HIGH NECK JUMPER AND CHECK PANTS FOR TRANSITIONAL SEASON

Hi everyone,

The cold days are behind us but the weather is still nippy and as much as we wish to swap warm clothes for shorts and t-shirts, we are not exactly there yet.  In today's outfit, I am showcasing two new additions to my spring collection:  a jumper and a pair of pants.  

I have been on the look-out for a transitional jumper for quite some time, something less warm than my winter ones but still be able to keep me snug until the warm weather comes, and this jumper from Sportsgirl fits the bill perfectly.  

I really liked its high neck (I can now wear it for Zoom meetings and not worry that people can see the wrinkles on my neck in a close-up 🙋🙋🙋), extra long bell-shape sleeves and sloppy joe shape. It was hugely discounted and by the time I found it on-line, my size (M) was sold out.  

I was slightly disappointed and decided to try one size up (L).  It might look slightly slouchy but I figured that had I ordered my size, it would be too short so in the end I was happy.  I had a choice between black and so called "oatmeal" colours and decided to go for the latter.  

As in the previous post, these turned-up hem checked trousers are from Zara too.  They just appealed to me for their easy relaxed vibe and soft comfortable fabric.  I first thought of wearing them over short boots but then I was wearing boots during the last three months of winter and wanted to wear something lighter and more open.  My loafers are relatively new but you saw me wearing them here.  

They are extremely comfortable and I like wearing them with the hems rolled up.  Our office dress code has never been strict but now it's even more relaxed which gives me the opportunity to give this outfit a good workout 😄.

Hope you have a great week ahead

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

 

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

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WINTER CLASSICS

Hello dear friends,

Contrary to the popular belief that we Australians live in perpetual summer, we do have winter and it does feel cold.  And that is coming from me, who used to live in Russia where for three solid months of winter the temperature would fall below zero.  Surely, in Sydney at least, this is not the case, however you do need a puffy jacket or a good warm coat, a scarf and a couple of thick jumpers to get you through the winter months (June-August).  

The thing that struck me when I first arrived here 28 years ago and still continues to fascinate me after all those years is that lots of Australians are dressed in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of thongs (flips-flops) in winter as they do in summer. Sometimes, as a concession to a cold air they can tie a jumper around their waist.  That is about it.  I think they are in complete denial!!!

I, on a contrary, love to have a couple of warm jumpers, skirts, scarfs and coats in my wardrobe that will help me to go through winter feeling warm and looking stylish.  Case in point, my new cashmere jumper from COS.   It is soft, warm and very gentle on the skin due to a high-quality yarn it is made of.  It was not cheap, as good quality clothes should not be, but I treat it as a good investment that will last me many years.

Despite my love for colours, I am quite happy with my choice of soft neutral grey which I can accessorise anyway I like depending on the time of the day, activity or simply the weather.

And don't you forget about scarves, they are not only keep your protected from the wind bur also great accessories.  This season my two most popular ones are one that has black big and small dots on a white background fringed with alternate coloured tassels and the other is with white dots on a light grey background.  I am demonstrating both today, please tell me which one you prefer.  

A short string of pearls and onyx beads is another option when I do not want to wear a scarf and add a bit of glamour to my outfit.

The maxi skirt I am wearing is from last season.  The fabric is quite thick so I only wear it during the  winter months but I like its classic pencil-like shape with a split on one side that allows me to walk in wide strides without being limited by the skirt's circumference.  When the weather will warm up a bit, I am planning to wear it with my leather biker jacket.

Classic clothing is timeless and is a perfect base on which you can build your whole wardrobe.  It speaks of elegance, good taste and will never go out of style.

What is your take on the classics? Please share your thoughts.

Until then

Ann

xoxo

 

AN ODE TO PINK

Hello dear friends,

How are you all?  It's the middle of winter in Australia and the weather is pretty cold, by our standards, that is.  It could've been quite manageable if not for the occasional icy blasts of wind that chill you down to the bone and make it quite difficult to take photos for my fashion blog.

Luckily for me, this week is not too windy so I jumped on the opportunity to get some photos taken.

I am wearing my pink coat that I bought from Victoria and Woods during last years' "end of the season sale" and had to wait six months until the weather was cold enough to wear it.

I wanted to have fun with this coat. Just because we are in winter, it does not mean that the outfit has to be boring and since my coat is in pink colour, I wanted to continue down this road.  

That's why all the other elements introduced chosen for this outfit belong, with various intensity, to the same hue, even the flower bed behind me.  

Just to prove once again that the girls love pink 👯👯👯.

Everything I am wearing today was found in my closet.  Some of the items, like shoes, a handbag and pants are have been there longer that I care to remember.  

Coat - Victoria and Woods, shoes - Ted Baker, moleskin pants - Lee, hang bag - Vivienne Westwood., scarf - Capet Town markets, assorted brooches -  Istanbul markets.

Have a great week

Anna

xoxo

WHAT I WORE LAST WEEKEND

Hello friends, hope you are well.

Australia was doing so well combating the COVID but unfortunately two weeks ago the situation changed and some parts of the country have been put back in lock-down, which of course affects all of us 😔.  

Once again, my husband and I made a decision to stop going out except for grocery shopping where both of us put on masks and taking walks in the less popular parts of Sydney.  

And we do that, I try to make an effort to dress up in more stylish clothes than athleisure like the majority of people around us.   No matter how comfortable it feels and how fashionable and widely acceptable it has become lately, I don't like wearing it outside the scope of physical exercising.  My mind likes to differentiate between activities and find an outfit that matches it appropriately.

Case in point, this simple dress from Cos that I bought few years ago to wear primarily to the office but ended up wearing it to dinner and a theatre performance by dressing it up with court shoes, sparkly necklace and an evening handbag.  

Luckily, due to its simple style and solid colour, it could easily be transformed into a comfortable casual dress which you wear to a weekend lunch and a leisurely walk along the beachfront.  

I just swap my heels for a pair of sneakers, ditch the fancy handbag and accessories, put on a biker jacket and voila.  Transformation is complete.

Outfit details:  dress - COS (worn here), sneakers - Converse Chuck Taylor, biker jacket - Sandro (worn previously here), ring - Bondi Markets, sunglasses - Valley "A Dead Coffin Club".

Was your weekend good?  What did you do?

Stay safe

Anna

xoxo

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