the what i wore project - week 14 or is it week 2?

it's technically week 2 of my what i wear/wore project, but it's actually 14 weeks in to the year, so figured, i would count along with the calendar, rather then when i began, which was week one, or really week 13, just to add some numerical confusion.  holy moly better have some more chocolate, cause that is bound to help me think clearer.

this is how my week looked,  plenty of colour - of course - and a few pairs of shorts.  given we are in public holiday mode this week,  the opportunity to wear stuff that is NSFW (not safe for work) is always a plus.

 

monday's look is an easy start to the week and one that is fun and comfy.

the spots are kind of crazy which adds to my sense of appeal as i like to describe myself as a squiqqle, rather then a straight line, so if something is a bit quirky, it will certainly grab my attention.

i wore spotted pants and pom pom necklaces made by me, top from suzanne grae and shoes from betts

 

tuesday i grabbed this dress out of the cupboard.  hadn't worn it for ages, but it is really cute - as everyone said throughout the day.  I put it on to do a few mirror moves in and then gave it the thumbs up.  it needs a slip underneath or it's NSFW, so instead of bothering to take it off and add said slip, i just put a pair of loose pants underneath, added a belt and the beads and declared it a fashion win.

i wore dress made by me, pants from katies, shoes from novo, belt gifted to me and beads from st vinnies at annerley. 

 

wednesday - april fools day - and i did manage to pull off a prank at my local coffee shop ugees.  i am a soy drinker and my usual coffee was delivered by Belinda and i took a sip and as usual it was lovely. i waited a while till i had another sip (so it looked like something was wrong) and when another coffee was brought out for someone else, i picked mine up and held it out to hand back saying that i think there was a mistake as my coffee was made on dairy.  Belinda was genuinely shocked and surprised and said really.  Nope, i said, april fools. i did manage to fool her with my poker face.

this was probably my favourite outfit of the week. i got this dress at SWOP, a clothing exchange store in west end.  it is really cute and i did make the effort to put on a slip underneath.  it was also a popular piece and with floral sparkle how could it not be.

i wore dress from swop, shoes from whittner, belt gifted to me and it didn't really need much else.

 

thursday was the new friday and that meant dress casual in the office day. jeans, jeans, jeans was the chant of the morning and hearts was to show my respect for the upcoming four day break.

i wore top made by me, skinny jeans from target, shoes from mollini and necklace from robert kennedy fiji.

as i write my post today, i have flicked back and forth to facebook to see that sadly Tess Holliday is being trolled and bullied online through fat shaming people and groups and she has posted a message which has received 45,000 likes, about 700 shares and numerous comments on people standing up against bullying.

HER POST: Just so you trolls are aware, I'm in contact with Instagram and Reddit and your fat hate pages won't be around much longer. So instead of bullying others you might actually have time to work on yourselves and try to be happy instead of projecting your problems on others. If I can defy the odds in my industry and be the first model to be signed to an agency, you best believe I will shut you all down and change the laws against this kind of bullying and vile behavior.

go Tess. it just blows my mind to think that there are so many people out there who can only find joy from taunting others and making themself feel better by making others feel bad.

 

we are often so hard on ourselves and when you have other people shaming you, how hard must it be to even begin to feel good inside. I guess the #effyourbeautystandards is a start and for me, it's acknowledging that i am so much more that just a body and that's why i swapped out the original picture i had above and put this one in showing me jumping - happy, having fun and showing what's really underneath that fabulous flamingo top and not really giving an EFF about it.

i've seen a few posts this week about people not wanting to show their body in public, or being shamed for showing their body in public.  be true to yourself and have the courage to pave the way.

friday - i wore shorts and top made by me, havianas and a body that has given my 48 years of a fabulous life.

 

saturday and it's my usual trip to the markets. feeling a bit upmarket if i say so myself.

i wore top from huudaverti, brocade shorts and belt by me and sandals from nine west.

 

and sunday, the day where i ate myself stupid with chocolate and also went for my weekly thai massage. well, this massage was a bit different, because as i took off my thongs to enter the place, i just happened to step on the only bee that was in a hundred metre radius and it stung me right on the little toe.  OUCH! the bee sting hurt, but not as much as the thai massage. same time next sunday, but without the bee.

my outfit was pretty fun and the highlight of this was my denim vest, that i purchased from Big W and then sewed the heart sequin motif on the back.  you can't buy that motif, cause each individual sequin has been sewn on lovingly by me.

i wore velvet shorts from huudaverti - there are still some available - old tshirt from valley girl, vest embellished by me, belt i made myself, havaianas and necklaces that i have had for many many years.

the fashion highlight doesn't stop there, because there is a real community where i go for my daily coffee in west end.  and one of our newer members is Miss Harper. I say she is a new, because she is only 3 (i think) and has been a regular since birth and probably before.

she greeted me at the door with some easter eggs (more chocolate) and then went about her business of drinking a milkshake, helping out in the store, patting dogs, and being a cute as a button.

 

she was pretty chuffed when i told her i had something to put in her fantastic bronze vinyl pocket. and apparently, i am a nice lady, who wears sparkles and gives out chocolate.  i sound like a fairy god mother....

i am not sure where her outfit came from, but it all works and it may just well reignite a love of pockets for which i usually am very vocal about not liking.  i look forward to seeing Harper and her fashion as she has got it all happening. maybe we can collaborate.

well that was a busy week as i have pretty much worked since i finished my real job on thursday arvo to now and this long weekend is just about done. but i will be sharing what i have been working on soon.

so i have seen and heard some good and some not so good things to do with body image this week and i hope that those who are strong, stay strong and those who are struggling take small steps towards living the life they deserve. be kind to yourself and others.

V day.

here's a quick post about my looks yesterday, today and tomorrow and of course, valentines day.

I know that valentines is such a big deal to so many people and i agree, it's nice to feel loved, to feel like someone is showing you how much they care - but it shouldn't be restricted to this day.  it should be an everyday thing.  Old me used to feel so sad each time it rolled around, cause i didn't feel loved.

this is my first valentines day in 10 years where i haven't been in a couples arrangement.  it's still weird, but new me is okay with this day being about me and loving myself.

so ladies, and blokes, don't feel sad that today no one may have sent you flowers, or chocolates or a giant teddy bear, because the spirit of love should be unconditional.  And maybe this day is a great opportunity to show yourself how important and awesome you are.  I can feel people cringing, but it's okay to LOVE THY SELF!

In prep for my valentines day weekend, i set off to work yesterday in jeans and a love heart T.  I love this T and so did everyone else.  It is just a feel happy top.  Some people more than others, probably love a big set of boobs coming towards them with a giant love heart, and so be it, i felt great and that's all that mattered.

I did make this T last year.  seriously, a t-shirt, some textas and a piece of cardboard so the ink didn't run through was all that was needed.  I did give it a touch up yesterday and off it went.

i took a quick selfie before i headed off to work, stopped at my coffee shop and decided to pay for an extra coffee for myself for later in the day.   What a great thing to do - walk into the coffee shop and say hi, Jan bought me a coffee for this arvy - she is awesome.

 

After what was a totally 'thank god it's over' kind of day, i headed home.  There is still a few dark clouds overhead - the dispute with the insurers over the roof and the water that leaks in the kitchen every time it rains, the sad process yesterday of separating our finances and the as to be expected grieving over a relationship change.  These and other things flowed in and out of my thoughts yesterday and did at times, bring me to tears.

Trying not to be too weighed down by things, i decided on my way home, that i would do a little valentines day blog and took a side trip to take some more/better photos of my outfit.  There's definitely more photos, but can't say they are better but hopefully with my new sturdier tripod, things will be a little more stable. i have ran to save my falling tripod too many times, and just can't take any more chances with it. Imagine that set of photos.  I found a little spot down by the river and set about clicking.

hello saturday and it's love hearts once again for the trip to the markets where i embraced the vegan dagwood dog, with extra sauce.

Valentine's day isn't over yet, so am heading out to west end again for an exhibition opening and in celebrating my weekend of love, i need to decide what to wear - heart's of course.

I might go for the dress and keep the kaftan for tomorrow.

If you are feeling lonely or sad today, remember that feeling loved is about what's in your heart and being able to let the love for yourself shine from within. It's a big step, but once you take that leap, it feels so good.   Happy Valentines to you.

What i wore:
jeans from target, t-shirt from big W, shoes from whittner
shorts and top made by me. havaianas
heart dress made by me
kaftan by huudaverti

a little fashion interlude

I thought today, i'd do a little post about my outfit i wore.  i don't do them often, but maybe i should.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a fair bit of change at my house - physical, mental and probably spiritual and it seemed to culminate this weekend with the finalisation of room change arounds and the uncovering of some great and not so great fashion finds.  I took the opportunity to cull, cull cull.

I was ruthless in my endeavours and started the journey of letting go of some items that i had been storing for so long.  It's a really hard thing to do when you have emotional attachment to some things, but the reality is, that some of these items no longer represented who i was in terms of shape, size, or just general age of some things.

I let stuff go and it felt good. It's amazing what a good clean up does for your mind.

A couple of things were taken out of storage today and put in my cupboard and with the unearthing of some fabulous shoes i decided to build an outfit around them.

These shoes came from a trip to India, where i found them in a random shoe store in New Delhi and decided that i needed a pair and so did my sister.  They are gold and have bells on them, so they are awesome without even putting them on your feet.

My next unearthing was these fabulous tops that came from Sri Lanka. I was surprised when i remembered that i had got them back in the start of 2007 when we went on a family holiday.  I even remember buying them, cause i had to limit myself to 4 even though i wanted to buy them all.  In currency conversion, they were about $40 each, so i thought they were a bargain. And the detail on them is just incredible.

 

They are so beautiful.  They need to be worn over something unless letting it all hangout is your thing,  I knew that one of these had to be worn with THOSE shoes today.  the underneath outfit wasn't a problem, but deciding on which of the tops to wear was, How would you choose. 

well, i just held them all up in the mirror against me and let the top decide.

In the end, i went with the green. I did buy it a long time ago, but i feel the colour is still relevant and the top itself is something that i haven't seen many of.

I know it's on the neon side, but it just felt like the right one to wear today.  I didn't take a photo of my outfit with my bag though, but managed to take a photo of the bag when i was out having coffee this morning.  i was really chuffed with the overall look.

  

What's great about these tops is that they can be worn over anything, depending on the occasion -jeans, skirts and imagine it over a super swimsuit. given they have a flowy feel, are forgiving with the beautiful bumps that are hiding underneath, it's a winner.

What i wore:
shorts made by me
camisole from huudaverti
shoes from new delhi
top from Roma 4 in Colombo Sri Lanka (this is a must along with Odel, if you are ever travelling there)
bag from second hand store in brissy

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