Stormy Weather

We are without broadband at the moment, following the big storm we had here. I am grateful our house was undamaged, but I do miss my high-speed internet. Telstra have told us they will be out on Thursday to see what needs to be done, so I hope to have a proper post for you next weekend.

I'll Change Your Mind

One of the joys and the challenges of being married is compromise. Joyful, because it gives me the opportunity to understand and accommodate another person's viewpoint and to soften some of my own sharp edges and certainties. Challenging because there is sometimes a fine line between allowing another person to influence me and sacrificing something that is central to my sense of self. Happily, one area that has been easy to compromise in has been that of clothing. I have moved to wearing neutrals over the last 12 months, but when I asked my husband what outfits he preferred, it became clear that he likes me to wear bright colours and patterns.
I mostly dress to please myself, but I do particularly enjoy it if my husband like what I am wearing.

                                                           Dress:Veronika Maine
                                                           Shoes: Wittner
This is the dress I chose this summer in an attempt to please both of us. The fabric is very soft and cool and feels lovely in the heat we have experienced recently. I also enjoy the fullness of the skirt as it feels quite feminine. The high neck works well and the loose style is one that I think is particularly suited to a flat chest. As for the colour, I have come to quite enjoy the bright and cheerful effect of the vivid colours. Putting it on feels like a little holiday after a long stretch of wearing neutrals. This has been one compromise that has been joyful and it is possible that my husband may even have changed my mind!

Do you have any styles that you have changed your mind about?

I'll Change Your Mind by Kate Miller-Heidke ( Warning!Video is not for the squeamish!)

Blurred Lines

I had to see my oncologist this week for my routine check-up. I always experience a bit of a dilemma about what to wear to these appointments and I was trying to work out why this might be so.  It is a fairly anxiety-provoking experience for me, and I think I may displace some of those feelings onto my wardrobe. However, I also realised I actually have quite high expectations of my clothes in this situation.

I want to look neat and professional, so that rules out anything too casual or revealing. I want to be comfortable. I also want to choose clothes that don't make me look too obviously flat-chested. I hate the idea of people in the waiting room being able to see immediately why I am there. I'm also aware that at some point during the consultation, I am going to be taking my clothes off and that further narrows down what I can wear. Dresses are impractical, given that I only have to expose my torso, so I need to choose separates. Outfits with multiple fastenings or difficult-to-reach zips or lots of layers are out. Add in wanting to be able to walk up a couple of flights of stairs in the hospital car park and having to plan for the temperature uncertainties of air-conditioning in waiting rooms and I end up needing to consider outfit practicalities far more than usual.

                                                               Top:Cue
                                                               Culottes:Veronika Maine
                                                               Sandals:Joanne Mercer
This is what I went with. The top is my favourite from last year.  It sits away from my body and hides the shape of my chest in a way I feel comfortable with. The coated fabric insulates against cold air, but the back is floaty and soft. The culottes are new and now that my moratorium on pink has expired, I am enjoying wearing them. All the swishy fun of a skirt, but with the practicality and warmth of pants. And a low heel. Easy to wear, easy to put on and take off and suitable for walking around the hospital. This time, blurring the lines between practical and pretty came out well.

Do you have situations where you have competing priorities in what you want from your clothes? How do you resolve them?

Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke

Holy Grail

Christmas is drawing ever closer, and I am starting to receive invitations to the parties and get-togethers that always happen at this time of year. I agonised a bit over what to wear to some of the more dressy parties. Before my mastectomy, it was easy to find a suitably glamorous dress to squeeze myself into but dresses have become a bit tricky now. Party dresses in particular seem to be designed to emphasise curves and cleavage and I have discovered that finding dresses that look good is a much greater challenge than finding separates.

This is the party dress I settled on for this year. My husband calls it "The Princess Dress" and I have to say that I feel like a princess when I put it on. After many disappointments trying on dresses, there is something quite magical about wearing a dress that I feel beautiful in.

Dress: Carla Zampatti

Shoes:Wittner

Clutch:Mimco (birthday present!)

 

I have had a few realisations in my search though and you may find some of my discoveries helpful:

*Part of the glamour of party dresses for me is they are a bit sexy. They show skin. Or are body con enough to reveal a shape. So I chose a dress that showed my shoulders and arms. But really, you could apply those ideas in any way - a cinched waist, an open back, a column skirt, anything that makes you feel good about your body.

*The styles I have found most friendly to a flat chest have been trapeze styles (which have the added advantage of disguising a tummy) and shift styles. Shifts are especially good if you are fairly straight and slim as they fall straight from the shoulder and give a really lovely 1920's vibe which is very simple and elegant. The key is to pick a beautiful fabric that drapes well and moves with your body as you move. I also think  a grecian-style dress that falls from gathers around the neckline and shoulders would work well, although I haven't come across that in a dressy fabric in my searches to date.

*This is the time for heels! if you only wear them once a year, a Christmas party is the time to break them out.

I hope you all have a blast as the festive season fills up your calendars.

Do you have an outfit Holy Grail that you have been searching for?

Holy Grail by Hunters and Collectors

Substitute

I didn't have an outfit to show you last week. I had minor surgery and spent the week recovering, so you would have been treated to the uninspiring vision of me in my pyjamas! However, this week I am back and feeling good. My two boys took me out for lunch for my birthday and being a proud mother, I have to show you how gorgeous they are! A good time was had by all.

This week, I wanted to show you a work-around I came up with that I felt pretty pleased with. One of the trends I have noticed in all the shops this season has been jumpsuits and playsuits. I quite like the look but unfortunately, as with dresses, there are a fairly limited number of styles that will work with a flat chest. And because playsuits are still a fairly new trend, there wasn't a huge selection and none worked for me. However, it occurred to me that I could approximate the look by choosing shorts and a top in the same colour fabric. That way, I can choose whatever top style I wanted.

Top:Cue

Shorts:Country Road

Shoes:Wittner

These were my favourite shorts last summer and the love affair continues as the weather heats up here. The overall effect of the outfit is quite blocky and straight, but I actually don't mind that in this case. I think it plays into the loose, carefree, child-like vibe of a playsuit and it is definitely comfortable and cool.

I don't wear all black very often, because it doesn't really suit my skin. However, with a fairly young style of outfit like this, the black adds a bit more sophistication than I could have achieved with a lighter colour or a print. I have tried to compensate with bright earrings and lipstick. The top is new this Spring.  I think the double layer and the pleats over the chest are quite flattering, and I love the coloured lining. I feel a bit like I've stepped out of a Dracula movie. Anyway, I was happy with how this turned out and I have decided this outfit will be my playsuit substitute.

Do you use substitutes for styles that don't work for you?

Substitute by The Who