Headlights

Zara blouse, Topshop skirt, Jolie & Deen necklaces, Tony Bianco sunnies, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag

Ran into a wardrobe crisis over the weekend. Sure, I have clothes, but at that point in time all that was staring back at me were a handful of cluttered prints and worn out knits - not a decent blouse/top in sight and nothing appropriate to wear whatsoever for an simple, nice dinner out. Moral of the story: wardrobe basics are called basics for a reason - versatile, and bound to (hopefully) work nicely in a multitude of situations. I finally found this silk blouse three rooms away and paired it with understated, unfussy pieces, including these super delicate necklaces by Jolie & Deen. I've been eyeing them for months now and with such adorable designs it was an unnecessarily long process of elimination when I finally got round to picking out a couple. Needless to say this little baby elephant and heart will be hanging around me for awhile :)

Photos by Thomas Lo

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Summerdaze

Vintage sunflower blouse, denim cutoffs, Jeffrey Campbell x Free People heels, Aldo hat

Easter is around the corner and I have just come to the realisation that I have somehow managed to get through a quarter of the year without any Easter eggs or hot cross buns of the chocolate variety. (Shocking, by my standards anyway - got to get me some before Sunday!) Melbourne has been giving us glimpses of the last, lingering bits of summer, which might have at some level inspired this outfit. A little imagination and I could very well be a homey farmer's wife with plans to cook up a hearty spag bol for the evening. I found this blouse in the depths of my mother's closet, complete with sewn-in '80s style mini shoulder pads and the cheeriest of yellow sunflowers! Florals in all colours, shapes and sizes are certainly sticking with me through the seasons and here I share with you my floral picks for ASOS Fashion Finder's Blogger Edit. Get inspired, and Happy Easter! x

Photos by Thomas Lo

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Blankbird x Sportsgirl: Victoriana Rocks

Lace tee, bodycon skirt, jacquard bomber jacket, sunnies, necklace - all from Sportsgirl; Jeffrey Campbell Litas

Sportsgirl and I go way back:

I would trawl through rack upon rack of colourful sales items, play dress-ups in the change rooms with my closest friends, and secretly get really excited each time there was a new issue of their magazine in store. It has, all these years, been a source of fashion inspiration so naturally I was pretty stoked when I was asked to put together an outfit for their Blogger Edit.

Their new Victoriana Rocks collection is all about bold, luxurious textures - think fluffy white faux fur, lots of black leather, lace and studs - which makes my selection seems considerably tame in comparison. But take a closer look and you might fall in love with the romantic subtlety just like I did in this amazing jacquard bomber and lace tee; the added visual interest of the simple printed bodycon skirt. Not an inch of faux leather leggings in sight, no - perhaps I'm just not ready for that yet, but only time will tell ;)

Thank you Sportsgirl for having me - check out the full feature on Sportsgirl here!

Photos by Thomas Lo

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Globalstyler

Topshop top and skirt, Tony Bianco flatforms

These graffiti laneways should probably make it on Tripadvisor's list of things to do and see in Melbourne. Seeing it for the first time should leave you either 1) impressed, 2) astonished or 3) nonchalant, depending on where you come from. Personally, it's one of the reasons why I love this city and judging by the little snap-happy crowd and two wedding photoshoots there on a Sunday afternoon, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Up top I look a little bit shellshocked whilst holding a #globalstyler declaration. You should be too for the lucky winner of Boohoo's streetstyle campaign wins a trip to a destination of their choice - an absolutely insane prize that just pushes all my travel-bitten buttons! Incidentally, I got these Topshop pieces on two separate occasions while visiting London and more recently, Singapore over the summer and just thinking about it makes me wish that I was out and about in new, eye-opening cities again. 

Taking top spot on my 2013 travel list: New York <3

Photos by Thomas Lo

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Where art thou, Autumn?

Topshop lace collar knit, Free People dress, Cotton On socks, Free People x Jeffrey Campbell heels, vintage bag

Anyone down under would tell you that it's been a scorching hot summer. The one beautiful day where temperatures hovered just around the 20-degree mark last week, and that inspired this sweet transitional get-up, is currently NOWHERE to be found. But cooler temperatures are (hopefully) most definitely around the corner and I plan on stretching wear of my summer pieces to the best of my layering abilities.

One of my favourite (read: easiest) ways to cope with in-between weather is to throw a jumper over a dress. There's about a million ways you could do this with all sorts of knits - chunky, cropped, oversized, embellished - take your pick. Wearing the same breezy dress + comfy heels combination I wore here - summer style, I simply threw a super sweet knit, complete with a vintage-inspired lace collar, and pulled on a paired of colour-blocked socks. You might decide that you prefer tights over socks instead. Sling a vintage backpack over one shoulder and the result is a back-to-school look in sweet cotton candy shades of pink that makes you feel 12 again. Pondering if that's a good or bad thing..

Photos by Thomas Lo 

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All Summer Long

Free People casual dress, Jeffrey Campbell x Free People ankle strap heels (gifted), print bag from Vietnam, bangles from Hong Kong markets, Kisforkani florals

Clearly, my preference for shoes lies towards those of the lace-up variety. Not that I'd mind if I were one day presented with this fantabulously ridiculous collection of Jeffrey Campbell shoes. Not even sure how I'd deal with that (will probably need some serious storage organisation help from those Ikea guys) - but that's another matter for another day..

And while Melbourne takes its time in rolling over into Autumn, I'm as determined as ever to stay away from those black winter tights for as long as I can help not freezing. Floaty summer dresses are so easy to wear, yet surprisingly is something I definitely haven't been doing enough of. And it's always a good day when you realise that the embroidered print on your dress matches perfectly with that one bag you got for cheap at a lovely market halfway around the world! 

P.S. Am setting up stall at the Camberwell Markets this Sunday so if you're in Melbourne, be there! x

Photos by Thomas Lo 

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Worldly

Silk kimono from Vietnam, Topshop lace crop, Editor's Market skirt, Nike sandals

Perhaps it was the excitement of being at THE Topshop store on Oxford St, London, that so convinced me that my wardrobe simply needed a simple black lace crop. Tailors and silk stores were so commonplace throughout Vietnam I was bound to finally give in to the gorgeous prints staring back at me from behind the display windows - the fact that it was such a family business and tradition just seemed to make it all the more attractive as a worthy souvenir. And while crochet on denim is potentially one of the most convenient DIYs around, I got honest with myself and knew that I would probably never get around to making one myself and so picked up this sweet piece from the lovely Editor's Market in Singapore. As for the sandals (a sweet surprise at the Nike outlet in Hong Kong) - lace-ups, zip-ups, extreme comfort and with the support of a sport shoe - it literally put such a spring in my step I'm quite convinced I could actually go for a run around the block if I wanted to. No kidding.

My travels within the last 8 months, all in 4 pieces. Not too shabby for an unintentional globetrotting flashback. Time flies, and I have no idea how we're already a few days into March now, but there are a few little changes to be revealed soon and lots more exciting projects in the works headed your way! x

Photos by Thomas Lo 

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