1990s-era apartment at Bilinga Beach on the Gold Coast for a bit of sun, surf & sand... well, we ended up with two out of three everyday & after driving through some pretty heavy rain on the way down & fearing the worst (thanks to the weather report) we actually managed a bit of sun most of the time, too! Stay tuned over the next couple of days as the beautiful, picture-heavy posts are divided into three groups for ease of navigation. Keep on scrolling to see what we did, what we ate & most importantly (considering this is primarily a fashion blog) what I wore...

Early morning sun begins to break through the clouds... makes the early morning wake up call completely worth it!

A piping hot chai latte from Griffith St Larder & a sweet treat from the Coolangatta Bakery in the unexpected but very welcome sunshine... & yes, I did get burnt a little tiny bit... I protected my eyes with my amazing new faux tortoiseshell cat's eye sunglasses from Witchery, though, so that was a big win...

Dress: Seed Heritage cheesecloth

Top: Seed Heritage linen

Sandals: Candy Code via Temptations Boutique vegan leather, thread

Bag: Soul Nook vinyl, wood

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage silver

Thick Bangle: Gift, vintage 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles silver

Hat: Ghanda Clothing woven paper

Strolling along on my way back to the beach wearing a vibrant blue cheesecloth midi dress with shirred bodice, asymmetrical hem & side split covered by a matching blue linen cropped tie-front top from Seed Heritage for that by-the-sea feel with a modicum of sun protection, a pair of beige vegan leather & blue thread gladiator-style sandals from Candy Code via "hidden gem" Temptations Boutique at Winston Glades Shopping Centre, a tan vinyl crossbody bag with light wood clasp that I picked up from a sweet little boutique called Soul Nook during a recent morning out in Marburg, a stack of vintage silver bangles given to me by some dear friends & a thick vintage silver bangle from (sadly now closed) 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles for that touch of daytime shine. To complete the look, I added the all-important piece for anyone venturing outside in Queensland - a bright rainbow woven paper sunhat from Ghanda Clothing to protect myself from any harsh, damaging rays.

Happy feet with my toes in the sand... finally!

Selfies with my squad...

Tropical landscaping around the property...

Late lunch with a view from the balcony...

This crumbed barramundi, crispy chips & potato scallop with chicken salt & lemon from The Happy Snapper at Kirra was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I'm going to go out on a limb & say that it was some of the best that I've ever tasted. Highly recommended if you happen to be in the area...

Just a touch of paradise...

Dress: Gorman x Ellen Rutt linen, cotton

Bolero: via Hummingbird the Shop embroidered cotton, lace

Sandals: Candy Code via Tempations Boutique vegan leather, thread

Bag: Soul Nook vinyl, wood

Sunglasses: Witchery faux tortoiseshell

Drawn back to the beach, this time wearing the stunning Incomplete Thought Dress from Gorman's recent collaboration with artist Ellen Rutt (last seen on Boxing Day; click here if you're interested in seeing how I styled it then) with its colour-blocked linen midi shift silhouette & white cotton three-dimensional embroidery in the shape of a stylised face, a white embroidered cotton three-quarter-sleeve cropped bolero with sweet lace edging from Talisman via Hummingbird the Shop to ward off the slight chill in the air, the same pair of vegan leather & blue thread gladiator-style sandals from Candy Code that I donned in the morning as well as the same tan vinyl crossbody bag with light wood clasp from Soul Nook & a pair of funky faux tortoiseshell cat's eye sunglasses from my local Witchery store to keep the sun out of my eyes as it gets lower & lower in the sky.