White veil occasions.

Last year one of my best friends from primary school got married! The wedding was really lovely, in a pretty garden with a few close friends and family. It was hard not to be emotional about seeing how far your friends have come and how much they've grown - and reflect on everything you've been through together! My friend looked so beautiful in her Disney-inspired dress; both bride and groom were just glowing with happiness. I felt very privileged to share their wonderful moment with them. <3

This is my go-to dress for formal occasions. It's so reliable; I just love it. It's from Forever New. Nude heels from Famous Footwear. Bronze purse from K-Mart. x

Technical difficulties.

Dear computer. Stop requiring updates. It's getting annoying. 

I have tons to catch up on here; sorry for falling behind. Blame my computer. Anyway, this was what I wore early March to a cute date night with boyfie. We were meant to go out for Japanese food and use some gold class tickets we were given, but Hail Caesar! ended up being fully booked (that's what we get for not booking), so instead we went for kebabs at our local greasy diner and a two hour stroll through our newly refurbished K-Mart. That place has really pulled its socks up. So much cool stuff! We found a shiny galloping-white-horses and sparkly-rainbows onesie. Nothing else could really top that.

This dress is from Coco-Latte quite a few years ago. It was seriously about fifteen dollars. I was inspired by Brooklyn to dig out something vintage-cut. The white panel socks came from Shibuya109 in Shibuya. I have the same in black. And the brown t-bar mary janes... I don't remember! But they were bought at Payless Shoes.I really like them. They're a bit quirky. x

Mars power, make up!

Pretty much by complete chance, I ended up invited to my manager's birthday party. In Cranbourne. With a bunch of people I don't know, and that she also didn't know. It happened last week, when she showed me a snapchat of her dressed up as Sailor Mercury, and when I asked what it was for she said her birthday. And then she immediately invited me, and when she asked if I had a costume I couldn't lie, because I do and here it is, and it was too perfect so I couldn't not go, even though I had work that day and that would make us (boyfie came too - what a champ) late. So we went. And we were late.

It was a pretty decent party, actually, even though her cousin (the only person she knew) and all her friends were dressed up like famous movie axe murderers, which was utterly terrifying and made us look awkwardly, obviously out of place. They were nice people though, and they'd ordered - kid you not - fifty pizzas and a tower of garlic bread loaves. I've never seen so much pizza. It was heaven. Despite how weird things got (watching your tiny manager play beer pong dressed as Sailor Mercury tops the list), it was fun - until their dog (they brought their dog to the party) ate rat poison and had to be rushed to the emergency vet hospital. Several hours and much vomiting later, he was fine, and we drove them back to the party, then scarpered for home. Shit got real. The night was not at all what I expected. I'm sure we'll all laugh about it fondly one day.

This amazing dress is an imitation of a limited edition range Living Dead Clothing ran last year. Unfortunately the authentic one was too expensive for me at the time, so I had to get this rip off from eBay. It's pretty good, considering. Rei is my favourite sailor scout. It's impossible not to love Usagi, but Rei is just mint. She's so driven and passionate, and she's stunning. So badass. My wig isn't a perfect match for Rei's hair, but I'll invest in a better one at some point. This one was for my gender-bent Ash Ketchum cosplay for PAX Aus last year. I think it did all right. Sensational red pumps are from Famous Footwear. I also wore elbow-length white gloves from my debutante, but I'd forgotten to put them on here. Mars fire, ignite! x

Happy b'day, boyfie.

Boyfie's birthday couldn't have had better weather. It was warm and sunny and we were outside all day, catching up on some vitamin D. Our idea of a good time generally involves copious amounts of our favourite foods, and I'm one of those assholes who feels compelled to photograph everything I eat that looks nice on a plate, so prepare yourself for the onslaught of food pics. You were warned. 

I presented boyfie with his birthday present and mandatory birthday cheesecake, then shoved him in my car and we hit the freeway for Cheltenham, for a come-and-try session at AIM archery. Can archery. Was fun. It was the perfect day for ice cream, but Cold Rock was CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE WORK ON BOYFIE'S BIRTHDAY ONLY, so we zoomed up to Glen Waverley for Nitro Lab instead, which was a good decision. If you haven't tried the Fererro Rocher concoction yet, you definitely should. It's their best invention to date. We'd skipped lunch doing archery, so since we were already there it seemed silly not to share a bowl of Japanese curry (because katsu curry is life). From there, we were supposed to head into the city on the train, but we couldn't be bothered, so instead we headed over to Box Hill to Good Games to look at Pathfinder stuff and play a Magic the Gathering pack war. And buy cute Pokemon cards to use as bookmarks. The day was topped off with cheesecake and a lazy TV night with his parents.

If you want a flattering, well made dress that sports a gorgeous design, look no further than BlackMilk Clothing. Their clothes are a bit pricey, however they offer free express postage within Australia and their pieces are seriously amazing. I love this cherry blossom dress. It is so comfortable and feels so nice on. I actually have no idea where I got this little pink bag from, or when, but I found it in my cupboard and it kind of matched my shoes, so I grabbed it. Speaking of, these obnoxiously neon pink pumps came from a tiny little shoe shop in Keswick, England. We were just exploring the cute little village, and they were a totally unexpected discovery. I had to have them, naturally. I think this might have been the first time I've properly worn them out - I've been preserving them because I love them too much! Raybans as usual. x

Somebody wife me.

Honey, I baked. No really, I did. Last Sunday was the day before boyfie's birthday, and his favourite kind of cake is cheesecake, so it's become a sort of tradition that I bake him a lemon cheesecake for his birthday every year. I'm not complaining; it's ludicrously easy to make. And nobody complains about the same cake every year, because it's damned delicious. It was a pretty crazy day, though, for a Sunday. My Sundays never turn out to be lazy Sundays, like everyone else's. I dashed to Glen Waverley in the morning, braving the Chinese New Year crowds (regretful decision) to pick up an assortment of Japanese sweets for boyfie's birthday, then an old friend from high school (who loves the beach and is a dedicated dancer) visited while I baked the cake. We exchanged Christmas presents - it had been that long since we caught up. And then I had to run to the shops for coffee with my potential room mate. We had a scuffle that needed sorting out. It appears to be sorted. We were supposed to be having a Pathfinder sesh with friends in the evening but luckily that was cancelled, so I could put the finishing touches on boyfie's birthday plans, and relax a little. 

This cute plaid dress is from Boohoo.com and was cheap as. It gets quite a few compliments, probably because it's pretty unusual. It kind of has a Clueless vibe to it; despite its 60s babydoll shift cut, the pastel plaid schoolgirl pattern reminds me of the 90s. It's not a great choice for hot summery days, because the fabric doesn't breathe too well and you end up a bit muggy. But it looks nice and bright in summer. White rip-off vans are el cheapo from K-Mart. x

And then there were strippers.

Saturday I worked the afternoon (lame), then rushed home to hyper-quick get ready for a hen's night. It was one of those days where everything that could go wrong, did. Somehow left my makeup bag at work and had to use cheap, old stuff that clumped all my eyelashes together and smudged black all around my eyes. Couldn't find my phone when I had to leave. Broke my necklace. My hair didn't work (but then, my hair never works). Lost one of the earrings I wanted to wear and had to settle for a not-as-good backup pair . Ended up running late looking for my phone. You know the kind of day I'm talking about. It was not a good time. But I got there, and everything turned out fine, as everything always tends to do.

One of my oldest friends (who loves Disney, and is very good at drawing) is getting married next month. We've known each other since we were born; we met in a baby group, then went to pre-school, kindergarten and primary school together. Even though we diverged at high school (literally went to different schools), we've stayed friends all this time. Due to her love for Disney (and, as it turns out, snowflakes), the hen's was kind of "Frozen" themed (think snowflake fairy lights, blue and silver sparkles everywhere, snowflake icing on the cake, etc), so I dug out my nicest blue dress. I think the paisley kind of worked. And the party was great fun. There was a lot of alcohol, dirty innuendo based party games, phallic accessories (straws, party horns, etc), you get the idea. Sadly I left before the strippers arrived, but I heard it was a real ripper of a time. I've seen photos. I hadn't been to a hen's night before, and can now vouch that they are memorable experiences for those who do not drink the entire night from memory (ie: me, obviously). Also, I won a donut-cake flavoured Lip Smacker, which was in all seriousness one of the highlights of my evening. It smells delicious.

My paisley dress is from Valleygirl last year and was very inexpensive. It's flattering, and quite adventurous for me. I rarely wear blue, or bold patterns. You can't really see because of the light, but I'm wearing the same statement necklace from this post. And the same London Rebel nude heels from last post. Simple, lady-like, and above all comfortable. x

That's amore.

So, after those two crazy days where I wore the same outfit and ended up in the city twice in a row, Friday was a reasonably uneventful day. After work, boyfie and I went for dinner at our local Italian restaurant, for our usual gorging of cheesy garlic focaccia and the signature pasta dish - gnocchi with chicken, bacon, shallots, mushroom, curry, cream, and more delicious, delicious garlic. Garlic is life. Incidentally, I used to work at the restaurant. Hashtag small town life. 

I really dug out some rarely worn stuff for this outfit. The pale pink, floral summer dress is from Valleygirl many years ago, and I'm surprised it still fits. It has a cute little rosebud print and a sweetheart neckline. I don't even know why I don't wear it very often. This bolero/cardigan thing is absolutely adorable, and it's pretty special, too - which is exactly why it doesn't get worn much. The Japanese friend who collects perfume bottles came back to Australia for a year on student exchange, and she lived with us for a little while. We went shopping one afternoon to Bridge Road, back in the glory days, and the Alannah Hill store was having an amazing sale. We browsed in the dreamland that is Alannah Hill for many hours, and ended up buying these matching cardigans. She recently told me she still has hers. It's kind of like a friendship bracelet. I love the heart-shaped pockets, and the diamante trim is really exquisite. I'm always worried I'll lose them, so it stays carefully tucked away in my closet and brought out for special occasions. Nothing more special than lazy pasta at your local restaurant on a Friday night, right? At least it got worn again. Nude heels are London Rebel from Famous Footwear, and they are so comfortable. Definitely would recommend. They're pretty much always available there. x

So long, January.

The last week of January was work, work, work, and house hunting and inspections (still) all of Saturday. Sunday was meant to be a day off, but the supervisor rostered on was sick, so I worked for her. I'd packed this dress to wear to dinner with boyfie after (Sunday was meant to be our fun date day, so we planned to try to make the most out of the rest of it) but we ended up meeting my parents and going to the movies to see Spotlight (about a team of journalists in Boston in the early 2000s who investigated allegations of Catholic priests having molested children for decades). It's a dramatically eye-opening film, based on true events. Worth a watch if you're interested.

This dress is from Modcloth and reminds me of Madeline. I adore it. Plain black cardigan is from Coco-Latte. Cotton tights are basic. Same Naughty Monkey wedges. The Luna bag is Sailor Moon inspired and available through several online retailers (try kokopieshop). I got this one from a seller on eBay. They'll definitely still be available; it was only a few months ago. It's been my favourite handbag ever since. It has ears! x

'Straya.

Happy 'Straya Day. As boyfie pointed out, it's cool to have a national day, but they should change the date of it. Right now, we celebrate our national holiday on the day the British colonised New South Wales. Many activists fondly refer to Australia Day as "Invasion Day", which is pretty much true, and which makes it all very uncomfortable considering the majority of the young, educated population of Australia is all for equality in every way. It would be appropriate to change the date of Australia Day. It's not fine to celebrate only one version of Australia's history, especially the one that silences the voices of Australian indigenous and minority groups. Contrary to popular belief, we actually have multiple histories stretching much farther back than the last two hundred years. Perhaps if or when Australia becomes a republic it'll be a thing that happens. Maybe it can replace Sorry Day. I'd be okay with that.

This dress is one of my most faithful. I'm fond of polka dots, in case you hadn't realised yet. It also has a super cute scalloped collar. It was from Coco-Latte about five years ago, and cost me twenty bucks. The brown belt came with something else - I can't remember what. Pink frilled socks are from a sock shop in Harajuku's Takeshita-dori, and the shoes are from a little shoe shop in Fujisawa, when I visited on the way to Kamakura with a Japanese friend who likes basketball and trying new foods. They were both inexpensive. I love oxfords and brogues of all kinds. If I wasn't trying to avoid buying new things, I'd invest in more. Hue hue hue. x

Bibbity bobbity boo.

I'm Minnie Mouse, you know, in case you somehow can't tell. I'm going to spam you with photos today. It's been a good weekend. This was my costume for a Disney themed 21st last night, which was super fun. Everyone dressed as old-school Disney characters - Cruella de Vil, Pocahontas, Jasmine... There were some cool storm troopers too though, and a minion or two. I prefer old Disney movies over new, though, 'cus I grew up with them and nostalgia and stuff. The cake was the Disney castle. I have no idea how anybody could make that - it was unbelievable. It was the coolest idea for a themed party. 

This pinup-style dress was from a dance performance back in 2014. It's from Frock Up! dancewear in Mountain Gate. Chunky heels are London Rebel, and I can't remember where they're from; I've had them that long now. Minnie Mouse ears were five bucks from Disneyland in Tokyo, so it was fun to dig them out and wear them again. Take me baaaack. x

Happy birthday to me.

January 4 is my birthday, yay. If you can guess how old I turned this year, then... you'll have the satisfaction of being correct (and who doesn't enjoy that?). I was weird about my birthday this year. I love celebrating other people's birthdays, but honestly, I didn't really want mine. The older I get, the more uncomfortable I am about being the centre of attention. It's probably because I was an attention-seeking asshole when I was a teenager, which I've come to find detestable in young people. 

Anyway, it ended up being a lovely day. Traditional birthday breakfast with my family at our favourite brekky cafe, then cake with my grandparents, a summery walk through Sherbrooke Forest (no, not Sherwood Forest) in the Dandenong Ranges with boyfie - to a waterfall! - followed by afternoon tea with my other grandma, and polished off with dinner at Meat & Wine Co., a trendy steakhouse in a converted old bank. Plus boyfie transformed his bedroom into a temporary day spa and gave me a massage complete with meditative music, candles and delicious massage oil. Pretty awesome. He did good.

This dress is my birthday dress. I ordered it last year during a barrage of deadlines, as a reward for surviving that particularly difficult week. Hashtag unilyf. It's so gorgeous, all covered in cupcakes and strawberries and sprinkles, and I absolutely adore it. Look at that polka dot netted sweetheart neckline. Ugh. Even more amazingly, it's completely handmade by the lovely girls over at bonnechancecollections. Definitely check their shop out, they hand make beautiful one-of-a-kind party dresses with the most adorable designs and prints. Completely affordable, too. Mine cost about $50AUD. I belted it with an off-white belt that came with the Polite and Day dress from Modcloth. The wedge sandals were about twenty bucks from Famous Footwear, and my super rad soft-serve handbag was a gift from boyfie. x

Goodbye, 2015.

Turns out I'm incredibly awkward in front of the camera. New Year's Day was one among far too many blistering hot days this holiday season. Welcome to Australia, have a heatwave. We'd spent New Year's Eve at a party with friends, so we slept half the day away then spent the rest of it avoiding the heat and eating matcha soft serve at the shops. I hadn't tried green tea ice cream before. It was good; you should also eat it.

This dress is from K-Mart; of the "I left this at my boyfriend's house and had nothing else in his drawers, so this was it" variety. I love these casual dresses on others, but I'm not really a fan of this one on me. I think there's something unflattering about the cut and fit. I bought it to throw into my case when boyfie and I jetted over to spend June/July of 2014 in the Japanese summer. Sandals are from Rubi Shoes. They were a last-minute purchase (steal, actually - $5!) for a short trip to Bali in 2015. They're super comfy and cute in summer. Expect to see them a lot. x