the what i wore project - week 22, my sister's wardrobe

oh my haven't i had a fabulous fashion filled week - it is true, it was fashion week in fiji - there was so much fashion both on and off the runway.  This event has just had its eighth run and we have been part of it for four years, and as i mentioned in my last blog, i was asked to help out and i got a real understanding of the workings of a major fashion event and in fiji there were so many things that really challenged my structured way of working (not thinking) - but it was fun and if i could sum the week up, it would be like this:
1. sleep deprived (about 4 hours each night since i got here - Adrenalin works wonders)
2. what the fuck (what the fuck is happening here and how can this event even work)
3. chaos (the butterfly effect was in full swing and it both hindered and helped)
4. tuna is not a vegetable

what a week. and i got through it with both style and comfort.

so my sister said it was okay for me to come into the room early pearly of a morning to pick an outfit. after a few flicks back and forth along the clothing rail, i found this dress.  i was instantly in love. it was just simple, yet beautiful with a slight detail on the neckline that just made me feel very lady like but in a way that suited my sense of style.

to kick of fashion week, they did a screening of dior and i - i didn't get to see it, but it was very well recieved and a must see for any designer who wants to understand the the work involved in putting a collection together from start to finish and the pressure that comes with doing so.  (i probably needed to watch, cause it was a rough week, getting to the runway)

monday i wore cheesecloth dress from my sister's wardrobe. she made this one with local fabric and a lace insert that she got down the road and i matched it with those same shoes i have been wearing nearly every bloody day.  i really loved the feel of this dress and will be adding it to my wish list.

this local fijian fabric is what we used in our melbourne show and was made into a beautiful A-line skirt that i just wanted to keep on wearing. i loved it. for the fjfw program, they had a fashion forum for student's who got to hear from speakers who shared their knowledge on fashion design and business to assist in building a career in fashion.

tuesday i wore, tshirt and necklace from my sister's wardrobe, skirt from huudaverti and those same shoes.

today was a 70's inspired charity lunch, and this jumpsuit was the perfect thing to feel both retro and modern.  i took this photo in the makeshift kitchen that is used for their bbq stall and i felt that the outfit and the location were both complementary of each other.

wednesday i wore jumpsuit from huudaverti. my mum picked this fabric and decided it would look good in the jumpsuit.  the necklace is from my sister's wardrobe and i am not even mentioning the shoes.  this was also the day, i decided to invest in a pair of sneakers - pink of course!

oh oh look at this - it must be show day - cause i snagged a fjfw t-shirt and did my best to look important.  there was a lot of stuff to be done, so i needed to dress for comfort.

thursday i wore jeans from target, (mine), shoes from diadora (mine), heart earrings (mine) and fjfw tshirt (mine).   what- nothing from my sister's wardrobe......

but wait, there's more.  it was also our first showing for the event and it was resort wear night.  we got good reviews and you can check out the pics on our facebook

thursday night, i wore dress from my sisters wardrobe (am so taking one of these home), shoes - you know the ones, the brown ones and heart earrings.

thank goodness for these shoes - my feet were so sore from the day before, that i could barely wait to get them off when i got home.  if i had of been able to take off my feet as well and give them a rest i would have.

thursday i wore jeans from target, my tree of life top, and sneakers from diadora.

we had another two shows today in the ready to wear/trendsetters night and i had a beautiful piece of fabric to make a long skirt to wear on the runway. sadly though when i asked for a long skirt, i really got a long skirt. it was about 4 inches past my feet, so i had to go to plan B, which i didn't get a photo of, apart from on the runway.

thursday night, i wore brown kaftan from my sister's wardrobe which was made by huudaverti.

i noticed that down at the arena where the show was held, all the volunteers were wearing shell necklaces, so i thought i would join the locals and follow suit.

friday i wore jeans from target (they need a wash) top from suzanne grae mt ommaney, diadora's from suva and shell necklaces that my sister has collected over the years.

now this is the skirt i was supposed to wear the night before but it was too long.  i asked my mum to make it into this dress for me to wear on friday night.  she just added a couple of straps to it - which we will need to modify cause it was last minute, but it was a hit with everyone who was surprised to see me wearing something else but jeans and sneakers. everyone just wanted to touch the fabric and i can't blame them.  but guess what, i had to wear those shoes again.

this was the last night of fashion week and it was the high end resort, couture and bridal wear night.

friday night i wore skirt that is now a dress made from peacock sequined fabric i got at spotlight, indian style earrings and my whittner shoes.

after having so little sleep during the week, i gave myself a forced lie in.  i am not very good at sleeping in, but i just needed to stay in bed and literally lie there.  damn it felt good and my feet loved it.

sunday i wore just another simple outfit for the day which was my target jeans, tshirt from my sister's closet, my sneakers and the shells again, cause they are an accessory that instantly makes you feel like you are on a tropical island.  Oh hang on, i am on a tropical island....

so that's another week of outfits and i still have another week to go.

i have learned a couple of things this week. the first is that even though fijian people run on island time and it looks from the outside that things may not be happening, a shit load gets done in a small amount of time.

the other thing is that when things are feeling stressed, i encourage you to go outside in the open and scream at the top of your voice FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. it feels great and is cheaper and better than any therapy you can pay for.

well i am about to plan a few days away at the beach. the weather isn't looking to great today, but that won't stop me from having a pina colada and a lie in a hammock under an umbrella, if i have to.

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.

The what i wore project -- week 17

Gee it feels good to be bringing a colourful snapshot of this week's looks.  

I am going to get straight into it, cause i have had a busy week, so there is no time for small talk.

Monday and i was in need of a total colour burst, and i think i hit the mark with this one.  It was starting to feel a little chilly, so bought out long sleeves for the first time since last year.  These 2 pieces have been in my wardrobe for such a long time and i can't believe i never thought to wear them together before.  What a der, cause it was a wonderful combo.

Today was also the day I made good on a promise to myself earlier in the year following a major life change.  I decided to purchase myself a new piece of significant jewellery.  I had been eyeing this piece off every time i walked past the jeweller in west end.  Like every freakin time!  I would stop, look, admire and walk on. This was the day i went in, tried it on and said yes please. However i didn't pick it up till Tuesday as they wanted to polish it, so of course i cant show it right now

I wore pink satin pants with elasticised bottom,  made by me.  Beaded top from Roma 4 in Sri Lanka (shopping tip), shoes from jo mercer and earrings from Fiji.

Tuesday - oh my god - look at me back in black!  It was chilly today, so i needed to find another long sleeve top.  In the storm last November, most of my winter clothes got trashed - some salvageable, some not. Lots of damage from water, which then caused dye to run across various items.  Heartbreaking at the time, but this was just a moment in time and is insignificant, compared to other tragedies that have happened.

Today, i picked up the ring.  When i saw it in the shop it was actually really tarnished looking and wasn't expecting it to come up as gorgeous as it did.  As i said, i was instantly drawn to it. When i showed the person who suggested that i make a purchase, she said it looked like a bird and it does. And birds have freedom to fly anywhere they want to, so it suits me just fine.

I wore daggy black top from valley girl that is yonks old, brilliant sequined skirt from Odel Sri Lanka (another shopping tip) shoes from Jo Mercer, and diamonte name belt from NYC and some silver hoop earrings, but i wasn't yet wearing the ring, as the shop wasn't even open when i took my OOTD pic.

Wednesday was even chillier than tuesday and i had to get out the big guns.  Boots and a jacket. As it queensland, once the sun is in full swing in autumn it is way to hot for a jacket, so it didn't stay on too long.

I got something a little bit exciting at work today - a stand up desk.  Sitting is the new smoking apparently and i can't tell you how great it feels to not have to sit at a desk all day, but still be able to work to capacity.

I also went to dinner with my son and he really threw out all the stops to put on an amazing dinner.  It was one of those dinners that could be smelt when you opened the car door and it was pretty fantastic.

I wore tree tube skirt from huudaverti, yonks old top, denim jacket from best and less, beautiful handmade necklaces from Bec Jobson and my jo mercer boots, which were also trashed in the november storm, but i have done my best to ensure they still are wearable.

The vegetarian ate - home made goats cheese tarts with pesto and fresh picked marigolds, air dried rosemary and garlic potatoes and salad and the carnivores ate all that plus home made crumbed chicken accompanied by a tempus two pinot grigio, home made indian halva and an episode of ramsay's kitchen nightmares.  Very proud of my son and his ability to work magic in the kitchen.

Thursday seemed to see the nip in the air disappear for a while and i went all summery again.  I took my ootd photo up at annerley again, cause it is such a quaint place.  I went photo crazy.

i took photos everywhere i could and ensured i left the quaint little gate exactly how it was - open!

i wore top from huudaverti, skirt made by me, shoes from mollini and gold hoops from lovisa and gold sequin belt made by me, which just happened to fall off at some point through the day and was never to be seen again.

 

Friday was Fashion Revolution day and the day that commemorates the tragic anniversary of the Rana plaza collapse in Bangladesh and the day to ask "who made your clothes?"

Today we also held an afternoon tea for our sewers in Fiji, as it was important for us to acknowledge the work they do for our label huudaverti.

I wore tartan pants and top made by me, men's suede shoes from stone, my mismatched love heart earrings and necklaces that are yonks old.

hello weekend, and it was cool enough to sport some jeans and a longer sleeve top. I recently went bra shopping - what an ordeal that is, and i have to say, after being given three different bra sizes, at three different shops, i was confused and in the end, went with what felt comfortable and that was triumph. They offer me comfort, a little bit of sexy, a lot of uplift and with 25% off there was three coming home in the bag. i don't know when i last had a bra that felt not frumpy and just for function, but this was the one and i was going to let it peak through my shirt.

i wore jeans from target, shoes from jo mercer, top from tree of life, silver hoops and awesome bra from triumph.

Sunday was kaftan day and massage day. and i loooooove them both.  it has hearts and frills and hearts and frills.  love love love love love.  literally! it was bloody windy today and i did quick poses to ensure that my tripod didn't blow over in the wind. it was nutz.

at the boundary street markets, there is now a bagel store.  not bakery bagels, but boiled bagels. the real deal and this is now my sunday staple. thank you bagel boys.

i wore kaftan from huudaverti, shoes from nine west and earrings from odel sri lanka (shopping tip) and the massage as always is from i do thai massage from west end.

i am going to end on a bit of a serious note - a debbie downer if you choose to see it that way. i am a total believer in people being free to do what they want, but what if they are doing something that puts themselves and others at risk? what do you do? apart from having a love of fashion, it isn't my main bread and butter.  i have a job that is on the opposite end of the spectrum. it is serious and it is in a high risk industry. and sadly, sometimes people go to work and may not come home to their families at the end of the day due to unforseen accidents that may be caused by distractions of others. isn't that a horrible thing to consider. i have been their 4 years and over that time, the education towards safety has made me stop and think about the practices i do each day, that may incur a risk to the safety of me or those around me.

we had a toolbox talk a while back about the use of mobile phones when driving and the statistics were so frightening that from that day, i decided not to use my phone in the car. it has been about 2 and a half years now and guess what - there has been no emergency to or from work, i haven't missed any important facebook updates and i haven't been distracted by texting (not that i ever did) but it is really alarming to know what i know  and see people continue to be using their phones while driving. i don't know who this lady is, but she was obviously needing to do something very very important while in control of vehicle.

as i often travel in a 4WD, i see so many people using their phones in high speed, low speed and they are usually looking at the screen - how do you focus on the road? Isn't it illegal to use your phone in a vehicle????? i for one, don't want to be the reason that you or someone else doesn't make it home safely to the people you love and who love you, because i decided that watching my phone was more important that watching the road ahead.

stay safe!