Fashern [a rant]

T: I guess that's the essence of "personal style" - you take it from other people...
S: BAHAH such an oxymoron then!

[an excerpt from a recent conversation of ours]

Andyheart

[Picture the girl]

She's wearing a horizontal striped top (of course), with distressed straight leg jeans, plain black ballet flats, a khaki anorak & carries her bare necessities in a little black leather sling bag.  So timeless!  So chic!   

But really, if what used to be timeless has now become on trend, does that mean it's not timeless at all?  What if the eternally cool French look has become mainstream... what are the French going to wear?  (Actually, I doubt they care, but the question still stands.)  Frogs aside, why oh why has classic become the new black?  That is, black reigns supreme.  If we knew anything about the global economy, now would probably be the time to draw a smart conclusion... but we don't.

Plenty has been written about fashion overload, oversaturation, and all sorts of wonderful terms that give reasoning for the Scandi-minimal way of the fashion world right now.  Stylish girls all around the shop are going "anti-fashion" with their wardrobes, culling is the new shopping & repeating outfits is as cool as saying your avocados are organic.  But is it even truly anti-fashion if the fashion is to be anti-fashion?  (read that sentence twice)  Or perhaps we are so caught up in the online world full of clones that we can't even see the TRULY stylish people in our midst.

So anyway.  A big rant for a normal little Monday.  A big rant that draws minimal conclusions & raises more questions than an existential crisis. 

We will sit here in our breton tops, jeans & leopard ballets & ponder it with you.

xx S&T

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DIY Inspiration: Stuck on You

This is the inspiration for my next DIY, to be completed when I return to Perth next week.  The bag above is from Low Classic (Korean brand which I am drooling over), and the laptop thingo is by STITX.  For this mystery project, my final clue is clear PVC, inspired by DIY guru, Geneva.

Stay tuned for the end result!

xx T

2WW: Canadian Tuxedo

The Canadian Tuxedo can be done really wrong or really right.
Today for 2 Way Wednesday, we've attempted the latter & hope we succeeded!

Again, the same instruction has yielded two very different ensembles.  (Without planning, we must add.)
Whilst T went for a traditional tux & added gold accents for interest, S manipulated the dress code using coloured denim. 

T's Classic Tux
Wearing double denim hadn't even flashed across my radar because, 1: I was not in possession of a denim shirt until before I left for Albany, and, 2: I was a little clueless about the whole ordeal of doubling up my denim.  That was until this picture of O.P. surfaced, and I realised I had all the elements of her outfit.

Hence the blatant outfit-copy.

But I reckon it worked out okay - what do you think?





T Wears
Zara jeans
ST&ARD Denim shirt
Country Road flats
Cheapie necklace from Cambodia


S' Springy Double Denim

These jeans are one of those outfit-making pieces of clothing that I usually grab in a running-out-the-door manner.  Instead of wearing them with my favourite Marcs stripey t-shirt (seen here & many other posts), which is worn more than any other top in my 'drobe, I decided to obey the dress code with a light denim shirt.

Admittedly, the black bag does not coordinate at all with the look, nor does the red notebook peeping out, but in an effort to portray reality on zis leedle blahg, here it is anyway.





S wears
Sass & Bide jeans from Recollections
Portmans denim shirt & jacket
Necklace from Ebay
Ferragamo bag (gift from T&Mr T)
Le Specs sunglasses



This time next week we'll be back in Perth.  Exciting is an understatement.


xx S&T

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The It-Bag Conundrum

The Pashli.

Phillip's unassuming, little leathery bundle of vestiary perfection is exactly what sparked off our rant introspective into the It Bag last weekend.  A discussion between us, which we thought we'd share with you since it involves our beloved topic of fashion.

If not for the annoying popularity of said Pashli, I would be sitting here now holding aloft my (then envisioned) Bangkok purchase and this post would have never been conceived.  Of course, you all know that I: 1. never got a Pashli because they were sold out; and 2: settled for the Speedy 25 instead out of it being a pure "classic".  It so happened that S too was on a simultaneous path of bag-lust and had fallen in lust with the Pashli.  As was K (of Render Sublime).  And so I partook in two rather involved conversations about why we wanted it so badly, but on the other hand, had all experienced the collective feeling that feeding into the It-Bag trend of 2012 would get old rather quickly.  

There is something about the It-Bag that gets us going en masse.  Almost daily I see the Trio, the Trapeze, the Antigona, the Pashli, and more - a plethora of last year's most desirable bags.  And what more is that these desirable bags hang off the arms of desirable women who have lives that are probably more desirable than mine.  It's desire overload!  Those bags are also hideously expensive!  Therefore, what I think my illogical brain does is saunters over and slips me a neuronal napkin on which it is written "whoever owns those are damn cool and have their s*** sorted".  It's a status symbol; a symptom of affluenza, duh!  Thus of course, along I trot, longing after the next and the next.

S & I do, however, have a logical side to our brains, and we got a-thinking about the downsides to buying into the It-Bag craze.  You see, an It-Bag only has its time in the sun for so long until it gets old, and a younger, more attractive It-Bag sidles in and takes its place.  And as the Man Repeller's article most adeptly puts it: "the only thing that seems worse than wearing something outdated is wearing something outdated for which you overpaid for with the sole purpose of it being on trend".  Ouch.  Our other major gripe is that S & I are searching for individuality in a (blogger) world where every new cool thing saturates the blogosphere and simultaneously becomes more detestable to us whilst boosting street-style cred.  As much as we enjoy the craftsmanship and quality poured into our dear little Pashli and Trio, we have for the moment resolved to watch from afar for this very matter.

Will choosing to buy a bag that never reaches It-Bag status solve our personal conundrum?  But on the other hand, (to play devil's advocate) why drop a money-bomb on a expensive yet unrecognisable designer bag when you could get a cheaper alternative which garners the same level of attention?  

Something to think about whilst stroking your nappa leather.

xx S & T



P.S. apparently Google Reader is closing down FO REALZ, so we have bloglovin' as a substitute.  GET ON IT.

Fossick Handmade

Kalgoorlie may be known for its gold, but I've succeeded in uncovering a different kind of gem.  Whilst T silently rejoices about Albany having a Spotlight, I am going to not-so-silently gloat about Kal's local destination for all things creative.  I chanced upon Fossick Handmade whilst on my lunch break from GP and boy am I glad to have found such a crafty oasis in a town that is... well... quite the opposite.

If you're into bunting, vintage clothing & just seriously cute things, this is the place to be.

This is the first time I have waltzed into a shop and done the blogger thang without T by my side, so be kind, little readers.

xx S

PS: Melbourne-turned-Kalgoorlie girl Bec posted about the gallery/gift shop here, if you want an insider's perspective!

Pleather Minus the P

There has been a small incident, but one that I stand behind.  The number of leather jackets in my wardrobe has gone from nil to two in that many weeks.  You may think me reckless, but I think that a leather jacket in a classic cut will never go out of style... in fact, leather is like good wine & violins (ageing-wise).  An investment, perhaps, in my future as a sophisticated woman.  (haha!)

Images from IWantaBigCloset & LizaChloe 


What do you think?  Reckless?

While usually it's wise to stop & think about big purchases for a while, sometimes it's a case of now-or-never.....
(where never = sold out)


xx S

2WW: So Frenchy, So Chic

This week's 2 Way Wednesday post is extra special... our chinos are exactly the same ones!  They are part of our mission to have good basics & no trash in our 'drobes.  See below for chinos-as-business & chinos-as-casual.  Not to mention the (warning: alliteration ahead) coincidentally coordinated combovers.

Beige chinos are a super versatile addition to any wardrobe, no matter what your style.  It's strange we both went for classic palettes of white, black & red, because you could easily mix neutral beige with any colour.  Or perhaps it's not strange at all, as we both seem to be living in basic colours & silhouettes these days.

T wears
Cheap Monday chinos
Country Road tank
Saba blazer
Bloch heels
Longchamp pouch

S wears
Cheap Monday chinos

Zara blouse

Witchery belt

Country Road shoes

Hope you all had a great Easter & are enjoying the week back.


xx S&T

Amity

Ahhh Albany, you are indeed very beautiful.  If I didn't love being a city-slicker so much, I'd gladly live here in the chilly weather, surrounded by the ocean views.  Rather idyllic for a medical placement, is it not?  In truth, a small amount of frustration has amounted due to my forever-present desire to acquire more sartorial things being staunched...  Which I know is good for my bank-account (and a potential trans-Australia trip!), but perhaps not so good for the likely rebound on my return to Perth.

But I digress - this post is supposed to be about what on earth I've been occupying my time with!  Last weekend (being our first in Albany), Ashlyn & I took a long walk to the bay to visit the replica Brig Amity, and also to the top of Mt Melville to catch the sunset.  Much huffing and puffing ensued, as we later discovered that the walk to the look-out was rated "difficult" according to the walking trails book.  Here's to hoping that my cardio improves over the next three weeks!

Witchery khaki jacket

Le Specs Runaway sunglasses

Sportsgirl pant

Hope you all had a lovely Easter!

xx T