Franny Gets Festive (part 1)

 

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Dress: Maiocchi cotton

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Brooch: Gift, handmade resin

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The three main days of Christmastide - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day - are always a crazy whirlwind of organization, preparation & let's face it, procrastination because as soon as it's here, it's over for another twelve months but this year, I've tried to savour every single moment of this quieter, socially-distanced season. For a Christmas Eve morning spent "playing postman" with festive treats & thoughtful gifts (if I do say so myself...) I donned a gorgeous, vintage-inspired white cotton shift dress with "angel sleeves" from Aussie designer label Maiocchi that I styled up with a pair of lipstick red vegan leather heels from Kitten D'Amour & a chunky, red resin heart brooch that a dear friend made for me a few years ago. The whole look is very olde worlde, which is (as you may already know) one of my biggest sartorial inspirations or, as a friend of mine said when she say the pictures on Instagram, "you look like you're about to be sent to the guillotine in Marie-Antoinette-era France, which is that aesthetic that you love..." She wasn't wrong.

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Palm Trees & Red Leopards

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Dress: Retrospec'd cotton

Sandals: Jo Mercer leather, chrome buckles

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Belt: HellBunny via That Shop patent, elastic

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver

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These pictures were taken less than a month ago & already the world has changed so dramatically that for many people, it's almost unrecognisable. I'll admit that on this particular day I was just getting a few things from a local shopping centre with my father & took for granted our time spent sitting & sipping gelato milkshakes before snapping these few sweet pictures outside on the amazing palm-tree-swing set up but looking back on it, it's little things like this that I can't wait to get back to when this is all over. Sweet smiles, happy moments. 

Truth be told, this COVID 19 (coronavirus) stuff is all very frightening, confusing & distressing & it's hard not to get bogged down in feelings of hopelessness or despair when it comes to the medical & economic implications of all that we're seeing & hearing in the media on a near-constant basis & I wanted to address that here for all of my readers who may be wondering why I'm continuing to post what could be considered "frivolous" posts about fashion & lifestyle when it seems like the world is falling apart around our ears... I hope that my little part of the internet where I share with you what I wore & what I did is something that you can draw inspiration from, relate to in some small way or even peruse to pass the time & I really don't want that to change if at all possible. There are plenty of media outlets where the best information & advice can be found regarding our new reality or where there are forums to discuss all manner of issues resulting from the fallout & I would prefer that this become/remain a place of sanctuary where - however briefly - we can all find a few minutes quietude or at least distraction. I know there are many other fashion & lifestyle bloggers who are thinking along the same lines & hopefully, together, we can bring some semblance of peace while we pray that this too shall pass.

In these snapshots, I'm wearing a gorgeous, retro-inspired red leopard printed cotton fit-to-flare dress from Retrospec'd cinched in with an elastic bow belt from HellBunny via That Shop, a pair of black leather sandals with mid-heels & chrome buckles from Jo Mercer, a black vinyl handbag from French Connection to carry all the essentials & finally, a chunky silver hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop for some daytime shine.

Cobalt from the Blue

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Dress: Anthea Crawford guipure lace

Sandals: Wittner leather with silver buckles

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Scarf: Anthea Crawford silk

Beaded Bracelets: Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant silver, beads

Ring: Gift, Chapel Hill State School Fete silver, bead

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Cobalt blue (or electric blue, as it's sometimes known) has long been a welcome part of my wardrobe repertoire for quite some time & shows no signs of abating. In fact, it's a trend that we keep seeing in fashion magazines or on runways season after season, year after year. Case in point: this gorgeous guipure lace midi dress from Aussie designer label Anthea Crawford that was given to me by a dear friend around four or five years ago & is still going strong... showing that if you are able to purchase/choose quality, it is certainly an investment worth making. I've styled it up here for a morning of concierge shopping with a group of lovely ladies by adding a pair of black leather heeled sandals with silver buckles from Wittner & a matching black vinyl cylindrical handbag from French Connection with a floral & striped mixed print silk scarf (also from Anthea Crawford) tied around the handles for added flourish. When it came to jewellery, I layered up with an armful of "evil eye" beaded bracelets from Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant & a finished with a silver & "evil eye" ring on my finger that I picked up at a little stall at the Chapel Hill School Fete a few years ago.

Marinara Sunday

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Dress: Sylvester by Kate Sylvester jacquard

Heels: Carvela by Kurt Geiger suede

Bag: Review textured vinyl with gold hardware

Brooch: Gift, Erstwilder resin

Bracelets: Blake & Taylor upcycled buttons

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Finally sharing all of the gorgeous pictures from a Sunday lunch with family at one of my favourite places to eat in all of Brisbane, Marinara Cafe & Restaurant at Hawthorne, where they serve some of the most delicious Italian comfort food I've ever tasted among beautiful traditional decor. The service & atmosphere is also amazing - it's such a positive & happy place to be (& this is coming from someone who's seen it both on a VERY busy night around Christmas time & quieter daytime lunches) that you actually feel yourself smiling ear to ear as though you are around old friends. With all of the current issues surrounding social distancing & isolation, I'm currently planning my next takeaway meal, drooling as I do so...

But I digress.

For the occasion, I kept it simple yet sweet with a gorgeous gold & navy leaf-printed jacquard drop-waist baby-doll dress with drawstring detailing from Sylvester, designer Kate Sylvester's diffusion line for David Jones mixed with a pair of navy blue suede mid-heels from Carvela by Kurt Geiger for some added height to balance out the silhouette of the dress & a vibrant yellow textured vinyl handbag with sweet bow & gold hardware from Review, gifted to me by a dear friend a few Christmases ago. When it came to jewellery, I took the opportunity to wear my new Erstwilder resin brooch in the shape of a little bluebird carrying a sweet "love note" in his beak & finished the entire ensemble with a pair of upcycled vintage button bracelets from Blake & Taylor in Paddington.

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Garlic Pizza

Baked Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli

Tuscan Baked Salmon

Brooch Lovers Anonymous...

Like Mother, Like Daughter, I guess!