Empire

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard

Heels: Wittner leather

Bag: Nine West black leather & denim with silver hardware

Brooch: Vintage silver, Lancaster's Antiques

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Finally posting photographs from a great Friday night spent with one of my dearest childhood friends in the city, catching a screening of 90s cult classic Empire Records after filing up on a delicious Thai dinner from one of my all-time favourite haunts, Phat Elephant. Here I am, posing out the front of the historic Brisbane General Post Office wearing a sumptuous black, purple & blue printed jacquard wiggle dress with cold shoulder detailing & below-the-knee hemline from Anthea Crawford, black laser cut leather heeled booties from Wittner, black leather & indigo denim handbag from Nine West to make the entire look just that little bit more casual & finally, a vintage silver "Man in the Moon" brooch that I picked up from Lancaster's Antiques in Toowoomba last year.

Keep scrolling for a couple more sneaky peeks...

Vegetarian Thai Stir Fry

Waiting for the movie to begin...

Creative Outlet

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Dress: Anthea Crawford neoprene

Haberdashery: Kaela's Patch polyblend

Heels: Wittner leather

Bag: Forever New vinyl with silver hardware

Watch: Guess silver

Wrap Around Bracelet: Swarovski leather & crystal

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver

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What I love most about being a stylist is the transformative power of fashion; the way that empowering someone through what they wear has a "flow on" effect in their lives. It's not just a frivolous endeavour - the right outfit can increase a person's confidence, improve their outlook & even inspire them to undertake a task they never thought possible. Best of all? It doesn't have to "break the bank," as the saying goes. It's not about how much you spend, it's about choosing the right fabrics & cuts for you & styling them up in a way that is both interesting & appropriate for the occasion. Truthfully, I do wear quite a lot of designer label Anthea Crawford dresses (some gifted by dear friends, some purchased by me) so to offset that expenditure & keep it from becoming too "precious" for everyday living, I like to try & find bargains when it comes to the accessories... you know, that items that really "pull the look together."

Here's where DFO Brisbane Airport comes in! Big brands at low prices. Not everything is reduced (of course) & you might have to rummage through sale racks, but it's worth it to find some absolute gems for a steal... Personally, my favourite stores include Wittner, Review, Blue Illusion, Portmans & Decjuba for big reductions on a wide range of styles & sizes. For Queensland readers, here's my tip: it may not feel like it now but WINTER IS COMING & I am quietly confident that we will need knitwear of some kind to layer... DFO Brisbane Airport is knitwear, jacket, overcoat & gumboot heaven, so make sure you check it out before the big chill actually begins...

For a morning spent styling up some beautiful ladies, I donned a gorgeous large-scale floral neoprene wiggle dress with cold shoulder detailing & below-the-knee hemline from Anthea Crawford. The first time I wore it there was an unfortunate mishap with a pocket knife & a rogue thread on the bodice so I forced to "think outside the box" & head to my local haberdashery store, Kaela's Patch, to find a solution. Cue this amazing 3D polyblend flower embellishment that I had sewn over the offending spot... I think they add just a little something extra to the whole look, don't you?

When it came to footwear, I decided on these blush leather strappy heels from Wittner for the optimum mix of comfort & style & carried a matching vinyl shoulder bag with silver hardware from Forever New... always best to keep your hands free if you're planning on a big shopping trip. Jewellery was simple, yet statement-making & most of all smooth to avoid create pulls or marks on any of the clothing: an androgynous silver watch from Guess, chunky silver hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop & white leather wrap bangle studded with crystals from Swarovski for that touch of daytime sparkle. Scroll down for a final look...

Kiss & Tell

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Dress: Gift, silk/satin & tulle

Heels: Novo leather & shoelaces

Bag: French Connection suede with silver hardware

Brooch: Erstwilder resin

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Valentines Day can be a pretty divisive holiday. You either absolutely love it or hate it with a blinding passion, am I right? This year, I started to look at the event in a complete different way, far beyond the commercial one-upmanship...

I looked on it as a celebration of love, whether it be romantic adoration, familial devotion, true friendship, the companionship of pets, community spirit, environmental concern. I took it as an opportunity to recognise humankind's endless capacity for compassion, empathy, mercy & tenderness. I regarded it as a clarion call to try & spread kindness everyday in deeds both big & small... even to those who may not deserve or appreciate it.

Here I am, standing in front of the Kiss & Tell Lips at the newly refurbished Indooroopilly Shoppingtown wearing a gorgeous red rose printed silk/satin midi dress with black tulle underlay for movement, kindly gifted to me by a dear friend; black leather lace-up heeled sandals from Novo; boxy black suede handbag with oversized silver handles from French Connection & a gorgeous resin brooch in the shape of Geisha from kitschy label Erstwilder, to complete the ensemble.

Shen Yun

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Dress: Anthea Crawford dupione silk & lace

Mules: Wittner satin & resin

Clutch: Alannah Hill beaded

Bangles: Gift, vintage silver

Ring: Gift, marcasite & mother of pearl

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Finally sharing pictures of the stunning ensemble that I styled up to attend Shen Yun's impeccably choreographed, beautifully danced, resplendently costumed Brisbane performance for 2018. If you've never had the opportunity to experience the divine & transcendent spectacle, then it comes highly recommended & if you have already had the pleasure, then you'll understand why I consider dressing up for the event to be so important! It is ethereal & otherwordly; truly, truly breathtaking.

For me, it was the chance to don the dress that I had already planned to wear on Christmas Day but was unfortunately thwarted by the extreme heat & humidity that Queensland was experiencing - a sumptuous petrol blue dupione silk number from Anthea Crawford with deep v-neckline & tiered high/low hemline with guipure lace inserts. When it came to accessories, it was all about the textural mix - a pair of black satin mules with silver resin heels from Wittner & heavily beaded, art deco inspired, chrome envelope clutch from girly Australian label Alannah Hill. Jewellery was simple yet effective to allow the dress to shine; a pair of vintage silver bangles that a dear friend brought back from India as part of my Christmas present & a dainty silver marcasite ring with mother of pearl centre that was a 30th birthday present to complete the look.

Play All Day

"If you carry your happy childhood with you, you never become older."

Tom Stoppard

Finally sharing pictures from some recent park/playground hangouts with my cousin & her darling little munchkins. It's so wonderful that despite the Queensland heat & humidity, we're able to get out & about in the fresh & air & sunshine with the boys so often & allow them to revel in the freedom of open, green spaces... running, jumping, climbing, sliding while getting dirty, muddy, sandy or sweaty... Ah, these are indeed the days to remember...

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Dress: Anthea Crawford brushed cotton

Sandals: Wittner leather

Bag: Forever New vinyl with silver hardware

Bangle: Gift, Shanghai Markets jade

Hat: Decjuba straw with grosgrain ribbon

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Celebrating my cousin's birthday at the local splash park wearing a gorgeous floral brushed cotton dress from Anthea Crawford, white woven leather flats with lace-up detailing from Wittner & matching vinyl handbag with silver hardware from Forever New, jade beaded bracelet from the markets in Shanghai (generously gifted to me by my younger brother) & a jaunty straw fedora with black grosgrain ribbon from Decjuba.

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Dress: City Chic jersey & twill

Sandals: Sandgroper woven

Bag: Urban Originals vinyl with silver hardware

Hat: Before Sunset woven

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Living that park life in a sport luxe dress from City Chic with black jersey racer-back bodice & large-scale floral twill skirt with high/low hemline, black woven Sandgroper beach shoes that I purchased from a little boutique called Se Bliss on the main street of Coolangatta a few years ago, black vinyl crossbody bag with silver hardware from Urban Originals to carry all the essentials & a woven sunhat from Before Sunset.

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Dress: Little Tienda cotton & wool embroidery

Joggers: Wittner leather

Bag: Forever New vinyl with silver hardware

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Still playing as darkness falls in a piece of true bohemian loveliness - this red cotton smock with rainbow woolen floral embroidery from Brisbane small business Little Tienda, white leather lace-up joggers from Wittner & a matching vinyl crossbody bag with silver hardware from Forever New.

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Queens Park in the sunshine wearing a soft black cotton pleated smock with embroidered flowers from Few & Far & black vinyl crossbody bag from Urban Originals... as well as a tote bag printed with images of construction equipment/vehicles from Smiggle to carry all the babysitting essentials like outfit changes, hats, water bottles, snacks...

I have finally cracked the Schnitz! 

Vegetarian schnitzel burger with beer battered chips & aioli on the side...

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Laughing it up at our local Beach House Cafe & Restaurant wearing a cool & crisp navy, grey & white checked cotton fit-to-flare dress with gathered skirt from Laura Ashley...