VISITING THE GROUNDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Hello dear friends, hope you are all well and getting excited with the Christmas festivities just around the corner.  I know how we all are patiently waiting for 2020 to end in the hope that 2021 will be so much better 🎄.

We  are so lucky in Australia, there are no locally transmitted COVID cases and the restrictions rules have been eased dramatically.  We still need to register our names every time we enter public premises such as a restaurant or a movie house and you can occasionally see people wearing face masks around big shopping centers but you can hear a collective sigh of relief from Australians realising that we managed to combat COVID 👍👍👍.

However, we are still unable to travel overseas nor do we allow any international tourists to come to our shores.  We are stranded in our own country which means that when it comes to holidays the only option is left to us is to do it locally.   As a rule, we tend to spend more holiday time overseas but truth be told, I don't think it's such a bad idea to travel domestically, helping fellow Australians to rebuild their business and our economy and exploring the land that we call home. 

My husband and I are now more tuned to local events and jump at every opportunity to leave the house and discover something new whether it is a new exhibition, movie screening or a visit to a new artisan market.  

Last week, for example, my husband and I went to visit a new addition to the string of Sydney museums,  Chau Chuk Museum that just recently opened on the grounds of the University of Sydney.  The information page of their website informed us that the museum hosts a vast amount of exhibits from private collections representing art, science, history and ancient cultures and we were quite keen to see it for ourselves 👀.  

The last time I visited the University of Sydney was a while ago when we attended my oldest daughter's graduation ceremony and it looks as magnificent I remembered:  bright green manicured lawns, clean pathways, imposing architecture of surrounding halls and outbuilding, their walls covered in ivy leaves.

My outfit of the day was a pair of trousers from Reiss paired with a pink silk blouse (old), over-shoulder jumper (old) and the same pair of sneakers previously worn here.  If you follow my blog, you might recall that I made quite a few purchases from Reiss at the beginning of the year when the big "end of season sale" was on.  

Out of this pile, you have seen me wearing the dress (seen here) and the blouse (seen here) and now is a turn for my last purchase.  I really like the geometrical print on these straight fit pants and a draw-string waist is very comfortable and has an easy feel about it.  The other bonus was that they are super versatile and look as stylish worn with sneakers as well as with a pair of heels.

We had a very interesting time at the museum, viewing artefacts representing different eras and empires some of them over three thousand years old.  Every time I see something that old, it blows my mind away just thinking how smart, creative and skilful our ancestors were!!! 

There was a nice cafe on the premises where we had a very pleasant lunch and afterwards went for a very pleasant walk around the grounds, taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of the surroundings.  All and all we had a lovely day breaking the monotonous routine that we all involuntarily are currently living in.  Mission accomplished 👍.

Outfit details:

Trousers - Reiss

Blouse - Zara (old)

Sneakers - LV Frontrow

Hand bag - Furla

Sunglasses - Prada

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

 

WHAT I WORE ON A COOL DAY OF SPRING

Good morning, dear friends, hope are all well and smiling

I scored this white blouse with a zip pocket from a sale at Reiss.  I love this brand from England for its timeless elegance and outstanding craftsmanship and have already scored a dress that I really enjoy wearing everywhere I go (worn here).  

There are a couple of features that makes this blouse stand out from the crowd:  a small zip pocket and a silver zip that goes from the top to the bottom of the front of the blouse over a row of buttons.  

It has such an easy fit, you just put it on and walk out of the house feeling good about yourself.  Contrary to a model, who wore it tucked in into silky dress pants over high heel shoes, I went the other way and wore it with my wide-leg pants and my new pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers (one of my birthday gifts from my husband 😍).

I didn't intend to wear a coat or a scarf, just grabbed them when I was almost out the door but it came handy as despite the bright sunny day, the weather was rather nippy.

Outfit details:  

Blouse - Reiss

Pants - Scotch and Soda

Coat - Bec and Bridge

Sneakers - Lous Vuitton Frontrow

 

HOW I CELEBRATED MY 60 BIRTHDAY PART II

Last week I started sharing with you how I celebrated my big milestone birthday.  For those who missed the beginning of the story, here is a quick recoup.  The celebrations were split into two parts:  Part I - just the two of us went away for the weekend and you can read about it by following this link.

When we returned back to Sydney, the festivities continued.  Originally, I was planning to throw a big party for my family and friends but since the regulations about party gatherings did not allow us to have more than 20 people, we had to settle on inviting just my close family for dinner to a restaurant called China Diner.  We had dined there a few times before and like their take on cooking traditional dishes of South East Asia and China but with a contemporary approach and they serve their dishes in a relaxed stylish environment.  

They were kind enough to locate my party in a nice cosy niche away from the madding crowd where we could have some privacy.  And my dear husband even managed to sneak in some party balloons behind my back to make it look festive. But all this nonsense didn't dampen my spirits to have a good time. And boy, didn't I have a dress to do just that.

You see, last year while I was browsing through the “Sale” aisles of David Jones department store looking for a dress that I could wear to a New Year bash, I caught a shimmering silver dress out of the corner of my eye, hanging on the rack labelled By Johnny.  It looked outrageously shiny but it was exactly what I was looking for so I bought it right then and there. 

Truth be told, I have never worn it ever since that night and couldn't imagine if I would ever be able to wear it ever again but then I thought, it's my 60th birthday and life is too short and if I don't wear it now, then when.  And so I did.  I deliberately avoided wearing any other accessories as the dress has it all except my nails which I painted in sparkly silver polish to match the dress 👍😃.

We kicked the night off with a glass of bubbly on arrival followed by the banquet menu tweaked according to the array of dietary restrictions in our group.  We had one vegan, two vegetarians, one person who doesn't eat shell fish and three people who don't eat pork.  But the kitchen took it in their stride without batting an eye lash. The staff were extremely helpful and accommodated us in every way, even allowing us to bring our own cake despite the fact that they have their own dessert menu.  We all had a great time, it was the first time since the March lockdown that the family got together and we all rejoiced to be together again. 

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

 

HOW I CELEBRATED MY 60TH BIRTHDAY PART I

Last months marked an important milestone in my life - I turned 60.  I have mixed feelings about it.  My friends keep telling me that it is just a number and I sincerely want to believe them, yet I am aware that there is much more to it than that.

I did however, receive quite a few rather nice gifts from my family and which lifted my spirits 👍👍👍.

Anyhow, I decided that rather than be bogged by it and be sad and miserable, I should embrace this fact with gusto and celebrate.  Unfortunately, our original plan which was to spend my 60^th in Bali went out the window so the only option we had was to do it locally.   

Luckily, we have been allowed to travel within the boundaries of our state, so we decided to travel to Nelson Bay, a beautiful two hour drive away part of the world highly popular for its sandy beaches, water activities, amazing seafood and holiday vibe.  I honestly didn’t care much for the beach as we live within a 10 minute walking distance from the famous Bondi Beach, I just wanted a change of scenery and get away from cooking, cleaning etc.

My husband managed to get us a table at Rick Stein's restaurant which has been in high demand since he opened in the area a couple of years ago.  Originally, he wanted to book us dinner at Bannisters hotel that is the home to Rick Stein's restaurant but everything was booked out for that weekend so he settled for lunch.  I was fine with it because our hotel was a fair distance from the restaurant and since we couldn’t spent the night at Bannisters, I was rather apprehensive of driving intoxicated at night in an unfamiliar environment. 

It was the first time that I wore this dress since I bought it at the End of Season Sale from Sass and Bide on-line store which is quite unusual for me as I hugely prefer buying my clothes from a mortar and bricks store to on-line shopping.  But when I saw this dress on-line with the price tag slashed by half, I couldn’t resist the temptation to buy it.  Besides, they promised me a full refund upon returning the dress within 14 days.  To my delight and surprise, the dress fitted me perfectly.  I was hoping to wear it during the summer months but then the lockdown laws were introduced and even after they partially lifted the restrictions on restaurants, I felt reluctant to go out.  

The style of the dress is call the Wild One Dress and you can see why.  I thought that rather than trying to find words to describe it, I would copy a quote from the official site.  It goes like this:  “This fitted tank-style dress features classic sleeveless tank styling, with a high neckline and asymmetric rushed detailing at the side. Made from silk, the dress showcases a striking animal-style print, with raw-cut black chiffon at the neck and armhole, an invisible zip at the side seam, and a keyhole closure at the back of the neck.”

I think that sums it up. 

As for my accessories, I didn’t want anything that would fight with the dress for attention, so I just wore golden hoop earrings and I couldn’t help but to put on a new Hermes bracelet given to me by my older daughter for my birthday (see the picture above).

The food was scrumptious and the service – impeccable which was expected from such an acclaimed chef.

We spent three blissful days sleeping late, going for drives or nice long walks, eating, drinking and generally enjoying ourselves.  It felt so good to be away from everything even if it was a short break.

But this is only the first part of my birthday festivities.  I saved the rest for the next post😍.

Until then

Anna

Dress - Sass and Bide

Shoes - Country Road (0ld)

Handbag - Chanel Butterfly Quilted bag (Old)

Glass - Prada (another birthday present)

HOW TO WEAR SILK AND LINEN TOGETHER

Hello everyone, hope you are in good health and keeping well.

The silk maxi skirts and slip dresses continue to dominate the fashion market for a very good reason:  they are very easy and comfortable to wear, hugely versatile in when it comes to the season and the occasion.  

So far you have seen me wearing my silk bias cut skirt in summer, paired with a sleeveless top and strappy sandals (here) and in winter, worn with ankle boots and a cashmere jumper (here).  

However, since we in Australia are in the middle of spring and the days are getting warmer,  I came up with the idea of experimenting by mixing my smooth silk skirt with a wrinkled linen jacket and adding a pop of abstract print in the form of a cotton long sleeved top.  

Traditionally linen clothes are associated with casual attire and usually worn during the day paired with denim, cotton or similar fabric, while silk is linked with a more formal way of dressing, I think the juxtaposition of these two works very well.  

It is a good transitional outfit, something I would wear to a pre-COVID office, a networking lunch or a meeting with a client.  For less formal occasions, I would definitely swap the court shoes for a pair of sneakers.  

It is a first time ever that I am wearing hoop earrings which I accidentally found in a jewelry box which belonged to my late mother-in-law.  All my life I was under the impression that they didn't suit me but when I tried them on, I kind of like it.  What do you think?

This skinny scarf was an attempt to add some panache to this mixed outfit.

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

 

WHAT I WOULD WEAR TO THE OPERA

 Hello dear friends,

Oops, I did it again, stole this idea from my UK fellow bloggers led by Emma of Style Splash where they all got dressed up with nowhere to go.  The moment I saw their posts, I realised how many women, present company included, are dreaming of the day when they can do their hair and make-up, dust off a pair of killer hills, get dressed in their "Sunday best" and attend a fabulous party, a night at the opera or some special occasion and have a fabulous time without looking over their shoulders without a worry in the world.  

So here is my contribution to the future where we will be free to do what we like.  The dress which I am wearing, has been in my wardrobe for a few years but I never grow tired of wearing it.  It is made of very fine silk, has a rather deep V-cut and with so called "fishtail" (apparently this style was very popular during Victorian era and that is where this name originates).

It's one of the outfits that in my wardrobe classified as "to go the Opera" look and that's probably why you have not seen it yet😎.  Because the dress has low V-cut, my favourite accessory to go with it is a long string of pearls knotted and strategically placed on the bottom of the cut 😎.

I have modelled my Louis Vuitton patent shoes before as well as this Bec + Bridge black coat.  My Chanel Mini Butterfly bag has been with me for many years but remains one of mine old faithful.

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

This post was featured on Links à la Mode fashion roundup by Independent Fashion Bloggers.

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