WHAT I WORE FOR MY HUSBAND'S BIRTHDAY LUNCH

Hello, my dear readers, trust you are all well.

It seems that I am taking longer and longer breaks between the posts for reasons that I cannot explain, I just do.  It is not that I have left free time left for blogging, I still work the same number of days (just 2) as I used  do in my old job, look after my grandkids twice a week as before and three times a week I go to the gym as I have been doing for years.  Yet somehow I find it challenging to keep up.   It upset me at first but then I said to my self that since blogging is not my livelihood, I have no reason whatsoever to stress out over it.  Just do it when you can and when you feel like it and feel much better now.  Have you been through the situation like this and how have you dealt with it?

So it should come as no surprise that this post is over month overdue.  It is about the outfit that I wore for my husband's birthday that was in April but as they say: "Better later then never", right?  The birthday was not a significant milestone so just the two of us went to have lunch at one of our long time favourite places,  Ms. G's in Sydney's Potts Pont.

Since it was a celebration, I wanted to honour it by dressing for the occasion but since it was a casual lunch, I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard.  This bustling place that serves inventive Asian-fusion plates is loved by young and funky crowd and I wanted to play along.  

Well, I've decided to compromise. Have you ever heard the expression "Business in the front, party at the back"?  Historically, referred to a hair style called the Mullet, I gave it a slight twist and applied it to my outfit:  dressy top and casual bottom - a grey silk blouse decorated by a string of pearls bought at Almacenes San Jose Handicraft Market in Havana when we were on holidays in Cuba paired with black Levi's jeans and LV sneakers.  

I don't even care to remember when I bought this blouse, seems like years ago but it was made in France of pure silk and you don't easily throw away a silk blouse from France.  The jeans, on the other hand, is quite a recent purchase.  I deliberately avoid buying something that was on trend but instead went for a classic cut that I can wear anywhere, whether it is a casual Sunday outing or a day at the office.  

I do, however, remember how long I have these sneakers:  they were a birthday gift from my husband, among some other things, for my 60th birthday, nearly 4 years ago.

The food is always great at Ms. G's and this time it was no exception.  They also make delicious cocktails and after having a couple of those (my husband volunteered to be the designated driver for the day despite the fact that it was his birthday), I was on cloud 9.

Afterwards, we went for a leisurely stroll around the neighbourhood admiring the tall art-deco buildings with their ground floors occupied by a book store, fashion boutiques, homewares and antique stores stopping near the famous El  Alamein Memorial fountain for a photo shoot.

We had a lovely time and I could see that my husband was quite happy to have his birthday this way.

Be well, my dear friends 

Until then

Anna

xoxoxo

ZODIAK ASTROLOGY STARS MOOD SILK BLOUSE TWO WAYS

Hello my dear readers, how are you all?

Today I am sharing with you my new Zodiac Astrology Stars Moon silk blouse from Zara.  

I was immediately attracted to the unusual print and the colour scheme.  I love the injection of turquoise blue over the black background with the different celestial bodies, stars and constellations spread all over it.  The other feature that appealed to me is the wide white and black border running along the cuffs and the bottom of the blouse creating an impression that all the images have been framed together.

What came as the surprise were two facts:  one the blouse was 100% pure silk and two - it had rather high price tag in comparison with other items I've purchased from this global brand over the years.  Yet, the price was still reasonably lower than if I was buying it from a more upmarket store, so I didn't mind😉.

It is obvious that this blouse will be the focal point of my outfit and all other elements will play second fiddle, hence I paired it with my recently purchased black slim pants from Reiss seen here and my long black coat.

However, not wanting my outfit to be too somber, I decided to wear my old Mary Jane style shoes in turquoise to highlight the print of the same hue on my shirt and make the outfit look more cohesive.

As for my accessories, I've chosen silver earrings and rings, and added my old cocktail blue ring from Swarovski.  

I was just about to press "Publish" button when my husband asked me to join him on his walk around the neighbourhood.  That gave me an idea to try and give this blouse a test of versatility and wear it with a pair of jeans and sneakers?  Turned out, it passed the test.  What do you think, my lovelies💖? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

HOW I STYLED FAUX LEATHER PANTS

Hello lovelies, how are you all?

The inspiration behind this outfit came from Emma Peach from Style Splash and her post about what would she wear for a FROW at a fashion show, check out her chic outfit here. Although the main feature of her outfit was faux leather culottes and my pants are full length and just cropped above the ankles, it’s the faux leather that gave me the idea of how I was going to style mine, which I spotted on a rack at Zara. 

When I tried them on and realised that they are high-waist, I knew exactly which blouse I would wear them with.  I have had this silk grey open blouse in my wardrobe for years and really like it but because it is quite billowing and needs to be tucked in, either into a slim style skirt or a pair of pants.  Unfortunately for me, when I one day tried to tuck it into low cut pants, it was not a good look, hence I do not wear it as often as I would like.

I threaded in the belt to accentuate the waist which otherwise gets lost amidst the fabric.  I like wearing a belt with high-waist pants like these as it visually slims the waistline.

After trial and error, I settled for a pair of high heel classic pumps, they your make legs look more elongated, your ankles look slimmer not to mention that they help you to look taller😄.

  

The weather looked nice when I was getting ready for the photo shoot but only managed to take a few photos when it began to rain, therefore I had to hide in the pergola over our mail boxes and when it failed to give me much shelter from the pelting rain, I had to finish taking photos at home.

Until next post,

💖💖💖

Anna

xoxo

Linking with  https://heartifb.com/fashion-blog-roundup/

GREY IS A NEW BLACK

I recently came to realise that I don't favour any particular colour but rather go through random phases where a chosen colour would take centre stage in my outfits only soon to become replaced by another one.  

There is no pattern or reason as to when and why I become attractive to any particular hue nor do I know what colour will be my next choice, it's all totally sub-conscious and absolutely random.  As you can see, this week it's all about grey.  

It does not mean that every time I have an itch for a new colour, I run to the shops and buy anything that fits my mood.  I might have some pieces in my closet already and have worn them separately but not together in one complete outfit.

They grey journey started with a Furla handbag that I got last year for my birthday which was a step away from traditional black.  Then a couple of months ago I saw this beautiful peony print silk blouse at Assembly Label that I simply had to have, followed by just recently bought a pair of slingback dark grey pumps by Boss.

We all know the power of black, it is the the ultimate colour to go to when we want to look chic and elegant and is extremely helpful when we want to appear slimmer than we actually are but I think that the grey colour that so far has been undermined by it, should be brought back into the limelight.  

Basically, the colour grey is a mix of white and black and by changing the ratio between them we can modify its hue and saturation from pale grey on the top of the scale all the way down to dark slate with the colours like ash, platinum, silver etc in between, which means that you can be dressed in grey from head to toe or, as French say it ton sur ton, and don't look dull and boring.  

The key to pulling off  this look is to make sure that every item of an outfit is in a different shade of grey thus adding an element of subdued elegance and depths to the look.  

And to support my view on the subject, here is the meaning of colour grey:  "...typically associated with dull and dirty...as well as formal and sophisticated..."

I wanted to have a grey colour in each element of my outlook including silver earrings and grey nail polish.

My outfit details:

Blouse - Assembly Label

Pants - Lee (old)

Shoes - Boss

Handbag - Furla

HOW I WORE FLARED CROPPED PANTS

Hello my dear readers and fellow bloggers.  Hope you all had a good break over Easter.

I have fantastic news to share with you all – last Sunday I became a grandmother for the first time to an absolutely gorgeous baby girl, name yet to be determined.  I can’t begin to describe how happy I feel for myself and my daughter who desperately wanted to have a girl but was repeatedly told by everyone that it is going to be a boy.  So it was a double joy for all of us involved.

I think, under the circumstances, you will forgive me for this post being extremely short.   In anticipation of becoming a grandmother and knowing that I wouldn’t have much time left for blogging, I’ve had the photos taken earlier so all that was left was to write the blurb, so here it is.

As I mentioned in my previous post, last week my husband and I went to see the opera, Carmen on the Harbour, which was absolutely sublime.

 

I must’ve still been under its spell when I was at the department store passing through the Women’s Fashion section of David Jones department store on my way to buy a toy for my granddaughter that I spotted these cropped flare pants hanging off the rack at the concession shop of Beck and Bridge and felt an irresistible urge to buy them.

Flares have been on trend for quite a while and I’ve been thinking of buying myself a pair for the coming winter season so here was my chance to do just that.

I didn’t have much time to try them on so I just quickly paid and left.

By the time I reached my car in the parking lot, I new exactly what two items in my wardrobe would look perfect with these pants.

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I MUST HAVE STILL BEEN UNDER ITS SPELL WHEN I SAW THESE PANTS

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Firstly,  a silk blouse in a gorgeous burnt orange colour that when wrapped around the waist like a kimono style can be tied up in a big bow and secondly, two toned high heel strappy sandals.

I had about an hour at my disposal before going to the hospital to see my girls, so I quickly put all the three elements on and asked my husband to take photos.  And voila,  a Carmen inspired outfit was born.

I am linking-up with Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Style Nudge, Fashion Should be Fun, Colour and Grace