The Red Owl

I followed up Christmas Day and Boxing Day with two days of “shopping”, all in the vain hope of finding something to wear on NYE. I use the term “shopping” very loosely because both days were very lazy days and involved a lot of pitstops on pretty park benches, cafes, and a lot of wandering around aimlessly and whimsically with my lovely friend Holley. As my luck tends to grace me somewhat inconsistently, on Saturday this is what took place:

• Me and Holley discovered how delicious chocolate and ricotta pastizzi are from the pastizzi place on King St in Newtown.
• Holley managed to bag two dresses - one only costing $10 from the markets near the Town Centre, while I looked on jealously.
• I discovered my love for the shop “Cream on King” (which was followed up the next day by a perusal through “Cream on Crown”), which lead me to the purchase of these wonderful pair of shoes. Holley also bought a great pair from there but I don’t have photos of them to show you.

Although we are well into summer I couldn’t walk away without buying these shoes. I bargained with myself that I now at least have another pair to take with me when I hit the streets of Japan in a couple of weeks. Just quietly, I am certain I would have bought them without the imminent threat of a winter holiday. 

On Sunday we joined forces again and walked from one end of the City to the other. I had a look at the Wheels & Doll Baby store on Crown Street for the dress I had found on their website. Unfortunately, they didn’t have it. So I had to scrap that idea. 

Luckily, I left the American Apparel store on Oxford Street with some dollars poorer, but one dress richer. I was worried I would have buyer’s remorse, considering the dress did not really satsify all the bullet points of my last post. But now I am glad I did buy it even if I decide to not wear it on NYE (last minute freak out’s are my speciality!). So this is the dress:

I am able to team the dress with a white bag and white shoes but I am still unsure how to make the outfit more “me” and less “American Apparel”. I bought some beautiful lace socks with bow detail on the side but they don’t go with the dress. Which is a shame because then I would have completed the look I had imagined and tried to show you using Polyvore. 

I think I underestimated how hard it can be to find the “perfect outfit” - although as a girl, I really should know better. And I still don’t know whether to tick of my mission as a success or a failure… Haha. What are your thoughts?

I’m skipping Christmas this year and going straight to New Years Eve. Although I find the latter to often be an overrated event (is it really that different to any other weekend – besides all the fireworks?), there is no better excuse or reason to get dressed up and have an awful/amazing time in style.

While I finally figured out what I am doing on the actual night – a headache in itself; I am struggling to decide on what to wear. My mind has reached a unanimous decision that I will not be wearing anything I already own (accessories are excluded from this stringent plan), meaning that I have five days in the post-Christmas sales to pick up an outfit that is:

1. Not too expensive since I am going back to Japan in 2 weeks and also have to worry about spending money on the actual night;
2. Quirky, fun and flattering;
3. Different - not so much that it completely stands out, but just something that I don’t wear everyday;
4. Me - I don’t want to sacrifice my individual style for any reason!

I’ve been searching through the internet, looking at different labels and blogs to get an idea of what I want to wear. I am open to deviate from my original plan if I see something that I completely fall in *love* with, but at least if I know what I am looking for, I know where to go!

So, now that I’ve explained my (not-so-logical) reasoning to you, I want you to help me decide which of the outfits below I should aim for. If it helps - the place I am going to is on Sydney Harbour, some kind of bar with I imagine a lot of swanky looking men and slinky-dressed women. I am, of course, exaggerating, but at the same time I care not for fitting in so radical suggestions are also welcome!

I found this dress on the Wheels & Doll Baby website. I think it’s really cute, especially if black accessories (like the model’s hairpiece) are added to it.

This dress is from TopShop.com. I really like the style but I’m a bit sceptical about strapless things because sometimes it is necessary to have a large bust (which I don’t have). I think it could go really well with some simple white/cream accessories.

I also attempted to create an outfit on Polyvore.com which I had masterminded in my head. Unfortunately, I don’t think it turned out the way I wanted it to. I was trying for the whole “simple, black lace dress with-or-without a high neck, coupled with some cute red/yellow/purple ankle socks, a small white clutch/bag and some white pumps”.

Clearly, it translated well didn’t it? Haha.

It’s okay. If all fails, I’ll just wear something like this… 

Oh Japanese Fashion, how I love thee!!

I promise to keep you updated on my NYE outfit successes and failures. (There are bound to be many!) 

As I was hopping on the train this afternoon, I was greeted by the incessant chattering of teenagers. I wasn’t too fazed by this as it’s school holidays, so I expect them to start appearing in my normally high-school free life. What I did have trouble understanding was how any of them actually felt they were participating in a conversation when each one of them had an earphone in their ears.

I may be stretching it a bit – linking fashion to what seems a comment (read: rant) on modern society, but the truth is that iPod’s and MP3 players have become a staple of our outfits and an added accessory to the clothes we wear every single day. Be they metallic in colouring, small and square, or long and rectangular, they are matched and coordinated to suit the colour of the moment.

I enjoy my music probably more than the average person. I even succumbed to the temptation of owning an iPod. A pink one at that (however, to retain some credibility, it was bought as a present by somebody else). Even though it has been well on two years since I discarded the iPod (I like to think I got out early before the crazy invasion), I don’t remember ever listening to music and trying to talk to my friends or family at the same time. Sure I shared my earphones, but it was purely for the purpose of also sharing a song.

I feel exactly the same way about mobile phones. I detest talking on the phone when in a crowded train. I always have it on silent and I will only use it when I really need it. I don’t care if you have an iPhone or the newest Nokia and I certainly don’t care how polyphonic your new ringtone is.

There seems to be a great disconnectedness in a world becoming smaller each and every moment by all the connectivity of technology. The last stranger I had a conversation with was an elderly gentlemen named Ken who politely asked to sit down next to me on the train before continuing on with questions about what I do and who I am.

Recent social experiments, such as the Washington Post’s ‘Pearls Before Breakfast’ article, show how jaded and self-oriented we have become in a time when we should be uniting to protest against racism, discrimination and illegal wars.

We truly are in state of apathy and disconnectedness if spell-check recognises words such as “iPod” and “Nokia”.

I like quirks.

I think quirks are fun. I like the idea of something, whether it is behavioural or physical, being peculiar to someone. It distinguishes that person from everybody else.

I also think it is possible to have quirks in fashion. I am not sure I would be able to describe a fashion quirk, but I am adamant they exist. And surprising, I am claiming my first fashion quirk — whether you agree or not!

Recently, I started stealing my mama’s silk scarves and using them to add a splash colour to my work outfits. For some reason, I feel really special when I tie the scarf in a bow around my neck. Sometimes I twist it sideways, and sometimes I just let it dance at the front of my neck. I have no idea why I decided to start wearing the silk scarves. I have a feeling it might have been a subconscious reaction to all the current scarf wearing, and wanting to head in a slightly different direction but still achieve the desired effect.

I’m not sure if it works though. What do you think? I have worn one in my last outfit and in today’s outfit. While on the topic of quirks, do you have you would like to claim as your own?

On a sidenote, I also have a very loving relationship with all kinds of stockings. The ones pictured are probably my favourite pair at the moment. I wish I had bought more than one pair of them. And to think I bought them on sale!!

I planned out a pretend holiday the other day.

I organised all my dates, flights, destinations and estimated the amount of spending money I would need. I believe it was the most effective way I could have spent a couple of hours. I am so excited by the prospect of this pretend holiday that I hope someone (read: me) will actually book everything and just jet off. Overseas. For a mere $3000 (all expenses included).

Clearly, I am having one of those ridiculous weeks  where I want to throw all my responsibilities out the window and start afresh. As a result, I dressed a little haphazardly to work on Tuesday. However, I did get to experiment with a red, high-waisted skirt which a most lovely friend of mine, Kiara, bought for me whilst she was out op-shopping. I was so unbelievably touched by her gesture. It was one of those moments where you realise just how the littlest things can mean so much.

So, thank you Kiara, for the small bundled parcel hiding the magical surprise. I hope I did the skirt some justice.

I honestly believe that a t-shirt can take you a long way sometimes. So I remained true to my word and took photos of the second shirt I bought from Graniph.

Whilst the other t-shirt had a very simple design on it, there is no better word besides ‘onslaught’ to describe the amount of pandas that gathered on this crisp, white t-shirt and then proceeded to attack it.

The most delightful thing about this shirt is that the little pandas are also featured on the back of the t-shirt trying to climb up my left shoulder.

And lastly, there is one lonesome panda that has fallen sleep in the back bottom right hand side of the shirt.

To me, these pandas are like the pets I never had.

 I have two new additions to my wardrobe.

They’re not glitzy, and they’re not glamorous. They are simple t-shirts to wear casually.

I have a few of these t-shirts which I am proud to wear. They each have a unique design and most are purchased from market stalls, over the internet, or design t-shirt shops. Some may grow outdated, but most seem to age gracefully.

The new t-shirts I bought are from a shop called Graniph. I discovered Graniph when I was in Tokyo last year. It is a design t-shirt store that started out in Japan which recruits artists/graphic designers from around the world to make limited edition designs for their shop. These designs are printed onto different coloured t-shirts and sold for a very reasonable price. In Japan, one t-shirt costs about 24-28Yen. In Sydney, it is $35-$40 depending on if you buy one or two.

I found out earlier this year that Graniph was opening up a store in The Galleries Victoria, Sydney. It wasn’t until last Thursday night that I actually went specifically looking for the store. Up until then, my countless vists to the TGV were always spent in one shop - Kinokuniya, but that’s another story altogether.

I was so pleased with my purchases that I took a couple of photos (finally more photos!!) to show off one of the t-shirts I bought. The other t-shirt will be unveiled in another post…

This is what I wore to uni today (minus a cardigan, jacket and shoes because it was mighty cold outside - check out my purple socks, they’re my favourite!).

A close-up of the design on the t-shirt. It’s really simple but I love it. My first impression was that they were owls but upon further investigation I think the Swedish designer meant for them to be little monsters. Either way, they’re my new best friends.

I love trawling through the internet and looking at what other people are wearing. It’s inspiring. In all honesty, if I spent as much time in second-hand clothes shops as I did on the world wide web, I’d probably have a real reason to blog. Unlike the poor excuse I offer, which is because I’m “interested” in fashion. Pfft. Who am I kidding ?! Words can only get you so far (lucky I’m studying journalism then !) whereas lovely pictures like these can get you an international audience…

The girl in those photos is Bestie, from the Philippines, whose style I really like. You can have a look at her blog here. While there are many who are more established in the blogosphere then she is, it is always good to see a fresh face mixing things up.

I fear for the youth of today.

By youth I mean those 3 years younger than me who only last month started university. It may be due to my old age or my hawkish eyes (even though I am the proud owner of two pairs of glasses and a pair of contact lenses), but boy do girls dress to impress on campus.

I am not completely disconnected from my wide-eyed first-years as I may put across. I did try very hard to look the part when I first started studying. Even if I found myself at uni four days a week I would make sure I wore a different outfit each day. I am quite confident nobody paid attention to my insistence that this was the annual Milan Fashion Show. Just as my young companions will eventually learn in 10 weeks’ time.

I am happy to say by the time the second semester had rolled around I had tossed away my vanity bag(gage) and shortened the time I spent at uni. With plenty of time to waste at home I made sure this was spent doing valuable things such as study (some of the time anyway), instead of worrying about what people would think of me in this tute or in that lecture. I am sincerely hoping the same will happen with my fellow peers because it really is a fright to see them struggling with short skirts, low-cut tops, and billowy dresses that reveal too much than the sensitive eye can handle.

I hate to say it, and I am by no means a crusader for the practical dresser, but sometimes comfort is the best fashion tip you can abide by when lugging around four heavy textbooks, lunch, bottle of water and a folder from one class to the next !

I am having an uninspirational fashion week. It is bad timing considering the festivities that are on at the moment in Melbourne and Paris and everywhere else in the globe, yet nowhere to be found in my little corner of the world. Apathy is a downright killer sometimes. It especially kills all hope and imagination I might have had for my one special outfit this week.

That was me at yesterday’s Laneway Festival. Not exactly the brightest spark in the crowd but I managed. Believe it or not Laneway is a very trendy festival. All the kids you do not see at Big Day Out and Good Vibrations and Future Music are willing to make an appearance and flaunt their own quirky style. This style was an eclectic mix of vintage, modern and original pieces that half-heartedly inspired me to go into a little more detail about the wonders of the vest.

There were quite a few vests worn at the Laneway Festival. I am happy to say I even own a vest. I am also happy to say that I quite enjoy the vest. It just so happen that I am on the lookout to add another couple to my slight collection. The next vest I buy however, will be ever-so-different to the sweater vest I currently own. One might even go as far to say that I am interested in branching out and purchasing a full-blown real vest such as these ones:

I have decided that what makes a person really stand out is not necessarily the originality of their pieces of clothing but how they are actually wearing them. Presentation is one of the most important things when it comes to fashion. That is why dressing up is so much fun because you can present different parts of your personality each time. I think a vest has the capability of doing just that. For example, using the vests pictured above, I can be ‘bohemian vest-wearing Mia’, ‘grunge vest-wearing Mia’, ‘vintage vest-wearing Mia’ and ‘tailored vest-wearing Mia’.

It makes sense does it not ?! If I can be all these people with just the addition of a vest, I would be crazy and far too cynical for my own good to dismiss this as another passing trend I reluctantly may partake in because of a silly fear that I will fade into the background if I do. After all, if fashion teaches you one thing it is that everything is reusable and sooner or later it all becomes vintage anyway !