Sunflowers

 

*

Dress: Sister Jane tapestry, cotton, pearl buttons

Ankle Boots: Wittner matte & patent leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

Bangle: Vintage, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles silver

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

*

There's nothing that seems brighter or happier in this world than a sunflower... after all, when they can't find the sun in the sky, they just turn to face each other, a fact that absolutely makes me melt when I think too hard about it. Imagine my surprise & delight when I found out that one of my all-time favourite labels, whimsical British design house Sister Jane, had brought out a sweet 1960s style mini-length shift dress in sunflower-print tapestry with an oversized white cotton collar & cuffs & sparkly buttons running down the front panel in their latest Asos drop! I've styled it up for a morning spent traipsing around the scenic little town of Kalbar by adding a pair of black patent & matte leather ankle boots with buttons from Wittner, 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs feeling toasty-warm, a black leather crossbody bag from hipster boutique Pigeonhole to carry all the essentials (if you read this blog enough, I'm sure you'll already know what they are) & some beloved jewellery pieces - a vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (sadly now closed at Coolangatta) & a vintage Mexican silver bangle stack given to me by some dear friends.

Scroll down to see a little more of the dress...

Simple & Stylish

*

Dress: Sacha Drake stretch bengaline

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Belt: HellBunny via That Shop patent, elastic

*

Keeping it simple yet stylish with this stunning floral stretch bengaline dress from Aussie label Sacha Drake. With its high back collar, square neckline, exposed silver back zipper & faux pockets at the hips for shape, the dress has a real vintage feel - one that I've amplified even further by cinching it at the waist with a shiny, patent belt from HellBunny via That Shop & adding a pair of black vegan leather heels with silver buckles from "so Frenchy so chic" designer Kitten D'Amour for height... pretty much imperative when you're only five feet tall & you're wearing something clingy with a below-the-knee hemline (little stylist tip).

Scroll down to see more...

Finding Sanctuary

*

Dress: Anthea Crawford satin

Cardigan: Metalicus stretch

Sneakers: Wittner neoprene, glitter, rubber

Bag: French Connection vinyl, pompoms with silver hardware

Tote: Big W screen-printed calico

Watch: Daniel Wellington silver, woven canvas

*

Spending some time inside the Brisbane Koala Science Institute - which is oddly reminiscent of a science-fiction film with its pod-like windows to a world of green beyond the glass - during a recent trip to the celebrated Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket, which you may have glimpsed here, here & even here in previous blog posts as I'm a semi-regular (read: during the cooler months) visitor with a yearly pass. This time, I took my cousin & her two rambunctious munchkins along for the ride... & for the kangaroo feeding, sheepdog show, koala cuddling, snake ogling & bird-watching as well as lunch in the lush green surroundings permeated by the intoxicating smell of eucalyptus leaves. 

For the occasion, I wore a gorgeous navy floral satin shift dress with asymmetrical pleated waistline detailing from Anthea Crawford with a flesh-tone stretch cardigan with three-quarter-length sleeves from sadly-now-defunct Aussie label Metalicus (ideal for travel or daytrips as it scrunches up into a tiny ball to fit into a bag or tote... highly recommended if you find them either second-hand on a site like Ebay or even at stores selling clearance items like TK Maxx) to ward off the Queensland autumn's unpredictable morning chill factor. When it came to accessories, I jumped on the "ugly sneaker trend" bandwagon with a statement pair of navy neoprene babies with thick rubber soles & glitter toe caps from Wittner, looped a circular-shaped navy vinyl crossbody bag with pompom straps & silver hardware from French Connection over my head to carry all the essentials while keeping my hands free for child-wrangling, animal greeting & miscellaneous exploration, packed a few larger items such as a waterbottle & sunhat into a calico tote bag screen-printed with a black butterfly from my local Big W store & finally, put on a silver watch with oversized face & blue & white striped band from Daniel Wellington so that we wouldn't miss the start times for some of our favourite animal education shows.

Scroll down for snippets of how the day unfolded...

Flying Foxes

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Kookaburra

Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo

Corella

Galah

Major Mitchell Cockatoo

Gang-Gang Cockatoo

Male Koalas in a Territorial Tussle

Platypus

Mary River Turtle

Wombat

"Rootopia"

Grey Kangaroo

Red Kangaroo

Emu

Sheepdog Show

Can you spot the Bird of Prey?

Little Boys in Big Sky Country...

Wallabies

Reptiles

Battered Fish & Chips with Side Salad

The "Ultimate Bird Bath" for Rainbow Lorikeets

Fun Times at the Riverside Cafe

Entry to the "nature playground" & cafe is free as it is actually outside the sanctuary gates, so it's a great place to call in & have a cup of piping hot coffee & a muffin while watching the children playing in the tunnels, bamboo walkway or wooden cubby house.