Antiquing

 

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Dress: Review cotton poplin

Belt: Review patent leather

Loafers: Pitillos via Obsession Shoes patent leather, matte leather

Bag: Nautica nylon, vinyl

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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

Cuff: Gift, Wallace Bishop brushed silver

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Finally sharing all the pictures of a day spent antiquing at some of our favourite haunts - New Farm Antique Centre & Camp Hill Antique Centre, respectively - with my younger brother & sharing a delicious, leisurely lunch together at Aji Spice House in Tenerife (the spot that was formerly Brio Breakfast Cafe with the out-of-this-world smoothies). For the occasion - an unseasonably cool day in South East Queensland - I wore a stunning large-scale black, pink & green floral cotton poplin 50s-style midi dress with wide green patent leather belt from "girly" Australian label Review, a pair of black patent & matte leather heeled loafers with tassels from a European label called Pitillos that I picked up at the wonderful Obsession Shoes at the "top of town" in Ipswich, a black nylon & vinyl crossbody bag from Nautica to carry all the essentials while keeping my hands free for rummaging & providing that extra touch of sporty-chic into the mix. When it came to jewellery, I chose some beloved pieces - a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles that some dear friends brought back from overseas, a vintage silver bangle the my brother bought me from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (once in Coolangatta, now Tweed Heads) & a brushed silver cuff from Wallace Bishop to complete the look & add some daytime shine.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

Lost & Found

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Dress: Anthea Crawford satin

Ankle Boots: Wittner patent leather

Bag: Gift, Sourpuss via Poison Arrow Ipswich patent leather with silver hardware

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver

Twisted Bangle: Pascoe Jewellers silver

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Teneriffe & Newstead are great suburbs to find funky, subversive or uplifting street art in Brisbane & this example on Vernon Terrace was too good to keep on driving past... even though my amazing "Bananarama" smoothie from Brio Breakfast Cafe was melting slightly in my car's cup holder as I posed in & around the epic staircase... I'm wearing a gorgeous stylised floral satin wiggle dress (such a stand-out piece owing to the bright white background) with v-neckline & cold-shoulder detailing from Anthea Crawford; shiny black patent ankle boots from Wittner to herald the fact that Autumn has FINALLY arrived in Queensland, albeit briefly; a sublime retro-inspired handbag with black bow & silver hardware by rockabilly brand Sourpuss, a thoughtful birthday gift from some dear friends sourced at Poison Arrow Ipswich; chunky silver hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop & thin, twisted silver bangle from Pascoe Jewellers for that touch of daytime shine.

Stepping into the sunshine for a brief moment... 

showing you the staircase from another vantage point...

The Gentry

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Dress: The Pretty Dress Company via That Shop cotton

Sandals: Wittner leather with silver buckles

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

Bangle: Shanghai Markets jade

Bracelet: Wanfu jade beads

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If you happen to read this blog a lot, you'll already know that I absolutely ADORE browsing around antique stores both near & far & have probably visited every single one in the surrounding area more than once! One of my all time favourites is a gem called Commercial Road Antiques, situated right where Fortitude Valley & the gentrified, somewhat hipster suburb of Teneriffe (best known for the Woolstore, for those old enough to remember) converge, down the road from the divine Brio Breakfast Cafe & their to-die-for smoothies & a hop-skip-jump from the mighty Brisbane River. It would follow, therefore, that a morning spent traipsing around the neighbourhood would be a real treat for me & therefore require a dress that was a little something special. Cue this adorable, vintage-inspired rose printed cotton number from English label The Pretty Dress Company that I found at That Shop in its new Carindale location (saves me that trip to Coolangatta, I suppose) which was last seen on the blog here, as my 2018 Christmas dress. This time, I styled it with a pair of comfortable yet stylish black leather heeled sandals with silver buckles from Wittner, carried a black leather handbag from funky little boutique Pigeonhole & kept my accessories simple with a matching market-stall green jade bangle & Wanfu jade beaded bracelet that my brother brought back from Shanghai a few years ago.

Scroll down to see how the morning unfolded & take a little peek at what's on offer at Brio...

Can't resist a (vintage) mirror selfie... even while everything in the store is being moved around to make way for some subtle renovation work...

Avocado on Turkish with Hash Browns

Bananarama Smoothie with Peanut Butter

Twirling by the Brisbane River