the sunday session 16 - nothing to see here

so i didn't really start off with a story this week - well - maybe i did, i did drive the great ocean road in my convertible, which i think is a total bucket list kind of thing - but was it a story? probs not. it was kinda cool though to do something that is pretty iconic.

did i have a favourite look for the week, well yeah, it was monday - the pants, shirt and tie.

i was smashing the glass ceiling. it was menswear but overtaken by the better smelling sex. i squirted on some gucci guilty, but didn't feel guilty at all!  i walked tall and proud, wearing a man's tie and shirt and holding my own. it felt really good but a bit awkward, but it was embraced by me and those around me, and some guys even wanted to borrow my vintage tie!  i'll hire it out for fucks sake. i'll rent by the hour. i'll make a fortune, cause those fella's won't be able to handle the hotness. i don't ever associate myself with sexy, but i was bringing it back.

so as i drove the great ocean road, i pondered the "do you have a story?" do you have a moment in time where you felt amazing, peaceful, and in the now. i don't know what it was about the great ocean road (maybe its beauty and popularity) but i did stop and think. it made me think about my journey. the journey that's been just like the great ocean road - with many twists, turns, fast and slow bits, seeing the beautiful and the not so beautiful and of course the highs and lows.

i was doing a bit a sorting through stuff and came across a photo that was taken in italy in the year 2000.

i was on holidays with my sister, her husband and my son. we were in amalfi and my sister took the pic below. i remember the moment like it was a minute ago.  in the cloisters, in the church, in amalfi. i was about 34, on a great adventure and one which eventually helped me to mark the territory of who and how i am and i've never really looked back. the wheels started spinning and off i went.  my world started to open up in so many way.  i loved it.

and here i am 16 years later, feeling just as great as i did at that time, due to my desire to embrace every moment with fresh eyes while being in the now.  a lot has happened since then - some great and some truly shit, but it's all been part of my life journey and one that i cant change, but i can own and i can grow from - i don't have to be how anyone else expects me to be, i can just be me.

being reminded of that time and that place was an opportunity to realise that we can have total control of our own destiny. we can choose how we move forward with every event that happens. we can make choices and fill our life basket with the things that will make us feel good and happy, even if that means letting go of things that your are comfortable with or have caused pain in the past. i feel like that same girl who's in the photo in the cloisters, in the church, in amalfi, but just a better version of her. happy embracing life, wondering what adventure lay ahead and not letting anything or anyone bring down my spirit. it's a great feeling and one that i would encourage anyone to stop, think and find a moment whereby you can let go and move forward.

if you find yourself in that cloisters (that quiet secluded place) use it as an opportunity to regroup, reflect and start a new story, one that will be future focussed, one that will see you be free from the past if it's holding you back past and one that will be about you and your journey, not a journey that others expect of you.

the double horizon

a few years ago we went to fiji and before i left to go on holiday, i was doodling in a meeting - it was obviously very boring, cause i had time to draw this whole picture.  what i didn't pay attention to was that i had drawn a double horizon and when i was asked about it, i said i didn't know why i drew a double horizon. it was what it was.

when we went on our boat cruise on a boat i'd never seen or to a place i'd never been, imagine my surprise when we came into an area that looked like this.  a double horizon. it was the first one i had ever seen and i felt like i had walked or should i say sailed, into my own picture. it gave me goosebumps.
i have always listened to my inner voice and used my gut feelings for things and i think that has been such a great way to navigate through my life - i just go with what feels right.

i now have these pics in my office so i can always be reminded of what it means to know that sometimes, if you aren't sure of something, to listen to the inner voice, that often knows what you should or shouldn't be doing.

the what i wore project - week 23 my sister's wardrobe

well my three week adventure in fiji is over - boo to that.  it has been fun and challenging and of course fashionable thankfully to being able to share my sister's clothes.

i did do something that i have never done before and that was to share a pic of me in my swimmers, not once, but twice.  not a big deal i hear you say....well i agree, but for many people it is probably not possible due to the commentary that may come with it, that may impact negatively on their well being.  i have been thin and i have been fat and i have been thin and i have been fat, but the one thing that remained the same, is the essence of me - the fun spirit, the kind heart and acceptance of who i am regardless of what this day, week, month or year may bring or whether i am wearing a size 12, 14, 16 or 18 and at nearly 50 years of age, i really don't give a fuck.  being happy right now is what matters.

so here is what i wore this week and i was happy to have a couple of things from my own wardrobe to wear. what a busy week this was.

oh my god - this dress.  i wore a couple of cowl neck outfits while in fiji and i had forgotten how totally fun they are and this dress even though it was a bit snug, felt totally totally sexy.  I loved how the top part of the dress had enough fabric to sit nicely over my tummy and teamed with the tube style skirt it was just a brilliant look and feel.

monday i wore dress and necklace from my sister's wardrobe and my birkenstocks.

monday was also our first opportunity to just sit and relax following the hectic previous weeks. we headed out for dinner and my first pina colada of the trip and it was actually chilly.  i also decided to sit in the back of the pajero on the way there and back and why not - we can't have this kind of fun in australia any more.

monday night i wore my target jeans and birkenstocks and t-shirt, cardigan and shells from my sister's wardrobe. i have no idea where any of those things came from.

this dress was to be part of my collection that i showed on friday night, but as sometimes happens at a fashion show, models just don't show up and it never made it to the runway.  i decided to bring it from runway to real way and this was the day we also headed to the beach for some much needed fun and relax.

tuesday i wore gold dress from huudaverti.

so it made total sense to post me in my swimmers since this is what i would be wearing most of the day. i have to be honest, it was weird, but at the same time there was something quite liberating about it - one of those sports illustrated moments, but not quite.

wednesday i wore swimmers from target and the warm tropical water of leleuvia island fiji.

i wasn't able to just wear my swimmers all day though as i had to put on a cover for when i went to eat or hang around the island.

wednesday i also wore kaftan from i-do thai massage and sand between my toes.

another day - another swimsuit and i was kind of getting into the swing of things with the swimsuit shots.  i love and hate this swimsuit.  love it because it is leopard, has a really nice cut to it at the front, but hate that the back of it just felt a little bit to small across my butt and it don't think that has anything to do with my butt - just the shape of this particular suit.

thursday i wore swimsuit from target.  i have found for me, that target seems to have a number of suits that really give me all that i need in a swimsuit - the shape, the support, some fun styles and they are actually wearable. this one nearly hit the mark on all thing, but i wont be put off by the lesser coverage on the rear - after all, i was still wearing more than any brazilian man or woman would wear on ipenema beach.

of course, i couldn't just run around in my swimmers ALL day, so i picked up this great little frock in suva.  I have one store that i always go to on every visit, that seems to have one or two things that i just need to add to my wardrobe and this is another of those pieces.

thursday i wore dress from the pacific store, suva.

we also traveled back to suva that afternoon and surprise surprise look at my sister and i....

thursday afternoon i wore the same as my sister, but in reverse.  the shorts were mine but the top was hers.

i had a couple of days left on my adventure and was in wardrobe raiding mode.  my sister and i went to the local fabric store and grabbed some new fabrics to work with and on the way back, they had to stop and get some vege. I jumped at the chance to set up my tripod and take a snap at this local vege stand.  and yes, people thought i was odd.

friday i wore jeans from target, havaianas from byron bay, belt was my own and this sparkly top was from my sisters wardrobe and she actually wore it on the runway when we showed at FFFweek 2013. This is another example of why we make the clothes we do - they are timeless.

well for my last day in suva, i decided to go for the metallic look and found this skirt and top in the huudaverti sample room.  i felt a bit weird being in suva wearing an all gold outfit - which was quite short - so i added the green skirt underneath, a woven belt and an earthy necklace.  i found that this combo just took the outfit from being too glitzy to being more wearable in the daytime.

saturday i wore gold skirt and top from the huudaverti sample room, green skirt, belt and necklace from my sister's wardrobe and my own birkenstocks. 

i had a super early start for my commute back to brisbane.  needed to be out the door by 4.30am and that meant being packed up an also having an outft on hand to wear. i was happy to be back in west end at my favourtie coffee place, seeing everyone and was expecting it to be a cold day - but thankfully it was just perfect.

i barely had time to sit down and i was being papped (not smeared thankfully - that would be awkward).  i think that this pic was all about my beautiful necklace though and rightly so.  the noise it makes is incredible.

i had arranged a taxi driver who gave me lifts a few times in suva and he was right on time to collect me every time and for the airport drop off as well.  from my sister's house, it takes 3 roads to get to the airport. one to the town where the airport is (its a long drive), one to cross the river and one to the airport proper. well in the dark at 4.30am, this guy took me off the main road, down darkened streets and when i asked why, he said it was because the main road was too dangerous at that time of the morning - too many trucks driving badly.  okay i can accept that.  we then made it to the main main road, and he turned off again, down another darkened road and i was thinking what the fuck now.  i was feeling a little weirded out about it. he had been good so far, but where to now and why all the dark back streets - petrol of course - from a dark, out of the road gas station where a guy was there locked in an office for safety and once we had filled up it was full steam to the airport. safe and sound.  i shouldn't have doubted - but it pays to have a plan and at 4.30am - i had nothing but trust.

sunday i wore jeans from target, birkenstocks, old top from suzanne grae and shell necklace made by fijian designer robert kennedy and from the tappoo department store which can be found across fiji, and my bag is from witchery.

so now i am back after a hectic first week, a fashion filled second week and a totally relaxing third week and i am looking forward to catching up on some of the things i have been missing.  the gym is one and since i haven't done any sewing since we had the storm last november, i am planning on getting my creative on very soon and whipping up some new things once i get around to unpacking the new machines.  

i also have to do a big big clean out as i am going to be moving house soon, so i am planning on setting up an ebay store to start selling some of the items i have loved and collected over the years. this is a first for me as well.

this is the beautiful island we stayed at just off suva.  it is tiny - takes 20 minutes to walk around in low tide - if you aren't distracted by the shells, what you see on the beach or just taking in the surrounds.  

and i am leaving you with the panorama of leleuvia island.  it is truly paradise, in every sense of the word - the sand is soft, the water is warm and clear, the hammocks are comfy and it is just so relaxing.

well, it's back to my own wardrobe now and the cooler weather.  can't wait to start putting together some more looks.

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 - week 19

this week, i am confused.  and i am confused about the weather.  i want to pack all my summer stuff away, but it just isn't getting cold enough yet.  I head off to fiji for fiji fashion week on friday. I have a week there before the shows, and then following that, i have another week, where i hope i will be able to have some much needed r&r and go to the beach, do some snokelling, drink some cocktails and just do NOTHING!

leading up to my departure this friday, i have had so much to do, that this week has been all about work and i didn't really think too much about what i would wear, as it wasn't top of mind. apart from my new western boots - i really just wanted wear one of each every day though, cause i love them so much. but that might have been a bit too weird.

what was great this week, was reading a blog from sugercoatit about the little moments app review and the photo a day challenges.

back in 2010, when i started blogging, i decided to take a photo of myself everyday for a year and it kind of grew from a little challenge i set myself to something where i began to write about things happening in my life that were personally challenging or fun, while sharing fashion, food and stories over the year. here i am on the first day and the last day of my year of taking a photo.

 

doing a photo challenge is a really great way of exploring creativity and feeling like you may be going beyond your day to day routine. the reason i say this is because when i reflect on all the great things in my life, i have pursued the things i love or thought i might like to try and that has given me contentment.  this is one way that i discovered a lot about myself and began to explore other creative parts of me that i never knew existed. instead of saying i wish i could do something, i actually did it and now it brings me a great deal of personal satisfaction, regardless of what may be going on around me. if you are looking for a simple way to start to explore other aspects of your life, then a photo challenge is an easy way to start.  what are you waiting for.

so onto the week that was.

monday - well it wasn't cold that's for sure.

i wore a chevron a-line skirt and seersucker top made by me.  belt from the $2 shop, shoes from jo mercer and heart earrings.

tuesday i had the day off work as i had some personal appointments and i hitched up my wagon and headed out.

i wore white dress from tree of life, boots that i got at the wrangler store at dfo and hoop earrings.  so, i had wandered into the wrangler store many times on trips to dfo and to me it was just a bit daggy. last sunday however, there were boots, boots and more boots and i ended up buying 2 pairs for much much cheaper then one full price pair would ever be. so if you are looking out for some western gear, then it's worth a trip and they go up to larger sizes as well, which was a bonus.

wednesday i just grabbed a couple of things from the cupboard and threw them on, making sure i matched the carpet with the curtains so to speak - animal print top and animal print shoes.

i wore satin pants made by me, leopard top from new york that my sister gave me, shoes from novo and peacock earrings that i picked up at target a few years back.

thursday at work we were doing a bit of a team building exercise, so i dressed for a potential physical activity.  glad i did, cause we ended up outside on the wet grass and all got covered in dirt.  brilliant.

i wore orange pants from sportscraft dfo, top from tree of life, shoes from jo mercer and earrings from fiji.

friday was the outing of my second pair of boots and a very bejewelled belt.  these boots are super comfy and as it was a little chilly, decided to bring out the long sleeves.

i wore skinny jeans and top dolman top from target, boots and belt from wrangler at airport dfo.

saturday i underestimated the chill in the air and threw on this outfit for my weekly market trip.  i was bloody freezing, but thankfully, the gates to the volleyball court were open and i snuck through and put my feet on the warm sand and imagined i was in fiji.  not long to go now.

i wore jeans from target, havaianas from byron bay, spotted raglan top made by me, scarf knitted by my mum and borrowed sunnies, as i left mine at home.

sunday i wasn't taking any chances on the weather front and i dressed for the cold and by 10am, i was freaking boiling.  hat, jumper, vest, closed in shoes - it was tooooooo much.

i wore boyfriend jeans from target, jumper from coles, fur zip up vest from suzanne grae that i got about 4 years ago and pink converse. the cap came from some random shop in the city.

a few weeks ago i got my son to give me a haircut. he had no choice really, as i insisted. it was good, i worked on a bit more after the initial scissor hands, but this weekend i decided to check in with my hairdresser sunny from FGdolls at west end and i alerted him to my own hair cutting adventures. it wasn't the first time. i think i gave myself my first hair cut around age 6 and have been happy to chop when needed ever since.  he said that my "accident" wasn't too bad and gave me a tidy up that is runway ready.

today was also mothers day and i got to catch up with my son, his girlfriend and her parent's last night for tea.  we went to the loving hut in mt gravatt - mummas choice and enjoyed a buffet of vegan delights.   we had a swell time and i got a card with glitter.  awesome.

 

and also today, i made scones.  how can i say no to such tasty little floury, jammy, creamy bundles of joy.  i can't. scones are the best and i have a confirmed appointment to give my son's girlfriend a lesson on my return from fiji.  i will probably also make some when i get to fiji, as i didn't spend mothers day's with my mum and i know that i, i mean she will love to eat them.

and also today, my lovely friend aileen dropped around and bought me a gift to take away. i actually went to officeworks today to find a book to take with me so i can make notes about stuff and i didn't see anything i fancied and voila - she dropped by with the perfect one.  how great is she. thoughts and ideas are coming my way.

well, next post is from fiji, and i can't wait. glad i didn't pack away my summer digs, cause i think the weather will still be totally tropical. it better be!

have a great week and get ready to go on vacay with me.  fiji here we come. it's fashion week time and there will be plenty of glamour to blog about.