PRINTED MIDI DRESS - TRIBUTE TO THE 70'S

 Hello dear friends,

This is another outfit of mine inspired by the 70's vibe but whereas in the previous post it was about  wide leg pants and oversized hoops (you can read about it here if you missed the post) today it is all about colours and the print.   

When it comes to colours and patterns of that era, the first image that comes to mind is shirts and dresses in bold bright colours and large prints and patterns sometimes inspired by psychedelic art and culture.   The trendy colours of the 70's were bright blue and turquoise, bright yellow, saturated orange and brown while the injection of white was used everywhere, to offset and highlight them.  

And that is exactly what I saw when I walked into Zara store the other day, i.e., a midi dress 👗 in bright colours with an oversized print, hanging off the rack, I could not tear my eyes off it.  If you ask me to describe this dress in one word, this word would be FUN.  It has a happy uplifting vibe due to the presence of the yellow and orange colours, its style is quite simple with side splits without which the dress would be too narrow and difficult to walk in.

My husband was slightly hesitant at first but once I tried it on, he just smiled and strolled to the cash register to pay for it 👍😊.

My initial thought was to wear it with a pair of sneakers but the dress kind of lost its high vibe, so I discarded the sneakers and instead put on a pair of high-heeled knee boots.  That instantly not only gave me a couple of centimetres in height but also a visually elongated and slimmed silhouette.  

Your thoughts are important to me so please do share them in the comment section.

Until then,

Have a colourful week 

Anna

BRIGHTS AND STRIPES

There is a slight twist to the outfit that I am wearing today: each piece of it was bought without any consideration or thoughts about the other two.  You know, when you are in the store pondering over a piece of clothing thinking about how it will work with other items in your wardrobe and how you can organically incorporate and create a totally new fresh look with it?

Well, it was none of it.  Moreover, only one out of these three items was meant to be for myself, the other two -  just randomly made their way into my wardrobe where I put them together into an outfit.

 

Two years ago when we were on holidays in Sorrento my husband mentioned that while we are in Italy, he would like to buy a pair of linen pants and a shirt.  It is well known fact that Europe is a cradle for linen clothing and nobody does it better then Italians.

One evening, during our evening walk, we came across a shop which speciality was linen clothes for men and women.  As we stepped inside, my eyes went into overdrive from the amazing array of colours and prints.  Each range of clothing was represented in all colours of the rainbow in every possible hue and saturation.  I felt like a child in a candy store.  After what seemed like eternity my husband finally settled on a pair of pants in a taupe colour,  and a grey and blue striped shirt.  As it was towards the end of summer season, the shop offered a deal whereupon you pay for one shirt and get the other one in similar style for half price. 

My husband didn't want another shirt so it was my turn to chose one.  Without thinking too much, I chose one in grey and yellow stripes and we left the store.  When later on I tried the shirt on I wasn't exactly smitten by it.  It was too long and bulky to wear as is, the only way I could wear it would be unbuttoned and thrown  over a top but no matter how many times I was doing a mental inventory of my wardrobe trying to figure out what can I wear it with, my mind drew a blank.  And so for the very long time the shirt remained unworn.

My husband, on another hand, really enjoyed wearing light slightly crinkled pants topped up by the linen shirt, this laid back La Dolce Vita style until one day it was time to refresh them.  Not bothering to read the care instruction, it was in Italian anyway, I just threw them into the washing machine with the rest of the load and started the cycle.  When my husband wanted to wear them afterwards and put them on, I couldn't help but burst out laughing 😊.

The pants had shrunk both in length and width to the point that my poor husband couldn't wear them anymore and wanted to throw them away. 

I was having such a good fun at my poor husband's expense that in the spirit of the moment I decided to try them on myself.  To my unexpected delight, the pants fitted quite well around the waist and the short legs looked quite chic and so by mutual agreement I became their new owner.

The first item I tried to pair with the pants was the linen shirt that I bought in Italy but somehow it didn't work, it needed a piece that would bring it all together.  The solution came in a hand me down from my older daughter sleeveless top, and with its colours of light beige and chartreuse became the missing link I was looking for.

Both my earrings and the ring are from local market and the shoes are old Bruno Magli that I bought in Florence on our honeymoon all the way back in 2007.  Just as in my previous post I shared with you how I treasure classic clothes and excellently made shoes no matter how old they are (you can read it here).

Have you ever ruined your partner's clothes but managed to salvage it for yourself?  Would like to hear your story.

PS This is not my bike, I am just using it as a fun colour prop for my photo shoot 😊.

Until then,

Anna
xoxo

BRIGHT ON BRIGHT OR HOW I STYLED PALAZZO PANTS

Hi everyone, hope that you are all having a great week so far.

Here is a small bit of information about myself that I have not divulged to you yet. I pride myself on never being an impulse shopper however,  as I learned at school - in English grammar where there is a rule, there is always an exception and the same, I am afraid, could be applied to what I said earlier about myself.  In my defence, however, it’s happened only once.

It was a typical lazy Sunday morning and my husband and I had decided to make a day trip to one of the small charming sea side country towns, called Avoca, about an hour’s drive from Sydney.  Apparently, a monthly Sunday market was being held on that day and I begged my husband to take me there.  I absolutely love markets, whether it is fresh produce, clothes, art or just brick –and –brac.  I never miss an opportunity to visit one during our overseas travels like London’s Borrough Market, Barcelona’s LaBoqueria Market, Nishiki Market in Kyoto or Mercado Da Ribeira in Lisbon.

The Avoca market was of a smaller calibre, of course, but with a nice mix of everything and while making my rounds along the clothing stalls, a very bright pattern in one of them caught my attention.  On closer inspection, it turned out to be a pair of palazzo pants with a ridiculously low you guessed it, I price tag attached.  That or just an itch to buy something for the sake of buying it, but I found myself guilty as charged.

When we arrived home, I decided to try them on and see how they would fit into my existing wardrobe.  Turned out that the only item in my wardrobe that more or less was suited to go with them was a white billowing shirt that was too long to be left loose and if I tucked it inside, I looked enormous around the waist so I ended up tightening it up in a knot.  I blogged about this outfit back in 2015 (seen here).  Back then I also made a point of saying that if one of the items in an outfit has a strong presence, the other should be of a lesser volume so as to avoid a clash.  

Two years later, I have totally changed my mind and chose to go in the opposite direction.  In a grey, non-sunny day as today, I decided to brighten it up by pairing the strong bold pattern of my palazzo pants with a brightly coloured top or quoting Rachel Zoe, taking a “more is more” attitude towards my outfit.  I did however, follow my own advice of being careful about accessories but I figure that these bohemian looking earrings will do no harm.

Have you ever experienced a change of heart towards the same item of clothing or entirely outfit?  And how do you like to wear something bright and bold? Looking forward to hearing from you.

Until then,

Anna

XO

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy, The Mummy Cronicle, Beauty by Miss L , Vanity and Me and Style Splash

BLACK + WHITE WITH A SPLASH OF BRIGHT|HOW I STYLED BLACK JOGGER PANTS

Until last week, I had not been a big fan of the so called “Streetwear” trend – sweatpants and shirts, hoodies and singlets are not exactly my cup of tea, I prefer to wear garments with more shape-defined silhouettes and classier looks.  Then one day, while I was browsing through the racks of denims at the J Brand counter of David Jones department store, I spotted a pair of black jogger pants. 

They were not exactly what I was looking for but I thought, why not?  Every now and then you should get out of your comfort zone and do something you have never done before and here was my chance, so I paid the price and brought them home.

It was the time to figure out how I am going to wear the jogger pants.  Since it was my first close encounter with this style of pants, my initial look was quite obvious:  casual top, jogger pants and a pair of white Converse – nice and simple.  

However, true to my own style, I wanted my outfit to look more sleek and stylish without compromising the relaxed and comfortable feel. I kept the singlet and quirky sunglasses but ditched the sneakers for a pair of low-heel comfortable leather shoes in eye-popping red that together with a vibrant Hermes scarf (also worn here) pack a high-octane punch to my otherwise monochromatic colour scheme. 

LESSON LEARNT:  GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND DO SOMETHING YOU NEVER DONE BEFORE!!!

 My new Messenger bag from Furla (another gift from my beloved husband) was just the right accessory to polish the sport luxe look. 

ACCESSORIES IN EYE-POPPING COLOURS BRING A HIGH-OCTANE PUNCH TO YOUR OUTFIT


Jogger Pants:  J Brand
Singlet:  Zara
Shoes:  Chloe
Bag:  Furla
Scarf:  Hermes
Cuff:  Dinosaur Designs
Sunglasses:  Bondi Markets (worn here)
Watch: The Horse (worn here)

Linking up with: Style elixir, Not Dressed as Lamb, 40+ Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Blog Chicks

HAVING FUN WITH BRIGHT COLOURS AND PRINTS

I absolutely adore bright colours, I like to wear them and I like to have them in my home. The vibrant colours brighten up my world, they fill me with positive energy and joy and help me to get through the day.  Sadly, as I walked through the shopping mall the other day, the predominant colours in the shopping windows were brown, black and neutral and the more mature the clothes become, the darker the colour palette become. It made me feel sad because women of certain age, like me, should not be denied the pleasure of being dressed in bright clothes nor should they be put off from doing so.

Yes, I know, we are heading into winter (in Australia that is) but even so, bright colours help us to break up the bleakness of winter, elevate the mood and add much needed colour to our pale complexions. 

It is a well known fact that the choice of colours reflects your personality, therefore the bold bright hues are not for everyone.  However, if you feel that a little injection of a vibrant colour would do no harm but are not sure where to start, a good way to tackle this challenge is to start with something small like a colourful scarf, a handbag or a pair of shoes and go from there.  As your confidence and a love for brightness builds up, you might like to wear a blouse or a jumper of a bright colour that suits your complexion and keep the bottom garment, skirt or pants, dark. 

 

Like every other colour on the Colour Wheel, the bright hues have different intensity and volume which means that their vividness could be modified and toned down a notch so instead of a rich red, it becomes a light pastel pink or according to Pantone 2016 Rose Quartz  or a pale yellow rather then canary yellow and rather than a deeply intense electric blue, you can settle for a neutral ice-blue colour, again described by Pantone as the Serenity colour of 2016.

I, on the other hand, like them really vibrant as seen in my previous posts and this outfit which I wore the other day to a girls lunch is yet another proof of my passion.

Top:  Rag & Bone

Pants:  Glassons

Sneakers:  Converse

Cuff:  Hermes
Sunglasses:  Ray Ban

According to colour psychology yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun and that is exactly how I felt that day.  I wanted to look young, careless and full of energy I hope that my outfit reflected my mood: a bright sunny sleeveless top worn with ankle-length floral prints pants and paired with white Converse sneakers.  I also recently become the owner of The Horse watch, thanks to my darling husband and I really like it.  It is fresh, cool, young, modern and and compliments my outfit to a T.

Watch:  The Horse

Bright colours are fun and I would encourage everyone to include them into your wardrobe, wear them with confidence and look fabulous.

Linking with Not Dressed as Lamb , Posh Class Mom

EXPLORING SYDNEY - TAKING A WALK AROUND BARANGAROO

After living in our beautiful city for over 20 years, my husband and I haven’t stopped  exploring this ever growing and evolving city which we have both grown to love so much.  Whether it is a new art gallery or an interior design shop, a new quirky coffee shop which everyone is talking about or a mouth watering dessert bar.  Some days we just get in the car and drive to a suburb or an area which we pick up at random to find out what this adventure will yield.  There is hardly a time when we were disappointed in our choice. We both treasure these so called "Field trips" and I  always look forward to the next one.

So, when we read in the newspaper that the Wulugul Walk – The Streets of Barangaroo has just opened, we immediately marked it as the next destination for our Field Trip, as I call them.

Barangaroo is a massive redevelopment project that started a few years ago and will take a few more years to complete.  Once completed, it “will instill pride and inspire innovation for generations. It will be a global reference point of design excellence and sustainability. Barangaroo will raise Sydney’s international acclaim and be a globally celebrated destination”.

Meanwhile, the Wulugul Walk allows us a glimpse into the future so that we can appreciate the magnitude of the project and the transformation “of one of the city’s oldest and ugliest industrial sites into a spectacular, six-hectare headland open space for Sydneysiders and visitors to embrace and enjoy”.

That day we were blessed by the weather. Mild temperature with a slight breath of wind and the sun that was hidden by an overcast sky made our little adventure that much more enjoyable.  We parked our car and went to look for the entrance.  The minute we stepped onto the path, we were amazed by the number of people engaged in various activities around us:  joggers, bicycles, power walkers and yoga classes.  All along the path there were benches occupied by employees from nearby offices on their lunch breaks, tourists and locals – all admiring this newly created oasis of tranquillity right in the midst of the city hubbub, enjoying the harmony of the open vistas, taking photographs of the Harbour Bridge and the distant views of the Anzac Bridge, the surrounding neighbourhoods and the bustling activities on the harbour.

After a long walk along the coast we stopped at Belle’s Hot Chicken pop-up shop to feed our souls and rest our feet.  You have to come here, if not for walking and sightseeing, then to taste their food.  It is unbelievably delicious. 

In keeping with the surrounding landscape, I chose to wear a pair of white linen Capri pants, an oversized V-neck knitted top and white Converse sneakers that I wore previously here. 

As for the choice of the accessories for the day, I settled for a square Hermes scarf (a birthday gift from my loving husband) which I casually draped across my shoulders and tied into a loose knot.