Mum's The Word

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Dress: Anthea Crawford textured jacquard

Kimono: Red Berry Fashion lace & fringing

Jacket: City Chic leather

Booties: Corelli @ Williams suede & neoprene

Stockings: Leona Edmiston @ Myer fishnet

Bag: Gift, Vera May patent & hologram

Cuff: Gift, Vintage rose gold aluminium & semi-precious stone (from India)

Bangle: Gift, Disney Couture resin, gold & crystal

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Spent Saturday night celebrating my wonderful Mother, Joanne, with family dinner at our favourite sushi restaurant, Oishii Sushi Bar at Sunnybank. Smart-casual attire was the name of the game & the colder late-Autumn weather allowed me to really "play around" with texture to create an eclectic ensemble; something a little bit special for the occasion. This ah-mazing Anthea Crawford dress - in a heavier-weight textured jacquard with hints of both black & pale pink in the intricate leaf print - was the perfect choice, particularly when "lightened up" with the bohemian-chic, light mauve lace Red Berry Fashion kimono with fringing on the both the hem & three-quarter sleeves. 

The unique "v" of the kimono's hemline is its funkiest feature & really works with the portrait neckline of the dress; the shape repeated both front & back for cohesion, as evidenced below:

Black suede & neoprene pumps-turned-booties from Corelli @ Williams served to "anchor" the multifaceted look, while black fishnet tights & a bold black patent handbag from Vera May - with holographic butterfly front panel! yep, that's HOLOGRAPHIC BUTTERFLY FRONT PANEL - take it to another level, adding more texture as well as shades of green, yellow, blue & bright pink into the mix. 

When it came to jewellery, whimsical was the watchword; a vintage rose-gold-coated aluminium scored cuff with a rainbow of semi-precious stones inlaid at set intervals & a thick, gold & pink resin Disney Couture bangle with dangling gold charms from Alice in Wonderland hanging from the side - the smiling Cheshire Cat & his famous quote: "We're all mad here." Could've been talking about the ensemble in question, I suppose... but there IS method to my madness, with the look coming together to create something both fashionable & memorable.

"We're all mad here..."

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Scroll down for some snippets from the evening, start with a picture of mother & daughter heading out in the early evening. You already know what I was wearing but Joanne was looking equally stylish in a lime green & black lace-print neoprene shift from Asos, black pleather & boucle motorcycle jacket from Target, black tights & patent brogues (not pictured) & a funky silver leaf brooch that was a birthday gift from a friend the year-before-last & some silver & pearl stud earrings from Joie de Vie at Indooroopilly Shoppingtown...

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while; but their hearts forever..." Anon

Delicious dishes - including my favourite, Spider Roll (4th down)...

And delicious dessert, including refreshing Green Tea Ice Cream & the celebrated Deep Fried Ice Cream with strawberry sauce... 

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Single digit temperatures made me glad that I'd brought along a jacket of my own to don as we exited the restaurant. This particular beauty comes from City Chic & its best feature (in my opinion) is the lack of collar, making it ideal for underneath the collars of the portrait neckline dresses I favour. 

One of my favourite things about the colder months is the opportunity to introduce strategic "layering." In this instance, I've started with the dark purple & black dress in heavy textured jacquard & layered a three-quarter-sleeved lace kimono in a lighter shade of purple on top. The fringing on the kimono hangs slightly lower than the dress, creating visual levels; an ideal compounded by the addition of a third & final layer - the black leather jacket - which ends at my natural waistline at the back & is cut into "points" on either side of the waterfall-shaped front. See below for closer view of the portrait collar detail too:

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