What I Actually Wore #0003

Serial #: 0003
Date: 29/09/2008
Weather: a few showers, 18°C
Time Allowed: 5 mins

Last Monday’s weather forecast dictated I should wear pants. Since it was spring I couldn’t possibly wear winter woollies, so I immediately decided on these VM silk/linen trousers. I really like them but they are hard to wear, demanding a slim-fitting top. Good posture is imperative too, or they scrunch down – which is a really bad look for front pleats.

I love wearing different shades of grey, so this wool t-shirt was an easy pick (my concession to the cooler weather). It was an inexpensive purchase from Kookaï; basic, except for the neckline detail that creates the look of a double layer. I have worn it so many times.

The wool fedora adds a jaunty touch, but I usually like to wear my hair tied back when I wear any hat.

My hair is quite long, so I feel a bit inelegant with it out; I think it distracts from the graphic silhouette of a hat, too. Hats make enough of a statement on their own without messy hair falling all over one’s shoulders.

This necklace is a great conversation starter, and never fails to provoke attention. Made of base metal, it’s actually two individual loops intertwined, and they can be sculpted into any shape. I turned it into a bow-tie last Saturday night! I dread the day when a kink develops from over-zealous twisting and they snap. 

Some colour was required to save the outfit from dreariness, so on went the double belt – there are two silver rings interrupting the tan leather on the sides that you can’t see – and the orange patent shoes. I bought these new on eBay, attracted by the gorgeous colour. For once photographs didn’t lie! I own a lot of neutral-coloured shoes, and this past winter had a hankering for coloured footwear that would offset a typical outfit such as this. Grey skies are gloomy enough.

Items

Top: Kookaï
Pants: Veronika Maine
Hat: Morgan & Taylor
Belt: Alta Linea
Shoes: Aldo
Necklaces: Ishka
Earrings: Palm Beads
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Ring: NGV Gallery Shop

What I Actually Wore #0002

Serial #: 0002
Date: 26/09/2008
Weather: windy, 25°C
Time Allowed: 5 mins

This was an easy outfit to put together, and very much more my style: minimalist and asymmetrical!

It started with the top, which is a tomato red colour. I love the folded details on the neckline and the way it flares out slightly at the waist. It also has hidden square pockets in the front. I adore this signature look of Veronika Maine in the last few seasons, more sophisticated than Cue. I hope they don’t drastically change direction!

This skirt by Obüs must be six or seven years old, and although it is starting to show its age, I love it still. I bought it from Alice Euphemia when the boutique was quite new, in its original location on Flinders Lane. At the time I purchased another skirt from the same range, heavy cream fabric with a shirred insert at the bottom. I also wear that frequently. At $150 each, they were both half price, which was nonetheless a little expensive for me at the time, but I’ve certainly got my money’s worth! Because they were so original and well-made, I knew I would be wearing them for a long time, so I didn’t feel a twinge of shopper’s guilt.

From different labels, the folds on the top’s neckline and the gathered insert on the skirt nevertheless complement one another.

As for the accessories: the white wedges are patent leather, and were a great find in a Salvos for $10 – I just had to get the soles repaired; the vintage sunglasses were bought on eBay from a Frenchwoman, and the sterling silver hoops feature silver pearls. They match the silver shell of my ring, which looks like a giant bug! A boyfriend bought that for me from the NGV gift shop, and I remember admiring it walking all the way home along the river as the sun caught it and made it gleam.

Here’s a closer look on the sunglasses: the frames are red leopard print, and those lenses really do turn the world rose-coloured! 

Items

Top: Veronika Maine
Skirt: Obüs
Shoes: Scanlan & Theodore
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Earrings: Baku
Sunglasses: vintage

What I Actually Wore #0001

Serial #: 0001
Date: 25/09/2008
Weather: sunny, 24°C
Time Allowed: 5 mins

Knowing that today’s temperature was forecast at 24° and time being a factor, I speedily decided this morning that a dress was in order. Fortunately my wardrobe is organised (by item, colour etc) so I was able to quickly grab this dress from the rail. It is completely sheer so a full slip is imperative. I don’t have many transparent dresses, so I hang the dark blue slip with it, which makes it easy to find rather than wrestling through a lingerie drawer every time I want it. [On a side note, the dress originally came with a slip sewn in, but it was very poor quality and developed runs after a few wears. I unpicked the stitching and discarded it. Although I originally intended to dye a plain white slip, I was lucky enough to find a blue vintage one with pretty design details.]

I bought the dress from a quaint vintage boutique on Greville St (the last survivor) last summer on a whim. It was inexpensive, and the colour looks great on me, although I was dubious about the style – bit girlier than I ordinarily go for. The dress had also come with its own matching patent vinyl belt, which I immediately discarded. I have since found a cobalt blue leather belt (thanks David Jones stock-take sale!), but this morning chose to wear it with a tan leather belt and suede sling-backs as I didn’t want to go overboard with cobalt – I also own two different pairs of cobalt suede shoes! (I deliberately did not wear the belt over the cardigan, as the latter is too short for that look to work.)

TIP: Hang your full slips with the dresses you normally wear them with to save time in the morning.

I briefly toyed with the idea of wearing my beautiful, oatmeal-coloured linen coat that my sister had made for me from a Montana Vogue pattern. I decided I would be far too warm in it, and with about 30 seconds to contemplate the options I grabbed this cardigan as it was nearest to hand.

Bit too much blue, I thought in the rush to leave, but at least I hadn’t also gone for the blue belt and shoes – that would have been ridiculous!

I’ll call it a forties-inspired look. I generally don’t like to mimic any particular era, but the outfit has the virtue of not being black at least, on such a lovely spring day!

Items

Dress: Lovelygirl
Cardigan: Cotton-on
Belt: Country Road
Shoes: Urban Soul
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Earrings: hand-made by myself from Indian beads and sterling silver
Sunglasses: Roc