This season is all about letting it loose and letting your shoulders breathe. The off-the-shoulder trend has gained prominence through being paraded by It-girls during fashion weeks this year, and they have shown that off-the-shoulder tops can come in any shape and design. They are perfect for the warmer months and there is something seductive and refreshing about bearing your shoulders to a warm spring breeze.
harpersbazaar.com
It looks elegant and feminine in the style of a dress, and incorporate it into a formal/smart casual ensemble with a below-the-knee pencil skirt or A-line skirt.
stylecarrot.comhercampus.com
Yes! I am loving the floaty femininity of the coral off-the-shoulder dress mixed with the grungy Docs.
asos.com
There are zillions of styles of off-the-shoulder tops and dresses that can suit any style of shorts, pants and skirts. The bohemian/hippy trend is a stand-out this spring/summer and off-the-shoulder tops are a perfect bohemian staple item.
Here is my own winter/spring attempt at the old off-the-shoulder with a long-sleeve top and high-waisted, suede shorts.
Top- Asos
Shorts- Lumiere
Shoes- Rubi shoes
….and let’s not forget about the all-important accessories- this week I have gone with rose gold.
Necklace: Accessorize
Watch: Armani
Earrings: Mouche
Bracelet: Von Treskow
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Aaaaaand back to L.A! Honestly we planned our trip to commence and end in L.A because it takes the least amount of flying time for us Australians. Surprisingly after only two weeks of originally being there, the temperature had soared and there was even sunshine. Unlike how it was when we started in Santa Monica, it was warm enough to go to the beach and even walk around at night without a cardigan! Essentially that works out to more tanning time for me!
On my birthday I did what any reasonable fashion blogger would do in my position: I took a walk down Rodeo Drive. I was blissfully in awe at the fact that I could recognise the designer collections while I gleefully window-shopped, and even bravely walked into a few despite my lack of a Prada bag. I would like to be able to fondly reminisce about the exceptionally well put-together outfit I was wearing on the day, but I can only say that I sported a $10 dress and Nikes while I pranced down the elite street. It seems despicable, but my blistered feet could only handle Nikes after all the walking I had put them through in sandals.
Oh Vera…make me a dress one day pretty pleaseIt’s small, but the famous Hollywood sign is definitely there. To my left. Just look more closely.
We stayed in West Hollywood in a place just around the corner from Sunset Boulevard, and it was awesome to see all of the rainbow flags out in full force! Naturally we partook in all of the typical LA touristy things that a tourist must do, including an extremely brief glance down Hollywood Boulevard, a sneaky look at the homes of the rich and famous, a tour around the city, a looksies at Venice Beach and once again Santa Monica. A spot of shopping at The Grove was also on the agenda.
Canals at Venice Beach
And another picturesque shot of the Santa Monica Pier where there’s actually a clear blue sky (this shot was the purpose of my entire trip)
There was just so much to do and so little time, but it was surreal to experience these parts of America when I had grown up watching them on television. There were so many good memories, laughs, and burgers that were eaten, so really it was a trip of a lifetime. I will be back (when I am, erm, at a legal wine-sipping age) to hopefully experience different parts of the US. Until next time!
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As a non-gambler I predicted that Vegas would probably not be one of my preferred locations in ‘Murica. I thought that I had learnt everything I needed to know from The Hangover and even then I wouldn’t be able to replicate a fraction of the fun (stupidity) they experienced, as I’m not even at a legal drinking age. Darn Vegas.
Surprisingly, I had an absolute blast. One of the highlights of the trip was going hotel-hopping. It is an understatement to say that the hotels I have seen/stayed in do not measure up to Vegas standards. Vegas was a fantasy land and each hotel was like being transported to another country. With a giant casino area within each of those mini nations where people are accompanied by mini pooches. I found it astonishing to see little children walking through the casino in their bathers and floaties in order to get to the pool while they are surrounded by downcast adults continuously pressing the buttons on the pretty machines. It really is a surreal city to be in.
The Bellagio Fountain ShowInside The Venetian HotelAll the stunning artwork was first painted on canvases and then plastered on the ceilingSeen inside the Wynn Hotel
Note: I did not stay in every one of these hotels-I merely wandered about in each of them. There were countless occasions when I just wanted to sit down and take it all in with a drink, but alas, I am merely an infant in this perplexing city.
Exuberant flower arrangements decorated every inch of that hotel. It was one of my favourites.
Honestly I would not under any circumstances desire to reside there for an extended period of time. It is a pretty ridiculous place. BUT I did have a brilliant time and would probably/most definitely drag my friends here for a hectic and outrageous party week.
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I can’t possibly explain how excited I was to experience New York for myself, rather than looking with admiration through a TV screen. As a capital city of fashion and entertainment I was certain that it would be remarkable, and it truly exceeded my expectations.
We resided on Times Square which was relatively overwhelming to begin with. The sheer amount of people and the blazing lights were unlike anything I’ve witnessed before. In fact, it probably took me a couple of days to not be overwhelmed by Times Square. It also made me want to go to literally every show that was plastered against the walls in bright lights.
Naturally we decided to take a tour in order to experience what we could in a short frame of time. Unfortunately we decided on a not-so-crash-hot tour bus company, which we didn’t realise until later in our first day when it took 45 minutes for the bus to come as opposed to the predicted 10 minutes. It really went downhill from there, so if anyone wants to know which tourist tour to most definitely avoid, then I am the gal. However, we did see some fantastic and worthy sites such as the imposing Statue of Liberty, the haunting former site of the Twin Tours, the Empire State and Central Park. We even took a fun bike ride around the place, which was a highlight of the trip despite my lack of brakes. On the topic of dangerous things, riding in a taxi in New York city was more often than not terrifying.
Empire State BuildingMemorial site of the Twin TowersOne World Trade CenterBike riding in Central Park
Next best thing was undoubtedly attending a broadway show. In the four days we were in New York we managed to see two outstanding performances. In Melbourne we have fantastic musicals and shows of high quality, but when in New York, one must experience the novelty and professionalism of a broadway show. We saw Chicago and Jersey Boys which were absolutely phenomenal.
Other highlights included shopping down Fifth Avenue, viewing the city on foot and visiting the Museum of Natural history. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time to go shopping in the Soho District, and basically we had little time to shop at all. It would have been tragic but we were already seeing so much and travelling to so many places that shopping became secondary. Of course, we missed out on seeing a lot but it really is impossible to do New York in a meagre four days.
View of Manhattan from Brooklyn
So I guess I will just have to come back one day soon! It made such an impression on me that I would have been content with spending the rest of my American trip there, although with less of the tourist’s agenda as I can imagine that there would be worlds more to that amazing city.
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First stop: Santa Monica! Honestly we only planned to go here first because we wanted to relax for a couple of days to recuperate from our tiresome journey from Australia. Being a stranger to the States, most of my expectations were built from what I had witnessed in American television- which we have a lot of by the way. I was particularly eager to see the Santa Monica Pier and to experience a 4th of July in America because I was sure that would signify plenty of celebrations. And it really did-until 6 in the morning actually, when I finally fell asleep.
Traditional Mexican Dancers on a street
Despite the impressive 4th July shenanigans I enjoyed, my preferred experience in Santa Monica was walking down the main street at night at an outdoor mall area. I was lured in by the shop signs stating brands I had only seen online, and found myself continually stopping to admire the beautiful street performers. Not to mention the wonderful smells coming from the restaurants. Everyone was so friendly to us, and I don’t know whether it was because we were so conspicuously foreign and never appeared as though we had our bearings. The atmosphere was buzzing and the environment was incredibly pleasant- and so clean! Unfortunately it wasn’t as warm as we anticipated it would be, as we found it a tad cool for beach weather, but we established that there are more interesting sites to experience rather than just the Santa Monica Beach.
Two days was not nearly enough, and I wasn’t able to spend enough time taking photos of all the pretty sights because I had left my camera’s memory card at home (not clever, I finally found one at Target). I was able to however get over the jet lag and build up my strength for New York, but I will elaborate in the next blog post. I wish we had more time in Santa Monica, but I’m happy to have personally experienced for the short duration it as it had an extremely unique and cool atmosphere.
Stay tuned for more updates and photos. Also feel free to follow me on insta at ilikeyourshirt_blog ! x
For all the poor souls undergoing winter in the southern hemisphere, there is a risk that you should all take: clashing prints. It only takes a couple of mismatched stripes to render it as a failure, but a successful match can be magical.
It was seen across Milan, Paris, London and Barcelona Fall Fashion Week and has become a defining trend of 2015.
Custo at Barcelona Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2015. Getty Images
It can be quite the challenge, but makes fashion fun and exciting. Pairing different prints together have usually been a big no-no until recently, as designers and stylists have exposed the secrets to the creation of the clash.
To create the perfect clash, here are a few handy hints:
Matching colours: if you choose to wear diverse colours, ensure that they match and don’t look as though they have been put together by a clown. Using neutral shades accompanied by a bold colour works well, allowing the bold colour and print to stand out as demonstrated by Zendaya below.
Zendaya looking fine. smh.com.au
Size of prints: You are destined to succeed if a small print is matched with a large print. It becomes too overwhelming if both are prominent and can potentially look as though a three-year old dressed you. Pairing a minimalistic print with a larger one causes the eye-catching print to stand out against a more plain type, and hence they compliment one another without clashing.
Marion Cotillard rocking the leopard print ‘n’ stripes. Getty Images
Two prints max: I would suggest no more than two different prints combined. If you delve into a third, there is a high risk of an unfortunate clash occurring.
Emma Stone showing how it’s done in polka dots and stripes. Getty Images
These stylish ladies inspired me to have my own crack at it.
Cape: Atmosphere
Top: asos
Pants: Lovely Girl
Shoes: Doc Martens
Bag: House of Secrets
Let me know what you think about my own attempt at it! And while you’re at it, feel free to follow me on my blog and on Instagram! x
Remember back in the late 90s and early 2000’s when embroidered jeans and basically anything else containing embroidery were practically the coolest things ever? Well, that trend is still as stylish as ever – just check out Dolce and Gabbana’s recent collections. Embroidery takes me back to the childhood days of femininity and frivolity, and being able to wear a pink hat with green and yellow embroidered flowers just because I could.
Embroidered jackets most definitely hold the same groovy status, so I’ve taken to wearing both of my embroidered pieces together.
You see, you may think it’s just a classic leather jacket but there is actually a party going on in the back.
Jacket- Muubaa
Jeans- Nobody
Boots- Vanessa
Bag- Zara
Top- Cotton On
They look better than prints and not to mention they are fun to touch. I guess there is just something novel about artfully embroidered clothing.
It was actually quite delightful the other day, with the lovely sun showing off for one last time and the unusually warm temperature encouraging everyone to explore outside. It was one of those days where you would be happy to wake up to it every morning. Quite a contrast to today, where the rain is pelting down and the wind is louder than my typing while I am sick in bed writing this. Winter has arrived and it’s still autumn. I want summer back.
To outlive Melbourne’s sunshine’s final existence, I wore red lippy on navy blue-my favourite. It’s a bold combination for all seasons, and both compliment each other really well. Orange and navy also have the same effect. I wore my favourite pair of pants which are light and silky- perfect for warmer temperatures but not some much for the incoming winter. I usually reject the idea of wearing navy and black together because I don’t believe that they are compatible together, however I felt like there was enough white in the pants to allow it to mesh with the navy blue top. Otherwise as a general rule: navy blue and black are not great pals.
The adorable brooch was from my sister when she returned from Europe. It kinda matches the lippy, dontcha think?
Turtlenecks are like, super cool this winter. It has finally been deemed that it’s both chic and practical, as who really wants to walk around with a bare neck in freezing temperatures?
The style of a turtleneck usually means that a scarf is unnecessary. Olivia Palermo shows how this is not the case. popsugar.com
There is so much variety when it comes to the ol’ turtleneck. They come in tops, jumpers, and dresses as exemplified by myself below. It keeps me so warm that I even took off my coat midway through. How’s that for practical fashion.
Throw on an oversized-coat with your turtleneck. The coat de-feminises my dress to achieve the ‘shapeless’ look- a current winter trend. It also happens to be very comfortable. I cannot say that I am a fan of potato-sack-looking dresses on the other hand, which is why i have stuck to a tight-fitting turtleneck for a touch of sophistication.
Dress- Bardot
Coat- Asos
Shoes- Diana Ferrari
So invest in one, or a few, and stay warm this winter.
I always talk about class and elegance, but sometimes it doesn’t need to be achieved. Sometimes we need to lie back and watch how those who walk down the street, shopping for groceries on a Saturday morning, dress. It’s simple-not necessarily ‘in style’- but caters for the weather the day brings. Comfort is obviously the key, but it doesn’t mean you need to look boring when venturing out to the shops. Especially if you happen to bump into people you know, which personally is inevitable.
I was inspired by the elderly ladies I see walking down the street who wear oversized, dark-toned coats, and thick opaque stockings to battle the winter cold, and decided to get my own winter over-sized coat. I settled on this Asos number, which will hopefully protect me from the Melbourne winter. I feel like it’s a coat that a homeless man used to wander in that can be found in the dark depths of an op shop-and has remained in amazingly excellent condition. It looks a little vintage, and can be spruced up with some necessary winter accessories.
This is my summer hat, but now it’s become my winter hat. Mid-brimmed felt hats have become all the rage, and look fantastic with a killer coat and boots. Obviously they serve for sun protection in winter too.
This clutch was a gift from my mum when she went to China- thanks mum!
I Like Your Shirt 