Beachy Keen #1

 

*

Dress: Gorman linen, embroidery

Sandals: Saltwater Sandals leather

Bag: Retro World Collective vintage woven straw

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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

*

Finally sharing all the beautiful pictures from my recent Gold Coast beach holiday with the family! Despite the rather dire weather forecasts, we experienced mainly sunny skies & warmer temperatures (a few showers thrown in for good measure) & were able to spend our time going on long, leisurely walks both along the beach & through the park areas; swimming in the cold salty ocean water or the slightly warmer swimming pool at the holiday apartments; eating delicious food at a variety of restaurants around the Coolangatta area; shopping in handful of gorgeous, curated boutiques; attending a love-filled wedding party in the hinterland (that's a post for another day, however) & celebrating a birthday with a special little man who was turning eight at the amusement arcade.

For the first day of the trip, I wore this casual yet comfortable & so incredibly soft colour-blocked linen midi dress with thin straps & amazing three-dimensional "face" embroidery from Australian cult-label Gorman, styled up with a pair of bright red leather Saltwater Sandals, a vintage red, blue & pink pastel woven straw handbag from Retro World Collective in Uptown, Brisbane to carry all the essentials & some of my favourite silver jewellery pieces - a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles given to me by some dear friends & a single, heavy vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (formerly of Coolangatta, now Tweed Heads) that my younger brother gave me for my birthday years ago - to complete the look.

Scroll down to see how all of it unfolded... well, until the second & final installment tomorrow!

Fresh Salmon Wonton Tacos & Spring Rolls from Osushi Japanese Restaurant for lunchtime with a superb beach view from our balcony!

Happy Face in my Happy Place

*

Dress: Collectif Vintage via That Shop cotton

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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

*

By the water (& feet IN the water) as the sun begins to set wearing this sweet navy & white striped cotton wrap dress with side tie from Collectif Vintage via That Shop over my swimming togs (not pictured as it was too cold to get in the water), a pair of black & gold rubber thongs with diamante detailing from Ripcurl & my vintage Mexican silver bangle stack & single vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles still on my wrists as well. 

*

*

Top: Preview by Target linen

Shorts: Preview by Target cotton drill

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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

Sunglasses: Sportsgirl resin

Sunhat: Before Sunset woven

*

Mornings walks around Greenmount Hill to Rainbow Bay wearing a white linen singlet & matching white & green floral print cotton drill shorts with belt from Preview by Target, a pair of black & gold rubber thongs with diamante detailing from Ripcurl (better that I could remove them at any moment to dip my toes in the water), my silver jewellery pieces, retro-inspired black resin cat's eye sunglasses from Sportsgirl to keep out the glare & a brown & white woven sunhat from Before Sunset that I picked up many, many years ago now from a stall at the Brisbane EKKA & often take with me on trips as it crushes down in my bag well without losing shape & is able to be pulled out at a moment's notice to protect my delicate skin from the hot sun.

Taking a dip in the clear & cool salt water at Greenmount Beach in a navy & white spotted maillot swimsuit from Jantzen...

Brunching after beach with this utterly delicious Bacon & Egg Burger with Spicy Garlic Aioli & Lettuce from Boardriders Cafe 28, washed down with a piping hot Chai Latte...

*

Dress: Princess Highway linen

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bag: Esteems Boutique woven paper

*

"She lives on Love Street..."

Waiting patiently for yet another delicious takeaway meal & spotted this groovy mural on the wall outside a funky bohemian coffee shop & store at Kirra & couldn't resist a few little snapshots! I'm wearing a funky 1960s floral print linen pinafore with tie neckline from retro-inspired "cool girl" label Princess Highway, a pair of white, orange & blue striped rubber thongs from Ripcurl & a blue woven paper crossbody bag from Esteems Boutique to carry all the essentials & keep my hands free... probably to hold coffee... possibly.... definitely.

*

Family hijinks on the sand & at the pool with this special birthday boy who was turning eight! Check out his new blue birthday hat - chosen all by himself - from the delightful Sea Wish boutique & worn straight away & all day long...

McDonalds for a birthday meal of choice... just like this second cousin Louis at that age (although his favourite was always the breakfast!)

*

Dress: Ghanda linen

Shirt: Ghanda linen

Thongs: Ripcurl rubber

Bag: Esteems Boutique woven paper

Bracelets: Saltwater Silver silver, resin beads, charms

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

*

A penultimate finish to the festivities at TimeZone with a plethora of bright lights & sounds & racing games & shooting games & games of chance & skill! I'm all about the beachy vibe in a beautiful blue & cream sea print linen midi dress with side splits & shoestring straps with matching collared shirt from Ghanda, a pair of white, orange & blue striped rubber thongs from Ripcurl, a blue woven paper crossbody bag from Esteems Boutique that allowed me to carry around absolutely everything I needed while keeping my hands free to play all the games, a stack of white resin & silver beaded bracelets with starfish charms from Saltwater Silver in The Strand & finally, my beloved vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles.

Keep on scrolling for even more of the craziness...

Cake for the adults & choc chip mini muffins for the birthday boy & his brother as we sang "Happy Birthday" as a family & the day came to a close...

Remember to check back tomorrow for the next & final installment...

So Frenchy; So Chic

 

*

Dress: Review textured jacquard

Belt: Sacha Drake embellished organza

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: Brilliant to Broken Op Shop organza, plastic

*

Keeping it really simple & so very insouciant for a jewllery event in my beloved River City (hence the lack of any jewellery pieces - gotta leave space to try on something special!) with a navy textured jacquard drop-waist midi dress with bateau neckline & fluted hem from cult-favourite "girly" Australian label Review, styled up with black accessories in that "so Frenchy, so chic" way that was made famous by former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld. The accessories in question: a black floral embellished organza obi-style belt from designer Sacha Drake (from another stunning dress purchased a few years ago now) around the waist for added definition, a pair of black vegan leather dual buckle heels from Kitten D'Amour for a modicum of height & finally, a black floral organza evening-style pouch bag with drawstring tie & plastic beaded handle from Brilliant to Broken Op Shop in the Blocksidge & Ferguson Adelaide Street Arcade to carry all the essentials including santizer & mask.

Scroll down to see more...

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

 

*

Dress: Aje silk chiffon

Mules: Wittner suede

Bag: Sussan vinyl

Watch: Gift, Guess silver

Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver

*

A few pictures from a recent trip to the movies with my younger brother to see "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" in Event Cinema Gold Class followed by a leisurely Italian dinner at the delightful Giallo Ristorante in Carina. For the occasion, I wore a comfortable yet stylish floral silk chiffon pleated maxi dress from Australian designer Aje, a pair of black suede pointy-toed mules from Wittner for a modicum of height, a black vinyl 90s-style shoulder bag from Sussan to carry all the essentials including facemask and hand sanitizer & some chunky silver jewellery pieces in the form of a Guess watch & a hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop to complete the look.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

My verdict on the film? I enjoyed the movie despite the distinct lack of Bill Murray air time (he was probably in it 10 minutes max) although nothing can top the original film for its creativity, uniqueness & laugh-out-loud moments. The new franchise has, for me, a much darker feel & a more serious undertone, probably akin to what Dan Aykroyd was actually hoping to achieve in the 1980s but was forced to pivot to a more palatable, comedic style. Kumail Nanjiani was a definite stand-out as a slacker/grifter caught up in the supernatural hijinks (at first) against his will... 

Arancini Balls Entree

Lamb Ragou Pasta

Pumpkin Creme, Proscuitto & Cheese Wood Fired Pizza