Into the Urban Jungle

Woke up quite late this morning and probably wasted half a day. But if you really think about it, sleeping isn't wasting time. It's a cheap way to rejuvenate the body sans the thai massage ( had one last night...relaxation!). So i got dress to do a few errands and potentially window shop (favorite past time) not before i show you what i did with my bargain items from the other day. Mixed with what i already have in my wardrobe (borrowed the boys army jacket) and ran out the door!

Mood: Ready to enter the urban jungle

Jacket: Boyfriend's 

Pants: Drop crotch, Dotti

Singlet: American Apparel

Scarf: Vintage

Bag: Fendi Spy

Shoes: Country Road espadrilles (you don't need summer to wear this)

Sunnies: op shop

Jewellery: Tiffany&co

Trick up my Sleeves...

Autumn Winter long sleeved dresses from Balenciaga, Thakoon, Karen Walker and Christian Lacroix are giving me goosebumps! Not only are they so so beautiful and scrumptious in cut and detail, the splashes of impressionism, marble effects, flowers and geometric patterns are simply to die! It reminds me of this Vintage japanese silk dress i bought for a few dollars (the shop keeper practically gave it to me) at Broadway Betty in Broadway. At the time fellow shoppers were laughing at me for trying what may be called a "Dorky"sack. But i knew better to see the "potential" in every piece. It was beautifully lined, mint condition, structured shoulders, vibrant colour...What's not to like! All i had to do was make it shorter and sew the seams...and voila...my very own sleeved winter dress. I love it! Beso

Eureka!

I went shopping yesterday with a goal in mind...Doona's/ Comforter! not those polyester hybrids that advertise it will keep you warm in the winter types but real goose down feather  that make waking up in the morning bearable. Ant and I have been fighting over our Queen quilt for the past month, ending up in a Doona tango tug-o-war trying to get the most coverage from each side of the bed....So we came to a truce...NEW DOONA! 

Off i drive to DFO Sydney in Homebush because 1) They have great bargains to be had in Sheridan and 2) I might do a sticky beak on the latest sale offers at Lisa Ho, Country Road and Witchery....My mum always manages to find some real gems over there... After an hour of searching for the perfect Doona (feather/down to be exact) i had no luck and decided to scour the nearby Dotti Store.... It was all a bit discouraging the way the store was laid out, clothes everywhere, racks everywhere, coat-hangers everywhere while the sales assistants chat on about their daily grind...but heck...I'm not expecting Harrods but keep the standard up ( i mused to myself). Then out of the corner of my eye was a few basic tees....BARGAIN! Drop crotch pants SOLD! Country Road had espadrilles on sale and i scored a blotchy ink skirt from Barkins for cheap....scarves, sunnies, and a loose cotton cardie. Fifty buckaroos later i was a happy camper!

I walked away from that frenzy with no Doona to offer home base....Oh well....more Tug-o-War  then!

Beso!

Inspiration: Doin' it TOUGH!

Photo courtesy of Leblogdesushi

Surface to Air Paris ...........ahhh

Photo courtesy of Stockholm Streetstyle

Ray of light

It's been a refreshing weekend thus far. Gone are the wet drops of acid rain from the black skies and lo and behold there is sun! During the week i've been practicing misjudgment by always forgetting to bring an umbrella .... every time i look outside it's either pissing rain or about to... go figure. It'd hard to dress for weather like this, one day cold... the next not. So today i opted to do the 'go between'. Beso!

Mood: Little house on the Prairie meet Thelma and Louise

Dress: Fleur Wood

Jacket: Leather esprit

Shoes: Target

Basic Importance

I can't stress enough how important good basics are to any wardrobe, well to my wardrobe that is. I little birdie always told me if i invested in good quality pieces they will transcend time. This is definitely the case... I have lived in this outfit for about 2 years now...i know..i know...long... but wait! This simple outfit will get me everywhere, dress it up or dress it down. 

My boyfriend/partner never understood and (still doesn't) how  important it is to invest in dressing. Take for example:

Chanel bag... This i managed to acquire through an online estate auction from a lady who passed 3 years ago....(bless). I got it for fraction of the cost...because no one wanted to buy it because the lady died?! Who cares...just think of it this way....the bag has another life.

Jeans: I always believed a girl will always have a staple jean. Call it sentimental or downright corny...the heaven's opened up 6 years ago on my birthday and delivered me Paper Denim Cloth. I always wanted these jeans and back then they were fetching for 400AUD in David Jones...but lo and behold my mum found the only pair in my size for 50 bucks.... coincidence or fate ..... you decide. I have lived in these jeans until the crotch bore a hole! but since then, 6 pairs later it's still my fave jeans!

Cashmere Scarves: Cashmere is luxurious, feels like babies kissing you, soft, warm and comfy! I have over 20 or so in different colors. They can liven up any outfit.

Leopard print: When worn well, it brings an outfit to a whole new level. I once followed a gorgeous lady in a mall just to ask her where she got her Leopard print wedges from. She knew where i was coming from...it's so hard to find the perfect pair. But i love them in ballet flats, wedges and flat sling backs.

Black cardies: Versatile, warm and can be thrown on with basically every outfit. Invest in quality pieces that is durable,comfortable and easily goes with your other wardrobe pieces.

So in conclusion, while boys invest in stocks, real estate, cars blah blah blah....say your wardrobe will get you over the global financial crisis....It's an Investment honey! Beso! 

Mood: Global Financial Crisis

Cardigan: Josh Goot for Target

Singlet: American apparel

Scarf: House of Cashmere

Jeans: Paper Denim Cloth

Shoes: L'Autre Chose

Bag: Chanel

Breakfast at Tiffany's

I just had to blog about my obsession with Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. So much so that i had my very own tiffany moment when my girlfriends helped me take pictures in front of the Tiffany's store in Sydney some time ago. I guess most girls love this movie...who doesn't love Holly Golightly in her LBD's and pearls....ahhh love. My favorite actress to recreate the look was when Natalie Portman donned the same Givenchy dress...my heart definitely skipped a beat!

I recreated the look having scored a 70's Carla Zampatti crepe black dress from a local charity store, with my luck managed to find a vintage brooch which i fastened to some glass pearls, the tiara i bought from a craft store and placed diamantes and pearls, the satin gloves were probably the most expensive items...but they were worth it, alternatively you can buy them from DJ's or Myer in Australia.

Every girl needs to dress up once in a while...why not dress as Holly Darlings! Beso x

                                                     

Portrait: Dani

Dani is a close friend of mine, she portrays a maturity beyond her years and at the same time is one of the bubbliest person i know. I believe fashion is about the person wearing the clothes , how a person can put their personality into a piece and making it their own. Dani certainly puts her personality into her fashion.....Dani: a sneak peek into relax Sydney Style..

Mood: Relax Sydney Style

Top: Milk and Honey

Pants: Sean 

Bag: Vintage Gucci

Inspiration: Glamourous Doom

It' s been terribly chilly in Sydney lately, my spirits for colour and all things sunny are dying with the sun. Although Sydney isn't famous for the cold, we Sydneysiders shiver at the thought of cold, rain or hail. Enough with my childish sentiments!

Black! it's always has been a colour of power, structure and presence to me. I love black because  it hides a million sins, you can do so much layering with it!....I've been wearing alot of black this week, I've been feeling quite sombre due to the weather ..that and I've been exhaustingly busy running around getting assignments, work and social life sorted.

NYC streets

Noir

Favourite Designer of the moment: Dion Lee

Nothing like Diamonds and Black

Cherry Blossoms are enchanting

Happy Mother's day! The weekend has been pretty low key, i was busy working saturday that i feel like i didn't get a break at all...I've been just staying indoors cooking and doing alot of house chores ( i know, i know...boring). Anyway I've just came home from dinner with my family and hanging out at the local pub...Earlier on in the day I went for a drive in Balmain, checking out all the boutiques. I've recently discovered Mushu in Darling St , and scored this beautiful Marnie Skillings dress from SSO8 . It reminds me of cherry blossoms and how spring can be so wonderful especially when Sydney weather has been on the chilly side. I'm in love with this dress, how it's so soft and delicate and powerful at the same time with it's hanging collar.... I de-girlified with a waiters jacket, paired with ribbon pumps...ahhh!

Hope everybody had a wonderful weekend..Beso!

Dress: Marnie Skillings

Jacket: Barkins

Headband: Evita Peroni

Shoes: Steve Madden

Ring: Vintage

Mushu

381 Darling St, Balmain

Australia- NSW 2041

02 98104617

Inspiration: French Stripes

Stripes are so chic when worn the right way. It has to have the right combination of the perfect width, length and color. Personally i love red stripes paired with navy blue and white...french colors.  Black can be cool , giving a beatnik edie sedgewick vibe....just dreaming of stripes .....  

Sun drenched

Blues and Reds

Stripe me up

Oh so french!

Pucker Up...Azuma

Mood: Geisha meets Prince

Dress: Japanese Vintage

Headband: Alannah Hill

Clutch: Vintage

Shoes: Steve Madden

AZUMA

Food porn coming up your way! Last saturday A and I decided to pucker up our lips and get biting on a restaurant reviewed by local critics as one of the best in authentic japanese restaurants in Sydney..... (Tetsuya eats here weekly) I love japanese food! the taste is clean and the flavors are so scrumptious. We've been to a few around Sydney but left Azuma for a special occasion. After having been advised by close friends, we decided to do the degustation menu on offer. I must say my lack in photography skills doesn't do any justice to how beautiful. artful and vibrant the colors were...mmmm. However i  got to carried away with the appetizers and some dishes and forgot to take pics of everything...oops.

Roxy Verdict

As you enter the restaurant i got the sense of  a cool  relaxed vibe, casual enough to not worry about sooty wait staff  but formal enough to have a special date or special occasion. As i looked around a majority of the patrons were either tourist and couples like ourselves celebrating a momentous occasion...so i thought. We were seated immediately and was greeted by a funky japanese lady with ice blue eyeshadow and a mohawk...yes a mohawk. cool i thought. Everyone was smiling and genuinely acknowledged your presences as a customer, bowing and smiling as if they were in-sync to some orderly regime....( Ok i get paranoid at times). We knew what we wanted and ordered our 10 course Omakase Degustation. I must say, we weren't the only ones. Judging by what the wait staff were tottering ...the omakase was what people regularly came for or wanted to try. I've eaten alot of japanese food, and heck A lives on the stuff having travelled to japan. But what they advertise is surely what they deliver. From the word go if your looking for Authentic Japanese fine food ( No, don't look for california rolls here) this is the place to go.  The Flavors explode in your mouth, each course was yummy...although at the same time i wish they put more in my plate because it felt like i was being teased. My Favourites were "Amuse- Bouche" consisting of Pacific oyster and salmon roe with citrus soy sauce, Prawn marinated in Nanban Sauce ( Shudder in delight), Wagyu Sirloin Steak with garlic soy sauce, seared Tuna with Daikon and last but not least ....Dessert! So i mentioned half of the whole menu....so go try it out! 4/5 birds:) Beso!

AZUMA

Level 1, Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square 
(Cnr. of Phillip & Hunter Street)
Sydney  NSW  2000

9222 9960

 Assorted Sashimi

Grilled Saikyo Silver cod fillet  

Assorted seasonal Tempura

Seared Tuna

 Premium Wagyu Sirloin steak, served with Garlic soy sauce

mmmm.....yum!

Strawberry sorbet, Belgian chocolate mousse, vanilla creme brulee

The weekend that was....

                                                               Yum!

Good morning sunshine! No that's not how i feel this morning...exact opposite really. I just thought if i used reverse psychology my brain would be tricked into having a pleasant morning sans the headache...is it working?mmm think not. I woke up this morning thinking i was going to work and in fact i did. Showered, dressed and went to work...only to find  out NO....your not working today .....ha! press rewind and go back home. I went to work on the wrong day DOH! (homer moment).

Anyway i thought i'd give everybody something to smile about and share my food safari this weekend of food, fun...lots of fun and finishing my "operation decorate my home". The weekend was spent eating lots of eating...in fact i have to thank my lucky stars that Sydney has really nice cafe's and restaurants to eat in....one of my favourite haunts is this quaint cafe in Leichhardt Mezzapica, I order exactly the same thing everytime. Linguine Pasta Gamberi with prawns is so so delicious and to top it off ..it's only $12...good huh? yeah . So if your ever in this part of town, you should definitely check it out. Their coffee isn't bad either.

Pasta Gamberi @Mezzapica, Leichhardt

So about this decorating project, I've been trying to find some really good bookcases that would look simple, clean and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. No..i really didn't just want a box positioned against the wall....i wanted a bookcase that looked expensive and copying the ones from those exxy magazines without the price tag...Ha! Fat chance i first thought....most of the designer pieces are fetching for two grand at least! Well I'd rather spend that on a new bag or even a new camera so i can take better pictures....so off we went to the Home Centre in Moore Park. We managed to find a ladder shelf bookcase from Oz design, it looked good, it was white ( i love white) plus it was down from $150 to $129...BARGAIN we thought! So we took it home and assembled it as soon as you can spell A-S-S-E-MBLE! The bad thing about it was....while we were putting out books,textbooks and magazines...it had toppled over and broke in two...the up side was we managed to get another one after pleading our case that it wasn't our fault it had toppled over! (well it wasn't)...so here's something i prepared earlier.... the finish product....Voila!

                                                                          well...i like it.

So we celebrated our one year anniv with my boy this weekend, and pleasantly surprised he hasn't forgotten hahaha. To top it off he gave me a lovely present which i never thought he'd remember but i do love love it. I have been a fan of vintage posters for a couple for years now, it was exacerbated by our recent trip to Melbourne when i visited Vinatgepostersonly in Armadale and cooed and aahhed at all the awesome posters on offer....I welcome with delight Bally Blonde by Villemot as our new family member ...he he he. 

Coolness.

Until next time Beso!

It's a two way street in this part of town...

  

This weekend has been so jam packed, i had to think on my feet literally and get out of the door. The day was spent cleaning my wardrobe out since it's been like a bomb site and i can't find anything this past week. I watched the Pacquiao match with Ant at the local Pub and managed to throw together my zebra print dress and patent pumps...imagine me looking all girly whilst rooting for pacquiao amongst a sea of english supporters...it was pretty funny....Now..i've just came home from watching Pablo Francisco the ever so hilarious comedian on tour for the Sydney Comedy festival ...and so put together the same dress and just added tights, a long cardi and a belt....voila new outfit. Hope everybody's weekend was great...Mine was awesome. I have heaps of things to share till next time...Beso!

Dress: Barkins

Shoes: Versace

Belt: Alannah Hill

Cardigan: David Lawrence

Bag: Vintage

Black Tie

Ant and I went to watch Tony Wood's at the Comedy Factory tonight. It was a pretty good show, i even got to meet Tony in person, followed by a slice of pizza ...it was definitely a tame friday night.i'll blog about his show in the next couple of days.

I saw this little black dress a couple of weeks ago from Eva's Vintage on Norton St. Luckily for me i saw it's potential and snapped it up for $10. I love how the netting is sexy and discreet at the same time. The pockets are quite cute...if i put my hands in them, it looks like I'm wearing gloves. The dress was pretty much shapeless , like a barrel silhouette. The belt is made from old silver neck tie that i fashioned in to a waste bow tie...cute huh!.. 

Dress: Vintage

Cardigan: David Lawrence cashmere cardie

Belt: Tie

Bag: Thrifted

Shoes: Nine West