DREAMVILLE KNIT SKIRT IN SUNNY MANGO COLOUR

Hello dear friends,  hope you are well.

Last week was one of the happiest weeks of my life -  my second grandchild, a boy this time 👦, was born.  I already have a granddaughter, Edie, who is nearly 4 years old 😍.

This wonderful occasion filled me with joy and hope and these positive feelings are the reflection of my OOTD.  When I saw a skirt of a vivid colour of mango on a rack at a Sass and Bide store, I knew that I have to have it no matter what.  

My first attraction was to its sunny happy colour that is the epitome of an Australian summer🌞.  Then I saw the tassels knotted into the fabric, the silk soft strands cascading around the skirt all the way down to the ankles and I literally fell in love with it.  No wonder, it was called a Dreamville Skirt.

When one piece of your outfit projects a strong visual impact to become a focal point, you don't want the other items of your outfit to clash with it.  That's why I chose to wear just a simple white t-shirt with the skirt.  I wanted the t-shirt to be slightly cinched around the waist but at first I couldn't figure out the best way to do but then I remembered that I have a big decorative buckle that might come helpful and it did.  I just threaded a piece of fabric through one hole and secured it with a safety pin on the other side.

 This buckle was part of a set (my necklace is the other part) that I bought in Bali many years ago.  Traditionally these buckles are made of coconut shells and the Balinese people use them to secure two ends of the sarong when it is wrapped around the waist.   I was quite happy with the way it worked out and decided to add  a necklace to complete the set.  

In the past if I wore a t-shirt like this one with the crew cut, I would never wear anything around my neck, not even a slim chain but now I've seen a few young girls wearing thick gold chains or even a string of pearls over a simple t-shirt and I quite like this new trend so I am trying to embrace it myself.

I always like how the red and orange colours look well together as they are both members of the same Red family and they both project a happy vibrancy around them and for that reason I accessorised my outfit with the red colour Louis Vuitton handbag 👜.

For our first visit to the hospital, we bought some flowers for the mother, a blue balloon🎈 for the new-born and a red star-shaped one for Edie.  You can't simply buy something for one child and nothing for his sibling.  She was so excited when we handed her the bright red balloon that when the time came to say good-bye to her mom and the brother, she didn't even cry.  What a sweet day it was!!!

Outfit details:

Skirt - Sass & Bide

T-shirt - Zara

Handbag - Louis Vuitton

Shoes - French Court

DOUBLE LAYERED WRAP-AROUND SKIRT FOR A CASUAL MOVIE OUTING

 Hello everyone, how are you doing?

This is another casual outfit which I wore last Sunday when my husband and I went to the movies to see "My Salinger Year".  Two weeks earlier my poor husband ruptured the calf muscle on his right leg which is very painful, especially when he tries to walk.  

There is no such cure for it except rest, ice and elevation. So most of the time he just sits on the couch with his leg up reading a book or watching news and when he wants to go outside, I drive him to Bondi Beach, bring out a folding chair and he sits with a book or just watches the world to go by while I complete my circuit walk along the boardwalk.  Apparently, it will take up to a couple of months to heal 😟 properly so we will be taking things slowly.  However, I have to give him credit, he does everything in his will power to go out, even if it's just a drive to the movies and back.

I bought this double layered skirt many years ago at Bondi Markets but don't wear it often.  I have seen its many incarnations at almost every clothing market I've been through.  Basically, it's two layers of fabric of different patterns and length, cut on the bias and stitched to the belt in a way that you wrap it on either side which makes it two skirts in one. 

I really like it's pattern, it looks really pretty, especially the side with big red flowers on it and the the price tag was quite cheap. When I tried it on, I thought it looked slightly too bohemian for my liking and I didn't have a top of a similar vibe in my wardrobe to go with it. 

Funny enough, on the day when we were going to the movies, or driving to the movies, to be exact, I felt like wearing something different and decided to give the skirt another chance. 

 I wore it with a white loose fitted blouse with a collar and a deep V-cut neck which I bought at Zara last year and it seemed to work.  I experimented with two different ways of wearing the blouse: half-tucked inside the skirt, then tied-up in the front.  Which one do you prefer?

To keep the bohemian vibe, I wore black open toe espadrilles and gypsy looking earrings.

Have you seen this movie?  What are your thoughts?  I won't say anything, no spoiler alert from me😊

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

A CASUAL STROLL AROUND SYDNEY "THE ROCKS"

Hello, dear friends.  What have you been up to so far?

Sadly, the COVID-19 situation has turned bad once again and for a month Sydney was declared a red zone and we were prohibited to travel anywhere beyond Greater Sydney boundaries which means that our options, when it came to entertainment, were limited by what Sydney had to offer.  Luckily for its inhabitants, it's quite a lot:  from sunny beaches to boat parties, endless cocktails on rooftop bars and al-fresco dining overlooking the lights of the famous Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

Walking the narrow winding streets of The Rocks, one of the oldest parts of Sydney, is one pastime that we never grow tired of.  There is history everywhere, you walk the old cobblestoned streets along sandstone buildings each of them has a colouful story behind it, you walk into the one of the oldest pubs in the country where they serve traditional pub grub in the dark and moody room with low beams and dark furniture.  

You step back into the sunlight and stroll to the famous Rocks Markets and admire the arts and crafts of local artisans, listen to the band playing soft jazz or sample the most delicious morsels of Australian produce.  The Rocks are is highly popular destination amongst the locals and tourists alike.

My dress for the day was a sleeveless dress from Mango that I bought on our holidays in Muscat, of all the places, in 2019.  This season the olive-green, khaki or any other colour in a similar hue is hugely popular for summer dresses as well as the floaty bell-shaped billowing, multilayered silhouette that has a slightly romantic and hippy vibe about it.  Besides, you feel so much cooler in a dress that does not cling to your body but rather lets in a breeze that keeps you cool.

Knowing that the streets of The Rocks are paved in cobblestones, I wore flat sandals with quite a thick sole which I normally take with me on my travels.

I always take with me some sort of a scarf or light pashmina, knowing too well that the hotter the weather outside, the more air-conditioned will be the indoors, whether it's a cafe, movie house, museum or a shopping centre.  Hence, my new Louis Vuitton silk scarf, a birthday gift from my husband, that I simply adore and wear it over almost everything.  My favourite style is a loose drape over the shoulders with a single knot slightly shifted to one side. And the Prada sunglasses and Hermes bracelet are also my 60th birthday gifts.

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

 

THE PUFF-SLEEVE TREND IS STILL ON

 Hello dear friends, how have you been so far?

This is my first post of 2021 and I want it to be special.  I am calling it an opening statement that conveys a message about my personality and fashion choices.

And what could be better to support such a statement like a dress in a strikingly contrasting and bold black and white stripes with voluminous shoulders and a daring asymmetrical slit like this from Rotate I am wearing today?  

Some might think that there are one too many strong features have been crammed into one dress and that less is more and I normally would agree but because the main silhouette of it is quite simple and fluid, all the elements seems to be in harmony with it and that is what attracted me to it.

  

This dress is definitely not for the "faint-hearted" but if you have confidence, believe in yourself and are not afraid of making a fashion statement, this dress is just for you.

When it came to choose what shoes I should wear with this dress, for a split moment I contemplated the thought of following the social convention and put on a pair of sneakers but then I was running the risk of minimising the impact of the dress which was not my intention, so I perished the thought right there and then.  Deep down I knew that the heels would be the only way to go and the higher they are, the better.  

And so I reached deep into my closet and got out a pair of shoes that I haven't worn for a very long time -  black high heel double strapped shoes with golden buckles that I purchased many years ago at the Louis Vuitton Mason Champs Elysees.  

The first few steps were quite shaky, I obviously forgot how to wear heels but then the instinct and the years of Pilates kicked in and I found my balance and strength of my core and everything fell into place.  The heels have an amazing power, no wonder women have been wearing them for centuries despite the warning from the orthopedics, but they give us height, improve our posture, elongate our legs and force us to walk with our heads held high.  

Having two strong pieces in one outfit was enough so my white tea-drop pearl earrings and a matching ring were my only other accessories.

SO HERE COMES MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTION-DON'T GIVE UP ON HEELS 👠👠👠!!!

What is yours?

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

VISITING THE GROUNDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Hello dear friends, hope you are all well and getting excited with the Christmas festivities just around the corner.  I know how we all are patiently waiting for 2020 to end in the hope that 2021 will be so much better 🎄.

We  are so lucky in Australia, there are no locally transmitted COVID cases and the restrictions rules have been eased dramatically.  We still need to register our names every time we enter public premises such as a restaurant or a movie house and you can occasionally see people wearing face masks around big shopping centers but you can hear a collective sigh of relief from Australians realising that we managed to combat COVID 👍👍👍.

However, we are still unable to travel overseas nor do we allow any international tourists to come to our shores.  We are stranded in our own country which means that when it comes to holidays the only option is left to us is to do it locally.   As a rule, we tend to spend more holiday time overseas but truth be told, I don't think it's such a bad idea to travel domestically, helping fellow Australians to rebuild their business and our economy and exploring the land that we call home. 

My husband and I are now more tuned to local events and jump at every opportunity to leave the house and discover something new whether it is a new exhibition, movie screening or a visit to a new artisan market.  

Last week, for example, my husband and I went to visit a new addition to the string of Sydney museums,  Chau Chuk Museum that just recently opened on the grounds of the University of Sydney.  The information page of their website informed us that the museum hosts a vast amount of exhibits from private collections representing art, science, history and ancient cultures and we were quite keen to see it for ourselves 👀.  

The last time I visited the University of Sydney was a while ago when we attended my oldest daughter's graduation ceremony and it looks as magnificent I remembered:  bright green manicured lawns, clean pathways, imposing architecture of surrounding halls and outbuilding, their walls covered in ivy leaves.

My outfit of the day was a pair of trousers from Reiss paired with a pink silk blouse (old), over-shoulder jumper (old) and the same pair of sneakers previously worn here.  If you follow my blog, you might recall that I made quite a few purchases from Reiss at the beginning of the year when the big "end of season sale" was on.  

Out of this pile, you have seen me wearing the dress (seen here) and the blouse (seen here) and now is a turn for my last purchase.  I really like the geometrical print on these straight fit pants and a draw-string waist is very comfortable and has an easy feel about it.  The other bonus was that they are super versatile and look as stylish worn with sneakers as well as with a pair of heels.

We had a very interesting time at the museum, viewing artefacts representing different eras and empires some of them over three thousand years old.  Every time I see something that old, it blows my mind away just thinking how smart, creative and skilful our ancestors were!!! 

There was a nice cafe on the premises where we had a very pleasant lunch and afterwards went for a very pleasant walk around the grounds, taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of the surroundings.  All and all we had a lovely day breaking the monotonous routine that we all involuntarily are currently living in.  Mission accomplished 👍.

Outfit details:

Trousers - Reiss

Blouse - Zara (old)

Sneakers - LV Frontrow

Hand bag - Furla

Sunglasses - Prada

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

 

WHAT I WORE ON A COOL DAY OF SPRING

Good morning, dear friends, hope are all well and smiling

I scored this white blouse with a zip pocket from a sale at Reiss.  I love this brand from England for its timeless elegance and outstanding craftsmanship and have already scored a dress that I really enjoy wearing everywhere I go (worn here).  

There are a couple of features that makes this blouse stand out from the crowd:  a small zip pocket and a silver zip that goes from the top to the bottom of the front of the blouse over a row of buttons.  

It has such an easy fit, you just put it on and walk out of the house feeling good about yourself.  Contrary to a model, who wore it tucked in into silky dress pants over high heel shoes, I went the other way and wore it with my wide-leg pants and my new pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers (one of my birthday gifts from my husband 😍).

I didn't intend to wear a coat or a scarf, just grabbed them when I was almost out the door but it came handy as despite the bright sunny day, the weather was rather nippy.

Outfit details:  

Blouse - Reiss

Pants - Scotch and Soda

Coat - Bec and Bridge

Sneakers - Lous Vuitton Frontrow