Parkside

Wearing floral on floral because I'm wild like that. Vest and bag are op-shopped, dress from H&M and sandals from Dotti. This outfit reminds me of a picnic but sadly there was none- we did get bacon McChicken burgers though! And that was almost as good.

Do you think I should try contrasting brighter floral prints together? I'm not sure if it can be pulled off by mere mortals.

x

Can I just say...

 

Hey, Raf Simmons taking over at Christian Dior and Bergdorfs switching hands, Imma let you finish.....but I need to gush about this CO by Cotton On collection right now.

Yes, your opinion of me might have just dropped by a hundred points but hear me out. Shopping at high street chains like Cotton On is cheap, and now, it's actually stylish! Behold these wonderful outfits! I can honestly say I would wear every single one, and each piece is under $50 so technically I could. I could have it all (cue Adele reference).

Cropped knitted jumpers paired with skirts or shorts is basically my uniform so its a no brainer as to why I love this collection. The extra details like peter pan collars, high waists and sheer shirts are just the icing on the cake.

I hardly wear anything that isn't from the op shop (only reason being I am poor, not because I'm some eco-warrior) but I'm relaxing that rule for this stuff. CO by Cotton On is only available on the interwebs....they state this kind of apologetically on the website but I'm all for it- it means I don't have to leave my doona and cup of darjeeling. Winning at life.

Happy shopping!

x

Palazzo

I love these navy blue palazzo pants that I bought a couple of years ago from the op shop. I was planning on getting them cut into cute high waisted culottes but never got around to it (much like how I never get around to posting on this blog). Well, it was actually a blessing in disguise to leave them sitting on my shelf for months and months because now I've decided that they're actually better in their full length. They are an office brand and are so long that I need to wear heels with them. 

Worn with Sportsgirl flower garland, crochet edge singlet from Bali, tapestry bag from op shop and Rubi heels (they are something crazy like $40, go buy some). 

I'm off to Rivers with my parents- as sad it sounds I really crave a fur collared puffy vest. Don't be judging, I will totally look like Wiz Khalifa and it will be awesome for those cold Melbourne mornings. Yes! 

LMFF Wrap Up

Photo by Sam Sidney from Stylepaws

As it has been about three years since my last post, I figure it's time for an update. For the past week I have been enjoying all the fun of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, one of the city's biggest and best festivals in my opinion, and Melbourne has a lot. 

This year's LMFF has seen me stalk famous bloggers, get a free phone, score a ton of L'Oreal product, swoon over Magdelena Velevska and Christopher Esser, make some pretty new blogging friends, frantically dress models at a pop up fashion show, and consume far too many canapes (I left my dignity/self control at the door). 

To come are runway reviews, outfit posts and more. 

I've missed you, Internet!  

X

Polka dot girl

Here's a Savers dress I never got around to posting. It was $3 and has now become a regular fixture in my wardrobe- under knitted jumpers, cinched in with a skinny belt, or just hanging loosely with some leather flats. Right now for my internship in Indonesia I've been wearing it under a black blazer to make it a little more corporate (reluctantly though, because I hate looking corporate). 

This evening I was having dinner with a bunch of friends at this amazing rooftop restaurant in Jakarta and in the cab ride back I was talking to two of the girls I live with, and already love dearly. We all have completely different styles, and we deduced that I was vintage florals, S was polka dots and G was 'crazy graphic tribal prints a la M.I.A'. 

Well S, I think I'm going to take a leaf out of your book- I just love polka dots! What do you think? 

Shopping trip to Yogyakarta

I haven't posted in about a month. This is mainly because I feel kind of lost without Bryan here to take my photos. I can barely turn my camera on let alone figure out how to use self-timer. I'm excited to be reunited!

However, I went on such an amazing op shopping trip and I couldn't help but share. While I've been living in Jakarta for the past six weeks, each weekend my little group of friends and I try and head off somewhere special. So far we've done an isolated tropical island, tea plantation on the top of a misty mountain, and an old Dutch settlement where you can ride pastel coloured bicycles.

This weekend we travelled to Yogyakarta, a city I'd like to christen as the total antithesis to smoggy, crowded and dirty Jakarta. We arrived by overnight train at 3.30 in the morning and from then we visited the Borodudur and Prambangan temples, both of which are apparently about a trillion years old. My friends will have to forgive me for being so impatient when they were exploring the temples because I was just dying to check out the vintage shopping scene, which I had heard was big in Yogya.

Clearly, it did not disappoint. Those signs saying 10,000? They translate to less than $1. It might have been the heat (my skin went from pasty to golden in just two days) but I was incredibly delirious inside the massive tent of second-hand clothing and almost had to be dragged out. Weirdly enough I bought winter clothing- a floral, quilted jacket with fur trim, and two button up shirts in evergreen and maroon. They're wonderful.

I could have spent forever in that hot, sweaty op-shop superstore (it was bigger than Savers) if it wasn't for my selfish friends complaining that they were going to die from heat exhaustion if I didn't stop grabbing cute floral dresses and screaming incomprehensibly. Just kidding guys. But nonetheless.... I love you Yogyakarta!

Floral....and then some.

I can't tell you how happy I was when I found this pretty floral maxi dress amongst the racks of second hand items at Savers Dandenong (see my last post!). It's basically the perfect dress to wear in Indonesia, where I'm currently living, because it's light and breezy but still modest. Adding a floral tapestry bag that I found for a mere $1 at the local Brotherhood of Saint Lawrence made a matchy-matchy ensemble that I would be happy to wear just about anywhere- especially running errands in bright and bustling Jakarta! 

xxx

Thrifting we go...

 

I liken op shopping to a magical quest, where my coin purse is my weapon of choice and a wardrobe of delightful vintage pieces is my single objective. The obstacles on my journey include mothballs, pilly polar fleece vests and woollen jumpers with any kind of reference to Australian flora and fauna (I shudder every time I sift through a rack to find a wattle tree pom pom knit). But finding something sweet, a true diamond amongst the rough, is just so addictive that I can't stop. On this particular trip I was shopping for maxi dresses and skirts, and I left literally struggling to carry all my new things in my arms (Bryan was laughing at me). Savers is the happiest place on earth. 

Here are some of my tips for op shopping happy times

• Set a limit for what you'll spend before you start shopping. Remember, you are buying clothing that has been worn and washed countless times. Don't try and justify paying $70 for a dress because it's vintage....at the end of the day it's still someone else's old stuff, right?
• Don't be put off by sizes. That ankle length, size 16 floral dress? Cutting the hem can turn it into a cute, baggy mini dress. The same goes for jeans and blazers- you can always try the deliberately oversized, boyfriend look. Plus it makes you look skinnier. Just saying. 
• Have a look for the colours and patterns that are featuring in the display windows of your favourite high street stores. For example, if you're seeing deep red wine tones and glitter embellishments on your favourite pieces in retail stores, keep that in the back of your mind when you're op shopping. Chances are you'll find something second hand- fashion is cyclic after all!
• Do not buy anything with stains, holes, weird looking applique or other things that you think you'll get around to fixing. You won't. Shortening dresses is easy- especially when you've got the highly skilled Asian community at your fingertips like me- but as far as sewing up holes, changing buttons and fixing zips? Not going to happen. 
• You can never have enough floral dresses. My current count is 31. They're basically my uniform- keep a couple of pairs of shoes in your car and you'll almost always be appropriately dressed for anything. 
• The same goes for crewneck woollen jumpers, black combat boots, polyester shift dresses, leather handbags and belts. These are all gems- the proof is that Sportsgirl makes inspired versions of all these items. Stock up. 

So why was I shopping for maxi dresses and skirts anyway? I'm living in Indonesia for the next seven weeks! I am officially an exchange student and journalism intern. This country definitely requires a more conservative dress code than back home in Australia, so I took it as an excuse for another shopping spree. No dorky touristy attire here! Well, that is, until I get to Bali. Call me low brow but I can't resist a good Bintang singlet. 

I've missed you, blogosphere! Til next time....and honestly who knows when that'll be,

x x x x

Latest op shop buys

I dropped by my local op shop on my way to the gym and picked up these two pieces- almost an entire outfit for under ten dollars! The patchwork leather bag was $1 and the navy and gold dress was $8. So cheap I didn't need to feel guilty about adding to my already bursting wardrobe x

Hello sun!

Finally the weather is starting to warm up. I have professed a desire to ditch the denim cut-offs- you know the concept is tired when Supre starts selling pre-ripped versions- but the spring sunshine took me by surprise and I just grabbed the first thing on the top of my laundry hamper. Everything is vintage, except the bag. It's from Sportsgirl and fits everything in it....even things I never thought I needed. I swear, ever since I upgraded to a bag that fits more than just my iPhone and wallet in it, I have just been throwing things in there like it's Mary Poppin's carpet bag. Completely non-essentials, such as novels and hair spray and two iPods and tweezers and fruit and an assortment of 'just in case' costume jewellery. You know, just in case I find myself in a situation where I just need 4 Forever 21 cocktail rings. The other day a bouncer was checking my bag and pulled out a hair straightener. Oh it is a sad life I lead... xxx

I am wearing a floral shirt, $4, and little boys jeans cut into shorts, $5, from Salvos. Sunglasses from Valleygirl, bag from Sportsgirl, genuine authentic heritage select vintage from the nineteen seventies patchwork leather clogs, $10 from Savers. Yep, clearly still pretty excited about finding them on a bottom shelf with no one to love them. So lucky!