Same Same... but Different...

 

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Dress: The Pretty Dress Company cotton

Heels: Wittner patent, matte leather, grosgrain ribbon

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Belt: HellBunny via That Shop patent, elastic

Bangles: Dinosaur Designs resin

Rings: Dinosaur Designs resin

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Over the next two posts, I'll be sharing pictures of the SAME dress from English label The Pretty Dress Company - the delightful, vintage-inspired cotton Hourglass Swing Dress with its body-sculpting silhouette, cap sleeves, faux wrap neckline & flared skirt - in two very DIFFERENT prints, showing you how the choice of pattern/print can really change the look & feel of any garment. I've long said that if you love a certain item of clothing & wear it a great deal, you should consider investing in a few different colours & prints (if financially possible) & this series of photographs truly proves my point - each dress is divergent enough to look unique but has that same great feeling of a shape that I love that I know works for my body type & makes me feel beautiful.

The first outfit is based around the Ivory & Black Polka Dot version of the dress & I've styled it up for a brunch date, shopping day in the city with friends, birthday party, informal wedding or the Spring Racing Carnival; a plethora of smart casual occasions where I want to look special & "dressy" but still have the cool & casual edge of cotton fabric for the summer months in Queensland. Working with the monochrome spotted print, I cinched in the waist with a wide patent leather & elastic belt from HellBunny via That Shop to create a contour line, then added a pair of shiny, white patent heeled slingbacks with black matte leather pointy-toes & a black & pink strap for a pop of subtle colour from Aussie footwear stalwart Wittner, a black vinyl handbag with chrome hardware from French Connection to carry all the essentials & matching blush-pink resin bangles in the shape of waves & rings in the shape of coral from celebrated duo Dinosaur Designs to complete the look & add a touch of boho-chic.

Scroll down to see more...

Polka Dotted

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Top: Lee Mathews cotton, organza

Skirt: Lee Mathews cotton, organza, grosgrain ribbon

Heels: Kitten D'Amour patent, vegan suede

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Cuff: Najo via Precious Stones Jewellers silver

Bangles: Gorman resin

Mask: Oroton breathable hemp/cotton

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Hard to believe these gorgeous pictures - taken at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens after a styling job in the city - got lost in the camera-phone-to-computer shuffle but here we are, a few months later & they've been found & posted, so that's a win. I absolutely ADORE this beautiful ensemble (a thoughtful birthday gift from some dear friends) from celebrated Aussie designer Lee Mathews - an organza button-down top with cotton pockets & collar & matching elastic-waist tiered skirt with grosgrain ribbon tie belt in a darling black & creamy-white polka dotted print - that I've styled up with a pair of vintage-inspired cream patent & black suede round-toed heels with leg-lengthening t-bar strap, teeny tiny buttons & bows from Kitten D'Amour, a black vinyl handbag with chrome hardware from French Connection to carry all the essentials, a silver circular "tribal" cuff from Najo via Precious Stones Jewellers & a pair of chunky resin flower-shaped bangles from eclectic label Gorman in shades of black & cream respectively. Finally, there's the addition of what could be called 2020's hottest accessory - a face mask. This one is from Oroton & is made of a breathable hemp/cotton blend that is antimicrobial for up to thirty washes, so the investment of $29 was well worth it in my opinion, particularly if there's another "wave" of the virus & we all have to start wearing them again during the long, hot summer months. Scroll down to see a few pictures of the whole kit & caboodle. Honestly, I can't wait until we're all looking back on this sorry scenario in years to come, thinking about how awful it was to be so scared & so separated & how lucky we are to be through it & in a brand new world where people are vaccinated, protected & as healthy as they can possibly be.

Baby Doll

 

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Dress: And Other Stories via Asos jacquard

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: H&M woven straw

Hat: Fair Dinkum Bargains woven straw

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Loving all these beautiful shades of light blue that have been popping up everywhere for the summertime. Case in point: this gorgeous, duck-egg-blue floral jacquard baby doll dress with puff sleeves, tie detail & mini length from whimsical British label And Other Stories (via online fashion emporium Asos) that I've styled up with a pair of blue vegan leather art-deco inspired heels from Kitten D'Amour, natural woven straw handbag from high street stalwart H&M to carry all the essentials (it's actually surprisingly good quality; very sturdy) & a natural woven sunhat with spotted ribbon that I picked up at my local Fair Dinkum Bargains store for the princely sum of $8... perfect to protect me from the harsh Queensland sun & a bargain to boot!

Arcadia

 

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Dress: Anthea Crawford embroidered mesh, satin

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Scarf: Anthea Crawford silk

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver

Bangle Stack: Gift, Jewelled Bazaar beads

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Christmas is undoubtedly my favourite time of the year. I love everything about it from the hustle & bustle of choosing Christmas presents for those I love & wrapping them up in beautiful paper & ribbons to singing along with Christmas Carols in stores, to making all the yummy nibblies including rocky road, rum balls & apricot balls to decorating the tree, I am all about it. This year, of course, things are different due to Covid 19 & there was a part of me that felt absolutely devastated by all of the changes but then I realised that there was scope for making new traditions & seeing things from another perspective, so I dusted myself off & got dressed up to go & partake in some retail therapy & morning tea with my darling mother in one of our favourite places - Brisbane City. After spending some time looking around the stunning Brisbane Arcade, we headed over to Queens Plaza to David Jones & then on to the delightful Stanton for some sweet treats while the crowds were minimal before heading home before social distancing became difficult or impossible & stress could begin to set in. 

For the occasion, I wore a beautiful floral embroidered mesh midi dress with black satin lining & ruffled hemline from celebrated designer Anthea Crawford, a pair of lipstick red vegan leather retro-inspired heels with rounded toes & teeny tiny bows from Kitten D'Amour, a black vinyl handbag with chrome hardware from French Connection to carry all the essentials (hand sanitizer & a face mask for example) with a vibrant floral silk scarf tied around the handles (also one of Anthea's designs), a chunky silver hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop & finally, a stack of beaded bracelets - gifted to me by some dear friends - from Jewelled Bazaar, an Aussie company found on Etsy.

Scroll down to see snippets of how it all unfolded, as well as pictures of the aforementioned "sweet treats" we chose at Stanton...

New York Baked Cheesecake

Lemon Meringue Pie