For the Love of... Fashion

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard

Belt: Forever New silver & beads & pearls

Heels: Wittner leather with silver hardware

Bag: Olga Berg patent with silver hardware

Cuff: Gian Paolo Maria via Lannah Dunn silver, beads, crystals

Ring: Swarovski silver, crystals

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Finally posting all of the outfit pictures from my pre-Valentines Day Masterclass with some lovely ladies who were all searching for a romantic yet non-traditional outfit to wear on the ubiquitous "love day," as the hashtags on Instagram would attest. 

The idea of styling up something "outside the box" really appealed to me in this instance, as I'm not so big on the "commercialised" version of the day, believing instead that you should tell the people that you love (significant other, best friends, family members, furry photobombing interlopers) how you truly feel on a day-to-day basis with kind words & empathetic actions rather than waiting for some pre-ordained time with some overpriced flowers, teddy bears & chocolates. (What can I say? I loathe a holiday mark up... unless it's Christmas, then I can't stop myself... Yep, I'm a myriad of contradictions wrapped in one tiny 5 foot package...) The historical notion of the day is another story altogether, as the story of a Priest - Saint Valentine of Terni - who was martyred on the 14th of February 273 AD (during the reign on Emperor Claudius Gothicus) for providing aid to & agreeing to marry Christian couples who were being persecuted in Rome is something that should be remembered & his subsequent Sainthood celebrated.

But I digress.

After thinking long & hard about outfit options for my clients, it was then time to start thinking about what I was going to wear. It can be difficult to dress for these kinds of occasions & events as you really want to look to put together & professional while being true to your own style & showing the client that they can trust you to dress them in their own (possible incongruent or opposing) style... Yep, it is a veritable minefield; kind of like being on a perpetual job interview... 

As usual, it was my all-time favourite Australian designer, Anthea Crawford, to the rescue with this absolutely beautiful pale silver & lavender "flower scribble" jacquard dress with v-neckline, nipped in waist & structured fit-to-flare skirt with mullet hemline for body & movement. I removed the grosgrain ribbon & opted for a little more daytime sparkle with a thin silver & pearl beaded belt from Forever New, a sentiment echoed in the choice of shiny silver leather heels with t-bar strap from Wittner & grey patent boxy handbag with silver hardware from Olga Berg, purchased from a little boutique at Sunnybank Plaza called LaOnda that also carries an absolutely beautiful collection of "event" shoes. When it came to jewellery, less was definitely more, so I opted for a divine silver cuff encrusted with beads & crystals in varying sizes that was handmade in Paris (found at the Lannah Dunn boutique in Tattersall's Arcade, Brisbane) & matching silver & Swarovski crystal cocktail ring to add the perfect finishing touch.

Scroll down for even more images of this look in its entirety...

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Back to School

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jersey & organza

Heels: Novo leather mules

Bag: Vintage, Alma Creatzoni woven with gold hardware

Hinged Bangle: Vintage, MOMA silver & gold

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Avid readers of this blog will know that I was never particularly enthusiastic about going to school. Sure, I did rather well, received a great OP score (it's a Queensland thing), went on to achieve a Bachelors degree at university & made some dear friends that I'm still close with as an adult... but quite frankly, I absolutely detested the whole "institutionalised" day-to-day process... & the uniforms. (Tablecloth is quite the understatement where they're concerned!) To be honest, I think I just loved the tight bond that I shared with my mother, father & younger brother at home & didn't see any need to venture into the outside world. We sang songs, drew pictures, created art, played in the sandpit & engaged in imaginative play all day long in some kind of kiddie utopia full of wonder & magic...

 Therefore, it's quite a shock to some people that I adore Roald Dahl's scholarly telekinetic heroine, Matilda Wormwood, who is desperate to go off to school (away from her awful parents) & fill her acquiring mind with all manner of textbook-proffered facts & figures, but to me, it's rather simple: Matilda is exceptional. Matilda celebrates children of differing intellectual abilities by championing the attributes that make them unique. Matilda loves & admires her kind, supportive teacher, Miss Honey, who seeks to instill a lifelong love of learning in her students. Matilda hates injustice of any kind. Matilda is appalled by the actions of the revolting Miss Trunchbull - who makes examples of students she deems "inferior" - seeking to remedy the toxic atmosphere she has created by exacting a form of non-violent "supernatural" revenge, ridding the school (& the downtrodden Miss Honey) of her abhorrent & domineering presence forever! 

Basically, Matilda stands for natural justice in an unjust world, which I have always found appealing. I must have read the book a hundred times & watched the Danny DeVito directed film at least as much, so I was excited to see its newest incarnation: a musical phenomenon written by Dennis Kelly with music & lyrics by Tim Minchin. The production certainly lived up to the hype - it was slick & polished, full of wicked wit & rambunctious, catchy musical numbers & most of all, felt imbued with the spirit of the heroine's original, inimitable creator.

When it came time to dress for the matinee, I decided to go with the theme & wear what I would describe as a stylish homage to a school uniform. Instead of my usual florid floral patterns, I chose an Anthea Crawford dress with navy jersey bodice & horizontal striped organza fit-to-flare skirt with grosgrain ribbon tie, mixing it with a pair of gold mule-style heels from Novo for height & bright yellow, vintage woven bag with front flap detail made by Alma Creatzoni in Italy & discovered at the Ipswich Antique Centre for a cute take on an old-fashioned book satchel... & a pop of primary colour! Jewellery was kept simple with a retro silver & gold scarab hinged bangle that a dear friend bought many years ago at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City & was kind enough to pass on to me.

Scroll down for another look at the entire ensemble...

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Sundaze

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Dress: Vintage, homemade cotton

Slides: Wittner leather & silver

Anklet: Sabah Lifestyle, shell & bead & twine

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Spending this Sunday trapped indoors due to the stifling, lingering heatwave that Queensland is currently experiencing so I am looking back to this time last week when I was enjoying a lazy, hazy, crazy Summer afternoon with my best friend & her two growing boys. These quick little pictures were taken in her parents' lush & verdant back garden, where we were endeavoring to find things both "alive" & "not alive" for a certain person's third grade science homework (there's no minute like the last minute, am I right?) & I'm keeping it simple in a green & white nautical printed cotton trapeze style dress that I picked up at the Ipswich Antique Centre, white "cushioned" leather slides with molded silver heels from Wittner (giving me a bit of height without a towering heel) & a single shell, bead & twine anklet that I found at Sabah Lifestyle boutique in The Strand, Coolangatta while on September holidays & just HAD to have.

Scroll down for a sneak peek at how the afternoon unfolded...

Big Brother looking so grown up at 8 years old!

I just can't believe how quickly time passes.

And some fun with Little Brother back inside the house...

Such a cheeky little munchkin at 2! Apparently he's wearing a "hat."

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