White Organza at the Ballet

 

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Dress: Aje embroidered organza, satin

Heels: Wittner leather, elastic

Bag: Oh Jo Jo Boutique woven straw, diamantes

Bangles: Gift, gold sparkles, silver sparkles

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If you are an avid reader of this blog, you'll probably already know how much I absolutely adore Australian designer label Aje for its amazing silhouettes & beautiful fabrics & this gorgeous white embroidered organza & satin maxi-length smock dress with exaggerated tie straps is perhaps one of my all-time favourites! On a balmy morning a few weeks ago, I took the opportunity to style this ethereal dream frock up for a ballet matinee in my beloved River City by adding a pair of flesh-tone leather & elastic gladiator-style kitten heels from Wittner for a modicum of height, a natural woven straw bucket bag with diamante detailing from Oh Jo Jo Boutique at the "top of town" precinct in Ipswich to carry all the essentials including the face mask & hand sanitizer & finally, a sparkly gold & silver bangle trio that a dear friend brought from a trip to India a few years ago to complete the look & add that touch of daytime pizzazz.

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Ballet Beautiful

 

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Dress: Anthea Crawford texured jacquard

Trench Coat: Events via Lifeline Brisbane organza

Belt: Willow via David Jones leather

Ankle Boots: Wittner matte leather

Bag: Witchery leather, woven straw

Bangles with Charms: Alex & Ani gold, onyx

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This balletomane is so elated to dress with the touch of a dancer to attend a recent performance in the River City. For the occasion, I donned a sublime floral textured jacquard flared midi dress with v-neckline from celebrated Australian designer Anthea Crawford, a sumptuous black organza trench coat from a label called Events that used to be super duper popular in the 1990s (which is currently having a trend resurgence at the moment) that I picked up from the Lifeline store in Brisbane City for less than $10 & only had to wash & sew a button on to achieve sartorial perfection & a black twisted rope leather belt from Willow via David Jones to cinch in the waistline & provide a focal point. I added a pair of black matte leather heeled ankle boots from Wittner for a modicum of height, carried a black leather & natural woven straw handbag from Witchery & as a final touch, put on a stack of gold & onyx charm bangles from Alex & Ani for some daytime shine.

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The Happy Prince

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Dress: Modcloth tulle, satin

Heels: Jo Mercer metallic leather

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Belt: HellBunny via That Shop patent, elastic

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver

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"High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince..."

Feeling ethereal & other-worldly in this divine ensemble to attend a transcendent performance of Oscar Wilde's lyrical story-turned-ballet, The Happy Prince, enacted by the talented dancers of The Australian Ballet for a limited season at Brisbane's Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC). The playful & poignant tale of an indulged prince who had lived a life of grandeur & excess before realising that his subjects were suffering from the effects of poverty & sadness, awakening a compassion within himself that would lead him to give away his riches to find true happiness through helping others is brought to life through the superlative choreography of Graeme Murphy with a specially commissioned score from renowned composer Christopher Gordon... leaving the viewer in no doubt of the work's timely message that "a kind heart shines brighter than gold."

For the occasion, I styled up this amazing black & silver star-printed tiered tulle midi dress with fluted sleeves & black satin camisole from American label Modcloth (gifted by a dear friend who was unfortunately unable to see the performance herself) with a shiny black patent cinch belt from HellBunny via That Shop for a retro-inspired look that created the illusion of height on my five-foot frame, a pair of light silver metallic leather strappy heels from Jo Mercer that picked up on the shiny stars inherent in the dress print, a boxy black vinyl handbag with chrome hardware from French Connection to carry all the essentials while blending seamlessly into the dress to allow it to take "centre stage," if you will & finally, a chunky silver hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop to provide a modicum of shine.

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Swan Lake & The Graduation Party

Avid readers of this blog will already know that I am a serious balletomane so it will come as no surprise that I was elated to have the opportunity to take my darling mother to see a recent performance of Ballet Theatre Queensland's Swan Lake Act II & The Graduation Party at Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC) after a delicious dinner at one of our long-time favourites, Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant & cheeky helping of gelato from Gelare for dessert. Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

Also, I'd like to say thank you so much to the lovely waiter at Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant who agreed to take some pictures of the two of us together to commemorate our mother/daughter evening out & did such a lovely job!

Caught mid-twirl among the sumptuous decor...

Rose Garden Delight Mocktail

A refreshing fruit shake made from pomegranate, pineapple, lime & apple juices with a hint of fragrant rosewater & fresh mint, shaken over ice & covered in rose petals

Braised Casserole

Braised Eggplant with Tomato, Charcoaled Zucchini & Lamb 

Served with Turkish Rice

Ali Nazik

Char-grilled Beef on Roasted Eggplant with Onion & Roasted Tomato

Covered with Spiced Yoghurt

Indulging in some gelato (organic strawberry for her, young coconut grove for me) from Gelare for a special treat...

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Dress: Anthea Crawford embroidered mesh, satin, tulle

Heels: Carvela by Kurt Geiger lurex

Bag: Review textured vinyl, faux pearl with gold hardware

Bangle: Megan Hess resin, gold, artwork

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Posing on our way to the performance wearing a ballet-inspired ensemble comprising of a stunning black, gold & silver art deco embroidered mesh A-line midi dress with black satin lining & tulle underlay from Aussie designer Anthea Crawford, gold/silver lurex peeptoe heels from Carvela by Kurt Geiger to provide a little nighttime shimmer while elongating my frame, a retro-inspired black textured vinyl handbag with faux off-white pearl handles & gold hardware from "girly" label Review & finally, a gorgeous, limited edition gold & resin bangle covered in one of Megan Hess' celebrated fashion illustrations (a thoughtful, heartfelt gift from my parents last Christmas) to complete the look.

A quick selfie as we waited for the show to begin...

Act II of Swan Lake took the audience to the shores of the mystical lake where Prince Siegfried declares his undying love for the beautiful Princess Odette, condemned by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart to be a swan for all but a few hours each night, accompanied by the transcendent waltzes of Tchiakovsky before The Graduation Party evoked a change of pace, transporting viewers to a Viennese Girls School graduation ball in the 1840s where the arrival of the city's military academy cadets resulted in high spirits, innocent flirtations... & a secret romance being uncovered... all set to the delightful, lively waltzes of Johann Strauss Jnr. Honestly, the entire evening was an absolute delight. Bravo, Ballet Theatre Queensland!