Legally Blonde

Mum and I went to see the WAAPA production of Legally Blonde a few weeks ago. It’s a bit of a tradition of ours, seeing the mid-year musical theatre students perform and MAN were they incredible (just like they are every year). I love the movie Legally Blonde so I was really interested to see how it translated to theatre, it was completely fantastic and so much fun to watch. I really wanted to jump up on stage and start singing and dancing with them.

Back when I was a bright-eyed 17 year old I harboured grand dreams of going to WAAPA to study acting. Unfortunately my lack of talent got in the way, so I settled for being part of the University Dramatic Society while I studied something much more sensible… arts (hahaha joke’s on me). The shows we put on were some of the funnest and funniest times of my life. I skirted around the edges of each production, as part of the chorus or as a minor character with a few lines to remember. I was mesmerised and inspired by the hilarious, witty, exuberant people around me. Watching the WAAPA students reminded me so much of that, you could see how much fun they were all having on stage and it was so infectious. Even in the midst of an awful head cold I came out of the theatre buzzing and wishing the show went on all night.

As it was Legally Blonde I obviously had to wear something pink, my first choice was a newly op shopped Lisa Ho strapless dress, but alas, the weather was particularly awful that night and silk chiffon probably wasn’t the wisest choice. My back up dress being this vintage Laura Ashley number, which did the job perfectly and was very cosy when paired with my navy Alannah Hill trench.

Dress: Laura Ashley, Claremont Vinnies $8

Coat: Alannah Hill, Salvos O’Connor $12

Shoes: Seed*
Sunnies: Pared

Brooch: Op Shop

*I had intended to wear my pink suede heels with this outfit, but on the night of the show I forgot my shoes (don't ask) and had to make do with these leopard flats which were luckily lurking in my car. Moral of the story? Storing several pairs of shoes in the boot of your car is clever not weird.

 

 

P.S WAAPA put on heaps of shows throughout the year. Mum and I have been to many of them over the years and they are always fantastic, plus the tickets are so cheap for the quality of the performance. You can see their list of productions here, I’d definitely recommend them!

Travel Outfit - Two Ways

Something slightly different on the blog today… You know how I mentioned in this post that I’m going on holiday to Queensland and Queenstown so I need to pack a very versatile wardrobe to combat the two different climates? Well this stripey cotton dress is the first thing going into my suitcase and I’m going to show you how I plan to style it for the sun and the snow. The dress was recently gifted to me from a lovely friend who regularly culls her fabulous wardrobe and gives it to me (hooray!). It’s so comfortable and versatile, as soon as I slipped it on I knew it would be a perfect piece for my travel wardrobe. Here’s the dress on its own…

and then worn two ways...

So easy to style right?  Look number one is how I’ll wear it in Queensland, relaxed and dressed down. Perfect for wandering around the Sunshine Coast and catching up with my friends and Luke’s family. My converse and denim jacket are my travel staples, they basically come with me whenever I go away.

Look number two is for a day in snowy Queenstown. Layered up with super thick tights, my long wool coat and a cosy beanie I think I should be warm enough to survive the cold. I’ll also probably wear some gloves but I can’t for the life of me find mine, hopefully they turn up before we fly off on Friday, otherwise I’ll have to buy a new pair while I’m over there!

When I’m packing for travel I try to include simple outfits which can be changed easily with different accessories. It’s amazing the difference a sparkly necklace and a cute hat can make to a basic dress!

Outfit 1

Dress: Hand me down (thanks Gerri!!)

Jacket: Salvos Osborne Park $15

Necklaces: Op Shop $3 each

Hat: Op Shop

Bag: Anglicare Fremantle $7

Shoes: Converse

Sunglasses: Karen Walker

Outfit 2

Dress: Hand me down

Jacket: Salvos O’Connor $12

Fur trim: Asos

Tights: Leona Edmiston

Boots: Tony Bianco

Beanie: Hand made

Sunglasses: Ray Ban 
Clutch: Salvos Mt Hawthorne $4

P.S that first picture reveals my outfit photo secret... I'm terrible at doing my own makeup and hair so I almost always cover up dodgy hair/tired eyes with a killer sunnies/hat combo!

Spin the Pin

Today I’m doing a bit of a twist on my usual Street Style Steal posts. The lovely Jo from iCurvy launched her own monthly style challenge, which is fairly similar to my idea but encourages everyone to give it a go (damn why didn’t I think of that?!). So I thought this month I would join in the fun and Spin the Pin. Basically Jo selects an image from Pinterest and then asks people to put their own spin on the style. This month the challenge is to reinterpret this image from Not Dress As Lamb…

Boy oh boy do I love mixing prints, this challenge is right up my alley! Here’s my interpretation:

I really love this outfit, it was so fun to wear! I started with my newly thrifted tribal print skirt and then added some stripes and a leopard scarf. Mixing prints is pretty easy to pull off, you just need to keep the patterns tonal. My denim jacket anchors the three different prints and stripes basically go with everything, so as busy as this outfit looks it was actually very simple to put together.

I HAD to include my new Karen Walker sunnies with this outfit as well, just another pattern to throw into the mix! You’ve probably noticed I have a somewhat large collection of sunnies, they are truly my weakness. I hardly ever buy them full price though and I was lucky enough to nab these new season Karen Walkers for $80 from eBay. Talk about a bargain, I just couldn’t resist!

What do you think? Will you Spin the Pin this month and giving pattern clashing a go?

Skirt: Good Sammies Subiaco $5

Top: Bindaring Red Cross sale 50c

Jacket: Salvos Osborne Park $15

Scarf: Brooklyn flea market

Clutch: Red Cross Duncraig $8

Shoes: Marni, eBay

Sunglasses: Karen Walker, eBay

New Friends

 

I had the absolute pleasure of enjoying breakfast with the lovely Em from the Illusive Femme last weekend. Em has been blogging for about the same length of time as me, and while I've seen her out and about at various events and been an avid follower of hers on social media, we’d never met properly so it was really nice to have a chat over coffee and bircher.

Em is also a finalist in the Kidspot Voices of 2015, she was a finalist last year too so I was eager to catch up and pick her brain about what the competition actually involves. It was also nice to just have a general chat about Perth and style and blogging. One of the things I love about blogging is how many like minded people it’s brought into my life. Through In The Dress Up Box I’ve been able to meet and connect with all these wonderful people who have the same interests, passions and ideas as me. Every time I meet a new blogger friend I always find myself thinking WHY HAVEN’T WE BEEN FRIENDS FOR YEARS? The Perth blogger community is quite close knit but I’m definitely guilty of not making the most of these wonderful creative people. I really should put in more effort to get out there and meet more of them, because every time I do I come away exploding with new ideas and lovely new friendships.

When meeting another style blogger the pressure is always on to look appropriately chic but not like you’ve tried too hard (the impossible dream!). I was desperate to wear my new vintage patchwork leather skirt, so I built at outfit around it, throwing on all the weekend essentials (stripy t, hat, scarf, boots, sunnies) and waltzing out the door. Em complimented me on my skirt so I'm going to chalk this one up to a win!

Skirt: Claremont Vinnies $10

Top: Op Shop

Scarf: Claremont Vinnies $5

Hat: Vintage, eBay

Boots: Tony Bianco

Sunglasses: Pared Eyeware

PS Em and I put our heads together and came up with some ideas for an awesome collaboration (another blogger buzz word!), I'm so excited!!

Goyard or Garbage

What do you think of my Goyard tote? I bought two of these (the other one is a white pattern and slightly smaller) from Claremont Vinnies for $4 each. I thought the original  ones were leather so I didn't think these were the real deal, but liked the style anyway (and one can never have too many tote bags), hence I bought them home. BUT after doing quite a bit of Google research, I think I have actually stumbled on the real thing. It's definitely not the first time I've found designer gold at Claremont Vinnies, but I was still pleasantly surprised! 

I don't necessarily think they are worth the $1000 price tag, but my two Goyard totes have been extremely useful. They are perfect for lugging around all my stuff (camera, multiple pairs on sunglasses, iPad... all the essentials). I actually didn't plan to include the bag in these pictures, but seeing as I was actually using it with this outfit anyway, I thought I may as well. 

This is one of my extremely comfortable weekend brunch outfits by the way. Layering skinny jeans under a dress isn't something I've done before, but it worked perfectly with this loose trapeze dress from Seed (op shopped of course) and was a great for a chilly but sunny Saturday. 

Dress: Claremont Vinnies $12

Jeans: Cotton On

Shoes: Red Cross Willagee $5

Bag: Goyard, Claremont Vinnies $4

Necklaces: Both op shopped $3 each

Cuff: Opportunity Knocks $4

Hat: Glebe Markets

Sunglasses: Karen Walker 

Packing and Planning

Luke and I are heading off on holiday in 17 days! I am SO excited. As with all my holidays big or small, packing and planning my outfits is one of my favourite things. Our up coming trip is a little tricky because we will be spending a week camping in sunny Queensland and a week skiing in snowy Queenstown. So planning what to pack for two very different climates is a challenge!

To combat the temperature difference in our two destinations I'll be relying on lots of layers, which shouldn't be too hard. Years ago I did a snow season in Banff, and managed to survive the -35 degree temperatures wearing my cotton summer dresses layered with thermals, tights, beanies, gloves, scarves and the heaviest winter jackets I could find. So Queenstown with it's balmy -4 degrees should be a breeze! 

I'll definitely be taking along this whole outfit though (with the addition of some tights!). I found this kilt only a few days ago and I am SO IN LOVE. I've been wanting a kilt for ages, and while you often see them in op shops, I could never find one that was the right fit, length or tartan. This one fits the bill perfectly!

If any one has tips or suggestions on great places to eat, drink or see in Queenstown please let me know! We'll be spending most of our days on the slopes, but I definitely want to make time to explore the rest of the town. 

T-Shirt: Red Cross Willeton $6

Kilt: Anglicare Belmont $7

Jacket: Wittner

Boots: Tony Bianco

Socks: Target

Beanie: Hand made by my lovely aunt

Sunglasses: Pared Eyeware