Styling The Cerebrum

Today's event should be the last for a while so regular posting will resume soon.  I am totally exhausted and the clip that I wanted to post wont work so I've decided to share with you my favourite flower.

Image courtesy of www.freewebs.com

The marigold. Beautiful, underrated and my favourite.

Styling The Cerebrum

Another day in corporate dress, another post on what's inside my head.

Image courtesy of http://www.heartbreakpublishing.com/

Jack Vettriano is an all time favourite artist of mine. I first fell in love with this image and then explored a little further to find that this incredible man is self taught. The mood that he creates is just so palpable. The women are seductive, the men are masculine and they are both so strong. I love it. I have a book of his called "Lovers and Other Strangers". If you can get a copy of it I highly recommend it. There are few things more indulgent than spending a little time in Jack's world.

Challenge v2

It's a busy week this week. Knowing that I had training all day today and two off site events that will see me in corporate dress this week I felt little inspiration when thinking of what to wear. So, after the success of the last challenge, I asked The Man to choose something from my wardrobe again last night.

He picked this plaid shirt. It's always reminded me of a school uniform and, with training today, I figured what better place to take this outfit than the classroom. 

I've been looking forward to pairing the tweed look of this dress with some flannel when it gets a little cooler but I thought this check would work in the meantime. And it did. I've had these socks for about 2 years but this is the first time I've actually worn them. They are actually thigh high socks and, well, my shape is not exactly conducive to thigh high socks. So they're folded a few times at the knee but it works.

 
And every self respecting school girl needs a matching bow. 

Shirt: Valley Girl
Dress: Trade Secret
Belt: Target
Socks: Sportsgirl
Slip: ?
Shoes: Chemist

Valley Girl

I went to bed last night with no idea what I wanted to wear this morning. I felt a little scared, a little liberated, I wanted to see how I would go with no forward planning. I love what I ended up with but have to be honest, it's a look that I've had in mind for a while. 

I bought this skirt a while back for the J-Pan Fan launch and didn't realise until I got it home and had taken the tags off that the stitching had come undone on some of the pleats. Being that this skirt is all about the architectural pleats I felt that I should get it mended. Which I did but I ended up paying more for the mending than the actual piece. I guess that will teach me to take it to a dry cleaner in the middle of the City. It's all about the 'burbs guys.

Ultimately I am glad I got it fixed though because it feels much stronger and I'm sure I'll get a lot more wear out of it. Today I decided to take it to the 80's. A little Valley Girl influenced if you will, with this fantastic green denim jacket and the trusty pink Keds.

I do not know what is going on with my hair. I used a new conditioner and seriously all it wants to do is hang in thick, heavy curls. As I write this it's all tied up underneath a bandanna but it certainly was a struggle today. I honestly believe my hair has a mind of it's own and once described it as follows:

If I were an illustration in a childrens book my hair would have birds flying around in it and would curl in every conceivable direction. It would make friends as we walked down the street and by the end of the story there would be apartment buildings nestled in there with little old jewish women hanging out washing on the hairs strung between.

Jacket: Valley Girl

Singlet: Kmart

Skirt: Myer

Socks: Stolen from The Man

Shoes: Ross

Orange You Glad

Another example of the boldness/impulse purchasing I exercise at a sale rack. This dress has ruffles, of which I am usually not a fan. Plus its 2-3 sizes too big. But hey, $7? Yes please. This belt fixes the size problem and the toughness prevents the ruffles from being too sweet. Sweet was yesterday. Today I am not sweet. I am tough. Not so tough that it doesn’t hurt when a green ant bites me on the butt though. Ow.

With the extra swooshiness (that’s right) of the skirt that the added size gives I feel a bit like a punk rock princess. Though not like a legitimate one. I know that wearing a studded (though this isn’t even studded) belt doesn’t make you a punk. Don’t get mad Hen. But I think if I was to see this look in a magazine somewhere that’s the lame title they’d give it.

I really wanted some studded flats to pair with it. All these killer heels with zipper and stud details are gorgeous but I am yet to see them translated well, or at all, into flats. If anyone sees any please let me know. I am more than willing to plug my savings into cyberspace if it means I get a gorgeous pair of tough babies to have and to hold. I know what I want in my mind but I still haven’t quite figured out how to make them appear in front of me.

It’s the first game of the AFL season tonight. We’re off to the RSL to watch it with an old friend. $4 Bloody Mary’s here I come!

Bow: Junk shop, customised by Lovers, Saints & Sailors
Cardigan: Was Mum's
Necklace: Cotton On
Dress: Target
Belt: Kmart
Leggings: Dotti
Shoes: Rubi 

Goody Two Shoes

I had a different outfit planned for today. But then I got a message late last night that tonight’s meeting was postponed so I decided to go with a slightly sweeter look that I had grouped together in my wardrobe from a couple of weeks back.

I just love the colours and details of the shoes with these socks. I know The Man is far from a fan of the socks and heels look so when he conceded that it looked cute today I knew I was onto something.

This skirt is very special to me and I’m always happy when I get to wear it. With this pretty embroidered top and the full slip underneath I feel like such a lady. There is something about wearing a slip under clothes that makes me feel like a proper lady. I love to think of the ritual women had in the past with getting dressed. I know that corsets and pantyhose are restrictive and we are ultimately lucky to be able to dress in any manner we please, but the care that went into dressing is alluring to me.

I also enjoy letter writing, cooking, embroidery, jazz and gardening. Hmmm, does anyone have a time machine?

Hair spins: Diva
Top: Jacqui E
Slip: Was Mum’s
Belt: Was Mum’s
Skirt: Witchery
Watch: Customised by Lovers Saints, & Sailors
Socks: Myer
Shoes: Big W

Nearly Not

I ummmed and ahhhed about this dress on the weekend. It was on sale but not as dirt cheap as I got used to paying the weekend before. So I literally stood in the aisle of the store arguing myself in and out of it when The Man stepped in and made the executive decision that I should get it. I think he was itching to move on and knew that if I didn’t get it I’d end up regretting it. Thanks sweetie.

I’m glad that he made me get it now. It’s uber comfortable and the perfect slouchy layering piece. I see many pairings in it’s future come the colder times. Scarves and jackets and tights, oh my!

What better path to take with a slouchy off the shoulder number than the bows and pearls of the 80’s Girl. I almost want to do a Molly Ringwald dance through the hallway at work. And any outfit that makes me think Molly Ringwald is alright by me.

Dress: Kmart
Rosary: gift
Pearls: Klein's customised with bow by Lovers, Saints & Sailors
Belt: Kmart
Bracelets: Rubi
Leggings: Myer
Shoes: Rubi

Do Not Feed After Midnight

Somehow when I got dressed this morning I ended up channelling the old guy that ran the store where The Gremlins came from. Obscure, no? I can’t say that anyone would guess that from looking. Apparently it’s not as obvious as The Cat in The Hat. Lord knows how it crept into my mind but there it is.

This is an outfit from my past self. Who, it appears, was rather productive over the weekend because there were 4 potential outfits to choose from when I peered into my wardrobe this morning. Nice one.

It actually worked out even better than I originally thought. I've mentioned before that this skirt is not the most forgiving in that it is high waisted, zips and buttons at the front giving an extra, and rather unwelcome, paunch. So finding the right balance of flowy and flattering at the top can be a challenge. But lo and behold, the battle has been won.

This time...

Chopsticks: ?
Earrings: Diva
Top: Thrifted
Singlet (underneath): Witchery
Watch: Customised by Lovers, Saints & Sailors
Skirt: Target
Shoes: Big W

Hello Sailor

Ok, where do I start? I got such a reaction to my outfit at work today that I actually had to write them all down. Here we go: 3 x Pippy Longstockings, 1 x Sailor, 1 x Cat in The Hat. My boss actually shielded her eyes when she saw me. Tremendous. I was going for a sailor look today, so congratulations Ms Panettone, you win.

I realised yesterday that I have worn black and white all week so today I decided to buck the trend. I bought this dress as part of my epic sale haul last weekend. I just love it. I can honestly say that I had decided to buy it whether it fit or not such is my love of all things sailor. And then it fit! Oh joy of joys.

It just begged to be paired with these socks. If you ask me, you can never have too many stripes going on. Throw some spots into the equation and you’re speaking my language.

Someone at work this morning questioned what time I wake up to get dressed like this and whether I choose my outfits the night before. The answer to those is that I don’t get up exceptionally early at all. Sometimes I plan an outfit the night before, sometimes I have a vague idea and literally pull things from hangers and drawers in the morning until I hit the sweet spot. Often I know as soon as I buy something what I want to do with it. For example when I bought this dress I immediately thought of 4 or 5 ways to wear it (one involves a denim jacket – come on winter! And if my boss thinks that the striped socks are a clash just wait until I break out the plaid tights).

Perhaps the best comment of today was learning that one of the guys at work actually delayed heading into an all day course until I got in this morning because he enjoys seeing what I wear every day. Thanks dude. I’ve broken the gender divide!

Scarf: Myer
Sunglasses: Myer
Shirt: Gift
Dress: Myer
Necklace: Gift
Slip: ?
Socks: Hand me down
Shoes: Chemist

Styling The Cerebrum

Being that I'm not sharing today's outfit with you (see yesterday for explanation), I thought I'd share something else instead. By now you well and truly know what I like cover myself with on the outside, this however is what I like to wear on the inside, in my mind. These posts, friends, are about what makes me, me.  Enjoy.

 
I cannot tell you how many times I have rewound the part where Duckie slides through the door. It cracks me up every time.  Apologies for the poor volume but it was the best I could find. If you haven't seen Pretty in Pink (where have you been?!?) then I recommend acquiring it immediately.

Rorschach Dress

The Man said he could see a monsters face in this dress this morning. I could see a bargain ($10 down from $100 ya’ll). Thus it has been dubbed “The Rorschach Dress”. I always wanted to do a Rorschach test. The pictures look so pretty and I’d be interested to know if I saw a sheep or a steeple. And ultimately what that would mean anyhow.

I don’t usually wear strapless dresses. This really is the week for trying new things huh? But when I saw it on the sale rack (apparently sales make me adventurous) I knew I could do something with it. It’s so light and floaty that it’s perfect for layering.

I love the balance in textures here with the shiny of the dress and vest and the jersey of the T and leggings.

Now, I have an event at work tomorrow that will require me to be dressed excessively corporately and will also keep me away from the computer. Rather than subject us both to the unpleasantness of either a pictureless blog, no blog, or *gasp* pictures of the ensemble, I have scheduled a little somethin' somethin' for tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Sunglasses: Myer
Vest: Igedo
T: Jay Jays
Necklace: Gift
Dress: Myer
Belt: Cue
Leggings: Myer
Shoes: Rubi

Heavy Metal

Today’s outfit is something a little different to what I’m used to. I spent the day holed up in a room at the office putting together stuff for our work event on Thursday. I wanted something comfortable, casual, but still pulled together. 

These shorts and the cardi type top are both from my epic weekend score. I’ve worn high waisted shorts only once before with moderately disastrous results and it scared me off until I found these guys for $7.50 at Myer. For $7.50 I was prepared to give it another shot. Aren’t I charitable?

Anyway, I like it. I think. They’re comfortable and I feel like there is enough drape to it all that I don’t look like an upside down light bulb.

I added some metal to toughen the whole thing up. And with the amount of studs and spikes around at the moment it’s not hard to find inspiration. Even the belt went metal. I really think the bow really works to add a certain something to it all.

Before I go, I thought I’d share The Man’s thoughts on today’s ensemble with you.

The Man: You look like Batman
Me: What? Batman. Why?
The Man: I don’t know, you’re just Batman
Me: Sweetie, I don’t see any way that telling a girl she looks like Batman can be translated to a compliment.

I know, right?


Cardi: Myer
Necklace: Gift
Shirt: Was Mum’s
Shorts: Myer
Belt: Sportsgirl
Ring: Some website somewhere…
Bracelets: Macy*s
Shoes: Rubi

Ch-ch-ch-ch-choices

Heya gang. Back at it for another week. I had a really awesome weekend that was made exceptionally awesome by some hard core luck on the sale front. Epic amounts of win guys. I got nine new pieces of clothing and what happened this morning? I had a total clothing crisis.

Do you ever have that problem? When there is so much choice that you just can’t decide? I did settle on one new thing though, these wicked spotted stockings. I saw them in the new Emporium and just had. to. have. them. They’re super comfy too which is just great because nothing kryptonites an outfit and my mood like an uncomfortable pair of stockings.

I had 2 separate people comment on how “reserved” and “conservative” I look today. Really? But the tights, they’re spotty. The ring, it’s oversized. The pearls… really? Totally not what I was going for. I guess they meant conservative for me. One of the comments was from my boss who sounded surprised and a little disappointed. Awesome, she must love me in my madness!

I’m really comfortable and liking what’s been done here. The Man called it a little 80’s which I can appreciate. The weather is just perfect for this amount of layering. Come to think of it I think these stockings are officially my first for the year. And let me tell you, there’s gonna be plenty more where they came from.

Blazer: Target
Dress: Target
Tights: Target
I’m sensing a theme here…
Necklace: Klein’s
Rings: Gift
Bracelet: Rubi
Shoes: Rubi
Bow in hair: Customised from Junk Store

Queen of Hearts

Again, please excuse the lateness of this post. I think we all just need to accept that it's Friday and come Friday my rampant social life (hehe) will not always allow for timely posts.
 

Moving on. I'm in love. I had a slightly different variation of this outfit in mind this morning. I'd paired the dress and socks with cuffed dark denim jeans but I couldn't get the shoes to work. So I ditched the jeans in favour of a slip and the whole happy accident just came together beatifully.
 

I've had the most fantastic evening full of great company, great food, awesome music and the most divine clothes I've ever laid eyes on. All in all tonight is going to go down in the diary as a night to remember.
 

Dress: Myer
Belt: Cotton On
Socks: Sydney Markets?
Shoes: Chemist

Challenge

Today’s outfit was a fun exercise. Last night after staring blankly into my wardrobe I asked The Man to choose a piece that I would then build an outfit around. He chose this shirt (which come to think of it is mustard!) and I went from there.

I had noticed the similarity in the print on these 2 pieces when they were both drying on the line a few weeks back and filed the potential combination in the back of my mind. This challenge was the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl.

There are a lot of my favourite elements at play here. Layers, pattern mixing, visible slip. I also like the strong shoulder that has come together here. The length of the dress sleeves paired with the shape underneath gives it a surprisingly structured silhouette.

Best of all, He loved what I did with it. We’ll definitely do it again, it was a lot of fun. Give it a try, I'd love to hear how you went.

Shirt: Thrifted
Dress: Melrose Ave
Belt: Thrifted
Slip: ?
Shoes: Rubi