Archive of ‘Fashion’ category

5 Ways to Wear A 3/4 Sleeve Miracle Dress

April 9, 2017 / Fashion / 0 comment

If you have been looking for a dress that is affordable, can be worn a few different ways and is a great base outfit for winter, the 3/4 sleeve miracle dress is that dress.

I was introduced to the short sleeved version of the miracle dress when my hairdresser was wearing one when I had my appointment a few weeks ago. I asked her where she got it from and she told me one of her clients had set up a boutique shop called Wardrobe 22 under her house in Salisbury and I should totally check her out. Her store and clothes that is. 🙂

I went straight onto Instagram and followed the page and checked out the clothes.

I love supporting new and small businesses because I am one myself. I also find these small businesses can offer a range of clothing that is different to what is in typical high street stores.

The 3/4 sleeve Miracle Dress in Khaki grabbed my attention, so I emailed Karen to see if she would be willing for me to work with her to promote the dress.

Last Thursday morning, I headed to her home with my three girls in tow and started trying on different outfits. You can see some of those pics on the Wardrobe 22 Instagram page.

I took some garments home to style at home, so look out for that post this week.

But I wanted to show you 5 ways you can wear a 3/4 sleeve miracle dress as the style can be converted into a variety of different outfits. Since writing this post, I’ve discovered a 6th way!

Having a dress that can be worn different ways makes it the perfect garment to own for travelling or if you are trying to create a capsule wardrobe.

Similar to the convertible dress from Intimo (which I recently received after having an Intimo party), the miracle dress is a budget friendly version and comes in brown, khaki, black, grey and an orange paisley pattern. However I think the Intimo style can be converted more ways – for example, I can’t do off the shoulder in the miracle dress. But if you love the Intimo one, but can’t afford it, the miracle dress is a budget-friendly, close second option to consider. Plus it comes in more colours.

5 Ways to Wear a 3/4 Sleeve Miracle Dress

The dress is a one size fits all style that will fit an 8 to 22. Worn as is, it has a V-neck and gorgeous drape over the hips which can hide a tummy and flatter your shape. Here I’m wearing the khaki style as is with some simple heels so you can see the shape of the dress.

1. Wear as is with V-neck style

2. Wear Back-to-Front, round neck style

Turn the dress around and wear it back-to-front for a round neck option.

3. Wear as One Shoulder

If you have an event to go to, pull one of the sleeves inwards and tuck it so the drape hangs beautifully, pull the dress down underneath your arm to create a one-shoulder style. Add a necklace and heels.

4. Wear as Strapless

I experimented with a grey version which is available in store, but not online yet. Bring both of the sleeves inside the dress and adjust the drape around the hips. Add a necklace and you have a gorgeous sweetheart neckline strapless dress.

5. Wear as a Top

Bring the hem of the dress up and you can wear the dress as a top. Add a scarf and you’re good to go.

If you’re wondering what the sixth way is? Wear the dress back-to-front, raise the hem so you can have a round neck top version.

I know I’m going to get ALOT of wear out of this dress for Autumn Winter 2017.

The dress is available at Wardrobe 22 in khaki and chocolate. In store there are other colours including grey, paisley orange and black.

For $65, you will get a lot of cost per wear from this miracle dress.

So tell me, if you owned a miracle dress, which way would you wear it?

Disclosure: I was gifted one khaki miracle dress for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own. You can read my disclosure policy here.

Fashion Trend Alert: Wine, The 2017 Trendy Shade of Red

April 7, 2017 / Fashion / 0 comment

My favourite colour is red. Always has been and always will be. My favourite shade of red is not fire engine red, but a deeper darker shade. It has a bit of pink in it, but not too much blue. At the moment, I’m seeing all shades of red in stores, but more particular wine red, which is deep, dark shade of red that shouldn’t be mistaken for burgundy. Burgandy has more brown in it.

I’m loving some of the winter fashion pieces for this season being featured in deep dark shades of wine, garnet, plum and ruby. It’s a royal shade of red and I’m keen to add this shade to my wardrobe because I find it quite flattering for my skin tone.

Wine red looks great with black, camel, navy, denim and khaki.

I’ve found some gorgeous fashion pieces that are the perfect shade of wine red to suit all budgets.

Wine, The 2017 Trendy Shade of Red

1. ASOS Pieces Ibbi Peplum Blouse $36.00

2. Katies Red Textured Scarf $24.95

3. Katies Garnet Bell Sleeve Knit $34.97

4. Bohemian Traders Wine Winter Dreamer Dress $159.00

5. Kaja Clothing Hanna Top $99.00

6. Bird Keepers by Design Petal Fold Jacket $99.95

Will I see you wearing wine red this season? Or do you prefer to drink it instead?

Disclosure: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What to Pack for a Two Week USA Trip

March 30, 2017 / Fashion / 1 Comment

Packing for an overseas trip can be a challenge. You have to think about the weather for where you’re going, the amount of outfits needed for your trip, the size of your suitcase (and weight restrictions by the airline) and what shoes and accessories you’re going to need. When I went to Colour a week or so ago, I caught up with Andrea who is going away for a two week USA trip with her husband and she asked me to do a post on what she should pack. So here it is.

What to pack for a Two Week USA Trip

Andrea is heading to Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, Cincinnati and Washington DC – all in a space of 2 weeks.

After looking at the weather, there will be a range of temperatures from warm weather in LA to rain and cooler temperatures in Washington. Andrea will need to pack for all seasons. And this can be a daunting task, but not so if you learn the art of packing and layering.

Nikki from Styling You created and AMAZING ebook on how to pack for travel. She includes the short weekend aways to a beach location to the overseas trips. For $12.99, this book is truly a wonderful manual to have if you find yourself completely overwhelmed when packing to go away.

My key tips before I show you the items I recommend packing are:

1. Check the weather for where you are headed. Look at the 14 day weather forecasts so you can pack accordingly.
2. Pack clothes that can be layered.
3. Choose a colour base. I’ve chosen black and white for Andrea. Accessories can be used to add colour.
4. Consider good walking shoes. Two to three pairs of shoes are maximum to fit into your luggage.
5. If you plan to go somewhere fancy at night, consider dressing up a plain dress with a scarf.
6. Leave some space in the luggage for shopping.
7. There may no washing facilities available or too little time to wait for hotel dry cleaning, so pack in a way for items to be worn twice.
8. Make sure your outerwear is waterproof for wet weather. Same goes for shoes.

Clothing Suggestions for Two Week USA Trip

Outerwear

Accessories

Sussan Spot Splice Scarf $39.95
Metalicus Scarf Aragon Scarf $59.95
Ruby Olive Mod Squad Big Bang Necklace (reversible) $59.00

Shoes

Django and Juliette Fali Black Leather Embossed Boots $179.95
Django and Juliette Pandy Tan Sandals $169.95
Portmans Lace Up Sneaker $69.95

Outfit Ideas

This capsule wardrobe is designed to be mixed, matched and layered. These are just some of the possible outfit compilations to suit all seasons of the trip.

On the Plane

You will need two plane outfits – one for the trip over and another for the trip back. You could just wear the same outfit twice. But I like to change it up a little. If you are prone to spilling food on yourself on the plane, wear darker colours and consider a scarf to cover over any stains.

Warm Weather Outfits

Packing neutral basics like tees and pants mean you can mix and match to create a variety of outfits. I’ve added some sandals in case the weather turns really hot. If sandals are not your thing, a closed in sneaker will work if you’re planning to do a lot of walking.

Cool Weather Outfit Options

As explained above, these pieces can be layered to create a number of warm outfits. Layer t-shirts over long sleeve tees, cardigans over long sleeved tops and a coat over all if the weather turns quite cool. A scarf or necklace can add interest or tie the whole outfit together.

The items in this capsule wardrobe are designed to give you ideas of what you can pack and how you can create outfits accordingly. Only buy clothes you need to fill in the gaps. Don’t go and buy a whole new travel wardrobe. You need to keep some spending money for the trip!

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Autumn Wish List and Purchases

March 25, 2017 / Fashion / 1 Comment

It’s been too long between posts here, but life has been a little busy of late and I lost my fashion mojo for a bit because I’ve been avoiding the shops for new clothes because

1. I have a lot of clothes already.

2. I’ve been slowly losing weight and I don’t want to add clothes that no longer fit.

3. Our budget has been tight as a fish’s butt hole – so no money for spending on clothes.

Last weekend, mum and I headed to Sydney for Colour Women’s conference. I was super proud for not overpacking and fitting all I needed in a carry on case. My mum asked me if I had packed enough. I had packed enough JUST.

The weather was quite dreary in Sydney and the humidity was AWFUL. My freshly styled hair curled as soon as we landed in Sydney. So much for making a grand appearance to Colour. I was a bit of a wavy, hot mess when I arrived to the first session.

Before mum and I got on the plane, we did a bit of shopping at the airport. Mum bought me these gorgeous rose gold sneakers from Witchery.

New shoes. At the airport. Waiting for our flight to Sydney. @witcheryfashion #colour2017 #theseshoesweremadeforwalking #onsale #hadtohave by @theplumbette

Of course she had to have the same ones so we twinned a lot at conference. I was glad to have them because my other footwear attire weren’t completely rain proof.

Witchery Leah Rose Gold Sneakers $139.95

All good trips away involve a bit of shopping. It was my mum’s idea to head to the Birkenhead Point Factory Outlets which were just a short taxi drive from where we were staying at Darling Harbour.

Oroton caught our eye and we walked away with two handbags and two purses for the cost of one handbag.

I’ve been needing a new purse because my current black one is daggy. It’s also stretched from all my loyalty cards, which I no longer carry on me because most times, the checkout can look me up on their computer. Except Sussan. For some reason Sussan can only get your details from the store you signed up at. Anyway, mum and I both got the same Oroton purse in gold. (You can purchase the same here in silver)

I had been meaning to get another handbag – a smaller satchel for when I no longer need to cart baby changing stuff. I saw this orange satchel and loved it. (You can bay the same satchel in red, here) It was the second last one in the store.

When mum and I stopped for some lunch, a lady asked me where I got my current orange bag from. I told her they were no longer in business, but showed her my new Oroton purchase and I may have encouraged her to get it because orange is not a popular colour for handbags and when you see one, you need to get it if it’s what you’re after. I knew there was only one left, so I think she may have gone back to get it. (You’re welcome Oroton)

The last purchase made was this scarf. I tend to buy scarves when I’m drawn to a particular pattern. I was drawn to this one and only paid $25 for it.

Since scarves have become a must have accessory, I’ve noticed some stores have jacked up their scarf prices. I’m happy to pay up to $30 for a scarf, but any more, I tend to wait for it to go on sale or let it go.

So those were my 4 purchases from my trip away.

A lot of stores are bringing out their Autumn Winter ranges. Here are some styles that are on my wishlist.

Sussan Tiered Sleeve Pullover $99.95

Bohemian Traders Winter Dreamer Dress in Wine $159.95

Bohemian Traders Black Shirt Dress with Ruffles $159

Have you bought anything lately? What’s the maximum you’ll pay for a scarf? What’s on your Autumn Wish List?

Disclosure: All items (except the scarf) were bought for me from my mum. They are early Birthday presents. 😉 There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Taupe Ankle Boots AW17

March 8, 2017 / Fashion / 0 comment

Last winter I had quite a few enquiries about where I got my taupe ankle boots from.

I wrote about how I got them at the Joanne Mercer Factory Outlet Shop down at Harbour Town.

These boots have seen me through a few winters and they are still going strong.

They are my favourite boots to wear because they have are comfortable, have a block heel, are leather, and look good with pretty much everything in my wardrobe. No wonder I had enquiries about them.

Taupe Ankle Boots

Unfortunately, the taupe colour isn’t as popular as black and tan when it comes to ankle boots. Even when I researched for this post, there wasn’t a lot of choice.

But find some I did, and if I were to replace my current boots, these are what I would consider.

Django & Juliette Rapt Beige Leather Ankle Boots $139.97 (on sale)
Django & Juliette Remote Taupe Pin Punch Ankle Boots $219.95
Jo Mercer Raider High Ankle Boots $149.95 (on sale)
Tony Bianco Nichols Ankle Boot $219.95

Nikki from Styling You is the brand ambassador for Frankie4. She wrote a great post on how to wear ankle boots this season.

My tips are to buy what you can afford, don’t buy too high a heel if you’re planning to wear them everyday and have one neutral and one black so you have options for when the outfit calls.

Tan Ankle Boots

Taupe ankle boots are definitely my favourite colour in ankle boots, but if I couldn’t get what I was after, I would also choose a tan pair.

Jo Mercer Pablo Heeled Ankle Boots $99.95 (on sale)
Frankie4 SALLi Tan Ankle Boot $289.95
Django & Juliette Sarab Tan Ankle Boot $229.95

Are you looking forward to dressing for the cooler weather? Got your foot wear sorted for the new season?

Disclosure: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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