Organza

OOTD for another warm Saturday at the office, something casual, feminine, longish and flawy.

TOP: it says "Kenzo" but it's a knock off found in my cousins wardrobe (material is very thin, so the skin toned slip covered me up pretty well). 

SKIRT: Printed Organza skirt from Portmans ($17 from the faulty rack! mum fixed the zipper and it's good as new). 

ACCESSORIES: Vintage Ferragamo bag (love the gold chain on this bag) & belt.

Heels: Givenchy dual toned heels

Grid Pattern

got an unrecognisable tan on my 3 week trip to Vietnam

the full awesome service we got at Intercontinental Da Nang.

OOTD

Dress: Portmans Grid Pattern Dress (great for hot summers day, love the flowy material and asymmetrical cut)

Jumper: Grid Pattern Jumper from the street markets of Vietnam (incidental pattern match up but that was the only warm item I had for a rainy day in a tropical country)

Shoes: Two Toned Heels from Zara

Lovely Lace

Portmans Lovely Lace dress, Windsor Smith Sandal Heels

Dressing in lace and thinly strapped heels for a Medical Gala Night, I consider this appropriate for these kind of occasion. It's very similar to "Lover" the label french lace designs, and the best part is buying a nice dress for a bargain, this is a Portmans Lovely Lace dress, RRP is currently $129.95, it was on special for $65 because the zipper was broken, then Portmans DFO Essendon Store had a further 50% off sale on faulty items a few weeks ago.... my final bill was $32.50!

My mum has her own alteration business hence I'm always inclined to buy faulty bargains, because I get things fixed free of charge, though it does take a while to get it back into my wardrobe.

These size 5 Sandal heels from Windsor Smith were also the last pair in store so I got it for $25!

All in all bargains are not hard to find, but you got to be patient, seek and you shall find.

Prints on White

White Lace Top | Midi Skirt | Zara Two Toned Sandal Heels | Black Ferragamo Belt | Ralph Lauren Sunglasses

Travelling and playing dressy dressy isn't my forte, but here goes... I am at a resort which includes a large theme park, we walked around a little then returned to the beach at the hotel (Vinpearl Resort). The midi keeps it conservative and cool in this heated weather, the mid sandal heels were comfy and I love white :)

Persian Print

Pink An Phuoc Shirt ($20AUD) | Zimmermann Brocade Dress | H&M Blazer ($50AUD) | Windsor Smith Heels ($25)

I work at least 6 days a week and sometimes all week, so this is one work outfit of the week. I intended to post up daily OOTD, but with time constraints I am lucky to even upload one post a week, I would love to be more consistence.

I am petite so I love my “An Phuoc” shirt, which is fitted for Asian bodies, the gold & black Zimmermann persian print strapless brocade dress was a gift (and I love it, though I personally think strapless anything is unflattering on anyone skinny as me, hence to hind all the boniness - the pink shirt brightened up this dress and covered up my cleavage so it's appropriate for work), H&M Blazer to keep warm due to the change in Melbourne's weather, and to finish off, these black strappy Windsor Smith with it's golden heels synchronized with this dress colour (last size 35 on special hehehe). 

Wool 'n' Lace

Portmans Dress | Geiger Tyrol Cropped Wool Jacket | Zara two toned sandal heels

DFO Portmans always have great bargains, I bought this black midi lace dress + slip for only $30AUD last week. But if I had to review this dress I wouldn't recommend it to anybody, because:

• material is very tough - hard to move in
• the arm pit and shoulder cut is too large, it makes the dress look un-proportional (even my seamstress mother was in a pickle when I told her to fix it for a perfect fit, she said she didn't want to bother because it was more time consuming to fix then buying a different $30 dress, she told me to return it). I had to roll/scrunch up the sleeves to make it look fitted
• hem was sealed tight - easy fix would be to cut the dress shorter, remove the seal... so I can walk freely without looking like a prissy bowlegged chicken. 

Austria's Geiger Tyrol boiled wool cropped jacket with pearl buttons (I love vintage pieces) - this added some texture and brightened up the blackness. This was an incidental finding, I was actually looking for merino wool socks and stubbled upon this on eBay, which cost me $40 with shipping, but I'm happy with the purchase cause its well fitted, comfy and really warm. 

If you love genuine Zara shoes, check this eBay seller out: hoicompany2010. I got my two toned Zara sandal heels from them for only $59AUD with shipping. 
These are pretty comfy but this style runs half a size bigger then expected

EDGY TRANSITION

Just trying an edgier look to transition from cool to warmer weather since Spring is in the air in Melbourne - hayfever season = spring.

OOTD:

Crop top and dual texture coats are so in this season. I somehow stumbled upon a free TEMT top from my teenage cousin and a free oversized 90's "Miss Sixty" puffy coat with fur lining (very warm). My grandma got a huge bag of old stuff from a friend who wanted to give all her old clothes away, grandma kept some of the warmer clothing and then transferred the rest to the "Salvos", hence this is shared now between me and grandma lol.

I predict bloggers and fashionistas in the Northern hemisphere will sport a lot of the dual textured coats this winter; any material or length jacket incorporated with fur/wool/leather/etc. collar or vice versa will be seen everywhere. And of course oversized coats and funky prints and patterns can't be excluded, or some will stick to sophisticated black and white.

High waisted distressed boyfriend jeans with paint prints - role them up to show some sexy ankles and of course to make them shorter without spending money on hemming... This was purchased from eBay for $15, no-one wanted to bid against me for a pair of ripped up old looking pants, which in my parents opinion looked like a rag. I'm happy with the style and fit, brand new with tag.

Two toned ankle strap sandal heels to give this tom-boyish look a feminine contrast, and to give me some height lol.

TIP:
crop tops are in, suns out, show some skin! cropped tops will make your upper body look shorter (good for people with long backs) + fitted high waisted pants will elongate your legs = change peoples perspective on your body's proportion. Add heels and some feet cleavage, voila you just added more illusive height.

me trying hard to suck it in hahaha...

TEMT royal blue crop top | eBay distressed BF jeans | Zara Basic ankle strap heels

Mini to Midi

I have a soft spot for lace... but this mini lace dress, which mum bought for me from Vietnam ($10AUD) was too short.

TIP: have a short dress you want to wear but don't think its appropriate for any occasions or work? Don't make a fool of yourself and avoid exposing too much of your behind, just improvise, elongate the entire length with a midi skirt! Turn a "mini" into a "midi".

Where to buy this:

SKIRT --- thick white midi a-line polyester skirt, pleated with floral prints. Oh so feminine for only $15AUD, shipping was under $10 (maybe), sometimes they do free shipping promos - aliexpress.com... don't relate cheap to crap quality, because this skirt is of high quality, I dare say it's more durable then those fast fashion brands you see such as Zara, H&M, Forever New, Forever 21, etc...

Heels --- Nine West Women's Fanesa Pump (patent ivory synthetic). It was $50AUD with shipping from the amazon; though its got a mini heel beware the pointy toe and back of the shoe (due to constant rubbing while you walk) still hurts to wear over a long period of time. I bought two pairs in the same style, one in this colour the other in black, black was very comfortable to wear to work everyday it's now worn out. These are still looking new cause I can't stand in them for longer than an hour. Same cut but different fit. Online shopping doesn't always work out right?

White lace mini dress | Midi Skirt | Nine West Women's Fanesa Pump

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AFFILIATED TO ANY BRANDS, THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION AND EXPERIENCE

Royal Blue

I was attending "The 8th International Convention of the Vietnamese Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists of the Free World In 2014 Melbourne - Gala night" and wore this outfit for the night.
It was a night where Vietnamese health professionals and friends alike came together to celebrate their achievements, fun but the food wasn't good as I was waiting for 2 hours for food. The event was held at the Pullman Hotel in Albert park, this venue was beautiful over looking the lake and city, it was a 5 degree night with rainfall which made it all so more magnificent.

I would have titled this post differently, but stuck with the fancier name "Royal Blue", or else this would have been called "Something Recycled", as I have worn this dress over 4 times since 2012 heheheh.
I've worn this to 3 weddings and now this Gala, it was custom made from China. Inspiration came from Elie Saab and Carla Zampatti designs, I mixed and matched textures, materials and their designs to come up with this piece.

OOTD:

Dress: Royal blue with embellishments, high side cut dress (made in China, and after wearing it over 4 times I think it was worth every penny, I did pay about $250AUD with shipping for it). So sometimes asking around, seeing what you like and negotiating with a trusted Chinese company may not be too bad after all. I've had my fair share of bad experiences with Chinese sellers. Though I've said it was custom made to fit, I still had my mum alter the bust and length to fit better.

Accessories: "Love Bracelet" inspired by Cartier, and the Gold Chain belt is actually the bag strap detached from my vintage Salvatore Ferragamo bag which I always carry around hehehehe

Heels: Windsor Smith black thin sandal strap front with a golden heel - which was on sale for $25AUD as this was the only size 5US left in store

The main colour was Royal Blue to this outfit and my accent colour was gold, though blue is a cool colour and gold is more of a warm tone, in my opinion it collaborated very harmoniously.

Tip: Don't be afraid to match cool and warm tones as this could give great contrast, and accessories such as belts could just come off a detachable bag strap, so seek and you shall find.

this pink gown has also been warn over 4 times, that's my twin sister in the pink! we look alike?

this is the detachable gold chain strap from my Salvatore Ferragamo bag 

food of the night (it didn't taste good and we were waiting over 2 hrs for it): lobster on egg noodles, snapper, fried rice, pecking duck and crab claws (full of flour, no real crab meat). 

Red Black Lace

It is another winter work date in Melbourne, this is another OOTD: 

Top: 

        H&M navy fitted coat - surprising this was only $40 AUD (not on sale), it's warm and versatile 

        H&M black lace long sleeve dress - due to the shortness of this mini dress I thought it was 

        inappropriate for office work, hence the red skirt elongated the whole outfit making it more

        suitable in length 

Bottom: 

        Fitted red pencil skirt - bought at the night market in Vietnam, it seemed comfortable enough for

        work, and I didn't want to spend too much on a colour that I wouldn't wear everyday. 

        Inexpensively comfortable.

Belt: 

        Salvatore Ferragamo Patent black

Shoes:

        Another inexpensive item at the night market in Vietnam. This was under $10AUD... they are

        very comfortable for a pair of patent maroon loafer styled heels, and I love the quilted diamond 

        or herringbone pattern stitch at the front because it makes the pair look more sophisticated 

Eyeglasses: 

        Burberry prescription eyeglasses bought over 2 years ago, still good heheh

TIP: got a mini/ short dress? and don't know what to do with it, pair it with a midi skirt and wahla, you got yourself a longer outfit without alterations

Beige on Beige on Lace

OOTD - Outfit of the day

Dress: lace midi beige dress custom made because I loved Kate Middleton's lace dress =)
Bag: Louis Vuitton Vernis Brea MM
Shoes: Windsor Smith Power Blush Patent Heels
Ring: ask her husband!?!

 

 

Let's Talk Trash

 Scanlan & Theodore's midi skirt / CBRL Lace Sleeveless Collar Top / Cue Belt / Steve Madden Bow Peep Toe Pumps 

Hi! How are you doing?

Let’s talk Trash? My wardrobe is in need of some serious clean up, some date back to when I started my high school years (over 10 years ago), thought what I no longer wear could go to a good cause, ie. Salvos, St Vincents or Good will people, however I’ve found some treasure in my trash. The skirt you see here is from 2003/2004 Scanlan & Theodore's collection, which I was meant to donate ages ago.

Well here I was confused as to “what to wear” today?! Since I just bought this Lace/Mesh sleeveless top by CBRL, I decided to team it with this midi skirt, which worked well with my Cue belt, the belt synched in my waistline and held up the skirt and top (it was “SMALL” in size, however not petite enough) all day long without falling off me.

What recent treasure have you found that you thought was trash?

Enjoy the rest of your days… ladies and gents stay beautiful, healthy, wealthy and wise
xox take care :)

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with anything above, everything on my blog is my honest opinions, so I am not being paid or given free products to review or promote. My opinions are of personal experience and thoughts, so feel free to comment if you agree or disagree so I can also learn more from you.