Reindeer Cuff & Pendant

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Today I was browsing online jewellery retailer Astley Clarke and I stumbled upon the coolest thing ever - this Reindeer Cuff and Pendant. They both come in gold and black (rhodium).

reindeer cuff in black

reindeer pendant in gold

The image quality of the pendant/necklace isn't too great but the website has a better version that you can zoom in on. The reindeer cuff and pendant were designed by the Sicilian designer behind New York label Agrigento - apparently you can only get it in the UK via Astley Clarke.

The cuff's even got little birds perched on the antlers - perfect for xmas or what! It would go awesomely with so many things. Plus I really need to increase the number of jewellery items in my drawer/box. Gonna put the black cuff on my wishlist. Well first I'm gonna have to start one.

Here are a couple of my other favourites from the store anyhow:

large black Onda cocktail ring

Just so classic - sort of like something I would imagine my mom having used with all her beautiful dresses and then passing it down to me, at which point I happily accept.
It also kinda looks like an eye, doesn't it?

star spangled cuff

star spangled necklace

Stars, I love stars! The star cuff and necklace were designed by Kity Hefang Sun, who graduated out of Central Saint Martins - these are also exclusive to Astley Clarke. I not-so-secretly hope Topshop might make something similar these and the reindeer stuff so I may be more realistically able to get them!

Also the reason you don't see any silver here is because I'm generally more of a gold person. I love gold, especially dirty/vintage looking gold. What about you - do you prefer gold or silver and why?

I do have a number of heavy silver bangles that I will never let go of - they are from the 1930s-1950s and belonged to my great grandmother. When I wear them I feel like I'm being chained up in prison, but cool at the same time ;)

I also sometimes think of them as weapons to use if I ever get mugged or attacked or something - living in London, it's not safe, you know..haha


//all images via the Astley Clarke website

Layering

// This is going to be one of my last real what-I-wore posts for the next 2-3 weeks or so!

When these photos were taken it was a sunny fall day in London. I spent it doing some shopping for my mom and dad, plus lastminute errands before my flight.

This is one of my typical outfits that I put on when the temperature's say.. between 15-19 degree (Celcius) - haha, you know when I'm in London, I'm really obsessed with the weather. Whenever I'm about to get dressed, I have to first open the window, stick my hand out and wave it around a bit so I can get a feel of the err.. conditions before I decide on what I'll be wearing! This is also the reason why I can never PLAN what I'm going to wear the night before and am always in a rush when I'm getting myself ready..

When I lived in Melbourne I used to get dressed in many layers because the weather was so erratic there. It could be nearly 30 one bright afternoon and the next thing you know, it's raining ice balls outside <-- speaking from REAL EXPERIENCE!

London is hardly erratic, I don't know why people say it is... really.. these people need to get out more. It just gets much colder overall but basically the weather's pretty much the same every day and gradually gets colder/warmer/whatever. It's boring. But yeah I still have to 'feel the air' to gauge how cold it is for ME.

ANYWAY this was supposed to be about layering not the freaking weather SHEESH!!
I'm so stupid obsessed!!

You know what.
Gonna just jump straight to photos.
Summary: this outfit reminded me of my oz days

Scarf Postlapsaria
Tee H&M
Red cardi H&M
Black vest thing thrifted
Shorts Ladakh (oz label)
Cotton tights DP
Shoes vintage



Here's a pic with boring black coat on



Can I just add

Thank you to all of you who stop by here to look at my self-indulgent photos and read the stuff I write - for some reason you LIKE me and that's awesome. Well either that or you really hate me but that's fine too! HA haha!

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Covered in stripes!

// Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments in my earlier post about quitting my job etc etc - made my day a bit brighter! See, I'm so easy to please!

It's been pouring and thunderstorming all afternoon so I'm cooped up in my sister's room
Sitting at her corner desk with the lamp on
The walls are apple-green on one side and sweet pink on the other
Makes me feel like eating candy!

After this I'm going to have dinner and help my mom put together this really OLD sewing machine
It's one of those wooden table-top things with drawers by the sides and a step-pedal thing!

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So here's another outfit

Wore this to see Up 3D - when I was still in London!

Was a bit iffy about all the stripes at first but they just seemed to GO

Men's striped jumper French Connection (charity shop buy)Dress from somewhere in MelbourneBelt vintage
Tights TopshopShoes New Look






Here's my cat peeping from the window - caught him as I was running back up into the house!


Btw can't get the Up piano theme out of my head - I love it!
Gonna try to play it by ear later

// wow I really have nothing meaningful to say today ihaelrhwtih42t

New mag: Fashion Confidential

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Recently I got to know about designer fashion website Fashion Confidential.
In addition to sourcing out and selling items from a number of top international labels, Fashion Confidential have just (when I say 'just' I mean September!) launched a new online fashion magazine targeted at people who are interested in keeping up with designer fashion and everything to do with it.

snapshot of front page

As it's simply put on the front page, the magazine is meant to be "your essential guide to online style, fashion exclusives, and insider events'.

I personally don't purchase or shop for luxury items either because I can't afford it or prefer to spend my money travelling. But as lots of you may already know, it's sadistically fun browsing the latest designer trends and news, looking at designer clothes, shoes, and bags, wishing they were cheaper, wishing you had more money, etc.

Apart from the crappy part being that you can't buy everything you see, it's actually an easy way of catching on with what's new in fashion and what you might see people wearing this season, picking up ideas on how to style or revamp your wardrobe and much more.

The Fashion Confidential magazine provides useful insider tips on emerging trends, up-to-date lookbooks and advice on how you can create some of these fashionable outfits yourself for less. There's also a calendar that gives you details of sample and clearance sales, plus a nice Bargain Hunter feature (which you can access by clicking on the tab on the main page - top right corner!) so you can get more for less.

A couple more snapshots of the site:

Other sections of the magazine include Boutique Directory, Style Report, and Designer Q&A

My favourite part of the mag is the Style Report Daily Fix - it's like a blog that's updated with the latest news and gossip from the fashion and beauty world. Kind of like a filtered out Fashionista, which I've stopped reading since it got too overwhelming..

I like this new mag simply because it looks clean and it's easy to navigate. When I'm browsing fashion sites I usually stick to the ones that let me find information quickly, aren't cluttered with a thousand links that make you go round in circles, and have nice, neat photos instead of a million poster-sized images that make you wish you were blind. Thankfully, the FC mag will be one that I can depend on.

Check it out if you have time.. it's really not bad at all!

And oh yeah, they even have clothing from my favourite Australian labels - Lover and Sass & Bide!

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Faux fur coat ..& the truth about what I did

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This is one of the worst photos I have backlogged - what with the background and my face looks puffy in it but anyhow I wanted to show you the faux fur coat that I'd bought from River Island

This 'outfit' is just something I wore to go watch the football at the pub (haha)

Coat River Island
Tee A&F
Leggings Topshop
Shoes vintage

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I'm having some time off at the moment
As a few of you may have known or guessed, I left my job about two weeks ago
Some of you must be wondering what the heck I did to supplement my shopping and holidays

Well here comes the truth
I did a really boring job that I had zero interest in
I did research. Cancer research.
I had flexible hours and many days of annual leave - which is why I could go on all those holidays - but the work was tiring and dull. I am a person who needs constant stimulation and things I can physically do. I didn't enjoy what I did. In fact I hated it. It just wasn't me!

Additionally, there was no one similar to me or anyone I could really click with
All I had to do was wear a pink top and I'd be odd one out or the most brightly dressed person
I stood out not like a rose among thorns but more like a sore thumb.

But the thing that really FUCKED IT UP was the man that I had to work with
A complete asshole - an arrogant, rude, condescending, inconsiderate bastard
And that's me being kind!
I was bullied and abused and made to feel like crap every day

There was so much hatred for this man built up in my mind that night after night I would imagine how I'd murder him (decapitation? burnt alive? a million papercuts?). Once I even dreamt that he did get killed by nazis, was so happy, and then fully disappointed when I woke up! I know it's morbid/terrible, whatever, but it made me feel better..

The place where I worked became a sort of war zone. When I arrived I would sneak up along the corridors. Peek around the corners. Tread the floors silently. Wherever I might spot this asshole, the opposite direction I went. I avoided being in the same room as him as much as I could. And that would be the most interesting part of my work day. Besides lunch.

Outside of work, I was happy
But this job slowly but surely ate at my soul and destroyed me inside
I began to lose sight of who I really was/am and felt very demotivated
Sunday nights were the worst.. let's just say, tears on my pillows..

Anyway, I put up with that bloody crap for too long
One day it finally clicked that I CAN do without this job for a while
Leaving that hell is probably the best thing I've done for myself this year

I haven't got a real plan for what I'm going to do next - in fact I have no idea
For now I'm just grateful for the break and the hot weather

I need this time to think about what is it I need to make my life complete.
Well not complete, but closer towards that.

I want to do something that I can be happy and excited about.
In a place where I can be my true 'weird' or 'crazy' self, where I can give people funny stuffed animal drawings on random days, ask 'so which would you rather drink, a full cup of day-old vomit, or half a cup of fresh diarrhoea'(pick one or die!), or get to come with me to Hamleys to buy toys without feeling like it's a sin.

I want to draw and write and surround myself with beautiful fashion magazines and books and take tons of photos and videos - Hey these are things I can start doing now!

Goddamnit typed too much!!!

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