(Wo)man in Black

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Dress: Carla Zampatti crepe

Mules: Gorman calf hair

Bag: French Connection suede with silver hardware

Wrap Bangle: Gift, Commercial Road Antiques vintage buffalo horn

Cuff: Gift, Commerical Road Antiques vintage buffalo horn

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Avid readers of this blog will already know about my deep & abiding love for vibrant colours & funky prints; to be totally honest, they are my "happy place" when it comes to choosing clothes that capture (what I believe is) the REAL me. That being said, I've also started to reintroduce block colour into my wardrobe, as well as shades of black & white... & I'm relishing the chance to wear something a little different & a bit more subtle. This stunning black crepe sheath dress with attached cape detail from celebrated Aussie designer Carla Zampatti is truly exceptional; a piece that could exist in my wardrobe season after season, year after year. It is timeless & classic; the perfect "investment" piece & quite frankly, the ultimate splurge. I've styled it up with a pair of leopard print calf-hair mules with cylindrical black heels from Gorman, a boxy black suede handbag with oversized silver handles from French Connection & a matching vintage buffalo horn wrap bangle & chunky cuff that I discovered at Commercial Road Antiques to attend a recent Tex Perkins tribute performance to "The Man in Black" himself, Mr Johnny Cash... it just seemed like a match made in fashion heaven & a line that I am more than willing to walk...

Jane Eyre

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Dress: Anthea Crawford guipure lace, satin

Sandals: Jo Mercer leather with chrome buckles

Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware

Scarf: Gift, tie dye silk (from Salamanca Markets)

Bangles: Autograph Fashion chrome

Ring: Inkuku Fair Trade onyx

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"I am no bird & no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."

Finally sharing all the pictures of an outfit that I styled up to attend a recent performance of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC). Despite being written in 1847, the gothic masterpiece depicting the life & passionate romance of spirited & courageous orphan-turned-governess Jane & the brilliant yet brooding Rochester at the foreboding Thornfield Hall remains both searingly relevant & bitingly pertinent for today's audience, dealing with issues of feminism & gender, love & lust, freedom & entrapment, traditionalism versus modernity, as well as the abuse of power within the religious & wider community. This particular iteration - a spectacular rendition faithfully retold yet fiercely original, as expected of the nationally-recognised Shake & Stir Theatre Company - was nothing short of a revelation & in my opinion, certainly did justice to Bronte's original work, interestingly enough first published under the "masculine" nom de plume of Currer Bell.

With all that in mind, I donned a more streamlined silhouette than usual in the form of a vibrant green floral guipure lace shift dress with black satin lining from celebrated Australian designer Anthea Crawford, a pair of black leather heeled sandals with chrome buckles from Jo Mercer, a black vinyl barrel handbag with chrome hardware from French Connection with divine green & blue tie dyed silk scarf (gifted to me by a dear friend who saw it at the Salamanca Markets & thought I would love it) wrapped around the handles for a pop of brightness, a pair of chunky woven chrome bangles from Autograph Fashion & finally, a square cocktail ring made from faceted black onyx that I picked up many years ago now from a store called Inkuku Fair Trade.

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Blue Jean Baby

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Overalls: Retro Metro Paddington vintage denim, silver hardware

Tee: Country Road organic cotton

Vest: Gorman quilted denim

Mules: Wittner suede

Sunglasses: Sportsgirl resin

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... & here's why you should "never say never..." 

I'm wearing a pair of blue denim overalls, the same kind that I wore when I was four years old & attending kindergarten, rocking the very same haircut & quite frankly, I am here for this kind of cyclic fashion... This pair, however, are an amazing vintage American find from Retro Metro Paddington, worn with a clean white boyfriend-style organic cotton tee from Aussie fashion stalwart Country Road, quilted denim Asian-inspired vest covered in elephant-shaped teapots with an oversized wooden toggle closure from Gorman, black suede mules with a mid-sized heel from Wittner to give me a little bit of height & a pair of chunky clear resin sunglasses from Sportsgirl to keep my eyes protected from all the dust in the air at present.

Mighty Oaks

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Dress: Trelise Cooper textured jacquard

Heels: Wittner satin, leather

Bag: Nine West textured vinyl with gold hardware

Headpiece: La Plume de Fleur faux flowers, gumnuts

Hinged Bangle: Disney Couture gold, resin

Bangle with Charms: Disney Couture gold, resin

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For my final look from this year's Spring Racing Carnival, I was all sweetness & light! To attend an event celebrating Oaks Day (otherwise known as Ladies Day) I donned a gorgeous confection of a dress covered with pink & white stripes & made from rose-textured jacquard, cut into a "cupcake" shape with a faux wrap bodice from New Zealand designer Trelise Cooper's newest collection, dainty light pink satin mules with gold heels that for some reason make me think of Katherine Hepburn/Grace Kelly's character Tracy Lord & her high-class-house-slippers in that old movie, "The Philadelphia Story" from Wittner, a metallic gold vinyl shoulder bag with metal chain strap from Nine West to carry all the essentials & a pair of whimsical Disney Couture jewellery pieces that I've had for a few years now & are still among my most favourite things - a gold & resin hinged bangle depicting the castle, pumpkin carriage & wishing well from "Cinderella" & a chunky gold & pink resin bangle with Cheshire Cat charms from "Alice in Wonderland." Completing the look was a stunning Australiana faux floral headpiece replete with actual gumnuts (!) from the divinely talented La Plume de Fleur that I was lucky enough to find out about on Etsy. Seriously, the workmanship is unparalleled; people were actually legitimately shocked that the flowers weren't real... & the best part is that because they're faux, I can keep them forever.

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