POWER OF RED

POWER OF RED

In this post I show you how powerful the colour Red can be when dressing. It is the color of fire and blood, associated with energy, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. Combine with other colours for a strong combination that will have you standing out in a crowd. Even red accessories (which are not overly expensive) are a great way to update your wardrobe.  

Red accessories are an easy way to introduce the colour Red into any wardrobe. This knitted scarf was a sale find for just $2! The Vivienne Westwood was a little bit more pricey.

Sunglasses: @gucci

Jacket: @roger_david

Shirt: @roberto_cavalli

Bag: @viviennewestwoodofficial

Pants: @boohooMANofficial

Shoes: @roberto_cavalli

Scarf: @dotti_squad

Using the colour red in block colour outfits is also a wise way to style an ensemble. In this case the red is reflected off both with the turtleneck and the pants. 

Coat: @bossinimenswear

Shirt: no name

Pants: @manuelritzofficial

Shoes: @ted_baker

Gloves: @dentsgloves

Bag: @ted_baker

Sunglasses: @oxfordshop

Balancing an outfit can easily be achieved by using small accessories such as pocket squares.

Blazer: @oxfordshop

Shirt: @ydaustralia

Pants: @boohooMANofficial

Shoes: @jacklondon_official

Sunglasses: @oxfordshop

Bag: @davidelfinofficial

Ring: vintage find

A red tie can be just as effective to make an outfit pop and to gain interest. Side Bar: also makes you look taller!

Sunglasses: @gucci

Shirt: @oxfordshop

Blazer: @oxfordshop

Shoes: @connor_clothing

Pants: @boohooMANofficial

Socks: @paulsmithdesign

Shoes: @oxfordshop

Watch: @roamer_watches_belux

Ring: vintage find

I believe every man should have a bold red blazer. It is perfect in creating fresh looks, like this one I wore to Virgin Australian Melbourne Fashion Festival. Do you like nautical looks? If so, perfect with a striped blue Tshirt underneath.

Sunglasses: @oxfordshop

Blazer: @bossinimenswear

Shirt: @oxfordshop

Pants: @manuelritzofficial

Bag: @viviennewestwoodofficial

Shoes: @cesarepaciotti

Ring: vintage find

Watch: @roamer_watches_belux

Bonjour! You do not need to wear head to toe red to stand out. Using Black as a contrast can make a simple striped Tshirt and bandana scarf look new and modern. 

Sunglasses: @lespecs

Blazer: @oxfordshop

Shirt: @iuter

Pants: @connor_clothing

Bag: @doucals

Shoes: @adidasau

Scarf & ring: vintage finds

Watch: @roamer_watches_belux

A true wardrobe classic, the perfect trench coat. In a bright bold colour 

it is easier to create lots of different looks. True fact: The trench coat was originally developed for soldiers in World War I. The streets are the new battle grounds, so dress accordingly! 

Sunglasses: @gucci

Scarf: @frenchconnection_au

Coat: @bossinimenswear 

Pants: @connor_clothing

Gloves: @dentsgloves

Shoes: @ash

6 Restaurants & 4 Cakes

6 Restaurants & 4 Cakes

Monday 20th March

A day working from home, as we try to aim for Mondays means lunch on Main Street! $15 Lunch at Mother Dough. We had the mussels & cherry tomato linguine. Seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. The mussels were fresh and juicy, average sizes, while the pasta was a bit chewier than I prefer, but fine apart from being too salty for me.  

Matt Preston's Nutella Pie-ish Cake

• Chocolate but not very sweet
• Not overpowering sweet - asian friend. Not anywhere as sweet as I thought! 
• Fresh strawberries brings it to life, as all 3 components compliment each other
• Bouncy texture like thick custardy jello/firm. Oh yes it reminds me of pie!

Experimenting in the kitchen we made a three ingredient cake! Well two, but we like to add vanilla, even though it seemed to make no difference in this recipe... To share a recipe my rule is that it has to be just right, and made at least twice. This one's ready. 

Tuesday

It's $16 pizza night at Sugo! Delicious and reasonably priced we can't wait to return!

Over to the Astor we saw a movie set during the war, tis alright and depressing, no dress or hair porn though. No where as uplifting and amazing as 'Hidden Figures' the last movie we saw. As depressing as the choc top was disappointing, with the stale cone.

Wednesday

A revisit to Huxtaburger Hawthorn, it's completely different from last time where service wasn't great and it was ran by asians. Think of the city kfcs that only hire international asians.

Britney $14

Grilled chicken, avocado, aioli, cheese, lettuce and tomato.

Delicious as always though Betty's is on par, perhaps better than Hux?

Beauty & The Beast - Girl's Night Out Event

Checking out the showbags. Sadly no program/postcard/flyer or any relevant merch, but there's food (stuff you can buy at Safeway) and some sachets of beauty samples and eyeshadow. Kinda disappointing after the amazing one at the last event we attended. Granted it was years ago (we saw the Devil Wears Prahran) - oh I just realized we saw that back home. I suppose it's more guy friendly? :P We were hoping for cookies/macarons and little edible treats.

The movie was great! Not as stunning as the french one, but magical in its own way!  We loved the dinner song and Gaston in particular, his best man/servant. LeFou is the original Elder Cunningham and Olaf the Snowman! The beast looks more like a goat/Krampus than lion... 

1597 was when shakesphere published romeo & juliet, though there's a 1750s roccoco style castle. Set during the Georgian era but after Victoria with Shakespeare (these two do boarder each other). At the castle time froze but the village people, some of them were related to the cursed servants? Why did the enchantress live as an outcast in the village?

It was set in France, they moved to the country because of the plague in Paris, though back Belle's family appear to have been poor. That or attics are as expensive as they are today in the city. 

The ball at the start was stunning! With all the powdered white wigs, so when the curse broke they were white but for the end party they wore black wigs??

Overall it was great and the beast gets a song too! They bonded over their love of books, being mother-less and Belle being the only girl in the village who could read, also her desire to travel. Highly recommend! We loved H has Belle, who's just as bright and brave!

Quotes
She's the prettiest girl in town, that makes her the best! XD
Screw your courage to the sticking-place - Gaston/Lady mb

Plot Summary

Thursday

The ABCs of time management. Gosh I wished we did this stuff at school! Sure I can plan, but then I get overwhelmed or one thing runs late making everything else late. Eg. Someone got hit by the train, even though I was to arrive at the theatre 30mins early but didn't make it till intermission. Trains were frozen, boom gates down and cars were at a stand still. No one was going anywhere tonight on this side of the city.

Me - I have a cape!
Him - Don't you already have one?
Me - Not one that's a blazer hybird. And it was $50 on sale.

One of the last ones I tracked when I saw the post, posted 20mins ago. It was meant to be as there was only one in my size in the city! Don't you love it when that happens?

Tip - If you see something you like go try it on and be certain of your size. Then add it tp your bookmarks tab, use java to email you when the page/price is edited. Using this I rarely ever pay full price. 

"...when they are pulling your teeth out it sounds like chicken bones snapping and you can hear the crackle of the tooth giving way and splintering. They grab your head and they really pull hard. It's all manual and very physical. A horrifying experience to say the least!"

". At one point the nurse was holding my head in place while he went to town with the pliers/cracker thing."

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/05/23/the-survival-guide-to-getting-your-wisdom-teeth-removed

I chickened out and moved it to next month...

Instead of the dentist we had dinner at Angliss.

Friday

So close but so far, I'm starting to think it's display only...

Meetings, a stop by goodwill, to the closed bookshelf at the tram, to the house to make a cake (well pie, nutella pie), cleaned then to dinner. We were going to a bar but it was dark, loud and overwhelming so we took a stroll and picked somewhere random. Discussions of which point when it [life] all started to go downhill.

Work in progress, twice in a fortnight, that's about as much cake as I can handle. :P

My first HSP (because they don't make them in kid size servings, like that size at LOTF, but I hate fake meat). This one's $15 from Hellenic Bite, meat (chicken and lamb) on chips with garlic, bbq and chili sauce. It was delicious! We also had a $6 salad which was average and not particularly recommended with Coles on the same block (their potato salad is the best). It was very hot inside the eatery, oddly so.

Saturday

Too many events, too little time!

10.30 for 11am start. Damn I thought it started at 10.30am, as it clashes with my 11am. On the way we discovered a book exchange, in the beauty garden. Ironic location isn't it?  XD No beauty and the beast books though. Fruit and hot dogs for brunch? Something the boys would like, and not the usual cakes it was a bit on the diy side. Over to a makeup demo, 3 looks 15 mins each using 5 or less products. Chatting up a model on her fav off duty pieces, relating to the audience though the limited travel wardrobe. Too mainstream for me.
Lunch at Rice Workshop. Teriyaki chicken ramen $10.50. The broth was rich and creamy. Most of the chicken wasn't chewy. Springy noodles maggi sized though not taste.
Good basic if there's no ramen places in the area.

At Sacca's Fruit World we found $6 trays of strawberries! 8 boxes, so around 75c each. On their way out, still good for jams and smoothies. We sorted, washed, cut and froze them. Got a large pot of the first round ones.

Up to Camberwell from the french fete, for the kids it wasn't my thing. It's your first started food festival with a petting zoo, games, auctions/raffles, food, music and the likes. No snow cones sadly, but there was a pre-wrapped bake sale. I was hoping to get an assorted plate of classic Australian party food but they didn't have that. We Had the jam drop cookies, too soft and retro inspired with the custard yellow. I was after chocolate crackles, real rum balls and honey joys. But they didn't have any of that, unless you're after enough to serve a family of 10.

Back at the house to pack before going out to a concert, we crashed. Turns out I can't do a morning and evening event on the same day... and lesson learnt: always choose music over fashion.

Sunday
6.30 start, leaving at 5.45am we made it! The moon was still in the sky, peaking 28 at 5pm?! Peaks are normally 10am. We volunteered, meet some awesome people and had a lovely view of the school from across the river! Lots of parrots/love birds and pretty little birds. at the end of the line we have magpies and noisy minors, sometimes pigeons

As we were close by, by north taking a fork in the road we visited my favorite cake shop, green refectory. Look for lonely hearts $2, yesterday's cake. Tastes just fine, even better at $2! When does it happen? I'm not sure, normally it's just muffins, but today there were three slices! We bought two pavs and a mars bar cheesecake to share, as we're going home

To the left is St Vincents, so many colourful dresses! Alas the one I like wasn't my size. A fancy one though just $12. We didn't get a picture as it was too crowded. Apparently people steal from goodwill, as the dresses were tied to the rack! Also of interest was this cookbook/picture book! We used to love Huey, sadly that was until we met him.

How was your week?

Wardrobe Staple: Denim Jackets

Wardrobe Staple: Denim Jackets

WEAR YOUR FAVOURITE JEAN JACKET ALL YEAR LONG

A denim jacket has been an essential part of my wardrobe for as long as I can remember. I can’t imagine trying to dress for spring and fall without it. A denim jacket is a basic wardrobe staple which makes every outfit look totally differently. That's a very versatile piece, as you can wear it over a laid-back sweatshirt, plain white cotton tee, denim pants, wear with simple long necklace, or you can go for a girlish and chic look, wearing cocktail dress and sparkling, trendy accessories.

Thanks to its versatility and practicality, you can wear it for various events, day or night. Denim jackets are hailed as an essential for your casual wardrobe, and if you haven’t quite figured out the various ways of styling this outerwear staple, here are a few awesomely simple ideas:

Personally, I like a denim jacket that is slightly cropped and has some shaping through the waist area. The piece can easily be layered up to combat the cold or left open and loose to sit as a comfortable top layer in a spring ensemble.

Just like jeans, denim jackets come in all shades of blue. (And other colours, although blue is definitely the most common.) A jacket in a medium wash denim is the most versatile and can be dressed up or down. If you're looking for "smarter" autumn and winter jacket, try a dark wash. Due to the darker colour, they usually look more polished.

You can wear double denim, but it definitely comes with a warning note. Make sure the tones of blue are different, so you are not matchy-matchy. It also helps if your top is longer in-between so it breaks up the denim.

Pair it with a white lace dress and boots to put a classic boho touch on a feminine look or To make your denim jacket more fancy, you can wear it with sequins and heels. It’s a fun mix for going out.

Make a maxi dress work for spring or fall by wearing it with a cropped denim jacket or Paired with a turtleneck and a maxi skirt, your jean jacket can easily give your outfit a ’70s vibe. 

Pair your denim jacket with stripes, plaid shirts, and colourful pants – any of them is a classic spring look.

A classic denim jacket hits at hip length, which is ideal for pairing with jeans or pants, since it won't cut you off at the waist. A cropped denim jacket is a good choice if you want to wear it with skirts and dresses, as the shorter length visually raises your waist and elongates your legs. Just don't go too short, as it can look a little dated! Ideally, the hem will hit right around your belly button.

Comfort is key. You want your jacket to be tran-seasonal and have enough room to layer underneath. If you are always on the run, picking up kids or chasing the dog, ideally choose a jacket that has a touch of stretch (elastane) in the fabric. 

SHOP MY PICKS

1. H&M Denim jacket R 429

2. Mr Price - Embroidered Denim Rider R180.00

3. Mango Decorative rips denim jacket - R949 (on sale)

4. Forever New - Zoe badged denim jacket vintage R899.00

STREET STYLE INSPIRATION

ZANDO - LEVI’S ® ZIP FRONT TRUCKER RECORD BLUE  R 1599

ZANDO - LONDON HUB FASHION DENIM JACKET DARK WASH R 699

ZANDO - London Hub Fashion Denim Jacket Light Wash  R 699

ZANDO - All About Eve Zeggie Bomber Blue R 1449

Available @ Superbalist - Chris badge denim jacket R699

Available @ Superbalist - Miri denim destroy jacket R899

Available @ Spree - Denim Jacket with Chain and Pearl Details Blue

Photo credit: theimpression.com

Photo credit: @timuremek_photography 

Photo credit: showpo.com

Photo credit: elleapparelblog.com

Photo credit: theteacherdiva

Photo credit: tesschristinexo

Photo credit: Fashion Anarchy

Photo credit: little blonde book

Photo credit: Kristy Who

Photo credit: Getty Images

Photo credit: Getty Images

Photo credit: Stuff She Likes

Photo credit: Babes In Velvet

Selena Gomez denim jacket street style

Photo credit: Rose and Ivy journal

Photo credit: Chic Wish

Photo credit: Feed Puzzle

As you can see, the possibilities for styling a denim jacket are virtually endless. I love denim – it’s so easy just to throw over pretty much any weekend casual outfit.


Till' next time xo





WHAT DO YOU THINK?