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...

Mucha

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Dress: Black Milk Clothing spandex

Cardigan: Kitten D'Amour knit

Sandals: Saltwater Sandals leather

Necklace: Gift, vintage plastic beads

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Can't believe that I somehow overlooked these darling pictures, leaving them languishing in my computer's 2021 blog folder! Taken on a much cooler, rainy day in the Sunshine State when I had moved all my plants over to the hacienda area of the pergola to try & get a bit more sunshine, I'm wearing the Four Seasons Princess Midi Dress from Black Milk Clothing, replete with famed art nouvea artist Alphone Mucha's glorious 1897 depictions of ethereal women in a plethora of countryside scenes. I've styled it up with a vibrant purple cropped knit cardigan from vintage-inspired label Kitten D'Amour, a pair of black leather flat Saltwater Sandals & a chunky vintage black & clear beaded choker-style necklace to complete the look, but I could also easily imagine it dressed up "to the nines" with a voluminous tulle petticoat, deco-style high heels, a funky clutch & a floral headpiece. A truly special piece to have in my wardrobe.

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Spring Racing Carnival Recap: A Melbourne Mucha

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Dress: Anthea Crawford guipure lace

Heels: Wittner satin

Bag: French Connection suede with silver hardware

Bangles: Gift, vintage silver (from India)

Ring: Etsy silver, garnet

Headpiece: La Plume de Fleur faux flowers, foliage

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The jewel in the crown (so to speak) of the Spring Racing Carnival is always the Melbourne Cup, otherwise referred to as "the race that stops a nation." With that in mind, I decided on an outfit that centred around this amazing cold-shoulder guipure lace dress in a shade of "traffic stopping" lipstick red from Anthea Crawford, anchoring the look with a pair of black satin heeled mules from Wittner to elongate my frame & a boxy suede handbag with oversized silver handles from French Connection to carry all the essentials without adding unnecessary bulk. Jewellery was kept minimal - a pair of vintage silver bangles that a dear friend brought back for me from a trip to India & a chunky silver & garnet cocktail ring that I found on Etsy & just couldn't resist adding to my collection - in deference the sublime oversized faux floral crown from La Plume de Fleur, a fellow Brisbanian who makes utterly inspired headpieces for a variety of occasions. For those who are interested, you can find more examples of her work on (you guessed it) Etsy. 

The look reminded me of the Art Nouveau works of Czech painter & illustrator Alphonse Mucha, who created many stunning advertising posters for businesses in 1890s Paris & the bulk of whose work - stylised nymphs in flower crowns - remains infinitely recognisable all these years later.