Turning Japanese

One of the fun outings I had over my Christmas break was a trip into the Gallery of Modern Art to see the "Future Beauty" exhibition, an exploration of 30 years of Japanese fashion. I loved every part of it, particularly the different approach Japanese designers take to how they present the human body. Many European designers emphasise the shape of the body and create clothes that fit closely. However the exhibition explained Japanese designers use ma, or negative space; the space between clothes and the body.

It struck me that in many of my outfits, this was exactly what I was trying to create: a structural look that did not reveal my body, but that hinted at it's underlying relationship with my clothes. This was the look I was trying to create with my trapeze tops and I realised my dissatisfaction with them was due to the lack of structure in the fabric rather than the shape itself.

                                                             Top: ScanlonTheodore
                                                             Pants: Country Road
                                                              Shoes:Wittner
This is the top I bought with the gift voucher that was my husband's Christmas present to me. I think it captures the spirit of ma perfectly and I absolutely love it. The fabric is thick and slightly stiff and the shape is constructed with darts and tucks that create volume and structure. It has a trapeze shape but, unlike my tops in softer fabrications, it sits aways from my body and obscures the shape of my torso.

It was quite exciting to me to be able to not only see such a beautiful exhibition but to also learn things that I could immediately implement in my own wardrobe.  I never really thought about fashion theory before, but one taste and I am hooked! I loved the simple elegance that the Japanese designers created with beautiful fabrics and origami-like folds and will be looking for a similar aesthetic in the tops I purchase for my winter wardrobe. Do you have any ideas that inform your choice of clothes?


Turning Japanese by the Vapours

Beautiful Darling

This week, my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. I have spent more than half my life with him now but I think that in this period of our lives we are having more fun together than we have since we were first married. No longer having the pressure of raising small children, having a home where we have put down roots, having jobs that we both enjoy and a sharpened awareness of how easy it would be to lose each other, has resulted in us appreciating the things that we each bring to the relationship in a much deeper way. So although I am posting an outfit today, you will also have to tolerate my musing on a quarter of a century of marriage.

                                                     Top:Veronika Maine
                                                     Jeans: Just Jeans
                                                     Sandals: Wittner
This top has two layers, with the overlay having gathering at the neck. There is a lot of fabric and I was concerned that is was slightly overwhelming, but it is  quite light and I think the volume works well if paired with more structured bottoms as I have done here.

Here is a closer view of the neckline of the top and a snap of the "25" charm my husband bought me as an anniversary gift. He received the traditional wedding anniversary present of a home-made lemon meringue pie. I would have taken a photo, but 2 days later very little remains!

When we got married, we stood before our family and friends and made a series of promises that neither of us knew we would be able to keep. "For richer or poorer" is possibly not a big stretch when you are a 22 year old student and have never had a lot of money, but the reality of "in sickness and in health" is almost unimaginable to young, fit, healthy people who have never suffered anything more serious than a cold. Likewise, there is a happy naivety in promising "in good times and in bad" without having any understanding of how bad things could be.

However, I think those vows expressed not only blind (some would say foolish) optimism, but also a faith in each other. Faith that our spouse would be there, even when our world was falling apart. Belief that we had the strength to face whatever troubles life brought to our door. Trust that our love and commitment to each other would be enough. And so far, it has been. Thank you, my beautiful darling, for believing in us.

Beautiful Darling by Kate Miller-Heidke

Firework

Happy New Year to you all! Because we are old and boring, we spent New Year's Eve watching the second series of Borgen, and got up headache-free on New Years Day to lift weights in a nearly empty gym. I was looking at my blog post from this time last year and have realised that many things have changed in the past 12 months, mostly for the better. Cancer and mastectomy place some pretty significant strains on relationships. Embodiment, self image and sexuality all take a hit in such a radical alteration of appearance and sadly, negotiating a way through that takes work and pain. Happily, it appears that my year of difficult conversations is over and I am looking forward to the joys and challenges of 2015.

                                                   Shirt and pants: Veronika Maine

                                                    Sandals: Wittner

These are pants I bought on sale at the end of winter and they are perfect for those days when it is a little too cool for shorts. I love the pleated,  80's style of the front. The shirt is boxy and cropped, one of my new favourite silhouettes and has a subtle floral self-pattern. One of the recommendations I have read for disguising a flat chest has been to wear a busily patterned top, a tall order for someone who loves neutrals and plains. I think this is an excellent compromise.

It is common at this time of year to make promises to oneself about making changes to your life. One of the suggestions on the Precision Nutrition  Facebook feed has been to choose a word to encapsulate your goals for the year, rather than a resolution that may or may not be kept. I love this idea, and have chosen the word "presence". Living in the moment and enjoying the present is something I find difficult, but probably the practice that will most enrich my life this year.  Worrying about the future and regretting the past are ultimately futile activities and I really don't have enough time to waste it on things that are neither productive nor fulfilling.What will your word for this year be?

Firework by Katy Perry

White Wine In The Sun

One of my enduring memories of childhood Christmases is the excitement of new clothes. Christmas always saw a pretty new dress added to my wardrobe, usually received on Christmas Eve, in advance of the rest of my presents, in order to have something special to wear to church. I have continued that tradition into adulthood, and usually buy a new dress for Christmas. This year, I took a different approach and bought a skirt and top in matching fabric - a two piece dress. This gives me the appearance of a dress whilst managing avoid the dress dilemma I wrote about last week. It also gives me the option of mixing and matching the top and skirt with other items in my wardrobe.

                                                     Top and skirt: ScanlonTheodore
                                                     Shoes: Wittner
The top has a trapeze shape and the hem is stiffened, which means it sits away from my body and maintains it's structure. The skirt is similar, and whilst it is possibly a little shorter than I would usually choose, I think the volume, structure and high-low hem effect give me a little lee-way. The fabric is a lace material and feels very pretty and feminine. I am quite smitten.

I wore this on Christmas day, which I shared with my husband, my two sons, their girlfriends, my brother-in-law and his partner. We had a lovely lunch with lots of laughter and Bob Dylan murdering Christmas carols in the background (another family tradition). After lunch we took advantage of the heat and went for a swim. It was one of the nicest Christmas days I have had and I feel so lucky to be here and be surrounded by my wonderful family.

I hope you all got to spend Christmas with the people who love you most. xx

White Wine in the Sun by Tim Minchin

Dress You Up

I am a big fan of dresses. I love the femininity and elegance of wearing a dress and it is hard to beat the ease of a dress and heels for a special occasion. Unfortunately, I have found it hard to find dresses I feel good in. The majority of them are definitely made for curves. I thought I would show you a new dress that I do feel  good in, and which I think works well with a straight body. This was my birthday present from my husband. The fabric is lovely and the simplicity of the style really appeals to me.

 

Dress:ScanlonTheodore

Shoes:Wittner

This is another example of clothing that does not disguise my chest. I like the smoothness and drape of the fabric and the contrast between the volume at the back and the straightness at the front. I wore this to a work Christmas party and felt quite stylish. I have also experimented a little with accessories and layers for the days when I am feeling a little less brave about my body shape.

I have showed you this crop top once before, and I usually wear it with skirts, but I am happy with how it looks over this dress also. Having it as an option provides me with a bit of extra choice and versatility in how I present myself. Sometimes, I don't want the flatness of my chest to be so obvious and a crop rescues me from that concern.

Do you like dresses? And if so, are there styles that especially appeal to you?

Dress You Up by Madonna

Hero

Summer has well and truly arrived in Brisbane, so I have had a chance to wear almost all my summer clothes. One exercise I have found especially interesting and enlightening has been tracking what I wear and seeing how much of what I bought last summer was on the right track. I am not so interested in skirts and pants, as they are easy to fit. What I particularly wanted to discover were the heroes amongst my tops. A sad consequence of the heat of summer is more frequent washing, and some of my favourites are starting to show a little wear. My plan was to determine exactly what styles I should be looking for when I eventually replace them. I have used jeans as the bottom in all the photos so as to provide a level playing-field for the battle of the tops!

Cocoon styles: These have been the big surprise for me. I bought one on a whim, and have found the style to be a workhorse.  They go with a wide variety of bottoms, have both enough detail and enough simplicity to satisfy my aesthetic preferences and create a flattering, long body line that makes a virtue of being breastless. Verdict: A permanent place in my wardrobe

Crops: I have spoken before about my love of the crop. I have a number, in different lengths. Whilst I enjoy my short crops for layering, they are not as versatile the ones that fall more into the short tops category. My favourite from last year is long enough to be worn without exposing midriff and has got a lot of love from me again this year. Verdict: The love affair continues

Trapeze shapes: This was the style I thought would work best when I was re-stocking my wardrobe after my surgery and I bought 3 in different patterns, but to be honest they haven't had as much wear this year. Partly this is because they are all patterned, and I am feeling much happier in plains and neutrals currently. However, I think there are also fabric and fit issues. One top is a bit static-y and clings, which negates the trapeze effect. And the other just feels the wrong length and I struggle with getting the proportions right. Verdict: Replace carefully and only when tried on with bottoms I already own.

Pleated straight styles: I have two of these, and so far have only worn them to layer under my crops. I feel like they are the least interesting and least flattering of my tops. Verdict: Not to be replaced.

Of course, I have a few tops that fit into none of the above categories, but it has been helpful to me to look at my current usage and see both how my style has evolved and how I might prioritise replacement of items as they wear out. What are your wardrobe heroes?

Hero by Enrique Inglesias

Straight Lines

Oh, internet, I love you so! Never leave me again! It is nice to be connected and back to normal once more. I was trying to decide what to show you this week, and realised that there were a few tops that I have had for several months that have not made it onto my blog yet. This one is a particular favourite of my husbands, much to my suprise, as it does not give the illusion of shape or curves at all. He tells me that he thinks it is very elegant, so I am happy to run with that.

                              Top: Cue                                                      Shorts:Country Road
                              Skirt:Carla Zampatti                                    Sandals:Wittner
                              Shoes:Wittner
This is how I have worn it over the last fortnight, both for work and casually.I especially like it with a pencil skirt, as I think it plays into the 1920's feel that works so nicely for a flat chest. I have also worn it with the pink culottes I showed you a few weeks ago.

 I have mentioned before how much I like tops with a bit of interest and detail. In this case, the detail is at the back, with a cocoon style drape. It is quite similar to my black cocoon top, but I think the thicker fabric and stricter styling makes it a bit dressier. This is certainly a situation of dressing to accentuate rather than disguise body shape, but straight lines do have a certain restraint and simplicity that are appealing in their own right. You have probably realised by now that I am neither restained nor elegant, but I love that fashion allows me to pretend that I am!

What fashion persona do you choose to project?

Straight Lines by Silverchair