Sunday 27 December 2015

Boxing Clever


Contrary to popular belief/supposition, this shopaholic absolutely HATES the Boxing Day Sales. Well, not the sales themselves (who doesn't love saving between 50 & 70% on dresses, shoes & accessories from their favourite brands?!) but the "event" it has become; the baying crowds, the pushing & shoving, the impatience, the rudeness & sense of entitlement of many shoppers-on-a-mission. Not all, of course, some people retain a sense of decorum & common decency... they're just in the minority, unfortunately. I much prefer to do my retail therapy on a weekday morning, just as each store opens for the day, when it's so quiet there may only be 2 or 3 other shoppers in the store & I can have my pick of dressing rooms & choice of merchandise.

But I digress.

For the Pennys, Boxing Day is basically a lazy day of board games, television marathons, turkey & ham leftovers & finding places for our opened presents; a time to decompress after all the festive planning, parties, gift wrapping & cooking. That doesn't mean a break from fashion blogging or outfit styling, however, so scroll down to see the look I quickly pulled together:







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Dress: Virtu @ Taking Shape cotton & tulle
Sandals: Novo leather & lace-up
Bag: Gift, woven silk thread & beads

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This cotton dress from Virtu @ Taking Shape really was the perfect choice - the print with its monochrome background & bright, large-scale pink foreground roses adding a touch of sass to the sweet, fit-to-flare 1950s shape with high scooped neckline, tapered waist with cute, built-in bow belt & tulle underskirt for volume. 




Rather than add some girly sandals to the mix, I chose a black leather, lace-up pair from Novo - super comfortable despite their height - for an unexpected, edgy touch... & also to elongate my legs & create a more streamlined silhouette overall, things that seem insignificant but really matter when you are only 5 foot tall...


Sure, I didn't really NEED to carry a bag with this look, but this amazing crochet & beaded flower number - part of my Christmas present from some dear family friends - just seemed MADE for it; kitschy & funky at the same time as well as oh-so-festive! If there's one thing I've learned from being a fashion blogger for a year & a half, it's that when things are meant to be, you should let them be. So I am, as you can see below:





Well, now that the fashion has been taken care of, keep on scrolling to see how the day in question unfolded...












FYI: This Murder Mystery Mansion Game - made by University Games & sold at the new Kidstuff store at Springfield Lakes & other places, I'm sure - is absolutely BRILLIANT! Sure, it's not high-octane, but it does require you to engage the "little grey cells" (as you can see, I've also been watching Agatha Christie's Poirot re-runs over the last few days) & watch your competitors do the same, which can be quite amusing. It's basically a cross between Cluedo & Mastermind where one team chooses the mystery (using character, motive, place, weapon cards) & then watches as the other team uses logic, reasoning & let's face it, LUCK to solve it, no die/dice required. If you get a chance to play or purchase, I would - it's HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!





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Saturday 26 December 2015

A Merry Little Christmas











There are so many things I could tell you about our family celebrations - dressing up to attend the Christmas Eve church service; waking up on Christmas morning to the pleasing sounds of rain on the roof; opening thoughtfully chosen & artfully arranged presents beneath or beside the lovingly decorated tree; devouring the delicious roast turkey dinner followed by cool, smooth trifle for dessert; singing carols & spinning records; playing board games & watching festive films like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation & It's A Wonderful Life while consuming cold turkey leftovers & copious amounts of nibblies including Rocky Road, White Christmas, Apricot Balls & Rum Balls - but the most important is this: we were together, delighting in each other's company as we celebrated the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in the little town of Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago.

Scroll down to see our Merry Little Christmas...

























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Dress: Anthea Crawford jersey & brocade
Sandals: Novo leather & lace-up
Clutch: Tree of Life patchwork
Bangle: Lillee Fashion, Yamanto brass, semi-precious stones & diamantes
Wrap: Figure 8 Fashion, Ipswich silk & wool

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Headed off to the Christmas Eve Carols Service in a stunning brocade fit-to-flare dress by Anthea Crawford with intelligently placed "soft boning" for shape & a v-neck, draped jersey neckline to show off my decolletage. Rather than donning a pair of sky-high stilettos with this rather "dressy" look, I chose black lace-up sandals from Novo with laser-cut leather side panels for a bit of a rocker edge. 




Avid readers of this blog will know about my penchant for pattern-mixing & this look was no exception - I carried a sari scrap patchwork Indian envelope clutch that I picked up at my local Tree of Life store during their pre-Christmas sale for added visual interest & wrapped a photo-printed floral silk & wool wrap (with fringing) from Figure 8 Fashion around my shoulders to ward off the chilly night air.



When it came to jewellery, less was definitely more. This chunky bronze bangle with oversized 3D flower - made from semi-precious stones & diamantes - discovered at a little boutique called Lillee Fashion was all that was required to make a statement on such a special evening. Check it out in detail below:



Keep scrolling to see how the evening unfolded - singing our praises to the Lord before heading back to my younger brother's place to open a few presents underneath his own Christmas Tree...


"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given & the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6








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Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard
Heels: Novo suede & lace-up
Bangles: Gift, vintage rose gold
Ring: Gift, vintage rose gold
Headpiece: Tree of Life rose gold

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Although we may have been celebrating with a quiet family Christmas at home, I still dressed up (owing to the significance of the day) in a shiny, floral & fern print jacquard dress from Anthea Crawford with slight v-neckline, pleated waist detail & below-the-knee hemline mixed with a pair of funky dove-grey suede lace-up heels from Novo for added height.


When it came to jewellery, I decided to go with these divine rose gold pieces, many of them given to me as a Christmas present by a dear friend who is currently tripping around overseas - a pair of chunky moulded "open" bangles with lizard heads on each end & a large cocktail ring covered in tribal sun designs. My own addition was the stunning headpiece from Tree of Life that sat perfectly atop my blunt brunette bob. Each piece is pictured in detail below:





Now that the fashion is taken care of, keep going for peek at the Penny Family festivities...


























MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Thank you for following my fashion exploits on Franny Gets Frocked this year & also through my Instagram account. Your support is both humbling & very much appreciated. 

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