Fashion

Leather in the Fields

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

Leather for winter is like being offered free money: always welcome. And especially this year with a massive revival of the silver-studded biker jackets from a couple of years ago and the clunky leather boots, leather (real or fake) is always on trend for winter one way or another. However I chose to downgrade the edgy, lethal look black leather usually provides by pairing it up with a relatively dainty dress that is often too delicate in appearance to wear on its own. Incorporating my vintage leather jacket balances out the wildly feminine look and also makes the dress wearable in winter, which is a bonus.

Leather jacket- Vintage

Dress- Sportsgirl

Shoes- Lipstik Shoes

Bag- Vintage

Belt- ?  

Spots and Socks

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

It was suspiciously not bone-cold chilly the other day which granted me the luxury of deciding not to don a coat outdoors. This was exciting because I don’t own a coat that compliments the dress to my liking, so a single layer could suffice in the pleasant temperature. I bought the dress yonks ago from a small market and thankfully leopard print in public continues to be acceptable, and although I’m not entirely convinced that the kinky print can be pulled off as a beacon of sophistication, I am completely sold on this dress.

The over-the-knee socks worked well in the weather and to liven up the outfit I adopted a vintage bag that I discovered during my annual exploration through my mother’s wardrobe. She may have owned some timeless pieces, but there was plenty of rubbish among the gems that she is convinced will come back in style ‘sometime soon’. I don’t have the heart to tell her that it’s 20 years past the time.

Dress- Sweetaeacia

Bag- Vintage

Shoes- Nine West

Socks- DIY made

It’s been a while…

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

Wowzers. It really has been a while and the only excuse that I can offer is that I have been super busy doing non-fashion related things (namely being locked up in my study with coffee and trackies while cramming my butt off) which has left me with basically zero time to document anything really. I apologise profusely and regret that I have neglected my blog for this while. But no need to dwell in the past, because presently it is officially winter, and for those who are accustomed to my repetitive rants would be aware of my enthusiasm for the chilly season. And it has by no means disappointed, because already in June the temperatures have fallen drastically close to snow weather and I have spent copious amounts of time wishing I had a whole wardrobe of coats to flaunt in these freezing temperatures. Of course snow is practically unheard of in Melbourne, but if climate change is legitimately transpiring then anything is possible.

Anyway back to my point. Unless you tend not to part with your lovely heater, you would have realised that monochrome, which is a fancy word that refers to the black and white trend, is huge. So colossal in fact that black and white are the only visible colours in select stores- I do not jest. I’m not complaining about this, purely because black and white are relatively flattering on most people and ever classy as an outfit. Personally, I find limiting your outfit’s visual appeal to these two colours (or shades, take your pick) makes it appear a little stiff for casual wear, so I tend to employ some other colour to make it pop.

Below I am wearing my 50’s 3/4 pants which provide that pop effect, and is accompanied by a black trench coat to protect me just in case snow-like substances appear from the sky anytime soon. I am probably crazy to wear clogs in this weather but with  scarf like that, who cares.

Coat- Forever New
Pants- Bardot
Shirt- Minty Meets Munt
Shoes- Sportsgirl
Bag- Marikai
Scarf- Vintage

May Days

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

When it comes to May, you know that the year has made progress. For me, May is the in-between month that is prolonging the wait to the busy mid-year stuff that always seem to occur annually. In Melbourne, it represents a quick window of opportunity when wearing jackets isn’t such a necessity, so I try to maximise this occasion.

This year I am once again pulling out the over-the-knee socks, because to put it bluntly I love them to death. My online shopping carts are full of them in all different colours and patterns, and if only my budget allowed it I would purchase them all. They are kind of useless to wear during the especially cold days, however for May days like these they are perfect with shorts or a skirt.

Shirt- Wish

Shorts- Forever New

Bag- Forever New

Shoes- Betts

Belt- Cotton On

Socks- asos

Oh, and I realise that the last time I blogged was too long ago. When my busy schedule allows it, I will try and update it as soon as I can!

Something Old

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

I don’t recall where and when the dress below was purchased, however this timeless piece is one that has been worn for years and I love it. It can be adapted to every season and I always get complimented on it while wearing it out. The 1890/1900 look of the high-neck and pretty lace with the below-the-knee length makes it appear very vintage yet fitting for today’s fashion. Those socks are also vintage (circa primary school days).

Dress – Cherrie

Shoes – Inui

Bag – Vintage

Socks – ?

Ain’t No Sunshine

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

It was unreasonably cold today which was why I had to reason with myself to wear stockings. But I find this almost exciting, because the days are steadily becoming cooler and greyer which means that winter is near (!) and personally, I believe that there is no greater season. Yes, I am one of those ridiculous people who actually welcome the cold, because I find that layering up, inhaling the scent of fire wood and sipping scalding hot chocolate to escape the chill utterly thrills me.

Here I opted for my velvet blazer to shield me from the cool elements, although it didn’t do much in regards to the rain.

Blazer- Zara

Shirt- Sussan

Shorts- Just Add Sugar

Shoes- Inui

Bag- Vintage

Stockings- ?

The Long & Winding Skirt

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

Move over hippies from the 70’s; maxi skirts are becoming classier than ever. They are also being worn by women everywhere during all four seasons, because essentially, they can be worn at any time. They can look great without appearing too conservative and can also provide a chic, bohemian look. However if you believe that there’s too much fabric covering the legs, then there are plenty of sheer ones out there to show off the legs, or ones with sexy thigh splits that unquestionably exclude the nun factor. I don’t mind covering my legs, and only recently have I recognised my fixation for maxi clothing, as you could probably immediately pick up from my previous posts. I think I enjoy the sinuous sensation they bring.

The skirt was a well-spotted sale item from Forever New which complements this Forever New top that was a Christmas present. The fairly cool weather today meant that longer sleeves were required, and to be honest I’m becoming quite excited for winter!

Cheeky split!

Skirt & Top- Forever New

Bag- Fiorelli

Shoes- Sportsgirl

Socks- Target

Summer Nights

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

As soon as summer in Melbourne is officially over, the days of 30+ degrees decided to breeze along to create an unusually warm start to March, particularly over the long weekend. I spent a night at the beach to enjoy the heat and hazy sunset, which was far better than spending the night in a hot house that lacked ice-cream.

For my outfit, I used a polka-dot scarf as a belt simply because I couldn’t find my white belt, and it actually produced a nice effect. The main component of my outfit is actually the bag-which is (ahem) new- and my entire ensemble was formed around the bag. Why did I leap at this bag as soon as I saw it? Well ladies and gents, if you haven’t received the memo, monochrome is one of this season’s major trends. Yes that’s right, wearing straight out black and white is enough to be considered seriously chic at the moment. So naturally I decided that I had to get me some form of this basic colour combination, and I did not need to look any further than this bag, which was actually very reasonably priced.

Bag: Marikai       Top: Bardot

Skirt:  ?       Scarf: Vintage

Shoes: asos

Casual Saturdays

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

It is a struggle to think up anything that you can compare to a summer’s day, however Saturday is one of them. What’s better than the freedom that the weekend brings?

For yesterday’s outing I wore a dress which is traditionally a winter dress, but I wanted to mix things up a little. I coordinated it with a sleeveless collar top underneath to suit the warm weather with silver sandals and burgundy coloured socks that conveniently accompanied my satchel well. The end result was inadvertently school-girl-esque, supplemented by a finishing touch of a fabulous vintage brooch in the shape of a wide-brimmed hat. Now all I need is a blazer and I will be ready for school!

Dress– Target            

Top- Forever New

  Satchel- The Leather Satchel Co.

  Shoes- asos       

Belt- ?     Brooch- Vintage

It really does look like I’m doing the whole first-day-of-school-photos episode.

I Can Hear the Bells

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

There’s really nothing like a wedding to get you thinking about your own one. Last weekend I had the honour of attending my beautiful cousin’s wedding to her lovely partner. The ceremony took place at the stunning botanical gardens in Melbourne with a picturesque backdrop and an accommodating, clear blue sky. Despite the day’s high temperature (and the drops of sweat making their way down my spine), all of the guests were in awe of the radiating couple who were so obviously in love that I almost acquired a headache, though that might have been just the overexposure of sunlight. As I was listening to the couple’s words that were soaked with such mushiness that it can only be tolerated at a wedding, I began thinking about how I would plan my own wedding if I ever decided to get married. And then the relentless aching in my feet made me wonder if wearing high heels had any other significant purpose other than to appear more attractive to the opposite sex and debated if the positives could override the searing pain and discomfort. By the third hour I was highly doubtful.

A view of where the ceremony was conducted.
Snaps for the happy couple!
How stunning did my cousin look?

The ceremony concluded and we went to the reception a few hours later. The reception was held at the scenic Sandringham Yacht Club which offered a fantastic view of the sunset and a particularly elegant function room. Three delicious courses and several mushy words later, we discovered the location of a fun-filled photo booth and spent the rest of the night dancing and having a fabulous time.

The dress I wore is based on a design that I loved for ages, so I decided to get it made in Vietnam when I was there over a year ago. Considering it is a relatively formal dress, I hadn’t found an opportunity to wear it until this occasion. Needless to say I was extremely excited to wear it, although it was sweltering hot at times.

Dress- Made in Vietnam             Shoes- Guess                Bag- Vintage          Earrings- ?           Necklace- Swarovski

My gorgeous sisters and I at Sandy Yacht Club.

It was one of the loveliest weddings I have experienced, and I wish the happy couple all the best!