Very Swish!

Yesterday's trip to Paddington (to attend my weekly meditation class) reminded me of the stunning Swish Occasion maxi dresses that I purchased in a recent sale & haven't had the chance to "style up" just yet... Not to worry, though, as it appears that Summer will be hanging around for a few weeks to come... Regardless, scroll down to check out each look.

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LOOK #1: Emerald Experience 

Dress: Swish Occasion silk chiffon

Kimono: Noughts & Crosses silk & beading

Heels: Emerson @ Big W patent

Cuff: Wayne by Wayne Cooper @ Myer silver, sequins, diamante & feathers

Ring: Gift, handmade ceramic

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For the first outfit, I decided to evoke an art deco vibe in shades of green, black, white & silver. The vibrancy of the crinkled silk chiffon Swish Occasion dress really pops against the three-quarter-sleeved white silk Noughts & Crosses kimono with its black fringing and beaded edges whilst providing a sense of movement commonly associated with the women colloquially known as "Flappers."

For height, I donned a pair of black patent enclosed-toe platforms from Emerson @ Big W; a rather innocuous choice that wouldn't compete with any of the other elements making up the eclectic ensemble. Far from "under the radar," however, was the chunky, heavily embellished - even feathered (!) - cuff from Wayne by Wayne Cooper @ Myer & hand-painted, ceramic flower ring (made by my cousin Renee) that create an overall sense of cohesion.

And of course a backyard "photo shoot" wouldn't complete without this little furry interloper who just LOVES to give poor unsuspecting humans big, sloppy kisses...

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LOOK #2: Indian Inspiration

Dress: Swish Occasion dupione silk

Wrap: Vintage, Indian sari material

Heels: Emerson @ Big W patent

Necklace: Lovisa onyx bead, diamante & tassel

Bangle: Vintage, silver, paper & resin

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For the second look, I decided to play on the vibrant, saturated tone of the raspberry Swish Occasion dupione silk maxi dress by adding an intricately-beaded vintage Indian sari swatch, nonchalantly draped across my shoulders like a wrap.

Picking up on the wrap's onyx beading, I chose a pair of black patent enclosed-toe platforms from Emerson @ Big W (providing me with a modicum of height) & continued the theme with a long, black glass beaded necklace from Lovisa with bronze & diamante pendant & long tassel. A vintage paper & clear resin bangle - replete with famous portrait of a reclining nude by Amedeo Modigliani* - added an extra touch of whimsy & drew the look together. Not bad for $3 at the Endeavour Foundation "Charity Shop" at Paddington!

*Italian/Jewish Painter & Sculptor Amedeo Modigliani was a contemporary of Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Diego Rivera & his wife Frida Kahlo in post-Belle-Epoque ("beautiful age") Paris. Nude on a White Cushion (1917) was painted three years before his untimely death from tubercular meningitis & is one of his infamous "Reclining Nudes" series, the sensational "modern art" exhibition having been closed by police after one day due to issues of alleged "obscenity."

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