What I Actually Wore #0067

Serial #: 0067
Date: 26/05/2012
Weather: 16°
Time Allowed: 15 minutes

On one of the last days of autumn I was going to a matinee at the theatre. A cold day on the cusp of winter required the wearing of a Super-Jumper, but apart from weather considerations, this outfit was all about The Boots.

I love these Jeffrey Campbell boots, bought online from Free People. But these boots are most definitely not made for walking. Not long distances over demanding cobbles at least. I drooled over them for quite a long time, but dithered over buying them and they ran out of stock. By chance (one day while I was admiring my FP wish list) I discovered they were back in stock, and I snapped them up immediately. 

The suede is very soft, and I love the slouchy aspect. And, surprisingly with such enormous wooden platforms, they are well-balanced and not too difficult to walk in. However, they do demand to be worn with a short skirt. Very short skirts are in short supply in my closet, and this dove grey linen skirt by Country Road was the only one that worked. (It’s since been donated to the charity shop however, as it was too big for me.)

The patterned tights are a particular winter favourite (although I don’t recall who they’re by), and my other accessories include a wooden bangle bought in a market in Vietnam, a white agate bangle bought in Barcelona, and a pair of Indian wooden cross earrings bought in an ethnic boutique down the street where I live.

Items:

Jumper: Mango
Skirt: Country Road
Jewellery: silver ring (Roun), black onyx ring (souvenir), wooden earrings (local boutique)
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell, exclusive to Free People

What I Actually Wore #0066

Serial #: 0066
Date: 15/04/2012
Weather: a very warm 27°
Time Allowed: 15 minutes

It was a lovely Sunday, and I was visiting my mum and dad, along with my eldest sister Blossom and her husband. It was very easy to pick out a dress to wear, what with the sunshine and the fact that my new Maeve dress was hanging temptingly in my closet. The stripes on the dress are actually fine red peppermint pinstripes, rather than the candy pink and white it looks from a distance.

Time, however, was wasted searching out the right jacket. I had originally intended to wear the 80s puff-sleeve jacket but with it there was far too much cream in the entire outfit. I chose instead a red and white tweed jacket. It certainly looked very cute, but it transpired to be far too hot for it at all!

Both the tiered dress and the vanilla cream puff jacket were bought on eBay.

Even my mum was moved to approve of [the shoes], and she often snorts at the more outlandish of my vintage garments.

My wedges were also new, and I absolutely adored them. By Melbourne label Habbot, they were a splurge even on sale, but for once, expense did go hand-in-hand with quality (butter-soft Italian glove leather) and comfort. The shoes fit like an, ahem, glove.

Every time I wear them females around me exclaim in delight. Even my mum was moved to approve of them, and she often snorts at the more outlandish of my vintage garments. But then mum was wont – back in the old days in Yugoslavia – to take my older sisters (my not yet being born) on trips to Italy to purchase new shoes and winter coats, so of course she’d approve. 

Items:

Dress: Anthropologie 
Jackets: vintage
Jewellery: earrings handmade by me; silver ring, Roun; onyx ring, souvenir
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Sunglasses: Alessandro del Acqua
Shoes: Habbot

What I Actually Wore #0065

Serial #: 0065
Date: 12/04/2012
Weather: 23°
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

It is another unseasonably warm autumn day, fortunately for me. In the usual period of laziness at the turn of the seasons, I still have not retrieved my winter wardrobe from storage. The outfit I put together looks quite springlike in fact, as a work colleague remarks.

The rather extravagant embroidered mesh top is from Asos, and features a dot-and-floral print sash in dusky pink that criss-crosses the front and ties in a bow at the back. When I first purchased it, it made me think of a Ballet Russes costume. Continuing the pastel theme is the pin-striped green and white skirt, and the blue suede shoes that exactly match the embroidery in the top.

My favourite item though is the pair of charm earrings I bought in Lisbon last year, dangling with little coloured beads and twinkling charms, stolen from a magpie’s nest. 

Items:

Top: Asos 
Skirt: Veronika Maine
Earrings: Bijou Brigitte
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: David Lawrence

What I Actually Wore #0064

Serial #: 0064
Date: 24/03/2012
Weather: forecast 19°
Time Allowed: 20 minutes

Oh, I had such fun putting this outfit together! I bought the dress on sale at Myer department store months earlier. I knew I had the family wedding in March, but thought the dress probably was not suitable with the weather likely being cool, particularly by the ocean in Sorrento.

I was in the mood to shop though, and even more in the mood to buy, especially such a 50s confection as this splashy print taffeta dress (is that a touch of puce I see there?), with its puffy skirt and big exuberant bow at the back of the neck. You can’t quite see it in the pictures, but it has an exposed giant zip with copper teeth – I really like that modern detail.

With such a 50s silhouette, I knew I had to wear my hair in a beehive, although on the day we were in such a rush to get changed after lunch. My sisters and I had hired a house for the weekend, and had enjoyed an indulgent lunch in the seaside town before the afternoon wedding.

I whipped my hair into a frenzy, threw the dress over my head, and very c a r e f u l l y pulled on a pair of 12 denier stockings (it being a cool day after all). I had made sure to file my nails to prevent any snags, and I almost could have worn kid gloves to put them on, since a pair of vintage kid gloves was actually part of my outfit! I’d already had to compromise on the shoes, what with the weather – I had meant to wear my classic black slingbacks – but the pony hair heels worked nicely and were quite comfortable for dancing later that night.

Sorrento Views :: Watts // Big Up // No flashIt transpired to be a very lovely afternoon. I didn’t need my red cashmere coat at all. The bride arrived by yacht, and the sun came out right on cue. The only casualties of the day were my stockings (snagged on a stray splinter on my chair – boo), and my beehive, which slowly sank throughout the evening. I kept asking people, “Is my hair big?” and was disappointed when they answered reassuringly, “Oh no, not at all, it looks fine.”

There are times when Really Big Hair is exactly what one wants.

Items:

Dress: Cue
Gloves: vintage
Bag: Aldo
Jewellery: souvenirs
Shoes: Zoe Wittner
Stockings: Levante

What I Actually Wore #0063

Serial #: 0064
Date: 09/03/2012
Weather: 26°
Time Allowed: 5 minutes

This skirt is super old. I bought it many years ago from Fat, and wore it a lot before I retired it. In the early autumn, I decided to give it another chance.

The underskirt is quite simple, a straightforward A-line, in light blue. What makes the skirt more interesting is the top layer – a kind of an apron – which is cloven into two separate pieces at the back (like a very long split). I always liked the little geometric pattern of the fabric, with circles on a checked background. The lining of the over-skirt is light red and white stripes.

The skirt is actually a little big, and always has been. To disguise this clothing flaw I wore the Zara red t-shirt tucked in, and a pale grey cardigan over the top, keeping the belt tied all day. The red mules are souvenirs from Dubai, and the ceramic jewellery is from Barcelona.

The jury is still out on the skirt, though perhaps I would like it more if it was not worn in such a tonal outfit. It needs some clash to spice it up, like a black t-shirt, or neon yellow. Some more experimentation may be in order – when I have more than five minutes to spare!

Items:

Top: Zara
Skirt: [I] Peck Your Pun
Cardigan: Sparrow, Anthropologie
Jewellery: Barcelona souvenirs
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Bata