Pantsuit

 

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Top: Preview by Target satin

Pants: Preview by Target satin

Cardigan: Petites by Dannii Minogue via Target woven acrylic

Booties: Wittner matte leather

Bag: Beach n Beyond vinyl

Corsage: Kitten D'Amour silk

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Finally sharing all the beautiful pictures of this gorgeous satin pantsuit from Preview by Target, taken at the signpost in one of my all-time favourite places, the historical township of Rosewood. I've styled up this gorgeous cream & olive "splodge" printed satin shell top & elastic-topped, wide-legged palazzo pants with a grey & cream woven acrylic cropped cardigan from Dannii Minogue's Petites range (also Target... not intentional, either), a pair of black matte leather pointy-toed heeled booties from Wittner for a modicum of height, a black cylindical vinyl bag from the Beach n Beyond boutique at Coolangatta to carry all the essentials & a silky black rose corsage clip/brooch from retro-inspired label Kitten D'Amour to complete the look.

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Secondhand

 

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Dress: Perri Cutten via Vinnies Paddington jacquard

Mules: Wittner leather

Bag: Elk via Mott & Mulberry leather

Belt: Empire Antiques painted wood, rope

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There's a clear movement towards sustainability in the fashion industry at the moment & if you happen to read any fashion magazines, you'll probably already know about it. Due to the fast-paced nature of the industry & the obsession with new-now-next in the supply chain, it's one of the world's biggest polluters & the incredible amount of wastage is, quite frankly, horrendous. In the main, clothing doesn't seem to be "made to last" anymore & is quickly discarded, only to end up as landfill. I'm not an environmental campaigner or climate change activitist or anything of the sort & I'm probably as guilty of buying fast fashion as the next person, but the older & (hopefully) wiser I become, the more I'm attempting to make small, subtle changes in order to make an impact. Not only do I keep/store many clothing items for years in order to re-wear at a later time (owing to the cyclical nature of fashion trends), I also give away my unwanted clothing to receptive family & friends or donate in small batches to charities, make sure to hand wash when possible for longevity & shop for many items - particularly accessories - from op shops & secondhand stores... which brings me to the outfit pictured... This stunning gold & black geometric print jacquard shift dress from Australian label Perri Cutten retails for over $500 yet I discovered it - practically unworn - at my local Vinnies Paddington for $25. I've styled it up here with a pair of tan leather pointy-toed mules from Wittner that I've had for at least five years, a matching tan leather crossbody bag from Elk via the lovely Mott & Mulberry boutique that definitely won't go out of fashion anytime soon & a vintage painted wood & purple rope belt from Empire Antiques that seems like it was made in the late 1970s/early 1980s in some tropical destination that I'm happy to give another life to in my wardrobe this spring/summer & into the future. Clearly, I'm not trying to be preachy here when it comes to secondhand or op shopping & I know it's not possible for everybody for a variety of reasons, but I've long felt that vintage/antiques/second hand items are amazing & full of character & deserve a second life (in fashion, jewellery, furniture & home decore) & hope that this might inspire you to go out & find something a little bit special that might need a second chance...

Mucha

 

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Dress: Sacha Drake burnout silk, jersey

Cardigan: Metalicus via Vinnies Rosewood jersey, chiffon

Booties: Wittner matte leather

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

Corsage/Hair Clip: Kitten D'Amour silk

Necklace: Oxfam Shop silver, malachite

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles silver

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Finally sharing all the beautiful photographs of the outfit that I eagerly donned to attend an event celebrating the works of talented art nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), the Czech-born/Paris-based painter, illustrator & graphic designer, well known for his stylised theatrical poster depicting women among flowers or even morphing ever-so-slightly into the flowers themselves. For the occasion, I took inspiration from the art nouvea aesthetic with this stunning green floral burnout silk wrap-style maxi dress with pleated sleeve detailing & green jersey slip underneath for modesty purposes from Brisbane designer Sacha Drake, styled up with a black jersey cropped cardigan with chiffon pleated hemline from Metalicus that I picked up secondhand at Vinnies Rosewood for warmth, a pair of black matte leather pointy-toed booties from Wittner for a modicum of height & a black leather shoulder bag from hipster haven Pigeonhole to carry all the essentials. When it came to jewellery, I chose a silver & malachite stone necklace from Oxfam that I wore to my high school formal years ago, a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles that some dear friends gave me, a single heavier vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles that my younger brother gave me a birthday gift a while ago & as a final flourish, a soft green silk corsage from retro-inspired label Kitten D'Amour that could be worn in multiple different iterations - including as a hairclip or a brooch.

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Keep scrolling for a few pictures with the aforementioned cardigan...

Some cheeky little elevator snaps to finish...

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.

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