Black Tuesday

Happy new financial year everyone!! Let's all make it a good one :)

In celebration, I dressed very corporate today and I've gone back to my black bag:

Dress: DvF
Jacket: Ralph Lauren
Heels: Kate Spade
Bag: Hermes

I look like such a lawyer in this outfit!

Wintery weekend

Brrrrr! Winter has definitely arrived. We had a lovely social weekend, I caught up with friends Saturday morning and we went out to  Enoteca for a surprise 40th birthday party for M's best friend for dinner - was game night at the Gabba and we couldn't get a cab so we ended up walking from Kangaroo Point. Not a long walk by any means, but slightly affected outfit choices!

Saturday morning called for stripes and flats:

Top: Moschino
Pants: Country Road
Flats: Nine West
Bag: Chloe

Sunday was a continuation of the relaxed theme:

Top: David Lawrence
Pants: Witchery
Flats: Nine West
Bag: Chloe

On Sunday, I spent most of the day cooking! I tried a Maggie Beer recipe for a 4 hour slow-cooked stuffed lamb shoulder...it was nice but in the end, M, my mum and I all agreed, we probably prefer a straightforward lamb roast or slow-cooked lamb shanks.

A very good friend of mine came over for a drink before heading to Sydney for a month for work, so it was great to catch up as it will be a little while before we see each other again :) xo

Working week - Outfit mash-up!

My goodness it's been a really busy week this week. I haven't posted since last Thursday (eeek!), so I thought I'd do a swift recap:

Top: Chelsea Flowers
Pants: Country Road
Blazer: Witchery
Heels: Kate Spade
Bag: Chloe

Top: Witchery
Skirt: Saint Laurent
Blazer: Witchery
Heels:Bally
Bag: Chloe

Top: LK Bennett
Pants: Country Road
Jacket: Ralph Lauren
Flats: Nine West
Bag: Chloe

I promise not to be so tardy in future :) xo

Tibi Thursday

Who loves Tibi? We do. We love Tibi:

Blouse: Tibi
Pants: Country Road
Jacket: L'Agence
Heels: Bally
Bag: Hermes

I find a lot of Tibi pieces really suit me, especially tops. This blouse is quite old but I love it. It's so flattering and the colour is absolutely gorgeous, a true petrol. I have gone for blue tone on tones today and swapped back to my Birkin - black accessories felt right this morning :)

Monochrome tailoring

I've been working pants really hard for the past few weeks. From the perspective of practicality, pants are such an easy choice: comfortable, warm and so suited to running around doing a million things in a day. However, I also love dresses and skirts and have some great pieces.  Not to mention, I've been watching House of Cards lately and I wanted to channel some Robin  Wright a la Claire Underwood at work today:

Blouse: MIH
Skirt: L'Wren Scott
Jacket: Country Road
Belt: YSL
Heels: Kate Spade
Bag: Chloe

This ivory silk blouse is so feminine and flattering for me. Being silk, it drapes softly over my curves and is cinched nicely at the waist by a classic black square buckle belt.

Cream and Leopard Print

Let me start by saying I adore Charlotte Olympia shoes. The whimsical designs, the quality and workmanship, the packaging - it all works.  I have bought a lot of shoes from different designers over the years and it's always disappointing when a premium price tag is not accompanied by a premium experience, be that uncomfortable design, poor workmanship, or cheap packaging that differs from high street shoe stores only by the name on the box (we all know who I'm talking about).

With Charlotte Olympia, it's all in the details: the gorgeous gold web on the sole; the sturdy box and careful inserts; the sweet blue-lace-top stockings with her wedding styles; the polaroid ready for sticking on the outside. I never feel nervous plunking down for Charlotte Olympia shoes, I know I'm getting a good thing.

Which brings me to my latest purchase. I have often been tempted by leopard print heels. Leopard print is a perennial style classic. It has stood the test of time.  However, it needs to be brought into each individual's wardrobe with care. Not everyone can pull off a leopard-print trench a la Angelina Jolie. The Louis Vuitton Leopard stole is certainly an option, but it's a little ubiquitous now, not to mention the weather here doesn't really allow for frequent wear, keeping that cost-per-wear high.

These leopard pumps by Charlotte Olympia ticked all the boxes for me:  classic print; design quirk with the black suede knot detail; great quality make and (best of all) scored for a steal from The Outnet:

Top: Witchery
Pants: Country Road
Heels: Charlotte Olympia
Bag: Chloe

With a statement heel like this, I prefer to keep the outfit simple in basic black, with my cream tote lightening the look overall. Yes, it's true - I haven't put this bag down since I got her :) xo

Red prints

Does anyone not love a multiple-buy when the chance arises?

Top: LK Bennett
Pants: Country Road
Blazer: Witchery
Heels: Bally
Bag: Chloe

This is the LK Bennett silk blouse in the red, I also have it in blue. Sale season has begun and I snapped this versatile print up!

M and I are working on a DIY project at home for our balcony - I'm hoping it will be finished by Friday night so I'll have lovely new pics to post :) xo

Black Friday...in grey and white

Chilly Friday morning so I'm working a casual-but-warm look rugged up in a charcoal sweater with white skinny jeans:

Top: Sportscraft
Pants: Country Road
Heels: Bally
Bag: Chloe

We're going out to dinner tonight at one of my favourite restaurants in  Brisbane. It's also where we are getting married next year, so this is a good opportunity to get a feel for the space and check out the seasonal menu.

I try not to be superstitious, but given that it IS Friday 13th, I'll probably be keeping an eye out for any black cats :) xo

Thursday meetings

I had early meetings this morning so I put on my tried-and-true version of a deconstructed suit:

Top: Target
Pants: Country Road
Blazer: Witchery
Heels: Bally
Bag: Chloe

This is a very hard-working outfit for me. I love how the look changes completely once I slip the blazer off. I don't own a full suit - I know, shocking for a lawyer! The thing is, I don't find them especially flattering or modern. Clothes need to multitask more than ever today and a stuffy head to toe look wouldn't work for either my lifestyle, my workplace or our climate.

A blazer over black pants is a versatile option that works incredibly well. Anchored with classic black patent pumps and a structured tote, the look is corporate but fresh.

Grey, red and cream

After over a month of weird warm, sunshine-filled winter days, this morning announced itself with a distinct chill in the air. I immediately pulled out a soft grey knit:

Top: Moschino
Pants: Country Road
Heels: Valentino
Bag: Chloe

I love this cream bag, the leather is smooshy and luscious. I bought it from  Matches with a private sale voucher for a great bargain. The cream-white colour is really fresh and I'm looking forward to giving it a good workout over the coming months.

Office decoration - work in progress

My office was redone last week and M and I came in on Saturday to clean everything up and also hang some art.  This rose is one of my original photographs that a friend of mine very kindly framed up for me. Since  I own the artistic copyrights (natch) I had her print two so I can have this one in my office and the other at home :)

This chair is by French and English - it's called the Hepburn chair and I always call it the Audrey chair which confuses the poor sales staff no end - sorry guys :)

I think a well-ordered and aesthetically pleasing work space is incredibly important. I'm really happy with how my office looks now, it's not completely finished but the right paint colour is finally on the walls and I've got some art in mind as well as some nice touches for my desk. It is well on it's way to a space I really love and can work long hours in.

Blue poppies

Back at work after a lovely long weekend:

Top: KLK Bennett
Pants: Country Road
Blazer: Witchery
Heels: Bally
Bag: Hermes

I bought this blue poppy print silk blouse from LK Bennett. A pretty loose-fitting silk top over skinny pants is definitely part of my uniform. My Witchery black blazer works its usual magic and pulls everything together nicely for the office with a classic black patent pump.

 

Happy Queen's Birthday weekend!!

I don't know about you guys but I definitely needed this long weekend! We haven't had a lot of opportunities recently to relax on weekends - M and I both stay at work late, bring work home and haven't had time to do things like this:



Tea and chess anyone?

We did a lot of chores around the house like hanging some of my original works I've finally had framed, we repaired some cupboards in the kitchen and restored my office following the painting on  Friday. All in all, it was busy but very satisfying - especially as we had an extra day to do the more important things like play chess. I never win, for the record - M is a chess champion whereas  I have no strategy at all I just respond as moves are made.

Then we went out for Thai with very good friends of ours:

Top: Chelsea Flowers
Pants: Country Road
Flats: Nine West
Bag: Chanel

I hope you all had lovely relaxing weekends :) xo

Checks and flats

I have a fair bit of running around to do today. My office is being redecorated, so I'm visiting showrooms and hardware stores to look at paint samples and chairs. I wanted something I would feel comfortable in all day:

Top: David Lawrence
Pants: Witchery
Flats: Nine West
Bag: Anya Hindmarch

I love these pants. I haven't worn them in a little while so when I was looking through trousers last night, they caught my eye and I thought, why not? They make me happy :)

I still have completely mad amounts of non-decorating-office work to do, so I'll be giving my phone and tablet a workout today for sure!

Poppy red Wednesday

The weather is odd at the moment, as though it can't make up its mind what to be.  Yesterday we woke to low-lying cloud and chills. This morning, it's blazing sunshine and quite warm. It just goes to show why there's no point putting clothes away by season in Queensland - you'll need a coat the week after you pack your winter woollies away, and as soon as your swim suits are stowed for the year, the mercury will head north again with a vengeance.

This morning I chose what I call 'deconstructed suiting':

Top: Saba
Pants: Country Road
Blazer: Witchery
Heels: Bally
Bag: LV

I love this top, it's a brilliant pop of colour for when I want a mid-week boost. It's not a traditional suit, the pants are Country Road and I've paired them with a Witchery blazer, but the cuts and fabrics all work together.  I love a cigarette leg black pant for a crisp corporate look. The cut of the top is versatile, it could easily be a casual going out top, but under the blazer the primary focus is on the colour burst.

Leather by The Row

The city was wrapped in low-lying cloud this morning and it was chilly! So I rugged up in a sublime biker jacket by The Row:

Top: Country Road
Pants: Country Road
Heels: Bally
Jacket: The Row
Bag: LV

I snagged this biker jacket in the last Net-a-Porter sale. The quality is beyond compare. I remember being awed when I first took it out and hung it up in my office. One of my staff stood with me and we just silently worshipped the delicious squishy leather.

By far the most impressive thing about this jacket is the quilted lining - it's so warm and the wind can't even touch you. Not something you often worry about in a climate like ours, but just occasionally, like this morning or even a trip to the farmers market in winter at 6am, it's nice to be able to head out confident you won't even notice the temperature :)

Slow Monday mornings

Oh that was a quick weekend. We spent an inordinate amount of time doing housework and just little tidying-up DIY jobs around the house.  So we were both quite exhausted by Sunday evening and we stayed in eating leftovers and watching True Detective (our new obsession!)

Unfortunately, we then stayed up quite late (like naughty teenagers on a school night tsk tsk) so I hit the snooze button this morning. I will (WILL) get up early and do a weights session tomorrow morning.

Thank goodness my wardrobe is well edited and organised at the moment. Assembling an outfit using my current uniform staples makes getting ready in  the mornings a breeze:

Top: Target
Pants: Country Road
Blazer: Witchery
Heels: Pierre Hardy
Bag: Dior

I love this top from Target. It has a racer back, so you can easily slip your blazer off for dinner after work, but it also looks great under the blazer from 9 to 5.

Not that I will be heading out to socialise after work tonight! I need a spin session, a long walk with our dog and then a nice paleo dinner. And maybe another sneaky episode  of True Detective...

Like I said: obsessed.

:) xo