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 20

this week was and still is action packed.  not only was i heading off to fiji for our fourth showing at fiji fashion week, but i had to finish all my work work, before i could leave to go to fiji for my fun work.

as my departure date grew closer, the list of things i needed to finalise grew longer.  things such as finalising my fabrics for our collection, last minute shopping in the form of chocolates, crumpets, soy milk, vegemite, promite, getting some strategic waxing (really, you want me to put my leg up where - this is hair removal, not a bloody yoga class) and the list went on. i also had to go and have my first ever try at having some fake eyelashes put on. This wasn't like a slab of lashes, but individual ones as i am so in love with the ones that a colleage has, that i decided to try my own.  Now, i haven't taken this lightly - i don't even pluck or wax my eyebrows, so doing this was quite the commitment, but they do feel long and lovely.

what was hilarious though was that during this relaxing time with the therapist, we were chatting about make up and i explained that apart from a bit of lippy, mascara and some eye shadow, i thought had reached my full make up potential about a year ago. but no, i am doing a bit more now - my red stila eyeliner is now a must have item. i didn't even know how to put eyeliner on until about 6 months ago but a lesson from mecca cosmetics fixed that. i just was never that into all of this stuff, regardless of how razzle dazzle my outfits may be. a simple face wash some coconut oil when i remembered was pretty much my routine.  anyway, i am doing a bit more in the make up department and when i told her of this, she offered the compliment that i have started looking after myself....actually i said, i have always looked after myself, so with that faux pas, she proceeded to ensure my transition into falsies was quick and painless and one that i am happy with.  the fact that my sister said i have drag queen lashes, doesn't deter me at all. it just makes it all the more fun.

so this week i am only showing 5 looks that i wore and the reason for that is that i am now in Fiji, as of Friday night and i literally have no clothes.  i bought the bare basics. a pair of shorts, swimmers, 2 tops, pj's, what i wore on the plane a dress to wear to an event and a pair of pants.  not much for 3 week's vacay, but that is okay, because i am going to raid my sisters wardrobe or the huudaverti sample rack and just make up some new looks each day.  i just had too much other stuff to bring, so figured i would just leave my clothes back home.  genius! but it is a little weird not quite knowing that you can go to your fall back faves if you need to.

well, here is what i wore pre-fji for my busy busy week at work and what because a very chilly brisbane.

Monday i wore this heavy cotton drill dress with classic art. I made the dress with fabric from spotlight and the boots are from jo mercer.

Tuesday i wore an animal print tube skirt from huudaverti, really old black top from temt, boots from jo mercer, vest from uniqlo melbourne and western belt from wrangler dfo.

Wednesday i wore gold denim skirt from huudaverti, black top from unknown, boots from jo mercer and lee denim vest from Big W that i sequined the heart onto the back of.

Thursday i wore something to keep me warm as it was bloody chilly so i dressed for the cold weather apart from the shoes - but that's a brisbane thing. this red velvet suit if from sportscraft, my jumper is from harris scarfe, shoes from betts and belt made by me.

i refrain from wearing anything suit like as i just don't want to be responsible for causing anyone to drop what they are carrying, or fall over at the sight of me in such a constructed look.

Friday i wore something comfy to travel in.  jeans from target, shirt/dress from tree of life, poncho from davies park markets, birkenstocks and a smile of someone who is about to go on three weeks leave.

i got to work super early on thursday - it was cold and clear and i decided to take a pic of our beautiful city that is brisbane.

so tonight i am in suva, staying in a little bure at my sisters house.  it is cool, raining and even though it is just 2 hours difference, from home, i am feeling tired but very excited about going into her cupboard tomorrow to see what i can dress up in. my trip was uneventful, unlike my last one when i got the final boarding call at brissy and i hope to try and update my looks everyday. however with fashion week just around the corner and a collection that is still in progress, i will be on high alert for the next 2 weeks.  then it will be true holiday time.

bula.

the what i wore project - week 15

here's a snapshot of the last week's looks and wasn't there a lot of one legged action.  my favourite bird is the flamingo, so maybe i was channeling.

so i haven't quite got the post easter sugar fix out of my system which may have contributed to the length of my last weeks 'what i wore' post, and i still have bunnies and they stand to attention every time i look up at them above my desk.  sorry bunnies, your day's are numbered.

i did mention last week that i had been working on a project all over the easter break and on Monday night we launched our new look huudaverti website. this was such a mammoth task, but it felt really great to have made this important update and i think continuing to grow and change is not only important for a person but necessary for a business.  if we don't continue to evolve, we are at risk of not being prepared for opportunities that may present in the every changing world of fashion.

now i'm gonna get down to business for week 15 of the year.

i had to think about what day it was, because with the extended break, i looked dressed for a weekend, but it was actually monday. every sunday i go for a massage in west end at i do thai massage it started as a bit of an ad hoc thing to do, but it's now a weekly necessity. they also have a little boutique attached and i got this dress from their the small collection they used to have there. they don't have much of this brand left but have just got a whole lot of new stuff in there from other brands. half the fun of sharing my ootd's is now also about finding a back drop where i can feel like i am not just posing against the same wall all the time and this was a great one.  it is behind the lift bakery cafe at highgate hill.  yum yum!

i wore dress from i do thai massage, west end.  the brand is mr & mrs wardrobe from indonesia. shoes are from nine west.

tuesday back to work and i often head up to the sports ground at annerley as they have some fun places for take photos.  on this day, i snuck through the gates of the bridge club and when i saw this little building, i was in love and couldn't wait to go stand up against it take some selfies.  it was amost mystical there, it was a bit chilly, and the light was amazing which just added to the beauty of the backdrop.

i wore, a black thick crepe dress i had made some years ago, but it's still a super fave.  shoes are from novo and my necklace is from robert kennedy fiji.

wednesday - upcycle and recycle - i put on this outfit and wasn't quite sure - was it the shoes, was it too much pink - no, cause you can never have too much pink, was it the pom poms, the sparkles, the velvet, the embroidery.  after a few twirls in the mirror, i went yep, there is too much of every thing, but fuck it, it all works and off i went.  i headed off in search of a backdrop and at the girl guide hall in annerley, the kids have painted on the building and as soon as i saw it, i knew that with everything i had going on in my outfit, that this would work perfectly.

i wore a pink velvet top that i made from a piece of left over fabric which i added pom poms to the bottom. a skirt that i got in india.  it never fitted, because it was so tiny round the waist, but i loved it and ended up cutting it off and making it a short skirt. i added a gold sequin belt that i made and my shoes are from betts.

thurday.  i actually don't read fashion mags or follow any style guides. everything i make or wear is what i put together from my own imagination and today it was red red red.  the annerley sports area has featured quite a lit in my backdrops this week and these great water tanks at the rugby field became the simple highlight for such a strong outfit.  when i looked down over my red top and saw my red shoes peeking out from my red pants, it looked great.

the red didn't stop their, cause i also wore some red eyeshadow and a very very red lipstick from natio called rush.

i wore black singlet from uniqlo, shoes from mollini.  the floral open sided top, red stretch sateen pants and belt were made by me.  the earrings came from fiji.

TGIF - this was the longest shortest week ever and it was the day i needed toast - done my way. i like to toast it, let it go cold, by forming a toast pyramid, then slather it with butter and put vegemite on, but only down the centre.  quite the runway strip going on, but this way, i get the love of the butter and just the right amount of the good old aussie tradition, that is vegemite.

this was also the week i had a personal training session on wednesday and was rendered useless by my robot legs by friday. i needed to get grounded,  and that required a bit of an urban look where i was easily able to perform some stretches as required in the office. my backdrop was under the lychee lounge west end and was the right place for this one. sometimes it's only after i see the photo that i notice all the detail and i love those pipes that are attached to the wall.

i wore metallic top from just jeans, elastic bottom pants from target, metallic converse hightops gifted from my niece, my favourite mis matched heart earrings and a last addition, a necklace from sri lanka.

could saturday be any more fun?  this dress is a party in itself and as i headed into the davies park markets for my usual saturday food fest, i drove past this roll-a-door, that i drive past every week and knew that this had to be the backdrop.  the dress is strong, the back drop is strong and kapow, they both just work.  

this is also the day that my little friend Miss H, from last week's post looked in amazement as i walked into the coffee shop and i have had a dress like this commissioned for her.  she will love it.

i wore layer upon layer dress from huudaverti, slides that i got from rio de janiero, red tear drop earrings, and hair accentuated with beaded bobby pins that i made.

sunday is here again and i frocked up to head out for my morning coffee, before my weekly massage. i look in awe at this giant tree on montague road at davies park west end and took the opportunity to use it as my backdrop. it's an amazing tree and one that i plan on going back just to walk around and investigate it further.  i am not sure how old it is, but it has so much depth an character. it's beautiful.

i wore dress made by me and hand beaded with motifs from india, and beads that go all the way round the neckline. shoes come from venice and i left the house with washed wet hair and some virgin coconut oil on my face and a splash of lipstick.  i felt very smart, but also fresh.  this dress does have a downside though, it has a sheen and it once caused me to nearly slide off my workseat, which would be so unfashionable, but totally funny, if there were no injures.  it comes with a safety warning.

another wrap up done and i love that i am documenting all my looks. this was also the week that we started to get a little chill in the air in brisbane and i decided while doing some more post storm clean up - yes 5 months and still sorting it out - that i would get a blanket out that my nana knitted before she died.  she has been gone nearly 10 years and this has never been used.  how silly.  it's out of the bag now and on my bed, where it deserves to be. 

and with the arrival of the blanket out of storage, it's not going to be long till i need to think about getting the winter gear out of storage and ready to wear.  i am ready for a change - bring on the boots.