• 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?

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!) 

First there were some hot days, then there were some cold days. Rainy days, sunny days, cloudy days, windy days. The hot topic at the moment - climate change - made the weather the centre of attention at parties, on the news, in the workplace.

So with the slow start to summer there was also the more energetic emergence of summer trends. Usually thongs are the shoe of choice, and for completely normal reasons that even I won’t bother to rubbish: comfort, ease, lightness…

I’ll even go completely out on a limb and say I can even understand the appeal of the gladiator sandal.

The ankle gladiator sandal.

Anything higher is a danger to society and scares the hell out of me. Much in the same way that those creepy platform gladiator heels posed a great threat to my good sense and faith in humanity (and my faith in shoe designers; seriously, what were they thinking?).  

I don’t understand the need to cage my whole leg into a shoe. It’s a bit over the top. And I’m pretty sure the “Romans” are turning over in their graves at the sight of the Olsen twins hobbling around in these as though they are some “ode” to our ancient ancestors.

Either way, I’m not buying into them. Imagine the horror when you take them out of your wardrobe next summer. Oh dear, indeed!

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”.

1. To get out of another store quicker;
2. To remind myself why I had stopped going there in the first place.

I realised how much more I prefer the quaint little shops tucked away in the corner with only one sales assistant and a couple of vaguely interested shoppers passing by and browsing.

The bright lights astounded me. The loud music frustrated me. The people crowded me. And the clothes scared me… (Let me remind you that I am only 21 and not an old, cold-hearted spinster).

(All photos are courtesy of Sportsgirl)

I haven’t been giving recent trends a lot of attention lately. I think the mass media has distracted me with their current affairs reporting and has made me channel all my ranting towards class discussions and political talk time at home. But I couldn’t ignore the pink elephant in Sportsgirl this time around.

I have never been the greatest fan of long skirts. Depending on the cut, shape and design it is possible for me to be persuaded to give them a go. At the present moment however, I will probably take a backseat during spring and not wear long, billowy, bohemian, tye-dye skirts. Call me a sceptic, call me a cynic, but I don’t see this trend lasting long. It’s a very specific look that is easy to tire of. I see it as the fashion worlds “courageous” break against the high-waisted skirts of last winter. It can be classified in a similar vein to the also recent push for high-waisted, flared denim jeans as a reaction against the dominance of low-waisted, skinny jeans.

Despite all my criticism, I will remain open-minded and very humbly accept any advice/commentary contrary to what I have said. I would especially like some ideas on how to make this bizarre piece of apparel work if I was to find myself in the possession of one. So please, help me out in understanding another mind-boggling trend if you can!

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 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.

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.

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.