FLORAL PRINT SUMMER DRESS

Hi everyone, how are you?

Although Australia is in the second month of autumn, we are absolutely blessed with the current weather .  The temperature is in the high 20's (Celsius scale) which equals to above 70F,  so we still wear short sleeves, shorts and sandals, and the parks and walkways are full of people engaged in all kind of activities:  walking, jogging, biking or just taking their dogs for a walk all the time trying to maintain social distancing, of course.  

It certainly helps to lift the boredom of lock-down that we all are subjected at the moment and helps us to stay active and positive.  However, the main beaches are closed for sunbathing and only open for a few hours a day so people can take a swim and go for a surf  in the strictly designated and patrolled parts of the beach and you can't just idly sit on a grass or on a bench and enjoy the sun and the smell of the ocean.  Yet, from what I hear about the lock-down rules in other countries across the globe, we are in a much better position, our restrictions are less severe and for that we should be grateful.

Usually, around this time of a year, my summer dresses are all packed away till the next summer yet here I am in the middle of April dressed in my summer best😃.  I bought this dress on my last year's trip to Cape Town from a small shop that lined up in multitudes along the beach front of Cape Town when I spotted its bright happy print in a shop window. 

It buttons all the way on the front and has a soft belt made of the same fabric which effortlessly defines the waist without creating a distinctive line that visually cuts your body in half which quite often happens when the belt is made of one solid colour.

Keeping up with the colourful palette of my dress, I chose yellow earrings and green bracelets for my accessories and since everyone is dressed casually these days, I decided to be otherwise and wore red high heel painted dress shoes instead.  I just refuse to let COVID-19  to take all the fun out of my life 😃😃😃.

Stay safe and keep well

Anna

xoxo

MY NEW MAXI SKIRT IN BOLD STRIPES

Hello, dear friends, hope you are safe and doing well

 

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might remember that I quite often mention the fact that for various reasons I am not lucky with on-line shopping for clothes.  I was so excited when Zara in Australia went on-line and I was able to buy a skirt that I saw on the rack but which was not available in my size.  It attracted my attention by its bold diagonally run wide stripes in black, white, red and bright blue colours and I thought it would be a nice addition to my skirt range.  Sadly, when it arrived and I put it on, it didn't fit properly.  Although I am a standard size M, it felt quite tight around my waist and hips so I decided to return it.

Long story short, I missed the deadline for return and had to keep the skirt.  I attributed the whole experience to a learning curve, write off the loss and move on.  Eventually, I managed to lose some weight and decided to give the skirt a second chance but it was easier said then done.

I guess, my biggest challenge was to find a top that would go well with it.  Since the skirt is belt-less, wearing something tucked in was not an option.  I tried to pair it with a loose fitting top, but it didn’t work either.  Finally, after a few failed attempts, I settled for this black short sleeve fitted top and a pair of high heel white open toe shoes.

Outfit details: skirt - Zara, shoes - Celine (old), top: Cue (old), handbag:  Louis Vuitton (old)

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

ME AND MY DUNGAREES

Hello everyone,

How are you keeping?  Are you well stocked with food and activities that will help to see you through this madness and come out on the other side unscathed?

Although you have seen me wearing these dungarees on Instagram, thank you for your "likes" and comments, but I didn't actually publicise them on my blog.  Then I thought that while the most of us are in a locked home without much to do, why not open a discussion to find your opinion about whether women of a certain vintage, like myself, should wear dungarees in public?

This past summer the dungarees were hugely popular in Australia among young and not so young women and I thought they look cute but I never contemplated the thought of going into a shop and buying a pair for myself.  Somewhere in my head I always associated them with Tom Sawyer's look, a cheeky little boy the adventures of whom were so hilariously written about by the great American writer, Mark Twain.

I did a little research about the origin of dungarees and here is an interesting fact:  the first mention of dungaree occurred in the 17th century and it was referred to a cheap, thick, coarse cloth, usually coloured blue or white and "worn by impoverished people in what was then a region of Bombay, India a dockside village called Dongri. Hindi name of this cloth was “dungri”. Dungri was exported to England and used for manufacturing of cheap, robust working clothes. English began to call “dungri” cloth a little differently, and it became “dungaree”. Everyone who needed clothes for hard work that would not tear after a short time, from workers to slaves, began to wear dungarees".

Who would've thought that 400 years later they would become a fashion statement?  I bought mine in Cape Town last year on a total whim.  My husband and I were in the CBD for business and on our way back to the car passed a nice looking shop called "Just Cruizin".  A quick look through the big store window confirmed my first impression about it and we pressed the buzzer, which is a common practice in South Africa, to let us in.  As it happened, a sales assistant, nice lady of a similar age to mine, was wearing a pair of dungarees in deep indigo. She was all smiles and very helpful and when I asked how she feels about them, she just smiled and said "Fantastic".  

It was then that I decided to give them a try.  I normally don't like baggy shapeless garments, even my casual clothes have to be well constructed but when I put the dungarees on, I felt liberated like I had not a care in the world.  Looking around the shop, I noticed that all the garments were made of high quality cotton but cost far less then the price that I would pay for it in Sydney so I continued shopping.  A blue wrap-around blouse, a pair of earrings and a cocktail ring and a pair of dungarees, of course, all found their way into my shopping bag.

The first occasion that I wore my new dungarees came the next day, when my husband and I took a drive to Stellenbosch, a picturesque small town just about 40 minutes drive from Cape Town surrounded by beautiful vineyards and the mountains nature reserved.  Our destination was Vergenoegd Wine Estate, well known not only for their wines but also for the daily parade of over 2,000 Indian Ducks that is well know all over South Africa and attracts a lot of visitors.  

They called Runner Ducks because they stand upright like penguins and instead of waddling, the ducks run.  The show takes place three times daily and it was a lot of fun watching those ducks, running along the path, aided by the vineyard's staff.  I was pleased that I was dressed for the occasion 😎

Back in Sydney, I grew to like my dungarees so much that they become my "go to" casual outfit.  I saw some girls wear them with just a small tank top underneath but you have to draw the line somewhere and that's where I drew mine.   My two most favourite ways to wear them is either with a plain white t-shirt or with white and dark navy stripes top and a pair of sneakers.

Here is my question to you my dear friends:  "Would you wear a pair of dungarees and if not, what would be the reason"?

Please share your thoughts

Until then

Anna

xoxo