Thursday, September 26, 2013

Pastel Punk

I had been on the hunt for a vintage denim dress for ages when I stumbled across the perfect one at Melbourne plus size vintage store Hey Fatty who had market stall a few weeks back. Since then I've practically been living in this acid wash a-line midi length dress. I've styled it so many different ways so far but this look is one of my favourites with it's pastel punky 80s vibes. Generally the only outfits that end up getting shot are what I wear on the weekends as otherwise there's no one around to take photos of me, so it makes it hard to share all my outfits because by the time the weekend rolls around I may be bored of something and more often than not the weather is terrible. But not this past weekend, the weather was great on both days so we were able to shoot two looks in the one weekend - totally unheard of! I wore this out to brunch and a spot of bicycle shopping (guess what colour bike I got?). We snapped the photos at this great new wall of graffiti by Lucas Grogan that popped up in our street recently, watching the piece develop was amazing to witness over the couple of days it took to complete. 

Outfit details
Denim dress Vintage from Hey Fatty's market stall for $45
Sunlgasses Karen Walker Orbit's in crystal pink from Eyegoodies
Necklace Op shop in Adelaide for $2
Badges two are from Fashiondacci and one is an old one from Chinatown when I was a teenager
Pineapple sequin clutch House of Cards from Lady Petrova
Purple chain bracelet House of Baulch
Pastel peach lace frill socks Fashondacci
Holographic see through brogues Fashiondacci

I was sent an array of amazing Lime Crime cosmetics to review from Makeupnet who are the distributors of Lime Crime in Australia & NZ. Above I'm wearing Lime Crime's 'Great Pink Planet' lipstick which is a pastel pink shade with a hint of fluoro. As a big fan of Lime Crime lipsticks I am so happy to have this one in my collection after lusting after it for a long time. The colour is perfect with my skin tone and I do love all things pastel. I'm not a beauty blogger but I'm thinking of doing a post of swatches from my Lime Crime collection and better detail photos of the product on, would that be something you want to see? Let me know in the comments below.

Lipstick Lime Crime 'Great Pink Planet' lipstick from Makeupnet
Sunlgasses Karen Walker Orbit's in crystal pink from Eyegoodies

 Op-shopping in Adelaide RULES. Can't wait to share with you more from that trip soon.

Necklace Op shop in Adelaide for $2

I go through badge wearing stages and have a pretty big collection ranging back from my teen years. Above the Sarcasm and Lame badges are from Fashondacci and the usagi bunny badge is from Chinatown when I was around 15. Will I ever grow up and stop liking the same things I did when I was younger? I sure hope not!

Badges two are from Fashiondacci

 This pineapple clutch is like the best thing to happen to bags since sequins were invented. I love it so much, I have it on display in my room just so I can look at it at all times - that's how much I love it.

Pineapple sequin clutch House of Cards from Lady Petrova
Purple chain bracelet House of Baulch

Say hello to the BEST SHOES to ever exist in the history of shoes. Holographic clear brogues from Fashondacci So much L.O.V.E. for these babies, can't wait to pair them with patterned socks and wear them in Tokyo next month. 

Pastel peach lace frill socks Fashondacci
Holographic see through brogues Fashiondacci


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Monday, September 23, 2013

Pink Picnic

Spring is finally here in Melbourne and Henry and I have been soaking up every single bit of sunshine that we can. After three years in always sunny Sydney this past winter in Melbourne has been a bit of a shock to our systems with the bone chilling cold arctic winds which are mostly unheard of in Syders. Taking Hachiko to our local park for a picnic is one of our favourite Sunday rituals that mostly stopped over winter mostly due to Hachi's fear of getting his feet wet (yes our dog is a bit of a princess and refuses to walk if the ground is wet). So this past Sunday when we saw how sunny it was we headed down to the beautiful Carlton Gardens for a cute little picnic. I love visiting Carlton Gardens so much as not only is it beautiful but it's also full of memories as I spent a lot of time in them growing up as I actually went to Carlton Gardens Primary School (well back then it had the less fancy name of Carlton Primary Rathdowne Street). I broke my arm riding my bike just behind where this photo was taken doing bike education with my class and my primary school would go on 'excursions' fishing for yabbies in the pond behind me (which seems really weird and crazy in hindsight - yabbies in a man made pond in a park in the city? I don't remember if we caught any to be honest). Feeding the possums at night and seeing drunk couples skinny dip in the fountain. So many fond memories in this place but what is really nice is making new ones with Henry and Hachiko.

My picnicking essentials. I've had this strawberry picnic mat from Japan for years, I actually bought it for my wedding. My pretty pink parasol is so old I have no idea where I got it but I'm guessing Ishka maybe? Or a $2 shop knowing me.

Pink Flower Headband Lady Petrova | Miu Miu Noir Sunglasses Vision DirectCarousel Lip Gloss in Candy Apple Glitter by Lime Crime Makeupnet

I am in LOVE with this ASOS Curve dress. It was sitting in my saved basket for ages as I was trying to work out if I should get the ASOS Mainline version or the Curve. I am glad I chose the Curve as even though it's a little big around the bust I prefer the smaller keyhole front as it means I can wear a bra without it possibly being on show and smaller cut out back as I get sunburnt so easily I try to minimise exposed areas - especially hard to reach areas for sunscreen. I mean I picnic with a parasol!

Outfit details
Floral Maxi Dress ASOS Curve also available in ASOS Mainline or ASOS Maternity 
Pink Flower Headband Lady Petrova
Pink Jelly Sandals Rubi Shoes $14.95
Miu Miu Noir Sunglasses Vision Direct
Carousel Lip Gloss in Candy Apple Glitter by Lime Crime Makeupnet
Straw Basket Bag My favourite Footscray $2 Shop aka the 'worlds messiest shop'
Pink Chain Bracelet House of Baulch


I love love love this new Carousel Lip Gloss in Candy Apple Glitter by Lime Crime that Makeupnet sent me. It's one of those rare products that looks exactly like the product image - shiny glittery apple red goodness - like you can actually see the glitter which surprised me, although I must say it can get a little messy when applying as it's rather gloopy but with some practice it looks amazing. Makeupnet are the distributors of Lime Crime cosmetics in Australia ans New Zealand and their webshop has all your Lime Crime favourites and latest releases with great shipping rates in Aus/NZ! They sent me lots of Lime Crime goodies, can't wait to share them all with you.

Pink Flower Headband Lady Petrova
Miu Miu Noir Sunglasses Vision Direct
Carousel Lip Gloss in Candy Apple Glitter by Lime Crime Makeupnet
Pink Chain Bracelet House of Baulch

Rubi Shoes are really terrible quality, you'd think I would've learnt by now as nearly every pair I've ever bought I've had to return or exchange as they've broke. Well I wore these jelly sandals out for the first time and what a surprise they broke, luckily they did so outside the Rubi Shoes store so I could easily exchange them (sans receipt) but I don't hold much hope for these lasting much longer either. I should've got a pair of Juju or Jelly Beans instead for a little bit more. Oh well what do you expect for $14.95?

Pink Jelly Sandals Rubi Shoes $14.95

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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Midnight Snack Committee Prom

If you follow me on instagram then you would've seen that I went to (R)Adelaide last week and boy did I have a wicked time. I went to hang out with fellow fat fashion babe Phebe Rendulic of Lightning Heart blog fame (Phebe we all miss your blog, please start blogging again asap!) and to attend her art collective's exhibition prom themed closing party. Midnight Snack Committee is an all-girl art collective based in the city of churches and Teen Dreemz was their very first exhibition. The members are: Andre Ann BautistaJessie BrakenridgeEmma Sara DarbyshireChloe McGregor and Phebe Rendulic. Before prom night I got to have a look around at the exhibition and snap some photos to share with you while everyone set up for the party - which included blowing up 300 balloons with helium which looked freaking amazing!













 Before long it was prom time, and what's a good prom without prom portraits?

 I wore my ASOS x Molly Goddard dress, Bespecd Minsk glasses in LilacSonsee opaque tights in lipstick, Juju babe pastel pink jelly heels, DIY flower crown, House of Baulch pink chain necklace and bracelet and my H&M x Maison Martin Margiela candy clutch (currently available at Eat Me Do).

 Phebe wore a vintage green dress, glitter heels, a pink corsage and a cute heart shaped badge by local Adelaide label Not Lost Boutique.

I had such a fun time in Radelaide with Phebe, really hoping she comes down to Melbourne soon so we can do it all over again.

 Team Midnight Snack Committee. From left to right - Chloe, Jessie, Ann, Emma and Phebe!













 All four prom kings and queens. I had the honour of choosing one!








This is me at the end of the super fun night, ready to take a handful of balloons home for a shoot (well that didn't go to plan as they all deflated by morning). Thank you Phebe for inviting me, hosting me and showing me the best time and a big thank you to Radelaide and its people for showing me how much fun your great city is and just how sweet everyone is.

Prom photos by Phebe Rendulic

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Super Size Me

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Last night as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week I spoke on the Super Size Me forum on size and consumer demand. On the panel with me was Craig Halfpenny - National Retail Operations Manager at My Size, Mel Campbell - author of Out of Shape (which I recommend you buy if you have any interest in this topic - it's a great read!), Dr. Sue Thomas - Leader Bachelor of Fashion Apparel Engineering and Design at Holmesglen (a new course in Melbourne specialising in garment construction and pattern making), Judy Green - consumer, tv model, and adventurer, Maria Hatzis - Retail Manager at Nicola Waite GPO. It was a  lively and often passionate discussion with members of the audience joining in.

Some key points from the discussion
  • Size can be an emotional topic for women but not so much for men (although this is debatable).
  • Why can men shop by their actual measurements - a 32 inch waist for example, while women shop with arbitrary sizes with no relation to measurements which differ store to store.
  • The retail experience in itself is important in order for you to find the right fit. The staff should know their products and be able to direct the customer to the right size or styles in the store that will suit them and their body shapes.
  • The reason this is important is sizes vary so much between stores. Stores actually target their sizes to their customers, so for example the sizes at My Size run a little bigger than the national average as that is who their customer is - which raised points about vanity sizing. 
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I spoke about how the internet has opened up the way I shop - for the better. With access to so many brands and labels from around the world I have so many more options than when I was a teenager and My Size was the only plus size store I knew about (City Chic wasn't around till I was in my mid twenties). This led on to a discussion about plus size options often being matronly and made for the mature woman in mind. As a teenager this frustrated me to no end as I just couldn't find fashionable youth driven clothes made to fit me. We also discussed fit and how it differs to size - I spoke about how as a plus size woman if a piece of clothing I like gets on my body I buy it regardless of it's size because I know I can make it work. Fit has a different meaning to me than my straight sized friends who have so many more options when it comes to clothes.
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Outfit time. In the spirit of the discussion I decided to wear a dress I had a little trouble with in terms of size. I originally bought the size 18 in this dress from the ASOS Curve line as I am normally an 18 in ASOS's main line. Well, the 18 was way too small when it arrived so I returned it and went up two sizes to a size 22 as the 18 was so small I didn't think the size 20 would work either. Well the size 22 is a little too big, but not in a noticeable way and I actually like the smock like style on me so I'm happy with my choice, but if you're after a more fitted style then I would recommend just going up the one size in this particular piece. This is why a good returns policy is essential if you want my online shopping dollars, I love how easy ASOS's is now - especially with the same day courier pick up service (which I used this time).

Outfit details
Dress ASOS
Flower crown Lady Petrova
Tights Sonsee
Glasses Bespecd Minsk frames in Lilac
Pastel pink jelly heels Juju Babes
Holographic heart glasses chain Not Lost Boutique
Pastel purple chain bracelet House of Baulch

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Lady Petrova has some beautiful flower crowns in at the moment. I couldn't resist this hot pink number.

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I got the handmade Holographic heart glasses chain from Not Lost Boutique during my recent trip to Adelaide. I can't wait to share more about that trip with you once fashion week is over as I had so much fun.

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I picked up that new red ring whilst in Adelaide too, not sure of the designer but I bought it from a cute boutique on trendy Queen Street for only $20.

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I still can't get enough of my jelly heels.

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