a girl can dream: january.........

I'm definitely dreaming this month. And in my dream I'm wearing couture Giambattista Valli. The white and black peplum madness above to be specific.
Hey it's my dream, I can wear whatever I like right.
For some reason, perhaps it's because the Spring 2013 Couture shows have just finished, I've been just a little obsessed with Haute Couture recently.
The other day I watched a BBC documentary from 2007 called "The Secret World of Haute Couture". An interesting story and a good insight into the desire for couture. Not long after I read a piece online somewhere about the renewed interest in couture. Dior and Chanel are doing a roaring trade apparently, with some customers dropping by and selecting up to twenty, yes twenty, pieces of couture.
Quality seems to be the driving force, and in today's world of fast and even faster fashion I can see where they're coming from. Exclusivity must have something to do with it as well. The number of people who can afford a dress from Zara would far outweigh that which can afford to have something handmade and custom fitted. So I guess the chances of running into someone wearing the same threads as you would be considerably slimmer in the secret world of couture.
Frankly if I could live in any secret world, it would definitely be the secret world of couture.
I'm a really good secret keeper too.

xx

mi Casio, su Casio.......

I've worn the same watch everyday for the last eight years. Every day, except for the day I left it at my boxing trainers gym, apart from that, every day that silver round faced watch with the stretchy band has adorned my wrist. Sure it has enormous sentimental value, my older brother gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday, but change is as good as a holiday right.
I've been searching for something new for a little while now, not a replacement mind you, but an addition. Give the oldie a chance to have a rest, call it watch semi-retirement.
A quick search brings up stunners from Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs, diamond encrusted Cartier and Omega's, very scientific Tag Huer and the always timeless Rolex's. All lovely, all gorgeous. But honestly I just want a Casio.
I'm not even kidding. Who wouldn't want a Casio.
I'd love to own one of the original Casiotron watches, the very first Casio watch released in 1974. But the chances of that are fairly slim so instead I'm eyeing off one of these bad boys.

You can find these digital timepieces at ASOS, bargain prices too I might add. Makes it even more of a win win.

xx

green + leopard........

Green and leopard as promised.
These denim shorts used to be a very favourite pair of jeans. After many years of wearing and washing and wearing some more they were limping along towards the end of their life when in a moment of fashion madness I took to them with my dressmaking scissors.
The denim shorts that resulted were great, no doubt, but they needed something more. So I threw them in a pot of green dye and studded them up and this is the result.
Honestly they sat in my wardrobe for a little while before I pulled them out one day. The great fit I remembered was still there and from then on a little love affair began.
Paired them with some thrifting scores, a white Country Road singlet (a great basic) and this black short sleeved jacket, that is thin enough to wear alone in summer and easy enough to layer up in winter.
And of course the leopard flats, see green and leopard, it just works.

Hope you're having a great week!

xx

Shorts: JayJays + Made By Me
Top: Country Road (Thrifted)
Jacket: Thrifted
Shoes: Siren
Bag: Vintage Glomesh

green + leopard sneak peek........

A little sneak peek for you of tomorrow's outfit post. I'm a little into green and leopard. An unexpected but great combination. Maybe it's because leopards in their natural environment would be surrounded by greenery, so in their synthetic environment they sit comfortably with the colour.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, trying to decipher some reason where there isn't any. Green and leopard just work.
On a completely unrelated note, today is Handwriting Day. What a forgotten art handwriting is. We spend most of our day tweeting and emailing, instagramming and facebooking, who has time to actually pick up a pen, or pencil as the case may be.
In the spirit of Handwriting Day I considered handwriting this post and mailing it out, but the more I thought about that, the more it dawned on me what a logistical nightmare that would be. So I opted for the old fashioned blog post, oh the irony.

Happy Handwriting Day!

p.s. pop back tomorrow to see the rest of the green and leopard look.

xx

currently crushing: tropical prints..........

Spending your days lounging around on a tropical island is obviously ideal. However if this is not your life (woe be us, cause it ain't mine either), try instead the very cool tropical-esque print that has so eloquently reared it's head during the past few seasons. Stella McCartney did it way back in Summer 2011 with her Resort 2012 collection, knocking out some very grown up prints. Then Joseph Altuzarra followed that up with some bright popping prints in everything from blazers to pants, skirts and dresses mixed back with black and whites in his Spring 2012 collection. And Riccardo Tisci's Resort 2012 collection for Givenchy was also rocking some super fine prints.
Now these aren't your typical hawaiian shirt prints, you know those ones that make your eyes hurt? Nope, I'm talking seriously cool colours, and ever cooler cuts.With summer kicking up a notch in Aussie, it's the perfect time to start rocking some tropical inspired threads. And if you're lucky enough to actually be swanning about on some sandy beach, cocktail in hand, I should expect you'll be rocking some of these fine pieces.
And now for your viewing pleasure.......

Let's start with the pants, Michael Kors has smashed the tropical print. These skinnies and the long sleeved pink and black number also featured here are such brilliant interpretations of the tropical print.
ASOS has these tropical printed platforms on sale right now!
This printed tunic from Forever New has a cheeky little cut out on the back, very cool, both literally and figuratively. The corset is by Ally, and is a ridiculous bargain. The scarf is by Mango, and is a very easy and subtle way to bring the tropics to you. The dress of course is Michael Kors, the singlet is Juicy Couture and the shorts are by Forever New.

Hope you enjoyed out little trip!

xx

this just in: reva........

Experimenting and pushing myself outside my comfort zone. Two things I'm focusing on this year, life is too short to not try something new. I've started in a very small and some might say slightly superficial way. Although anyone who knows me knows shoes ain't superficial.
Reva by Wittner is not usually the sort of shoe I'd buy. A square chunky heel, a kind of flatform low heel hybrid and a thick ankle strap? And all on the one shoe?
Normally I'd skip straight past, but when I first spied the Reva online a couple of weeks ago, I was instantly smitten. She had something that Reva, something I was drawn too. Maybe it's the nineties vibe, maybe it's the studs, maybe it's just a sign that I'm finally maturing and so then is my taste in shoes.
So many maybes, when all that really matters is Reva is now chilling out at my place and we're getting along famously.

xx

Shoes: Reva by Wittner

sometimes khaki + leopard.......

Sometimes you just need to throw on the first things you reach for and hope for the best. On days like that what I generally reach for is some kind of denim, a shirt/tee of some variety and flats. A simple, easy, wear anywhere look. Fashion doesn't have to be high end couture all the time, sometimes it's about wearing what feels good, what feels right. This is what felt right today.

You may have noticed a few changes at The Kirby Bee recently, there are a couple more planned for the next few weeks, looking forward to the end result. They say change is as good as a holiday, I beg to differ, but as my holiday prospects are looking pretty grim for the next few months change it is!

xx

Shirt: Cotton On (mens)
Jeans: Jeanswest
Shoes: Siren
Bag: Tony Bianco

january streetstyle faves........

My streetstyle faves this month favour prints in a very obvious way. I have feeling 2013 (still feels weird saying that!) may just be the year of the print. And I'm all for it. The more colour the better, I'm a little over neutrals right now. Though that's more about that fact that it's summer in Australian, than any real change to my normal predisposition to wear a remarkable amount of black. In all likelihood I'll be pairing my prints with a healthy dose of black.

xx

Lee Oliveira

my friend cue.......

Finally posting some pictures of the newest addition to my wardrobe. Meet Cue! (I know you guys have briefly met before, but please consider this your official meeting). I can see my little Cue and I having a long and happy life together.

There we are wandering the streets of Melbourne sipping green tea and exploring the little laneways.

And again in New York, strolling through Central Park.

 And again hanging out in vintage stores in London.

There we are spending a weekend of fine food and fun in Auckland.

Travelling the world together, we'll be so close we can finish each others outfits, I'll know all of Cue's secrets and they'll be witness to all mine. We'll be together for all life's big moments. First purchase of ridiculously expensive shoes, first horrible dry cleaning experience, first piece of Rick Owens, like I said, all the big ones.
Sure we'll have our moments, I'll get over seeing Cue all the time, and Cue won't always want to play nice with the rest of my wardrobe. Times like that Cue will know to wedge themselves between a well worn pair of Lee jeans and a super soft tee and ride out the storm. They'll know that at some point, hours, days, even weeks later, I'll come back to them. We'll be reunited and all will be forgiven. 
We'll age together gracefully, both fraying and greying at the edges, until we have the worn in comfortable look that is so abhorred and desired at the same time.

Life doesn't give you those sorts of relationships very often, so I plan on treasuring this one. Which is code for expect repeat appearances.

xx

p.s. Please excuse my ridiculous photoshop work, it's been incredibly hot today and I'm feeling a little delirious and this is the result. I promise to post the real pictures soon.

emerald it is......

Last year it was Tangerine Tango, the year before Honeysuckle. Previous years have included such gems as Sand Dollar, Cerulean, Tigerlily and True Red, (who comes up with these crazy names??) as opposed to that unture red, you know the one. And in 2013 the Pantone official colour of the year is Emerald.
When presented with the word Emerald most folks immediately think of the stunning precious gemstone, hence the reason the colour carries an air of luxury and sophistication.
A quick wikipedia search reveals a plethora of greens hues previously unknown to me, (Hookers Green anyone?) as well as some of the following interesting facts.
Did you know Emerald is the May birthstone? Or that Seattle is often referred to as the Emerald City because high rainfalls give it some seriously good vegetation? And did you know the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz was not in fact green it was just the Emerald tinted glasses worn by the city folk that made it appear so? Those crazy city folk! Surely we're all a little smarter now after that lesson in all facts emerald.
Anyway I know what you're really hanging to see, some fine emerald fashion. And as always I'm delivering some super cool goodies for you to lust after.......

Some Kenneth Jay Lane earrings, Valentino wide leg shorts, a parrakeet necklace by Tatty Devine, Jil Sander bag, Nicholas Kirkwood heels and J Brand pants. Time to get our emerald on, luckily for lil old red headed me emerald is a great colour for my pale skin.

xx

p.s. Hope you had a wonderful NYE wherever in the world you celebrated! Here's to an amazing 2013!