Kissed by a rose

Wearing: Vintage blouse, Simone Rocha X J Brand jeans and Dr Martens boots.

You know that little voice inside your head that tells you not to buy a really nice pair of jeans without trying them on first? I think it's called common sense? Apparently, I don't have any. I bought these jeans without double-checking whether they'd fit me properly. To be fair the last time I bought a pair of jeans was probably seven years ago and since then I haven't fallen in love with a pair I had to have. Simone Rocha's collaboration with J Brand proved an exception to the rule, combining her unique silhouettes with rigid denim in stark contrast to her sheer dresses. Unfortunately the collaboration was so expensive and sold out really quickly. I bought these on eBay for a song but they don't fit me (you can totally hide an undone zipper with loose shirttails guys, it's fine). I really love the frilly embellishments and the colour is so unique, but I don't know if I should keep them or not! Have you ever loved a piece of clothing that didn't fit you? 

Daisy Chain

Wearing: Karen Walker sunglasses, Asos faux fur coat, Tokito dress (worn as top), Cue skirt, Romance Was Born clutch and thrifted heels.

I've absolutely been craving Spring and have an upcoming visit to Melbourne's Botanical Gardens with a botanist friend to look forward to but for now, I present florals for Spring. It's not a terribly original idea and I know Miranda Priestley would most likely shake her head in disgust. Cliches aside I'm rather excited to find the days getting longer and the weather is slowly getting warmer. The pastels also heighten this rather dainty and traditionally feminine motif, but I've enjoyed watching designers such as Moschino and Rei Kawakubo appropriate these motifs for their menswear collections. Talk of abolishing gendered fashion weeks altogether is an exciting prospect but in terms of event organisation it seems that many will be in opposition. I personally can't wait for a time when designers focus on dressing the human body and the concept of gender becomes fluid and malleable. Liberating designers from such boundaries has the potential to spark a renaissance within the fashion industry.

Poison Ivy

Wearing: Vintage jacket, Romance Was Born skirt, thrifted top and heels.

Please excuse this throwback to an obnoxious 1980s game show host, minus the tall quiffed hair but I was in a mood where I wanted to wear lots of purple and green. This colour scheme also encapsulates many Poison Grass type Pokemon as well as the Batman villain and total badass Poison Ivy- ergo uninspired blog post title. Even though it's Winter the garden has remained lush and vibrant which has really inspired me to spend more time outside. By far the best part of this year has been spent learning more about nature, particularly plants and fungi, in order to better understand how ecosystems interact as a whole. Basically nature is great and so inspiring and I can't imagine a point where I'd be so jaded I'd be incapable of appreciating its beauty.
Also, it's about this time of year that someone either online or IRL tells me that I need to cover my dark circles or do something about the bags under my eyes. Huzzah! I've come up with the perfect solution (although I'm not the originator):

Today I thought I'd share my beauty tip for
1. Buy glitter.
2. Cover dark circles.
3. Free yourself from the patriarchy.

Wild Flower

Wearing: Meadham Kirchhoff X Topshop sweater, Cue skirt, Shrimps fur clutch and Lipstik jelly sandals.

Orange used to be my favourite colour as a child but it's not something that I really wear on a daily basis. This problem is confounded by having to wear gross or grubby clothes when I am conducting lab work which is basically Monday- Friday at the moment. The real reason is that this skirt and sweater are just about the only orange things I have in my wardrobe. I'd like to change that, but first I have to have a huge wardrobe clean out (which is slowly happening you guys!). It's also been lots of fun to really look at everything in my wardrobe and challenge myself to wear pieces which don't get enough love. I've also been exploring make up a little bit more, but in very unconventional ways since I know next to nothing about how to cosmetics in general. While wearing body glitter as eye shadow proved to be slightly hazardous, the good thing about wearing highlighter on your face is that it comes off easily with water.

She's a Rainbow

Wearing: Romance Was Born jacket, Discount Universe shirt, Asos skirt  and Dr Martens boots.

The highlight of my week was when my geologist friends called quartz a *basic bitch*. Now I have a piece of quartz but it was given to me as a gift by my big brother. Nonetheless! I wanted to create an outfit in defense of the most common component of our Earth, silica. Let me make one thing clear though, quartz does not offer any health benefits and amethyst can't cure a nasty hangover (unfortunately). It does however make a very cute prop for photos and lends itself to the psychedelic mind-bending period of the 1960s. I hate festival style as much as the next person but I do love the idea of wearing a rainbow outfit in the middle of Winter and basking in the rare rays of sunshine in the comfort of my very own garden. It also gave me the chance to wear this amazing shirt from Discount Universe and cite the premise of one of Susie Bubble's most recent outfits post Seven Colours Take 2. I couldn't quite get the quartz crystal to cast a rainbow on my face but I did have a lot of fun trying!
 
1- road trip photo diary by Chrissie White for Rookie Mag, 2- Bobbi Kelly and Nick Ercoline Woodstock 1969, shot by Burk Uzzle. 4- Devin Troy Strother (Rob Pruitt x Cory Arcangel x Walead Beshty x A Sad Face x 0 Michael Jordans). 8- Rookie Mag Summer of Love, Part One, 9- Rookie Road Trip Diary- Week One. 13 & 14- We followed the sun via Rookie Mag. 6 & 11- Miracle Eye May lookbook 'Electric Ladyland'. 

Growth

Wearing: Marina FINI earrings, Vintage jacket, thrifted blouse, school uniform skirt and Dr Martens boots.

I've been obsessed with personal development and growth over the last couple of weeks. It's been difficult for me but I've finally reached a point where I can be honest with myself about my personal relationships and when to move on. To celebrate my new found freedom I dressed like a plant witch, although to be honest I look more like a character from Dynasty. This has largely to do with my slightly padded shoulders and the amount of clashing prints in this outfit. Most of my time has been spent learning about plants lately as they are an integral part of my honours thesis. I've also learned more about mushrooms than I ever thought I would in a lifetime. It just goes to show that life never really turns out the way you thought it would be. Also, I thought wearing body glitter on my eyelids was a good idea but after about an hour or so the glitter had slowly migrated onto my cheeks. I'll probably find glitter in the bathroom and around the house for the next month.

 3- Eleanor Hardwick for Rookie Mag, 6- Susie Bubble wearing Simone Rocha X J Brand, 8- Don't Go Into the Woods via Rookie Mag, 10- Rookie Mag Road Trip Diary: Week Three.