MY NEW SKY PRINTED MAXI DRESS BY REISS

Hello lovelies, how are you all?

I cannot speak for the rest of the world but here in Australia maxi dresses are having their moment and I am loving it.  The great thing about the maxi dress is that there are no rules on how long, how fitted or floaty it has to be as long as you find your perfect fit and are looking gorgeous in it.  Same applies to the colour choice: it could be a solid colour or a lovely print, in soft or bold colours – everything is left to your personal sense of style, colour and shape.

I have a couple of maxi dresses in my closet but they were purchased a few years back and I was on the lookout for a fresh new one.  Since the demise of the economy due to the latest pandemic, the shops have been having perpetual sales and while it is a disturbing sign of the havoc that this virus has wrecked our economy, there is nothing wrong in taking advantage to re-fresh our wardrobes and save some money in the process. 

Case in point, the wrap-around dress I am wearing today.  Soon after the department stores re-opened their doors, I summoned up my courage and ventured into the shopping centre to have a look around.  Every store advertised sales and promised massive discounts and attracted by that, I stepped inside the Reiss store.  Under normal circumstances, as much as I admire their clothes, I don't shop there simply because I find that the prices are rather high for my liking but now with the prices drastically slashed down, it was worth a look. 

Everything in the store was heavily discounted including this dress which I liked the minute I saw it.  I have always loved wrap-around dresses and this one in a fresh neutral colour with an unusual geometric print that vaguely reminded me of the birch trees (berezka) of my old country, caught my attention.  Since the dresses that I currently wear are very colourful, I figured that a dress in softer calmer tones would bring a breath of fresh air.  After all, there comes a time when you want to wear a dress that does not look like your flower bed 😉. 

I must admit that the creators of Reiss clothing have every reason to ask a high price for their garments:  every dress, blouse or skirt looks extremely elegant yet modern, the fabric is of the best quality and most of all, on closer inspection you cannot help but admire the level of the dressmaker's craftsmanship.  

The dress fitted me perfectly, it was very well constructed down to a small, invisible button on the front panel that prevents the dress from gaping around the chest.  The applied discount made it very affordable so I couldn't find any reason why I shouldn't buy it and so I did👍. 

When I checked it on Reiss official web-site, the model was wearing black high heel tall boots which is quite unusual styling choice for Australians.  Anyway, I liked the way it looked so I decided to replicate it.   

I am carrying my old Bvlgari bag and wearing earrings that were custom made for me by a very talented friend of mine.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

A TRANSITIONAL DRESS

Hi everyone, hope you are all well

It does not matter which season has just ended and which has just arrived, you would need to have something in your wardrobe that you can wear while transitioning from one season to the next.  And I found just the right dress that is exactly what you need when in between the seasons.

For those who don't know me, I am from Sydney, Australia and our seasons come and go in reverse to what you experience in the Northern hemisphere.  That said, we are in the first month of spring.

I found this dress in COS, a contemporary fashion brand that I frequently visit because I like their vision and their ability to reinvent classics and make them look timely and modern.  Their wardrobe essentials are to go to if you work in an office but want to stand out from the crowd dressed in the standard corporate uniform of black skirt and a blazer topped with white buttoned blouse.

Although my office environment is very relaxed and I don't have a need to regularly update my wardrobe, I still like to pop in the store from time to time to view the new collection and pick up a piece that catches my eye.

It was during my recent visit to the store, that I spotted this box-shaped dress which appealed to me for its warm, happy colour and simplicity of style which opens the door to multiple outfit possibilities which will go far beyond the office look.

As it happened, the first time I wore this dress was for a night out.  We were meeting our friends for a pre-theatre dinner and a performance at a local community theatre of which they are patrons.  Not wanting to be overdressed, I opted for low heel court shoes.

On the other hand, my dress looked a tad too plain so I decided that some embellishment wouldn't hurt and chose a necklace that I bought in Sorrento on our last trip back in 2017.  I love big statement pieces and when I saw this necklace on a stand sparkling in all its glory, I couldn't walk away without it.

As for my handbag, you have seen me carrying it here.

We didn't know exactly what was on the program for the night, turned out it was a dialogue with Carlotta, a 75 year old transgender person who back in the 60's was a star of the internationally renowned Sydney's "Les Girls".  Even at her age, she was thoroughly engaging, witty and openly frank answering questions asked by the host of the evening and even treated us to a couple of nice songs and an occasional twirl.  It was a fascinating encounter with a side of life that we do not know much about.

I am wearing a dress from COS, shoes - DVF, bag-Furla, sunglasses - Burberry (old)

Till the next post

Anna
xoxo

A PERFECT DRESS FOR A SUNNY AUTUMN DAY

Hello everyone, hope you are all well.

For those of us who, like me, live in the Southern Hemisphere the weather seasons are always in reverse to the rest of the world which means that why people of Northern Hemisphere are looking forward to the upcoming summer, people who live below the equator are in the second month of autumn, aka fall which does not excite me in the slightest.  I just can’t stand that at four o’clock in the afternoon it is as dark outside as if it is midnight.   And although the temperature is definitely cooler than was a month ago, it is a perfect time of a year for wearing transitional clothes which is very similar to what I see a lot of my fellow blogers from Europe and North America wear once the winter is over but the summer is yet to come.

It is around this time of a year, that I like to sort out my clothes, store away shorts and singlets, pack away sandals and thongs and get winter pants, jumpers and coats out of the storage room.  It is also a time when I take a stock of what I have for the upcoming season, throw away the old clothes that I know for sure I wouldn’t be wearing and decide whether I need to buy some new clothes that will last me through the months of winter.

It is during this evaluation process that I realised that I need a new so called “transitional” dress, the one that I can wear without a coat and don’t feel cold and will be able to layer as the weather worsens.  I wanted a street dress, not too casual or too dressy, something I will be able to wear almost everywhere and I think this dress from Zara ticks all the boxes.

It is made out of a light fabric and I like the fact that the patterned flowers are relatively small and don’t distract attention from the silhouette of the dress.  It has ballooning sleeves gathered by a wide cuff and while the front is rather simple, all the action is focused on its back which has multiple pleats loosely bunched together by the skinny belt.  If you look at it from behind, it falls mid-calf while the front is about 10 cm shorter and fleetingly comes right above the knee.

As I said, it is autumn in Sydney and this dress is absolutely perfect for a cooler day no matter what season is outside, I will have plenty of opportunities to wear it.

That is the kind of dress that when you are in it, you don’t take yourself too seriously and that was exactly what I wanted.  To keep the mood light and a bit naughty, I paired it with fishnet stockings and ankle boots but I am pretty sure that it will look equally good worn with smart shoes or high-heeled boots.

NO MATTER WHAT SEASON IS OUTSIDE, I WILL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO WEAR IT.

A simple necklace suspended from the rope and a bright red lipstick are my only accessories.

Linking up with Shelbee on the Edge, Fine Whatever Blog, Not Dressed as Lamb