Wedding outfit 1

We have a few weddings coming up over November/December and I was on Polyvore recently looking for inspiration. I probably won't end up wearing anything remotely like this, but I think this dress is perfect for this in-bewteen weather we're having at the moment in Melbourne! And the pop of orange is pretty much all you need to make a splash - a few neutral and gold accessories and you're done.


Although I must ponder why a shimmery gold eyeshadow has a sample colour shown that is purple, but whatever.

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Spring Wardrobe Number Three

Spring Wardrobe Number Three by boredomaboundsbyjulia

I had a lot of fun putting this together. I was imagining a Spring afternoon tea or garden party when jeans just won't do, but you don't want to be the most dressed up gal in the room either.

I actually came really close to buying this dress from Dorothy Perkins a couple of months ago, but ended up with something else. However, I'm just so drawn to the cotton candy colour and the simple white stripes. Paired with a cardi and some simple ballet flats and this outfit will make you look chic and cheerful, with the pink of the sundress popping out.

I kept the make up simple, because the colour of the dress is the show stopper in this ensemble, and a nice neutral bag with sunglasses with tinted frames complete the look. And as always, a girl can never go wrong with a pair of pearl earrings.

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2011 Emmy Award Fashion Hits and Misses

Woo, the Emmy Awards! I always think of it as the start of award season, although it's kind of all on its own in September, and it feels like ages until the SAGs, Golden Globes and Oscars. Maybe it's because it means the year is on its way to coming to a close, so before you know it we'll be anticipating the February/March awards.

Anyway, let's get stuck into it.

It gets better than this, I promise. Mostly.
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Spring Wardrobe Number Two

Spring Wardrobe Number Two by boredomaboundsbyjulia

This is my ideal work wardrobe for Spring. I love capri pants with a bright top, and the black boyfriend jacket gives it a corporate look without being too unflaterring for a woman's shape. Simple accessories do the trick, and subtle make up with a hint of plum in the eyeshadow would look fabulous with this ensemble.

FYI, I love that bag. And those shoes - I never wear super high heels to work, but wedges are infinitely more comfortable than stilettos and would give me a little bit of height to set off the shorter capri pants. Retro sunglasses are obligatory, obviously.

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Polyvore - Spring Wardrobe Number One

Spring Wardrobe Number One by boredomaboundsbyjulia

So, I signed up to Polyvore. I thought it would be a good way to get wardrobe ideas without having to actually go to the shops, and then I realised I could just post my mood boards here to see what you all think. It's a win/win!

Anyhoo, this is my first attempt - Spring is in the air, and while the days aren't always warm, I'm looking forward to updating my wardrobe a little bit. This cardigan costs way more than I would ever pay, but I just love the floral Spring feel. Loafers are my new obsession, as you know, and the accessories are a nice blend of neutral tones.

I could easily wear this outfit at work or on the weekends, it has a nice, seamlessly classic feel to it.

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Retail Therapy - Winter Obsession

In Summer I was obssessed with wedges (and I already plan to buy a couple more pairs this coming Summer, too), but this Winter I've been constantly drawn to something other than ballet flats. Instead, I keep checking out loafers. So I was pleased to see this brightly coloured pair a month ago in the same shop I bought my handbag in up in Sassafrass.

I had chosen my handbag and was on my way to the counter to pay when I noticed a really, really low shelf with shoes on them and a big sale sign. I stopped to check the selection out, and this bright pink colour jumped out at me straight away. Then I tried them on. In the words of Chandler Bing, OH. MY. GOD. These might possibly be the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever worn. EVER.

Some people might think they're old lady shoes. But I'm seeing loafers more and more in shoe shops where old ladies definitely do not shop. I find them to have more of a European French Riviera feel - all I need to complete the look is either a multi-million dollar yacht to wear them on, or a cute little retro convertible to drive around in with a scarf over my hair and big, Jackie O sunglasses.

Note to self: become rich ASAP.

They are 100% leather, made in Brazil and $205. On sale though? I picked them up for a cool $30.

Bargain.
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Bargain Buy

Wandering around a local trash and treasure market on the weekend to look at plants for the garden and I spotted this:

I've always loved glo mesh - even since I was little and my sisters and I envied the gold Oroton glo mesh purse and cigarette case my grandmother had. At vintage markets you usually see it in silver and gold, and often beige, but I had never seen it in midnight blue before. It's not second hand, and it comes with a sticker saying "Made in Hong Kong", but for $5 it was a steal.

And I needed a purse to put in clutch bags when we go to weddings, etc. Usually I just stuff money, my drivers licence and any number of random items in the side pocket and hope I don't lose anything, but now I can arrange things nicely in my clutch, and I won't have ten thousand bobby pins, an array of $2 coins and bandaids falling out whenever I open it.

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Boredom Abounds loves: Fashion

I've been meaning to do this for ages, but time got away from me. Anyway, when I'm bored there's nothing I love more than playing around on the internet. So, here is Boredom Abounds' list of stuff to keep you occupied on the web when it comes to all things fashion:

Love retro stuff? Take a peek at ModCloth, a haven of retro and indie clothes for girls interested in unique items that can't be found in shops. Their sizes run a little bit small in my experience, so order a smidge larger than you would normally wear. My current desire? This super cute navy cinched waist dress.

Ok, you all know about Anthropologie right? No? I'm not surprised, they've been relatively off the radar in Australia until recently. They finally started shipping internationally, and although their shipping rates are a little steep, one look at the website and you'll be in love with their gorgeous, feminine fashion. These are clothes you definitely won't find in Australia. They tend to use unique prints and styles, some modern, some retro, and buying a few pretty pieces is definitely an asset to any girl's wardrobe. These two items are my current faves:

For cute clothes that are a bit cheaper, check out Urban Outfitters and Forever 21, which, like the above two brands, are American, but they have tons of cheap items and seem to have sales quite frequently.

There's also UK website Asos which has about a million different dresses, tops, coats, shirts, accessories, bags, shoes, and most of it is quite affordable. I love these items:

All of these companies ship internationally, and their rates vary, but it's worth checking them out periodically to pick up key wardrobe items you won't find here.

Plus, there's nothing better than having people compliment you on your outfit and ask you where they can find it!

Now, when it comes to actually dressing yourself, you may need a little bit of inspiration. These are the blogs I enjoy looking at for ideas on what to wear:

Possibly my favourite blog at the moment, What Would Emma Pilsbury Wear is a spotlight on Miss Pilsbury, the uptight OCD guidance counsellor on Glee. I adore her clothes, and this blog focuses on every outfit in every episode and lets you know where you can purchase her wardrobe items. They also feature cool reader submissions where people submit ideas for similar outfits. Again, the key selling point is that the clothes submitted actually link to the company's details and you can go out and purchase it yourself.

They use a great site called Polyvore, which is sort of like a virtual mood board. You can mix and match clothing items and see where they can be purchased. An excellent source of inspiration (and a great time waster!).

This little blog I stumbled upon is wonderful - Academichic is run by three female PhD students in the States. They have set out to challenge the idea of "the ill-fitting polyester suit of academic yore", and basically take photos of themselves in their everyday work wear and casual wear.

A lot of their outfits can be translated into pretty much any office atmosphere (provided it isn't too corporate), and they give me great ideas for mixing and matching pieces, as well as spotlighting particular styles they love.

And when I want to check out the latest high fashion and celebrity looks, I turn to Red Carpet Fashion Awards. They feature the latest celebrity looks every day, runway looks and best dressed reader polls.

It's a great source for looking at the latest designer stuff and celebrity styling.

Until next time, peeps. Enjoy! Pin It

New accessories!

My wallet, it was dying. So I logged on to Brands Exclusive when they had an Olga Berg sale and snagged this bargain:

 

Originally priced at $89.95, it was reduced to just $29.99, and with only $10 postage, it was too good to miss. I refuse to pay full price for Olga Berg products that aren't real leather, and this wallet was pretty enough and cheap enough to justify the purchase.

And it was my birthday recently, and in an effort to de-clutter the surface of our dresser, I had been eyeing off jewelry boxes before Christmas at Ishka, and my lovely Husband made a mental note of this and presented me with this on the morning of my birthday two weeks ago:

It's so bright and colourful, and each compartment is actually a little pull out drawer long enough and deep enough to hold all manner of trinkets. Now I just have to get my bum into gear and put all my jewelry in it!

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In The Bag

I love post-Christmas sales. They seem to last for ages, which is beneficial if you get crowd-rage like me and avoid them like the plague for about 10 days after they've actually started. I will often wait about two weeks before I attempt returning to a major shopping centre after December 25th, and when I do I spend a couple of hours browsing without actually picking anything up. I'm the sort of shopper who never finds anything when she is looking.

So, of course, last Friday on a whirlwind visit to the Direct Factory Outlets, aka DFO, to look for a pair of shoes identical to the ones I had been coveting on my sister's feet naturally I could not find them. Sold out, in every nice colour in my size. Boo.

Dejected and with no silver, strappy flat sandal to my name, I wandered into a shop I normally avoid like the plague because of all the pretty, pretty things. Kate Hill sells handbags, jewllerey, wallets and more handbags. It's the handbags that I long for, in their pretty colours and sensible sizes. They also have the most stylish carry-alls for traveling, and I momentarily paused in front of them. But alas, I have no immediate travel plans, and so I turned, ready to leave the shop.

But. But! I saw something hanging up high that I had been searching for. A rich, jewel-toned handbag, with exactly the right shoulder strap length, with just enough zippers and studs (ie. barely any), and with suspiciously correct dimensions. I pulled it down from the rack and immediately felt happy. It was faux-patent leather. It was turquoise. It was perfect.

And it was marked down from $99.95 to $39.95. Score!

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