outfit: grid-locked

Dress, sweater & belt - thrifted, shoes - Windsor Smith

This is the last of my catch-up outfits from last week. I'll definitely have a few more next week, seeing as how I only managed to get photos of one outfit on the day I wore it this week. fail.  

Anyway. I adore this dress, however someone got a little snip-happy with the hemline and it is currently un-finished down there due to I don't want it to get any shorter.. For some reason over the last few years I've become a partial-prude, and anything that comes too far up past my knees (shorts exempt) makes me completely self-concious.

I'm off to a show tonight, and tomorrow night too, and finishing off the weekend with a spot of home-hairdressing (friends, not me!) I was sort of hoping for a quiet one, but ah well, I need to shake off my grandma ways and enjoy it while I can!

I hope everyone else has a lovely Friday and weekend!

outfit: shiny gold buttons

Cardigan/dress - Alannah Hill, belt - Supre, shoes - Golden Ponies

I feel so fancy whenever I wear this super-versatile cardigan/dress, because it's a brand name.

And it cost me $85.

But it was marked down from almost $300(!) (I got it from Clear It on Brunswick St).

It is still one of the most expensive things in my wardrobe, but it is so soft and gorgeous and versatile! Also the buttons are gold and really heavy and covered in little rhinestones. So shiny and pretty.

I'm also having a bit of a thing for my Golden Ponies t-bar heels (if you can't tell.. 3 posts in a row!) I've decided I desperately need a pair in black, or at least something similar.

outfit: red, black & blue

Shirt - gift from the lovely Katie, sweater - Jay Jays, belt - Supre, skirt - Friends of Couture, shoes - Golden Ponies

I have had this shirt for what seems like years (actually, it really has been years, oh my!) but only worn it a handful of times. Most probably because the recent Lana-Del-Rey-esque trend for American flag prints, denim cut-offs and flower headbands sort of turned me off a little.

But I LOVE this shirt... for some reason I never thought of putting it underneath something instead of just wearing it by itself.. derrrrrrr.

Also, I've always found it so funny how, in Australia, anyone who wears an article of clothing with the Aussie flag on it is automatically branded as a bogan.. but the wearing of the Union Jack or Stars & Stripes is completely fine and even fashionable!

I wonder if it is like that in other countries too?

outfit: well, ringa ding-ding

Hat, scarf, shirt & belt - thrifted, jeans - Cheap Monday, shoes - Golden Ponies.

Maybe it was the tight black jeans, the open-collar shirt or the glasses, but this outfit had me feeling a bit like Rizzo from Grease last Saturday. The scarf I was wearing because my hair was feeling dreadful (damn bleach) so I soaked it with coconut oil and left it in all day and over night. The next day after I washed it out it was so lovely and soft again!

It was also handy because it made my hat stay on my head perfectly, even though the wind was trying it's very hardest to sweep it away.

How cute is the little rose appliqué pocket and the elephant belt buckle!

outfit: hearts, houndstooth and... bacon...

Top, skirt & belt - thrifted, sunglasses - Urban Outfitters, shoes - tuck, necklace - vintage, gift from my boyfriend.

We're playing catch up this week - I wore this outfit I think maybe the week before last (bad!) before the weather turned super-wintery.

I bought this skirt aaages ago and only recently got around to taking it up & in. I really need to stop buying "fixer-uppers", but I couldn't resist the navy-and-white houndstooth print and simple shape.

Last week at work my team-mates and I had a bit of a bacon obsession going on. We talked about bacon non-stop, and we sent each other emails with links to ridiculous bacon-themed novelty items (like the Wake'n Bacon.. oh wait that isn't ridiculous, IT'S AWESOME!!). So we decided that today we would bring in some bacon-flavoured treats for everyone to try. Oh and also brownies, for the vegetarians.

I whipped up a batch of Maple-bacon cupcakes using this recipe and they were amazing! I highly recommend you try it if you're a bacon enthusiast :)

review: bonne chance à vous!

Last week the dress I bought from Bonne Chance Collections arrived, and I wore it out to Eli's EP launch on Friday, so I thought I'd write a little review of my experience!

I first came across Bonne Chance Collections when they started following me on Chictopia. I love checking out other users blogs and websites and when I clicked through to theirs I straight away fell head over heels - everything is SO pretty and so cheap!

I had a wish list of probably about 20 items, but could only afford one so I purchased this cute bow-detail dress to wear to my boyfriends show.

The dress came lovingly wrapped like a present, and even had a lovely purple ribbon and thank you card.

I hastily ripped it open (trying to not to damage the foil too much - I'm a wrapping paper hoarder), and there was my lovely dress!

My first thought was that it was quite a bit darker than it had appeared in the photo on the website, however on further inspection there is actually a second photo (a close up of the bow on the front) which shows the colour a bit more accurately. Either way, I still loved it.

This is how I wore it out to see Eli's band (they were amazing, by the way!). The quality of the dress is pretty good considering the price - the only thing you need to watch out for is the static when wearing tights, because it isn't lined - I had to try and use hairspray so it wouldn't stick so much because I have none of that anti-static spray.. it sort of worked. 

However I actually feel like the skirt would benefit from a petticoat so I'm probably going to purchase a short one to wear underneath to give it a bit more "poof" and that should also combat the static problem.

Dress: Bonne Chance Collections, Belt: Supre, Creepers: My sisters (from eBay, I believe).

And this is a fairly good representation of what I did whilst wearing this dress last Friday (although at the time there was more shouting and being a little tipsy involved)...

My favourite part is of course the enormous bow detail on the front - it's just so cute! I don't often wear dresses this short however I didn't feel uncomfortable in this one because it's not indecently short and is still feminine and fairly modest.

My cat Apollo thinks it's pretty great too...

Hi Apollo!

Has anyone else bought anything from Bonne Chance Collections before? I'm definitely considering a few other pieces!

music: let's run away somewhere

I apologise for the absence this week guys, but there has been literally no opportunity for me to take photos (stupid day job grrr). But I will definitely be catching up over the weekend!

In the meantime I have to share my super talented boyfriend Eli's bands new video for the first single off their EP "So Young" because I am literally jumping around in my seat and smiling so much. I always get SO excited whenever the band does anything but this video is truly awesome!!

So have a gander/listen if you please - The tune is super fun! Plus you get to see babes making out! Everyone wins!

I love the internet.

Isn't the Internet amazing?

Honestly, sometimes I just think about how enormous and powerful it is that it makes me feel like my head is going to explode.

So then I go watch cat videos on YouTube until my brain calms down.

I thought I'd share with you guys a few things I've found around the WWW that made me laugh/cry/think/drool..

* * *

This piece on Hyperbole and a Half on depression, which is so spot on. Allie is an amazingly talented and hilarious writer and I really hope she keeps pushing on and comes out the other side of the depression-tunnel.

From another hilarious writer - The Bloggess linked to this site which allows you to write in cats. I don't think I have to explain how amazing this is. I can't stop using it. Also have you read her book yet? It is SO FUNNY and surreal. I snort-laughed-cried on the train many a time.

I just purchased my first dress from the enchanting Bonne Chance Collections which just arrived today (!) - It is SO cute! I'm going to wear it to Eli's bands new EP launch and I'll be sharing a bit of a review with you later this week.
I actually almost don't want to tell you about these guys because I want EVERYTHING, however I am poor and cannot really afford to buy 30 new dresses so I guess I'll just have to live vicariously through anyone who can.

I spent literally hours (at work, heh) reading this thread on Reddit about the creepiest things peoples kids have said to them. Both funny and scary - I also love that there are a few pretty strong arguments for reincarnation and lots of supernatural themes!

My boyfriend sent me a photo of this weird amphibian that has no lungs.. and also looks like a totally strange penis.

My friend Charlie is in a cute band called Brightly who just released their first album!! We went to their launch on Thursday night and it was epic and fabulous. If you like "folk electronica" (or if you don't know what that is and are now curious) you should check them out!

I just bought some foam rollers, setting lotion and pin curl clips and I'm so excited to try out this ingenious roller set from By Gum, By Golly. No kinks! Well, we shall see anyway!

* * *

The days are getting waaay shorter here now, so hopefully I will be able to get myself out of bed early enough this week to catch the last of the daylight to take photos in when I get home from work in the afternoons (which I did not today - hence the text-only post!)


*I should also point out that I am not sponsored or paid by any of the above-linked sites/people - this is all just stuff I liked and wanted to share :) *

outfit: i'm a fan!

Jacket, scarf and belt - thrifted, dress - made by me, petticoat - Jay Jays, shoes - Windsor Smith

This dress is one of the few things I have made that I actually actively wear. The bodice is based on a 60's dress pattern I got from Etsy and the skirt is just a simple circle skirt which is SO swishy. I used a printed sheet I found in a thrift store (I washed it first of course!) and I just love the gorgeous oriental pattern. 

Today my sister and I took our Mum out to lunch in the city (dumplings, mmmmm) and then to see the ACMI Hollywood Costume expo for Mothers Day. The expo was packed but the costumes were amazing. If you're in Melbourne you should definitely check it out. Although perhaps on a weekday.

I didn't end up going to the Truly Vintage Market yesterday - I woke up late and took too long getting ready and then ran out of time. Very sad but hopefully there will be another!

outfit: lemons again. and also bras.

hat - thrifted, dress - Princess Highway, belt - thrifted, shoes - gift from a friend.

This dress is probably my favourite sunny-day dress - it's just so bright and pretty! 

Today was a gorgeous sunny, slightly warm day and I went out for lunch with my Mum and friend. I've been sick the last few days, hence the lack of blogging as I have been just hanging out in my pjs, so it was nice to get out of the house!

I did go to a show last night, and I managed to get my hair into a very Lauren Bacall wave-type look which was awesome, but unfortunately I didn't get any good photos (although you can see my selfies on my Instagram!)

Anyway, just a quick post tonight, I am hoping to attend the Truly Vintage Market tomorrow so I will hopefully remember to bring my camera! 

I am slightly excited/nervous to potentially see/meet a whole bunch of my favourite Australian vintage bloggers.. I'm actually a pretty shy/socially weird person "IRL" so hopefully I don't freak out and not talk to anyone.

While I'm thinking about it.. does anyone else have this issue with meeting people off the internet? 

I find it so weird because you kind of get to know a lot about them by reading their blogs but then if you met them in real life I feel like maybe it would be weird to bring all that up.. sort of stalkerish?? One time I met a blogger at my old work and all I could manage was a weird "Iloveyourblog" and then she asked if I was the writer of this other blog I used to write (back in the day!) and I was like "mmhhmmmm" but then I had to go help another customer and I didn't see her after that. Ugh. So weird.

ALSO, I am actually wearing for the very first time my What Katie Did CC09 Bra which I got last Christmas and have not been able to wear because of my.. err.. lack of frontage.

I was so sad to find that it just did NOT look right when I first tried it. Way too pointy, but not in a sexy 40's/50's siren way.. just like I'd stuck a couple of those polystyrene crafting cones in my top. 

I know you can buy little padding inserts from WKD if you have this issue, but honestly I was just too lazy to bother ordering some. So what I did today instead was use some spare shoulder pads I had that I had ripped out of some jacket or another and kind of pinned them into the right shape and used those instead. Success!

Overall I like the bra ok.. I have been looking at a few fully lined/padded bullet bras on eBay with a slightly more rounded out point which I think might suit me a bit better, so I might give one of those a go. Also the effect is probably nullified a bit in this dress since it is modern and doesn't have the proper darts and shaping in the bust area..

Anyway, thats my weird, random girly blog post for today - have a good weekend!

outfit: sixties pale yellow and navy

dress - Vintage, tights - Myer, shoes - thrifted

This would have to be one of my favourite dresses, it is so super cute and easy to wear to work or casually.. by itself that is. I unfortunately find it really hard to make it into an outfit, especially in the cooler months.

I've tried to continue the 60's vibe here with patterned tights, 60's-style shoes, black & white winged eyeliner and a tiny beehive hairstyle.

Obviously I also threw on a coat, since it's freeeezing here in the mornings now!

outfit: printed khaki and a vintage hairstyle attempt

Coat - Princess Highway, dress - Vintage, belt - thrifted, tights - Myer

One of the only things that I don't like about Autumn/Winter - although we have been having the most amazing cold weather it also means the daylight is disappearing quicker in the evenings making it very hard to find time to take outfit shots outside.. I am thinking about bringing it inside perhaps.

Today my sister and I went to one of our favourite thrift shops in the area and scored a few goodies, before heading to the local shopping centre in search of some basic white tee-shirts (none to be had - what is with that??)

I also attempted a bit of a vintage hairstyle - of course I forgot to get proper photos of it but it is essentially a little rolled fringe, a small victory roll-type situation on one side and the other side swept up into a comb with the rest of the hair curled (by curling iron, not pin curls sadly (hence why all of the curls are falling out)).

I was quite happy with it and it didn't take too long - I am trying to whittle down my hair-styling time to make it more every day appropriate.

Hope everyone had/has a lovely weekend!