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 - 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 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.

my ootd - 17 March

well the 17th March is st patty's day and i didn't wear a lick of green.  I thought about it and re thought it.  i did however decide to be super girly girl and wear a satin skirt and top combo, which felt quite luxe to say the least.

i did set about on my way to work to find a place to take some pics, cause that's now half  the fun of sharing my looks, but how many times can you drive around a park without looking like a weirdo. Plenty in my case.  I did stop initially and was thinking that a beautiful tree i laid my eyes on would do the trick - but it didn't, so i didn't even bother putting my heels on.  I am not accustomed to having to drive myself to work yet, let alone in heels so sensible footwear is the go.

eventually i found a spot that seemed a great backdrop for my outfit pic.  hell, it even had some green in it.

 

one of my friends tongue in cheek asked if i was going to a funeral - i seem to wear bright colours most of the time, and then i trod in chewy, but was so thankful it wasn't dog shit, cause that would have just over shadowed the smell of samsara that was adorning me.  and i didn't even slide of my chair once at work, not once.  that is so unlike satin!

anyway enough about my outfit, let's get back to st patty's day. my sister christine was born on st patrick's day and i tried to skype her and call her to no avail before i left for work.  eventually, i got to speak to her and it sounded like she wasn't having the birthday she deserved.  she was even going to buy her own birthday cake down at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.  Surely not.  I knew then, that i had to take evasive action and sort this nonsense out.

i phoned the hotel and asked if i could buy a cake for her as a surprise.  she was going there anyway, so seemed like a great idea.

there is a certain level of patience required when trying to do cross cultural relations and trying to explain that i would just like one of the cakes that was already made would be fine. no no no - they wanted to make me a special cake to pick up on thursday. that's not good cause it was her birthday right now. so they compromised and agreed to make a cake that could be picked up at 8.30pm that night. well that wouldn't work, cause her children would fall asleep in the car on the way to pick it up. i was then handed to someone else on the phone who agreed that the chef would make a cake to pick up on thursday......

finally it became apparent that i would be happy with a cake they had in their display.  none of this 8.30pm or thursday business it had to be pret-a-porter so to speak.  and we were in business. it didn't matter that it only fed 4 - 5 people (according to my sister, it fed many more) and i asked for some additions - macarons and chocolates to make it feel special.  the hotel even offered to ring her and tell her there was something to pick up, but this was prefaced with .....your sister has probably told you.... SURPRISE!

doesn't she look happy.

so, st patty's day was success both in the sister and the fashion stakes.

what i wore
black satin skirt from target
top and belt made by me
shoes from novo

what she ate from GPH Suva
chocolate divine cake with cream, happy birthday detail and a chocolate swirl
strawberry macarons
variety of chocolates

Thank you to the staff of the GPH Suva, who helped make my sisters birthday great.

aussie curves challenge - airport

airport means one thing - you are probably going somewhere and then you are probably coming back - in which case it only seems fitting to share two outfits.

i have done my fair share of travel round the globe and it's usually jeans and flats to provide the comfort i like for travel.

on my most recent trip to fiji, where i went to visit my sister (how lucky is she to live in such a tropical location), i opted for a resort wear look that i made myself.

the trip was following what was a rather heinous couple of months resulting in major damage from the brisbane storm, so i decided to take a few days off work and head to the tropics.

just getting away on this trip was met with its challenges - passport out of date by one day, being held up in customs and then having my named called over the PA as the flight was about to leave.  topped with having to take off my shoes and run to the other end of the terminal and bursting into tears on arrival at the plane. i have elected to probably NEVER wear a pair of heels to the airport again,   Feel free to  read my blog entry - final boarding call and enjoy all the misadventure, cause it was really one of those moments that couldn't have been scripted if i tried.

but this blog is about the airport outfit.  i elected to wear what i like to call a zoot suit - shorts and matching top.  don't know why i call it a zoot suit, but it sounds rather fun and often that is what airport travel is all about.

i made a red seersucker shorts and top set and teamed it with a little sash belt and some wedges. seersucker is a very old fashioned fabric, and one that is often not found in many fabric stores, but is a favourite for old fashioned table cloths.  given that i had no iron following the storm devastation, i felt it would work fine - go with the crushed look.

TIP: if you want a seersucker outfit, but can't find the fabric, why not upcycle a tablecloth from an oppy or somewhere else you may find one.

this was teamed with beaded earrings made for our recent collection, a black cap and of course my ever present smile.

on arrival in fiji it was hot as expected and i was glad to pose for my nephew to take photos by myself, and also with my sister, who was feeling very poorly.

  

it did rain the whole week, but that didn't stop me from having a great time.

for the trip home, i went for total sensible. boyfriend jeans, flamingo top and some sandals.  arranged an upgrade and cruised home in comfort with a pre-flight cocktail.  even my sister was feeling better and managed to style it up for the trip to the airport to bid me farewell.

i think the perfect outfit is whatever you feel comfortable in, whether you are flying, waiting for someone to arrive, or depart, or just like hanging around airports.

departure

red seersucker shorts and top - made by me, fabric from spotlight
shoes - novo
cap - target
earrings - made by me

arrival
boyfriend jeans - target
flamingo top - made by me, fabric from spotlight
sandals - purchased in rio de janeiro

and then

after a few days in Suva it was time to head to Leleuvia for our R&R.  i had no intention of going to Fiji to do any work on our huudaverti label - Fiji Fashion Week 2013 is still a while away yet, so it was all about a holiday.  But as usually happens best laid plans come unstuck and the bulk of my break was about labels, websites, fabrics, production, etc, etc, So to escape to a tropical island was a dream come true, even in the rain that accompanied us on our trip.

  

look at our beautiful mum who at 74 is spending her day's drafting and cutting patterns for us and advising on sample making.  she is out of control and a constant reminder that there is no need to slow down. 

 

eventually the sun came out and we swam, kayaked, lazed around, paddle boarded, walked around the island and generally had a good time, and then ......

we discovered a snorkelling spot about 10 metres off the island in a channel which in low tide becomes a perfect spot for to view the undersea world.  Alas in high tide, it became a life threatening place where dave was in a lot of trouble.  oblivious to me of course.

Rule 1 when snorkelling- sometimes it's good to go in a group
Rule 2 have clear instructions on what to do in the case of emergency
Rule 3 don't go back to get your snorkel
Rule 4 have clear instructions on what to do in the case of emergency

So Dave heads out to snorkel and we were all to follow along.  My flippers were giving me grief, so it took ages to get them on.  In the meantime, the resort had said we could take the boat to honeymoon island to check it out. so the change of plans meant that dave had to come back to join us.  So I wander off to the end of the island to signal to him that he has to come back - he looks like he's having a super time, diving under the water and then waving his hands above his head to acknowledge me, or so i thought, so i keep signalling for him to come back and he keeps waving his hands above his head. Why isn't he coming back i am thinking, mustn't want to come with us.  after all i pointed at the boat about 5 times. what to do, we will go and collect him on the way to the island.  lucky we did, cause when we got to him he was not a happy man.  he was in great trouble in a strong current that was so strong it had ripped the snorkel from his mask as he tried to keep his footing on a coral bed.

Clearly he was mad and i couldn't understand why, after all in all my beach dealings in Australia, you put your hand up when in trouble - well he didn't have his hand up, so he wasn't in trouble.  On confirmation with the resort, apparently, the international code for "i'm in trouble help, help, help" is to wave your hands frantically above your head.  who'd have thought.

with that event over, it was time for low tide snorkel the following day.  what' could possibly go wrong.  tides good, current's good and along comes Dave to find his long lost snorkel. This is where Rule 3 - don't go back to get your snorkel should have come into play.  He knew where it was and he was going to get it. and he did, along with a coral cut that now two weeks later has gone from this

 to this - talk about grossssssss and i can tell you now that 2 weeks later it ain't looking any better.

anyway there's more tales to our adventures at Leleuvia, but i shall save the for next time.