Friday 9 September 2016

Blood On The Leaves

My eldest son turned 25 this week. Imagine how old I feel!

One of the things I love about having adult children is the exposure to new ideas they give me. I mentioned to my son the other day that I didn't really understand why Kanye West was held in such high regard. He sent me a link to a wonderful explanation of how Kanye has used the human voice in revolutionary ways within the hip-hop genre and had thus progressed music as a whole. I now feel like I have a whole new appreciation of the artist and I can listen to his songs with a completely different perspective.

I have had a similar experience with a fashion style recently. Up until now, I have avoided low-cut or open neck styles on dresses, for obvious reasons. I felt that they were one style that made no sense for me and would never have a place in my wardrobe. This was despite loving the look of the simple, plain slip dresses used as the underpinning for many outfits in the exhibition of costumes from the Miss Fisher Mysteries.

 Dress: Alpha60
Risk of scar exposure: High 

And then I noticed Veronica Maine styling their summer collection with high-neck knits underneath open necklines and I suddenly got a new appreciation of ways that I could make the style work for me. I had a number of tops that I had relegated to layering pieces last summer and it occurred to me that they would work perfectly for this job!

Tops: Cue 
To my eye, the tops need to be short-sleeved and high-necked for this to look intentional.  I tried it with T-shirts and did not like the result nearly as much. Of course, it is always possible to layer over the top of a dress like this too.
  Long tunic: Dogstar
Crop top: Carla Zampatti
So I have gone from being sure that slip dresses were unworkable to being excited by the versatility to the style and enjoying the ability to pair it with things I already have
A new dress and a new type of music to enjoy! What more could a girl want?

Blood On The Leaves by Kanye West




17 comments:

  1. I love it with the white lacy top (bottom right).

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  2. Hi Sharon, you look lovely as ever! What a good idea with something like that underneath a dress, it really does look intentional. I too had crossed off those kind of neckstyles as well. Thank you for the inspiration.

    When I look at the pictures, and if I didnt know, I would not notice at all, that you were, as you say, breastless.

    And your scars are not even showing from the side, how wonderful! Mine are so large and wide, and go all the way into my armpit, but granted, they are very red now. I know they will fade, in time. Not that I am trying to cover them up, but they are noticeable.

    I look forward to have conversations like that with my son when he is older too :) I have bookmarked the link so I can watch it later, thank you for sharing :)


    PS. Your hair is so awesome! (I said that before, but hey! I will think back when I reach your age and most likely dye my hair like that too)

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    1. Thanks Louise. The scars will fade, but it takes time. I think it was at least 6 months before mine settled into a fine silver line. It is still noticeable if you are up close, but not that obvious. I also saw a really good physiotherapist who gave me stretching exercises and showed me how to massage the scars and I think that helped with the final appearance.

      Hope you are doing OK. The early days are hard. xxx

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  3. I am so glad I found this blog. Although my body is very different from your, i.e. short and squat, you have give me some good ideas.
    Going flat has been a release for me, but, as a seamstress, and taking years to learn to sew for my body, I now have to learn to sew for my NEW body. Never to old to learn!

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    1. Oh, I'm really pleased this was helpful. And in awe of you having the ability to draft and sew for your new body! Such a cool skill and I'm sure you will be able to create some gorgeous things😊

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  4. Hi, I came to your blog through breastfree.org. I am weary of dealing with the struggle to look good w/o breasts. I am hoping to find some good solutions especially for a hot muggy climate like we have here in SC. Love the under shirt for the dress above but the added heat would be difficult. Swimsuits are a real problem too. I am 5'3" and looking more and more like a beach ball!

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    1. Hi Kimberly, Brisbane is very warm and humid, a true sub-tropical climate so I understand the problem! I do find that not having to wear a bra means one less layer, which is cooler. I have also worn a coloured sports bra under this dress (and no shirt) which is cooler. Have you tried trapeze-shaped tops? I find them really helpful for camouflaging my tummy!

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  5. Dear Sharon - Thank you for your blog, all of the effort you put in to the photos, and your thoughtful writing. I've been looking for post-mastectomy style; right now I'm having chemo and I'll have a double mastectomy in March (no reconstruction). I am inspired that I will find my way through this new style challenge and am so happy you have shown what works for you!

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    1. Hi Brenda, so glad you enjoyed it. Hope you are coping with the chemo OK and best wishes for the surgery. xx

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  6. Love the white lace top, thank you so much for your fashion knowledge. has helped me immensely post mastectomy - flat living etc. am done with chemo (september_) hair is short but growing! <3

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  7. After watching CBS Sunday this morning, I found like women! Going Flat hit me hard! I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. After the bilateral mastectomy, I chose not to have reconstruction right away. I used prosthesis and finally threw those into the closet, never to be touched again. I was flat for at least 6 years, but couldn't find "sisters" to share anxieties or clothing ideas. Most personal dressers and tailors didn't know what to do with me AND were very expensive. In 2011, I finally caved and had reconstruction. Clothes didn't fit when I was flat. I felt alone and didn't have the self esteem to stand tall. In saying that, this morning I googled going flat and found you and many others. Deconstruction has started to grow in my head as I've not felt comfortable with my implants. Thank you for your blog! I plan on being a follower for life!

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  8. What a nice hairstyle is this that she had made in it.Cartincoupon.com

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  10. ohh sad for you but you look preety cool keep it up even you are looking faboulus fashion sense and everything else that caught the attention of big brands in no time. She had a substantial social media presence even before she turned into a fashion blogger. Tami wanted to do something concrete, and that’s how it all started. From being a red-carpet consultant to an entrepreneur, Tami Reed is a go-getter! For more inspiration and to stay updated with everything big happening in Hollywood or otherwise when it comes to fashion, check her blogdelta net extranet bedoper's guide

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  11. Love the white lace top, thank you so much for your fashion knowledge. has helped me immensely TrueClassics - flat living etc. am done with chemo (september_) hair is short but growing! <3

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