Painterly

 

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Dress: Sheike ramie

Camisole: Portmans satin

Sandals: Gino Ventori via Ebay vintage leather, elastic

Bag: Cotton On woven paper

Bangles: Gift, handpainted wood

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Finally sharing all the pictures from a gorgeous springtime morning spent in historical Ipswich where I enjoyed a piping hot chai latte from Shortblack Coffee Co, browsed all the wares at some of my favourite boutiques, sorted through a mountain of op-shop treasures & ended up at the Ipswich Art Gallery for a quick look at the exhibits. For the occasion, I wore an adorable painterly printed ramie mini dress with puff sleeves, elasticated waistline & tie belt from Sheike, styled up with a mauve satin cowl-neck camisole from Portmans for modesty purposes, a pair of vintage chocolate brown leather & elastic Gino Ventori sandals from the 1990s that I picked up for an absolute steal on Ebay, a deep blush woven paper slouch bag from Cotton On to carry all the essentials & a plethora of handpainted wooden bangles that a dear friend made & gave me as a thoughtful birthday gift a few years ago now.

Scroll down to see more snippets from the day... 

Impossible Princess

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Dress: Anthea Crawford mesh, embroidery, sequins, satin

Cardigan: Taking Shape mesh

Jacket: Just Jeans leather

Booties: Wittner matte leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Gift, Kathy Baburin upcycled denim, rose gold, beads

Bangles: Gift, gold, silver, beads

Bangle: Empire Antiques vintage silver, beads

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As a fashion blogger & personal stylist, I have tried many, many different fashion personalities on for size over the years & dipped my toes into a plethora of trends but if I'm completely honest, one that has never quite stuck is sparkles, sequins or bling. It just doesn't feel authentically "me," especially in the daytime, although when I see other people rocking it wholeheartedly, I think they look absolutely divine. Anyway, I have been trying to push my style a little further lately (you may have seen my foray into denim shorts on my Instagram account) & when I was looking for something to wear to a concert recently, I found this sequinned & embroidered mesh Anthea Crawford stunner hiding at the back of my closet & decided to go for it. Personally, I think it worked for the dance music brief, especially when I made it more "me" with additions like a black mesh duster cardigan from Taking Shape, a black cropped Victorian-inspired leather jacket from Just Jeans to ward off the chill in the air, a pair of black matte leather heeled booties from Wittner for height, 40 denier nylon Razzamatazz tights to keep my legs toasty & a funky upcyled denim & beaded bag with rose gold clasp from a maker called Kathy Baburin, gifted by someone special. Finally, I decided to up the ante & add some sparkly gold & silver beaded bangles that a friend brought back from India & a chunky, vintage silver beaded bangle that I picked up from Empire Antiques to complete the look & by the time I looked in the mirror, I was definitely digging it. Not sure if I'd say completely converted yet, but perhaps getting there... you know, on special occasions...

 

Bright & Breezy

 

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Dress: Gorman viscose/lenzing

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: Witchery leather, natural woven straw

Scarf: Temptations Boutique chiffon

Ring: Precious Stones Jewellers silver, amber

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You know how sometimes a dress comes along in a print that just makes you feel happy? Well, the gorgeous Suncatcher Flare Dress from cult label Gorman is just that dress! The stunning floral pattern coupled with the sumptous silky viscose/lenzing fabric & amazing midi-length bias cut is literally what sartorial dreams are made of & I've styled it up here for a morning in Paddington with a pair of black vegan leather dual buckle heels from Kitten D'Amour for a modicum of height while remaining comfortable, a black leather & natural woven straw handbag from Witchery to carry all the essentials while adding a bohemian/luxe touch, a jaunty little red chiffon scarf that I picked up at a sweet local boutique called Temptations & finally, my beautiful new silver & amber ring from the lovely ladies at Precious Stones Jewellers in Uptown to complete the look.

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Mixing Prints (part 2)

 

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Dress: Review chiffon

Duster: H&M chiffon

Loafers: Paul Green via Peter Sheppard Footwear patent leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Cotton On suede

Bracelet: Gift, Kellie's Antiques Victorian silver

Hinged Bangle: Oxfam silver

Ring: Precious Stones Jewellers silver, amber

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If this dress & duster combination looks familiar to you, that's probably because it is! I've showcased this gorgeous print mix of spots & paisley chiffon pieces before & I still absolutely love the mix of classic with bohemian flair. This time, however, I've styled it up in a more casual way with a pair of navy patent heeled loafers from a label called Paul Green that I picked up years ago now (pre-Covid 2018) from Peter Sheppard Footwear, navy 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs feeling toasty warm & a blue suede slouch bag from Cotton On to carry all the essentials while adding a pop of brighter colour. When it came to jewellery, I chose a chunky Victorian silver belcher bracelet with oversized heart locket from Kellie's Antiques that a dear friend gave me for my 30th birthday, a silver hinged bangle from Oxfam (back in the days where they used to have actual retail stores... this one was at Indooroopilly where the food court area is now) that I wore to my high school formal & my new silver & amber ring from the delightful ladies at Precious Stones Jewellers to complete the look.

Scroll down for some close-ups...