Instantly #7

For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram, here's what you've been missing...

And remember, if you do want to follow me, it's @francespenny! 

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Dress: Vintage, 1980s crepe

Heels: Emerson @ Big W patent

Clutch: Adorne silk & beads

Bunny Ears: Lovisa lace

Hinged Bangle: Gift, silver & resin

Hinged Bangle: Gift, silver & resin

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Heading out for another #monochromemonday wearing a vintage dress from the 1980s - gifted by a dear friend's mother - mixed with black patent platforms, a silk envelope clutch with tribal beading & finished off with silver & black hinged bangles for each wrist.

And because it was Easter Monday, I even got into the spirit by wearing a gorgeous pair of black lace "bunny ears" that I picked up from my local Lovisa store... CUTE!

"...I've been looking at you for a long, long time, just trying to break through, trying to make you mine; everybody wants a flame, they don't want to get burnt; well, today is our turn..."

Bonfire Heart - James Blunt (2014)

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Dress: Eve Hunter elastane & chiffon with diamante

Sandals: Simona Ricci @ Bare Traps leather & embellishment

Bag: LouenHide leather

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver & elastic

Cuff: Gift, silver Ganesh (from India)

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Playing with a fresh colour palette of navy & white with a stunning Eve Hunter elastane dress, replete with floaty spotted chiffon overlay & tiny diamante clips at the shoulders, pair of embellished white leather sandals from Bare Traps at Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre & a white leather LouenHide shoulder bag from a summertime trip to DFO Jindalee. To complete the look, a chunky silver hinged bangle & silver moulded Ganesh cuff were added. 

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Tunic: Country Road silk

Sandals: Betts for Her patent gladiators

Bag: Target vinyl

Bangle: Oxfam paper strips

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Primary colours were the order of the day with this red & blue pattern-mixed silk Country Road tunic (that would have to be about 4 or 5 years old by now) & bright yellow vinyl handbag from Target. A pair of black patent gladiators were then added to "anchor" the look. The "hero" of the ensemble would have to be the oversized, upcycled paper-strip bangle from Oxfam, which adds an element of surprise & visual interest to what is otherwise a simple combination.

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Dress: Vintage, Mexican cotton & embroidery

Slip: TS elastane

Sandals: Soft Soul @ Myer leather & patent

Bag: Adorne vinyl & studs

Scarf: Flower cotton

Bangle: Gift, vintage silver & semi-precious stone

Cuff: Wallace Bishop silver

Cuff: Gift, silver (from Southbank Markets)

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Meeting up with a dear friend from interstate wearing a vintage Mexican shift with vibrant, multi-coloured floral embroidery detail. Accessories were chosen from a light colour palette - a pair of white leather & silver patent wedges from Soft Soul @ Myer & shiny, silver vinyl handbag with studded end detail that I picked up from my local Adorne store.

Echoing the brightness of the dress' embroidery & playing up the era from whence it came, a pattern-mixed, paisley print cotton scarf from Flower was looped around one of the bag's handles & tied into an oversized bow at either end. Finishing the look were a trio of silver jewellery pieces - a brushed silver cuff from Wallace Bishop, thin silver swirl cuff (given to me as a birthday present by a friend from university) & a vintage silver & semi-precious stone bangle sent by a dear friend who lives in India.

"...call out in the instigators because there's something in the air, we've got to get together sooner or later, because the revolution's here & you know it's wise..."

Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman (1970)

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jersey

Wedges: Novo suede & rattan

Bag: Vera May patent

Bangles: Tree of Life bronze, silver & studded

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Bright & bold for a casual Sunday morning in a pixel print Anthea Crawford v-neck dress mixed with an edgy pair of black suede & rattan wedges from Novo, bright patent Vera May handbag & armful of studded bronze & silver bangles from Tree of Life. 

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Kaftan: Tiara poly-blend

Kimono: Wave Zone @ Big W chiffon

Heels: Emerson @ Big W patent

Clutch: Diana Ferrari patent

 Bangle: Gift, wooden & beaded (from India)

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More #monochromemonday madness in an eclectic ensemble, based around a 1970s white & black spotted v-neck empire-line maxi kaftan, covered with a tribal printed chiffon Wave Zone kimono (from my local Big W) - knotted at the waist - & black patent accessories including a pair of platforms & semi-circular clutch. The final touch, completing the look, was an Indian wooden & mirror-beaded bangle, shown in detail below:

And the aforementioned kaftan in all its glory...

"...I don't know if I'll survive in this magical land behind your eyes; & there's all these funny little men, asking me to dance & sing; I'm wasted..."

Wasted - Angus & Julia Stone (2007)

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jersey

Cardigan: Filo mesh

Wedges: Novo suede & rattan

Bag: Vera May patent

Bracelets: Gift, wooden beaded (from markets in China)

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"Bloomin' lovely" in this Deco-rose-patterned jersey Anthea Crawford v-neck empire line dress with black mesh Filo draped cardigan (tied up around the waist) to beat the sudden - yet very welcome - chill in the Autumn air. Black suede & rattan wedges "anchored" the look, while a bright patent handbag added yet another "pop" of colour & counterpoint to the red & pink of the print's roses. A trio of beaded bracelets from the markets in China - in shades of burgundy, tan & green - completed the look. 

...And the look without the cardigan...

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Tiara!

Christmas Party: "Cool Yule"

In which I discover the trials & tribulations of celebrity...

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Dress: Vintage, 1980s (gift from Marcus' mother)

Heels: Betts iridescent

Clutch: Target iridescent & vinyl

Necklace: Lovisa glass beaded

Wrap Bracelet: Adorne glass beaded

Dragonfly Cuff: Kellie's Antiques silver art nouveau

Ring: Gift, silver & mother-of-pearl (from Jenny)

Tiara: Butterfly Silver silver, pearl & diamante

Headband: Lovisa faux flowers

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I had plans to call this post "Cool Yule" but after the events of last Wednesday, sparked by inadvertently wearing the tiara/flower headpiece out in public, I decided to simply go with the word "Tiara!" instead. When you read on, you'll understand why...

Invited to a Frozen-themed Christmas party with instructions to dress as an "homage to one of the characters from the Disney film," I had carefully crafted an outfit that I believed either Princess Elsa or Anna would wear if they were 30-year-old fashionistas struggling to stay cool in 35 degree heat with 76% relative humidity... & if they were brunette, as I CLEARLY am. I repeat, the outfit was an homage NOT a costume & yet, craziness ensued...

My first hint that the ensemble was a success was when I hopped off the bus outside GOMA & put the tiara/flower headpiece on, thinking that no-one would notice in the midst of a bustling metropolis... I was wrong. Instantly, I was assailed by a teeny tiny person who began excitedly asking me if I was Princess Anna. Her mother, behind her, was staring intently at me & nodding like, "pleeeeeeeease play along" so I nodded back. 

Just then, a slightly older boy walked past, flanked by his older brothers & snidely remarked," Of course she isn't Princess Anna - her hair's brown. Duh!" The little girl leaned forward, took my hand & whispered, "Don't listen to him. I knew you were Princess Anna even though you're in disguise with your hair dyed. I knew it as soon as I saw your tiara. It must be because I'm pure of heart. Isn't the right, Mummy?" The mother nodded & mouthed to me, "Yes, this is my life." Seeing it was Christmas & all, I told her I was & that she was clever for figuring out my disguise before waving goodbye & starting to leave... only for her to FOLLOW! The mother actually had to drag her away, blowing kisses as she went...

Hmmmm, that was odd, I thought as I continued walking - for about 10 steps! - before being stopped by some tourists who didn't speak much English but clearly intimated that they would love for me to pose for a picture with their little girl, dressed head-to-toe in a store-bought Frozen costume. What else could I do? Smiling, I obliged...

After that, I took the tiara/flower headpiece off until I reached my destination, which was amazing & oh-so-festive with gorgeous hand-cut white paper snowflakes & little blue fairy lights & shiny silver candelabras, as well as a string quartet playing songs from the film.

Pure magic. 

In a whirl of holiday cheer, I left the venue & quickly traveled to a department store in the middle of the city to pick up a final few decorations before catching my bus, leaving my tiara/flower headpiece on in my haste... Humming carols to myself as I perused the aisles (only a few paces from where the line-up to visit Santa began) I turned around, laden with potential purchases, only to find a group of about 10 - yes, 10! - children behind me, asking if I was "one of the princesses from Frozen." 

In fact, one enterprising little boy even suspected that I might be an in-store "plant" & that perhaps if they found the princess-in-disguise who was "just shopping around like a normal person" they may win a prize - maybe even money! As a cheer rose up from the tiny mob circling around me, I kept reiterating that I didn't work for the store, I was not Princess Anna & that sadly, no one was going to win a prize; protestations that weren't believed until a woman - obviously the mother of one of the children - came over & strongly suggested that "everyone who is even THINKING about seeing Santa & telling him what they want for Christmas has better go & line up over there RIGHT NOW," leading to a mass exodus. 

Suffice to say, I took the tiara/flower headpiece off immediately & stowed it in my bag, thinking: Gee, this celebrity thing is hard!

But about the rest of the outfit...

I decided on this stunning vintage dress - a present from my friend Marcus' mother - with a drop waist & pleated skirt in a pleasing shade of mint green, took it up at the hem to expose some of the seafoam green lace petticoat & set about embellishing it with crystal & pearl trim from the haberdashery shop to create an "icicle" vibe, shown below:

Rather than my usual black patent accessories, iridescent platform heels & an iridescent & mint green envelope clutch were chosen to anchor the look. When it came to jewellery, I chose to layer on all things sparkly & opulent - silver, glass, crystal, pearl & mother-of-pearl - in order to capitalise on the waistband & shoulder trim: a long, triple-strand crystal beaded necklace, vintage crystal beaded brooch, glass beaded wrap bracelet, silver art nouveau dragonfly cuff to inject a little bit of whimy & a silver & mother-of-pearl cocktail ring. Scroll down for a closer look at all of the elements:

And now to the moment you've all been waiting for, the accessory du jour: the tiara/flower headpiece that caused such a stir among the small fry of my fair city... 

Some of you may remember this picture that I posted on the blog Facebook page a short time ago where I wearing the tiara I had just bought from the new Butterfly Silver store at the revamped Indooroopilly Shoppingtown. Well, I felt that it wasn't quite regal enough for the occasion, so decided to combine it with a faux baby's breath wreath to give it more weight & texture. My long-suffering mother sewed the two pieces together & viola! instant princess. To tell the truth, I was slightly concerned that the tiara wasn't visible enough but clearly, that turned out to be a non-issue...

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On the first day of Christmas

My true love sent to me:

A partridge in a pear tree

The following 2 decorations have been lovingly hung on the family Tannenbaum since I was a babe-in-arms & it just wouldn't feel the same without them in my line of sight as I open my presents under the tree on Christmas morning. 

#1 Baby's First Christmas

This bauble, featuring Donald Duck dressed as Santa Claus, was purchased in celebration of my first Christmas - all the way back in 1984. As a child I absolutely adored the cartoon show called Duck Tales as Donald was always my favourite Disney character, perhaps due (in part) to this humble red bauble. 

#2 Feed the Birds

This decoration was also purchased when I was a teeny tiny little girl & I have always regarded it as being connected to Mary Poppins, although I don't think it was ever intended to be. My favourite scene from that movie was always when Mary was singing to sleepy Jane & Michael about using their tuppence to feed the birds at the Cathedral, so that was probably where my young mind made the connection.

Though her words are simple & few

Listen, listen, she's calling to you

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag

Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag

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