The Suite Traditions

 

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Dress: Elliatt via Melina's Boutique embroidered & embellished mesh, jersey

Heels: Gorman vegan leather, elastic

Bag: TK Maxx woven

Belt: Oh Jo Jo Boutique woven stretch

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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

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One of my most treasured traditions is attending a performance of Tchaikovsky's 1892 masterpiece "The Nutcracker" each & every year around Christmastime in my beloved River City with some dear friends, all dressed up & full of a sense of wonder at the stunning beauty of ballet as an art form & the joy of the festive season for both children & adults alike. For the occasion, I donned a stunning pastel floral embroidered & embellished mesh puff-sleeve gown with fish-tail hemline & blush jersey lining from Australian label Elliatt that I discovered at Melina's Boutique in the small township of Rosewood, cinched in with a natural stretch woven belt from Oh Jo Jo Boutique, a pair of mauve vegan leather round-toe slingback heels from Gorman for a modicum of height & a retro-inspired, natural woven "box" handbag with wooded beaded handle from TK Maxx to carry all the essentials. When it came to jewellery, I chose some beloved silver pieces that added shine without overshadowing or competing with the dress - a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles that some dear friends brought back from overseas & a single, thicker vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (formerly of Coolangatta, now Tweed Heads) the my brother gave me as a birthday gift a few years ago. 

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Betwixt, Between & Beatrix

 

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Dress: Sheike embroidered ramie, satin

Mules: Alfie & Evie via Obsession Shoes leather

Bag: Vera May via Obsession Shoes vinyl

Bangles: Gift, Hive Marketplace handmade resin, gold

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Feeling all the ethereal & arcadian vibes in the morning mist, styled up in this gorgeous ensemble to attend a recent ballet performance based on the celebrated works of English children's author/illustrator Beatrix Potter. I'm wearing this utterly divine ivory floral embroidered ramie mini dress with satin lining & bobble straps (added by me) from Sheike, a pair of duck egg blue leather stiletto-heeled mules from a label called Alfie & Evie with matching vinyl crossbody bag replete with gold hardware from Vera May - both found at the delightful Obsession Shoes at the "top of town" in Ipswich - & finally, a stack of five handmade pastel coloured resin bangles with gold floral details that a dear friend picked up from a seller at Hive Marketplace & gave me as a thoughtful Christmas gift last year.

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Keep scrolling for a closer look at the outfit (in addition to some beautiful vintage/retro goodies) laid out as a flatlay...

Sugar Plum Fairy

 

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Dress with Corsage: Sacha Drake jacquard, embroidered trim

Heels: Jo Mercer leather, laces

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

Brooch: Gift, gold, beads, enamel

Bracelets: Jewelled Bazaar faceted beads

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Another day, another stunning Sacha Drake floral jacquard dress to be styled up & worn to a traditional & much-loved Christmas event in my beloved River City; this time, "The Nutcracker" Ballet at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). This gorgeous gold & white floral gown has a matching corsage & gold, white & black embroidered trim on the asymmetrical strap (added by me) which is picked up in the black leather lace-up heels from Jo Mercer & black leather shoulder bag from funky boutique Pigeonhole to carry all the essentials including my face mask & hand sanitizer. When it came to jewellery, I decided to go festive with a stunning gold, enamel & beaded Christmas Tree brooch that a dear family friend gave me (pictured in detail above) & a stack of faceted bead bracelets from an Etsy store called Jewelled Bazaar to complete the look.

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Ballet Beautiful

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Dress: Anthea Crawford embroidered mesh, satin

Jumper: City Beach knit wool

Jacket: Unknown cotton, patchwork (from Laos)

Ankle Boots: Wittner leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: French Connection vinyl, suede

Belt: Willow via David Jones twisted leather

Hinged Bangle: Oxfam silver

Bracelet: Oxfam silver, onyx

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Adding a little dancer-inspired flair with this stunning ensemble that I styled up to attend a recent ballet performance in my beloved River City. Starting with this utterly divine black mesh fit-to-flare midi dress with delicate pink embroidered flowers & satin lining from celebrated Australian designer Anthea Crawford that reminded me of a vintage tutu, I added a thin black leather twisted rope belt to cinch from Willow via my local David Jones store to cinch in the waist then pulled on a soft pink knitted wool cropped jumper from City Beach (it pays to look around because sometimes you find treasured items in the most unexpected places) & as the outer layer to ward off the chill in the air, donned a funky black cotton coat with pink & grey patches that was created in Laos & sold at an itty bitty nameless boutique in Montville years & years ago now. When it came to accessories, I added a pair of black matte leather heeled ankle boots with leg-lengthening pointy-toes from Wittner for a modicum of height, black 40 denier tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs feeling toasty-warm, carried a boxy black vinyl & suede handbag with oversized silver handles from French Connection that I filled to the brim with all the essentials (including the ubiquitous hand sanitiser & mask that I've been toting around consistently for more than two years now) & finally, completed the look with a thin silver bangle from Oxfam on one wrist & a bohemian silver & black onyx bracelet - also Oxfam - on the other.

Scroll down to see some pictures of the look without the jacket...