Is This Too Boring?

This is the kind of outfit I wear all the time, but it never quite makes it on to the blog because I don’t feel like it’s interesting enough. When I was planning what 30 pieces I’d include in my capsule wardrobe for the next month, the first three items I grabbed were my denim skirt, my cons and a stripey t-shirt. So I figured it was about time I show you my VERY casual VERY common weekend outfit.

This t-shirt is actually a new purchase. I got it for $3 from the op shop attached to St Luke’s church in Mosman Park. The brand on the label is BP Studio which, according to Google is a fancy Italian brand that sells t-shirts for 100 euros, which is probably why this super soft  cotton number is a total dream to wear. I have many a striped t-shirt, but didn’t have a navy blue one yet, so this is an excellent addition to my wardrobe and perfect for slouching around Fremantle on the weekend.

Skirt: Op Shop*

T-shirt: Op Shop*

Shoes: Converse*

Belt: Op Shop

Sunglasses: Ray Ban

P.S I'm linking up with the gorgeous Vicki from The Fashionable Mum. We are sharing our fabulous thrifty finds, like my stripey $3 t-shirt! Head on over to her blog and check out the other awesome blogger bargains.

*items from my Shop What You Got capsule wardrobe!

30 Pieces in 30 Days

Hi friends! I saw something on Instagram last week challenging people ‘shop what you’ve got’ and create a capsule collection of 30 pieces from your existing wardrobe (including shoes, but not accessories). The idea is that for the month of November you only wear those 30 items. I’ve heard about this kind of thing before and have always wanted to try it. I’m a terrible consumer and LOVE buying new things consistently, so forcing myself to live off a small wardrobe and re-wear outfits more regularly will be a challenge, but I'm going to dive right in and give it a go, you should too! 

I’m actually going on holiday for the last week of November (hooray!) so I’ve decided to start the challenge a little earlier. From the 19th of October until the 18th of November I’ll only be wearing things from my capsule wardrobe of 30 pieces. Want to know what’s making up my wardrobe for the next month?

Five pairs of shoes, five dresses, six tops, six skirts and four jackets… and that’s it! I know that's only 26 things, but I'm going to allow myself four wild cards that I can add throughout the month (because I make my own rules. ha!)  

Everything can be mixed and matched and worn for both work and play, so I should manage the whole month with just these items. I’ll be sharing my journey on the blog (duh) but probably not every single outfit, so tune in to my instagram (@inthedressupbox) to see how I get on each day. If you follow the hashtag #shopwhatyougot you can see all the other people doing the challenge too! 

This is what I planned to wear yesterday (the first day of my challenge) but the weather was so awful I spent the day in my PJs watching Clueless and Grease. I'll definitely have to re-wear it sometime in the next month.

Dress: Op Shop

Vest: Op Shop

Wedges: Seed

Earrings: Lovisa

Scarf: Op shop



Wardrobe Hole

I don’t go to normal shops very often but even I couldn’t resist the lure of the Myer end of season sales recently. I get my eyebrows done at Benefit in Myer Garden City so when I showed up 10 minutes early to my appointment I used my extra time wisely and did a quick scan of the 75% off racks. And I found this dress! It’s black, it’s jersey and it’s not second hand… so it’s very different to my normal purchases, but man is it excellent. Marked down from $180 to $23, it was close enough to my usual clothing price point.

I didn’t realise my wardrobe had a massive hole in it that needed to be filled by a beautifully fitting, ridiculously comfortable plain black dress. I took this with me recently to Melbourne and wore this exact outfit for an entire day traipsing around the city shopping, I then lost the hat, swapped my boots for heels and headed out for champagne. Honestly it’s amazing. I’ve also worn it to work with a blazer and on the weekend with converse and a checked shirt. Talk about versatile!

Dress: Yttrium

Hat: Op Shop

Boots: Report

Socks: Target

Necklace: Lovisa

Sunglasses: Karen Walker

Seasonal Switch

Oh my goodness summer is definitely on its way! I know I talk about the weather a lot on the blog, but it’s the main factor I consider when getting dressed, so it’s pretty pertinent! I wore this outfit on Sunday to play lawn bowls and drink cider. It had been cloudy all morning so I was anticipating rain and wind. How wrong I was. I had to ditch the jacket and hike up my dress almost as soon as we arrived. It turns out maxi dresses and platform wedges aren’t the best attire for serious lawn bowling. Who knew? Haha.

I did a massive wardrobe clean out on Saturday and swapped over some of my winter clothes for summer clothes. I love doing this switch twice a year, I always discover things I forgot I owned, like this dress! As much as it may seem like I am always wearing a new outfit, SO much of my wardrobe gets repeated year after year. I buy bits and pieces throughout the year, but the majority of my clothes I’ve owned for many seasons and love re-interpreting them. I’ve worn this dress on the blog before but decided to add some more accessories this time around, what do you think?

Dress: Op Shop

Jacket: H&M

Hat: Op Shop

Shoes: Hobbs

Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana 

Souvenirs

What do you collect as a travel souvenir? My mum collects fridge magnets and I have a friend who buys novelty socks where ever she goes. I used to collect shot glasses (mainly because I thought it was cool) but these days whenever or wherever I'm travelling I collect vintage. 

This vest is a souvenir from my favourite city in the world, San Francisco. My parents lived there just after they were married and my grandparents have a house in Tiburon with views of the whole bay, including both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bridge. It is also home to the best vintage shops I have ever come across (I’m sure that plays a big reason as to why it’s always top of my list of cities).

I bought this fringed, furry vest for $5 at a vintage store in Haight Ashbury, the coolest corner of the coolest city in the world. It may be a totally ridiculous, utterly inappropriate piece of clothing to own, but every time I wear it I’m reminded of my various trips to this awesome city, so I’ll never part with it. It’s my little piece of SF in Perth. 

Now excuse me while I go and stare at flights to California on Webjet for a while…

Vest: Vintage

Dress: Op Shop

Boots: Report

Socks: Target

Kaftan Season

Kaftan season is nearly upon us! Do you think that's a thing? I think it definitely should be! Who doesn't want to don a brightly coloured, boldly pattered kaftan and swan around all summer? I know I do!

Unfortunately brightly coloured, boldly pattered kaftans don't really flatter anyone ever, so when I found this amazing 70s beauty in an op shop the other day I knew it was destined for a chop before I could actually wear it out of the house. 

A few minutes at the sewing machine and my maxi is now a mini! So much more wearable! I'm sinching it in at the waist with a belt and wearing boots now, but I can just imagine it in a month or so with towering wedges, a larger hat and even larger sunglasses. 

I still have the left over fabric, which is so fantastic, I'm going to have to make something with it... maybe a turban?

Dress: Op Shop

Belt: Op Shop

Boots: Tony Bianco

Socks: Target

Sunglasses: Ray Ban

Earrings: Lovisa

Travel Buddy

I don't know about you, but I get SO EXCITED about planning my travel wardrobe. I do love a challenge and putting together the perfect capsule collection of clothes to take away on a trip really pushes my buttons. I'm currently in Melbourne for a little work and a little shopping (and A LOT of eating). This is what I wore on the plane over from Perth...

It's only a three hour flight so dressing for comfort wasn't as imperative as it is on a 15 hour haul to the US, but never the less I still wanted to be comfy and stylish while gliding to Victoria. This look ticks all the boxes of my travel outfit checklist. It's stretchy and has a pattern (for when I inevitably spill something on my self), I've got a scarf to use as a blanket/pillow if need be. Socks for warm toes and comfortable shoes, a hands free bag and a hat to hide dirty plane hair (another inevitability!). 

I pretty much only ever wear this dress when I'm travelling. It's so perfect for curling up on a plane/train/car seat and trying to get a comfortable as possible. The longer length is great for warmth on a plane and allows me to be as un-lady-like as I want without fear of flashing people. Plus stripes. Stripes are always a winner! 

So there you have it, another one of my trusty travel outfits, can you spot any similarities to this one? (hint: stripes, scarf, socks, bag.. it's the same formula!). What's your go-to travel outfit? 

Dress: Op Shop

Scarf: Op Shop

Hat: Op Shop

Bag: Op Shop

Jacket: Wittner

Shoes: Report

Socks: Target