midnight velvet

 So how do I avoid working on important uni assignments? Procrastination in the form of sewing! I came home from the Ellery sale yesterday and all I could think about were peplums, so rather than forking out a few hundred dollars I'd rather keep in my pocket I thought I'd try my hand at replicating one of the tops there. I was going to do a toile, but they always seem like a waste of time and fabric... I found this beautiful midnight blue cotton velvet in my collection, it's got a very small pile and feels lush and thick, exactly what I needed to hold fairly stiff gathering.

It's a pretty basic design, two sideless bust pieces with darts running down the front and a peplum. I left the hem raw to get a good fraying effect, similar to the Ellery ones, and added an invisible zip and a couple of hook & eye clasps down the centre back.

I'm looking forward to giving this piece a work out soon, probably will be wearing it with a bra though, just in case I twist the wrong way and flash some poor unsuspecting citizen.

Wearing with: Country Road jeans, H&M cuff, vintage bracelet and watch, necklace from Vietnam

splatter skirt

 My latest DIY involved reviving this nursey-looking navy blue pencil skirt I bought years ago from an op shop with the full intent of doing something creative with it. I went into this insane painting phase after getting all Van Gogh on my jeans in my last DIY HERE, and now I see a vast majority of my wardrobe as having the potential to look amazing if I splashed some paint on it! These urges must be reined in though, or else I will end up looking like a walking canvas (that a 2 year old painted).

So I promised myself this will be the last garment I paint for a while now. I started off with an ocean greeny-blue background and went a bit Jackson Pollock over the top of it. Unfortunately some of the white splatters look a lot like a bird pooped on it, but that's just the price you pay for being an inexperienced paint-flicker.

Wearing with: Asos top and boots, necklace from Vietnam, vintage ring and bracelet

HCMC treasures

Thought I would photograph some of the jewellery I brought back from Vietnam recently. Got a little carried away with the mirroring effect as you can see. My favourite piece would have to be the breast plate in the first picture, it's so simple yet can pull an outfit from drab.. to FAB instantly (sorry so cheesy!!). I've never been a big fan of statement jewellery, but Vietnam converted me.

All of the jewellery was from Ho Chi Minh City, some of it came from this cute little store in Vincom shopping centre called Miss Ni (not sure if that's the correct spelling) and some of it from the Ben Thanh markets where there was one tiny stall each for the gold and silver. Desperately wanting to go back to find some more treasure!

vietnam

So I just got back from 9 days in Vietnam, a fully funded 'study' tour for uni which pretty much consisted of shopping, sipping cocktails and... more shopping!! We had a few days in Hanoi, before moving on to Ho Chi Minh City for the rest of our stay.

Had the best time with my uni girls, including Sharday and Gabby. We brought copious amounts of jewellery, rummaged the markets for silk scarves, ballet flats and fake Hermes, and had a tour of the most amazing store Runway, an incredible luxury fashion boutique!

Viet Yum



Just a quick post.. of a collection of fruit! Just left Hanoi for Ho Chi Minh City, having the best time and never want to come home! Will post more photos when I can get them off my camera.