WHAT I WORE LAST WEEKEND/BOHO VIBE

 G'day my dear readers, hope you are well

It was a lovely Sunday morning and we had another nice outing planned but as we reached the door, all of a sudden the weather changed and it started to rain heavily.  That was rather annoying because I was hoping to have a photo shoot en plein air but since I was wearing my planned outfit anyway, I decided not to waste the opportunity and instead had the photos taken indoors.

I was going for a boho vibe and for that I chose to wear my "gypsy skirt", a maxi voluptuous skirt made out of crinkled light Indian cotton that I bought last year at the Avoca Markets, a monthly market run at Avoca Beach in a very pretty coastal town about 1.5 hours drive from where we live in Sydney.  The skirt is very light and breezy and does not need to be ironed.  The lady who sold it to me showed me how to keep its shape and folds.  All I need to do when I take it off is to fold it lengthways and while holding it at the top with one hand, start twisting it until it looks like a very thick curled rope that you can fold and put away which makes it perfect for travelling.

To continue with my boho vibe, I am wearing a cotton loose fit V-neck jumper with a plain white t-shirt underneath and my white Converse shoes.

Some of you might be wondering about the painting of a huge upright standing cat behind me.  This painting was our gift to ourselves to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.  The enormous demonic cat in the painting is called Behemoth, it serves as a member of Satan's retinue in Michail Bulgakov's (Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright) classic novel Master and Margarita.  It was published posthumously and has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century. 

The reason that we bought it was a homage to my Russian roots and my love of his book.  Once we brought it home, my South African English speaking husband found the book on line in English, read it and loved it too.  

On this happy note, bye for now 😄

Anna

xoxoxo

DREAMVILLE KNIT SKIRT IN SUNNY MANGO COLOUR

Hello dear friends,  hope you are well.

Last week was one of the happiest weeks of my life -  my second grandchild, a boy this time 👦, was born.  I already have a granddaughter, Edie, who is nearly 4 years old 😍.

This wonderful occasion filled me with joy and hope and these positive feelings are the reflection of my OOTD.  When I saw a skirt of a vivid colour of mango on a rack at a Sass and Bide store, I knew that I have to have it no matter what.  

My first attraction was to its sunny happy colour that is the epitome of an Australian summer🌞.  Then I saw the tassels knotted into the fabric, the silk soft strands cascading around the skirt all the way down to the ankles and I literally fell in love with it.  No wonder, it was called a Dreamville Skirt.

When one piece of your outfit projects a strong visual impact to become a focal point, you don't want the other items of your outfit to clash with it.  That's why I chose to wear just a simple white t-shirt with the skirt.  I wanted the t-shirt to be slightly cinched around the waist but at first I couldn't figure out the best way to do but then I remembered that I have a big decorative buckle that might come helpful and it did.  I just threaded a piece of fabric through one hole and secured it with a safety pin on the other side.

 This buckle was part of a set (my necklace is the other part) that I bought in Bali many years ago.  Traditionally these buckles are made of coconut shells and the Balinese people use them to secure two ends of the sarong when it is wrapped around the waist.   I was quite happy with the way it worked out and decided to add  a necklace to complete the set.  

In the past if I wore a t-shirt like this one with the crew cut, I would never wear anything around my neck, not even a slim chain but now I've seen a few young girls wearing thick gold chains or even a string of pearls over a simple t-shirt and I quite like this new trend so I am trying to embrace it myself.

I always like how the red and orange colours look well together as they are both members of the same Red family and they both project a happy vibrancy around them and for that reason I accessorised my outfit with the red colour Louis Vuitton handbag 👜.

For our first visit to the hospital, we bought some flowers for the mother, a blue balloon🎈 for the new-born and a red star-shaped one for Edie.  You can't simply buy something for one child and nothing for his sibling.  She was so excited when we handed her the bright red balloon that when the time came to say good-bye to her mom and the brother, she didn't even cry.  What a sweet day it was!!!

Outfit details:

Skirt - Sass & Bide

T-shirt - Zara

Handbag - Louis Vuitton

Shoes - French Court

WINTER CLASSICS

Hello dear friends,

Contrary to the popular belief that we Australians live in perpetual summer, we do have winter and it does feel cold.  And that is coming from me, who used to live in Russia where for three solid months of winter the temperature would fall below zero.  Surely, in Sydney at least, this is not the case, however you do need a puffy jacket or a good warm coat, a scarf and a couple of thick jumpers to get you through the winter months (June-August).  

The thing that struck me when I first arrived here 28 years ago and still continues to fascinate me after all those years is that lots of Australians are dressed in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of thongs (flips-flops) in winter as they do in summer. Sometimes, as a concession to a cold air they can tie a jumper around their waist.  That is about it.  I think they are in complete denial!!!

I, on a contrary, love to have a couple of warm jumpers, skirts, scarfs and coats in my wardrobe that will help me to go through winter feeling warm and looking stylish.  Case in point, my new cashmere jumper from COS.   It is soft, warm and very gentle on the skin due to a high-quality yarn it is made of.  It was not cheap, as good quality clothes should not be, but I treat it as a good investment that will last me many years.

Despite my love for colours, I am quite happy with my choice of soft neutral grey which I can accessorise anyway I like depending on the time of the day, activity or simply the weather.

And don't you forget about scarves, they are not only keep your protected from the wind bur also great accessories.  This season my two most popular ones are one that has black big and small dots on a white background fringed with alternate coloured tassels and the other is with white dots on a light grey background.  I am demonstrating both today, please tell me which one you prefer.  

A short string of pearls and onyx beads is another option when I do not want to wear a scarf and add a bit of glamour to my outfit.

The maxi skirt I am wearing is from last season.  The fabric is quite thick so I only wear it during the  winter months but I like its classic pencil-like shape with a split on one side that allows me to walk in wide strides without being limited by the skirt's circumference.  When the weather will warm up a bit, I am planning to wear it with my leather biker jacket.

Classic clothing is timeless and is a perfect base on which you can build your whole wardrobe.  It speaks of elegance, good taste and will never go out of style.

What is your take on the classics? Please share your thoughts.

Until then

Ann

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

MY NEW CHEETAH PRINT SILK MAXI SKIRT

I can't speak for the rest of the world, but maxi skirts in an animal print, leopard in particular, are so on trend in Sydney right now that sometimes it feels like we are living in the jungle.  As a rule, I try to stay away from micro trends and fads knowing too well that they disappear as quickly as they arrive on the fashion scene but the rules are made to be broken and I decided to break mine when one day while I was browsing the racks of skirts in Tuchuzi,  an upscale boutique in the heart of Bondi Beach, I spotted (pun not intended 😊 ) a skirt that caught my eye or its bright colour and unusual print (it was called Cheetah) and that style reminded me of the skirt that I modelled for you in an earlier post here.  Lately I came to like bias cut midi slip style skirts for their versatility, simplicity and understated chic and was quite happy to add another one to my wardrobe.   In the past, the garments made out of silk were indicators of  wealth and those who could afford the garments were placed on a high rung of the society ladder but these days the boundaries have been blurred and a mix of high and street fashion has become je ne sais quoi.  

I created these two looks for totally different occasions just to show you how adaptable this skirt could be.

For the formal look I wanted to upscale the skirt and thus chose this burnt orange colour wrap-around silk blouse with a wide sash belt and patent sling backs in a similar hue.

Outfit details:

Skirt:  Tuchuzi

Blouse:  Carla Zampatti

Shoes:  Georgio Armani

Clutch:  Vintage

Cocktail Ring:  Uterque

We shot my second, casual look on Bondi Beach, the essence of relaxed easy going vibe and I wanted to test how my skirt would look down there.  Besides, you can't find a better background for your photo shoot then famous Bondi Beach Graffiti Wall . For this occasion, I paired it with casual button down cotton shirt that I tied in a knot around my waist and a pair of white sneakers that are hugely popular right now.  An oversized plastic earrings added another layer of casualness to my outfit.

Outfit details:

Skirt:  same as above

Shirt:  Uniqlo

Shoes:  Converse All Stars

Earrings:  Gorman

Bracelet:  Tiffany 

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

MY WINTER BASICS

Hello dear friends, hope you are all well

Just wanted to share with you a couple of staples that I bought for myself for our Australian winter.  People often tease me about how cold the winters were back in Russia when I complain that I feel the  cold.  True, it was freezing cold, as it is in the most of Europe and the US in winter but we were wearing weather appropriate clothes and the houses were properly heated and insulated while here, the Australians are in total denial, they strongly believe in perpetual summer and that's why you can see people wearing shorts, t-shirts and thongs (flip-flops) all year round.   

It is also true that on the coldest day in most of the country the temperature is always on the plus side and it never snows, but the weather still bites and you need a decent coat, a woollen jumper and a pair of boots to survive it. I love feeling warm and comfortable and always prefer to be dressed according to the season.

It is all about layering as quite often a cold morning turns into a nice warm day and if I want to shed a layer or two so it is important to get the basics right starting with a skirt.  I bought this maxi skirt at the same shop at which I bought my black slip-on dress (worn here), Natalie Alamein.  As I mentioned previously, the bulk of her clientele are the millenials, however I managed to score quite a few pieces from her store that I feel quite comfortable wearing.

I am all for colours and fun prints but when it comes to basics, my choice always falls on black and neutrals as they act as a blank canvas that allows you to express your taste in accessories, shoes and other embellishments of your choice.  

"WINTER CLOTHES IS ALL ABOUT LAYERING 

SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE BASICS RIGHT"

This maxi pencil skirt with a side split is another gem that I found on the rack marked "Sale".  It is made out of very soft and warm woven fabric and hugs my contours rather nicely and I am sure I will be wearing it a lot, to and after work.

My other purchase was a neutral colour v-neck jumper. The main feature that attracted my attention was its long oval shaped back with a split detail that adds a contemporary twist and a sense of fun.  Although it looks thin, almost transparent and feels very light, its made of pure wool and is very  warm.  I bought it during the Christmas sale from Sass and Bide.

My first look is how I dressed for a day in the office.  I was about to wrap a thick woollen scarf around my neck but changed my mind and instead settled for a lighter one in silk that I don't have to take off once inside, with black and orange print that added a colour punch to my neutrals and some urban panache to my look.

A pair of tall black boots and a black handbag completed the look.

Later that day I was about to meet a few friends for midweek drinks at one of our local wine bars.  I normally stay away from drinking during the week but our weekend already looked quite busy and we have not seen these people for a while and didn't want to postpone our get-together much further.

Besides, my teenage daughter was giving me hard time and I welcomed any excuse to get out of the house.

Not wanting to look like I just stepped out of the office, I swapped the boots for a pair of shoes in bright red (previously seen here) and fishnet stockings (I just love the fishnets and wear them as often as possible).

I left the scarf behind and instead put on a pair of long shiny earrings from Swarowski and a matching cocktail ring (no pun intended).

A red patent bag from Louis Vuitton (seen previously here and here) and a swipe of bright lipstick and off I went for a much needed drink.

I look  much happier afterwards.

Both pieces work very well together, don't you think?

Your comments are greatly appreicated

Anna
xoxo