The Great Firebird

 

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Dress: Sacha Drake silk rayon burnout

Cardigan: Trottie Becke woven

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: Kitten D'Amour natural straw, resin beads

Corsage: Kitten D'Amour silk

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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

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Avid readers of the blog will already know how much I adore all things art deco - particularly the art, furniture, architecture, fashion & literature of the period - including the masterworks of the inimitable F. Scott Fitzgerald. With that in mind, it would be a foregone conclusion that I would be elated to see "The Great Gatsby" at a performance in my beloved River City & delighted to wear the slinky & stunning Firebird Dress in pink & red floral silk rayon burnout from Australian designer Sacha Drake, which certainly evokes the elan of the age in question. For the occasion, I styled it up with a vibrant red woven netting three-quarter-sleeved cardigan from Trottie Becke to ward off the chill in the air that I held in place with a purple silk corsage pin from retro-inspired label Kitten D'Amour, a pair of black vegan leather dual buckle heels & natural woven straw handbag with black resin beaded handle (also Kitten), a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles that some dear friends brought back from overseas & a single, vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles that my younger brother gave me for my birthday a few years ago to complete the look.

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Deco Darling

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Dress: Review embellished mesh

Belt: Sacha Drake embellished organza

Ankle Boots: Wittner patent leather

Clutch: Fable from Pour Mes Amis velvet, embroidery, beads

Hinged Bangle: Precious Stones Jewellers silver

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Dressing like an extra from F. Scott Fitzergerald's The Great Gatsby has long been one of my favourite things, probably because I utterly adore anything & everything art deco, flapper or 1920s... real or inspired reproduction... possibly because my name is also Frances, albeit spelled the so-called female way with an "e." When I spied this stunning little embellished number from "girly" Aussie label Review hanging in the store window, it's fair to say that my heart skipped a beat - it's pretty much the Daisy Buchanan dress of my dreams with its deep burgundy colour, all-over beading, ruffled sleeve detailing & fit-t0-flare silhouette with twirl-worthy skirt. I've styled it up to attend an "interactive" performance of the aforementioned novel by a fledgling, avant garde theatre company in Brisbane by adding a heavily embellished black organza obi-style belt from Sacha Drake to cinch the waist, shiny black patent high-heeled ankle boots from Wittner, a heavily beaded black velvet clutch from Fable, found in a gorgeous little boutique in Albury Wodonga called Pour Mes Amis, sent to me as a birthday gift by a dear friend & finally, a chunky silver hinged bangle in the shape of a wave (very 1920s with its curved edging) from Precious Stones Jewellers.