Franny Gets Frocked: Buddha's Birthday

Sunday 3 May 2015

Buddha's Birthday

Dress: Anthea Crawford stretch pique

Kimono: RedBerry Fashion lace & fringe

Sandals: Corelli @ Williams leather

Bag: Sassy Duck @ Navies Jewellers vinyl

Tote: Sassy Duck @ Navies Jewellers vinyl

Cuff: Gift, vintage Tibetan silver & semi-precious stone

Hat: Before Sunset woven

Truth be told, I wasn't holding out much hope for my planned afternoon celebrating Buddha's Birthday with my best friend Belinda, her husband & 2 little boys on Saturday afternoon... A few days of torrential rain, culminating in what the media dubbed a South East Queensland "Weather Event," had rendered Southbank a soggy mess by Friday night, after all.

Cue the dawning of a bright, clear Saturday morning; the rain all but blown away, the sunlight streaming through the clouds, drying the sodden ground enough for the festivities to go ahead - erecting the appropriate tents, statues & monuments, as well as stringing the thousands of red Chinese lanterns dotted in & around the stunning Parklands by the Brisbane River...

But I digress.

This IS a fashion blog, first & foremost, so I should probably talk about the outfit first, don't you think?

This textured, stretch pique dress by Anthea Crawford was the perfect choice for day spent in the Great Outdoors: the heavy weave fabric was the perfect weight in the cool, river-side breeze, the bright pattern with black background great for camoflaging any stains from sitting on the still-slightly-wet grass & sticky little fingers (some of them mine!) covered in remnants from the "immortal gorge" that always features in these types of outings - in this case, fish & chips & calamari, Hungarian sugar & cinnamon pizza (like a flattened Churro in my opinion), Vietnamese prawn street rolls, spiral potatoes on a stick, two-scoop ice-cream cones & fizzy lemonade to wash it all down...

Cooler early morning & late afternoon temperatures mean that fashionable cardigans or coats are a MUST & this gorgeous, bohemian style orange floral kimono with fringing on both the pointed hemline & three-quarter sleeves was perfect coverage for the "firework floral" printed dress, the shade of orange matching a shade in the centre of the large-gauge flowers. Adding to this "boho" vibe & picking up on the orange hues inherent in the dress & kimono was the only piece of jewellery worn; a vintage silver & semi-precious stone Tibetan cuff that as a birthday gift from a dear friend in 2014. Check it out above.

Comfortable, black lace-up wedge sandals were chosen to "anchor" the colourful look, as well as a bright, pink & lipstick-red striped vinyl handbag & tote combo by Sassy Duck, necessary for carrying all of my essentials including a sunhat for the middle of the day, a heavier, black leather jacket for night, an umbrella & bottle of water.