Altered State

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Dress: Asos neoprene

Heels: Novo patent t-bar

Clutch: Adorne lace with wooden clasp

Cuff: Gift, vintage 1960s aluminium & diamantes

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With all this talk of an approaching heatwave, I got to thinking about some of my all-time favourite Summer outfits. 

This vibrant neoprene shift dress from Asos - in an oversized floral pattern - was something I thought I would NEVER wear. Why? It has a cut out at the back from approximately where the bra strap would be to just above my underwear & quite frankly, I'm just not really into showing that much flesh when I'm not on the beach. Well, that & the fact that in Queensland, when your car has been parked outside all day in the sweltering heat, it can often be absolutely burning when you get inside to sit down (& don't even THINK about touching the steering wheel; perish the thought until the air-conditioning has been on for at least two minutes!) & I don't quite fancy a bright red burn mark right across my lower back.

 The rest of the dress was right up my alley though - the scoop neckline, empire waist, midi-length, moulded fabric choice - so I put my thinking cap on & came up with a solution: lace! Lace is one of those fabrics that people either love or hate. I happen to absolutely adore it so I had my seamstress Desley sew three panels of black floral lace (over the top of each other for an opaque look) onto the top of the cut out so it would cover the area in question. Viola! Instant, easy fix... & a totally unique dress to boot!

When it came to accessories, I decided to "play up" the black inherent in the print with a pair of patent high-heeled t-bar sandals from Novo (ideal for creating the optical illusion of length for shorties like me!) & mirror the lacy ruffle addition by carrying a black lace clutch bag with light wooden clasp from Adorne. Jewellery was kept simple to let the rest of the outfit shine - merely a vintage rose-gold aluminium cuff with inlaid rainbow crystals (a birthday gift from a dear friend) around one forearm for a touch of daytime sparkle & shine.

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