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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Hallelujah Chorus

 

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Dress with Corsage: Sacha Drake jacquard

Heels: Wittner leather, elastic

Bag: Cotton On woven paper

Hinged Bangle: Oxfam silver

Cuff: Gift, Gian Paolo Maria via Lannah Dunn silver, semi-precious stones, crystals

Ring: Gift, Swarovski silver, crystals

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Finally sharing all of the gorgeous pictures of the ensemble that I styled up to attend one of my all-time favourite Christmas traditions, a performance of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah." The utterly transcendent music requires something pretty darn special & this pink floral jacquard bias-cut midi dress with square neckline, fluted hem & corsage from Australian designer Sacha Drake really fitted the bill, particularly when worn with a pair of light tan leather & elastic gladiator stiletto heels from Wittner for a modicum of height & a light tan woven paper slouch handbag from my local Cotton On store (the very definition of a high/low mix in an outfit at only $39) to carry all the essentials including my face mask & hand sanitizer. When it came to jewellery, I donned some of the best - a silver, semi-precious stone & crystal cuff that was handmade in Paris by a designer called Gian Paolo Maria that my parents picked up from Lannah Dunn Fine Jewellery for my 30th birthday, a matching silver & crystal cocktail ring from Swarovski that my younger brother gave me that same year & a silver hinged bangle from Oxfam (back when they still had those retail locations at shopping centres) that I wore to my high school formal to complete the look.

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Light It Up

 

Finally sharing all the pictures from a late afternoon/early evening spent exploring the St Nicholas Precinct light show & late night shopping event at the "Top of Town" in Ipswich with my mother. It is important to note here that this was pre-Covid & was not where we picked up the virus. But I digress. Once again, it was lovely to see the main street of town & the mall lit up so beautifully, although in all honesty, I was disappointed that there weren't as many food truck options as previous years or indeed anywhere near as much seating near the Christmas Carol stage or even as many lights as previous incarnations. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the chance to see some of my favourite traders with Christmas window displays including Arttime Gallery & Fine Art Supplies, Deanne's Coffee House, Oh Jo Jo Boutique & The Vintage Advantage (to name but a few) & to take in the splendour of the "big tree" in D'Arcy Doyle Place as well.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded as the sun began to set...

Dreaming of a "White Christmas" while walking through the "icicle cave..."

Obligatory picture near the "Ipswich" sign...

Mother/Daughter Selfies

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Dress: Sheike cotton, lace, elastic

Sandals: Blowfish Malibu via Williams Shoes vegan leather

Bag: Esteems Boutique woven straw, leather

Bangle: The Way We Wore Vintage Fair vintage brass

Bangle: Tree of Life brass

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Feeling fun & festive in this sweet little ensemble, showcasing this sweet red, white & green floral cotton mini dress with button-down bodice, elasticated waist & flippy mini skirt from Australian label Sheike, styled up with a pair of casual yet comfortable brown vegan leather flat sandals from Blowfish Malibu (purchased from my local Williams Shoes), a green woven straw crossbody bag with brown leather strap from Esteems Boutique in Coolangatta to carry all the essentials while keeping my hands free & finally, a pair of brass bangles - a chunky, twisted vintage option from The Way We Wore Vintage Fair & a thinner, smoother little number from my local Tree of Life store - to complete the look.

Keep scrolling for a close-up & a peek at the coffee from UB's Milk Bar that we picked up before heading home...