HAVING FUN WITH BRIGHT COLOURS AND PRINTS

I absolutely adore bright colours, I like to wear them and I like to have them in my home. The vibrant colours brighten up my world, they fill me with positive energy and joy and help me to get through the day.  Sadly, as I walked through the shopping mall the other day, the predominant colours in the shopping windows were brown, black and neutral and the more mature the clothes become, the darker the colour palette become. It made me feel sad because women of certain age, like me, should not be denied the pleasure of being dressed in bright clothes nor should they be put off from doing so.

Yes, I know, we are heading into winter (in Australia that is) but even so, bright colours help us to break up the bleakness of winter, elevate the mood and add much needed colour to our pale complexions. 

It is a well known fact that the choice of colours reflects your personality, therefore the bold bright hues are not for everyone.  However, if you feel that a little injection of a vibrant colour would do no harm but are not sure where to start, a good way to tackle this challenge is to start with something small like a colourful scarf, a handbag or a pair of shoes and go from there.  As your confidence and a love for brightness builds up, you might like to wear a blouse or a jumper of a bright colour that suits your complexion and keep the bottom garment, skirt or pants, dark. 

 

Like every other colour on the Colour Wheel, the bright hues have different intensity and volume which means that their vividness could be modified and toned down a notch so instead of a rich red, it becomes a light pastel pink or according to Pantone 2016 Rose Quartz  or a pale yellow rather then canary yellow and rather than a deeply intense electric blue, you can settle for a neutral ice-blue colour, again described by Pantone as the Serenity colour of 2016.

I, on the other hand, like them really vibrant as seen in my previous posts and this outfit which I wore the other day to a girls lunch is yet another proof of my passion.

Top:  Rag & Bone

Pants:  Glassons

Sneakers:  Converse

Cuff:  Hermes
Sunglasses:  Ray Ban

According to colour psychology yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun and that is exactly how I felt that day.  I wanted to look young, careless and full of energy I hope that my outfit reflected my mood: a bright sunny sleeveless top worn with ankle-length floral prints pants and paired with white Converse sneakers.  I also recently become the owner of The Horse watch, thanks to my darling husband and I really like it.  It is fresh, cool, young, modern and and compliments my outfit to a T.

Watch:  The Horse

Bright colours are fun and I would encourage everyone to include them into your wardrobe, wear them with confidence and look fabulous.

Linking with Not Dressed as Lamb , Posh Class Mom

HOW TO WEAR A CAFTAN DRESS FROM A POOL PARTY TO A COCKTAIL PARTY

I love caftan dresses.  This timeless wardrobe staple is so versatile that with very little effort you can easily rock it from a beach party all the way to a cocktail party.  The market for these dresses is absolutely massive, offering as many varieties as you can imagine: from simple printed dresses that you can buy for $15 dollars all the way up to embellished silk gorgeous gowns that would cost you a small fortune.  There are no hard and fast rules and this is the one of the perks of the caftan.

 
Caftan:  Naomi Levi
Handbag:  Bondi Markets (also worn here)  
Ring: Bondi Markets

Shoes:  Urge from the Glue Store

I bought my caftan dress for the hot Australian summer and I can't get enough of it.  It is a light, airy, one-size fits all creation that helps you to live through the hot months feeling cooler and lighter.

At first, I only wore it to the beach or to a barbeque party where you don't need to put too much effort into your outfit.  But then one day we were invited to two parties, both on the same day, the difference was - one was a pool party, the other - evening drinks and the timing between the two didn't allow us to return home for a change which was quite annoying.

Then I thought that I can probably wear my caftan dress to both parties, all I need to do is change my handbag and accessories.  And that is exactly what I did.  For the pool party I put on flat sandals and carried my cow leather saddle bag and when the time came to say goodbye, I kicked the sandals off and instead slipped into my high heels, put a cocktail ring on my finger and slung a small leather bag over my shoulder.

Shoes:  Miu Miu

The transformation was instantaneous, with the help of just few little things my outfit went from pool party to a cocktail party.

Handbag:  Vivienne Westwood

Ring:  Swarovski

Necklace:  Givenchy vintage

Lesson learned, never underestimate your accessories, big or small, they can make or break your entire outfit.

Linking Tuesday:  Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Penniless Socialite 

NOT ANOTHER LBD!!!

I can almost picture, like you, my dear readers rolling your eyes and exhaling a collective "Not another LBD!!!" when you read the heading of my current post and funny enough I would've reacted exactly the same way myself.  However, this dress from Marcs looked so cute on the rack and the price tag was so attractive (post Christmas, New Year, going out of season, etc sale) that I couldn't say no.

You can't have too many LBDs after all.  They all look the same to an untrained eye but we, ladies, know only too well that each one of these dresses is unique.  What kind of normal person would buy two identical dresses anyway?

There were a few reasons that were in favour of this dress:  first of all, I am still in love with non-traditional looking lace, second - I liked the playfulness of the silhouette which is not easy to find in clothes for my age that are described by the designers as age-appropriate, or in this instance - inappropriate. 

Handbag:  Bondi Markets

Bracelet:  Dinosour Designs

And speaking of being inappropriate, despite the fact the double-layered skirt with the fringe hem looks slightly shorter than is expected to be worn at my age but the high neck and the simple design of the bodice balances it off and despite the severity of the colour, sends a vibe of fun and carefree.

Dress:  Marcs

Shoes:  Gorman

Paired with the chunky Dalmatian-patterned clogs from Gorman is further proof that I don't want to take things too seriously.

TIME OUT ON BONDI BEACH

It may sound strange to you but perversely I am quite relieved that the festive season is over if not for anything else but for the amount of food and wine consumed, hence the increase in waist size, which in turn led to two weeks of strict dieting and excessive exercising. This resulted in my being able once again to be able to wear my favourite shorts when we go to the beach.  On a windy day like today, I like to pair them with a crisp white shirt for a beach chic look

One of the biggest perks of living in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs is having Bondi Beach on our doorstep; arguably one of the World's most famous, popular by tourists and most loved by the locals, its beach and promenade are always packed with people bustling with various activities, even on the coldest and the wettest days of the year.

There are a lot of things you can do around here.  First and foremost is to have a swim between the yellow and red flags, followed by sunbathing under the hot Australia sun, surf the perfect waves or join a team playing beach valley ball.  If you are a fitness fanatic and want to have killer legs, challenge yourself by having a run for a couple of laps on the sand or along the promenade.

Ironically, both my husband and I are not big lovers of the sand and waves.  Our most popular activity is taking a stroll along the promenade joining the throngs of people walking their dogs, kids riding their tiny bicycles,  bronzed and toned fitness fanatics running past you with a swoosh and myriads of other activities that fall under the Beach Culture umbrella.  Watching the waves crashing on the rocks on the northern and southern ends of the beach always makes me feel calmer and helps me to clear my head.

Walking from one end of the boardwalk , you can't help but notice the stretch of the wall covered in graffiti which the local government regards as "helping Bondi to lead the way in being a vibrant and inspiring place that supports its diverse population, creative culture, enriching lifestyle and stunning natural features.”

Of course, beach culture is not just about the beach so for a complete beach experience head on to a vibrant, colourful joint with outdoor beachfront seating called The Bucket List  for a bucket of prawns or fish and ships washed down by a glass of crisp white wine or a quirky cocktail and watch the world go by.  

Young entrepreneurs trying to make some money in front of Bondi beach graffiti wall

Bondi Beach Graffiti Wall 

Shirt:  Uniqlo

Shorts:  Just Jeans

Watch:  The Horse

Bag:  Cape Town markets

Necklace: A gift from my daughter from South America

Glasses:  Bondi Markets

Link-up with Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, The Fashion Canvas, Style Elixir

OUR TRIP TO MELBOURNE TO SEE DAVID BOWIE EXHIBITION AND MORE

It is with great sadness that we learned about the death of one of the most famous and influential musicians of out times, David Bowie.  

How strange that only recently my husband and I made a trip to Melbourne to view his exhibition from the V&A, which was visiting from London, at ACME (Australian Centre of Moving Images) in Melbourne; David Bowie Is. 

"Featuring over 50 legendary costumes, original stage set designs, handwritten lyric sheets, album artwork, rear film, video and photographs and interviews, the exhibition showcases Bowie's impact as a performer and screen star." 

The organisers went to great lengths to make this event as informative, engaging and entertaining as possible.   Upon entering the rooms, we were given an audio equipment device with a built-in sound recognition module that turned out to be a fantastic way of interaction between the exhibits and the music associated with them.  It created a very important link between Bowie's songs and what inspired him to write them, giving us a great opportunity to better understand the creative process of his enormous talent as an artist, costumer designer, song writer and collaborator with similar creative minds such as Alexander McQueen and Laura Ashley.  We spent a good couple of hours wandering amongst the collection of memorabilia, listening to his most renowned songs and admiring the avant-garde of his stage costumes.

The following day we paid a visit to National Gallery of Victoria to view "Masterpieces from Hermitage:  The Legacy of Catherine the Great", which, given my Russian background, I was very eager to see.  It would not be fair if I didn't pay credit to the museum staff who went to great lengths in trying to recreate the historical period of her ruling in such great detail that from the moment you entered the exhibition it made you feel that you belong to that era. The exhibition itself was very enjoyable and full of wonderful objects of art and artisan works that we Australians don't see very often.

We stayed at Inter Continental the Rialto right in the city centre and afterwards took a leisurely stroll back along the Southbank of Yarra river admiring the work of the city planners and architects for their skills in designing this part of the city where office buildings harmoniously co-habit with open spaces, artificial lakes and huge sun shelters where people can take a break for lunch or just enjoy the peace and serenity away from the city hubbub.

We took time to explore the city and its suburbs but decided to stay away from the CBD with its predictable shopping malls and designer stores.  Instead, following the advice of the concierge from our hotel, we went to explore Brunswick and Fitzroy, two inner-city suburbs famously known for their coffee culture, night club life, vintage clothing and all things cool and kooky.  We stopped for lunch at South of Johnston a cafe-cum-gallery (another suggestion from the concierge) where I had the most delicious steak panini and where the walls are adorned with the works of contemporary artists and every table is decorated in different styles.

After lunch we went around to discover (again, thanks to the advice of the concierge from the Rialto) the rich and colourful street art for which this area is known.

All and all we had the most enjoyable time-out and we came home invigorated and re-charged.