the what i wore project - week 19

this week, i am confused.  and i am confused about the weather.  i want to pack all my summer stuff away, but it just isn't getting cold enough yet.  I head off to fiji for fiji fashion week on friday. I have a week there before the shows, and then following that, i have another week, where i hope i will be able to have some much needed r&r and go to the beach, do some snokelling, drink some cocktails and just do NOTHING!

leading up to my departure this friday, i have had so much to do, that this week has been all about work and i didn't really think too much about what i would wear, as it wasn't top of mind. apart from my new western boots - i really just wanted wear one of each every day though, cause i love them so much. but that might have been a bit too weird.

what was great this week, was reading a blog from sugercoatit about the little moments app review and the photo a day challenges.

back in 2010, when i started blogging, i decided to take a photo of myself everyday for a year and it kind of grew from a little challenge i set myself to something where i began to write about things happening in my life that were personally challenging or fun, while sharing fashion, food and stories over the year. here i am on the first day and the last day of my year of taking a photo.

 

doing a photo challenge is a really great way of exploring creativity and feeling like you may be going beyond your day to day routine. the reason i say this is because when i reflect on all the great things in my life, i have pursued the things i love or thought i might like to try and that has given me contentment.  this is one way that i discovered a lot about myself and began to explore other creative parts of me that i never knew existed. instead of saying i wish i could do something, i actually did it and now it brings me a great deal of personal satisfaction, regardless of what may be going on around me. if you are looking for a simple way to start to explore other aspects of your life, then a photo challenge is an easy way to start.  what are you waiting for.

so onto the week that was.

monday - well it wasn't cold that's for sure.

i wore a chevron a-line skirt and seersucker top made by me.  belt from the $2 shop, shoes from jo mercer and heart earrings.

tuesday i had the day off work as i had some personal appointments and i hitched up my wagon and headed out.

i wore white dress from tree of life, boots that i got at the wrangler store at dfo and hoop earrings.  so, i had wandered into the wrangler store many times on trips to dfo and to me it was just a bit daggy. last sunday however, there were boots, boots and more boots and i ended up buying 2 pairs for much much cheaper then one full price pair would ever be. so if you are looking out for some western gear, then it's worth a trip and they go up to larger sizes as well, which was a bonus.

wednesday i just grabbed a couple of things from the cupboard and threw them on, making sure i matched the carpet with the curtains so to speak - animal print top and animal print shoes.

i wore satin pants made by me, leopard top from new york that my sister gave me, shoes from novo and peacock earrings that i picked up at target a few years back.

thursday at work we were doing a bit of a team building exercise, so i dressed for a potential physical activity.  glad i did, cause we ended up outside on the wet grass and all got covered in dirt.  brilliant.

i wore orange pants from sportscraft dfo, top from tree of life, shoes from jo mercer and earrings from fiji.

friday was the outing of my second pair of boots and a very bejewelled belt.  these boots are super comfy and as it was a little chilly, decided to bring out the long sleeves.

i wore skinny jeans and top dolman top from target, boots and belt from wrangler at airport dfo.

saturday i underestimated the chill in the air and threw on this outfit for my weekly market trip.  i was bloody freezing, but thankfully, the gates to the volleyball court were open and i snuck through and put my feet on the warm sand and imagined i was in fiji.  not long to go now.

i wore jeans from target, havaianas from byron bay, spotted raglan top made by me, scarf knitted by my mum and borrowed sunnies, as i left mine at home.

sunday i wasn't taking any chances on the weather front and i dressed for the cold and by 10am, i was freaking boiling.  hat, jumper, vest, closed in shoes - it was tooooooo much.

i wore boyfriend jeans from target, jumper from coles, fur zip up vest from suzanne grae that i got about 4 years ago and pink converse. the cap came from some random shop in the city.

a few weeks ago i got my son to give me a haircut. he had no choice really, as i insisted. it was good, i worked on a bit more after the initial scissor hands, but this weekend i decided to check in with my hairdresser sunny from FGdolls at west end and i alerted him to my own hair cutting adventures. it wasn't the first time. i think i gave myself my first hair cut around age 6 and have been happy to chop when needed ever since.  he said that my "accident" wasn't too bad and gave me a tidy up that is runway ready.

today was also mothers day and i got to catch up with my son, his girlfriend and her parent's last night for tea.  we went to the loving hut in mt gravatt - mummas choice and enjoyed a buffet of vegan delights.   we had a swell time and i got a card with glitter.  awesome.

 

and also today, i made scones.  how can i say no to such tasty little floury, jammy, creamy bundles of joy.  i can't. scones are the best and i have a confirmed appointment to give my son's girlfriend a lesson on my return from fiji.  i will probably also make some when i get to fiji, as i didn't spend mothers day's with my mum and i know that i, i mean she will love to eat them.

and also today, my lovely friend aileen dropped around and bought me a gift to take away. i actually went to officeworks today to find a book to take with me so i can make notes about stuff and i didn't see anything i fancied and voila - she dropped by with the perfect one.  how great is she. thoughts and ideas are coming my way.

well, next post is from fiji, and i can't wait. glad i didn't pack away my summer digs, cause i think the weather will still be totally tropical. it better be!

have a great week and get ready to go on vacay with me.  fiji here we come. it's fashion week time and there will be plenty of glamour to blog about.

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!

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.