Easter Masterclass #2

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Dress: Anthea Crawford shantung silk

Wrap: Mix by Coles cotton

Heels: Nine West leather & metallic

Bag: Colette by Colette Hayman vinyl with rose gold hardware

Bangles: Gift, rose gold

Ring: Gift, rose gold

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Yesterday, I posted the outfit pictures from my first Easter Masterclass & today, I'll show you all what I wore to the second! As they say, there's no minute like the last minute, so there's still time to find some sartorial stimulus & hit the shops... or pull out something divine from the depths of your wardrobe... Here in Queensland, the weather has finally started to cool down, so I've definitely been digging out all manner of jumpers, shawls & wraps to add another layer to my Summertime staples. 

This ensemble was based around this stunning floral printed shantung silk fit-to-flare dress with v-neckline & on-trend high/low hemline from Anthea Crawford. I absolutely adored wearing this little number in the warmer weather, so I decided to pattern-mix with a soft, stripy cotton scarf/wrap from Mix by Coles (picked up during a supermarket shop!) to make it air-conditioning appropriate. When it came to footwear, these funky tan leather, silver & rose gold metallic leaf stiletto heels from Nine West added some much-needed edge, particularly when matched with a shiny, rose gold vinyl "bowling" style handbag from Colette by Colette Hayman. Statement-making jewellery completed the look - a pair of rose gold "dragon" bangles with matching "sunburst" ring, gifted to me by a dear friend who purchased them in India many years ago!

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Easter Masterclass

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Dress: Anthea Crawford embroidered organza with grosgrain ribbon

Heels: Wittner leather

Bag: Urban Originals vinyl with silver hardware

Necklace: Karen Walker silver, blue & white "cameo"

Bracelet: Karen Walker silver, blue & white "cameo"

Watch: Guess silver

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For anyone searching for some last-minute holiday outfit inspiration, I'll be posting all the pictures of what I wore to host my recent Masterclasses over the next two days. The lovely ladies who attended were all searching for that ideal "Easter Ensemble" to wear in a myriad of social & religious situations... & all went home happy. Hopefully, this will provide you with some sartorial stimulus as well!

This first outfit was based around the gorgeous embroidered floral organza fit-to-flare dress with modified sweetheart neckline & embellished grosgrain ribbon belt from Anthea Crawford that I had taken to the seamstress to have elastic inserted into the hemline, creating the sweet little "bubble" effect. Rather than a pair of heavy, dark coloured heels, I decided on these shiny silver beauties (complete with t-bar detailing) from Wittner & mixed them with a peach vinyl cross-body bag with silver hardware from Urban Originals for a pop of divergent pastel colour. When it came to jewellery, it was all about making a statment with a matching blue & white "cameo" necklace & bracelet from Karen Walker (gifted to me by a dear friend, no longer with us) & a chunky, androgynous silver watch from Guess.

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For the Love of... Fashion

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard

Belt: Forever New silver & beads & pearls

Heels: Wittner leather with silver hardware

Bag: Olga Berg patent with silver hardware

Cuff: Gian Paolo Maria via Lannah Dunn silver, beads, crystals

Ring: Swarovski silver, crystals

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Finally posting all of the outfit pictures from my pre-Valentines Day Masterclass with some lovely ladies who were all searching for a romantic yet non-traditional outfit to wear on the ubiquitous "love day," as the hashtags on Instagram would attest. 

The idea of styling up something "outside the box" really appealed to me in this instance, as I'm not so big on the "commercialised" version of the day, believing instead that you should tell the people that you love (significant other, best friends, family members, furry photobombing interlopers) how you truly feel on a day-to-day basis with kind words & empathetic actions rather than waiting for some pre-ordained time with some overpriced flowers, teddy bears & chocolates. (What can I say? I loathe a holiday mark up... unless it's Christmas, then I can't stop myself... Yep, I'm a myriad of contradictions wrapped in one tiny 5 foot package...) The historical notion of the day is another story altogether, as the story of a Priest - Saint Valentine of Terni - who was martyred on the 14th of February 273 AD (during the reign on Emperor Claudius Gothicus) for providing aid to & agreeing to marry Christian couples who were being persecuted in Rome is something that should be remembered & his subsequent Sainthood celebrated.

But I digress.

After thinking long & hard about outfit options for my clients, it was then time to start thinking about what I was going to wear. It can be difficult to dress for these kinds of occasions & events as you really want to look to put together & professional while being true to your own style & showing the client that they can trust you to dress them in their own (possible incongruent or opposing) style... Yep, it is a veritable minefield; kind of like being on a perpetual job interview... 

As usual, it was my all-time favourite Australian designer, Anthea Crawford, to the rescue with this absolutely beautiful pale silver & lavender "flower scribble" jacquard dress with v-neckline, nipped in waist & structured fit-to-flare skirt with mullet hemline for body & movement. I removed the grosgrain ribbon & opted for a little more daytime sparkle with a thin silver & pearl beaded belt from Forever New, a sentiment echoed in the choice of shiny silver leather heels with t-bar strap from Wittner & grey patent boxy handbag with silver hardware from Olga Berg, purchased from a little boutique at Sunnybank Plaza called LaOnda that also carries an absolutely beautiful collection of "event" shoes. When it came to jewellery, less was definitely more, so I opted for a divine silver cuff encrusted with beads & crystals in varying sizes that was handmade in Paris (found at the Lannah Dunn boutique in Tattersall's Arcade, Brisbane) & matching silver & Swarovski crystal cocktail ring to add the perfect finishing touch.

Scroll down for even more images of this look in its entirety...

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