hanging by a chain.......

 Shirt: Vintage Wrangler / Jeans: Dotti / Sunglasses and Chains: ASOS

Accessories have, for me, always been ornamental. Extras, toppings, things that don't offer much more then something sparkly or shiny or nice to look at. And most days I struggle to do much more then wear a watch and the earrings that are seemingly melded to my ears. And even then, once I start tapping away at this keyboard I'm at right now, the watch gets booted and I'm down to the earrings.

I know Coco said we should always take one thing off before leaving the house, she was clearly opposed to the over accessorising movement, (I'm looking at you arm party), but surely my non ornamental look is taking it a bit too far. If I have to take one thing off, I'd be likely heading out sans pants.   

But I think I've finally found an accessory that meets both the aforementioned criteria, shiny and nice to look at, and somehow gets around my apparent aversion.

Sunglasses chains. Or as I like to call them, Nana chains. Cause, you know, my Nan wears them. I'm hooked, another pair are on their way to me now. And I'm scoping out optometrists to score a clear plastic pair. Which reads so much weirder then it sounds in my head.

At first I tried to pass off my chains as a kind of retro throwback, but then it dawned on me why I've been able to jump that hurdle of aversion and embrace the chains. They're useful. Yes, they serve a purpose. More then any arm party or knuckle ring ever could.

Accessories with purpose, that is my kind of fashion.

xx

higher and higher baby.......

Shirt: Cotton On (Mens) / Jeans: Vintage Lee / Shoes: Wittner / Sunglasses: ASOS

I've never been a huge fan of high waisted anything. Putting emphasis on my ass and the lower half of my abdomen (which rises and falls throughout the course of the day in opposition to the sun, am I right ladies?) just never melded with my preconceived ideas of radness.

But like all great and wonderful things, it only takes one.

While on a thrifting adventure in search of old school mens denim to customise the hell out of I happened to stumble upon these high waisted Lee jeans, circa no idea, and now I'm hooked.

If I told you that I'd been wearing them basically every day for the past week, would you believe me? Surely those crease marks can attest to my infatuation? Thank god the internet is not equipped with a sense of smell just yet.

Coincidentally the two other pairs of denim I scored that fateful day are also high waisted.

So now the questions is, does this mark the end of my slung at the hip denim phase? Am I all about the Mum jeans, ass emphasis and FUPA?

Perhaps all that Man Repeller reading has finally sunk in.

Hell if I know. But if you find any vintage high waisted Lee denim, preferably from man land, can you please let me know. Seriously. Not kidding.

xx

going hawaiian.......

Ok, real talk. I'm having a moment with hawaiian shirts right now. In my mind, every single look I conjure could be made infinitely better with the inclusion of a brightly coloured shirt. A shirt featuring, among other things, palm trees and blue skies and flowers; lots and lots of flowers.

This streetstyle shot of Yasmin Sewell, while fabulous, only serves to legitmise my current infatuation. Though in the interests of complete transparency, I must admit this shot is from a few seasons ago. Using fashion insiders to prop up our seemingly nonsensical sartorial desires is nothing new. But trawling through the archives to find some hawaiian evidence to solidify my argument borders on ridiculous surely?

Because here's the thing, my growing love of the flamboyant shirts came before the inspirational streetstyle shot. This one brewed in my grey matter and filtered from the top down, until I found myself searching for 'hawaiian shirt' in eBay, ASOS, Topshop, Google and every other search engine I could find.

Which got me wondering. With our sartorial choices seemingly so influenced by the magazines we read, the blogs we follow and the racks of garments in those fast fashion stores we all frequent, is there any room left in our overflowing minds to dream up something different? 

And when you do actually get that dream happening, how do you translate that to a look, especially when your dream just ain't on trend?

I, of course, resorted to the fertile grounds of both eBay and op shops to create this mix of print and denim. Sometimes you just can't leave your fate to the fashion gods of New York, London, Paris and Milan. Sometimes you have to take control of that shit yourself. 

Because fash-un isn't found only inside the minimalist glass doors of Zara or the online powerhouses of Net-A-Porter. It's found in my vintage hawaiian shirt (score) and my vintage customised Levi's (double score) and, you know, it's found in the sky and stuff like Coco said.

xx

converse and my maturing mind........

Converse again? Really?

Yes, really.

Torn up jeans again? Really?

Yes, really.

Since finally investing in some sweet white Converse a few weeks ago, I have to say they’ve taken centre stage round here. I’m finding myself reaching for them again and again, they’re simple, they go with everything and they’re comfortable.

Last week one of my new favourite bloggers, Gab from Look Sharp, Sconnie, (seriously if you haven’t already, check her out, girl can write!) posted about the possibility of our sartorial choices becoming more simplified as we get older. Hitting the, (mental), speed bump that was my twenty seventh birthday last month it struck me while reading Gab’s post that I was in fact closer to the end of the supposed experimental twenties than I was to the beginning.

I wondered as I approach that seemingly terrifying milestone, thirty(!!), would my supposed young and carefree nature melt away and be replaced with a mature mind that bought basics like candy and skimmed right over the torn up denim and mens tees that seem so prevalent in my life now. See above.

Or does the fact that I've finally purchased these go with everything Converse mean that this slow metamorphosis is already taking place? Next to go the torn up denim?

I’ve always though of myself as a little experimental. Perhaps not in the way of the inimitable ADR or Susie Bubble, but in my own way, tucked away in my own corner of the world. And I have a wardrobe full of ‘statement’ pieces that can attest to that. Sequined blazers, lace shorts, gold high waisted skirts, yes, tick and check. And while these little style experiments may not have always worked they have helped to hone what I guess is a sense of style that is all mine. 

But, outside the crazy twenties, would I actually get fed up with the world that I spend so much time engrossed in?

Would I really do away with those neon pink peep toes booties?

Would my beloved and decadent family jewels suddenly be irrelevant amongst a wardrobe full of black and white?

For me style is an evolutionary concept, not a static one. So the chances of me hitting thirty and locking in a set of sartorial preferences and holding solid from that point on are probably comparable to the chances of me going to space. That would be slim to none. Which means the answers to all my own rhetorical questions are no, maybe when I'm ninety five and never.

That said I’m certainly not about to try and predict the future, I’m short a crystal ball for one thing. And there is always the possibility that I'll decide to become an avant garde hippy and wear Comme des Garcons and Isabel Marant exclusively. Either way, I do hope that mens threads and torn up denim never stop being a part of my life regardless of which side of thirty, or forty, or fifty I fall.

Thoughts??

xx

crop it like it's not.......

In the words of the the one and only Snoop Dogg, ok I may have fiddled with his original words, but regardless it’s time to crop it like it’s not! Yes, the crop top has cropped up again. While some might say it should have stayed buried in the nineties, the current grunge revival means that it's back baby.

Eeek! Yes I know, the thought of baring my own white and not exactly toned tummy is just slightly scary to say the least. To say the most would be terrifying and absolutely not happening. Sure I may be a strong woman who knows my own mind but that doesn’t mean I’m in love with everything I got going on here folks.

Plus there’s that living in the southern hemisphere thing I have going on too. Which means I’m just kicking off what should be a nice and chilly winter. Not exactly prime stomach baring time, if there ever is such a time.

But don’t let the whiteness of my belly and the impending cold pressure systems discourage you from wading into the murky waters of the crop top phenomena. And murky they are, don’t let those non smiling models fool you.

Murky because there are so many fine lines in the world of crop tops. Veer too far one way and you’ll look like you’ve just left the gym and forgot to, you know, put on a top. Too far the other and you might resemble a pre-teen testing out her first non-underwire bra. Fine if you are a pre teen, not so if your teen days are nearly a decade behind you.

So what’s my magical link, the most important element, the key!

It’s to layer, yes layer. Like onions yeah, layers. That’s take your crop top and throw it on over something else, any variation of a tee is perfect. Now you’re on trend, warm, and not scaring folks young and old with the almost translucent skin stretching across your abdomen. That last one might just be me.

Everyones a winner!

If, like me, you're just too excited to get this happening to wait to and do something sensible like buy a crop top, just take to any old singlet you have lying around with a pair of scissors! Snip, snip, done and wear. DIY at it's finest.

Thoughts??

xx

style me sportsgirl.......

The first thing I notice when I walk into the Sportsgirl Style Me Studio at the Bourke St Mall store is the brilliant turquoise walls. Ok that was the second thing, the first was the rack of delicious treats lined up for me by my personal stylist for the morning, Jordana. After I dragged my eyes off the threads I did notice the turquoise though, along with the big comfy looking couch/day bed, the jewel encrusted skull hanging over the fireplace and the extra big changing room.

I haven’t had anyone pick out my clothes for me for nearly twenty years. Over the formative years of my teenage life, my fashion identity revealed itself to be slightly bi-polar, I think it still is a little. Call it trial and error, call it experimentation, either way what I like and what I wear is a mash up of a whole bunch of experiences and influences and inspirations, all of which was, and still is, impacted by my geographic location and bank balance.

My organic approach to style means that I’d never considered roping in a personal stylist. Despite my proclivity to chop and change I figured I had a pretty good handle on me and what works on me. But when I happened across the Sportsgirl Style Me Studio sessions a few weeks ago I figured why the hell not. It’s always good to get a second opinion right??

So back to the rack of delicious threads. After filling out a quick email questionnaire a few days before my appointment, Jordana has compiled a great mix of pieces, most of which would slot right into my wardrobe a little too easily. She must by psychic.

We start with a quick run through of the looks Jordana has pulled together and then it’s straight into that glorious changing room and off with my kit! And back on with some killer gear of course.

Gear like that AH-Mazing beaded Balmain-esque jacket, what a stunner. It may or may not be making it's way to my wardrobe. Who am I kidding, it definitely is.

There's no pushy sales tactics, no pressure to buy buy buy. I feel like I'm hanging out with a mate trying on clothes and chatting away. Of course my 'mate' just happens to be a stylist.

A stylist who is as open to suggestions as she is full of great ideas. When I don't feel something is working for me, Jordana is quick to swap it out for something else and darts out into the store a couple of times to grab the pieces we both decide are missing.

The beauty of these sessions is that your stylist doesn't know you so their choices are free of any historic influence. Plus the privacy means you can be comfortable trying things on that you would normally saunter right on by, hello leggings!, having already deemed them outside your style or look. 

I came away from the session with some great threads, naturally, but also with some new thoughts on my own style and some new ideas that I can totally rock. Thanks to my amazing stylist Jordana of course!

xx

Sportsgirl runs Style Me Studio's at the following stores:

Bourke St, Melbourne City

stylemebourkest@sportsgirl.com.au

Chadstone, Melbourne

stylemechadstone@sportsgirl.com.au

Pitt St, Sydney

stylemepittst@sportsgirl.com.au