fashion blogger

A Little Freshen Up

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

A new dress can do remarkable things for your wardrobe’s energy. One month prior to the conclusion of my shopping ban I looked around searching for *the* dress I was going to treat myself to once 2019 was over. I searched in numerous Australian designer stores, fully prepared to spend a bit of cash if I found a dress that I loved as much as my snakeskin boots. I knew that I needed a fresh item in my closet to enthusiastically propel me into the new year. But alas, I couldn’t find anything so I abandoned my search. But on this fateful trip to the battleground of Boxing Day, I found a shirt dress from Sheike – my first non-Witchery dress in a while. It was an unexpected and spontaneous purchase that goes against my newfound minimalist approach, but NO REGRETS.  I love the pattern, the colours, the length and the shirred waist. It is pretty much my ideal dress.

I matched it with my white ankle boots (both a summer and winter staple), my burgundy Prada bag and white earrings. I need to wear these white boots more often this summer, they go with everything.

Dress: Sheike

Shoes: Midas

Bag: Prada

I’m not certain how I will go with minimising my buying in 2020 now that I’m released from my ban. The temptation to add to my wardrobe is fairly compelling. So op-shopping is definitely on the cards to curb any potentially unethical purchases, but I think that if you really love something (and not for a temporary timeframe), you might as well go ahead!

Thanks for stopping by! x

It’s the Modern Jazz Age

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

Happy New Year!

2020 has finally arrived and it feels as though there should be robots wondering around on the streets by this point. But luckily a robot/alien invasion isn’t on the cards as all the movies have led us to believe, and instead we’ve been reminiscing about the 1920’s.  Like a dream come true, we (comprising of me, my boyf and his sister) hosted a roaring 20’s party to lead us into the New Year. As a pivotal time in fashion, I have always felt so inspired by the 20’s due to the glitz and glamour of the dresses, jewellery, androgynous hairstyles and the parties. As the quintessential novel of that decade, Great Gatsby showcased the excessive opulence of the era in addition to atrocities that were often masked by such conspicuous extravagance. But problematic events aside, the fashion was glorious and I had so much fun putting my costume together as inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s movie.

The dress was from my mum’s wardrobe, as they always are, which she purchased a couple of decades ago. I found this wig from Spotlight which looked nothing like the assigned photo and the description of ‘1920s Flapper Wig’. I’m thinking it gives off more Pulp-Fiction-Uma-Thurman vibes, or even Dora the Explorer, but that’s fine. I wore it with my leather, round-toe shoes from Florence and a white opal necklace.

Needless to say, my priorities were NOT sorted and I failed to get any individual photos. The obligatory front pose, side pose and back pose to show the outfit from 360 degrees was noticeably absent as I was too busy hosting. So the photos where my boyfriend performs the same pose in every shot will have to do. He’s trying to be Leo, just BTW.

Trying to be poised and dignified….

…Until we’re not

So just like that Christmas and New Year’s is done and dusted.

On a more serious note, it feels somewhat odd to be celebrating when disastrous bushfires are burning right across the country, and they’re showing no sign of slowing down. The climate crisis is is real, it’s here and it’s deadly. It’s also downright terrifying. But I’m grateful for these moments I can have with my friends and family, where we can join together and enjoy some laughs, have a dance and be safe. Others are not so fortunate and are unable to celebrate with their loved ones over this holiday period as they continue to battle the fires. I can’t pretend to know what that’s like, but I hope that this year we can all work together to mitigate the effects of climate change. Let’s all try to look after each other in 2020, and have a safe and happy New Year.

Thanks for stopping by! x

And the Ban Shall be Lifted

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

It is New Year’s Eve and the next decade is literally hours away! Naturally I’ve been contemplating how on earth 12 months has passed so quickly and what I’ve achieved in 2019, which I always think falls slightly short of my goals. But I recognise that I did the best I could, and I leave 2019 feeling exhausted but pleased. After all, I succeeded in what I planned to do in the beginning of 2019 (may have fallen short by a week, whoops) and reached December 26 without needing to shop for my wardrobe. On the outset it’s a superficial endeavour that for some would be laughable, but as simple as it is, I completed my goal and my carbon footprint has hopefully decreased as a result.

SO NOW IT’S TIME FOR A SHOPPING SPREE!

No, just joking. I really don’t need anything, except for maybe a couple of things here and there. But other than that, the minimal shopping thing really needs to continue into the next decade. My attitude towards consumerism has evolved enough to prevent me from going on a massive shopping expedition anytime in the future, as I have enough stuff in my wardrobe to dress myself (and all my female relatives) for a long time. BUT I must confess that I took a trip to the Boxing Day sales for a bit of an adventure. It’s a bit of a joke that someone who practiced a shopping ban attends the Boxing Day sales for fun, but my sister insisted. I bought some new runners, activewear, and a beautiful dress from Sheike. I didn’t get trampled on and nothing was snatched from my arms. It was actually significantly less frightening than I anticipated.

On Christmas, I wore a Witchery dress – of course, as Witchery clothes for uniform were the only clothes I could buy this year- Mimco earrings, and white mules from Zara that I got for Christmas. I can’t go past a teal dress and some matching bejewelled earrings. Everyone in my family dresses up for these occasions, and we had a lovely, food-filled afternoon with plenty of laughs. We are so lucky. Plus, we got a peek of the Melbourne summer.

My main girls

Dress: Witchery

Shoes: Zara 

Earrings: Mimco

Tonight I’m co-hosting a 1920’s themed New Year’s Eve party where I’m wearing a dress of my mum’s from 15 years ago. I’ll be donning a black bob wig, and hopefully I can round up some jewellery from the dress up box to fit with the theme. I wish I had time to watch some Great Gadsby for inspiration, but scrolling through Pinterest will have to suffice. I’ll be posting photos hopefully tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Thanks for following my adventures in 2019, and I hope you have a safe and happy New Year! x

Wardrobe Workout

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

There’s less than a month to go until my fashion ban is over!!

My goodness how time has flown by. Uni is over, Christmas preparations are in full swing, and summer in Melbourne has arrived. I may have failed occasionally with the odd purchase of earrings, the dress for the wedding, aaaand the boots (as you will see below), but I don’t regret anything – least of all the things I have not purchased this year and the few things I did.  I probably shouldn’t celebrate the fact that I’ll be able to buy a brand-spanking-new outfit (GUILT FREE!) when the clock strikes 2020, because I really don’t need anything. My wardrobe is still overflowing, and the combinations of outfits I’m able to create are seemingly endless. So we’ll see if the lifting of my self-imposed ban will actually make a difference to my sparse spending habits – I’m actually fairly certain that my growing dissatisfaction with raging consumption will curb any unnecessary buying.

So, to further exercise the depths of my wardrobe, I turned to this white button-up Witchery shirt that I haven’t worn in yonks. I’ve probably neglected it because it crushes so easily and is the biggest pain to iron. My schedule does not always take into account ironing time, so the clothes that need to be ironed usually remain far back in the wardrobe. But not this time – I am determined to wear EVERY SINGLE ITEM in my wardrobe this year.

I slapped on my corset-style belt and transformed it into a shirt-dress (with little black shorts underneath – don’t want to experience any mishaps) with a matching black felt hat from Blue Illusion.

The pièce de résistance is obviously the Tony Bianco boots, closely followed by my burgundy Prada bag. These boots are still everything to me. I am trying to to shake off the belief that clothes buy happiness, because I’m actively trying to stop myself from giving in to consumer culture. But for me, fashion is often the source of some kind of happiness, and it’s not fleeting or superficial.

This is the face of a gal who loves her boots like she loves her cat.

I love a white shirt dress. It’s a traditionally masculine item of clothing that has been transformed into a statement-making piece thanks to a few feminine touches. I’ve also worn this shirt with blue jeans, on top of bathers and with a pleated skirt. You can’t really go wrong with a long white shirt as it’s easy to coordinate and works well in both the summer and winter months. But before you buy, just make sure that you won’t have to drag your iron out before each wear.

Shirt: Witchery

Shorts: Glassons

Boots: Tony Bianco

Bag: Prada

Hat: Blue Illusion 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Casual Weekdays

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

With the winter weather hopefully on the way out, I’ve been on a mission to wear every last piece of winter clothing in my wardrobe. Of course, I’ve been wearing a lot more of my wardrobe than previous years thanks to my fashion ban, but I know that I can go further. I’m aiming to counteract the statistic that on average we only wear 20% of the clothes in our wardrobes, and only wear each item of clothing about 7 times before they’re neglected or discarded. How crazy is that! The cost per wear is through the roof, and studies have also found that an item is deemed ‘old’ if it’s worn a few times. Our obsession for newness is wasteful and darn expensive.

Social media has a significant impact on this by creating a taboo in being photographed in the same outfit twice. And the proof of this ridiculous fascination over ‘outfit-repeating’ is evident by the controversy that occurs when Kate Middleton wears the same coat a couple of times in a year. How dare she pluck a coat out of her mountainous wardrobe that has already been photographed by the tabloids! It really is laughable.

So, everyday I’ve been digging through my wardrobe to find something that’s been somewhat neglected recently to wear. I picked out this lace Witchery top because I haven’t worn it in a while, and matched it with Witchery floral boots. I borrowed my mum’s new black coat which I LOVE as it’s so versatile and warm, and accessorised with silver jewellery and bag. The outfit is practically all Witchery, which is proof that my wardrobe has been lacking diversity in the last four years. You find that your disposable income decreases dramatically when you work for a fashion retail brand.

Coat, top, jeans and boots: Witchery 

It’s been a refreshing exercise in repurposing old clothes to fit new trends, and sometimes we just need a reminder that we already own some pretty cool fashion. I still need to try out my Sportsgirl ponchos from 2010 that are kept in the back of my wardrobe, so that will be the next challenge. Stay tuned! x

Seeing Green

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

I purchased this coat over a year ago from Asos – prior to my pledge to not buy clothing for 12 months. I get so many compliments on this coat and I truly cringe when people ask where it’s from. Considering I am trying to adopt the slow fashion lifestyle, wearing a brand that promotes the fast fashion ethos doesn’t present me as being too committed. But the truth is that I loved this coat when I saw it and it was delightfully affordable and affordability is still pretty important to a student like myself.

Despite the low prices, I no longer want to support these prominent fast-fashion brands. My shift to becoming a more sustainable shopper is a process that hasn’t immediately resulted in me shopping at exclusively certifiably ethical brands, and I recognise that this is the next step once I complete my pledge. But eliminating the option of surfing Asos, Missguided or Boohoo for cheap and cute outfits is a step in the right direction. A couple of my friends have expressed their frustration over the difficulty in cutting out those online stores from their lives despite knowing the impacts of fast fashion. These brands are a lot to give up considering you can find practically any item you could dream of for a cost that doesn’t break the bank. But as inconvenient as it is (and I mean that with the greatest understanding), the consumption of fast fashion cannot hold a place in our future.

Nevertheless, I don’t regret buying the not-so-sustainable articles of clothing currently in my wardrobe because I love them and know that I will continue to wear and appreciate them. Just hopefully they will stand the test of time.

So, back to that infamous Asos coat. I popped the coat over wide-leg jeans and a black skivvy (both from Witchery) and accessorised with a canvas tote bag and white ankle boots. I just love the colour it brings to my typical jeans and black top combo, and the length is long enough to keep me properly warm for cold mornings such as these.

Coat: Asos

Jeans: Witchery

Top: Witchery

Bag: Christian Dior (from the Dior exhibition)

Shoes: Midas

Ultimately what I’m learning from this experience is that if you want to adopt a slow fashion approach, you should only buy what you absolutely love. And after taking some time to contemplate whether you should buy something, you may actually find that you didn’t really love it the first time.

But maybe that’s what I tell myself to squash the urges.

Thanks for stopping by! x

A Spontenous Trip to London

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

Over in England on our last day, we escaped to London just for the afternoon. I was so desperate to see the city again after spending just 14 hours there two years ago, which was clearly insufficient. I also had another motivation to go, being to visit the recently-refurbished Harrods and their *amazing* food hall. I couldn’t handle the thought of being near London and not seeing it for myself, as I had just watched Lydia Elise Millen’s vlog on her visit to Harrods and was completely transfixed. It features all the designer fashion and beauty brands all in one place, with delectable cakes as well as a wine bar – how can life be any more perfect?

It certainly did not disappoint, as Dan and I were wandering around in awe for a good couple of hours. It was practically heaven, besides the extortionate prices of food. I splurged regardless because HARRODS and because who knows when I’m going to visit London in the future? Unlikely to be anytime soon with my student budget.

After our Harrods adventure, we strolled around London and quickly visited some tourist sites. After that we enjoyed a couple of pints at the pub, because it would be rude not to. I wore mostly Witchery, and I just love wearing this paisley pleated skirt. I purchased this one recently for my work uniform (because I’m still banned from buying anything else!) and I will probably wear it everyday this spring.

I bought a lil Harrod’s cake! OMAGOSH it was delicious. We enjoyed our desserts in Hyde Park.

Top, Skirt and Bag: Witchery

Shoes: Mimco

Sunglasses: Chloe

Until next time, London, when I can hopefully take the time to properly enjoy this exciting city. Thanks for stopping by! x

But I Love Them So Much

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

I went and did a bad thing. I bought a pair of boots.

I will admit wholeheartedly that I broke my pledge at the six month mark to not purchase any fashion for 2019, because I fell in love with a pair of Tony Bianco boots. I had been going so well for the past six months to the point that I haven’t even had an urge to buy a single thing – until these boots flashed up on my screen while I was scrolling through Facebook. I tried to switch the wanting off, and I tried to ignore it for a few weeks.  I even re-read Every Women’s Guide To Saving The Planet as a last ditch attempt to curb my desire. But once I performed the dangerous act of trying the boots on (just to tryyyy), I was sold. I just love them so much.

So rather than dwell on my failures, I will accept that I caved and that it SHALL NOT happen again in 2019. I promise to do my best.

The other day I took the cheat boots out for a lovely lunch and matched them with my green ASOS coat, Witchery skirt and top and a red bag.

HOW NICE ARE THEY. They are faux snakeskin, knee-high and with a heel that doesn’t endanger the hips or knees. I will be wearing them plenty through out the winter, so close-ups will arriving on the blog eventually.

I also took some photos of the aesthetically-pleasing and delicious food consumed at Dinner by Heston that afternoon. There was even a dish with what appeared to be a plum, but it actually contained pâté. Surprises all around.

Boots: Tony Bianco

Coat: ASOS

Top: Witchery

Skirt: Witchery

Bag: Marcs

Thanks for stopping by! x

What Does My Dress Really Cost?

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

Just as I thought that I would have to pack away my summer dresses for good, the Easter break brought along some beautiful weather. For a Good Friday lunch, I brought out this multi-layered dress from Tree of Life that I purchased at the end of 2018 for a bargain and absolutely adore wearing. There’s just so much going on with the paisley print, the inconspicuous sequins that are dotted all over the fabric, and the pretty under layer that peeks out from the paisley. This dress can also be worn as a long skirt, which I have been matching with a white cotton t-shirt or bandeau top and some nude sandals. I think I’ll keep it in my winter wardrobe for some multi-seasonal use, because I have a feeling that it might look alright as a skirt with some boots and a leather jacket.

 

Dress: Tree of Life

Bag: Markets in Italy

Tree of Life was given a grade C ethical rating in the 2019 Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Guide, which isn’t terrible, but there’s certainly room for improvement. This is particularly important in the face of the climate disaster we are facing, where the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries due to its excessive use of resources. And unless the fast fashion movement is halted, the fashion industry will continue to jeopardise the state of our climate.

This week is Fashion Revolution Week, which aims to highlight the social justice issues that are rife in the industry as well as the environmental consequences that are posed. Fashion Revolution Week is urging people to post on social media a photo of themselves in their clothes with the hashtag #whomademyclothes, directed at the brands they are wearing to encourage transparency in the supply chain. Maybe I’ll ask Tree of Life, or maybe I’ll ask some of the other brands that I love to wear. Either way, it’s important as consumers to recognise the power we hold and to use it to demand the production of clothing that doesn’t cost the earth or the rights of garment workers. And next time I love a dress like the one above, I first and foremost need to consider where it came from and what it’s made from before I hand my cash over.

Thanks for stopping by! x

We Got the Pink

by ilikeyourshirtfashionblog

It was clear to see that pink ruled the day on the 2019 Oscars red carpet, in possibly every bold and stimulating shade of pink there is. This sent a strong message there’s no better time than the present to be brave and splash on some of the divisive hue, as every celebrity who has sported pink this season has looked nothing less than glorious.

So, I have mentioned previously that the only exception to my pledge to not buy any clothes in 2019 is my uniform for work. And fortunately, Witchery decided to unleash a hot pink collection early in the year to which I squealed and exclaimed: “I NEED some pink in my life!”. Even though I haven’t worn any type of pink since the early days of galavanting in my fairy princess dresses, the fashion gods were sending a message that pink is strong, empowering and queenly. I decided that I wanted to be a part of this pink parade, so I bought this silky bright shirt (see pics below) and have been bombarded with compliments every time I have worn it to work. I matched it with my cream high-waisted shorts that I have worn all summer, and white Mimco sneakers which I LOVE due to the patterned detail. All round a vibrant and comfortable outfit for work – not to mention, on trend with the freshwater pearl hoops!

My modelling partner in crime, Sebastian.

Shirt: Witchery

Shorts: Witchery

Shoes: Mimco

Earrings: Witchery

After suggesting to some customers that they should try the pink shirt, they would hold their hands up and say, ‘Pink? No way, that is so not my colour!’ although I assured them it would most definitely become their colour. Maybe it’s the preconceptions of pink being associated with girlishness and children that makes it so divisive, though surely that’s no longer relevant. It may require some confidence to pull off, but there is no better time to seize the day and give it a try. And I am so delighted to finally have something hot pink inhabiting my wardrobe that’s not in the form of a Princess Aurora dress.

What’s your opinion on pink? Let me know in the comments below! x