the what i wore project - week 52

week 52 - hang on - wasn't this supposed to be the last week of the year???  well according to my diary it is, but there is still 4 days left, so my what it wore project isn't quite over yet.

it was a fun week though - and one where i was able to see forward to a window in the year where i could have 10 days off to unwind, relax and enjoy some stillness of body and mind, following this bonkers year.

i think i managed to make it through the week looking tres chic.

monday i donned the jo mercer boots, target pleather skirt, and leopard top gifted from my sister. the belt was from a 2 dollar shop and i was loving this. it was a hip swaying outfit - boom to the left, boom to the right, boom, boom boom.

tuesday, i was challenged for wearing black and being converted to a melbourner.  no no no no no. this wasn't about black, but about the shiny red shoes from jo mercer that just happened to complement this gorgeous dress i made back in about 2012. it is so textured and cute and i copped a lot of feels.

i had the perfect hair - it was just the right height, with the right amount of flick, but i was let down with the bare minerals lipstick fail. lipstick on your collar, tells a tale on you, but lipstick on your teeth - makes you look like a dudey head.

wednesday i went for the tropical twist. it was a fun bula frock from fiji, teamed with belt from 2 dollar shop and shoes from jo mercer.  i posed under a bridge at southbank and bought the fiji islands to the city.

thursday i was determined to wear my bad christmas shirt for the day. i thought it was bad, but people loved it.

but i guess everyone loves elvis - even when he is a christmas bauble. i teamed the shirt with jeans, shoes from jo mercer, my name belt from NYC and i posed with the Chrissy tree in the foyer of my apartment. 

well friday was christmas day - a day that i am not attached to by religion, but by being with family and friends.  this way my first christmas on my own and guess what i wasn't on my own. i had a super time.  i went to fed square to have breakfast with people like me - people who were new to melbourne, displaced, homeless, or just wanted a free brekky....

i then went our for lunch and i wore some great brocade shorts from huudaverti, kaftan top made by me circa 2007, shoes from nine west, and a sprinkling of happy.

this beautiful woman who i met recently included me in her christmas day with her friends and i felt both greatful and privileged to have had such a lovely day with like minded people, who were determined to have a fun day. how awesome are we?

it was one of the funnest christmas days i have had shared with people from Spain, India, Malaysia, Peru, France, Egypt and Australia.  it was truly amazing.

i took this photo as part of my morning ootd shots and i really love it.  i am wondering what to do as my next project - and i know i want it to involve fashion and writing, but i think that smiling should also be part of the picture.  it's amazing how much a smile can make a difference to anyone. 

on saturday, boxing day, i was invited to join the jobson's for brunch.  they are my kind of crazy and i can't thank this family enough for welcoming into their home for the day. i actually didn't want to leave. i wore jeans, birkenstocks, red shirt from an oppy, baubles in my hair and accessorised with a pimms.

when you arrive at someones house, let yourself in to see santa dishing out presents and the kids running wild, then you know it's going to be a great day.

my photographer was the lovely Beck and this is one of those days that i will cherish.

sunday i wore some sparkly pants i made, my birkys and a swan shirt i picked up in brissy yonks ago. i love the street art around melbourne, so this was the perfect place for me to be airborne - like a bird - for about 2 seconds.

well. that's week 52 done and i'll be happy to reflect on my year when i do my last 2015 fashion post, but until then, share a smile - you never know what it will mean to someone else.

the what i wore project - week 51

it's the silly season and probably the season that i will be my least silliest.  why, because it's my first ever christmas away from any family and friends (apart from the new friends i have made), but this is the year of firsts and i'm okay with it, so the silly that i normally relish is just not there, but i will do my best.

this has been the year of being out of my comfort zone that's for sure and there is something quite empowering about stepping outside the usual and seeing not only what you are capable of, but what else is out there to broaden the horizon.

today i read an article in the paper about people who are lucky vs those who are unlucky, and it seems it all comes down to attitude and what you believe. the lucky people believe that if something bad happens, they are lucky it wasn't worse....the unlucky people believe that if something bad happens, then it's expected.  cause they are unlucky.  so i challenge anyone who feels that life is dealing them a dud hand to try their luck....

well now that we are all feeling lucky, let's move on to what i wore this week.

i had a great week. i felt lucky and just love that i am making each moment count.                

monday i went super girly girl with pink and red and i had a colleague say they would never put them together.  well why not!!! it's a no brainer.  I made the dress, the shoes are from jo mercer (managed them all day sans blisters) and topped it off with red flowers in my hair.

tuesday i  wore polyester hearts and it wasn't pretty.  so much static, that i was electrocuting everything.  i made the dress and belt and teamed it with shoes from betts.  i love this dress though and electrocution aside, i won't be deterred from wearing it.

wednesday i whacked on the red palazzo pants that i made a long time ago.  well sort of made.  i half made them and put them back in the sewing box and eventually they screamed "enough already - get me out of this cramped sewing box". they were at least 4 years from then till now.  i always felt they were too wide legged, but that's the thing now. they were right to speak up and they just needed simple accessories, like a giant blue flower belt, 2 necklaces and my shoes from whittner.

thursday i found this dress at the bottom of my unpacked storage box.  and yes it's another that i made in probably about 2010.  i got the fabric on my first trip to fiji.  it is so metallic, yet still looks amazing. i also got the gold shoes from the hardware store in suva - go figure. they cost 15FJ dollars and fell apart as i walked to the city thus requiring me to buy an emergency pair of shoes, as i was no longer well heeled.....

friday was our work christmas drinks so i went less than casual in this gold denim skirt i made, teamed with a leopard top from sportsgirl, shoes from whittner and gifted obi belt. that's the festivites done and dusted. i was home before midnight with no hangover in sight.

saturday the temperature was indiaesque.  and i can say that, cause i have been in india (and brissy) when it has gone over 40. okay so it's another outfit i made in the form of a jumpsuit with a necklace from venice (mi piace), a super old belt from an oppy and silver birkys.  strapless isn't my usual thing, but in this heat it was the only thing.

saturday night i was invited out for drinks with some new friends i have made (i knew that dancing may have been on the cards) so i dressed for the dance floor and for the heat. i get lots of comments about my legs and fuck it, tonight was the night when i had a huge light bulb moment after talking to my friends and not that i give a shit as to whether people think at nearly 50, i dress or act age appropriate, but i just do and wear what makes me happy and the legs are part of the package.  we all should do what makes us happy... regardless. it was a great night - we danced with a group of irish soccer coaches (male and female) who were having their christmas party. we didn't know them, but they included us for limbo, salsa, some dirty dancing and the only expectation was that everyone was having a good time on the dance floor. glad i could keep up. it was great.

sparkle shorts and belt were made by me, shoes from jo mercer, singlet was from target and heart earrings are old old old and riva at elwood was the dancing place of choice.  adding more suburbs to my internal melways.

sunday i woke up early after not enough sleep. it was hot again and i headed out for a warm cool coffee.  i have found a place that does my hotcold.  a glass with ice, then coffee, then hot soy.  perfect for the hot day. thank you magic on ferrars.

today was not only hot, but the wind was insane, so much so, that i was glad to have nice undies on for the numerous unexpected gusts that exposed my unsuspecting gusset area...

this dress is from our huudaverti collection and i teamed it with my silver birkys, necklace from venice (mi piace) and an impromptu belt made from a ribbon i had. i am expecting it to snow any minute!

well that's my week and i have some lessons learned.  life is what you make it and for me, leading into christmas - a time which can be extremely stressful for so many people for so many reasons - it will only be as good or as bad as i make it and with over a week off (starting thursday midday) i am looking forward to taking some time to just be. i think this has been the most difficult year of my life and i feel lucky to have made it to where i am today with my sanity intact.

a friend of mine said this week that i was fearless. that filled me with fear, but on reflection, i think she is right.  i have faced every fear (fashion or otherwise) to get where i am right now and that is feeling extremely peaceful and satisfied with this new life that i have made which in unfolding further everyday.  lucky hey!

happy festivus. and as you share kindness to those around you, remember to serve yourself with kindness first.

the what i wore project - week 21, my sister's wardrobe

I had grand intentions of trying to update my outfits on the blog each day, but i am in fiji and i am running on fiji time and that means that sometimes the desire to do something and what actually gets done doesn't always match.

What i have been doing this week is helping out at the Fiji Fashion Week office by offering some of my experience in doing last minute things for the show.  It's been quite the eye opener taking a peek into the workings of a five day international fashion event that has over 9 event's on their program.  (Must remember to update my resume).

Here's a look of what i wore this week and out of eight outfits, only three pieces are mine - apart from bra, undies and footwear, which i ensured i wore everyday.  So, what did i wear out of my sister's wardrobe.

I have actually found it quite tricky to wear outfits from someone else's wardrobe.  even though this is my sister and we like the same stuff and the same looks, i have found that not everything i eyed off in the wardrobe actually was going to work for me. We both have boobs, but I have hips and she doesn't so shape wise, we are very different. But like a speed machine, i whipped outfits on and off until i found something that would work for me.

we had to go and see the boss off Fiji Fashion Week for a chat.  My sister is doing the designer relations this year so there are a lot of things to get organised, we went and talked about the upcoming week.  it was quite enlightening.

sunday i wore black pants from target, havaianas from byron bay, a top from my sister's wardrobe that i know nothing about except that it is really cute.

i didn't think i would love this dress as much as i did - but i freakin love it.  the length was great, the sleeves were nipped in with a little elastic, the fabric was awesome, and it had pockets- and i am still trying to fall in love with them.  they just don't suit my body shape when i wear certain outfits.

on monday i wore dress from huudaverti sample rack, shoes from whittner and necklace from my sister's wardrobe - maybe it's from Robert Kennedy Fiji.

tuesday i wore top and tube skirt from the huudaverti sample rack and shoes from whittner. the necklace is from my sister's wardrobe and i am thinking it's from Robert Kennedy Fiji also.

mid week and i was ready for a little sparkle.  this is a fun dress that can be worn either more formal or casual - either way it works. 

wednesday i wore dress that i designed from the huudaverti sample rack and shoes from mollini.  

i must have tried on about 10 tops before i ended up with this one - which is exactly the first shirt i put on when i went into the sample room to pick something to wear. i knew it was the one, but it took about 9 others just to be sure.

thursday i wore jeans from target, shoes from whittner (aren't they getting a workout) top from our first collection in 2012 and earrings made by me for our collection last year.

every morning i get a taxi down to the FJFW office and i have arranged a guy to come and pick me up. he arrived just in time for me to pose with his cab.  i love this pic.

friday i wore this blue spot dress from my sister's wardrobe.  it came from Old Navy NYC in 2013 - i know, cause i was there and i wish i had got one as well.  shoes are from mollini and my mis- matched hearts always on the lookout for opportuities to make an appearance. 

we had to go to model fittings and rehearsals today.  next rehearsal is the real deal at the arena and and it will really start to feel like it is actually happening.  at present, there is still so much behind the scenes work going on that it's hard to believe that in just 2 days they will have transformed this massive sporting arena to a world class fashion event. 

saturday i wore bird shorty shorts and pink top from the huudaverti sample rack, those same shoes from whittner, hoop earrings and the best accessory of the day - 2 pens in my hair - i needed to make a lot of notes.

today was another day at home cutting, sewing and stressing but i am really happy with the looks i have created, even though i have had to do a fair bit of modifications due to time constraints.  but that's the life of a fashion designer.

sunday i wore shorts that are actaully mine, birkenstocks and this cute top from my sister that seems to be a staple of hers.  i don't think i have ever seen a time that she hasn't bought it when she is vising from fiji, - so figure it may be a favourite.  don't know anymore about it that that.

  

there was time to fit in some much needed sconies which were a much needed treat.  i am also hoping to avoid getting dengue or the latest bug called chikungunya - it's all the rage here apparently.  the mosquitos are just insane.

so that is my week wearing someone else's clothes.  it has been fun and i still have another 2 weeks of picking out items while i am here.

i actually really appreciate how much i love opening my own cupboard and picking out my faves, or my go to pieces and i just can't get attached to any of these things because they aren't mine but i am hoping that i will have time to get some things made to bring back to at least fill my empty suitcases.

the what i wore project - my sister's wardrobe day 1

in my last post i mentioned that i didn't really bring many clothes to fiji and yesterday, i was quite content schlepping round my sisters house until we had to go to model rehearsals in the arvo and  that was when i had to take my first trip into her wardrobe.

where do you start in someone else's wardrobe - you like what you see, you don't know what the really good stuff is, the colours are different, the shapes, the size - there is a lot to consider.

so yesterday I went with a safe option. A dress i hadn't seen before, but a fabric i was familiar with.

The reason i am familiar, is that i got this fabric in australia to make something to wear when my sister and i walked our very first runway in fiji.  For the original, it was a kaftan which i ironed on swarovski crystals to give it a bit of sparkle under the lights.

For yesterday's choice i was instantly drawn to a dress she had made from the same fabric.  It has butterfly sleeves and has such a nice shape and feel.  I teamed it with my new metallic birkenstocks, some silver hoops, freshly washed hair - thank goodness and my lovely new lashes and went off to model rehearsals to see the ladies who are going to be walking for us at the show.

we came home to find that the kids had washed the dog - with the jif. they denied as much as they could but the truth came out. the dog was sparkly clean as jif is used for maximum cleaning with minimum scrubbing.

So the dog is actually totally fine - it's had no adverse reactions, or itching and even fronted up for a blow dry today to finish the job.  i think the next step needed is to cut these crazy dreadlocks off her hind legs.

my nephew also discovered my camera remote control and set about taking pictures of anything and everything.  who am i to stand in the way of such creativity.

and after a rather hectic first day in Fiji, it was time to head out for model rehearsals and see how our group is looking.

And i guess the question i ask myself now, is what am i going to wear tomorrow.

the what i wore project - week 18

this was the week that the weather went out of control - hot cold, windy and wet wet wet.  It was like dressing for any possible event, was on the cards.  And here is what I ended up with for week 18.

There was short, long, sleeves, no sleeves, open and closed toes and even my gumboots were on stand-by - just in case.  what was a saving grace, was that i managed to go through all my winter clothes last week and wash what wasn't storm damaged in preparation for the coming months.

As i also now have to take my own photos, there are a lot of misses, while i am running to get into to my shot.  Today, you get to see the behind the scenes.  Cause it is not a one shot wonder at all, when you are in control of the remote control, which i might add, is the best invention ever.

Monday - it wasn't too hot, and it wasn't too cold, but it wasn't just right.

I wore pin corduroy spotted dress made by me, pom pom necklace made by me, shoes from whittner.

Tuesday, the weather was not to heavy and not to light, it was just right.

I wore pink stretch satin skirt made by me, top/dress made by me. I had decided a while back i wasn't in love with it anymore so put it to the donation pile, and then i saw it again and we feel in love, again.  shoes were from betts and earrings are from huudaverti.

Wednesday - i had a feeling it would warm up and i was right.

I wore pants from country road, shoes from betts, shirt from suzanne grae, giant hoops from lovisa and this super fun poncho from huudaverti.  It is covered with botticelli's and is our special of the week with coupon weekly20, if anyone wants one.

Thursday - well look who is rugged up.  It was cold and wet

I wore pink velvet skirt and sequin belt made by me, jumper from Harris Scarfe (this jumper is the same one i wanted from Witchery last year but it was sold out and also twice as expensive) boots from Jo Mercer, circa 2005.

Friday the weather was shitter than shit.  It was a tropical low of tropical proportions (for brisbane) and we all got an early mark from work to get home as it just got worse.  Fortunately, i had an easy run home and was so grateful that i now have the roof above my kitchen repaired and the rain doesn't come in.  It was too wet to even go to the local for a wine.  Now that's saying something, cause it is only a minute down the road.

I wore jeans from target, ankle boots circa 2006 from whittner they are well worn and still going strong, long sleeve T and woollen over vest and my fave heart earrings.

Saturday turned out to be beautiful blue clear skies - not sure why we call it skies, cause there is only one. i offered to drop my son at work, so he was behind the lens today.  It was one of those brissy days - cold in the morning and then by lunch time it is boiling.

I wore my jeans from target that i tie dyed myself, shoes from gola, long sleeve T over a short sleeve T and puffer vest i picked up from uniqlo in melbourne.  I love a puffer vest, it's the perfect transition piece. Both vest and long sleeve T were relagated to the back seat of the car by mid morning.

Sunday and it was cool, warm, cool warm and i just knew i would end up roasting if i wore too much, so the super charged poncho was the item de jour.  Someone pointed out today that it is so brissy to wear thongs with warm weather stuff.  Aint that the truth.

I wore pink cords from sportscraft, havaianas from byron bay, black tea from temt, silver hoops and poncho that i picked up from tree of life last year.

I also did the how old am i test this week.  bbbhhhaaaa it say's i am 33. it is such a liar.

this week was another week that i read about women who are living with body image issues and these issues affect so many other areas of our life and the most important one is our own happiness and inner peace.

On friday, while i was grabbing some brekky, i saw this card in the shop and took a snap of it. 

It takes a lot of courage to walk up to a mirror and say - i am perfect just how i am. and if you don't believe it, who will?  Doing this in front of a mirror may seem strange and weird and you may not believe it at first, but it's a start on the journey to self love.

Friday was also the day that someone liked a pic on instragram and as you do, i checked out the profile and was interested to see what they were on about  at #ownyournumber.  they want you to share the number you want to overcome, or already have... and here's what i posted.

well i don't care about the number of my clothes size (18) or my age (48) or any of that stuff, but i do care about me and my place in the world and that makes me number one (1). we all deserve to be number one (1) and put ourself first. We all have issues and struggles to overcome and i have overcome mine. It doesn't mean that everyone else is not number one (1), but if i am okay, then everyone around me will be too. it's okay to be number one (1). What is your number?

So there goes week 18.

Be kind to yourself and to others and spend some time being number 1.