footloose

I love sandals. I really do. And now that the sun is shining - even if it does get a little chilly underfoot in the evening - I'm breaking out my favourites in all their glory. I've got my k.jacques ones out from their dusty boxes, unearthed my old favourite A.P.C and Benah pairs and have just unwrapped a brand new pair from Cali and Cale that I can't wait to wear. There's something about sandals that make me so, so happy. Just by wearing them. They're easy and simple and they go with everything. In Spring - and these brief moments at the end of August that are slowly but surely starting to warm up - I love nothing more than wearing a typically winter outfit; cosy jumper, baggy chinos, maybe even a cashmiracle wrap, with a pair of strappy leather sandals. I've been wearing them for the past few days and, barring some freak weather aberration, I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. 

 Rag & Bone sweater, Bassike tee shirt, Prism glasses, Ileana Makri bracelet, Mociun bracelet, Michael Kors watch, Byredo blanche perfume, Hope News trouser, Me & Ro bracelet, K.jacques sandals, Celine phantom bag

 La Garconne Moderne jacket, Steven Alan shirt, Brooke Gregson necklace, COS bra, COS knickers, Alexander Wang sunglasses, Acne jeans, Ileana Makri ring, K.Jacques sandals, Celine cabas bag, Serge Lutens Five O'Clock Au Gingembre

La Garconne Moderne sweatshirt, Margaret Howell tee, Karen Walker sunglasses, Isabel Marant bracelet, Diptyque Philosykos, Michael Kors watch, Me & Ro bracelet, Golden Goose chinos, Celine bag, K.jacques sandals

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the stain of love

 Vanessa Jackman

I have always loved the colour yellow - hair, clothes, sunny flowers - it's about brightness and brilliance and boldness and it puts a smile right on your face. It is also, and I do believe this, the colour of love. How else to describe that golden hue that the world takes on when you're truly, truly happy? Forget red, red is lust and all that physical stuff. Red is boring. It's yellow that represents how light it is, how honeyed you feel, how sun-drenched the world looks through saffron-tinted glasses. Thanks William Carlos Williams for putting it all into words, again.

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ps. if you haven't already, check out Vanessa's incredible photos of my friend Talisa! They are my favourite photos she's ever taken and are just so beautiful. And there's a yellow Acne dress in there! See, there is method to my madness haha.

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in a row

Harpers Bazaar

This time next year I'm predicting you won't be able to move without running into a girl wearing matching dainty gold chains on her ankles. It's the Ashley Olsen effect. A year or two after they first start wearing things - from extravagant furs to backpacks via birkenstocks and 90s-mum-style the rest of the world catches on and it becomes a trend. Fashion forecasters (I always thought that would be a very cool-girl kind of job to have, don't you think?) have nothing on the Olsen Twins. Going out with wet hair a la the olsens is even becoming a bit of a thing. Apparently. Well, if you want to get some of that Ashley Olsen magic now you can get one of the pieces from the Ileana Makri for The Row jewellery collection, available exclusively on net a porter. Ileana Makri of the evil eye anklets that Ashley is never seen without, Ileana Makri of whom Yasmin Sewell is a major fan, yes, the same Ileana Makri with the fantastic eponymous jewellery line, all sparkle sparkle and octopus salads on an Island somewhere and wearing nothing but an Acne white shirt. I've always loved her designs even though they are slightly out of my price range. My mum always said that investing in jewellery is a worthwhile venture, and when I have the means I fully intend to purchase a couple of Ileana Makri delicate bracelets and a statement rings. I only hope that she continues to design for The Row. Her luxurious and modern yet totally understated brand of haute-jewellery is a perfect match for the Olsen twins and their range of forever-clothes. I like the idea that you can be wearing something like a dove grey cashmere sweater and a long jersey skirt and a pair of simple sandals but you can have two of these gorgeous anklets and the whole outfit will be lifted into a completely different realm. That's the Olsen Twin midas touch, isn't it? Everything they touch turns to fabulous.

Oh! And exciting news! The croc backpack is back in stock on NAP. Thank God. I thought I'd missed out there.

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I'm wishing

one: celine 

two: porselli ballet flats, karen walker sunglasses, repossi ring, acne tee shirt, celine bag, hope news trousers, cos bra and knickers, ileana makri anklet x 2, jordy askill heart ring, 3.1 philip lim jacket

We just got this Celine bag in at work (picture one, not the colourway in the polyvore) and it is beautiful. The bastard child of the box bag and the luggage tote, it is the most totally chic thing I've ever seen. I've just been picking it up and touching all day - it hasn't lost any of its appeal. There's something about its glossy leather, the luxury of the embossed croc pattern, the exaggerated elongated shape that hangs perfectly down by your side as you walk. One of the Editors at the magazine I intern at has this bag and she just strides into work carrying this on her arm, in a Haider Ackermann jumpsuit like it ain't no thang. Incredible. Is this what it's like to be glamorous? Is this what it feels like? Just holding this bag for a few glorious moments in my tatty black work clothes made me feel really special. At $2450 it's a wish - definitely, definitely a wish - and not a reality, but still. I can't help but thinking that in 10 years when I'm fabulous and successful and generally a real "boss" how amazing it will be to stride into work carrying this on my arm, in a Haider Ackermann jumpsuit like it ain't no thang...

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ps. don't forget to enter my Maille giveaway! 

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update #2: summer lovin

1. A black fedora with a stiff, semi-wide brim, in felt. still searching! Help please!

 

2. A pair of  navy blue and/or black linen pants, slightly oversized, tapered, possibly cropped  I think I must have been high when I wrote this because I actually own a pair of pants that are just like this. I'm actually wearing them in these photos but they look black here!

 

3. A loose, calf-length (at least), slightly oversized shirt dress in a material that breathes  Acne Panton Shirt, it's nice to meet you.

 

4. Delicate, fine jewellery - of all kinds - enjoying the various examples I have already

 

5. Something ridiculous and off-season because of the way that Australia gets the seasons out of whack but you have to have because it's so damn amazing, it's kind of like that inextricable desire - notes to a mouse and dead fleurette know what i'm talking about - for the alex wang sweater: the Isabel Marant Idea Coat (pictured here: jacket) mine mine mine!

 

 

I saw this shirt in bloodorange one day and fell instantly in love. It is deliciously oversized but in an Ashley Olsen kind of way - it keeps you excited with slits up the back, an assymetrical hemline and pleated shoulders. But it wasn't to be and I was despairing that I would ever get my hands on it. The Acne store wasn't going to stock it, I couldn't find it online in the right colourway, the sky is falling, the sky is falling! But, like all things magical, bloodorange restocked. And, like all things magical, the almost month-and-a-half-long wait was well and truly worth it.

This shirt is technically a dress, but with the slit up the back it requires a little bit of layering - fine by me - to make it work. It's not calf length, but then again since I'll be wearing it over things I'm not sure that matters that much. It's like a tunic almost, and I love it. It's definitely one of the trickier pieces in my wardrobe and it's very hard to photograph. Up top I've tucked one half of the shirt in and left the longer side loose (this is also the side with the slit up the back). I've found this look works best with pants. With skirts I've taken to belting it. Leaving it loose is also good but I haven't got the hang of it just yet. This shirt truly billows, any hint of wind and it just moves uncontrollably all round you. I love that about it, but it certainly makes it difficult to wear. I'm enjoying experimenting though. 

In terms of my list I think I'm almost done for the season. I actually own a pair of navy blue pants - I'm not sure what was going through my head when I included them in the list. Maybe I wanted a second pair? But I've rediscovered them of late and that's been fun. When it comes to delicate jewellery I'm loving all my bracelets - although I would perhaps like a few necklaces. But it's my birthday soon so I have plenty of time for wishlists and all that! And the hat... My search continues. I haven't found one. My head is too big. It's all just too hard. But Summer is fast approaching, so it's now of never on that front. If anyone in Australia sees one that fits my bill (semi-wide, stiff brim NOT floppy, black felt, fedora style) please let me know! I'm hoping that Country Road/Witchery/Sportsgirl bring out something suitable soon. Sportsgirl had an OK one but it was too small for my head. Ah, the search continues. I'm really happy with where I am in terms of shopping this season. Last season I made a tonne of impulse purchases which was fine because I love them, but still. I think because this season I've had so many more things to spend my money on - I've been steadily paying off my computer and now am debt free, as well as weekend trips interstate for 21sts etc - I've just had less means to shop. I'm happy though. I have some things that I absolutely adore and that I worked hard to get. That makes me excited to get dressed in the morning.

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lunch break

more and co's blog

I am lucky enough at the moment to be working for an amazing company with friends who constantly make me smile. Being around such positive, creative people is so good for your own positivity and creativity. It makes you work harder, strive for more, and maintain ambition. I love the energy that I have going to and from work at the moment. Seeing the pictures from the More and Co Studio blog of their behind the scenes work gave me that same feeling of excitement and satisfaction I get from my work. Although we may not have studio lunches like this - c'mon! is that home-made foccacia?? And bowls of olives, I really do love olives - it's that sense of community and shared experience. All for one and one for all. I think all work places should have a shared lunch. Like Acne. That swedish company has so many things right. And having an on-site chef to cater to its ridiculously good-looking staff's needs is one of them. Man! This is just so perfect. That places like this exist out there... It's easy to get anxious about your future. Will I get a job? Will I do something that I love? Will I be happy? But just knowing that there are places like this in the world is a truly comforting thought. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be fortunate in employment forever.

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so sweet and so cold

"This is just to say" by William Carlos Williams // the fresh flower display outside Poho in Potts Point // Dried fig and cinnamon granola with fresh strawberries, banana, yoghurt and honey at Room 10 in Potts Point // Lamb, avocado and caramelised onion sandwich at youeni provides // the back garden at the Acne store in Paddington

"This is just to say" by William Carlos Williams is a lovely poem. It reminds me of a note my brother once left me. "I bought you chocolate covered snakes" it said, and then next to it was a crumpled paper bag. Scrawled at the bottom of the note with sticky-fingered guilt was "sorry you took too long getting home I ate them". Spring is here and my house is filled with fresh fruit and vegetables because my mum went to the farmer's markets. I like Spring. I like Spring for the same reasons that I like Autumn. It's less extreme than summer and winter. It doesn't take itself seriously. It's happy to be a bit camp and bit over the top. And it's so, so beautiful.

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red wine

1. Isabel Marant Idea Coat and APC sandals

2. Celine classic envelope bag and Acne Paper Issue 12

 3. Acne Zorah tee shirt

4. My favourite pants stolen from my mum, Celine tri-pochette and NARS velvet matte lip pencil in Damned
5. Two Penguin Great Loves covers
6. Shots on my inspiration wall, first is from Harper's Bazaar Australia August 2011 and the second is from Vogue UK July 2011

Everyone I've been talking to lately is really feeling burgundy and navy blue. Not just any shades, mind, I'm talking the richest, deepest of wines paired with a real french navy - dark and ambiguous and much, much more interesting than black. The two together play off the other's mysteriousness and work together to create a look that, although it draws on the principles of mixing jewel tones (luxury, extravagance, opulence), actually can be quite casual, easy and oh so simple. It's letting colours speak for you - unfussy silhouettes in such a beautiful colour combination makes a very real impact. I can't wait to sit around this Spring in my wine-coloured Acne tee shirt and favourite navy blue pants and a pair of simple strappy sandals. And that's it. Winter's great for adding interest to an outfit through layering, but in Summer I always revert to unfussy dressing in simple separates. It's just easier that way. I really think that burgundy and blue is going to be the colour combination of the season. The best thing is that although it's primarily a dark winter pairing, it will work easily in the Southern Hemisphere as long as you use light fabrics - semi-sheer cottons and gauzy linens. I know this isn't exactly a new thing. As always, Phoebe Philo was there first. But still. It's literally all I can think about at the moment. Talisa can't stop thinking about it either. We had lunch today and all we talked about was burgundy and blue and the acne drape and how both of us wanted to do a post on burgundy. We've both fallen for burgundy Isabel coats and rich navy blue sweaters. Great minds think alike, right?

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bloodorange

uhh

Today I had a revelation. I've always loved bloodorange, as you all know. But today I adored it. As I was saying to Talisa as we wandered around, dazed and overwhelmed, it's never been this good, ever. Every single thing in there I want, and I want it now, even when I don't want it or I'd never wear it (or would I??), which is part of its appeal. They've started stocking Acne, and the range is so perfect it makes me want to cry. Beautiful oversized shirt dresses with slits up the side, blush coloured silk tee shirts with keyhole cut-outs in the back and one glorious, glorious boxy denim jacket with detachable leather cuffs and patchwork detail. Don't get me started on the Gary Bigeni - all oversized rust-coloured tee shirts and two-tone maxi dresses - or the Alexander Wang, or the me&ro necklace with their sparkle sparkle, or indeed the array of APC footwear, from moccasins to ankle boots. I can't even talk about the vast array of Australian labels you can get there and the way that the store quietly, yet very much surely, supports the local fashion industry. Dress Up, Secret Squirrel, Karla Spetic, Lover, Bassike, need I go on... They even have a little Aesop stand at the moment, stocking only the best products like their famous fabric care and beautiful hand cream. There's nothing bad in there, nothing that makes you scratch your head, and I've never said that about a store before. Everything is beautiful. And everything goes so perfectly together you wonder how it could be worn with anything else. I've often said that I want my life to be like bloodorange - all lazy lunches at room 10 and k.jacques sandals and smelling like APC's Feuille de Figuere and wearing Acne oversized shirt dresses belted in at the waist. What a life that would be. 

If you're a sydney sider, get thee to bloodorange. I almost spent $900 in there on Sunday, and I'm supposedly not shopping at the moment. Hah! I didn't, I didn't. I stayed strong. But my god. It was hard.

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get in line

 

It's fun to go to the Acne store. You never know what you're going to find - pretty in pink business cards, oversized zorah tee shirts, new shipments of the infamous pistol boots... A recent trip saw me come across the most beautiful stripe adorning various different garments. A thick cotton maxi skirt with drawstring waist, a boxy tee shirt, a very flirty full skirt and a round-neck coat in felt. The mix of oatmeal and navy blue, of thick bands and thin stripes and that gloriously thick material that they've used (the tee shirts are heavy yet they don't seem like they would weigh you down. Does that make sense? Probably not. You just gotta see for yourself).  I think I'm definitely feeling the stripe for this coming Summer. But newer, updated, more exciting versions than just your old, tried-and-tested breton. Things like Gary Bigeni's corporate polo necks. And maybe a little somethin' somethin' from Acne, hmm? 

 Alexander Wang Suede Vest, Acne tee shirt, Prism glasses, Me&Ro skull pendant, Satomi Kawakita ring, M.J Manning necklace, Hope News trousers, Diptyque Philosykos EDT, Medium Suede PS1, K.Jacques sandals

 3.1 Phillip Lim swing jacket, The Row sweater, Acne skirt, Celine bag, Repetto ballet flats, Prism glasses, PetiteGrand bracelet

Acne coat, Isabel Marant Etoile blouse, Prism glasses, Repossi ring, Opening Ceremony skirt, PetiteGrand bracelet, K.Jacques sandals

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here to party

afterdrk

This acne sweater is yet another reason to go the Acne store as soon as possible. There are hundreds of reasons why that store is great. I'll give you three. Firstly, they have a secret sale room upstairs where I stored a beautiful drapey tunic dress for under $100. Secondly, all that cedar wood floor makes me think of Ikea - in the best possible way. And thirdly, those salmon pink bags are mood elevators. I love that Isabel Marant kind of mottled blue/white colour of the sweater, and how it reminds me of this Zara one that I tried on in Paris and but was too small. I like how this fit seems to be a little oversized, and that's how I like my knitwear. Do I need another reason to go check out this sweater? Maybe not, but I'll give it anyway. Because it's longer at the back than it is at the front. The back says business but the front says we're here to party. It is a mullet sweater, if you will. Asymmetrical everything is catching my eye at the moment. I'm loving leaving bits of tee shirt hanging out when I tuck them in to give the illusion of a jagged hemline. And I secretly love the way my sweaters bunch up when I wear a bag, so that one side appears shorter than the other. This kind of look is all about throwing style off balance, re-arranging the elements and emerging which something that derives its desirability from the fact that it's not perfect. Acne has always been all over idea, and so have I. There's reason #5 why that store is great. Only 95 to go.

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pistol

afterdrk via musings by di- bloody hell it took me ages to find a picture of pistol boots that i liked.. all the images on google seemed to have posed the boots really weirdly. am i freak if i like images to boots to be either front on, or profiles like this? haha..

My friend has acne pistol boots. She got them a couple of months ago now on one of our infamous "fash attacks" - short, sharp, to the point shopping expeditions that usually result in one or the both of us spending money on something fabulous. She is a fantastic fash-attack-er - she's walked out of Lands End with a sale toga tee shirt and selftitled skirt in khaki twill with a kick at the back. The acne pistol boots were a planned attack - a specific variety of the fash attack - where you know exactly what you want and nothing is going to stand in your way to get it. I love it when you get this feeling about items - I've got them at the moment for a couple of things - and you have dreams about them, what you'll wear them with, where you'll go in them, how they're so fantastic you can't live without them. I know that pistol boots are kind of like IM dicker/bidou/lacow boots in terms of their blogger exposure, but sometimes things are loved for a reason, right? They're so comfy, cool and, well, ankle boots are the new wear-it-everywhere ballet flat. And, despite me being dubious about black boots being flattering against bare skin I've seen about 20 girls running around recently with bare legs and little black ankle boots such as these ones from country road that I've loved for ages. I am of the opinion that taupe/beige coloured shoes are the best for their length lengthening properties, but I think black ones can also be great for showing off a bit of a spring chicken tan. What's not to love?

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kiss in the sand

RUSSH blog

If that little cream slip of a skirt was about a foot longer this would be a perfect outfit. Somewhat inexplicably - considering my fondness for darker colours - this summer all I've been able to buy has been the light coloured neutrals that this girl is currently sporting. Sandy beiges, milky whites, cool greys and white-washed khakis are my current wardrobe staples. Trust Acne to be able to put together a spring/summer showing that captures that easy, hipper than hip languid silhouette that the hot months are all about. With relaxed shapes, oversized cuts and short short skirts Acne is the go to brand for bright young things the world over, not only because they manage to produce cutting edge design relatively low prices, but because they just look so damn good. On everyone. I don't know how they do it - perhaps they have a really good fit model - but their designs suit all shapes and sizes. The outfit seen on that coathanger of a model looks fabulous on her - something about her knocking knees and the oversized - 'just nabbed this from my dad's closet' shape of the flak jacket. But I think it would also look as good on a raft of other body shapes - someone with a bit of curves would give that man-size jacket a bit of raw sexuality.

And, like I said, if that skirt was just a little bit longer, I might rock this look too.

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come fly away

terry's diary

 The other day I had a dream about a shearling jacket so big you could wrap yourself up in it and fall asleep, dreaming big, happy dreams of airplanes and fluffy white marshmallow clouds. I'm pretty sure that jacket was Chloe Sevigny's Acne Aviator. I'm a huge fan of shearling, and this jacket is incredible. It's got a huge, fuzzy collar, just like the one in my dream, that you could nuzzle your cheek on - an aviator jacket just like the real ones pilots wear. So maybe I'm not as cool as chloe - I couldn't rock simultaneous trends of clogs, denim cut offs, ankle socks and shearling - but I would wear it in a similar way. Note how Chloe is rocking her jacket as a cape in picture two? That is my favourite way to wear jackets. 

Great minds think alike, so they say.

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want more more more!

I clearly can't get enough of shearling. I spent melbourne trawling through op shops and charity stores leaping at the sight of anything fuzzy. And when stopping by the acne store (where I picked up a beautiful pistachio green silk shirt, mm!) I noticed the new drop of shearling clothes - beautiful huuuuge collars to turn up on cold days and aviator style hats lined with furry sheepskin. I imagine these are the kind of coats that are warm - like Keira's bad boy or Lou's oversized collar-ed lovely. I wouldn't even mind Richard Nicoll's lumberjack plaids (in store now at Lands End) or the gorgeous Donna Karan sleeveless number. I do love me something sleeveless. I think that would be the height of fashion's impracticality - a shearling lined coat supposed to be warm warm warm, but with sleeves chopped off. Now what would be the point of that? But fashion is not about things making sense, it's about things looking GOOD. 

and boy, does shearling look good.

P.S Topshop, mercifully, have done a high street version (for a whopping 350 pounds! phwwoooaarr), and it is SOLD OUT on their website. I guess I'm not the only one lusting after a bit of sheepskin this season. Fingers crossed sportsgirl hops on the bandwagon!

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