How to 'toughen up' (or dress down) a pink and/or girly dress

Are you one of those people that looks a really pretty and feminine dress and thinks: "Oh, how beautiful! If only I could wear something like that", but feels they could never wear something that girly?  I am one of them.  Not my sister, she wears girly, frilly, lacy and floral with not one moment's hesitation, even with strappy feminine sandals.

Or, perhaps you have a beautiful dress hanging in your closet but feel you can only wear them on the rare 'formal' occasion?

Either way, for those who would like to wear a feminine girly dress (and yes, even in pink), here are some ideas on how I would wear it.  For some reason I don't feel comfortable in a girly feminine dress and strappy high heels, I need to pair them with something sporty or 'biker chic', or roughen it up a little.

Case in point: this beautiful and romantic pink broderie anglaise dress by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, via Avenue 32.  As you may know by now, I am a huuuuuge fan of online shopping, and Avenue 32 is one of all-time favourite stores.  Not only do they stock some of my favourite designers (Roksanda, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Maticevski), but also amazing new designers that I absolutely love discovering (e.g. Litkovskaya, Anna K, and more).

 Pink and pretty: Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini broderie anglaise dress

 I loved mixing the delicate and feminine broderie anglaise with some texture, like fur (and further down, leather), and tough 'motorcycle' boots

Jacket: Dries Van Noten (old), Boots: Balenciaga, Dress: Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini (available at Avenue 32)

Pair a feminine dress with a little something sporty, I'm a big fan of bombers, and this is my new favourite, from Zara (!), love its beautiful embroidery!

I paired the dress with two sporty pieces, the bomber jacket and my trusty sneakers...I live in flats and sneakers, comfort is paramount, and not just for my feet, I feel more comfortable in my own skin too...

Dress: Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini (available at Avenue 32), Jacket: Zara, Sneakers: Adidas x Topshop (similar here)

 Nothing like a good black leather jacket to pair with a girly dress...my Helmut Lang jacket is one of my favourite buys of 2015, it goes with almost everything!

 Frilly details...

 And of course, one of my favourite footwear choice for a feminine dress: none at all, cozing up at home with a sweater thrown over, or barefoot on a beach (I will be bringing this dress with me to Byron Bay next week), love the contrast of cozy with girly...

In a nutshell, my favourite pieces to wear with a feminine dress are:

*Sporty-chic jackets like bombers, and silk hooded jackets

*Leather motorcycle jackets Faux-fur or denim jackets 

*Oversized chunky knit cardigans

* Tee-shirt, turtleneck or fine knit crewneck sweater under the dress

*Footwear of choice: mid-heel boots (with a chunky heel, like Isabel Marant Dicker boots), sneakers, Oxfords (like my favourite Dieppa Restrepo Cali oxfords), perhaps flat strappy sandals.

How about you, how do you wear your pink and/or feminine dresses? 

Outdoor photography by: Kevin Khaw

Indoor photography: me

Happy Friday everyone!
x
CC

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My two cents on (portable) scents

So woo hoo, I am back in warmer climates, having escaped Australian Winter (which can be quite cold where I live), for the perennial warm weather in South East Asia.

This month will be a hectic one, travel-wise, and I'm not complaining one bit (I am an eternal wanderluster).  Four countries in four weeks, starting with Malaysia, then on to Thailand, followed by a few days in Singapore before I head home. I will have less than 24 hours at home, as I fly out the next day for New Zealand!

Traveling with two little ones for the South East Asian portion of my trip means I will be packing as light as I can.  The great thing about traveling to warmer climate means lightweight clothes and compact shoes like sandals and thongs, yay! I have also downsized my toiletries, packing my favourite Sunday Riley oil in a sample dropper bottle, and cleansing wipes instead of bringing my cleanser.  Usually I will pick just one perfume (not that I have that many, my two favourites are Prada D'Iris and Serge Lutens's Fleur D'oranger), but this time I have packed some Impulse Fragrances instead.  The great thing about them is that they're so lightweight, and don't require my usual careful wrapping (to protect a glass bottle) then placing them in a ziploc bag (to prevent spillage).  They are also so easy to pop into your handbag for a top-up when out and about for the day (which is much appreciated in hot humid weather!).

I used to associate Impulse with deodorizers, but they are a perfume in a spray (the first of its kind), having received a makeover mid-2014 by one of the top fragrance experts in the world, Anne Gottlieb (who in the last 22 years has crafted some of the world's best loved scents including CK Obsession, Eternity and CK One, Marc Jacobs Daisy, and one of my favourites, Christian Dior J'adore).

My favourite kind of scent is the kind that is discreet, and  makes me smell clean and fresh, like I just came out of the shower (which is why I love my Prada D'Iris), and I have found my match in Impulse's 'Merely Musk', which blends lime and sandalwood to produce a clean and fresh perfume, that is unexpectedly discreet, fresh and floral.

What about you, what kind of scents do you prefer? Fruity? Floral? Oriental?

 Overnight leather bag: Nomadic (weekender available from The Iconic), Handbag: Balenciaga (available at Net-a-Porter), Sandals: Birkenstock all-black leather (available at The Iconic, Nordstrom, The Dreslyn, Need Supply and Barneys), Camera: Instax Mini Neo 90 (available at Selfridges and Urban Outfitters), Watch: Larsson Jennings (available at Matches Fashion, Net-a-Porter and ), Hat: Lack of Color Boater (available at Free People and Need Supply)

Lightweight and inexpensive, you can throw any of these 9 fragrances in your bag and off you go..

 Daily essentials.

Overalls: Zara (sold out online, but similar one here), Tank: Gap, Hat: Lack of Color Boater (wide brim version available at Free People and Need Supply), Bag: Balenciaga (available at Net-a-Porter), Espadrilles: Chanel, Fragrance: Impulse


You can find Impulse fragrance at Priceline. 

And more info on:

Instagram - @ImpulseFragranceAUS
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/myimpulseImpulse 
Impulse Website - http://www.impulsefragrances.com.au/ 


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Gingham and fries before guys

I'm afraid I stole the title for my post from a comment left (not for me) under this photo I posted on Instagram last night:

It was too funny not to share.

Remember when I posted about this gingham ensemble from Zara a little while back? Well, I couldn't resist it nor these 'pony hair' flats in navy and blush...just like I can't resist McDonald's fries.

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Curating Zara's new Spring 2015 Lookbook

Ah Zara...I never shop in your stores because I get overwhelmed by the racks and racks of clothes on display, none that look as good as it does on your beautiful website on your beautiful models...This is why I am foolish enough to purchase from your online store instead, then pay ridiculous mail forwarding fees from the US to Australia? Ridiculous of me? Yes, it is...but so far I have been happy with all my purchases!

These caught my eye as I browsed the lookbook that arrived in my inbox this morning, some of them are already in my 'shopping bag', which I'm about to click 'buy' on:

 The tassels will drive me nuts but I'm sure I'll sort something out, I absolutely love this top as it reminds me of a sweater dress I have and love, but in an even more wearable option!

 Love this long waistcoat but wish it weren't Polyester...

 Ok, am a huge 'check' fan, might just have to go and get this whole ensemble, love it! Wishing my pins were as long as this model's though!

One more pic of this top...just because...

All pics via www.zara.com

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Zara shopping spree - sale now on!

So today marks the start of the coldest month here Down Under...clearly I seem to be in denial about that fact as I have gone a mini-shopping spree at Zara, all Spring and Summer pieces! Bar the first and last piece below, all other items are/were on sale, and I have a few pieces for the little ones on their way too:

 Zara unstructured jacket with pockets -

Ah, Instagram...I first saw this picture below on Zara's official Instagram page, fell in love, and quickly noted the item number and added it to my shopping cart.  One of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe is a silk chiffon hoodie jacket I've had for oh, well over 10 years.  Even though this lacks the hood, it has that same casual luxe sporty vibe I love:

Cardigan with patch pockets

I've had my eye on this jacket for a few weeks now, as it has been sitting in my 'shopping bag' for a few weeks now.  Another favourite piece of mine is a yellow D&G tweed blazer/jacket, but this sportier take on the yellow tweed is too much to resist.  Love that it looks like a Chanel boucle meet a sporty bomber, with the lovely white trims to freshen it up even more:

Cut Work Skirt

I plan on teaming the jacket above with this skirt below (and of course other bottoms).  I usually shy away from white, as much as I love it, because it gets dirty by me simply looking at it, but I couldn't resist this, I love that it looks feminine yet 'clean' and funky:

Flared studio skirt

Flared skirts were my favourite items in my wardrobe, and this fabric reinvents it with a fresh funky minimal flair...

Adjustable pearl ring:

Ah, so I have the bracelet, I couldn't resist getting the ring too:

all pics via zara.com

Have you gone crazy at Zara this season too (this is my 2nd installment of purchases from this collection, yikes)! Which pieces did you get (or want to get)?

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Zara Spring 2014 Lookbook - L O V E !

Oh my! The Zara Spring 2014 lookbook looks like a marriage between Celine and Chloe, and I have several of the items below in my 'shopping cart', with some items selling out already, doh!

Have you guys bought anything from their lookbook? Or seen any of these in real life? I know it's one thing seeing it beautifully styled here, and another when seeing it on a rack in store, which is why I find online shopping so much more appealing, haha (plus I never find what I want in store, and can't keep checking in to see if new stock has arrived), wished we had an online store in Australia!

all images via www.zara.com

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Seed Heritage striped espadrilles

I don't go into actual stores very often, but it's always so fun going into a Seed store, as the visual merchandising in the store is just gorgeous! The store sells baby, kids and women's clothing (I usually go for the kids clothing)

How cute are these headbands?

Even though I mostly go to Seed for the little ones, one day I found a scarf that soon became one of my favourite scarves, and I've always checked out their scarves since, as they always have a gorgeous range...  I recently caught wind that they had a wicked two-toned leather espadrille out (sold out online immediately), so I made an effort to go in store.  No leather espadrilles left (except for a size 41), but these were in store.

 I tried one to figure out sizing...

 They looked so cute on, I had to bring them home with me, and I could immediately picture them with so many outfits:

Look 1: Maje black dress, Celine Trio, Swisslegend watch, Jimmy Fairly sunglasses, Ek Thongprasert bracelet

 Look 2: Sincerely Jules 'Viva la Moda' tee (available here), Chanel Boy bag, Zara denim shorts, Ray Ban folding wayfarer sunglasses

I got to wear them on Sunday (Father's Day here Down Under) which I'll share about in the next post.

Happy Hump Day everyone!


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I'm back! With Instatravel Diary Part 1 - Paris

Bad blogger, bad blogger!

I am so so sorry for going MIA for as long as I have.  Paris/France was much busier than I thought it'd be (which was very nice for a change), and the only night I had access to a computer with internet was the night I had to pack my suitcase...

I had an amazing time, met amazing people (Nathalie, Olivier & Jeremy: here's looking at you), met my favourite Haute Couture designer Yiqing Yin and was blown away by her show (as well as backstage), ate incredible food (too much!), spent priceless time with my family, traveled to Champagne and Provence (and 2 days in London), did a spot of shopping (more on that sometime later), and just had an absolute blast!

I got back late last week and jet-lag has been horrendous (still is, especially since Lil Brigs #2 has been sleeping terribly too).  I have been meaning to share some of my 2,000 or so photos, but I accidentally deleted my Photoshop! With my pictures take in RAW form it'd take forever to upload them, so until I have that sorted, I thought I'd share some of my Instagram pics.  I still hope/intend on sharing my actual camera pictures (I took a few snaps of fashionistas I often feature on this blog!), and I know a few of you may have seen these already, but since not everyone's on Instagram, here is my first installment (in a reverse chronological order, just to be extra confusing - start from the bottom going from right to left):

So working from bottom to top, right to left:

1. Cool flooring at London's 'Duck & Waffle'
2. Cool bottles hanging from the ceiling of 'Duck & Waffle'
3. Haute Couture show invites
4. View from the apartment in Le Marais (opposite Martin Grant's 'institute')
5. View from the apartment in Le Marais
6. Backstage pass to Yiqing Yin's Haute Couture show
7. View from my bedroom
8. What I wore (Saba top, Zara skort, Nike & Chanel reissue)
9. Inside Dries Van Noten's flagship store
10. Plaid at Dries Van Noten
11. New collection at Dries Van Noten
12. Late night gateaux
13. Outfit (Chloe dress, Dries Van Noten clutch)
14. Outside Grand Palais - Chanel Haute Couture
15. Heading to Stephane Rolland's Couture show
16. Backstage pass to Stephane Rolland
17. Waiting for bus to go to Julien Fourne's Couture show
18. Beautiful invite to Oscar Carvallo's Couture show
19. Late night dessert at the apartment
20. Outfit worn to day 3 (standing outside for Serkan Cura's Couture show - 3.1 Phillip Lim rosette dress, Isabel Marant Betty sneakers & Chanel bag)
21. Serkan Cura 'Constellation'
22. Instavideo of the Serkan Cura show
23. Lunch - melted goats chevre salad
24. Backstage at Yiqing Yin's Couture show 25. Ditto

If you haven't already, you can join me on Instagram here. 

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What I wore today: Bonjour! OOTD and FOTD...

Been on Instagram a bit too much: 

FOTD: 1. NARS concealer duo ginger/custard, 2. Benefit Brow Zings, 3. NARS bronzer in Casino and 4. Ita brush, 5. NARS blush Exhibit A and 6. Yachiyo brush, 7. Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill stretch lengthening mascara, 8. Shu Uemura eyelash curler,  9. Chanel Illusion D'ombre Mirifique e/s and 10. NARS #15 Smudge brush, 11. Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation and 12. Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani #400 heavily sheered out (as I couldn't find my Sheer #4 lipstick I usually use) - all this yet I for a 'natural' look!

1. Three Floor Ginta embroidered jacket 2. ASOS Bonjour striped top 3. Zara black skort

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What I'm wearing today: Zara embroidered bomber jacket and Isabel Marant Bobby sneakers

After seeing these pics I changed into my larger-sized bomber, I think I like it slouchier when worn with sneakers...

I didn't actually crop my face out, my camera did...I'm terrible with tripods!

Was going to wear my Zara skort today, then swiftly changed my mind on seeing how horrendously pale my legs are...

1. Zara embroidered bomber jacket (was lazy and borrowed previous pics from here - it was too hard getting the camera to focus properly with the timer function!)
2. Bonds neat raglan t-shirt (bought for $15!)
3. Topshop Boutique silk jogger pants (sold out, but similar here - am thinking of upgrading mine to these, mine are a bit big, and I have to roll the waistband a few times)
4. Isabel Marant Bobby sneakers in Taupe (available here, and in craie here)

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