RED TIER TRAPEZE DRESS FOR SPRING

Hello dear readers, how are you all?

Spring is upon us, if you live in the southern hemisphere, that is and now it is the time to add some lighter and brighter items to your wardrobe.  Off with the thick warm fabrics, in with cotton, linen and other light, breathable fabrics that will keep you fresh all day long.

Case in point, my new tier trapeze shape cotton dress from Witchery in red.  There are so many points to like about this dress.  First of all, the colour.  I've been avoiding red colour clothes, especially if  it is in oversaturated hews, I think it looks too harsh against my skin, but this hue is in a darker shade of red and is quite agreeable with my complexion.  There are a lot of offices where I work, and I've noticed that the majority of young women who work there prefer to be dressed in black from head and toe.  And when it come to colours, it is, older women, who carry the flag.  I guess since we don't have the attributes of youth anymore, we compensate it with the addition of bright colours and bold prints.

The other feature of the dress that appeals to me a lot is this slightly exaggerated shoulder line that makes my sloppy shoulders look straight; the trapeze shape gives the dress an easy and relaxed feel and the length is perfect, not too long, and not too short.  The side pockets are a big plus for me as I sometimes don't know what to do with my hands.

I deliberately chose to wear it with high boots rather than sneakers.  They become such a "go to" and widely acceptable and appropriate footwear for all occasions that people stop bothering with wearing anything else.  The boots add the edge and elevate the dress from being too casual.

I wanted to make sure that as much as this dress qualifies as casual, with proper footwear and the right accessories it could be more than a just another day dress.

It was such a pleasure to do the photo shoot outdoors under the warm sun and bright blue skies amongst beautiful blooming azaleas.

Do you wear bright bold colours and what is your favourite.  Please let me know you the comment section below.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

Linking up with: Fine Whatever blog, Is This Mutton, Style Splash. Doused in Pink 

MY RED VALENTINE'S DAY DRESS

Hi everyone, hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Today I would like to share you with something about me that I have never said on the blog before.  My husband and I don't believe in Valentine's Day. We don't buy each gifts, he doesn't bring me flowers nor do we go out for romantic dinner on that day.  

We both have quite strong feelings against the notion of being commercially forced to feel romantic towards each other.  We have other ways to express our feelings towards each other.  If you are my regular reader, you might recall my mentioning our tradition to celebrate our wedding anniversary every month by giving each other small gifts.  

Actually, it is my husband who buys me a gift every month without failing, I am more on the receiving side of it and my gifts are more sporadic.  I struggle to come up with an idea of what to buy for him.  And even though he is an avid reader, since I got him an E-book, buying a new book is not an option any more.  Anyway, he doesn't seem to mind taking pleasure in spoiling me, saving the special gift for actual date of our nuptials.

However, if we do decide to celebrate Valentine's Day and go out for a romantic dinner, this is the outfit I would be wearing, starting with this red vintage dress from Lanvin with deep drapes which create multiple folds softly cascading down the front.  I like the folds to be off centre and to one side so with the help of a brooch I gather the fabric around one shoulder thus making the dress looking slightly asymmetrical.

I wanted to clear away from the expected "red dress, black shoes and handbag combo" and put on white shoes but somehow it didn't work; besides, my black shoes have red soles which is the colour of the Day.  As for accessories, since the brooch is encrusted with tiny white pearls so were my ring and a pair of earrings.

A quilted purse size bag from Chanel completed my look.

I am wearing

A dress - Lanvin

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Handbag - Chanel

Have a great week

Anna
xoxo

IF YOU LIKE MY LOOK, HERE ARE SOME MORE IDEAS  THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE 

RED DRESS AND THE NIGHT AT THE OPERA

If you want to make a fashion statement - wear a red dress, chances are, you will probably be the only woman in the room who does.  The truth of the matter is that red is a very strong, bold colour and because of that not many women have enough confidence to wear red.  Of course, it is not a hue that you see as often as say, black or white.  As with Red Carpet events, this hue is destined for a special occasions.

 A great Italian designer Valentino has become know for his red dresses known in the fashion industry as “Valentino red”.  It became one of the pillars of his collections and according to him, the only colour worthy of competing with black and white.

From the Valentino's collection "45 Years of Style"

And for me, that special occasion was the night at Sydney Opera House for the opening of the season and a new production of Faust, an opera that is a tale of romance, temptation, and the age-old battle between satanic powers and religion – a perfect opportunity to match the red flames of hell with my special red Lanvin drape dress that I bought recently in a boutique shop in Hyde Park, a popular fashion shopping and dinner destination in Adelaide. 

Dress:  Lanvin, Shoes:  Bally

Visually, a red dress makes a bold fashion statement and draws a lot of attention, it is important that the accessories should not be flashy and destructive, leaving a dress to be a focal point of the outfit.

With that in mind, I chose a simple set of long gold earrings and a bracelet together with a small black handbag.  As for shoes, there are a few options here:  black for contrast, or nude or soft pastels to keep it elegant and classy.