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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the key

celebcity

This post on Lin's fantastic blog Out of the Bag really resonated with me today. She was talking about personal aura and the ability to be comfortable in yourself with certain looks, despite other people feeling the need to disparage your comfort, happiness and ensuing self confidence. My style is primarily about comfort and ease. I wear a very similar look almost 90% off the time. It's all about oversized knitwear and baggy trousers or long skirts. Ashley Olsen influenced, natch. Occasionally there will be the odd glib comment or snide remark, but it seems the older I get the more I can let these just run off my back and not affect me. It used to really upset me the way people talked or spoke about my style - even recently, when a friend commented that I needed to get some more jumpers as I seemed to only wear one particular style. 

The Olsens get those kind of comments a lot. It can be hard to read their tfs thread because of the things that people say and the way they talk about them. There seems to be two different camps - one who prefer Mary-Kate and Ashley "back in the day", that is, denim cut offs and sharp white tees and gladiator sandals and balenciaga city bags - and those who quite like their style now. I fall firmly and very much squarely into the latter category. Their style now is inspiring in a way that it has never been for me. They have always been interesting style celebrities for me, but now I see them and I not only appreciate what they wear, but I actively want to copy it. I've talked about this previously here. But what I find most inspiring about Ashley and Mary-Kate is the way that they don't let any style talk get to them. Regardless of what people say they continue to wear things and style themselves in a way that makes them happy without a second thought to the naysayers. It takes supreme self-confidence and a very thick skin (no doubt cultivated by being in the public arena since they were little babies) to be able to do that. If it upsets me if the odd friend mutters something a little bit rude in my presence, can you imagine what front page tabloid stories would do to you? I take a lot of confidence from watching Ashley Olsen go about her life as a serious business woman involved in a big design company in the manner that she desires and enjoys. I think that is the key to great style - wearing what you want without a thought to other people.

I hope that, even if I don't get that Kelly bag, or that Louis Vuitton leopard print scarf, I can emulate the Olsen Twins and revere them as style "icons" in the way that they carry themselves in the world of fashion. It can be very tempting to follow trends and succumb to that voice that follows you around saying that you need to "vary your look" or "wear something more interesting" than a jumper and a skirt. But I like doing it, and that here is the material point. Style should always be about what makes you happy. I hope to always remember that.

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grey gardens


I love comfy clothes. This is a great doing nothing outfit. Going to lectures. Having long lunches at Gnome of fresh apple, mint and ginger juice and breakfast boards of avocado, ricotta and boiled eggs. I walked all over town in this, down to the Acne store (no knit, boo hoo), and then over to the Corner Shop, where they are having afternoon tea (along with new Isabel Marant Etoile) in the afternoon. Tomorrow's the last day, so make sure to pop down there for a lovely brew! Wear your comfiest clothes, like baggy tee shirts and oversized knitwear. Grey trackies that kind of look like pyjama pants and thus are AWESOME. Don't forget your shearling vest and cosy scarf. And converse shoes. When I was away I made a style resolution with myself that I would start wearing converse more these coming months after seeing all these cool girls running around Paris in bare legs and converse. It was fun wearing them today! Definitely going to keep doing that. And soon I'll be just like this bright young thing.

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land of the ice and snow

yvan rodic

When I was in Year 6 we had to this project at school where we explored a foreign country. For some reason unbeknownst to me still I chose Iceland, and buried myself in facts and figures about this Northern European nation (first country with a female president! highest literacy rate in the world!) for a blissful fortnight. For the presentation day we got to dress up in our country's national dress. I went to my dad's drawers and borrowed one of his hideously 80s lurid knitted sweaters in a melange of bright, scandinavian colours and wore that with leggings. These pictures from Yvan Rodic's travel diary bring it all back, and reinforce my conviction that the national dress of Iceland is a cosy, hand-knitted sweater. I love how clean and fresh and clear the country looks here. I'm a city girl - not in a Carrie Bradshaw, won't-go-to-Aiden's-country-cabin kind of way - but I definitely like my creature comforts. But that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate a bit of sky and cloud and earth and sea. How green is that grass, how blue is that ocean, how white those clouds! But then, here's the real rub, those clouds are purple too, and that grass is yellow, and that sea is grey. I love it. Nature has the most glorious habit of being able to stun you, sometimes. Normally the face hunter's blogs are filled with pretty girls out clubbing and showcasing their rings/tatts/glasses of bourbon/boobs. I'm not going to lie - rugged fjords and fresh-faced blonde beauties make for a very nice change.

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Shopbop Giveaway



One of my most treasured items in my wardrobe is my Opening Ceremony swingcoat. It was a steal from one of the infamous lands end sales, and has served me so well throughout a couple of winters and more. I've worn it belted and loose, with a parka underneath and a scarf wrapped around, with boots and ballet flats, with long jersey skirts and cropped pants. It's the most blissful melange of colours that run the gamut from burgundy red to french navy via burnt orange and chocolate brown. It's like Autumn but distilled into coat form, which is, in a word, awesome. And it makes me so happy to wear it. Despite the fact it's not typically "minimal" or "classic" and it most certainly wouldn't fit into that kind of so frenchy so chic wardrobe that I want to have, I think that doesn't matter. Something I've realised recently is that I have to just stop worrying about what I'm supposed to wear or what I think I should wear and just wear the things that I love and make me happy.

So, in the spirit of making you happy, I am excited to say that the people at Shopbop have given me a $100 gift voucher to pass along to a reader of Capture the Castle. You could snag some Opening Ceremony goodness for yourself - like something from their various collaborations, think leopard print coolness from Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, or California Skater-Chic from Rodarte for Opening Ceremony. Don't forget the shoes either! Opening Ceremony Shoes are the coolest things on the block, all those lace up boots and platform heels are the perfect accesory to a downtown outfit. They remind me of wandering New York in the winter, having breakfast at the Breslin in the Ace Hotel and seeing all these impossibly hip girls walking in and out of the Opening Ceremony store there. There's something about a girl in a lace up boot.

Alright, enough of that. All you have to do is leave a comment here with a link to your favourite item on shopbop (so I can stalk your future purchases) and your email address (so I can contact you if you win!). For additional entries you can retweet or tweet about the giveaway - just be sure to @reply me (@hannahroserose) so I know you've done it, or follow me on bloglovin' (just comment so I know!). That's it. Have as many entries as you want and I'll randomise the lot in a week to get a winner. Off you go!

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EDIT: CLOSED. DRAWING WINNER SHORTLY!
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I left my heart in Paris


I keep seeing that phrase over and over on Tumblrs and blogs recently and I'm like pshhawww get over it. Just go to Youeni or something and have a sandwich. But now Talisa has gone and posted about it and I kind of think maybe I left my heart in Paris, too. She linked to a blog called thank you, ok, which did a lovely post on eating in the 9th arondisement including the Rose Bakery. I had a glorious meal there when in Paris, and I think to tell you the truth I left my heart with that carrot cake. I want to go back and eat there again! That fresh produce, which on reflection and further discussion with other Australian friends who have returned from Europe, is not only tastier and juicier than Aussie produce, but also bigger, those smells, those tastes, that coffee (it was good coffee, something that seems an anomaly in France). Whenever I'm overseas and find fantastic little places to eat, drink and be merry I always wish I knew where the equivalent place is in Sydney. The sad thing is, for the Rose Bakery, I don't think there is one. I guess I'll just have to go buy the cookbook... And get my mum, the masterchef to make stuff out of there for me. Thanks mum (she made this cake after I saw it on masterchef and said to her make that black cherry forest cake minion! and she did).

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let's lunch

celebcity

Uni's actually pretty hard. It's only my second day back and already I have journal articles to read, assignments to do, dates to be marked, career evenings to be attended. I have 2 hour tutorials and seminars where I have to be 100% switched on and having read all the material. Lectures are often dry and dense and filled with words I don't understand, with too many distractions like twitter and facebook and all that, and I've got classes all over campus so the 5 minutes I have to get from one end of the uni to the other is frantic and very, very rushed. But oh! I love to get long lunches with friends after my classes finish for the day at 1. And cheeky coffees at Taste Baguette in the Law Buildings turn into one big catch-up session, as everyone I've ever met, ever, in my whole life converges on that one little bit of green. I love getting up a little bit late and pushing my leave time until the very last 352 is going past and running up the street to get on it just in time. Alexa makes downtime look very good. I kind of went off Alexa a bit, but this outfit is magical. I really want a navy blue coat of some sort, pea coat or something, and I love how she's wearing a chunky grey sweater as a scarf and a couple of glasses of fresh orange juice. Now if only I could become a jetsetting socialite so this uni lifestyle could continue forever.

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keep it together



"My wardrobe is not actually that organised, but I do keep outfits together, with the hat and all. I usually work an outfit around what accessories I'm wearing so I always have my hats out on display. The clothes come second."
Maryam Kehani

It's something to think about, isn't it? Does how you store your clothes mean something? I have to say, mine are lumped in my closet, not according to colour or utility or high rotation and use, but rather to the way I was feeling on the day that I set my wardrobe up ("I'm going to put this coat here, another in the middle, then my two blazers to the left there, and a tee shirt in between to break it up, etc etc). The shelf above my hanging space was categorised into "bottoms", "tops" and "knitwear" (a category all its own), but due to my frantic morning routine has become reminiscent of a jumble sale at my local charity store. My shoes are scattered around my room, discarded after use. It's all very unintelligent and distinctly not chic. At all. What does that mean? That I don't take pride in my style? That I'm unorganised? The funny thing is, is that I understand my style pretty well. It doesn't take me a long time to get dressed in the morning, it just takes me a long time to get "ready" in the morning, if that makes sense. I'm not high maintenance, but I do require much coaxing to get out of the bed. I do not like the mornings at all. In terms of outfits, I have a few that are on high rotation that I can rely on if the little planning or ideas that I have in my head don't work. I often wear all of those staple outfits at least once every fortnight (there are 6) and possibly twice. Then there are 3 or 4 that use my favourite pieces with other, lesser loved items that are usually reserved for washing days. I don't like those as much and try to limit their use.

So, it bears thinking, wouldn't it be better to store things by outfit and style? I don't plan my outfits by accessories, rather I have staple accessories that I just add to every outfit and rarely change, so that wouldn't be the reason. But I kind of like this idea of pairing things together based on how they work with other items. I have it already in my mind, those 6 great hero looks hanging up there, just ready to go without a thought. The matching shoes underneath them. Then the interchangeable basics on the shelves above, according to colour (and utility) so I can pick and choose where necessary. In Summer I would just switch out the coats and throw in my warm weather looks - linen pants, sandals, tee shirts. I imagine you need some interesting hangers to make this work. And I would need to clear out the crap at the bottom of my wardrobe - I think there are my notes from uni in there somewhere - and commit to keeping things tidy. No throwing things back if I change my mind, no rifling around as I search for the right top. It would be calm and collected and grown up. 

My question is, do you think that you would get bored of it after a little while? Like maybe you woudl wake up one day and look at the outfits hanging up and go, "I do not want to wear ANY of this today". For me, these situations usually mean that I have the exact idea of what I want to wear in my head anyway, so I just have to spend time rummaging around in my drawers to find the various pieces and putting them on. Maybe, just maybe, if I like it enough, it will get it's own hanger, accessories and all.

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swagger



I woke up this morning and knew exactly what I wanted to wear. No hesitations, no fussing, no deliberations in front of my closet, frantically pulling things out and surveying them in the light (as if that would make any kind of difference). No. This morning I had my exact "first day of the new semester at uni" outfit in mind. Except that I didn't own any of it. Actually, that's not true, I owned most of it. I had the oatmeal sweater and sand-coloured tee shirt for baggy neutral layers up top, the clingy black jersey midi-skirt, the suede ankle boot with a low heel fantastic for walking all over campus. Just not that glorious Isabel Marant burgundy wool coat. I actually went to my wardrobe ready to pick it out in the hopes that it had just materialised. I'm desperate to wear it. I have a million hundred outfits planned and they all revolve around it. I don't think I've ever fallen this hard, this fast for an item of clothing before. Even Minty Wang wasn't quite love at first sight - it was more like love at first Stevie. I think it might have something to do with the way that La Garconne styles their lookbooks. That comfortable, worn in slouch is the kind of look I aim for everyday. It made me so happy this morning when a great friend that I hadn't seen in ages commented that my brothers and me had a bit of "swagger". Not "swagger" in the Ke$ha kind of "kick 'em to the curb" way, but "swagger" in the hands thrusted in the pockets, boots kicked in, baggy coat kind of swagger. It's normally a bad sign for me when I start dreaming up outfits to go with a prospective purchase. I mean, that happened for the Carly Hunter Shearling Vest and look where that got me.

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toasty, mach 2



Just to prove my point - what I've been wearing recently. It's so warm it's ridiculous, and I just like to snuggle up into my clothes like I'm nesting in amongst, well, myself. That's what cashmere does to you. The first time I wore this was to an impromptu night of debauchery that began at Don Don, an amazing Japanese restaurant on Oxford St in Paddington and moved to various shameful establishments in the city that shall remain nameless. This outfit came as a last resort when I, dreadfully late, decided I needed to stop playing with my baby cousin and get dressed. I grabbed the closest things, then added three more layers, and double-cuffed my pants. It was so cold, but with my shearling vest reversed and my scarf everything was alright. It was a variant on this old favourite outfit I cultivated way back when, but this time with a sweatshirt and pants instead of a tee shirt and skirt. Desperate times and all that. Oh oh, and remember how I was complaining about how my feet were cold? Well I found the solution. Boots. I know, I know. I'm a genius.

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Heat Wave



It's always funny hearing about people on the other side of the world living in a heatwave. Especially when it's so chilly outside that your nose turns red and you've racked up a huge bill because you're keeping your heater on all night (guilty, sorry). Stevie is coping with the heatwave in New York in just the way I want to in the sweltering Sydney summer once I own all of this (ignore the coat). Of course Stevie is all over it. She is Australian after all. And, as Australians, we do three things very, very well. Barbecue dinners. Cricket. And Dressing for Hot Weather. Personally, I'm of the organic cotton tee shirt and loose linen pants persuasion. But this Summer I hope to add to my repertoire a loose dress and hat. I've got 4 months to sort my shit out. Wish me luck!

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ps the most hilarious thing about the phrase "heat wave" is that I'm watching Castle at the moment and it's the episode where Castle debuts his new book and it's called "Heat Wave" about Nikki Heat, and Beckett gets all mad because they have a photoshoot with half-naked stripper-cops at the police station... I love Sunday night TV!
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on greener grass, among other things

 garance dore

Everyone always says that, in matters of hair, you always want what you can't have. Girls with straight hair dream of curls, and the ones with the ringlets desire it to be whip-sharp like a poker. That's why both curling irons and GHDs - why both hair dye and bleach - are popular in equal measure. Hair has been a neverending battle (I guess some would say "lifelong love affair") of mine. I started with a bob and a fringe, which I decided to grow out a la Alexa Chung, which then ended up in my current state, hair that is very, very long and in much need of a change. I boomerang back and forth - keep it long, cut it short, go blunt, go layered, get more balayage, grow that bad boy out - and I think I bore my friends with endless chatter about it. The problem is that I genuinely believe that hair is the anchor of good style. Healthy, lustrous locks complete outfits in a way that an accesory can. As all the best - and cheesiest - hairdressers expound; You wear your hair everyday. yeah yeah yeah. 

My current hair obsession involves cutting it. I cycle through these desires every now and then, and they usually coincide with seeing something on a website that inspires me to either, pick up scissors or grip onto my hair and protect it from them. These girls from Garance do nothing for my current hair state of mind. Those too-long, in-between-hairdresser-visit lengths that hit just below the shoulder and that ruffled, tousled texture is exactly what I want my hair to look like at the moment. I even love Kym's balayage, subtle and easy to wear, it looks like she was born with it. Kym's hair is probably more of the length and style that I want. Though I love the first girl's hair I think that you need more curls to make that look work. I have a subtle, but nonetheless present wave to my locks that is quite similar to Kym's. I also have balayage but it much more blonde. I remember what it was like to have that length, how to style it, what I had to do to take care of it, how it worked with my face shape...  I remember reading an article by Plum Sykes about that new hair length and how it opened up possibilities in her wardrobe. I have noticed recently that super long hair such as mine does impact upon the clothes you wear. I rarely wear it out, but rather in a half up-half down style with most of it bunched in a pull-through pony at the top of my head. When I do wear it down I hate the heaviness and the heat, as well as how my ends are unhealthy (nobody's fault but mine, though). But I also hate how it looks with clothes. It just looks... weird. As if it shouldn't be there, hanging over my shoulders like an ugly scarf. Maybe it's the cut, maybe it's the layers, but my hair tends to hang them, boringly, with very little to it other than sheer volume. I feel like - since I have had that just-past-shoulders length of hair before when I was growing out my bob - I could do it again quite easily, and it would be so much easier to "wear", such as it is.

The only problem is, that when I had that length of hair I hated it. I thought it was tired, that I couldn't do anything with it, that it was like the rough, unwashed version of Gwyneth's Paltrow's SuberBob and it didn't work with my style. I desperately, desperately wanted something else. I wanted long hair. Like I said, you always want what you can't have.

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Summer Wardrobe Planning


Funnily enough a couple of the things I wanted to put on my Summer planning list I picked up while in Europe. They were in the midst of bright and sunny July, and who could blame me for picking up a light scarf and some navy blue sandals? For this Summer my purchases are a little skewed, and of course compiling this in the middle of winter means that the obligatory off-season purchase has crept in. I think that I am getting to the point though that I should buy the things I love, regardless of their perceived "relevance" to the season I am in, because of travel and weird weather patterns this is becoming increasingly unimportant. I have most of my summer wardrobe staples already - oversized tee shirts, jersey skirts, sandals (k.jacques and apc oh my!), so I'm trying to build up the classic, yet still trendy pieces that will make my summer outfits interesting along with my loose knitwear and all that. This Summer I am focussing on building up my fine jewellery collection, nailing that fedora once and for all, getting the perfect pair of baggy linen pants, and a calf-length, oversized shirt dress in a loose, breathable fabric. How specific!


1. A black fedora with a stiff, semi-wide brim, in felt. 


My search for the perfect hat continues. I'm being so fussy about this particular item, and luckily I've stuck to my guns and I know that the perfect one is out there somewhere. This is exactly what I want, but because I have a big head (har har) I'm wary of purchasing online in case it doesn't fit. Then again, this bad boy is only $15 so perhaps it's not too much of an issue in the end. I know that a felt hat is probably not exactly the most useful thing in summer time, but a hat is a hat, right? My mum's always been super serious about sun-safety because she's very fair. I'm darker (thanks Dad), and instead of burning I get tan, but my recent holiday in Hong Kong and Europe has left me with a whole raft of new freckles on my face. I think this summer will be the time to wear hats more.


2. A pair of  navy blue and/or black linen pants, slightly oversized, tapered, possibly cropped


After a lifetime of devotion to skirts I've recently gotten into pants. In a big way. Mostly hybrids of the harem genre, which ended up looking a bit stupid on me, that are loose and a little bit oversized, so that I can stuff my hands in my pockets and run around a bit and not worry how it looks. These would look so good with my ankle boots, or my converse sneakers that I've made a pact to wear more of this summer (with bare legs and skirts or pants with the cuffs turned up), or with my strappy k.jaques sandals that actually go with everything. Collared shirts tucked in, tee shirt left out, knitwear half in half out.. the possibilities are endless with pants like these. For Aussies, I've seen similar greatness of the trew-variety at Bassike and by Poe, Poepke's in-house line. Too easy.


3. A loose, calf-length (at least), slightly oversized shirt dress in a material that breathes 


The desire to wear long-ish, loose dresses always coincides with summer. something super simple that you can just belt and chuck a cardigan over, and add sandals too and have that be an outfit. I love skirts and tee shirts and knitwear, but nothing beats dresses for pure simplicity and ease. I just got my 21st dress - it was love at first sight, and it's very exciting because I'm not really a dress person, but much more on that later, I promise! - and I guess I'm in an easy, breezy kind of mood. What I actually want is a dress exactly like this one. Any ideas?


4. Delicate, fine jewellery - of all kinds


I picked up a couple of little things at Merci, COS and Isabel Marant to add to my jewellery collection, but as always I'm on the hunt for more. I still need a couple of flat, disc-like pendants. I'd love one with an astrological etching on it, I've seen some beautiful ones around Paddington. A pendant with the letter H stamped into it or laser-cut would also be really cute I think. I could even get two and have an R one as well (how trendy!). Another thing I'm really liking the look of is the thin, circular pendant. I saw a lot of these in Paris at the little jewellery stores that dot the Rue Vielle du Temple, some in stone (like a thin, milky jade), some in metal, some in wood. I'd really like some of those. Oh oh oh and I've been wearing earrings again ever since I got gifted some cute little Karen Walker studs from the lovely ladies at Pretty Dog. And that jordy askill ring that everyone has, but I still kind of love. Yeah, any/all of this. I'm aware that it's more than 1 "purchase" but it's sort of like a genre? Right? Haha.


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)



I said this was like the minty wang from last season, but in actual fact this is a much more useful purchase. I actually prefer the coat version, not the jacket. It's a tiny little bit longer but still retains that boxy shape that I love. The sleeves can be rolled up, the colour is divine (I think burgundy red is my favourite colour) and it's blissful against neutrals. Okay, tick tick tick. Negatives - I don't really need another coat. I think I do as I survey my wardrobe and moan that I have nothing to wear, but in actual fact I have heaps. Another negative - it's unlined. That's good for summer wear but makes it less practical for winter. Although, the Australian winter is milder for sure. Also - I don't really need to shop at the moment or need to buy anything. I just came back from a great trip where I bought loads of lovely things. But, here's the rub. I kind of want to. 

I did make the resolution last time I consulted my Winter Wardrobe Planning list that I would give in more to impulse. Not the impulse where you just want to spend money. But the impulse that you get when you see a beautiful item, the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach as you plan all the outfits that you'll wear it with. I'm on the fence here. Stay tuned.

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to the lighthouse


The rain these past few days has been so intense and unrelenting that everyone is saying that Sydney is in the throes of a Noah-esque apocalypse, Arc and all. I got completely soaked not once but twice today, despite having an umbrella, and struggled as I ran around Sydney in my big IM coat and boots. Unlike France, where the sun was setting at 10 PM, it's getting dark at 4 in the afternoon, and on my way home today a man walked into me completely - I must have blended into the dreary surroundings in brown and grey. Hmmph. I think I definitely need some kind of raincoat, bright and yellow like this one from Turned Out, so that I can make myself be seen in the manner of schoolchildren with shiny shoes and plaited hair, crossing the road on the way home. This picture actually reminds me of that great Fisherman's coat that Stevie has, another piece of outerwear that would have been perfect in this torrential downpour. Not only would you have kept completely dry, but how could you frown when wearing such a fresh colour? It's pretty hard to motivate yourself to do anything in weather like this. I got out of my house primarily in search of food - that primal instinct we all have, right? hunters and gatherers for youeni sandwiches and flat whites - and for afternoon tea with a friend. But rainy weather really takes it out of you, especially when the knee jerk reaction is to retreat back to the confines of your bed and read harry potter.

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lunch box


I always forget that "the simple things in life" can be more than just cropped pants and tailored jackets. Reading in a big armchair instead of going out, english breakfast tea instead of complicated, brewed chai (as much as I love it, there's nothing like dunking a tea bag into some water and calling it a day when you're too tired to do much else), and a simple lunch in a simple box. It's like being back at school again, where lunch time wasn't the frenetic mess that it is now, 30 minutes of frantic scurrying to and fro trying to make your pennies stretch extra far, where the time flies and you end up dumping half of that curry in the bin as you rush back to work or uni. Not that school was all about leisurely lunches, with meetings and training and lessons and - most importantly - play to be done the best thing about it was how you didn't have to think and could just pull out your lunch box, grab that vegemite sandwich and apple and leave it at that. Sure, this looks a little bit more fancy (is that rocket I spy?) with a peach and a cute little brown chinese takeaway box and string. But it bears thinking, wouldn't it be just grand to save that hassle this semester at uni and just bring packed lunches? Even if it does mean getting up a little bit earlier so I can get it all done. I'm sick of making impulse food choices at the expensive cafes around uni. Time for a return to the lunch box!

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old paris, new paris

What I loved most about this recent trip was how it was, in equal measure, about revisiting all my old favourites and discovering new things. It was exciting to drag my best friend all around the city we had dreamt of exploring together, all those years ago when we were in sophomore year and still wore school uniforms. We had "glaces, 3 boules" by the bucketfull, savouring every slurp of caramel beurre a sale and poire and framboise. We had fantastic tartes of mushroom and leek and grand assiettes of salads that were so colourful they ought to hang on a wall somewhere. And the rose! Bottles of Rose. Hey! We're on holiday. 


The Old


Place des Vosges, Marais 4er

Before Tess arrived I spent a blissful afternoon baking in the sun here with my mum and her friend of all people! It was actually quite fun to detox here after frantic shopping running around between the various Isabel Marant boutiques and the one store that elicits and almost vice-like grip on my wallet - COS.



Dammann Freres, 15 Place des Vosges, Marais 4er
Tea is a wonderful gift. It is something that can be shared between giver and receiver, and is a soothing balm for modern living. I always bring back some for my mum, she likes "Pomme D'amour", "Paul et Virginie" and "Jardin Bleu", although this time she picked up one we are yet to try called "Impressions de Printemps: Souffle Fleuri". Beautiful.


COS, 4 Rue des Rosiers, Marais 3er

Europeans feel free to shake your head in confusion. What's the deal about COS. We don't have it in AUS, that's what, and what's more, actually, we hardly have any good high street at all. (That's not true, Country Road, you know I secretly love you). That's why I have to go to COS once, twice and thrice to stock up on those swedish separates and boxy shapes while I can. 


Isabel Marant, 16 Rue de Charonne, Bastille 11er, Rue Saintonge, Marais 3er (and I always pop into the Saint Germain boutique on Rue Jacob after brunch at Alcazar). 

What is there to say? Not only are the prices cheaper in Paris than in Australia full price, they were having a sale. No wonder I look all goofy here



 Cafe Charlot, 38 Rue de Bretagne (corner of Rue Charlot), Marais 3er

I can't not not go back there ever since the start of the year when I had the best burger of my life. This year a dinner of me, Tess and my brother ended with ice cream and bottles of Rose and the kind of relaxed vibe that you rarely find in Paris, where people are leaning over your table to ask you "hey, are you australian?" (yes, yes I am.) What a cool place.


Rose Bakery, 13 Rue Debelleyme, Marais 3er
It was the perfect lunch for Tess to start her Paris trip on, light and full of colour and lingering. We stayed there for ages - my hair wet from washing that morning dried completely and we ordered second rounds of the Apple, Carrot and Ginger juice. We finished with the medallion of carrot cake, of course, what else? I have loved this little bakery ever since my first trip to Paris after school. The food philosophy and that English homeliness - from the battered furniture to the no-fuss, calm attitude with which they approach customer service, is quietly reassuring and wholly captivating.

Musee de L'Orangerie, Jardin des Tuileries 1er
One of my favourite museums in Paris but one i hadn't been to in about 6 years. It was so exciting to be able to go back as an adult and remember being younger (well, you know, 14) and walking that stark white room to "cleanse" the city away before entering the circular rooms that house Monet's waterlilies. 


Le Bon Marche, 24 Rue des Sevres, St Germain-des-Pres 7er

This is what all department stores should be like. Only the very best, just like Liberty. And like Liberty, shopping here has that feeling of entering a wonderful world of play where everything is beautiful and shiny and new. I love the perfume section on the ground floor with little armoires for each brand, and I love how fantastic their sale was. So much dip-dyed Dries, so little time!

The New

 Merci, 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Marais 75003

It's not that I didn't know about this store - of course I did - it's that I couldn't find it before. And to think it's so close to the Rose Bakery (what the hell was I doing? I have to say, though that I always used to end up at the Centre de Pompidou instead of Blvd Beaumarchais when I was navigating, so something was clearly wrong). Thanks to Dead Fleurette's helpful instructions (get out at M: Sebastian-Froissart and keep walking till you see it) I found it no sweat, and was charmed by its beautiful selection of clothes, Aesop products, incredible homewares (I want my own apartment! now!) and jewellery. I ended up purchasing two pieces for myself - a gorgeous Delphine bracelet with delicate burnished discs hanging off it with stars punched through, and the ubiquitous merci cord pendant that is just lovely. The meal I had here was fantastic as well. After conferring with Anne at Claus, I decided upon the lower canteen which was a great choice. Again, like the Rose Bakery, there is a relaxed, take your time vibe, which I crave in a restaurant. We had fresh juice, salads and a tart, and then i had the most glorious molleux to finish which oozed all over the plate and soaked up the raspberry coulis. No pictures - I was so hungry all I wanted to do was eat!



West Country Girl, 6 Passage Saint-Ambroise, 11er


This was my mum's choice for our last dinner in Paris and, I'm not going to lie, I didn't hold up much hopes for it being anything other than the real gutsy french fare we'd been having with her so far. But she pulled out a gem in this little hipster creperie tucked up in the recesses of the 11th near Pere Lachaise cemetery. The crepes were delicious. Absolutely declicious. Crisp and light and with just the right amount of fillings - my egg, mushroom and chives complet was so good I wanted more, so I had salted butter caramel for dessert haha. The vibe is really cool, you can get proper glasses of cider and they play great music. In my opinion, it's better than Breizh, but hey, Breizh is still pretty good.


Journal Standard Luxe, 11-12 Galerie de Montpensier, Louvre-Rivoli 1er
I went here on the strength of the recommendation from Ines de la Fressange's slightly bizarre book, and it was interesting. I love how Japanese and French culture have these crossroads everywhere, from Colette to the Palais de Tokyo to this. It's like they have this interesting mutual fascination of each other's tastes and lifestyles and cultures. I like this store a lot. I didn't buy anything, but it was very nice to just wander around.



Claus, 14 Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, Louvre-Rivoli 1er

After seeing it on Garance I had to go, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The decor is beautiful, my photos don't do it justice, it's so light and airy and saturated with the bright colour of the chairs and carpet. The waitresses are so nice and friendly and the food is delicious. The first time I went was in the afternoon with Tess and Anne and we had madeleines, scones and I had a 4 red fruits smoothie that was in a huge ass wine glass (if only they gave you wine in wine glases like that in Paris, ay?). But it wasn't enough. I had to go back and have proper breakfast. So on our last day Tess and I met up with my friend Neada who had just arrived and gorged ourselves on eggs and muesli and bread and real coffee. The epicerie downstairs sells all the breakfast-y things you could ever want like Christine Ferber jam, home-made muesli and their baked goods.



Palais de Tokyo, 13 Avenue de President Wilson, 16er

My brother is mad keen on Japanese food and so my mum sent us here for lunch thinking that, like its namesake it would serve udon and sushi and terriyaki. uuhhh.. Not really. But the food was still great, I had a feathery-light beef carpaccio salad with mozzarella and pesto and rocket and my brothers had caramel chicken that was sweet and savoury all at the same time. Afterwards we found an old-school photobooth that provided a lot of fun, and only for $2 euros. Unfortunately the gallery was closed when we were there for an installation, but we nipped across the road to the Modern Art gallery instead.

There was so much more, but these are my favourites. APC, Diptyque, Alcazar, the little jewellery stores on Rue Vielle du Temple, Laduree and Pierre Herme, the Mazet chocolate store and the Serge Lutens store in the 1st. I guess I'll just have to go back!

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here to party


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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mood

Stella from Closet Visit on the Clare Vivier Tumblr. Hmmph I want to be reed thin and long so I can wear skinny jeans and flats and shrunken denim jackets and tee shirts // the exciting colours of Isabel Marant Resort from the BarneysNY Twitter // Perfume bottles as art, Into the Gloss // Satomi Kawakita black diamond ring, delicate as you like. I know Talisa likes it too // Fresh flowers in the colour of the moment, yellow, from the Flower Drum // Still dreaming about that soaked muesli from Claus with big fat raspberries on top... 


Let me preface this post by saying that it is very, very very cold in Sydney at the moment. I mean, alright, it's not Russia cold, or New York cold, but here in Sydney anything that's below about 14 degrees celcius chills the bones, and that's exactly what's happening now. Also my house is the stupidest house ever in winter because it's all stone, and my room is at the front, thrusted out onto the street, so I just lay in my little bed and shiver all night long. And I'm jetlagged. I'm yearning for a little bit of colour, and simple things, and flowers and rings on my fingers. Hmmph. I just want to go back to sunny France with its blue skies and it's stone fruit that was so ripe and juicy and colourful and gloriously cheap. We went to the markets at Sens the day after we got to the country and bought 2 kilos of white Peaches for $4. $4!!!!! I ate about 5 and then mum made a clafoutis with them. It was delicious.

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bucks fizz

Taylor Tomasi from Jak and Jil, Closet Visit, LA in Bloom

Why does everyone else have the perfect orange nail polish and not me? I saw on the Clare Vivier tumblr that the brand was OPI. Hmmph. That's helpful. I need the name! The name! Can any helpful nail-polish addicts out there give me a hand? This kind of whizz-fizz colour doesn't come along every day, you know. 

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