Bad Girl

You know how some outfits are just really fun to wear? Well this was one of them. Ridiculous maybe, with my thigh high boots and Bad Girl bag, but fun none the less. You might be surprised to know that I'm not really an exuberant person in real life. My clothes make me stand out rather inadvertently, which I love and while I can easily make small talk with almost any one (it's actually my job) I am certainly never the loudest/craziest/funnest person in the room. 

Confidence and feeling sure of your self are traits that come easily to some, but others have to work so hard at it. I think I sit somewhere in the middle. I certainly don't care what people think about me enough to alter the way I dress, but I do always want to make a good impression and have people like me. It's not uncommon to find myself talking to someone and feeling way out of my depth, like I have nothing of value to add to the conversation. I'm also the type of person who will replay that convo over and over again in my mind, coming up with witty retorts and hilarious comments that I wish I had thought of at the time. 

What does this rambling have to do with my outfit? Well I guess I use my personal style as a bit of a weapon, reasoning that if I can't think of anything memorable/intellectual/entertaining to say at least people will remember my sweet Bad Girl bag!

Skirt: Good Sammies Freo $5

Top: Save the Children Subiaco $4

Belt: St Lukes op shop $3

Bag: Vinnies Claremont $5

Boots: Wittner

Sunglasses: RayBan

PS Now I'm looking at these photos it's really bugging me that the silver buttons on my skirt clash with my gold accessories... grrrrr

Life Recently

The end of this month totally snuck up on me! I was lying in bed yesterday morning telling myself that I had to get up to take outfit photos because I had nothing to share on the blog on today, when I realised I was due for a Life Recently post (and a lazy instagram collage). HUZZAH! I bought myself an extra 30 minutes of sleep! 

Since moving away from Freo I’ve been making a detour via my beloved colourful walls and snapping outfit pics on my way to work. This means I generally end up shooting my office outfits because the alternative is getting changed in my car on the side of the road. I have done that a couple of times (don’t say I’m not committed to this blog!) but when the temperature drops to 3 degrees I’m not so keen to get half naked in some alley in Fremantle, hence lots of work outfits. So now you know what I have to go through to get these outfit pictures! 

Eating pasta and soup and potatoes and bread, I think I’m going into hibernation mode!

Drinking mulled wine (courtesy of Luke who has a killer recipe)

Cooking scones, purely so I have an excuse to eat jam and cream

Watching Silicon Valley, perfect to tune out to at the end of a long day

Buying this hilarious crab hat to wear for a volleyball competition in August… don’t ask

Wearing ALL OF THE LAYERS, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it enough but it’s freezing in Perth at the moment

Reading blogs, my life has been so busy recently that I’ve fallen behind with all my favourites

Avoiding looking at my bank balance (I think I say this every month) one day I’ll be financially responsible, today is not that day. 

Browsing eBay for more Melissa shoes… I don’t need any more but I really really want them!

Dreaming of my snowy vacay, only 16 working days left until Luke and I jet off to New Zealand for two weeks!!

One big thing that actually happened at the end of last month but I didn’t get a chance to tell you about is…. We got a puppy! Well, my parents got a puppy, but seeing as Luke and I are living with them at the moment I’m going to claim her as my own. Her name is Olive and she is a 1 year old blue heeler cross who we got from the Shenton Park Dog Refuge. She is the most adorable thing! Our beautiful old dog Ivy died at the end of April and our family has been seriously doggy deprived so Olive is getting a very warm welcome in our home. We don’t know Olive’s back story or how she came to be in the refuge, she is very timid and nervous, particularly around men. We have had her for a month now and she is coming out of her shell more and more each day. We love her so much already.

Have a happy weekend!

All pictures from my insta (@inthedressupbox)

1 - snapping outfit pics on a chilly morning

2 - making and eating scones is my favourite thing

3 - brand new Bottega Veneta heels, best op shop find EVER

4 - I need to stop buying costume jewellery

5 - successful Salvos haul

6 - poked myself in the eye at volleyball training, it was bung for a whole day!

7 - OLIVE!

8 - beautiful autumn colours at UWA 

Derelicte

I braved the coldest morning of the year to take these outfit snaps, so naturally I had to layer up with every piece of clothing imaginable. I call this look homeless-chic or ode to Derelicte... but seriously I do look a bit like a Game of Thrones extra with my giant faux fur stole. It kept me warm and cosy while the mercury dipped perilously close to freezing on Tuesday morning though, so I ain't complaining!

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to pre-plan my work outfits for the week ahead. At the start of each week I check out the weather forecast and then write down what I'll wear on each day according to the temperature and what's in my diary. It's been pretty good so far and I haven't changed my mind too many times. It makes waking up and getting dressed each morning SO easy, because I've already decided, washed, ironed and laid out every thing I need to put on that day. A bit OCD maybe, but I'm enjoying it! 

Do you like my new bucket bag? I was very excited to find this lovely metallic leather one in the new Anglicare op shop in Fremantle. It fits a surprising amount of stuff and is very easy to cart around. You should check out the newly refurbished Anglicare store on High Street, they have done a really great job with the layout and merchandising, they even have special sections dedicated to vintage and designer gear, well worth a trip to Freo!

Skirt: Salvos O'Connor $6

Top: Op Shop

Jacket: Good Sammies Freo $7

Bag: Anglicare Freo $7

Shoes: Chloe, via eBay

Stockings: Leona Edmiston 

Fur: Asos 

Sunglasses: Pared Eyeware

Never Ever Pay Retail

By far the most common question I get asked is 'what is your favourite op shop?'. It's like asking me which of my (non-existent) children I like the most! Well maybe that's a little exaggeration, but it is hard! The lovely Hannah from Never Ever Pay Retail is also a thrift-a-holic just like me and as she is based in Queensland, she asked me to share my five favourite Perth op shops on her blog. It was a tricky task, but I think the five I've chosen really are my favourites (at least for now!)

Head over to Never Ever Pay Retail to get the scoop! And if you end up visiting any of my recommendations please share with me the treasure you find, either on Facebook, insta (@inthedressupbox) or in the comments below, I LOVE hearing about others op shopping success.

P.S If you're in the mood for a bit of Flash Back Friday, just click on the photos above and you'll go to their corresponding post from my blog archive... also from looking at these photos it seems I really like hats... so many hats!  

Hounds tooth and Leather bows

WILL YOU JUST LOOK AT THIS JACKET?! It has red leather trim and bows on the pockets!! I mean, could it get any better? The picture below perfectly shows what my face looked like when I pulled this jacket from the racks of the Vinnies in O'Connor. Pure ecstasy! 

We can't forget the dress, I stumbled upon the Vinnies warehouse in Osborne Park a few months ago. I never knew it existed, so was quite surprised to find it (an op shop in Perth that I didn't know about? Madness!). Turns out it is an absolute gold mine! I bought this red Pierucci shift dress and a beautiful pink silk Lisa Ho cocktail dress for $10 each! I had to drag myself away from an Armani pant suit that was a smidge too small, but SO amazing that I wanted to buy it anyway. I haven't been back since, but I've been dreaming of my return visit. 

Dress: Pierucci, Vinnies Osborne Park $10

Jacket: Vinnies O'Connor

Shoes: Wittner, Salvos O'Connor $15

Sunglasses: Pared Eyeware 

Tall Company

I have some super tall friends, which suits me perfectly because it gives me an excellent excuse to give my highest platforms an outing every now and again. Usually I get around in converse on the weekend, but a breakfast date with some of my 6 foot beauties called for a bit of extra height. Enter my magnificent Marni platforms. I snapped these up for a steal on eBay and despite having a six inch heel they are honestly one of my comfiest pairs of shoes.

This silver mini bag was an impulse purchase while I was queueing up at Good Sammies. It was $1 so I thought what the hell... turns out it's awesome!! It's the perfect size for my phone and a lipstick and not much else. A great alternative to lugging around my giant leather tote with 5 pairs of sunglasses, 3 sets of keys and about 35 lipsticks/glosses. 

You might have noticed in my last few posts that I've been wearing a fitbit. It's part of a work initiative where we have to walk 10,000 steps a day for 4 months. As much as I hate wearing the black band, I am really enjoying the challenge. I haven't found it too hard to walk the required steps every day, it just involves being a little more mindful of how active I am. I've found that as long as I go for a walk on my lunch break or after work, I am able to hit my daily target easily. 

Top: Claremont Vinnies $6

Jeans: Acne, Claremont Vinnies $7

Shoes: Marni, eBay

Bag: Good Sammies Freo $1

Hat: Glebe Markets

Sunnies: Ray Ban 

My Round Tummy

I almost didn’t share these pictures, but decided at the last moment (i.e at 6am this morning) that I was being silly. So why was I hesitant to share them? Well, because my tummy is sticking out. My new vintage Burberry skirt, which I absolutely died over when I found it in Vinnies, accentuates all my curves, the nice ones and the not so nice. If it was any bigger then it wouldn’t sit on my waist and I wouldn’t have bought it. I love this skirt, and my rounded tummy is probably thanks to the left over pasta I had for breakfast about 20 minutes before taking these pictures.

Why am I even pointing out my rounded tum? I could have just ignored it and you (my lovely readers) probably wouldn’t have even noticed. I suppose I wanted to draw attention to the fact that I bloody love this skirt, it makes me feel great and I wanted to wear it. Almost every women’s magazine and style blog have articles and posts talking about ‘dressing for your body’ or ‘how to make the most of your shape’ etc. They direct you towards all black or a-line skirts or fitted tops or hour glass dresses, all of which are great and that advice is very helpful (I’m sure I’ve dished it out before as well). But sometimes you just have to wear what you love, regardless of what your body shape is.

I must remember to take my own advice, I have a number of gorgeous 60’s mini dresses hanging in my closet that I rarely take out because I’m never quite sure about showing that much leg. What’s the point of having gorgeous stuff hanging in your wardrobe if it never gets to see the light of day? No point at all! Bring out the legs I say!

Skirt: Burberry, Claremont Vinnies $8

Top: Op Shop

Jacket: Op Shop

Shoes: Melissa x Vivienne Westwood via eBay