Franny Gets Frocked: Beachy Keen #1

Dress: Gorman linen, embroidery

Sandals: Saltwater Sandals leather

Bag: Retro World Collective vintage woven straw

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, vintage 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles silver

Finally sharing all the beautiful pictures from my recent Gold Coast beach holiday with the family! Despite the rather dire weather forecasts, we experienced mainly sunny skies & warmer temperatures (a few showers thrown in for good measure) & were able to spend our time going on long, leisurely walks both along the beach & through the park areas; swimming in the cold salty ocean water or the slightly warmer swimming pool at the holiday apartments; eating delicious food at a variety of restaurants around the Coolangatta area; shopping in handful of gorgeous, curated boutiques; attending a love-filled wedding party in the hinterland (that's a post for another day, however) & celebrating a birthday with a special little man who was turning eight at the amusement arcade.

For the first day of the trip, I wore this casual yet comfortable & so incredibly soft colour-blocked linen midi dress with thin straps & amazing three-dimensional "face" embroidery from Australian cult-label Gorman, styled up with a pair of bright red leather Saltwater Sandals, a vintage red, blue & pink pastel woven straw handbag from Retro World Collective in Uptown, Brisbane to carry all the essentials & some of my favourite silver jewellery pieces - a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles given to me by some dear friends & a single, heavy vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (formerly of Coolangatta, now Tweed Heads) that my younger brother gave me for my birthday years ago - to complete the look.

Scroll down to see how all of it unfolded... well, until the second & final installment tomorrow!

Fresh Salmon Wonton Tacos & Spring Rolls from Osushi Japanese Restaurant for lunchtime with a superb beach view from our balcony!

Happy Face in my Happy Place

Dress: Collectif Vintage via That Shop cotton

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles vintage silver

By the water (& feet IN the water) as the sun begins to set wearing this sweet navy & white striped cotton wrap dress with side tie from Collectif Vintage via That Shop over my swimming togs (not pictured as it was too cold to get in the water), a pair of black & gold rubber thongs with diamante detailing from Ripcurl & my vintage Mexican silver bangle stack & single vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles still on my wrists as well.

Top: Preview by Target linen

Shorts: Preview by Target cotton drill

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles vintage silver

Sunglasses: Sportsgirl resin

Sunhat: Before Sunset woven

Mornings walks around Greenmount Hill to Rainbow Bay wearing a white linen singlet & matching white & green floral print cotton drill shorts with belt from Preview by Target, a pair of black & gold rubber thongs with diamante detailing from Ripcurl (better that I could remove them at any moment to dip my toes in the water), my silver jewellery pieces, retro-inspired black resin cat's eye sunglasses from Sportsgirl to keep out the glare & a brown & white woven sunhat from Before Sunset that I picked up many, many years ago now from a stall at the Brisbane EKKA & often take with me on trips as it crushes down in my bag well without losing shape & is able to be pulled out at a moment's notice to protect my delicate skin from the hot sun.

Taking a dip in the clear & cool salt water at Greenmount Beach in a navy & white spotted maillot swimsuit from Jantzen...

Brunching after beach with this utterly delicious Bacon & Egg Burger with Spicy Garlic Aioli & Lettuce from Boardriders Cafe 28, washed down with a piping hot Chai Latte...

Dress: Princess Highway linen

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bag: Esteems Boutique woven paper

"She lives on Love Street..."

Waiting patiently for yet another delicious takeaway meal & spotted this groovy mural on the wall outside a funky bohemian coffee shop & store at Kirra & couldn't resist a few little snapshots! I'm wearing a funky 1960s floral print linen pinafore with tie neckline from retro-inspired "cool girl" label Princess Highway, a pair of white, orange & blue striped rubber thongs from Ripcurl & a blue woven paper crossbody bag from Esteems Boutique to carry all the essentials & keep my hands free... probably to hold coffee... possibly.... definitely.

Family hijinks on the sand & at the pool with this special birthday boy who was turning eight! Check out his new blue birthday hat - chosen all by himself - from the delightful Sea Wish boutique & worn straight away & all day long...

McDonalds for a birthday meal of choice... just like this second cousin Louis at that age (although his favourite was always the breakfast!)

Dress: Ghanda linen

Shirt: Ghanda linen

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bag: Esteems Boutique woven paper

Bracelets: Saltwater Silver silver, resin beads, charms

Bangle: Gift, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles vintage silver

A penultimate finish to the festivities at TimeZone with a plethora of bright lights & sounds & racing games & shooting games & games of chance & skill! I'm all about the beachy vibe in a beautiful blue & cream sea print linen midi dress with side splits & shoestring straps with matching collared shirt from Ghanda, a pair of white, orange & blue striped rubber thongs from Ripcurl, a blue woven paper crossbody bag from Esteems Boutique that allowed me to carry around absolutely everything I needed while keeping my hands free to play all the games, a stack of white resin & silver beaded bracelets with starfish charms from Saltwater Silver in The Strand & finally, my beloved vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles.

Keep on scrolling for even more of the craziness...