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.

aussie curves challenge - style inspiration

how do you know when you find the style that is right for you?  what inspires it and how do you bring it to life?

i had a period of my life, where i kind of fell into a style slump.  it's not that i wasn't bothered, but i was a single working mum, living a lifestyle that didn't really allow me to spend a great deal on fashion and it became a bit of a why bother kind of thing.  i always wanted to look nice but fashion wasn't the most important thing in my life.

once things settled into a better lifestyle routine, i started to make some changes.  my son and i moved to highgate hill and lived in the iconic torbreck building.  Living in west end/highgate hill made me come alive. i felt like i belonged somewhere and was able to let my style shine through.  i slowly started to incorporate different elements into my looks cause in west end, anything went.

not long after this my sister moved to india on posting and then began to send me parcels of stuff and one of the parcels contained these incredible shawls and beautiful garnet jewellery. the jewellery went on and never came off for many years and the shawls were so incredible that i'd never seen many around, and when i wore them to certain events, i would feel amazing and they were a great talking point and they had a story.

she would continue to send parcels containing trinkets and clothes she got at markets and many of them were adorned with beading, sequins or just generally fantastic and unusual and i started to build a look that became my own. then started, the where did you get your outfit question. a question that i still get nearly 20 years on. these items, teamed with my own re ignition of sewing saw my wardrobe slowly build.

my style inspiration has definitely been from india.

i ended up going to india for a holiday in 2000 and quit my job and stayed for 6 months.  india is a country of extremes - poverty vs wealth, dirty vs clean and the one constant in all this is colour. colour is everywhere - from the buildings, to the food, to the clothes and didn't that make my heart sing.

 

 

while i was in india, i got to see some incredible fabrics, beadwork, traditional clothing and after months of living in a world that made me feel so humbled and inspired i returned home with many treasures, including this 60cm statue, my bobble head people (grandma and grandpa) hand beaten cutlery that was all bundled into my suitcase amongst all my other goodies.

if you went to a traditional indian party or a wedding, it was pretty normal to wear something colourful and adorned (hence the sari above) and if you have been to an indian clothing store in australia, it is wall to wall beauty and it's hard not to be mesmerised by the amazing colour and beading.

of course my bags also contained many pieces of beautiful clothing mostly from the market along with a few other beauties that i keep tucked away.

for this challenge, i was excited to get out on the footpath and do some twirling.

 

 

 

 

 

the indian style influence is definitely something that is with me most days with my silver bangles only ever getting taken off if i am going through airport security, getting a massage or have to enter a library (they jingle a lot).

 

my look above was my work outfit for Friday and quite timely given that i decided to share my style inspiration.

I certainly wouldn't want to be someone who is pidgeonholed as only having one style, but india was definitely the kicker for me and i find most outfits are inspired by it in one way or another - whether it be colour, jewellery, texture or something pink and when you combine them all together - KABOOM - it's like a party that is waiting to happen.

Does finding a style that suits come from experimentation, magazines, from family and friends, people on the street or like me through travel - there are so many opportunities to build on the inspiration that is all around us. Go forth and style it up.

what i wore

pink skirt and tie up top from new delhi, india

shawl from janpath new delhi, india

singlet from target

necklace and anklets from fiji

workwear was

jeans from target

shoes from mollini

top and earrings from india