Daily outfit

by

What I wore: royal purple

A few weeks back I was on my way to pick up the office’s stationery order when I passed the local Red Cross shop.  In the window was a gorgeous long-sleeved vintage 70’s dress in the most lovely shade of purple.  It was a fairly simple design, a straight skirt, boat neckline and button detail, but my eye was instantly drawn to it.  The following day I made the decision to go to the shop in my lunchbreak and pick up the dress.

Alas, when I arrived it was no longer in the window.  My heart sank when I realised that it had probably been sold, and I resigned myself to taking a quick look in the store to see if I could find a consolation purchase.  And there, on the rack with the other dresses, was my purple marvel.  Silly me!  It hadn’t been sold, they’d just changed the window display!  I snapped it up for $5 and walked gleefully back to work with my treasure.

I am wearing:

  • Royal purple vintage dress (thrifted)
  • Black boots from Ebay
  • Mrs Doubtfire pin from Amy Blue Illustration
  • Celtic knot brooch (gifted)
  • Art deco earrings (thrifted)

I wore this particular outfit for mother’s day brunch with my family.  I chose my jewellery carefully.  These two brooches are to pay tribute to two mothers who are important to me but who weren’t present for Mother’s Day this year- my late Nana Dot and my ex-mother-in-law-now-friend Judith.  The Celtic knot was a gift from Judith and I always think of her when I wear it.  I chose Mrs Doubtfire for Nan because it was a film that she loved and we used to laugh our asses off watching it together.

 
I’m thrilled with this dress.  I have very few long-sleeved vintage dresses, so this was the perfect addition to my winter work wardrobe.  The colour is superb and the slight stripe texture makes it a bit more interesting than just a block colour.  I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of this now that winter is here and the temperatures are dropping.

Advertisements
by

What I wore: no capes

It’s been a couple of years since my last cosplay.  After a stint as Tank Girl at Supanova I unintentionally took a hiatus from cosplay.  I didn’t make a conscious decision not to do it anymore, I just no longer felt excited about creating and wearing costumes.  But recently I started feeling the itch to cosplay once again.  And Free Comic Book Day presented the perfect opportunity to rock a new character costume

I’ve got a short list of characters I want to cosplay, and Edna Mode from The Incredibles was at the top of that list.  I adore Edna’s super sharp style and lightening wit.  Like so many cartoon characters, her look is simple but instantly recognisable and pretty easy to translate into a cosplay costume.

Naturally, an all-black ensemble was vital.  Edna’s outfit has an armoured look to it, and it’s very structured.  I chose this heavily sequinned dress for the bell-shaped skirt and the rough texture.  I added leather-look pants with pleated details on the knees and thighs for a tough look.

I actually bought new glasses specifically for this costume.  These are the 7001 from Derek Cardigan.  I normally go for very square or cats-eye glasses, but Edna’s frames are extremely round and heavy.  I actually really like the way these frames look and they’ve become my go-to glasses lately. It’s great to step outside your comfort zone and wear something you haven’t tried before.

Edna’s makeup was kind of tricky, because in The Incredibles she doesn’t appear to be wearing makeup. I kept my look polished and fresh, making my brows heavier and doing some more extreme contouring that I do for day-to-day.  I contoured my cheeks and around my mouth to make me look a little more jowly and shaped my nose to be a tad rounder to recreate the shape of Edna’s face. I kept my lips light with a slick of nude lipstick.

 

I picked up so many new comic books on Free Comic Book Day.  My favourite offerings were The Mall, which was a very nostalgic 80’s teen romance mixed in with a crime story.  Crush was gorgeous, a tale of a young man dealing with his first crush and I really enjoyed the lightheartedness of the Adventure Time Fiona and Cake story.  Naturally, I loved Tank Girl as well.  And the artwork in Street Angel’s Dog was unlike anything I’ve seen before.

After a very long day of standing in line, waiting in stifling shops and lugging bags of books I was grateful to jump on the train back to my boyfriend’s house.  He’s never seen me in cosplay before so that was a hilarious first for us.  I was ready for a long shower, a shampoo and a Marvel movie with the man I love.

 

I loved being Edna for the day and allowing myself to jump back into cosplaying.  I felt a bit disappointed with myself when I lost interest in cosplaying, because it used to be something that brought me so much joy.  But sometimes we grow out of hobbies that we used to love.  And sometimes we just need some time and distance, and suddenly our interest bubbles up again and we get to become reacquainted with that fun and creativity that we used to know.  And when that happens, it’s an awesome feeling.

by

What I wore: Come up to the lab, and see what’s on the slab

When Erstwilder announced that they were releasing a Rocky Horror-themed collection I was beyond excited.  The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my all time favourite films, and I adore the aesthetic of the movie.  I had no doubt that Erstwilder would do an amazing job of translating that vibe into a line of jewellery.

 

Overall I wasn’t super impressed with the Rocky Horror collection.  Unlike the Grease collection that came out last year, I thought that this collection lacked range.  There were a lot of “portrait” style brooches and fewer conceptual pieces that evoked the general feel of the film.  I felt like this collection was a lot more literal, with more actual representations of characters rather than subtle winks to the theme. There were a couple of pieces that I just flat out didn’t like (such as the Riff Raff brooch) and some that were kind of cute, but that I wouldn’t personally wear (such as the Damn It Janet nameplate necklace).  I ended up getting two brooches from the collection: the Dr Frank  and the Science Fiction Lips.

I thought long and hard about what to wear Dr Frank with for his maiden voyage.  And I thought he’d be most at home amid a sea of kisses, leather look trousers and sky high heels.

I am wearing:

– Dr Frank brooch from Erstwilder

  • Kisses blouse from Target
  • Leather look jeans from TK Maxx
  • Red rose heels (thrifted)


I bought these jeans a few weeks ago to use as part of a cosplay costume. I’ve fallen head over heels for them.  I never expected that I’d want to wear a pair of leather-look trousers, but these are just so freakin’ comfortable.  They fit like a second skin and they stretch and move with you.  They’re also incredibly warm so I expect they’ll become a part of my winter wardrobe.  They’ll be perfect for pairing with teeshirts or vintage blouses for a tough edge.  I  love them.

Did you snap up any of the Erstwilder Rocky Horror collection? Which pieces were your favourite?

by

What I wore: Benalla Shorts film festival.

I feel very blessed to be from Benalla.  Even though it’s such a small town, we have a lot going for us.  There’s the yearly Wall to Wall street art festival, a huge number of amazing cafes and restaurants, gorgeous picnic spots and the mural.  A relatively new event that’s sprung up is the Benalla Shorts film festival, which showcases short films made by local and national film makers. This year I scored tickets to the event and frocked up to attend.

 

I was very unsure about what to wear.  I wanted to be dressed up, but not over the top.  It was also absolutely stinking hot the day of the festival so I needed something that would be cool and comfortable.  So I opted for billowy, printed trousers and monochrome accessories.

 

 

I am wearing:

  • Black and white silk trousers (thrifted)
  • Black tank top from Uniqlo
  • Black patent heels from Nine West
  • Leopard print fascinator from Dangerfield
  • Art deco locket (thrifted)
  • Cubic zirconia earrings (belonged to my Nana)

 

 This turned out to be the perfect outfit to wear to the film festival. I was so comfortable and I felt confident in my monochrome ensemble.  The fascinator was a fun touch, and added the perfect amount of whimsy to the whole outfit.  I feel like without it, I’d have looked a bit more casual and that’s not the vibe I was going for.

 

The festival itself was so much fun.  The winning film was called iRony, an animated take on how technology and social media is affecting our life in a negative way.  The most impressive thing about that film is that it was hand-animated, written, narrated and produced by one person….and he’s eighteen.  I was blown away by the sophistication of the film from such a young filmmaker.  I also voted for a film called Munchies, which was an adorable claymation feature about a farmer with a snail problem.

 

I feel that my black and white outfit was perfect for a cultured afternoon of short films.  I hit the mark and didn’t feel overdone or too casual, and I was truly confident in the way I looked.

by

What I wore: Wall to Wall 2018

Every year, my home town of Benalla holds a street art festival.  For one amazing weekend every year, artists set up their paints, brushes, dropsheets and spray cans to create masterpieces on buildings and fences all over the town.  In addition to the artwork, there is live music, food trucks, market stalls and guided walking tours.

The Wall to Wall festival weekend is one of my favourite weekends of the year.  It’s so exciting to watch the artwork taking shape and trying to guess what each piece is going to be.  Last Saturday I dressed up nice and comfy to take a long, lazy walk around the main street and soak up the artwork.

I am wearing:

  • Captain Planet tee shirt
  • Denim shorts from Target
  • Converse All Star sneakers (thrifted)
  • Apple headscarf (thrifted)
  • Mistress D and Master Rick pins from Geeky and Kinky


I was particularly proud of my makeup.  It had been so long since I’d worn a Tank Girl inspired ombre red lip so I revived that look for the day.  It’s such a 90’s trend but one that I still enjoy wearing.


In addition to the street art, this year the Wall to Wall festival also features an art installation by Callum Preston called The Milk Bar.  Mr Preston has build a milk bar inside the Benalla Art Gallery complete with a Telecom phone booth and Australia Post red post box out the front.  It’s really quite incredible, as you walk inside through the plastic strip curtains you’re greeted by shelves and shelves of colourful products all lovingly hand-painted, a rack of magazines and a counter staffed by a very sweet woman with pink hair and a pinny.  I had such fun reminiscing about all the lollies that I once loved which are no longer available (remember Snap n Crackle bars?) and lamenting the fact that Bubbalo Bill ice creams seemed so much bigger when I was a kid.

The Wall to Wall festival is even bigger in 2018 than in any other year.  Best of all, the street art remains up for a full year so if you’re driving through Benalla you can stop off and take a gander.  It’s well worth the trip if you like awesome artwork in unexpected places.

by

What I wore 13/2/2018

I recently found out that a local Thai restaurant that I used to frequent is now doing all-you-can-eat banquets during the week.  So naturally my parents, my aunt and uncle and I wasted no time hopping in the car and hauling ourselves to sample the dinner fare.  And we were not disappointed.  But before I headed out for an evening of deluxe food and first-rate company, I had to decide on what to wear.

I often make the mistake of overdressing for events such as this.  It’s so easy to get carried away and winding up wearing something that’s much too much for the occasion.  For this particular dinner, I wanted to look dressed up, but not over the top.  My solutioin was to pair a fairly casual tee shirt with a simple skirt and then jazz it up with fancy hosiery and shoes.  And I think it worked a treat, don’t you?

I am wearing:

  • Cruella De Vil tee shirt from Threadless
  • Emerald green skater skirt from Princess Highway
  • Nude fishnet tights from Razzamatazz
  • Gingham heels from Scooter
  • Drop pearl earrings from Louvisa

 

 

 

Nude fishnets are one of my most favourite types of legwear.  They look effortlessly vintage, they go with every colour and they are so easy to wear.  These ones have lasted me so many years and they’re ideal to wear in summer when you don’t want to be completely bare-legged but it’s too hot to don full stockings.

I was so comfortable and cool in this outfit, but I still felt dressed up enough for dinner out with the family.

 

by

What I wore: Breaking the rules

My 30×30 challenge isn’t over yet.  However, I’ve been home sick for a couple of days and I felt like I needed a pick me up. And breaking out of my capsule wardrobe felt like the ideal way to do that.  I needed a jolt of colour, something fun to make me feel like myself again after days in bed.

Last weekend a friend dropped around a bag of clothes for me.  She’d been cleaning out her wardrobe and brought over her cast-offs for me to look through.  One of the items in the bag was a gorgeous teal body-con dress. I instantly fell in love with the colour and the draped shoulder detail, but I was nervous about actually wearing this dress.  I tend to shy away from body -con styles because I find them incredibly intimidating.  I don’t like clothes that cling and show off all my curves and swerves.  I always feel a bit…exposed in body-con cuts. But as the temperature continued to climb this week, that teal wonder was whispering to me, tempting me to give it a whirl.

 

The final push I needed came in the form of Dia&Co’s Try-Day Friday challenge.  Every week on Instagram and Facebook, Dia&Co put out the call for followers to wear something that scares them, to try wearing something that they feel a teensy bit intimidated by.  I’m a huge believer in trying new things and taking leaps when you feel a bit stagnant.  And after a few days of feeling unwell and the tail-end of my 30×30 challenge, the Try Day Friday message was a wakeup call to me.  I threw on the pretty teal dress and rocked it.

I am wearing:

  • Teal body con dress from 7 Angels
  • Vintage tan sandals
  • Silver hoop earrings

I’m so glad that I took the Try Day Friday challenge and gave this dress a chance.  While it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, I felt summery and cool in my slinky little dress.  The bright colour was ideal for the hot weather and I felt proud of myself for trying it out.  It’s been a long time since I’ve worn something this far out of my comfort zone, and it kind of helped me to feel like myself again after what I’ve felt has been kind of a low-key month in the style department.