Easy Breezy Boho

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Dress: Flirt by Mr K chiffon

Wedges: Novo suede & rattan

Bag: Mascotte vinyl

Scarf: Millers polyester

Necklace: Unknown wooden beads, resin beads & shells

Thick Brass Bangle: Vintage, American (from Frock Up Brisbane)

Thin Brass Bangle: Tree of Life

Wooden Bangle: Windswept & Interesting, Mt Tamborine turned wood

Ring: Thousand Island Dressing wood & shell

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Spent a leisurely Saturday with the family, travelling to Sunnybank & basically stuffing myself full of delicious Asian fare - Yum Cha, Tea Fusion milk tea with tapioca "pearls" & Chub Chub koalas with custard filling - before traipsing around the Brisbane Antique Centre in the hopes of finding something long-forgotten, newly-rediscovered & ah-mazing! After all, my birthday is a mere 6 weeks away...

Easy, breezy boho was the name of the game for this last day of summer - a vivid green printed chiffon trapeze-style dress with shoestring straps & floaty, asymmetrical bodice overlay detail that really "popped" against my bobbed brunette hair & hazel eyes. 

What is truly interesting about this particular dress is that it was actually intended - by the designer & manufacturer - to be an "After 5" dress, worn to occasions like weddings or birthday parties celebrating "significant" ages like 21 or 30 or even 50, I suppose... I completely disregarded this recommendation & decided not only to rock it in the daylight hours, but to match it with distinctly "boho" or "gypset" accessories for a casual - yet special - weekend vibe.

This long, somewhat bulky necklace makes quite the statement, made from wooden beads in shades of green & natural brown, green resin circles replete with "flower pieces" trapped within & one large piece of shell in place of a traditional pendant. A close-up is available below, if you'd like to see it in all its bohemian glory:

To match the necklace, a trio of bangles were chosen - two brass, one vintage & one modern mixed with a smooth, turned & lacquered wood option that I picked up from a funky little shop at Mt Tamborine many years ago - as well as a large, circular shell ring with mosaic outer rim to match the shell of the necklace & evoke a "beachy" vibe...

Comfortable shoes were a must, so these Novo suede & rattan wedges with leather ankle straps were given another outing, mixed with a vinyl handbag from Mascotte in an usual shade of tan with black piping around the edges. The finishing touch to this eclectic ensemble, however, was the bird & floral printed polyester chiffon scarf, from my local Millers store, that I tied in a large bow around one of the handles & left to dangle against the more graphic pattern of the dress. Pattern-mixing for visual interest yet again. Well, there are so many amazing prints out there this summer, it seems a shame to limit myself to one per outfit!

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"...and so, become yourself, because the past is just a goodbye..." 

A little Crosby, Stills & Nash for a laid-back Saturday in the suburbs...

"...& feed them on your dreams..." 

Teach Your Children just seemed appropriate for a family-orientated weekend, you know?

It really is such a wonderful gift when you have the kind of relationship with your parents & sibling/s where you actually WANT or CHOOSE to be together when you could be spending your time with ANYONE. In my opinion, it's a testament to the mutual respect, deep understanding & abiding love that has been fostered between us as a family unit through amazing & effective parenting.

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Still hankering for more?

Scroll down for a few little snippets from the day; mostly food related, I admit...

Getting my Yum Cha on...

Delicious Sticky Rice...

To. Die. For. Egg Tarts. My favourite dessert food ever!

Whetting my whistle with a tapioca "pearl" filled coconut milk tea...

Indulging with Chub Chub custard-filled koalas that come in the sweetest little box...

...And the last one...

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Moody Florals

 

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Dress: Swish Occasion stretch satin & chiffon

Wrap: Gift, silk/chiffon

Heels: Novo patent sandals

Bag: Vera May satin drawstring (from Navie's Jewellers, Ipswich)

Necklace: Gift, chrome & rope

Bangles: Autograph woven chrome

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Had the pleasure of attending an Autumn/Winter fashion preview & luncheon in the River City today & donned appropriately muted, "moody" florals for the occasion. This gorgeous silver stretch-satin maxi dress with delicate floral overlay is from Aussie brand Swish Occasion, which specialises in "event wear" for top-heavy or plus-sized women from size 12 to 26. To give you a bit of an idea about sizing - if you were interested in checking out the website by clicking here - I am wearing a size 12, which is firm around my ample bustline yet floaty over the rest of my petite frame; summery in cut with a nod to the coming cooler weather...

As I am only 5 foot tall, it is important to wear "open" toed heels with long dresses to visually elongate my legs & these black patent Novo platform sandals with t-bar strap do the job admirably & are supremely comfortable to boot! In addition, they have a slight Art Deco vibe that I carried through in the rest of the outfit with a black satin drawstring bag replete with 3D silver flowers, matching oversized chrome bangles on each forearm & statement silvery/grey rope necklace with chrome beads, shown in detail below:

Once again, I utilised pattern-mixing to complete the outfit in an eclectic & unexpected way, donning a floral silk/chiffon wrap to ward off any chill from the air-conditioning. The red, pink & orange tones of the wrap match those of the delicate blooms in the dress' smoky print, creating visual interest & retaining a cohesive vision. For me, there's nothing better than the marriage of form & function in fashion... & this is it. Scroll down to see more:

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"...how could you leave me when I needed to possess you?..."

Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush (1978)

For some reason, smoky, moody florals always seem to evoke visions of Wuthering Heights in my mind... Ours is not to question why, I guess...

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Dance Crazed

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Dress: Basque satin & chiffon

Heels: C'est Bon glitter

Bag: C'est Bon glitter

Cuff: Tijou Souvenir (from St Paul's Cathedral, London) silver

Headband: Market Stall

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Dancing with a difference again today - this time learning the moves of 1960s "dance crazes" such as The Twist, popularised by Chubby Checker & its variation The Peppermint Twist; The Mashed Potato & its "steps" sister, The Monster Mash - who didn't sing along to that little ditty as a child?! - as well as The Watusi, The Pony (yet another Checker classic) & The Swim, that stalwart of many a "beach blanket bingo" style movie starring teen heart-throb Frankie Avalon & his on-screen sweetheart Annette Funicello...

To evoke the 1960s era in modern-day suburbia, I chose this brilliant blue satin Basque brand dress with simple A-line shift shape, floaty chiffon overlay (for movement) & funky 3D flowers sewn around the neckline. See below for a close-up:

To compliment the aforementioned 3D flowers, I donned a thin wire headband with large silver sequinned & beaded bloom that twinkled as it caught the light coming in through the window when I twirled... It really was something quite special & I was elated that I had gone "all out" despite the fact that it was the middle of the day on a Thursday.

Due to the physical movement involved, I kept the jewellery sparse & simple - a silver cuff that I had brought back as a souvenir from St Paul's Cathedral during a recent trip to London. The design itself is actually quite special, based on the exquisite wrought-iron gates that separate the Ambulatory from the High Altar in the Cathedral, designed in the Baroque style of the 1700s by Jean Tijou, a French master ironworker. If you would like to know more about this exquisite yet relatively inexpensive piece - or even purchase one for yourself - click here to be directed to the Gift Shop website.

As silver & blue are so magical together, I decided to continue the combination with glittery silver pointy-toed pumps (more comfortable than they look, let me tell you!) & matching glittery bag with retro-style clip & long shoulder chain, pictured below:

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"...for the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones & worse; for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe, we gazed upon the chimes of freedom..." 

Chimes of Freedom - The Byrds (1964)

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