elements

Simple things are good things. Clean lines, basic silhouettes and good ol' black and white is all you need sometimes. Although I'm not completely convinced I'm ready to bare half of my particularly squishy side bits (thanks winter hibernation!), this top from Stylenanda is exactly the season transitional piece I've been after and looks so good paired with high waisted jeans or shorts depending on the thermometer.

[wearing: Stylenanda top, Asos velvet trousers, DIY copper choker]

heavenly knits

These two pieces are the most recent additions to my wardrobe- the Lafayette knit dress and Smith sweater by Friend of Mine. When I saw this incredible knit, slightly metallic spun yarn that creates an amazing texture, I knew I had to have some. And what's better than one sweet knit? Two! I know it's a little OTT wearing them together but they're so perfect for each other I couldn't resist.

[wearing: Friend of Mine Lafayette knit dress & Smith sweater, heels from iOffer, choker from ebay, DIY perspex cuff]

leather love

I was traipsing around my wardrobe, still thinking about bomber jackets from my last post, and came across this leather one I've had for years. It was a big chunky bomber with a hideous belt and all around frumpy shape when I found it at my favourite op shop in Preston, it wasn't until not long ago that I found this pic on a street style blog of a girl in leather jacket with a curved cutout back and decided to try and replicate it with my manly bomber. I took the sleeves in, chopped the belt off and cut a semi-circle into the back and I think it's a pretty good makeover to be honest. It's still a hard piece to wear everyday so I've tried to put together something with a little of the badass attitude it deserves.. A very short skirt and my new 'Wangs'.

Now I know people are extremely opinionated when it comes to fakes, and I thought long and hard about how I'd feel wearing these phony heels, but when it came down to it I came up with these excuses; I currently am not in the position to afford real Wangs, these are extremely well-made/genuine leather blah blah blah, and I love the style (the Joan) so much that that is what mattered most. It's not like I'm going to go around telling people they're real, because that is totes not cool (totes wang?!) and I would feel like a genuine idiot. So thank you iOffer and the dodgy factory in China that produced these beauties! They will be sexing up lots of outfits for a long time to come :)

[Wearing: thrifted/DIY leather bomber & skirt, Sportsgirl tee, heels from iOffer, DIY copper jewellery]

crafty copper

I'm having a crafty phase at the moment. I found a big bag of DIY to-dos stashed away in a spare room and decided I really needed to get on it before the metals started to rust! I've been experimenting with twisting and plaiting copper wire, with surprisingly lovely results comprising of delicate friendship bracelets, fine rings and coiled cuffs. It's actually quite amazing what you can do with a bit of cable wire and tap fittings from the hardware store, although lucky for me I have a treasure trove in my garage thanks to a handyman dad. I can basically describe the sort of thing I want (tools, perspex, wire, washers, etc..) and he will pluck it out of the huge abyss of junk that is 'the shed'!

My favourites have got to be the bright copper coupling and black cord bangles using the same materials as my DIY Kirrily Johnston Bengal choker that I made in late last year, as well as the delicate adjustable coiled rings that can be stacked on your fingers in any combination. Copper is such a nice change from silver or gold and it goes with just about anything.

I'll be selling some of these pieces on my new Etsy store (along with my clothing designs) so be sure to keep a look out for it when I open!

blue steel

Here's my latest sewing venture: a metallic peplum jacket inspired by THIS gorgeous Ellery one shown at fashion week recently. Would have been so good in that black/forest green colour combo, but I work with what I have, and luckily I had a heap of this fabulous metallic blue taffeta sitting around. So tailoring is not really my forte, but I think I did pretty well considering this is my first attempt at a fitted jacket, or any jacket for that matter (excluding a fur disaster I had recently!). This sort of flashy jacket will be perfect paired with a nice simple little black dress or jeans and killer heels for a night out. Can't wait for it to get some public exposure.

[wearing with: Asos velvet trousers & cuffs, Santini heels, vintage bodysuit, ebay choker]

botanical

My new Sara Phillips dress. What can I say? Possibly the most gorgeous floral print I've ever laid eyes on. Did I mention it is pure silk and cost me a measly $150?! Unfortunately I think it's sold out now, but there are still some incredible bargains to be had at their online store HERE.

[Wearing: Sara Phillips cape dress, Windsor Smith Loren heels, choker from Ebay, Asos cuffs and vintage bracelet/ring]

ellery armour

This morning I dragged myself out of bed to get down early to the Ellery pop up sale in Melbourne's GPO. I'm glad I did as there was some pretty good stuff, but I held off temptation to buy everything in sight, settling on yet another little black dress to add to my collection. Not your average black dress though, it's made of this wonderful ponte fabric that looks and feels a lot like neoprene, but a lot less heavy! It also features the incredible armour sleeves which played a huge part in the Spring 11 range (HERE), which makes this dress so striking.

So if you're in Melbourne I highly recommend you check out the sale quick smart, it ends Monday!

Wearing: Ellery ponte armour sleeve dress, Windsor Smith Loren heels in cobalt, DIY copper choker (tutorial HERE), Ebay cuff