Work it!

I came across an article in the news a while ago about a woman who has worn the exact same outfit to work for the last 3 years. And while yes, that sounds like my idea of torture, I do understand her reasoning that she wants to “save some time and energy”. Selecting clothes to wear is something that most professionals have to do every day. And while I find this selection process more invigorating than coffee, I do concede that there are days where it doesn’t go smoothly. You end up dashing for the train in a skirt that’s too small and come home at the end of the day to the contents of your wardrobe piled up on your bed. Not cool. But buying 15 versions of the same blouse seems to me like an extreme solution. Couldn’t the same efficiency be achieved with a carefully selected capsule wardrobe? A few pieces that all work together? Sure, it would take a bit of initial effort to curate, but at least there would be a bit of variety. 

The outfit she wore. EVERY DAY. Image from Business Insider

This woman also noted that she realised that her male work colleagues never faced as much sartorial stress as she did. This isn’t a ground breaking observation. Men don’t face as much sartorial stress as women in general. Personally I feel like a significant component of this is due to the huge disparity in fashion choices available to the sexes. This is a big reason why I LOVE being a girl. It’s much easier for us to create interesting outfits than it is for men, and as I enter the professional environment in my first full-time job since graduating uni, I fully intend to celebrate my fashion blessings.

My reimagining of traditional office wear is to add colour, texture, print and 

statement accessories. Now I will be the first to admit that I am particularly fashion conscious. I work in fashion, I talk in fashion, I dream in fashion. You don’t have to take dressing for work as seriously as I do. But if you feel like mixing it up, and celebrating our right to choose (what we wear), then read on…

Jacket: Sportsgirl, Dress: Saba, Bag: Mulberry

This dress was a moment of empowerment for me. I love the colour red, but I don’t seem to own/wear a lot of it. It really does take confidence. But, as I found with this dress, it also gives you confidence. I got a lot of positive comments on this dress when I rolled it out for the first time. It’s a great office-to-evening piece but the neckline is quite low so I cover up with a little blazer or cropped knit during the day.

Suit and Heels: H&M, Top: Watson x Watson

Ever since I saw Olivia Palermo sauntering around the Elle Magazine offices in The City in this grey suit, I decided I needed one. 

Image from Pop Sugar

Although, up until this point, my professional life has never lent to wearing one, I still needed one. And I happened to find my Olivia Palermo moment in H&M in Paris. As you do. Grey is a great trans-seasonal colour and suits both blondes and brunettes. I visited the new H&M in Sydney recently and was really disappointed. The fabric quality of my suit is amazing and I especially love the jacket. This would even go well over the red dress. And apologies for the really awkward pose, even a gorgeous suit can't make me a model.

Top: Watson x Watson, Skirt: Willow, Bag: Alexander Wang, Heels: Trenery

 I like mixing neutrals and this snakeskin print silk cami from Watson x Watson is one of my favourites, adding a bit of texture to the ensemble. This Willow skirt became a bit of an obsession. It’s like a grown up version of a school girl skirt and long drape looks gorgeous and dramatic as you walk. Red goes with pretty much everything so a handbag like this beauty is an easy way to turn every outfit into a statement.

Shirt: Acne Studios, Skirt: Bardot, Heels: Kenzo

I must confess, this one is my favourite. This is also a lesson in investing in pieces you’re obsessed with. I saw this Acne Studios shirt all over the fashion blogs I follow, so when I found the last one left in their Sydney store it went straight on lay-by and we’ve been great pals ever since. The skirt was a bargain from Bardot, the vibrant colour and luxe lace fabric are a unique twist on your traditional pencil skirt. And the shoes. Oh those shoes. These Kenzo personalities were a bit of an impulse purchase but I only grow more fond of them. Colourful, comfortable and a lil bit crazy... the best things always are!

A big thank you to Meriaam Mikhail Photography & Styling for the photos!

K xx

My 2015 Academy Awards winners and losers...

i.e best and worst dressed. Apparently some people won some awards for films, but I was too busy looking out for wardrobe malfunctions. And I still don't understand what happened in Birdman so I don't get what all the fuss is about. Anyway, back to the fashion.
There were some beautiful dresses and some not so gorgeous dresses this year, but I was a bit disappointed that there were no jaw-dropping moments, good or bad. There weren't any history making moments, so I thought I would re-visit a few from years gone by to give the celebrities a bit of inspiration for next year (because clearly this blog is their bible).

Image from peoplestylewatch.com

Diane Keaton - Ralph Lauren

Firstly, this is actually entirely appropriate for the black tie dress code. And then everything else about it is exactly what you want an outfit to be: It fits her perfectly, the styling makes sense from head to toe and she is clearly having a great time.

Image from bustle.com

Angelina Jolie - Marc Bouwer

Full confession, I tried to make a green version of this dress for my year 10 formal. My neighbour very kindly made a pattern for me, but alas my execution wasn't very oscar-worthy. I think the beauty of this dress is that it is so accessible, you don't have to be an A-list celebrity attending an awards show to pull this off. 

Image from US Magazine

Hilary Swank - Guy Laroche

Everyone can show off cleavage or legs. But an exposed back is a different kind of unexpected sexiness. This is one of the most incredible dresses I have ever seen.

Image from zap2it

Michelle Williams - Louis Vuitton and Vera Wang

Michelle Williams gets a double mention! What I love about both of these is they are entirely appropriate for the event yet they are both fun. As astounding as the construction is on some of the haute couture gowns that we see at the Oscars, the dresses start to look like they are wearing the actress. The mustard Vera Wang gown is poignant for me because her date was Heath Ledger and he died the following year. I love her hair, the necklace, the lipstick and the 1930's style of the dress. I don't even know how to describe the colour of the Louis Vuitton other than 'happy'. This is before the whole world became obsessed with peplums and it isn't one of your typical Oscars silhouettes like a fishtail or full princess skirt, but its just as elegant. The bow on her hip is the perfect finishing touch.

The best of 2015!

Image from Yahoo Shine Canada

Emma Stone - Elie Saab

I think we've already established I'm a sucker for an exposed back, so ill just move on to everything else about this dress that gave me a full-on fashion orgasm. The colour, so perfect with her red hair and light skin! The thigh high slit, the understated accessory and the easiness of the whole ensemble. She is wearing this gown, and owning it.

Image from Style.com

Lupita Nyong'o - Calvin Klein Collection

The sexiest, most elegant pearl encrusted mermaid I have ever dreamed of. That's all.

Image from Style.com

Rosamund Pike - Givenchy Haute Couture

I think we can safely say I am a sucker for a thigh-high slit as well. This dress is modern fairytale romance. The minimal accessories and fresh hair and make-up achieve the near-impossible: looking effortlessly incredible.

Image from Lainey Gossip

Jennifer Aniston - Atelier Versace

That colour is magical and the beadwork lit up when she walked across the stage to present an award. My favourite thing is seeing her legs through the fabric, sheer sexiness.

Image from Style.com

Jennifer Lopez - Elie Saab Haute Couture

We don't ever really expect Jennifer Lopez to go full-blown princess, which is what I love about this look, that she pulls it off while still looking exactly like herself. I think that might have something to do with the plunging neckline.

The not-so-best of 2015!

Image from Style.com

Chloe Grace Moretz in Miu Miu

I don't think anyone would say she looks good in this! I don't get it.

Image from Style.com

Solange Knowles - Christian Siriano

The first thing I noticed it that it looks too tight across the front of her shoulders. And then after that all I noticed is that it was just a whole lot of red velvet. I know she's edgy, and this might not be the most offensive thing she's ever worn, but it's not my cup of tea.

Thoughts? Write a comment!

Love x

It was going to happen eventually...

30 years ago next month, when I wasn’t even a twinkle in my father’s eye (little did he know he would be blessed with a daughter who would use his personal journey as an opener for a story), my Mum and Dad were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. Mum still has the dress she wore with boots to the so-called “disco” where the rest of our families history was born.
My parents aren’t really the romantic kind, which probably makes me love the story of how they met even more; when I ask them about it they usually just roll their eyes or say they don’t remember. I may not have grown up with the most harlequin of role models, but I am the product of a very romantic, fairly unique encounter. And it was with that boost that I myself headed out on my first blind date last week.
My “set-up” wasn’t the most traditional kind, my work colleagues and I left a napkin with my phone number for “the hot manager with glasses” on our table at the bar. When I got a text 10 minutes later asking if I wanted to go for dinner, so began the combined feelings of “this is just like in the movies!” and “what the hell have I gotten myself into?” that would follow me around for the next few days. One charming colleague declared I was desperate, I chose to think of it as daring.
So for anyone who has the resolve and the romantic spirit to leave your number on a table or submit yourself to a friend playing cupid, here are my pointers:

Step 1: The outfit.

I am aware that I care more about clothes than most people, I know, but this isn’t about getting preachy about not wearing black and brown together or that tights will never, ever be pants. This is about first impressions.
All I knew about my date was his first name and his place of work. He knew my name. Even in a job interview there is a resume involved, so let’s not pretend that we both wouldn’t be snatching up every bit of information we could get. Which is why I actually don’t really care what you wear, as long as its an honest representation of yourself. This Queen of Shopping (that isn’t a self-appointed title, I earned it) is telling you not to buy a new outfit. This situation is already rife with opportunities for feeling uncomfortable, let’s not add experimenting with strapless dresses to the equation. Wear something you love and that makes you feel like you. Your date hasn’t seen you in it before so it will be brand new to them anyway!
Here is what I asked myself: If I was going to style another person to look like me, what would I choose? My answer: Black. Slightly sheer. Comfortable shoes. This:

If your answer is head-to-toe Ken Done prints or an 80’s prom dress, then do it. Because you don’t want this person to fall in love with this season’s peplum skirt, you want them to fall in love with you.

Step 2: Don’t have any expectations.

Yes, it could have been a bit emotionally suicidal for a rom-com addict such as myself to embark on a blind date the week before Valentine’s day. And yes, using the extremely limited parameters I had to work with I did embark on an unsuccessful Facebook search. However, I am glad I got nowhere because that’s the point of a blind date, absolutely no preconceptions. Enjoy the moment for what it is, a chance for you to present yourself to fresh eyes and vice versa. As my Mother once said, “it would be a fluke if anything comes of it,” (I told you, not the rom-com type).
The achievement is in the fact that you are putting yourself out there, and not in the way those girls put it ALL out there in nightclubs on a Saturday night. If nothing comes of it, then you are simply a day and a dare closer to what you want than you were yesterday.
P.S. There is a difference between being daring and being vulnerable. Always let someone know where you will be and despite the nervous jitters, try not to over-do the alcohol.

Step 3: Leave a little mystery

It has been pointed out to me by several members of my friends, family, and even acquaintances that I share too much personal information. My argument to this is that I am not ashamed of my life and my decisions. Don’t get me wrong, several times a week I do things that leave me completely red-faced with embarrassment, but I would prefer to use them to give other people a laugh rather than lock them away in shame. However, this date was one time in which I made the conscious decision to strap a filter over my mouth. I decided that this person didn’t need to know every ugly detail from my last relationship, or exactly what percentage of my wage I spend on clothes. Don’t lie, never lie. Just let them ask the questions. When they answer one of your questions, let them finish their answer even if you’re like me and always seem to have a really relevant and funny story.
If you don’t interrupt, you learn the more crucial pieces of information. If you don’t give everything away, you’ve left a whole lot of intrigue for the second date.

—

I had a great time. I got tipsy and I accidentally ate a chili which left me unable to communicate for several minutes. We related on opinions that I don’t often share with people I meet and we talked until the restaurant was putting up chairs around us. But when my friends all asked me if I wanted to see him again, I realised I didn’t really care either way. Maybe its just my rom-com conditioning, but I want to be blown away by someone. And I am another day and a dare closer.

what's next?

Personally, I don't go to see a stand-up comedy performance expecting to get great philosophical life advice. I expect to be entertained and I hope to be distracted from the realities of my life for a short while. Well this week, Wil Anderson raised the bar. Being the impatient person that I am, I don't like having personal emotional situations that I cannot control. And I always want to find the quickest, easiest way of fixing the situation so I don't have to feel the yucky feelings. A psychologist introduced me to the very helpful technique of Mindfulness. For someone who thinks about things so obsessively I can't actually get anything useful done, this is fantastic. All it is really is forcing yourself to focus. If I am walking, focus on what I am seeing and hearing and where I am going. If I am doing a uni reading, paying attention to every word. All of a sudden, the day has flown by, things have been achieved and you are a day ahead in moving on from the problem. This technique is great for forcing you to be in the present, not dwelling on the past. However, when Wil Anderson shared his very simple life philosophy in his stand-up show, he gave me a great way to move into the future. In any given situation, good or bad, all you need to say is "what's next?". You can't change the past, so what do you want the future to be? If something good has happened, you can ask yourself "what's next?" and think about how you can perpetuate and build upon this positive event. If something shit happens, ask "what's next" and think about what positive situations you can now work towards. This is definitely an attitude I have always had towards clothes and shopping, which in a way is quite unfortunate. I buy something and then I always think "what's next?". Every few months I go through my closet and take out the things that no longer fit, or that I don't like any more. And I also re-discover old things that I had forgotten about and I make a point to give them another spin. Maybe this is a method that one could use in their lives and relationships. Look at who you have around you, do these people still fit? are they still as fabulous as you thought they were at the beginning? what kind of new people do you need to add a new dimension to your life? what people have you forgotten or neglected? There is only so much room in your wardrobe, and only so many hours and days in your life. Fill them with things and people that give you joy and take very good care of them so they last forever. Love. x

Never Ending Narratives

According to my fantastic second year lecturer, we have long been mistaken as to the world's oldest profession. Did anyone bother to ask, "Why would men need to pay for sex if they had a club?". We can use our clubs to provide all of our instinctual needs, food, sex, protection. However, we cannot force anyone to tell us a story, the only way to cajole someone into telling you their latest adventures is to give them money, or beer, or maybe even sex. Therefore, the world's first profession was that of the journalist, the original storytellers.
It seems a bit strange that something that isn't physically critical can be such an instinctual priority to humans. I have come up for a few reasons for this:
- A greater scope of knowledge of the world. Hearing about other people experiences teaches up empathy, inspires ambitions and warn us of difficulties or dangers.
- A source of comparison. As social beings we inherently measure ourselves against others. It is where we find our sense of success and failure as we consciously or subconsciously compete with each other. We want to know what other people are doing so we can learn from their mistakes and achievements.

As I have also observed, these instinctual demands can often overlap. We tell stories over food, and often these are stories of our sexual escapades. Perhaps we are so used to delivering the tales of our romantic/sexual experiences that these relationships have begun to follow the same flow of a traditional narrative.

Many will agree all successful narratives must include:
- Characters
- Relevance
- Mystery
- Conflict
- Climax
- Resolution

Certainly as they are portrayed over pizza, the characters in our own narratives always take on (or are given) the persona's of heroes and villains. We usually only hear about people who have done something really nice or really terrible to another.

And if a story needs mystery and suspense, well most of our personal narratives are generally expressed as a method of answering baffling questions. Usually about the villain. We hope that someone we know has had a similar experience that will explain all the pain away and give us a neatly wrapped solution tied up with a bow.

Which kind of explains the need for relevance. Just as each writer has an intended audience, so humans experiencing personal trauma. We seek out most qualified person to confide in about our particular conundrum. Those who are older, wiser, skinnier, sluttier, or more successful become the sources for a greater scope of knowledge.

The climax of a relationship, as in a narrative, can be positive or negative. I am a person of emotional extremes, so thrilling moments can be just as intense as the heart breaking ones. I think the climax is the moment in a relationship you will always associate with the other person.

It is my aim to create moments and experiences that are always more enjoyable and character building than the last. To have more positive stories to tell than negative ones. To ask the right questions and to learn from others' answers and experiences.

The world's oldest story was about a man named Gilgamesh who wanted to be immortal. Eventually he discovered that the best way to do this was to do great things that will be remembered forever.

Love. x

resolutions

Haven't blogged since April, not very impressed with myself. In fact, am only sitting here now because I think my level of exhaustion is now having strange effects on my mind. I am working at a cafe as well as the restaurant now, so time off is usually spent sleeping and eating. Definitely not cleaning. I got out of working at the cafe today, and as I awoke from my midday nap, I was confronted with the very common sight of half drunk Coke bottle littering my room. I moved out of home in August, and I figured a few of my less desirable habits would stay in Oatley, especially since my room mate wrote the book on cleanliness. Apparently not. I also thought that since I would be paying quite a lot of rent a week, I would cut back on my shopping. Again, hasn't happened. I justify my purchases by saying that my room mate's closet is bigger than mine and hers is a lot more full, but really, nothing will make me cut back very much. This caused me to have a little Carrie Bradshaw moment. I couldn't help but wonder, are there some things about me (and all of us) that will never change. I don't make resolutions every year, I make them every week. Eat more fruit, stop saying everything I think of the second it comes into my head, see my long lost friends more. I don't believe that our personalities are bestowed upon us at birth and we are stuck with them. Telling people they can accept the way you act and think or get lost is one way of being comfortable with yourself. As is taking note of the way people react to you and making some adjustments if you need to. However, some things don't budge. I am lucky enough to still have all my teeth after the amount of Coke I have consumed, and it would take me a lone time to wear everything in my wardrobe. I am more than aware that these quirks are big burdens on my health and finances, but the thrill they give me is a part of life that everyone enjoys through their unique habits that no new year could make you even consider giving up.

What a lovely week it has been! If you have been following this bog for a while, you might remember my earlier post about my AMAZING pair of Givenchy heels that I picked up in New York. The photo I included in that post is of Christine Centenera (a fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar!), who came into my work this week, WEARING THOSE HEELS! So of course I told her that I got them in New York and sent the photo of her wearing them to my friend, which she thought was funny. I also asked her how she wears them, because I have only worn mine once and nearly died from pain. But if I own the same rrp$2000 pair of designer heels as a fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar, I WILL DAMN WELL TRY AGAIN. So stay tuned for my second attempt.
I am all about dressing for comfort lately. Loose t-shirts, comfy (yet fabulous) cargo/military pants, and only the occasional pair of heels. Tapered jersey pants are the latest craze. I have just spent 20 minutes going through the list of blogs in my bookmarks, trying to find the amazing photos of girls in, what we used to refer to as "trackys", but I can't find anything. So here are some quick snaps I took this afternoon...





These are some witchery "yoga" pants, which I threw on with a country road singlet, my mike and chris leather jacket that I love, and my zu platform booties. An outfit I would never have considered a year ago, but I love it! I am swapping the platforms for converse and the leather jacket for a DKNY denim motorcycle jacket because I have to run to work!

Lots of Love!