DOTS, DOTS AND MORE DOTS

Hello everyone, hope all is well with you.

It's still quite cold in Sydney and I am not in the mood for outdoor photos shoots, however last week the weather played nicely and blessed us with a couple of warm days.  Not wanting to miss such an opportunity, I put this outfit on and asked my husband to go to Bondi Beach to take some photos.

I spotted (no pun intended) this skirt during the end of financial year sale (in Australia it ends on the 30th of June) but they didn't have my size so I tried to order it on-line.  I generally avoid buying clothes and shoes via the internet.  I've tried a few times but every time I liked the item and paid for it, for various reasons I was disappointed when it arrived so I had to return it and pay for the postage.

At least, at Zara (their online store) the postage didn't cost me anything and I really liked the skirt so I took a gamble and ordered it.  To my great surprise and delight, it fitted perfectly and looked exactly how I imagined it would.

Although it is made of quite light fabric that is more suitable for warmer months , I am planning to wear it all year around, like on the day like today for example, paired with a jumper and ankle boots.

Although a black colour jumper seems like the most obvious choice, I decided to wear this particular jumper because its print resonates with the pattern of the skirt but on a different size scale thus creating a visual story with a sense of fun.

I wanted to keep the black &white colour scheme for the entire outfit including accessories and for this reason selected this black bag in a classic square shape with an elegant slim white strip along the edges.

I must mention the story behind the handbag I am carrying.  It belonged to my late mother-in-law who was an avid collector of handbags and gorgeous scarfs (that's why I am quite often seen wearing them).  After her passing, my father-in-law wanted to share them among the family members. It was his way of honouring the memory of his beloved wife.

The only thing that I was not mad about is the strap - it was too short and not very attractive.  So I decided to improvise.  I had a black and white woven belt hanging around so I thought to re-purpose it into a strap.  Using the existing fittings, I just replaced the old strap with my newly created one and voila, a totally new bag.

As I mentioned earlier, we took these images at Bondi Beach which, apart from being one of the most famous beaches in the world, has an amazing Graffiti Wall along the promenade.

The images keep changing quite often and even for us who live near by and take a walk along it quite frequently, it is hard to keep up.  The graffiti behind me is one of the recent additions and for a total dots effect I couldn't help but to pose in front of it.  It is created by the a contemporary Indigenous artist, Zachary Bennet-Brook, the owner of Saltwater Dreamtime, "who has a love for for the ocean and creating artoworks which represent his culture and passions."

Till the next post
Love
Anna
xoxo

TIME OUT ON BONDI BEACH

It may sound strange to you but perversely I am quite relieved that the festive season is over if not for anything else but for the amount of food and wine consumed, hence the increase in waist size, which in turn led to two weeks of strict dieting and excessive exercising. This resulted in my being able once again to be able to wear my favourite shorts when we go to the beach.  On a windy day like today, I like to pair them with a crisp white shirt for a beach chic look

One of the biggest perks of living in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs is having Bondi Beach on our doorstep; arguably one of the World's most famous, popular by tourists and most loved by the locals, its beach and promenade are always packed with people bustling with various activities, even on the coldest and the wettest days of the year.

There are a lot of things you can do around here.  First and foremost is to have a swim between the yellow and red flags, followed by sunbathing under the hot Australia sun, surf the perfect waves or join a team playing beach valley ball.  If you are a fitness fanatic and want to have killer legs, challenge yourself by having a run for a couple of laps on the sand or along the promenade.

Ironically, both my husband and I are not big lovers of the sand and waves.  Our most popular activity is taking a stroll along the promenade joining the throngs of people walking their dogs, kids riding their tiny bicycles,  bronzed and toned fitness fanatics running past you with a swoosh and myriads of other activities that fall under the Beach Culture umbrella.  Watching the waves crashing on the rocks on the northern and southern ends of the beach always makes me feel calmer and helps me to clear my head.

Walking from one end of the boardwalk , you can't help but notice the stretch of the wall covered in graffiti which the local government regards as "helping Bondi to lead the way in being a vibrant and inspiring place that supports its diverse population, creative culture, enriching lifestyle and stunning natural features.”

Of course, beach culture is not just about the beach so for a complete beach experience head on to a vibrant, colourful joint with outdoor beachfront seating called The Bucket List  for a bucket of prawns or fish and ships washed down by a glass of crisp white wine or a quirky cocktail and watch the world go by.  

Young entrepreneurs trying to make some money in front of Bondi beach graffiti wall

Bondi Beach Graffiti Wall 

Shirt:  Uniqlo

Shorts:  Just Jeans

Watch:  The Horse

Bag:  Cape Town markets

Necklace: A gift from my daughter from South America

Glasses:  Bondi Markets

Link-up with Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, The Fashion Canvas, Style Elixir

WHITE SKIRT AND SNEAKERS FOR WALK ALONG BONDI BEACH

Living in Sydney, near the beach, is such a blessing, especially if the beach in question is the iconic Bondi Beach.  It is so much easier to withstand the summer when the sea breeze delivers much sought after relief from the heat and the fresh smell of the sea is so wonderful.  My husband and I thoroughly enjoy our brisk walks along the boardwalk in the mornings or a leisurely after dinner stroll in the evening.  It has become our "adult" time, where we can talk about things or just simply enjoy each others company.

Every day Bondi beach attracts hundreds and hundreds of visitors.  The warm weather and the proximity of the beaches play such a fundamental part in what is known as "Australian Beach Culture" which also dictates the beach fashion or as I jokingly call it, "A Bondi Beach Dress Code", which for the young generation of beach goers comes down to two obligatory parts of clothing:  minuscule shorts and tiny crop tops. 

And I could help but notice an fascinating change in the the national Australian footwear that was dominating the beach market for over a decade, i.e. Hawaiian thongs.  This season, for no foreseeable reason, they have been finally pushed away and replaced by white Converse shoes.

Being a woman of a certain age, as much as I used to love wearing mini skirts, I have to accept that the days of mini skirts are gone. But I don't despair, all I need to do now is compromise a little and find the type of clothes that is playful and helps me to look young while still appropriate to my age.

And this white linen skirt from Country Road is the exact illustration of my thoughts.  It sits right above the knees in a flattering A-line shape and I like that the clean lines and the white crisp linen give it a minimalistic look.  For an ultimate beach feel, I paired it with white Converse shoes and a singlet in nautical stripes.

Surely, this style of clothing is not for everyone, especially if you, like me, are a woman of certain age, but don’t despair. 

If you are not into tight fitting t-shirts, short skirts or high-cut shorts, there are plenty of other options you can find in the department stores and shops that are offering a beautiful range of summer clothing suitable for all shapes, sizes and age groups and preferences such as Caftans, maxi shift dresses, loose fit shorts or Capri pants.  The variety of colours, patterns and all sorts of beautiful embellishments of these garments are astonishing and they look absolutely gorgeous on every woman I know.

I believe that having confidence in the way you look is one of the perks of our age and we should use it to our full advantage.   So, why don’t we all make it our motto: “Dress the way you feel and look fabulous”?