WEO: Rainy days.

I remember this day, but I don't remember what we were doing. We went shopping and probably ate pancakes. It was cold and rainy; a lazy autumn day off. What I wouldn't give for one of those now!

I still have this knitted sweater dress, but I remember being disappointed with it. TessChristine styled it in a Get the Look video ages ago, and it looked fantastic on her. I looked up literally the exact same item from BooHoo.com, and it just looked frumpy on me. It's also a little scratchy, whereas hers looked soft and cosy (I have very sensitive skin prone to eczema though, so could easily just be me). I loved the idea of being able to pull off a sweater dress like she does, but maybe it just doesn't suit my body type. Sad. Turquoise cable knit circle scarf was from Glassons. Black tights are Voodoo at Myer. Brown riding boots were bought in a BuyInvite sale. And the brown Oxford messenger is from Typo - even though I got this one years ago, they're still available! x 

Peachy keen.

I don't remember where I was going on this day; I think maybe to a brunch with a friend. I have a real love/hate relationship with these shorts. I love the colour and the lace detailing on them, but I've always felt funny about the way they sit on my body. They aren't flattering, and yet they're really cute. I still have them, but they've nearly been thrown away so many times now.

White blouse is from Supre. Peach shorts are from Valleygirl. Sand lace-pattern heels are from Dutchess on La Trobe in Melbourne. Same bronze clutch from K-Mart, as always. x

So long, friend.

Last year one of our best staff members left, and it was a very sad affair. This is what I wore to her farewell dinner. Ironically, I saw her just the other day - she works at Mecca Cosmetica now. We miss her so much. </3

I remember saving so hard to get this blazer; I put it on lay-by at Sportsgirl, and it was one of the first things I ever bought with my own money when I started working. I loved its nautical vibes. Amazing that it still fits! Same old jeans from Cotton On. Pretty sure the basic tee is also a Cotton On staple. Chunky heeled boots are from Famous Footwear. Same bronze clutch from K-Mart that I seem to have taken everywhere in 2016. x

Weekends with pals.

I'm pretty sure I wore this to a weekend hanging out at my oldest pal's place in Geelong, but it's getting hard to remember! Look how long and damaged my hair was then - cringe. It's so hard for me to grow my hair out because it's slow to grow, and once it reaches this terminal length it just gets ratty. I chopped it all off in 2016, and now it's short and healthy. I don't even really miss my long hair, surprisingly. I think short hair is cute and fun. :)

This bodysuit is a swim from BlackMilk; I got it in an eBay auction. Denim skater skirt is from Boohoo. Sandals were in a Rubi Shoes sale. x

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

Moon prism power.

It must have been winter, despite the sunny day, because I'm wearing chunky bamboo socks. It's also outside my best friend's house, so I'm guessing we were probably there for a Pathfinder campaign, or just to hang out and watch movies or play video games. Standard.

Oversized black knit is from Jay-Jays winter 2016 collection. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon themed leggings are from Teefury and I love them to death. Purple bamboo socks were a gift, but they were probably from Aussie Disposals - they are honestly so warm and comfortable and I highly recommend them if you live in Melbourne where the spontaneous wind and rain are bitterly cold and can freeze you to the core. Chunky boots from Famous Footwear. x

Llama, llama, duck.

A lot's been going on, but I'm back. Here's the brief update: I moved out of home, and all of 2016 was just hectic, really. I had to throw away a lot of my wardrobe during the move, but I'm going to post the stuff I'd prepared for this project before the move, and then keep going with this project anyway, because it was fun. :)

 

 

Anyway, this truly glorious top is from kisekishop. Lavender tennis skirt is from kokopiecoco, and the sparkly jelly sandals were from a Rubi shoes sale in 2015. x

 

 

Wear a hat.

Greasy hair day? Wear a hat.

It's been a busy week. I worked 6 days and did a lot in the evenings, so there often wasn't time to go home after work and put together an outfit for the rest of the day. Most days I just wore my uniform all day, which is depressing. Or there wasn't enough time to take an outfit photo before it was too dark. The 14th was my dad's birthday, and we met at the cinemas after work to see The Big Short (actually very good - interesting and funny; I recommend it) and eat pancakes. Pancakes feature a lot in my life, you'll come to understand. Last night after work I visited my friend (she likes Firefly and dinosaurs) to eat fajitas and look for houses we'd like to inspect. We're potentially moving out together soon. Excitement.

This pretty floral kimono is from Cotton On. Black denim shorts are from Uniqlo in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. They were $13AUD. Uniqlo is so expensive in Australia, so that's an astoundingly amazing price to us. Black wedges are Naughty Monkey, sold at Famous Footwear. I wear them all the time, and they're a pretty low heel, so they're extremely comfortable. They would've cost me about twenty bucks a few years ago, but they're almost always being stocked because they're so popular. Basic white singlet is the same Coco Latte one from the other day. And this felt floppy hat is a recent addition to my wardrobe, intended for styling in autumn mostly, and was $39.99AUD. I got it from an adorable quirky clothing store in Sassafrass in the Dandenongs. It's on the corner on the high side, and they also sell great socks, so if you're ever up there, go visit. 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

Say Fuji.

On the last day of February, I was awake very early to jump on a tram into Richmond for a specialist appointment. Public transport in Melbourne generally just sucks, and takes an unjustifiably long time. Richmond is a 45 min to an hour drive both ways from where I live, but I had to set aside half the day for public transport. I was on the 7:30 tram and arrived back home at 2:30. But it was a lovely day, and a nice day to people watch from the tram window, and it's actually a pretty journey through Melbourne's inner suburbs. So I can't complain too much. Also, my dad was away for the weekend for work, and he visited an apple farm belonging to some friends. He brought back the best souvenirs - a big box full of the freshest, sweetest, crispest pink ladies. I feel like such a country bumpkin (we're not), but fresh home-grown food is actually really exciting.

This knit is from Ally Fashion a few years ago. Its embroidered pattern around the neck is pretty unique and interesting. Denim skirt from Jay-Jays. Stockings from Myer; they're probably Voodoo, I'd say. They're old, but really thick and opaque and silky. Great quality. I'm so keen to wear these brown boots throughout Autumn. They're a brand called Wild Diva Lounge, and I got them in an online sale through BuyInvite or BrandsExclusive. They have pretty good flash sales on those designer sale sites, so it's worth signing up. Brown oxford messenger bag is from Typo. x

 

Gotta catch 'em all.

It's been a pretty boring few days. Boyfie's in Queensland visiting family, and I've spent the evenings reading on the couch at home after work. Or, like today, watching Sailor Moon and painting my nails blue. We applied for our first rental property today as well, mind you, so it's not all couch potato. Just mostly. Hashtag sloth lyf.

I did make plans on Saturday night, to catch a movie and scoff pancakes with a friend (who loves Geelong F.C. and Alice in Wonderland pancakes). We did the same major at uni, so in our time between dining and film-going we discussed film studies, good lit classes and great novels. So easy to kill time with this girl! We were almost late for our movie. Speaking of, if you haven't been to see Brooklyn yet, you absolutely definitely should. Unless you're completely not interested at all in the tale of a young Irish immigrant in Brooklyn in the 1950s, feeling homesick and finding love. Then maybe don't. But it's a breathtaking film; visually dynamic with lovely characters and some really wonderful acting... It's just beautiful. I'd been so keen to see it for weeks, and it didn't disappoint one bit. Go see!

Please take a moment to drool over my pokeball knit. I got it from a stall at PAX Aus 2015. It was expensive, but totally worth it. I refuse to wear it around the house; it gets saved for special fun days out. I don't want to get it dirty. It's made from nice heavy wool, so it hangs all floppy like. And it feels super well made. I did some quick snooping, and it looks like you can get it from a few online retailers, like welovefine.com. The pricing will probably be in USD though, so keep that in mind! I think I paid $70AUD for it. Same black Cotton On jeans. Same little black hand-me-down bag. Grey rip off Keds from K-Mart. x

P.S. While we're talking Pokemon, how exciting is the news that Nintendo will be releasing gen 7 later this year?! I've already decided on Pokemon Moon. Boyfie and I will probably attend the midnight launch at EB Games. We're going to keep ourselves occupied with the re-releases of gen 1 (I've just downloaded Yellow; he's getting Blue) and the new Mystery Dungeon (ordered today and waiting to arrive in the mail). Happy 20th anniversary, Pokemanz! What would my life be without you?

Beside the seaside.

Aaaand then two days later it was back to scorching summer heat. Hot enough, in fact, to hit the beach. Which boyfie and I did, because somehow despite how hot this summer has been, we hadn't managed to get to the beach once. Apparently our beaches are kind of famous or something (wink), so pretty poor form really. Not going to the beach in summer is the pinnacle of un-Australian. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we hit the sand down at Franga for fish and chips on the beach, and some lazy reading in the sun. And the biggest ice creams the world has ever seen. Seriously. My ice cream was pretty much the size of my head. Hashtag value for money.

This black knit thing is from Valleygirl a few years ago. I've always found it hard to wear and style, but it worked for a beach day. Black shorts from Uniqlo. Bikini from Bras'n'Things; I like it because its similar to the Triangl Swimwear collection last year. Same floppy black hat and Ray-Bans as always. Roman sandals are from Famous Footwear. I should wear them more often. Surf's up farkin' CHOMP. 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

Maximum Frey.

OOTD featuring Cornflake the bun. This is what I wore to a house party at a friend's place. We had our first taste of the cool autumn weather to come, and I wholeheartedly embraced it. Autumn is my jam. I was very tired and feeling pretty anti-social, but it was nice to hang out. They'd made a yummy punch and a bunch of our mates started a raucous game of Drunk Quest, which I've yet to play but am still keen to. Sadly we didn't stay long enough to witness Maximum Frey - which is when our mate Frey reaches a level of intoxication that requires full nudity, apparently - but I'm unconvinced that it's terrifically sad we missed that.

This is not a Cotton On sponsored outfit, but coincidentally I am a walking advert for Cotton On. Sweater is new, from their autumn 2016 range. It also comes in white, and a maroon version of this grainy pattern. Black jeans are also Cotton On; same ones I always wear. Red booties are from Hush Puppies and I love them. So sassy. Little black handbag is a hand-me-down from my mum. x


*smooch*

Roses are red.

We shamelessly love Valentine's Day. For a lot of people it's a gigantic waste of time - a soul-sucking, money-grabbing ploy masterminded by our great enemy Capitalism - but for us (although it is also all of those things), it's a dedicated day for celebrating how much we appreciate each other. Sappy. Lame. Totally romantic. We celebrate our relationship every month on the 8th with a dinner, and buy each other little gifts and tasty goodies and treats all the time anyway, so we don't even need Valentine's Day. But we like it. We celebrate it. We use it as another excuse to spoil each other rotten, and we make the most of it.

This year we spent the day in the city. My mother bought us a Scoupon voucher for a box of Walker's Donuts (we have a serious relationship with Walker's Donuts), which we promptly redeemed and consumed. Then we visited everyone's favourite pop culture specialists down at Minotaur and bought manga, because why not. The boys were having a rough day - a blue-haired teen vomited all over their carpet, and not five minutes later a man heavily under the influence of something illicit had to be forcibly removed for refusing to leave and getting aggressive. Bad day at the office. From there we did some casual shopping along Bourke Street, then wandered up to Good Games where I napped for a solid hour. We saved a poor discarded rose from a sad and lonely death on the floor of Melbourne Central station and took him adventuring with us, and killed the last of our time at Flagstaff Gardens, because the weather was gorgeous. Then boyfie took me for our surprise Valentine's dinner. We had a seven course... experience? at Hibachi restaurant - miso soup, takoyaki (fried octopus meat), gyoza dumplings, prawn sushi rolls, assorted tempura, fried tofu in sweet and sour sauce, with sake to accompany and green tea ice cream to follow. The food was fresh and delicious; I'd highly recommend eating there if you're visiting the city one night. Just typing it now is making me hungry; I already want to go back. So good. And then we jumped on the freeway and headed to the planetarium at Scienceworks for their special Valentine's weekend show. Sadly the sky was too cloudy to be able to use the telescopes to stargaze afterward, but it was still a lovely night.

I wore this knit especially, obviously. I've had it for a very long time, and honestly I think I'm ready to part with it. It did its job well, but it isn't my style anymore and I wouldn't buy it if I saw it in a store now. It came from one of those affordable, cute Asian fashion stores. Shorts from Uniqlo. White tennis shoes were not my footwear of choice, but I had to switch my black boots out when I realised how much walking we'd be doing all day. I swapped them back again for the planetarium and felt much better. If you celebrate Valentine's Day, happy Valentine's Day! If you don't, I hope your weekend was as wonderful as ours. x

Not a hero.

Oh, god, life got so busy. Massive updates incoming.

Anyway, we saw Deadpool on Friday 12th. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what it was. The movie is pretty great - cinematically dynamic, hilarious, great casting, good plot without trying to achieve too much (which often happens with action movies, I find, which is why I get so confused). But if you're not into gore - like me; minimal gore please - steer clear of the first twenty minutes. Seriously the most graphically violent NPC deaths in a film that I've probably ever seen. There's one guy and a billboard... I was shocked. But the rest of it is awesome. Ryan Reynolds is a beautiful human. You probably should go see it; everyone should. It's just not at all like the rest of the superhero films, which is 1000% absolutely the point. I should have done my research first so I was prepared. Yikes.

Sailor Chibi Moon tee is sold through tons of good online J-fashion retailers. My fave is Spreepicky (have fun!). Black jeans from Cotton On. Super awesome sparkly gold sneakers from Sportsgirl a few months ago. Bad hair day completely organic (sigh). 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