It's Showtime! (Part 2)

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Dress: Oroton silk

Kimono: Now @ Kmart poly-blend

Trench: SSF poly-blend

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier

Brogues: Ziera patent

Cross-Body Bag: Oxfam leather

Tote Bag: Oxfam leather

Bangle: Gift, vintage silver

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After heading to The Ipswich Show with my Mother on Friday afternoon, it was time for a "last hurrah" for the year on Sunday morning with my dear friends & their adrenalin-junkie 6 year old son... The previous blog post, It's Showtime! (Part 1) would have listed the majority of events & exhibits packed into 3 short days, so I'll just talk about my outfit before providing you, dear readers, with what can only be described as my visual diary of unfolding events...

Warm, mostly-sunny Autumn days with cooler mornings/evenings mean that layering is a must for this little fashion blogger. To wit, this 3 layered masterpiece of pattern-mixing was ideal for spending AN ENTIRE DAY (yes, really... although we DID miss the fireworks, Monday being a school day & all...) at "The Show." 

Starting with a graphic red & black Oroton silk midi-length shift dress with sleeves & a high neckline - perfect for going on the rides (yep, the ones I said I would never go on... children have a way of changing your mind, don't they? I drew the line at the ridiculous Cyber Party one, however...), bending down to pet tiny lambs, goats & piglets in the Baby Animal Nursery & fending off little hands coated in sticky fairy floss, gooey tomato sauce & greasy hot chip remnants - I then layered a monochromatic floral print poly-blend kimono with fringed hem & three-quarter sleeves over the top for contrast. It was an absolute bargain at $10 from my local Kmart store, providing just that little bit extra warmth for days when the Westerly wind sneaks around corners & makes you shiver. 

Although these pieces may look too divergent to be worn together, the fact that both are bold in their own right means that the clash ACTUALLY works & looks intentional... instead of looking as though I got lost on the way to the laundromat wearing the only 2 clean pieces of clothing I had left... See below for close up of each print:

Over the top of these 2 diverse pieces, I added a light, three-quarter sleeved, poly-blend trench in a block shade of black that I picked up at Mt Tamborine on a trip with my friend Jenny for the princely sum of $8. Granted, it was missing a few buttons at the time, but nothing that I couldn't fix with a quick trip to the haberdashery store for some burnished silver options that "blend in" & seem to work with most outfits. In this case, jewellery was kept to a minimum & the thin, vintage silver bangle - a gift from a very dear friend who lives in India - matched superbly. 

Continuing with the red, white & black theme, a black leather cross-body bag from Oxfam & the matching red leather tote bag were taken to carry all the necessities, adding yet another texture to the already eclectic ensemble. Moreover, the same black patent brogues that I wore on Friday night were again trotted out to "anchor" the look, mixed with a pair of black tights. When it comes to tights, I prefer a 40 denier weight pair in a size Tall/X Tall (despite the fact that I'm only 5 foot) as it is dense enough to give a matte finish & some degree of warmth, yet light enough that you don't sweat when the weather warms up a little during the day. Going up a size also helps as the tights don't cling so tightly to your legs & you avoid the cold weather "tights rash" that can sometimes happen in Queensland's crazy climate. 

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Well, now that you've seen the outfit, scroll down to see how the day itself unfolded...

MOST. POPULAR. ATTRACTION hands down:

The Dodgem Cars were heaving!

We had 3 separate turns (one of which saw Aunty Fran ride shotgun) & it was tough to get Jeremy to give it up even then!

Delicious Rotary sausage & onion roll - this time I changed it up by having tomato rather than BBQ sauce!

Fairy Floss proved popular with some...

Finding the Queen Bee - otherwise known as Mother Nature's own game of Where's Wally?...

The famed "Mouse Circus"

Dinosaur Adventures:

Where children (other than Jeremy) can dress up in white lab coats & pretend to be paleontologists digging up dinosaur bones while animatronic versions of the same roar & move their mouths, arms & tails menacingly around the outside...

Showbags - so exciting that you have to drop to your knees in the the middle of the pavilion & check out all your loot... changing your hat to a cap in the process...

Punch & Judy Puppet Show:

Done in the traditional style, which seemed to rather perturb some of the children, who were no doubt used to "Disney endings" & seemed both shocked & horrified that Mr Punch ended ACTUALLY being eaten by a crocodile... 

Frankly, I was glad. Thoroughly unpleasant little misogynist.

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

Under the shade of a coolibah tree

And he sang as he watched & waited 'til his billy boiled

Who'll come a-waltzing matilda with me?

Fishing for "fake" ducks in Sideshow Alley...

Marveling at "real" ducklings in the Barnyard Babies' Baby Animal Nursery...

FMX: Freestyle Motorcross Stunt Show hi-jinks...

DON'T TRY THESE AT HOME!

Dippin Dots ice-cream - YUM!

What I particularly love is the way it doesn't melt quickly like regular ice-cream, so you can take a little longer to eat it... perhaps because you are wrangling an over-tired 6 year old... or because you are so full of food you could burst, but you keep on eating because "The Show" only comes around once a year... you know, perhaps...

(Angry) Bird is the Word...

Nothing like a "stacked deck" to help you win a prize!

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