HOW I STYLED WHITE DENIMS FOR A DINNER PARTY

Hello my dear readers and fellow bloggers, hope you are all well.

My life has been rather hectic lately, what with the arrival of my first granddaughter and my younger daughter being on school holidays, I sometimes didn’t know what to do first.

One thing I know for sure is that after seeing so many pictures of my fellow bloggers wearing white jeans, I wanted to have a pair of my own.  I didn’t want to buy them in summer as it was too hot to wear them anyway but now that summer is over and the days are cooler, it is a perfect time to don a pair of whites.

When I finally made it to the shops, I had spent a fair amount of time choosing a pair of white jeans that was right for me.  This time I stayed away from anything that was distressed, torn or frayed.  I wanted something less trendy and more classic, something that could last me for a couple of seasons and could be easily dressed up and down depending on the occasion. I will be experimenting with the looks as the time goes by so expect to see more about them.

I settled on a pair of white denims from J Brand, without any bells and whistles, not too skinny or cropped, in other words exactly what I was looking for.

A few days later I had an opportunity to put them to the test.  We were invited to dinner at a restaurant that could be described as fine dining without the highly starched table cloth – an ideal place to wear designer jeans providing that your accessories are top notch.

I figured that the best way to go would be to revert to the classic combo, black and white.  Traditionally, you will wear black on the bottom with white on top but tonight I decided to wear them in reverse.

I contemplated wearing my pearls but thought that they would be more suite for a “going to the Opera" look and chose a black and white scarf instead.

It belonged to my late mother-in-law and I felt very privileged when my father-in-law, who lives in Cape Town, asked my husband on his last visit if I would like to inherit her collection.  When my husband returned home and unpacked his bag to show me the collection, I lost my speech.  I knew that she loved scarfs but I couldn’t imagine the extent of the collection.

I have started fashioning them on the blog lately (here, here and here) but it would take me many posts to share all them with you.

I loved this scarf the minute I took it out of the suitcase.  It brought back the nice memories of seeing these graceful animals in their natural habitat in the game parks of South Africa that we visited during our annual visits to Cape Town to see my husband’s parents when my mother in-law was still alive.

When I looked at it, I thought it was just a simple zebra print but on the closer inspection I could see an animal’s head with its big brown eyes looking directly at me.

Sadly, when I tried to tie around my neck the bandana in a way to show off the zebra’s head, it looked like I was wearing a bib, so I had to turn it around.

I deliberately kept the black and white monochrome throughout my entire outfit, the only colour pop that I indulged were the red soles of my Christian Louboutin shoes and a red gloss on my lips.

Don’t you think that this scarf is adorable?  Do you like wearing scarf or prefer to leave them out of your outfit?  Would like to hear your take on it.

Until then.

Anna

xo 

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy, Seeking Sunshine, Living on Cloud Nine, High Latitude Style, Not Dead Yet Style

WHAT I WORE ON A WINDY SUMMER DAY

Hi my dear readers and fellow bloggers,

I can’t believe that we are approaching the end of the second month of the new year which means that those who live in the Northern Hemisphere will soon see the end of winter while we, in Australia are about to kiss the summer good-bye.  This year it has been so unusually hot that I secretly wish it would end already.  It seems that as I get older, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep my cool under 40 degree heat especially when the humidity is as high as almost 100% which reminds me so much of Bali weather.

Speaking of which, the dress I am wearing was purchased in Bali from one of the myriads clothing stores along the hip and trendy shopping strip of Semyniak during our most recent trip to the “Island of Gods”.

Usually I avoid buying clothes in navy or dark blue colour but I was so attracted by the bright colours of the flower pattern of the dress that I decided to try it on.  The moment I slid its spaghetti straps over my shoulders, I immediately liked what I saw – how this dress with its simple shape effortlessly slipped down my body lightly following its contours without any restrictions.  It felt light and breezy and very nice and I bought it.  Surprise, surprise.

The day these photos were taken, was a warm Sunday afternoon in Sydney and my husband and I have decided to take a casual after lunch stroll around the marina.

I smartly put on my super comfortable, if not very stylish, thick sole casual sandals but I am sure that this dress will also look good if I chose to propel myself on heels (will keep you posted on that).

Ever since I came to inherit a number of vintage scarfs, I tend to take one just in case. A girl never knows when she might need it.  As it turned out, I did use it but in rather unexpected way.  As we were walking along the pier, a sudden gust of wind swept over the harbour and gave me a great idea for a photo shoot.   My apologies for the images that are not of the best quality and look overexposed but the sun's position was really tricky.

Linking up with Shelbee on the Edge, Elegance and Mommyhood, High Latitude Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Threads for Thomas, Style Nudge, Not Dressed as Lamb

WHAT I WORE ON A WARM DAY IN HOBART

Hello again, everyone

Now that I told you all about our latest Tasmanian holiday adventures, I would like to share with you a couple of outfits that I wore while in Tasmania.

One thing that I couldn’t get right during our trip, was to wear clothes appropriate to the weather and for the first few days I felt constantly cold until I realised that due to the island’s proximity to the Antarctica, its cold weather adds a chill factor that could not be ignored and in order to survive, I just should add an extra layer to my outfits.  So after that, I never left our hotel without a cardi or a scarf or both.  Chances are, you would need them even on a relatively warm day.

So one day on a way for a walk to a nearby park and beyond, despite the fact than my phone told me that it is going to be a hot day, I wasn’t going to be fooled again.

I started with white shorts, a singlet and a pair of sneakers that I would normally wear on a hot day back in Sydney but sticking to my latest weather discovery, I added a light button-up blouse and tied a scarf around my neck thinking that if the weather would get hotter later in a day as predicted, all I would have to do is take off my blouse and remove the scarf.   And with that we left the hotel.

As it turned out, even when the temperature was at its hottest peak, I felt perfectly comfortable in my extra layers and had no desire to remove any of them.

On another hand, it was a perfect weather for exploring the city on foot and both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What I wore:  shorts - Maison Scotch, shoes - Converse, blouse - Zara, scarf - vintage Pierre Cardin, hand bag - Furla, sunglasses (old) - Chanel.

If you want to know more about Tasmania and its lovely capital, Hobart, just click on the words Tasmania or Hobart and the link will take you there.

Until then,

Linking up with:  The Pleated Poppy, Shelbee on the edge, Fine Whatever, Not Dead Yet Style, High Attitude Style, Mum with Style

WHAT I WORE FOR MY BIRTHDAY LUNCH

Hi everyone,

It was my birthday the other week but I was so preoccupied with other things happening around us that it is only now that I have the time to tell you about it.

 It fell on a Sunday and as I had to be in the office early on Monday, my husband decided to surprise me with a birthday lunch just for the two of us.

  

As much as I love being surprised by my husband's actions, I sometimes like to have more information of what lies ahead for two good reasons: number one - to satisfy my curiosity and two - to have some idea of what should I wear for the occasion.  However, as much as I tried to extract more details about the upcoming lunch, the only bit of information I was able to get from him was that the place to which we were going was casual but not too casual, which, as you gathered, was not very helpful.

Luckily, I had just the right outfit for "when in doubt" situation or as I call it "In case of emergency"  - my old time favourite, a wrap-around dress by DVF whose famous quote:"I design for the woman who loves being a woman" always resonates with me.  Even though this particular dress has been in my wardrobe for quite some time, it has never failed to perform its duty.  There is something nice and simple in its silhouette that makes me feel at ease every time I wear it, which fitted the brief perfectly.

Not knowing where we were going, I sat back and relaxed and let my husband drive us through the city until we passed the entrance gates to Ku-Ring-Gai National Park and we were driving along Hawkesbury river, its waters sparkling under the bright sun.  Shortly after we reached the marina and my husband parked the car.

As I looked around, I spotted a restaurant sitting on the edge of the wharf with huge bay windows overlooking the marina, the bobbing boats and the park beyond.  It was called Pilu at Acuna Bay and although I have never been there before, the name of the chef is very well known to both of us - Giovanni Pilu, a Sardinian born owner of the two-hatted restaurant Pilu at Freshwater, loved by Sydneysiders for the bold strong flavours of his country of births.

The restaurant was very simply furnished, so not to distract the diners from the breath taking view in front of them.  The food was absolutely scrumptious, the champagne - cold and bubbly and all and all I had a splendid birthday.

Even not knowing where we were going, I think my low block heel shoes were a perfect choice for the occasion and the venue.

I recently inherited a very nice collection of vintage scarfs and when I don't wear them around my neck, I like to decorate my handbags with them.

And last but not least, my new twin rings that I bought at a shopping mall in one of the accessories shops for the staggering amount of $5 for two, just for the sake of getting a bargain, but when I put them on, they turned out to be a "perfect match".

  

My outfit details:  dress - DFV, shoes - Chloe (seen here), bag - Vivienne Westwood (seen here), scarf - vintage Christian Dior, rings - Accessories

How do you like to celebrate your birthday?  Do you like surprises?  

Until then

Linking up with Fashion Should be Fun, Shelbee on Edge, Nancy Fashion Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Fine Whatever, Not Dead Yet Style, Not Dressed As Lamb #willwearwhatilike