STYLING BOTTLE GREEN DRESS

Hello everyone,

Even before the weather people officially announced that summer is over (for those like me who lives in Australia, that is), I could feel that it was:  the morning sun comes later, the air in the morning and later in the afternoon feels crisper and the number of tourists around Bondi Beach has dramatically diminished.  So now when I am going for a run along the beach front, there are fewer chances to bump into someone who is taking a selfie oblivious to the world and to the fellow humans around them.

Luckily, the sun is still hot around midday and there is still time left to wear summer dresses, or this last one at least.  Actually, this dress is just an ideal option for the current weather as its fabric is not light, thin nor sheer which is what is expected of a summer dress.

I rather call it a late summer, early autumn transitional dress as its fabric has more weight to it which helps to hold the shape of its silhouette and that was what attracted me to this dress in the first place as well as its bottle green colour.

I found it in Cos, the store I’ve come to love for its cool and edgy clothing for its modern and functional design and the fact that all items are executed on only one solid colour.

When I put it on, it appeared that this dress did not look like my usual style at all because I normally don’t wear full skirts or dresses preferring them to either pencil or straight shaped as clearly seen in my previous post  but I actually liked it.  For some reason, it reminded me of the so-called peasant dresses fashionable in the late sixties and seventies worn by Italian actresses in the movies from that era.

Besides, there is nothing wrong in getting out of your comfort zone once in a while and trying something different.  If you don’t like it, you can always take it back and if you do, you have just enriched the scale of your wardrobe.

I deliberately chose a big statement necklace to balance out the sheer volume of the skirt and add some embellishment to it, rather than a plain simple top.

My shoes are from Camper.  It is the first time ever that I bought a pair of shoes from this store and although they have heels, I must say with that I have never ever have worn shoes as comfortable as these.

Showcasing my new Kenzo sunglasses and clover-shape earrings

When I was going through the images that my husband took of me, I especially liked those that show how the skirt has billowed in the wind which adds a playful feel to my new outfit.

Linking up with Fine Whatever Blog, The Wardrobe Stylist, Not Dressed as Lamb, Style Nudge

WHAT I WORE ON A WINDY SUMMER DAY

Hi my dear readers and fellow bloggers,

I can’t believe that we are approaching the end of the second month of the new year which means that those who live in the Northern Hemisphere will soon see the end of winter while we, in Australia are about to kiss the summer good-bye.  This year it has been so unusually hot that I secretly wish it would end already.  It seems that as I get older, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep my cool under 40 degree heat especially when the humidity is as high as almost 100% which reminds me so much of Bali weather.

Speaking of which, the dress I am wearing was purchased in Bali from one of the myriads clothing stores along the hip and trendy shopping strip of Semyniak during our most recent trip to the “Island of Gods”.

Usually I avoid buying clothes in navy or dark blue colour but I was so attracted by the bright colours of the flower pattern of the dress that I decided to try it on.  The moment I slid its spaghetti straps over my shoulders, I immediately liked what I saw – how this dress with its simple shape effortlessly slipped down my body lightly following its contours without any restrictions.  It felt light and breezy and very nice and I bought it.  Surprise, surprise.

The day these photos were taken, was a warm Sunday afternoon in Sydney and my husband and I have decided to take a casual after lunch stroll around the marina.

I smartly put on my super comfortable, if not very stylish, thick sole casual sandals but I am sure that this dress will also look good if I chose to propel myself on heels (will keep you posted on that).

Ever since I came to inherit a number of vintage scarfs, I tend to take one just in case. A girl never knows when she might need it.  As it turned out, I did use it but in rather unexpected way.  As we were walking along the pier, a sudden gust of wind swept over the harbour and gave me a great idea for a photo shoot.   My apologies for the images that are not of the best quality and look overexposed but the sun's position was really tricky.

Linking up with Shelbee on the Edge, Elegance and Mommyhood, High Latitude Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Threads for Thomas, Style Nudge, Not Dressed as Lamb

WHAT I WORE ON A WARM DAY IN HOBART

Hello again, everyone

Now that I told you all about our latest Tasmanian holiday adventures, I would like to share with you a couple of outfits that I wore while in Tasmania.

One thing that I couldn’t get right during our trip, was to wear clothes appropriate to the weather and for the first few days I felt constantly cold until I realised that due to the island’s proximity to the Antarctica, its cold weather adds a chill factor that could not be ignored and in order to survive, I just should add an extra layer to my outfits.  So after that, I never left our hotel without a cardi or a scarf or both.  Chances are, you would need them even on a relatively warm day.

So one day on a way for a walk to a nearby park and beyond, despite the fact than my phone told me that it is going to be a hot day, I wasn’t going to be fooled again.

I started with white shorts, a singlet and a pair of sneakers that I would normally wear on a hot day back in Sydney but sticking to my latest weather discovery, I added a light button-up blouse and tied a scarf around my neck thinking that if the weather would get hotter later in a day as predicted, all I would have to do is take off my blouse and remove the scarf.   And with that we left the hotel.

As it turned out, even when the temperature was at its hottest peak, I felt perfectly comfortable in my extra layers and had no desire to remove any of them.

On another hand, it was a perfect weather for exploring the city on foot and both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What I wore:  shorts - Maison Scotch, shoes - Converse, blouse - Zara, scarf - vintage Pierre Cardin, hand bag - Furla, sunglasses (old) - Chanel.

If you want to know more about Tasmania and its lovely capital, Hobart, just click on the words Tasmania or Hobart and the link will take you there.

Until then,

Linking up with:  The Pleated Poppy, Shelbee on the edge, Fine Whatever, Not Dead Yet Style, High Attitude Style, Mum with Style

OUR HOLIDAYS IN TASMANIA PART II - VISITING HOBART

Hi everyone,

Just picking up from where I left off about our recent trip around Tasmania.  If you just happened to read my blog for the first time or simply need to refresh your memory, here is the link to the first part of the story.

We drove into Hobart on the afternoon of a sunny warm day.  The town looked very green and clean, like the rest of the island and we immediately liked it.

The place where we were staying, called Salamanca Inn, was in an ideal location:  we were within walking distance of Hobart’s waterfront with its beautiful marina, an array of restaurants and bars and the city centre with its green parks, graceful sandstone buildings, museums and galleries that we took a great pleasure in walking around and admiring them. 

We visited the Botanical Gardens and spent a few hours walking around
the amazing plants and flowers and had a delicious lunch with a million dollar ocean and city view.

We drove up to Mount Wellington to admire the bird’s eye-view over the city and glistening ocean sprawled around the foot of the mountain.

Our main interest, however, lay in visiting the MONA Art Gallery of Tasmania.  We had heard and read so much about it that being in Hobart and not seeing it with our own eyes would be unthinkable.  As a matter of fact, we came prepared well in advance.  Back in Sydney, a friend of ours, who recently visited Hobart, suggested that we should try and book lunch there, he also advised that in order to avoid a long queue, we should buy our tickets on-line. 

And so we did.  Not only did we buy tickets, we also managed to book a New Year lunch at the MONA restaurant, called the Source.

The story behind this place is quite interesting and worth reading about.  As a matter of fact, MONA is Australia's largest private museum and one of the most controversial private collections of modern art and antiquities in the world.  Described by its owner as a "subversive adult Disneyland", the collection includes everything from ancient Egyptian mummies to some of the world's most infamous and thought-provoking contemporary art. With around 300 art works on display, the collection takes up three floors within a subterranean architectural masterpiece and is guaranteed to impress even the most avid art lovers.  The only structure that stands above ground is the restaurant and the cavernous entrance hall to the museum.

The first thing indicated to us that we are about to have a great time was the quirky way each dining table was decorated.  From afar they looked just like regular square tables with glass tops but on a closer inspection, it was rather a box with a glass top and a solid bottom part set over table legs.  As we sat down, I looked through the glass and saw the bottom panel was all covered in sea salt with a message written by using thin dry twigs laid out in a circular shape on top of it saying: “It would only take one wave”.  The other tables were equally quirky decorated, some with feathers, some with stones but most of all we love what they did to the dining tables outside on a terrace.

Each table was covered in soil and natural grass and was bumpy as a lawn would be so the diners were looking for some indentations to place their glasses without spilling their contest. 

It looked like a lot of fun.  The food was utterly delicious, well cooked and beautifully presented, the service was impeccable and we had the most enjoyable time at the Source.

Then the time came to pay homage to the museum’s current exhibition.  I must confess I had mixed feelings about seeing it in the first place due to a lot of controversial opinions in the press, the public and the art gurus but we really liked it.  Some exhibits did not work for me, some of them I found being too twisted but on the whole, we loved it and I would recommend a visit MONA without any hesitation.

And then our time in Hobart had come to the end and the next thing we knew we were on the plane returning to Sydney.

Hope you enjoyed reading my recounting of our Tasmanian trip and would consider putting it on your next holiday destination trip.  Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Until then,