WHITE LACE BLOUSE WITH BLACK & WHITE FLOWER PRINT PENCIL SKIRT

Hi everyone,

Traditionally, the term eclectic style is applied to the world of design and its philosophy is as simple as this: “To combine elements or particular styles from different time periods and different origins in a harmonious fashion”.

I think I could, to some extent, say the same about my personal style.  If you have been following my blog, you will notice how many different looks I came up with during my two years of blogging.   There is, however, a common thread that can be easily spotted and that is, as much as I like a casual and relaxed style of clothing such as jeans, jogger pants, t-shirts and sneakers for day-to-day general activities, I equally like to dress up for an occasion and that includes high heel shoes, nice hand bags, elegant blouses, pencil skirts and pretty dresses. 

And the occasion for this post was an outing to the Sydney Opera House to hear Lang Lang playing the piano.  My choice for the night was a delicate white lace top, a pencil skirt with a flower pattern and a pair of black high heeled classic pumps.

Looking at my two previous posts (ripped raw hem jeans and Military jacket) and comparing them with the one you are reading now, proves that what I said earlier about my eclectic taste, which in turn, defines my unique personal style. It also shows the impact of how different styles of clothes can change the way we in which we perceive other people and how through clothes, you can express yourself and your unique style and personality.

When it comes to define my personal style, I would say “My style is what makes me look good and feel confident".

And in order to be able to say and feel this way, you should have a good knowledge of your body shape, skin complexion, hair colour and other physical attributes that will help you to determine what works best for you and forge your own unique style. 

It does not happened over night but it is rather an on-going process of trial and error and you should not be put out by the challenges that might come along.

Blouse:  Asilio

Skirt:  Zara

Shoes:  Christian Dior

Surely, as life goes on and our body changes as the years go by, our style of clothing changes with it, but whatever defines your ”personal style”, your unique sense of fashion will remain unchanged.

Please remember that nobody’s perfect and I would not waste a minute of my life trying to be otherwise, however a healthy diet, the right amount of exercise and general well-being are key factors in feeling well and looking fabulous.

Until then,

I LOVE MY RIPPED RAW HEM JEANS

Hello everyone,

If you ask me what is my most favourite day of the week is, I would say Friday.  I think it comes from the days when I was working in an office full-time and had to wear corporate outfits four days a week except on Friday, which was declared “Casual Friday” and everyone would come in the office looking as if they are about to go on a picnic.

And although I don’t work in a corporate environment any more, I still refer to Friday as a day when it would be almost impossible to see me wearing anything else except something extremely casual and when I say casual I mean it. 

 And for me nothing could be more relaxed than a pair of jeans and sneakers paired with a t-shirt or a singlet in summer and, in winter, a loose-fitting jumper and an easy fitting shirt underneath nonchalantly left un-tucked.  These items of clothing are the epitome of casual attire and herald in the weekend.

The jeans you see me wearing are my latest acquisition.  I needed a pair of jeans to take with me on my European holiday and so I went and bought the most daring and unconventional looking pair of jeans I have ever had in my life, even when I was younger:  ripped, distressed, ankle-short and with a raw hem, what else could you want!  It seems that as I grow older, my taste in clothes has become more adventurous and I am really enjoying it.

Jeans from Zara, sneakers from Converse, jumper – Country Road (worn here), shirt – Uniqlo, Messenger bag – Furla (seen here), scarf – Sonia Rykiel and Swarovski cocktail ring.  I cannot say anything about the provenance of the earrings as it was a gift from my daughter.

Their ragged look did not stop me wearing them all the time, they served me well through all the different weather conditions that we experienced during our 4-week trip from the warmth of South Africa to a cold windy Europe. 

What is your favourite day of the week?  Do you have a day when you like to wear any particular style of clothing?  

Until then

HOW I STYLED A MILITARY JACKET

Hello everyone,

The Military Jacket in its many reincarnations has been making its appearance on countless clothing websites, social media platforms and fashion spreads all over the world.  Its popularity among men could be equally measured by the willingness of women of all ages to be seen clad in this extremely versatile garment.

I, on another hand, was not in a rush to jump on the band wagon convinced that its style does not exactly suit my taste nor would I look good in it until one day I walked into my teenage daughter's room and saw it lying in a heap on the floor. 

 It was an unusually warm day for autumn (I live in Australia, remember? and it is autumn in the Southern Hemisphere) and I was wearing a sleeveless silk maxi dress in a so-called "Swamp Green" colour.  I was getting ready to go to view an Isabella Blow exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum and all I needed was to grab a jacket and I would be on my way. It was at that moment that I decided to put the Military Jacket over my dress and see how I looked in it.

The result was better then I expected. I really liked the juxtaposition of the soft fluid feeling of the silk against the rough fabric of the jacket and the contrast of the feminine shape of the dress with the rather androgynous utilitarian style of the jacket so I decided to "borrow" it for the day.  I also discovered that there a few ways I can wear the Military Jacket depending on how confident I feel or what I am wearing it with, from casually carrying it over my shoulder to being tied up around my waist for a true street style.

My newly acquired metallic shoes that I bought while holidaying in Athens and golden socks worked really well with this outfit.

A stack of bangles in various shapes and shades of green complemented the colour palette of the clothes and added a light touch of bohemian layer to my outfit.

Lesson learnt, step outside of your comfort zone from time to time and open yourself up to new options and possibilities.  You might be pleasantly surprised and rewarded by the result.

I would like to have your opinion on my look and also would be very interested to hear about your wardrobe adventures.

Until then

Lining up with Birth of a Fashion Blogger

MY EUROPEAN HOLIDAY 2016 - WE ARE IN MEDIEVAL ZURICH

Hi everyone,

Finally, I have come to the conclusion of my 2016 European holiday narrative with a short and sweet post about Zurich. 

After spending the last four hectic weeks of travelling through Greece and Portugal, we decided to come to Zurich for a bit of respite, to have a couple of quiet days to decompress before flying back to Sydney.

We flew to Zurich after spending a couple of days in a beautiful sunny Madeira and I was not very happy to return to the cold weather, more so since the weather in Zurich was even colder than everywhere we were before.

We stayed in Steigenberger Hotel located on the Lake Zurich.  They upgraded us to an enormous 2 level suite with private access to our own roof terrace, sauna and jacuzzi with a panoramic view over the lake and the city beyond.

We only had one and a half days to spare and didn’t have any particular plan of what we wanted to see or do except two things:  to find the Fraumünster Church where Marc Chagall painted five windows and see the Macbeth opera at Zurich Opera house, tickets for which we had purchased on-line well before we left on our holiday.

So the next morning, we bundled ourselves into the scarves and gloves and set off to explore the Old Town (Altstadt).  This historic heart of Zurich is the most atmospheric part of the city with its medieval looking buildings, old churches and cathedrals with the narrow copper covered spiels punctuating the sky above, narrow cobblestone streets, lovely squares with ornate fountains in the middle and wrought iron benches beside them.  This area is full of all sorts of eateries, bars, cafes, art galleries and artisan shops. 

It is here in Alststadt that you find Bahnofstrasse, the most expensive and exclusive shopping mile in Europe and even if you are not in the mood for shopping, just taking a stroll along it should not be a missed.  The one thing that came to me as a shock is the cost of food, which became even more apparent in comparison to what we paid for similar food in Greece and Portugal.

The Old Town is very charming, even if sometimes it could be difficult to navigate due to its twisty narrow streets and passages, however the people of Zurich were most helpful and glad to point us in the right direction to the Fraumunster Church were we admired the colourful work of Mark Chagall.

Then we hopped on a tram and made our way to the Western, more industrial part of Zurich, to check out how the space under the "old Viadukt" was transformed into a Markthalle (Market Place) housing an array of delicatessens, cult labels stores, studio galleries and fashion boutique all open to the public.  

We stopped at one of the stalls for a piece of deliciously looking apple pie and a stall holder suggested that we should have lunch at Bistro Clouds, only few tram stops from the viaduct.  Sitting on top of the one of the tallest city towers, this place is known not only for its food and bar but for the breathtaking 360 degrees view over Zurich.   

And although the restaurant requires reservations made far in advance, the bistro works on a walk-in basis and we were seated immediately.  The food was very good and the prices, to our utter surprise, were quite reasonable so we left the Clouds with a feeling of satisfaction and contentment.

We returned to our hotel in time to rest and get changed for the much anticipated evening at the Opera.  

Luckily, our hotel was only few minutes away from the Opera House. As we found our seats we looked around to admire the rich décor and architecture of the building that is so customary of the theaters all around Europe.  We were fascinated by the innovative production of the play, the singing was superb and to our utmost delight we were able to follow the plot, courtesy of the English surtitles.  That list night in Zurich was one of the highlights of our trip and I couldn’t wish for a better way to bring our 2016 European holiday to a close.