Cleo

 

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Dress: Sacha Drake embroidered mesh, satin

Slingbacks: Gorman vegan metallic leather

Bag: Sussan woven paper

Bangle: Gift, Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Shop silver, gold

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Those who know me well in real life or are long-time readers of this blog will already be aware that as well as fashion & antiquing, I absolutely adore archaeology, paleontology & anthropology, so was obviously elated to be invited to an event celebrating all things Cleopatra, Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt from 51-30 BC, shrewd political operator & famed lover of Mark Antony... with one of the most bizarre (alleged) suicides - by asp! of all things - in the ancient world. For the occasion, I decided to dress with an Ancient Egyptian sensibility in mind (clearly tweaked for modern sentiments, of course) with a stunning floral embroidered mesh shift dress in metallic gold & light green with darker green satin slip beneath, embroidered straps (added by me) & a tie belt from Australian designer Sacha Drake, metallic gold vegan leather slingbacks from Gorman for a touch of daytime shine, a green woven paper shoulder bag from Sussan to carry all the essentials & a single silver & gold scarab hinged bangle from the Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shop in the 1990s that a dear friend brought back & decided to pass on to me.

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Keep scrolling for flatlay pictures...

Like A Rolling Stone

 

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Dress: City Chic cotton

Camisole: Witchery microfibre

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: Cotton On upycled polyester quilting

Bangles: Tree of Life woven thread

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Finally sharing all the gorgeous pictures of the vibrant ensemble that I styled up to watch the new Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," which I had (admittedly) been waiting to see for quite some time as I'm a big-big-BIG-fan who knows all the words to practically every single one of his songs & has had the immeasurable pleasure of watching him perform live when he toured Brisbane a few years ago. But I digress... the outfit... Starting with this amazing boho/circus/carnival print cotton midi dress with deep v-neckline, voluminious puff sleeves & nipped-in waist from City Chic, I added a black microfibre singlet from Witchery that I've had for at least fifteen years now for a bit of modesty, a pair of bright lipstick red vegan leather wedge heels with white stitching from retro-inspired label Kitten D'Amour for a modicum of height, an upcycled polyester quilted crossbody bag from Cotton On in the same shade of red as the shoes to carry all the essentials & finally, a stack of multi-coloured & multi-patterned threaded bangles from Tree of Life to complete the look.

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So what was my verdict on the film?

I absolutely ADORED it... & not just because I am (as we've previously established) a huge fan of the artist himself. It was a really smart idea to only focus on a few years of Dylan's life between 1961 and 1965 - as per the book the film was based on, "Dylan Goes Electric!" by Elijah Wald - as it meant that the subject matter wasn't rushed & could be (somewhat) fully explored. This was, as they say, for better or worse as the film didn't sugarcoat some of the more difficult moments or so-called bad decisions of Dylan's life but also showed his humanity, his genius & his mastery of the craft. The moments between Dylan & Woody Guthrie are particularly poignant, as are those early-on with Pete Seeger, who was my surprise favourite individual of this clear ensemble piece. Edward Norton was an absolute revelation & both when he is commanding his audience during the singing of "Wimoweh" and when he is quietly and with great humility realising that this young up-&-comer who he has championed has, in fact, achieved his personal dream of bringing folk music to the masses, it actually brings a tear to the eye. Timothy Chalamet is, of course, utterly mesmerising & completely believable as the master himself, as is Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez. Clearly, there aren't enough superlatives to express how much I truly loved this film & that's even without giving away (well, as much as you can when it comes to a biopic) the explosive ending...

Keep scrolling to check out one of my latest flatlays, featuring the aforementioned outfit as well as my precious vintage Dylan vinyl, a book of 100 song lyrics that my brother gave me a gift for a birthday a few years ago & some circus-themed retro items that dear friends have gifted me for various special events over the years, knowing of my deep & abiding love - since childhood - of the Big Top...

Pink City Heatwave

 

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Dress: Pink City Prints via Restyld Co cotton

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: Cotton On upcycled polyester quilted

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As the rain continues to pour outside my window, I'm thinking back to much warmer, much sunnier days in South East Queensland... a mere couple of weeks ago! On that occasion, I was endeavouring to "beat the heat" as I headed out to the shops in a gorgeous pink, red & white Indian block cotton maxi dress with tie straps from Pink City Prints that I picked up secondhand (at a third of the original sale price!) from Restyld Co in Paddington, a pair of lipstick red vegan leather wedge heels with t-bar straps & white stitching from Kitten D'Amour for a modicum of height & a matching upcycled polyester quilted crossbody bag from my local Cotton On store to carry all the essentials while keeping my hands free.

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