Going To Town

 

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Dress: Topshop via Asos cotton

Jacket: Temptations Boutique cotton, viscose

Ankle Boots: Wittner matte & patent leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Country Road vinyl, satin

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Sharing all the pictures from a bright & sunny morning spent exploring the downtown area of historical Ipswich with my mother. Beginning at the "Top of Town" with its beautiful range of boutiques, we then traversed the recently revamped Nicholas Street precinct - ending up in the gardens outside the new Children's Library before heading down the hill & all the way over to the Ipswich Antique Centre in what was once the Uniting Church Central Memorial Hall on East Street for a browse around the bric-a-brac & heirloom furniture pieces. 

For the occasion, I wore a gorgeous brown & navy checked cotton midi dress with shirred bodice, leg-of-mutton sleeves & tiered hemline from British high street fashion stalwart Topshop, styled up with a beautiful patchwork-style navy, black & white jacket from Temptations Boutique at Winston Glades, a pair of matte & patent leather ankle boots with buttons (otherwise known as my "Anne of Green Gables" boots) from Wittner, 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs feeling toasty-warm & a black satin & vinyl woven-look crossbody bag from Country Road to carry all the essentials.

Scroll down to see more of how it all unfolded...

In Black & White

 

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Dress: Anthea Crawford crepe, mesh, lace

Heels: Jo Mercer leather, elastic

Bag: Swinging Chicks Shop via Etsy velvet

Cuff: Wallace Bishop silver

Bracelet: Gift, Kellie's Antiques silver, filigree

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Keeping it classic with this utterly divine monochrome crepe dress with black mesh neckline & white floral guipure lace shoulder trim from celebrated Aussie fashion designer Anthea Crawford, styled up for an event in my beloved River City with a pair of black leather & elastic strappy heels from Jo Mercer for a modicum of height & interest, a black velvet knot bag from Spanish boutique Swinging Chicks Shop via Etsy, a brushed silver cuff from Wallace Bishop & a chunky silver Victorian belcher bracelet with oversized filigree heart locket & teeny tiny key from Kellie's Antiques, given to me by a very dear friend.

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Sunflowers

 

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Dress: Sister Jane tapestry, cotton, pearl buttons

Ankle Boots: Wittner matte & patent leather

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

Bangle: Vintage, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles silver

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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There's nothing that seems brighter or happier in this world than a sunflower... after all, when they can't find the sun in the sky, they just turn to face each other, a fact that absolutely makes me melt when I think too hard about it. Imagine my surprise & delight when I found out that one of my all-time favourite labels, whimsical British design house Sister Jane, had brought out a sweet 1960s style mini-length shift dress in sunflower-print tapestry with an oversized white cotton collar & cuffs & sparkly buttons running down the front panel in their latest Asos drop! I've styled it up for a morning spent traipsing around the scenic little town of Kalbar by adding a pair of black patent & matte leather ankle boots with buttons from Wittner, 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs feeling toasty-warm, a black leather crossbody bag from hipster boutique Pigeonhole to carry all the essentials (if you read this blog enough, I'm sure you'll already know what they are) & some beloved jewellery pieces - a vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (sadly now closed at Coolangatta) & a vintage Mexican silver bangle stack given to me by some dear friends.

Scroll down to see a little more of the dress...

The Soul Trembles

I'm so elated to share pictures with you all from the transcendent experience of seeing Chiharu Shiota's immersive, large-scale exhibition The Soul Trembles at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). Highlighting twenty-five years of Osaka-born, Berlin-based Shiota's artistic practice with a plethora of transformative pieces including those fashioned from millions of fine threads that either cluster in the space or even transform into complex, spider-like webs that crawl, spill & grasp from ceiling to wall to floor, the exhibition deals with concepts including memories, dreams & silence as well as explores the fragile threads that often hold human beings - & our sense of humanity as a whole - together. For me, it truly was a transformative, emotional journey of the soul & something that was just so, so special. Truly, if you have the opportunity to see & experience it for yourself, think about doing so because you won't be disappointed. I took my parents along with me & we're still talking about it more than a week later.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

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Dress: Witchery cotton

Ankle Boots: Wittner matte leather, patent leather, buttons

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Sussan vinyl

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

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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For the occasion, I wore a gorgeous dark floral cotton midi-length dress with shirred bodice, high neckline & long, leg-of-mutton sleeves with shirred cuffs from Australian fashion stalwart Witchery, styled up with a pair of black matte & patent leather ankle boots with buttons from Wittner (unofficially known as my "Anne of Green Gables" boots), 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs feeling toasty-warm, a black 1990s-inspired vinyl shoulder bag from Sussan to carry all the essentials including mask & hand sanitizer & some of my favourite jewellery pieces - a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles gifted to me by some dear friends & a single, vintage silver bangle from (sadly now defunct) 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles, given to me by my younger brother a few years ago.

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A question of perspective...

Up from below...

After spending quite some time at GOMA, we headed towards Southbank Parklands for lunch at one of our all-time favourite haunts, Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant but on our way, we stopped to check out the brightly coloured, kitsch spectacular that was the Queensland to a T mini exhibit at the Queensland State Library showcasing the cultural significance of the artwork on souvenir teatowels from the 1950s & beyond & how textiles can be used to chart Queensland's growth & change during any given period.

One final scroll for a sneak peek at our delicious Turkish lunch:

Eggplant Casserole with Rice, Manti Lamb Dumplings with Yoghurt & Zucchini Fritters washed down with a tangy & refreshing Rosegarden Delight Mocktail... & perhaps even followed by a cheeky last-minute stop at the Gelatissimo a few doors down for a small cup of gelato (make mine Young Coconut Grove!)...