TPFF and Flannel

If you have been following me on the blog, facebook or Instagram, or have come within a 10 meter radius of me in the last 3 months you may have heard me rabbiting on about the Telstra Perth Fashion Festival. TPFF was last week and included a huge calendar of events, parties and shows, including the Restyle Runway. This was my first experience with the ‘fashion world’ of Perth, and it was eye-opening to say the least!

I was lucky enough to be given tickets to attend the Flannel show at Fashion Paramount on Thursday night. This was my first time attending a fashion parade so I wasn’t sure what to expect (although was pleasantly surprised with all the free-flowing champagne!). The show it’s self was fantastic, I was seated in the third row so I had a great view of the run way and also the ‘front row’ so I could eye off all the street style of the other attendees. The styling of the Flannel show was gorgeous, big hair, dark lips and lots of loose kaftan-esk 70s style pieces. There was crochet, sequins and fringing thrown in for good measure and lots of luxurious looking silk and cotton fabrics. I just loved the whole bohemian vibe of the collection and will definitely be drawing on it for my own style inspiration over the warmer months.

As this was my first real runway show I decided to leave my camera at home and just soak up the whole experience. I’m so glad I did, but luckily for me (and you!) there was a myriad of Perth bloggers out and about during TPFF snapping away at all of the shows, so check out Le Fanciulle, Inspiring Wit, Little Miss Mon Bon and Modern Girls In Vintage Pearls to see their runway pics and hear their individual thoughts on some of the shows.

All images in this post are from Alf Sorbello via Perth Now

Life Recently

 Gosh don’t the months slip by quickly? I’m loving the slightly warmer weather and can’t wait for the real heat to kick in, I want to put away my coats and pull out my shorts and floppy hats! I’ve got a couple of fun trips planned between now and Christmas, so I’m going to relish every moment of it.

Recently I've been....

Eating birthday cake! So many birthdays in September and SO much cake

Drinking champagne to celebrate the above birthdays ;)
Cooking grilled cheese, I only just learnt how to use a grill and I can’t believe I survived so long without making this miraculous snack!
Watching the Bachelor (and reading every re-cap on mamma mia)
Buying a macbook pro! Finally upgraded my ancient toshiba for a sexy new mac, I’ve still got no clue how to use it, but boy is she pretty!

Wearing sandals! Loving the warmed weather and bare toes, must invest in a good pedi soon though!
Reading #GIRLBOSS after hearing so much about it I finally got a copy for myself, it’s an interested read but I’m still not sure how I feel about it

Avoiding my bank account (so many birthday presents soooo little coin)
Browsing eBay for blue suede Acne Pistol Boots. They are discontinued everywhere but I’ll find some eventually!

Dreaming of Christmas! Can’t wait for the festive season!

I’m in Melbourne this week, part work, part play, it’s going to be so fun! I’ve only ever been to Melbourne once before and that was almost eight years ago, so if you have any shopping/eating suggestions please let me know. I’ve got three days all to myself at the end of the conference and I cannot wait to be totally self-indulgent!

On A Whim

Just before Telstra Perth Fashion Festival kicked off I was super lucky to be invited to borrow an outfit from On A Whim. I’ve been blogging for over a year now and this kind of thing NEVER HAPPENS to me, so to say I was excited is a definite understatement. I went to visit Erin and Kate at the On A Whim studio in Leederville last week and thoroughly enjoyed my lunch break trying on all of their gorgeous clothes and chatting to the girls.

If you have never heard of On A Whim then do yourself a favour and check out their website, or even better go and visit their lovely space at Studio Bomba in Leederville. The two Perth girls behind the label, Erin and Kate, aim to create gorgeous (but wearable) garments with quality construction and beautiful fabrics. All of their pieces are designed and made in Perth which is pretty unusual and so wonderful. Erin told me that they really like to support local talent and often share ideas/solutions with their friends from other Perth based labels. 

The dress I borrowed was fully lined and 100% cotton (it even had pockets!!) so it was a total dream to wear. It was a little chilly the night I wore this outfit so I needed a jacket and some boots, (although I can definitely imagine this dress in summer with wedges and huge sun hat). I decided to whip out my amazing Capnmueller squid earrings as well, because if you can’t wear giant squids on your ears to a fashion show, when can you? I was thrilled when Zambesi designer Liz Findlay commented on them while I was swigging bubbles in the VIP tent (daaaahhhling)!

Dress: On A Whim

Earrings: Capnmueller

Jacket: Op Shop

Belt: Op Shop

Bag: Op Shop

Boots: Jeffrey Campbell

Black and White and ??

Dressing for work can be tough. A colleague of mine mentioned the other day that she always has trouble putting together interesting yet office-appropriate outfits, so she just wears all black and one other colour, which can be a bit stark. This got me thinking about how I get dressed for work, and when I looked at my office wardrobe I noticed it’s filled with black and white prints.

Mixing and matching monochrome prints is so easy, you can literally wear any combination together and it will look chic and polished. My go-to work look is one or two black and white prints plus a coloured piece. This isn’t that far off from my colleague who only wears black and one colour. But the inclusion of a print (or two) easily takes a look from boring to interesting.

Black and white is a conservative combo so adding another colour into the mix is where you get your statement. This chartreuse jacket was one I picked up for Restyle but never actually wore for any of the prompts. I have worn it to work quite a few times though, the colour is SO bright it works perfectly paired with traditional stripes or spots.

This whole outfit is op-shopped which always feels like a little win in my books!

Dress: Salvos O’Connor

Jacket: Red Cross North Perth

Shoes: Salvos Osborne Park

Belt: Op Shop

Bangles: Op Shop



Weekend Sunny Weekend

Spring has finally sprung and the weather has been glorious! I wore this outfit last weekend, while traipsing around Fremantle and falling a little bit more in love with my home town. My boyfriend and I will be moving out of our fabulous shared apartment next Autumn, so we have one last spring and summer to enjoy living in the heart of Fremantle and I intend to make the most of it!

 

This outfit was perfect for wandering around the streets, coffee in hand. Seeing as I have to dress so professionally for work, I love wearing super relaxed outfits on the weekend, not a pencil skirt or blazer in sight! Plus I can ditch the GHDs for a few days and hide my messy un-tamed hair under a hat, what a relief!

Wearing stripes and floral together has become a standard look for me. I really enjoy mixing patterns and these two seem to work so effortlessly together. I have so many different striped t-shirts but I can’t get enough of them, so are SO perfect for spring, when it’s not warm enough for bare shoulders, but too hot for long sleeves.

T-Shirt - Op Shop

Skirt - Op Shop

Hat - Op Shop

Sunglasses - Karen Walker

Boots - Report

Restyle Runway

Good morning! The sun is shining, the birds are singing (??) and I am currently backstage at the TPFF Fashion Central being primped, painted and perfected for my Restyle Runway debut.

If you work in the city then take an extended coffee break and come down to watch the first FREE Restyle Runway in Forrest Chase today at 10am. If Friday doesn’t work for you then don’t fret, I’ll be parading in the second Restyle Runway show on Sunday at 12:30pm. Both events are free so please come along and cheer me on. I’m going to be wearing some of my op-shopped Restyle outfits and I’m terrified of doing a ‘Naomi’ (although if I do I hope I look even a tenth as gorgeous as she does!).  

  

It’s not just me walking the runway, the other Restyle bloggers will all be there (Jenelle, Amy, Demelza, Anna, Vicki, Joce & Jacq) plus some fabulous volunteers from our op shop charities AND ten wonderful Restyle fans who followed along on Instagram and their own blogs. It’s going to be SO fun. Did I mention it's free? IT'S FREE!

See you there! (please do come and say hello after the show!)

BIG BIG BIG thanks to Lottery West for supporting Restyle 2014 and the Restyle Runway!

P.S There are way too many exclamation marks in this post but I am just SO EXCITED!!!!!!



Office Dressing

I haven’t really shared any of my work outfits on the blog for a while, which is a shame because they have been pretty great (if I do say so myself!). I’ve really taken to the challenge of dressing appropriately professional for work but still retaining my own style. I’ve been trying to avoid wearing all black outfits, which is a super easy trap to fall in to. A black and whit printed piece worn with a bright colour seems to be my default formula right now.

While I’ve been perusing the op shops I’ve been keeping an eye out for bright corporate gear, particularly jackets and pencil skirts. This pink blazer is one I picked up during Restyle and I wear it ALL THE TIME. It gets at least 2 or 3 wears per week and is easily my most worn item of clothing at the moment. 

I picked up these blue boots from Target about two weeks ago. I’ve been wanting electric blue boots all winter but never really got around the buying any, so when I saw these on sale for $18, I snapped them up. Unfortunately you really do get what you pay for and after three wears these boots are splitting at the seams and the ‘suede’ is rubbing off on the toe and heel. As strange as it may sound, electric blue boots are actually very versatile in my wardrobe, so I’m on the hunt for another pair that will actually last (I’ll probably have to invest more then $18).

Jacket - Op Shop

Knit Top - op Shop

Skirt- Op Shop

Boots - Target

Sunglasses - Ray Ban

Coffee - Chalkies (best coffee in Freo!)

Op Shop Addict

You’d think that after my Restyle op-shop binge I wouldn’t want to step into another one for ages. Right? Wrong! Last weekend I had a whole day to myself so I of course I had to check out my local Salvos. I’m trying to be well behaved with what I buy, so I only took home three things, all of which will be excellent additions to my summer wardrobe.

This vintage circle skirt is sooooo pretty. I do love a full circle skirt, and if you were following the blog last summer you’ll know that my go-to look for warmer temps is a pretty skirt and a little tie up cotton top. I wore that look in a million different combos and I’m excited to do it again this Summer.

I wore this outfit to celebrate my gorgeous cousin Evan’s engagement to the lovely Sarah. We had a picnic in Kings Park, so I felt this was a very appropriate picnic in the park kind of outfit. I even got to use the awesome vintage picnic basket my boyfriend bought for my birthday. This t-shirt is another one I bought for Restyle, it so versatile! Unfortunately it seems that every time I put it on I scrape my face against the neck line and leave a trail of makeup behind. I have to wash it continuously, so annoying!

Skirt – Salvos in O’Connor $6

T-Shirt – Red Cross in Willagee $6

Sandals – Salvos in O’Connor $10

Hat – Vinnies in Myaree $4

Belt - Op Shop

Necklace - Lovisa

I have a question for you my lovely readers… during Restyle when I listed the pieces in my outfit at the end of each blog post I included the price and the op shop I bought them from. It’s not something I usually do, but I was wondering if it was something you found interesting and/or helpful? I obviously can’t always remember the exact price and location of everything I’ve ever bought, but would you like me to continue to include that information when I can remember it? Just a question, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts!

Birthday Lady

I turned 27 the other day. CRAZY. My 12 months as a 26 year old really sped by, I swear each year is getting faster and faster! I share my outfits and op shopping adventures on the blog, but there is a lot of stuff that happens in my life that doesn’t make it on here (with good reason, some is very dull, want to hear about the organisational structures workshop I attended the other day? Probs not). So here is my year in a nutshell, including the bits and pieces that didn’t make it on here in the first place… 

I went to Bali (twice) and Brisbane, spent a week camping in Esperance, another week camping on Rotto and a few other random weekends in a swag down south

Signed some paper work and bought a unit (off-the-plan, it won’t be ready until Feb)

Had a mini break down, quit my sweet beach side job and started a new corporate one

Helped my parents move out of our family home

Said good bye to my bitchy but beautiful 19 year old kitty Lily

Played lots of volleyball

Suffered my first (and hopefully last!) sports injury

Bought too many pairs of designer sunglasses

Chopped my long hair off

So it’s been a fun if not particularly notable year. I have lots to look forward to as a 27 year old, I've got many dreams to work towards and for the first time in my life an action plan to make sure it happens! 

This is one of my birthday outfits. I wore this to a birthday/fathers day dinner with my family and I think it may be my MOST FAVOURITE DRESS EVER. Spots, pleats, circle skirt, 100% cotton… it’s got everything and for less than $10, just how I like it.  

Dress: Op Shop

Belt: Op Shop

Bracelets: Op Shop
Clutch: Op Shop

Boots: Wittner