HAVING FUN WITH BRIGHT COLOURS AND PRINTS

I absolutely adore bright colours, I like to wear them and I like to have them in my home. The vibrant colours brighten up my world, they fill me with positive energy and joy and help me to get through the day.  Sadly, as I walked through the shopping mall the other day, the predominant colours in the shopping windows were brown, black and neutral and the more mature the clothes become, the darker the colour palette become. It made me feel sad because women of certain age, like me, should not be denied the pleasure of being dressed in bright clothes nor should they be put off from doing so.

Yes, I know, we are heading into winter (in Australia that is) but even so, bright colours help us to break up the bleakness of winter, elevate the mood and add much needed colour to our pale complexions. 

It is a well known fact that the choice of colours reflects your personality, therefore the bold bright hues are not for everyone.  However, if you feel that a little injection of a vibrant colour would do no harm but are not sure where to start, a good way to tackle this challenge is to start with something small like a colourful scarf, a handbag or a pair of shoes and go from there.  As your confidence and a love for brightness builds up, you might like to wear a blouse or a jumper of a bright colour that suits your complexion and keep the bottom garment, skirt or pants, dark. 

 

Like every other colour on the Colour Wheel, the bright hues have different intensity and volume which means that their vividness could be modified and toned down a notch so instead of a rich red, it becomes a light pastel pink or according to Pantone 2016 Rose Quartz  or a pale yellow rather then canary yellow and rather than a deeply intense electric blue, you can settle for a neutral ice-blue colour, again described by Pantone as the Serenity colour of 2016.

I, on the other hand, like them really vibrant as seen in my previous posts and this outfit which I wore the other day to a girls lunch is yet another proof of my passion.

Top:  Rag & Bone

Pants:  Glassons

Sneakers:  Converse

Cuff:  Hermes
Sunglasses:  Ray Ban

According to colour psychology yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun and that is exactly how I felt that day.  I wanted to look young, careless and full of energy I hope that my outfit reflected my mood: a bright sunny sleeveless top worn with ankle-length floral prints pants and paired with white Converse sneakers.  I also recently become the owner of The Horse watch, thanks to my darling husband and I really like it.  It is fresh, cool, young, modern and and compliments my outfit to a T.

Watch:  The Horse

Bright colours are fun and I would encourage everyone to include them into your wardrobe, wear them with confidence and look fabulous.

Linking with Not Dressed as Lamb , Posh Class Mom

HOW TO WEAR A CAFTAN DRESS FROM A POOL PARTY TO A COCKTAIL PARTY

I love caftan dresses.  This timeless wardrobe staple is so versatile that with very little effort you can easily rock it from a beach party all the way to a cocktail party.  The market for these dresses is absolutely massive, offering as many varieties as you can imagine: from simple printed dresses that you can buy for $15 dollars all the way up to embellished silk gorgeous gowns that would cost you a small fortune.  There are no hard and fast rules and this is the one of the perks of the caftan.

 
Caftan:  Naomi Levi
Handbag:  Bondi Markets (also worn here)  
Ring: Bondi Markets

Shoes:  Urge from the Glue Store

I bought my caftan dress for the hot Australian summer and I can't get enough of it.  It is a light, airy, one-size fits all creation that helps you to live through the hot months feeling cooler and lighter.

At first, I only wore it to the beach or to a barbeque party where you don't need to put too much effort into your outfit.  But then one day we were invited to two parties, both on the same day, the difference was - one was a pool party, the other - evening drinks and the timing between the two didn't allow us to return home for a change which was quite annoying.

Then I thought that I can probably wear my caftan dress to both parties, all I need to do is change my handbag and accessories.  And that is exactly what I did.  For the pool party I put on flat sandals and carried my cow leather saddle bag and when the time came to say goodbye, I kicked the sandals off and instead slipped into my high heels, put a cocktail ring on my finger and slung a small leather bag over my shoulder.

Shoes:  Miu Miu

The transformation was instantaneous, with the help of just few little things my outfit went from pool party to a cocktail party.

Handbag:  Vivienne Westwood

Ring:  Swarovski

Necklace:  Givenchy vintage

Lesson learned, never underestimate your accessories, big or small, they can make or break your entire outfit.

Linking Tuesday:  Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Penniless Socialite