I'm Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas

One of my concerns about living in an age where pubic hair is apparently passé is that post-mastectomy, being hair-free can look child-like. That's not an appearance I want to cultivate, so I was very amused when Kate Miller-Heidke released a single in support of Decembeard, a fund raising effort by Bowel Cancer Australia. You can watch it on YouTube, but there is also a "Donate for Download" option below, if you are partial to the comedy Christmas song or would like to support a great cause. For those who feel like that is entirely too much information, I give you pictures of my Christmas dress for 2015!

                                                     Dress: ScanlanTheodore
                                                      Sandals:Wittner
                                                     Bangle:Mimco (gift from a friend)
You may recall that a new dress is a childhood Christmas tradition for me, and I try to choose something dressy enough for seasonal parties. I wear mostly neutrals, but I fell in love with the colours and print of this dress. I worked for a number of years in rural Australia and this print reminds me of the beauty of the Australian bush.

It is made of silk, and is very soft and light and cool, perfect for summer parties. I also love the way it drapes: it does not cling to my chest and the gathers at the waist are just the thing for disguising the effects of holiday indulgence!

I also wanted to show you my Christmas present from my lovely husband: some beautiful, delicate leaf-shaped earrings. I think they echo the print of the dress beautifully.
I wore this dress on Christmas day and had a wonderful time with my boys, their girl-friends and members of our extended family. I now have a week to relax, read and have some down-time before work starts again. I hope you all had a very happy Christmas surrounded by people you love. xx

I'm Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas by Kate Miller-Heidke and The Beards

Decembeard Donate for Download

Santa Baby

I am lucky enough to work with some truly fabulous women and feel fortunate to be able to count them as friends as well as colleagues. As the year comes to an end, we have begun to exchange gifts. I was given this top last week, and I thought I would show you because it illustrates a few really good principles to bear in mind if you want to wear a fitted top rather than something more voluminous.

Top:Seed (Christmas gift)

Skirt:ScanlanTheodore

Belt:Veronika Maine

Bag:Oroton(Christmas gift)

Shoes:Wittner

Ok, so here are my thoughts about rules for wearing fitted tops. Your mileage may vary, but I have found these ideas helpful in choosing clothes.

1. Silhouette is king. I like to think about the overall shape of the entire outfit. I tried this top with a fitted skirt and found that creating a lot of shape on my lower half just emphasised the lack of shape at the top! I feel much more comfortable with the overall triangular, 1920's style of a full skirt or wide-leg pants when wearing a fitted top.

2. Texture is your friend. This is a thick, Milano knit fabric with a lot of weight and body. Whilst it is fitted, it is not clingy and it sits slightly away from my chest. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned this year has been the importance of fabric.

3. Dark is good. The light does not bounce off any unevenness over my chest or create unflattering shadows in the way that lighter colours do when I wear fitted tops. (Lycra gym wear, I'm looking at you!)

4. Detail allows you to choose where you want the focus to be. I love the asymmetrical hemline on this top, as it draws the eye down. I have reinforced the effect by adding a decorative belt. Jewellery and accessories can fill the role for plain tops, but I find that I am drawn to pieces that have some kind of built-in design interest.

5. Yeah, the side view is never gonna be great with a fitted top. You need to be at peace with that if you want to wear them. This style is definitely about looking good without breasts rather than looking like you might have breasts. I find that I reserve fitted tops for days when I am feeling particularly confident and fabulous for this very reason!

I think my friend did a great job in choosing this top for me! I really love it. Do you receive any fashion-related gifts at Christmas? How do you feel about others choosing clothes for you?

Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt

Living In The 70's

Hello! The weeks seem to be passing so quickly at the moment, and the weekend is over before I have had time to think about an outfit to show you! I will try and be a little more consistent now university has ended for the year and the days are getting longer.

A huge trend that has hit all the shops here this Spring has been the 70's look. I am not a big fan of boho style - it is generally too unstructured to really make my heart sing. However, this resurgence of 70's style has brought with it the return of the flare and the bootcut. I really like the freshness of the new silhouette, but I was concerned that it was not a look I would be able to wear. It seemed to me that the extra width on the bottom would require a fitted top to balance it and I usually prefer some volume over my chest, especially in the warmer months when I am not wearing a jacket or cardigan.
The solution I have found has been the tunic top.

                                                     Top/dress: Cue
                                                     Pants: Cue
I had several in my closet from last summer, and I have bought another one this season to get the "white-out" look. A few of these are dresses which are a little too short to be work-appropriate. They are now going to do double duty as  both at-home summer wear as a dress and over pants as a tunic for work.

I think the trick with this type of pairing is to choose a tunic with a triangular shape.That way, the top flares out in a way that echoes the pants. The shape also draws the eye down, and the narrow, fitted shape on the shoulder and chest becomes a part of the overall silhouette rather than the focus of the outfit. Wearing all one colour also helps create a long vertical shape that de-emphasises my chest. This is essentially a longer version of the trapeze top silhouette that I wore a lot last summer but with the fun addition of flared pants.

One of the things I love about fashion is the excitement of the new, and the clever reinterpretation of the old. How do you feel about the return of the flare?

Living in the 70's by Skyhooks