Fashion Musings

JUMPERS!

It's cold. You need a nice jumper.

So it took me aaaaaaaaages to find the right one but I finally picked one up from Cue on sale for $42. I'm quite the bargain hunter. Anyway, I've done the hard work for you and because I'm so super helpful, I've sorted them into price ranges. Go me.

Super Cheap:

ASOS

Nordstrom

Low:

ASOS

Princess Polly

Dotti

Mid:

Princess Polly

Sportsgirl

High:

Netaporter

Cue

ASOS

Nordstrom

Only in my dreams (yes, that is actually a category):

And my personal favourite (mostly because I just like winning things)...

Is it too early to pick my Christmas present now?

Printed Scarves:

As you know, I spend way too much time on Netaporter, when I really should be doing something productive. But let's face it - doing productive things is not half as much fun as ogling at printed scarves:

I can't possibly choose which of these is my favourite. Which naturally means that I'll have to buy them all, even if it results in me becoming Netapoorer. Yes, I've been planning that joke for quite some time. Sometimes typos can be very inspiring. Anyway, these scarfs are made out of a silky/chiffon-y material and aren't particularly useful for keeping you warm. However, just like detachable collars they can add life to simple jumpers and allow you to make a lot of use out of staple pieces, eventually saving you a lot of mula. So it's not really fair for you to expect them to keep you warm as well as doing all this. That's just greedy.

Sportsgirl:

Jeanswest:

The Iconic:

American Apparel from ShopStyle:

Zara:

These prints and colours have really turned my mood around and now I'm feeling very optimistic about everything! Happy weekend!

- Jessica

A Bit of Mod, Glam and Tangerine: The Best of Sportsgirl's New Season Looks

It's time to say hello to the new line of an old favourite. Sportsgirl, of course.

Their new 2012 arrivals + summer styles are basically everything we love here at fashion musings:

1) Colour!! Oh goodie! We're talking BOLD colours, as in... tangerine and lemon. I do love citrus fruits.

2) Prints!! BOLD prints!

3) History!! .... umm. Well, we are self confessed nerds (only a little) and both Jesie and I quite like history so when we saw the amazing mod silouhettes of Sportsgirl's new shift dresses we practically melted.

4) Glamour! Again, this contributes to the whole bold thing going on, but the best bit is that the embellishments and sequins and such are in relatively small doses so you wont end up looking like a... I don't know. Shiny ornament of some sort?

5) Tame things! Ok I didn't really know how to phrase this in one or two words but basically, what I mean is that if you aren't into all this bold-ness then there also plenty of polka dots and neutrals to keep everyone happy.

So here are some images from their lookbook which will hopefully help you understand what I'm talking about:

I really really really love these dresses! They feel so much like summer!

Practically drooling over those pants.

This is what I mean about the subtle glamour! These could be worn casually, or dressed up for some fun party times. Also, kudos to those fish tails!

I wish I could see more of the dress, especially because I don't really like balloons unless we're re-living the glory days of 'don't let the balloon touch the ground,' but it looks rather nice from a distance.

And these here are just a few of my favourite I picked out:

1) Dip Colour Sweater -$59.95

2) Ponte Skater Skirt - $49.95

3) Stripy Sun Dress - $89.95

4) Madeline Pop Shift Dress - $79.95

5) Indian Summer Dress - $99.95

And Jes and I's shared favourite:

6) Miss Unkon Dream Weaver Dress - $60

Besides the fact that that Miss Unkon dress is such a nice colour we simply don't see enough of these days, the back is absolutely incredible:

Excuse me while I go and shottie it before Jes. :P Before I head off, I'll leave you with an image which is all kinds of amazing:

(Red Leather Shorts $129.95)

I'm pretty sure that's as bold as you can get.

- Varsh

Lovely in Lace

So we've already started to see a few changed in 2012 (not really actually); one of those changes being the crazy influx of short, white lace dresses.

LWDs, if you may. Or... LLDs... Or... SLDs... I don't know, they're all starting to sound like drugs now.

Anyway, lace dresses, particularly white ones, no longer have to be reserved for walking down the aisle. Trim those hems and you have a lovely dress for a summer garden party, the races...

Or the red carpet:

I can't say I'm much of a fan of her music, but boy can she dress well.

So here are a couple we've seen around:

** *Foreword- the sizes of the pictures are all wacko, Jes, please don't freak out :P

Also I know that that last Forever New dress isn't lace but it's just so pretty!!

The best thing about these dresses are that they have a really great fresh and fun vibe about them, the perfect way to start the new year!

- Varsh

Stop horsing around! Get to the races! :P

Foreword:
In attempting to come up with a title for this post I was genuinely considering:
Don't hold your horses! It's time to stop horsing around, giddy up and head to the races!
:D
So count yourselves lucky with 'Stop horsing around! Get to the races! :P'

***

Like that commercial that comes on television every spring, the coming of the season equates to the coming of hay fever allergies. :( It simultaneously equates (nice maths analogies eh) to the coming of the Spring Racing Season (which is much, much better) and thanks to some magical pill whose name I can’t quite remember, we can all enjoy this lovely time of the year with an equally lovely day at the races!! And even better, without hay fever. And preferably without maths.

Anyway, before I continue, I have to admit that my only racing experience has been during the Autumn Carnival… but I imagine that spring would be much the same, if not better, due to the better chance of non-rainy, non-windy weather. :D

So yes, it’s spring, and it’s time to go to the races!! This means pretty dresses, pretty shoes, pretty bags and something us normal people don’t really get the chance to wear very often PRETTY HATS!! :) Also, winning money! Last time I won about $11 which hardly covered lunch but oh well, racing season is still a win-win kind of thing.

So let us rewind all the way back to last Saturday, with one of the first big races of the season, The Caulfield Cup which reminded us how much of racing-fun we missed over those dreary winter months.

(Photographs from the Herald Sun)

So I can’t say I’ a massive fan of many of those outfits... Like the suit thing... I’m just going to pray that that’s a passing trend and we will soon go back to seeing Megan Gale looking hysterically amazing in lovely gowns and dresses.

Nevertheless, I’m all super inspired to go to the races, so I suppose it’s time to take a look at the best (as voted by me:P ) outfits the shops have to offer us for the Spring Carnival.

Traditionally, I know it's what you’re supposed to ‘top off’ your outfit with when heading off to the races, so, obviously, its not exactly the first thing one would look for when shopping for racing-appropriate outfits, but for the purpose of today’s post, we’re going to start our racing wardrobe journey with the hat or fascinator.

This year we’ve seen our fair share of disastrous hats; need I remind you of a certain member of the royal family??

Yes, and her cousin/sister/I can’t remember?

In an attempt to void the world of any of these kinds of hats/fascinators, it’s VERY important that you follow these rules:

1) The hat/fascinator must suit your dress.
2) The hat /fascinator must suit your face shape.
3) The hat/fascinator must suit your hair style for the day.
4) The hat/fascinator must NOT be so irregularly shaped that it becomes an occupational health and safety hazard and risks injuring innocent bystanders due to its sheer immensity.
5) The hat/fascinator must NOT resemble an animal, or make the hat/fascinator wearer resemble an animal. EVER.

Pretty straightforward, right?

If you’re planning on being super fancy, you can always head off to a milliner for a custom made hat/fascinator, or you could check out Myer or David Jones for a nice, classy piece. There, you would be able to choose from a much wider range of designers.

With hats/fascinators, you can be safe, or you can be brave. In this case, I would go safe, just because hats can be so hit and miss (hint hint royal wedding) and honestly, I know i'm not a hat expert. But by all means, be brave! I guess this is really one of the only chances you can wear hats and fascinators without looking ridiculously over the top.

These are some hats/fascinators from JessicaBeattie:

These are incredibly nice and I cannot imagine how much effort would go into making each of them!!! It’s also interesting that they’re all black and white, considering the Caulfield Cup day featured a number of coloured hats and fascinators.

But you can go for a much simpler hat like this one from Myer:

I quite like this style, with it being simple yet chic.

Even though they might look a bit silly here, you’ve just to imagine them on a real person wearing a lovely dress amongst the rose bushes at Flemington... It’s not hard really.

And of course, you can always go for an embellished headband if you don’t want to distract from the dress.

Speaking of dresses, it’s about time we got to look them eh? My reasoning for showing you the hats first was so that you would be able to visualize them with the dresses. My photoshopping skills are rather awful, so I’m just going to have to leave it up to your (hopefully) creative imaginations. A lot of the time you can wear a perfectly normal dress to the races, maybe even one you already have in your wardrobe, but the addition of a hat or fascinator, can make it perfect for race day! So please, imaginations everyone!

Now the obvious option is the floral dress, and as it is spring, surprise surprise, the annual influx of floral dresses has blessed our stores.

I want ALL of those dresses. Seriously.

There’s no harm in going neutral or block coloured too. However, the only thing I would suggest you refrain from is wearing any kind of neon/freakishly bright dress. Remember, it’s a classy event. :P My friend and I did see a woman wearing a ridiculously pink satin dress which may have looked very glamorous out at night at a club or something, but looked simply horrendous at the races. OH that reminds me! REMEMBER, THE RACES IS A DAY EVENT!! Which means please make sure your dress and shoes are comfortable and that your dress will look beautiful in the sun. :)

So where were we? Right, neutrals. This is a really ballet inspired nice dress i saw at Sportsgirl:

And a couple others from Bardot:

As for footwear, this season is all about colour blocking so all you need to do is scroll down (not yet) and check out Jesie's multiple posts on the latest trends in heels for 2011. Also, I'm a little lazy.

Now, heres a little reward for all that imagining of dresses and hats and scrolling and what not. Forever New’s Shanghai Rose Collection actually features a lot of racing style outfits WHICH ARE REALLY NICE AND WE CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT THEM!!! As in, hats and dresses. TOGETHER! I’ll stop talking now. Here we go:

Just to end things, if we haven’t convinced you that the races is a mighty fun kind of thing to brighten up your Saturday, then maybe this David Jones ad will. So many ads… But really, I love all the 2011 DJ’s commercials!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHFwBmAcoOY

So inspiring :P

- Varsh

Cutest dress out? I think so. :)

Ahh the buttoned up dress. The shirt dress. The farmer girl dress. Whatever you want to call it, it's adorable, just as the title suggests. Once upon a time, the only instance we would be blessed with these dresses would be on a skinny model with purple hair featured on an indie music video clip set in some kind of idyllic meadow.

This, my friends, is no longer the case. I am incredibly (you have no idea how much, actually) pleased to say that they are FINALLY becoming a staple in every wardrobe. Or should be, at least. :D

I don't care if people say that they're a little hill billy, I LOVE them and believe that you should all spend the next thirty seconds of your lives being graced with glorius images of these dresses which are appearing in two of my favourite stores, General Pants Co. and Princess Polly.

Actually I don't really shop at General Pants, to be honest, but I find that they randomly have these amazing clothes and where I'm like, dayum, why is it that I do not own that?? So here we go, the first of the buttoned up dresses...

See what I mean??? THEY'RE JUST SO CUTE!!!! As if you wouldn't want one of these!!! The first dress by The Cassette Society, it probably my favourite, just because it seems to be tailored quite well and pleats fall very nicely. Do you want to hear a very random, but very fun fact? When I was about five, I always though 'very' was spelt with two r's. As in: verry. How verry strange.

Sorry about that.

Now if you're thinking, well those dresses are lovely and classy and multiple-venue-slash-people-appropriate BUT they seem to be lacking a little colour, never fear, Princess Polly is here! :D Well, as you'll see, I guess Princess Polly is really only offering one other colour but meh, the dresses are still lovely.

A bit short (mostly the first one) but these models are probably seven billion metres tall so it shouldn't affect us midgets too badly.

Now, for the mother of all buttoned up dresses. We've actually already featured this dress on Fashion-Musings before, but I solemly believe that it deserves to be showcased one more time with its very own over-dramatized pre-caption. Here comes, the Bella Mia Pleat Maxi Dress...

Drrrroooooollllll. Good lord, that is a very very very very very nice dress. Oh it's from good old Sportsgirl by the way. And as if I couldn't get any more jealous of anyone out there who owns this dress (obviously not me, damn being short!) it comes in cobalt as well. I do hope that my humble dream for the buttoned up dress to sweep the nation this Spring comes true. And when it does, I'll buy a couple more and be quiet, how about it? :P

- Varsh

Pants take a dip in the rainbow pool:

Unfortunately there is no such thing as an actual rainbow pool. If there was, I WOULD TOTALLY BE THERE.

However, I do recall that when I was a youngen who spent a little bit too much time on Neopets (yeah...I didn't have many friends...) there was a rainbow pool that looked like this:

FUN TIMES.

Anyhoo, back to task: coloured pantaloons:

They're very popular with celebrities (and so am I...just kidding!):

YOU MUST WEAR THEM.

Dakota and Victoria's turquoise jeans would have to be my favourite - what a pretty colour!

I actually don't have that much to say because this trend is just so...flexibile. Seriously, you can team a coloured skirt/pair of pants with a simple neutral coloured top like Ashley Green or you can go down Alexa Chung's path and team them with a lovely printed blouse.

Yes, that is all I have to say. No opinionated rant. This trend is really that easy.

Time to check out some pretty pieces in stores now? I think so:

Sportsgirl has some pretty sweet coloured jeans at the moment:

And by sweet, I mean literally sweet. They totally remind me of gelato. OMNOMNOM.

MinkPink has some rather edgy bright pants:

And Bardot:

And for those sunny days...

And if you've recently accumulated a large amount of money (don't worry, we won't ask any questions!), Bettina Liano is the brand for you:

Also, is it just me or do you find it really creepy when the jeans have a sort of shape and no one is wearing them. It's like a ghost (who has a really great figure) is wearing them! Maybe they should invest in a few models...

Ah! So many lovely colours from so many stores! Good luck choosing one!

I might just have to buy a few pairs...

- Jes

An Old Favourite: Polka Dots

A friend of mine likes polka dots. When I say 'likes' I should probably clarify that this means she absolutely LOVES polka dots and has like a gazillion dresses and tops god knows what other items of clothing which are black with white polka dots, or vice-versa.

Which got me thinking... How amazing are polka dots? Seriously, big, little, coloured (I did go through this phase where I desperately wanted a black skirt with turquoise polka dots. No, I did not find one)... Polka dotted clothing is a staple in every wardrobe and I'm beginning to spot them in stores these days. (YES 'SPOT' THEM!! :D )

So, time for a bit of a looksies I think...

REVIEW:

PRINCESS POLLY:

ohdeervintage:

Sportsgirl:

I really like how ohdeervintage and Sportsgirl have deviated a little from the traditional black and white look.

Also I know that this is a little unrelated but when you think of spots, is this what comes to mind??

Hmmm maybe it's just me. :)

- Varsh

The Sunset Trend: Reds, Oranges, Pinks and Lilac

Picture this:

You're lounging on the beach. It's about six thirty and there's a lovely, cool breeze blowing. Looking out into the horizon, beyond the darkening seas, you gaze into the sunset. It's a startling blend of colours you wouldn't always image the sky to be. Vibrant reds... Purples, oranges and yellows all contrasting against that black sea.

I suppose this is the part where a gorgeous man runs along the beach shirtless with white linen pants on, picks you up sweeps you off into the night. :P

But anyway, this is kind of the image we were going for.

It's rather pretty isn't it?

These are the colour hues making a return this coming spring and late winter.

Of course, Sportsgirl have already unleashed the sunset hues upon us.

And there's no excuse to confine the trend to clothing. Sportsgirl newest accessory collections all feature goodies in sunset hues.

I really like this trend, not only because we've been seeing a lot of neutrals lately and colour is awesome, but I think it's just a really fun, fresh new look for an almost-new season!

-Varsh

Warmth & Stripes: the perfect combination

Winter Jumpers = :D

Stripes= :D

Winter Jumpers + Stripes= :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD HAPPINESS FOREVER!!!!

Really, you have no idea how sad I'm going to be when winter is over and there will no longer be an occassion to wear a warm wooly jumper. With stripes. But I suppose stripes are an all year round thing, but together??? Naww... only in winter.

Anyway, we may as well make the most of the time we have left with stripy jumpers and admire the ones in store at the moment. :) I'm pretty good at this.

Of course, Sportsgirl has a really lovely range of stripy jumpers

Ohhhh such lovely colours!!! I really love the softness of the Wide Stripe Knit and the Stripe Me Sweater! The Block Stripe Sweater is also a bit of a variation on the traditional horizontal stripe design.

General Pants Co. also have a really wide range of stripy jumpers this winter.

These ones are all pretty cool as well, though i'm not too sure about the "swing" part of the Agent Ninetynine Jumper. Not sure how flattering that cut would be... But the colours are great, especially the blue in the Fairground one!!

Glue's range have a bit more of a classic than Sportsgirl and General Pants, with their various black and white striped jumpers.

They also have coloured stripey sweaters as well. Kind of.

Ok so I lied they aren't that colourful but I still really like them!!! :)

Ohh I might just have to cry when winter ends and stripy jumpers begin to be replaced with... well i'm not really sure.

But then again...

This is the lovely model Whitney Brown who features in the Flight Facilities clip "Crave you" (it's amazing, trust me), and I have to say, her stripey shorts are KIND OF AMAZING.

Maybe there is hope. :)

- Varsh