The Big Three

Nope, this is not an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot... it is merely a reference to the HUGE weekend I recently enjoyed! Three days - I'm including Friday, that's kind of the weekend, isn't it? - of catching up with friends & family; traipsing around Brisbane & the surrounding areas; browsing through antique shops & market stalls; enjoying artistic & cultural pursuits... & eating... did I mention the food I was lucky enough to consume?

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded, including what I wore to look stylish & "beat the heat" (that old Queensland mantra) at the same time:

Quick selfie outside the Paddington Antique Centre wearing an amazing monochrome silk/satin shift dress from Aussie brand Contony Black Label (check out the rosy cheeks that are a product of the heat... I'm not just a "Happy Little Vegemite") before lunch at one of my all-time favourite haunts, The Java Lounge Cafe. My father & I ate our way through a Warm Kipfler Potato Salad & Pulled Pork Burger respectively while basking in a whisper of a cool breeze & chat chat chatting about life.

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Dress: Dogstar cotton & embroidery

Sandals: Novo leather & laces

Bag: Unknown, rubber with chrome hardware

Cuffs: Gift, silver & agate

Ring: Thousand Island Dressing embossed silver

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Posing against the awesome chevron wood wall near the entrance to Chocolateria San Churro, about to go inside for some decadent dessert after Friday night Yum Cha with friends for company & conversation. I'm going for the monochrome look (yet again) in an edgy black cotton midi-length - well, almost full length on my petite five-foot frame - Dogstar kaftan with wide v-neckline, three-quarter-length kimono sleeves & stunning white & grey embroidery details; black leather laser-cut heeled sandals from Novo & an off-white rubber shoulder bag with chrome hardware that I picked up from a little shop in Fortitude Valley - a funky "knock off" of a quilted Chanel number you may have seen on fashionistas far & wide. 

Now, I'm not a fan of designer rip-offs as a rule & would never ever buy a counterfeit item from a street vendor or market stall in somewhere like Bali (I believe it deprives the artist of their creative rights) but when the materials are SO vastly different from the original, it becomes kitsch rather than snitch, as far as I'm concerned. And let's face it, for under $10 it's a "fast fashion" addition to my otherwise rather timeless look, as most pundits agree that Dogstar pieces are so unique they will never go out of style.

Jewellery was simple yet statement-making, just the way I like it: a pair of silver & agate stone cuffs (a birthday gift from a dear friend) & a chunky silver ring embossed with lillies from Thousand Island Dressing.

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Dress: Portmans neoprene

Sandals: Airflex Shoes silver & diamante

Bag: Forever New vinyl with silver hardware

Cuff: Wallace Bishop silver

Bracelet: Kellie's Antiques vintage silver

Cuff: Unknown, silver & semi-precious stone

Hat: Ipswich Antique Centre straw

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Nonchalantly leaning against the wall outside the Woolloongabba Antique Centre on Saturday morning after rummaging through hundreds of antique, vintage, retro & kitsch items that I was desperate to take home with me... before heading up the street to the End of the Line Festival with market stalls full to the brim with goods that, quite frankly, I was desperate to take home with me... detecting a theme, anyone?

I'm attempting to "keep cool" in a pastel floral neoprene midi-dress with wrap skirt detail from Portmans; a pair of sparkly silver wedge sandals from Airflex Shoes (brilliant for walking around for hours on end...) & tiny duck-egg-blue vinyl cross-body bag from Forever New to hold all the essentials while keeping my hands free. This time, I wore a little more jewellery - a brushed silver cuff from Wallace Bishop, vintage Victorian silver fob bracelet with oversized heart locket & teeny tiny key from Kellie's Antiques in the Brisbane Arcade & colourful silver & semi-precious-stone cuff from a little hippie shop in James Street, Burleigh Heads. 

Settling in for lunch at The Baker's Arms...

Organic Beef Burger with Beetroot Relish & Side of Chips

Nepalese Shredded Chicken Dumplings

Washing it all down with an ice-cold Mixed Berry Smoothie

L-O-V-I-N-G my new kicks from Carpe d'Art!

Each pair is a limited edition, handpainted by the artist & I was lucky enough to score some depicting the characters from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (my favourite of Shakespeare's plays) created by the supremely talented Julie Fearns-Pheasant.

Replenishing the fluids (& actually WEARING my vintage sunhat) while grooving to the live music (love love love a modern band that busts out some lyrical goodness from The Seekers) outside the Finders Keepers Markets in the Old Museum... a veritable "treasure trove" of handmade, homemade, upcycled & organic gifts for anyone & everyone. 

Perfect timing with regards to the festive season if I do say so myself...

The view from Brisbane's Spring Hill; old meets new...

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Dress: Anthea Crawford silk/satin

Heels: Forever New vinyl with silver buckles

Bag: Colette by Colette Hayman vinyl with black hardware

Belt: That Shop satin & elastic

Bracelet with Charms: Pandora silver & onyx

Ring: Pandora silver & onyx

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Reveling in a bygone era outside the Old Courthouse in Ipswich after delighting in the Ipswich Musical Theatre Company's celebrated "Songs That Won The War!" This stunning, softly-coloured floral silk/satin v-neck fit-to-flare dress from Anthea Crawford (cinched in even further at the waist with a stretchy "bow" belt from That Shop) helped me stay as cool as possible in the 35 degree heat while still looking prim & "put together" as a tribute to the era.

Sky-high dual-buckle white vinyl heels from Forever New, a "bowling" style white handbag with black hardware from Colette by Colette Hayman (creating cohesion with the darker-hued belt) & finally, a silver & onyx charm bracelet with matching ring from Pandora completed the look. Flushed cheeks were inadvertent but matched the dress just the same...

For what essentially amounts to a company full of passionate amateurs, Ipswich Musical Theatre Company's "Songs That Won The War" (written by one of their own members) was a consummate production full of noteworthy performances... in particular an emotional version of Vera Lynn's "White Cliffs of Dover." For someone such as myself, who adores the fashion & culture of the 1930s & 1940s, it was a dream - prim & proper dresses with gloves, nylons & hair set in victory rolls; men in uniform; old-time dances & songs running the gamut of emotions from resolve to despair to forbearance & finally, elation. Truth be told, they brought a tear to my eye more than once, particularly the stirring rendition of the Australian National Anthem at the program's culmination. I understand that the production was supposed to be a "one time thing" for Remembrance Day a few years ago & the public response was so positive that it has continued... Well, I for once cannot wait to purchase my ticket for next year... not least because I long to eat another of the delectable homemade scones with jam & cream from the Devonshire Tea!

Selfie with Mum outside during the Interval

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