Mousetrapped

 

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Dress: Anthea Crawford twill

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: Sussan vinyl

Hinged Bangle: Precious Stones Jewellers silver

Cuff: Najo via Precious Stones Jewellers silver

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Finally sharing all the pictures of this gorgeous ensemble I wore to attend a recent performance of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap," otherwise known as the world's longest running play! The murder-mystery or whodunnit as it's known began in London's West End in 1952 & ran continuously until 2020 when it had to be paused due to the pandemic - before reopening to grateful audiences again in 2021. I was lucky enough to see it in Brisbane (no pesky 23 hour plane flight) with a brilliant cast, who really did the subject matter justice. As with many Agatha Christie novels & television adaptations, the play begins with reports of a murder in London & a group of seven strangers finding themselves completely snowed in at a remote country guesthouse... only to find, when a police sergeant arrives, that the murderer is in their midst... One by one, the characters - all suddenly suspicious of one another - begin to reveal all manner of sordid secrets from the past... 

But I digress. This blog is mostly about the fashion, so I probably should get around to talking about that again. The stunning, vintage-inspired twill dress in a sumptuous shade of purple/light aubergine is from celebrated Australian designer Anthea Crawford & I utterly adore it's late 1950s/early 1960s silhouette with cap sleeves, princess seams & matching belt. I've styled it up with a pair of black vegan leather dual buckle heels from Kitten D'Amour, a black vinyl shoulder bag from Sussan to carry all the essentials including the ever-present hand sanitizer & facemask & finally, a chunky silver hinged bangle in the shape of an art deco wave & Najo tribal influenced silver cuff, both from the delightful Precious Stones Jewellers in the Myer Centre.

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Darling in Deco

 

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Dress: Sacha Drake silk, embellished silk

Heels: Jo Mercer leather

Bag: Sportsgirl woven straw

Bangle: Gift, vintage shell mosaic

Bracelet: Gift, vintage shell pieces

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Avid readers of this blog will already know how much I absolutely adore not only art deco styling but the complete works of British mystery author Agatha Christie & the fact that famed director Kenneth Branagh has decided to take on the role of Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot (made famous by Sir David Suchet, in my opinion) and film a plethora of new films based (somewhat loosely, as the case may be) on his most famous fictional cases & set during one of my all-time favourite time periods is cause for celebration! To wit, I donned this absolutely divine cream, navy & blue floral print silk wrap dress with peaked cap sleeves, bias cut & embellished belt from Australian designer Sacha Drake to truly immerse myself in "Death on the Nile" & the heady world of 1937 Karnak and Luxor aboard a luxury ocean liner with a handful of seriously devious & fabulously rich individuals... all with secrets that they'd be willing to kill for... I styled it up with a pair of silver leather strappy heels from Jo Mercer to add some height to my five foot frame, a natural woven straw bucket bag from Sportsgirl to carry all the essentials while adding a jaunty "sea cruise" vibe & a pair of matching vintage shell jewellery pieces in the form of a chunky mosaic bangle & large piecemeal bracelet, both with a distinctly ocean blue tinge to complete the look.

For those wondering, I did enjoy the film, however if I'm truly honest, I must admit that I consider it to be third in line for this particular tale - after the David Suchet version from 2004 & the Peter Ustinov version from 1978 which was a literally smorgasbord of superstar performances from Angela Landsbury, Jane Birkin, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow & Olivia Hussey to name but a few. I found it to be a bit slow in some spots (the same as I found with Branagh's version of "Murder on the Orient Express") & some of the changes to Christie's work were unnecessary & in one particular case, quite upsetting. Regardless, it was enjoyable for the amazing scenery, the stunning costumes & the cunning murder plot which many find to be contrived but I consider to be a hallmark of Christie's work, where the timing always works perfectly & every little piece falls into place as if by magic. Have you seen the film? I'd love to know what you thought of it in the comments section.

Scroll down to see more pictures of this beautiful look... including a little photobomb from a certain furry feline interloper...

And Then There Was... Drake

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Dress: Sacha Drake jacquard

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: Gift, handmade & upcycled dupione silk

Hinged Bangle: Precious Stones Jewellers silver

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

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

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So excited to be getting (somewhat) back into the swing of things here in Queensland despite the encroaching "next wave" of coronavirus cases expected to peak here in the next few weeks. I'm sharing all the gorgeous pictures of an outfit that I recently styled up to attend a "Murder Mystery" party in my beloved River City with a 1920s theme. I know, I know, this gorgeous polka dotted jacquard mini smock with huge asymmetrical puff sleeve, ruffled hemline & tie belt from Sacha Drake is a bit reminiscent of the 1980s but I wanted to go for something markedly different from my usual "flapper" sartorial sensibility & with the right art deco inspired accessories, it was the ideal look & feel that worked with the party's Agatha-Christie-esque, "And Then There Were None" (one of my all-time favourite of her many, many whodunnits) overtones. To wit, I've added a pair of black vegan leather double silver buckle heels from vintage-inspired label Kitten D'Amour, a funky handmade & upcycled dupione silk drawstring pouch bag in shades of red, black & a hint of bright blue from a little Aussie boutique on Etsy to carry all the essentials (including mask & hand sanitizer), a beautiful silver art deco style "wave" hinged bangle from the lovely ladies at Precious Stones Jewellers in The Myer Centre & finally, two vintage bangles - one silver & one horn in a shade of chocolate brown/black - gifted to me by my younger brother & discovered at the sadly-now-defunct 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast.

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Poirot

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard

Heels: Jo Mercer metallic leather

Clutch: Witchery woven, metallic

Cuff: Gian Paolo Maria via Lannah Dunn pewter, embellishment

Ring: Swarovski silver, embellishment, crystal

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All dressed up & ready to experience the inimitable Poirot & More: A Retrospective, spending time in the company of celebrated British acting legend David Suchet as he talks intimately about his career progression, beloved performances & favourite roles, including a certain Belgian Detective who captivated audiences for over 25 years... & just happens to be MY all-time favourite as well! For the occasion, I'm wearing a stunning gold, silver & pewter printed jacquard paneled midi dress from Aussie label Anthea Crawford, a pair of silver metallic leather strappy heels from Jo Mercer, a silver paint & natural woven straw envelope clutch from Witchery to carry all the essentials without ruining the line of the dress with shoulder straps & the like & some of my most cherished jewellery pieces - a handmade pewter cuff embellished with a plethora of beads & Swarovski crystals from Gian Paolo Maria via the divine Lannah Dunn boutique & a matching Swarovski crystal ring for that touch of sparkle...