This Means Waugh

 

*

Dress: Lula Soul via Hummingbird the Shop viscose, tassels

Heels: Wittner leather, laces

Bag: Forever New vinyl, silver chain

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

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

*

Feeling "darling in deco" in this 1920s inspired ensemble that I styled up to wear to a recent theatre performance of Evelyn Waugh's 1945 masterpiece "Brideshead Revisited," a three part tome which follows the life & romances of the young Charles Ryder & his fascination & entanglement with both Flyte siblings (Julia & Sebastian... & Sebastian's ever present & rather large teddy bear Aloysius*) who are members of a family of wealthy & eccentric English Catholics who live in a steadily decaying yet palatial mansion called Brideshead Castle & who change the trajectory of his life in many, many ways. It's an absolutely brilliant book & there's even an 11 part mini series from 1981 starring Jeremy Irons & Anthony Andrews or a more modern, abridged 2008 movie starring Matthew Goode & Ben Whishaw.

But I digress. For those who are interested, here's more about the ensemble... The stunning green & pink floral print viscose drop-waist midi dress with its voluminous three-quarter-length sleeves, elasticated waistline & tasseled neck from bohemian label Lula Soul (discovered at the divine Hummingbird the Shop in Paddington) was the perfect way to evoke a little bit of Julia Flyte for the occasion, particularly when mixed with a pair of blush pink leather pointy-toed lace-up heels from Wittner, a blush pink vinyl shoulder bag with silver chain strap from Forever New to carry all the essentials (hand sanitizer & facemask at the ready), a vintage silver bangle from the sadly-now-defunct 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles at Coolangatta & a stack of seven Mexican silver bangles that were sent to me by some dear friends who currently live overseas to complete the look.

Scroll down to see more...

* Aloysius the bear - a furry little scene-stealer in the 1981 version - was modelled on Archibald Ormsby-Gore, the constant companion of the English poet laureate John Betjeman, Evelyn Waugh's best friend at Oxford University. Much like the eccentric Sebastian Flyte, Betjeman would take Archibald Ormsby-Gore & his other companion, a stuffed elephant named Jumbo with him everywhere he went regardless of his age or his marriage or the arrival of his two children & even wrote & published poems & illustrated children's books about the pair. In fact, both were in his arms when he died in 1984 at the age of seventy-seven.

Anthony Andrews as Sebastian Flyte dotes on Aloysius in the 1981 mini series

Aloysius, the scarf-wearing little scene-stealer himself...

John Betjeman with his beloved Archibald Ormsby-Gore & Jumbo in the late 1970s

Archibald Ormsby-Gore & Jumbo on display... together forever just as Betjeman would have wanted...

A Christmas Carol

*

Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard

Heels: Wittner metallic leather

Bag: Nine West textured vinyl with silver hardware

Cuff: Wallace Bishop silver

Dragonfly Cuff: Kellie's Antiques silver

*

In this world, there are few things that are truly timeless. "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, first published in London in 1843, is one of them. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, & the spirits of Christmas Past, Present & Yet To Come over the course of one evening & henceforth becomes a kinder, gentler man - particularly to his long-suffering underling Bob Cratchit - is a perennial festive favourite in a variety of incarnations, not least because the themes (among others) of the quality of mercy & compassion, the importance of paying it forward, the joy of sharing the wealth, the need for rewarding loyalty & the idea that anyone can be forgiven if they are truly contrite are still of great importance to this very day. 

For the second year in a row, I have been fortunate enough to witness Shaken & Stir Theatre Company's award-winning version of the tale with its lavish costumes, innovative video backdrop design & live acoustic caroling at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) & have not been disappointed. This year, I attended with some dear friends & dressed up accordingly, donning a stunning navy & silver flora jacquard dress from Anthea Crawford with its body-lengthening sewn-in panels & deep v-neckline, a pair of silver metallic leather heels from Wittner, a shiny, textured vinyl shoulder bag with chain strap from Nine West to carry all of the essentials (like some tissues for the more emotional scenes), a flat silver cuff from Wallace Bishop & delicate silver dragonfly cuff from Kellie's Antiques to complete the look.

Scroll down to see more...

Jane Eyre

*

Dress: Anthea Crawford guipure lace, satin

Sandals: Jo Mercer leather with chrome buckles

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Scarf: Gift, tie dye silk (from Salamanca Markets)

Bangles: Autograph Fashion chrome

Ring: Inkuku Fair Trade onyx

*

"I am no bird & no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."

Finally sharing all the pictures of an outfit that I styled up to attend a recent performance of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC). Despite being written in 1847, the gothic masterpiece depicting the life & passionate romance of spirited & courageous orphan-turned-governess Jane & the brilliant yet brooding Rochester at the foreboding Thornfield Hall remains both searingly relevant & bitingly pertinent for today's audience, dealing with issues of feminism & gender, love & lust, freedom & entrapment, traditionalism versus modernity, as well as the abuse of power within the religious & wider community. This particular iteration - a spectacular rendition faithfully retold yet fiercely original, as expected of the nationally-recognised Shake & Stir Theatre Company - was nothing short of a revelation & in my opinion, certainly did justice to Bronte's original work, interestingly enough first published under the "masculine" nom de plume of Currer Bell.

With all that in mind, I donned a more streamlined silhouette than usual in the form of a vibrant green floral guipure lace shift dress with black satin lining from celebrated Australian designer Anthea Crawford, a pair of black leather heeled sandals with chrome buckles from Jo Mercer, a black vinyl barrel handbag with chrome hardware from French Connection with divine green & blue tie dyed silk scarf (gifted to me by a dear friend who saw it at the Salamanca Markets & thought I would love it) wrapped around the handles for a pop of brightness, a pair of chunky woven chrome bangles from Autograph Fashion & finally, a square cocktail ring made from faceted black onyx that I picked up many years ago now from a store called Inkuku Fair Trade.

Scroll down to see more...

Stepping Out

*

Dress: Anthea Crawford taffeta

Heels: Wittner laser cut leather

Bag: French Connection suede & leather with silver hardware

Belt: That Shop patent leather & elastic

Necklace: Disney Couture silver & velvet

Cuff: Tom Binns for Disney Couture silver

*

Finally sharing all the photographs of the vibrant outfit I styled up to attend a recent performance of "The 39 Steps" at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) with a dear friend of mine. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it is the story of Canadian Richard Hannay who, while on vacation in London, becomes embroiled in an international spy ring related to the mysterious "39 steps." Originally written by John Buchan in 1915 as an adventure tome, it has had many incarnations, including a 1935 movie adaptation directed by Alfred Hitchcock, modern BBC version starring Rupert Penry-Jones & countless theatrical performances where the scenario is played more for laughs, often with only three or four actors attempting to play more than 150 zany roles.

For the occasion, I decided to wear "an oldie but a goodie" in the form of this gorgeous taffeta dress with waist ruffle detailing from Anthea Crawford in a sumptuous shade of electric blue, mixing it with a pair of black laser cut leather heeled booties from Wittner & boxy suede & leather handbag with oversized silver handles from French Connection. When it came to the jewellery, I decided to go all matchy-matchy with an Alice in Wonderland "Mad Hatter's Tea Party" necklace with top hat pendant & chunky silver cuff (created by celebrated British artist Tom Binns) in the shape of multiple knives, forks & spoons from Disney Couture for that touch of whimsy that completed the look.