Trial and error

Wearing: Vintage blouse, Romance was Born jacket, Target trousers and Chloë Sevigny x Opening Ceremony boots.

If I had a super power it would be owning a lot of cheap, dollar store make up without the cool and ironic 90s colour palette (i.e. icy blue, pearl pink and rare shades of purple and green). This brings me to my next point, note to self: someone with my complexion should never wear this colour gloss.Maybe it would have been more effective if it was a lipstick? Err?? I don't know. The disadvantages of being young and ignorant is that you aren't completely self-aware and know the nuances of your body. I guess the advantage is that there's plenty of time to figure all that out. For now the only proven method I have is trial and error (which I seem to be pretty good at). I thought I'd hate wearing such plain and basic trousers with these two prints but in hindsight it looks pretty good. Plus it's not a total shock when you look at my feet, which seem to be covered in tiny belts rather than an actual pair of shoes.

You liked me cause I was blue

Wearing: Thrifted cheongsam and shirt, Asos Mimi pointed flats.

These little gem thingies are the greatest thing I've ever put on my face, and feel free to quote me on that. I guess what I liked most was devising a way to wear these beauties without the marginalization of a group of people. Plus my eyeliner just looked badass today. I've had this outfit on my mind for a while now and it felt so good to wear it. This dress is a little tight on me, so I do have a bit of a belly here but I don't care. It's nothing a good, billowing shirt worn open can't fix. While the photo editing is not quite there yet, I don't have time to spend hours and hours photocopying bits of scrap booking pieces for the perfect science/ vintage cross over. I'm saving that for when I finish- as well as television and video game binges. I'd love it if you guys could recommend me some witty shows with complex women to watch!! At the moment all of my energy is going into my thesis, and it's so surreal that it will be finished soon.

Boiler Room

Wearing: Country Road dress, POMS earrings and Dr Martens boots.

Things are starting to heat up! And I mean that both with my impending deadline (I'm as cool as a cucumber) and weather-wise. Melbourne seems to have skipped breezy, romantic transeasonal weather and dived headlong into Summer. It's forced me to delve deep into my closet and find my comfortable cotton dresses. It seems within the last year I've grown up a little and none of my dresses really screams out at me the way it once did. One of the first things on my to-do list once I finish is a wardrobe clean out and some eBay listings. I did however, want to show off this cute button up dress which I've had for a couple of years now, but never worn on the blog. They look wonderful with these fuzzy earrings, and I decided to go with my trusty Dr Martens, but I definitely need to invest in some espadrilles and sandals for summer.

Young Professional

Wearing: Blouse and shoes from Asos, trousers from Target. 
 
Last week I presented my research to the academics from my faculty and managed to memorise everything that I wanted to say. All in all my presentation went for fifteen minutes, followed by five minutes of questions. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to present my research to others, but I also managed to impress the structural geologists and gophysicists. As a paleontologist, and the only one from my cohort studying fossils I was bound to stand out, but I'm so relieved everything went well. My supervisors were also pleased that I was able to place my work within the context of previous research, and emphasise why the project was important. Dressing in an outfit which made me feel sassy and confident was a big help though, these shoes were a little uncomfortable new, but that kind of helped me not fidget or move on the spot. While we were never explicitly told what the dress code was, I was more interested in those who were wearing business casual. This is obviously really different than what I tend to wear day to day, but I do love the blouse I bought!

Ammerman Schlösberg Spring 2016

I am pretty much convinced Ammerman Schlösberg can do no wrong. I fell in love with their guro inspired Fall collection earlier in the year, featuring a cast of battered dolls from the doll hospital wearing fake blood and eye patches. This time it feels like the viewer has interrupted a seance from the 1970s, like if the Lisbon sisters hadn't killed themselves but stumbled on a Ouija board instead or at least had a Halloween themed party. The long blond hair, purposefully mascara streaked faces and colour scheme create a rich landscape of texture. These images feel like I myself am an intruder or visitor to a world I simply do not belong (which is generally how one interprets things after being disowned from a number of school gangs). And yet, as always, I pine for these cool girls to judge me in the hope for acceptance and to borrow their totally cool outfits. As always the designs are a bit tongue and cheek and partially inspired by Lolita from Japan with a unique Western take, and as always, the results are nothing short of sensational.

Aside from the nods to the nightmarish creatures of modern horror movies, evoked through a blank hockey mask among strange paraphernalia there was something wonderfully nostalgic about these pieces. The collars and shift dress silhouettes evo0ke a bygone era tinted with the tone of Stevie Nicks but the purple and mustard also seems reminiscent of 2013. It's something I'm not overly keen to try myself, it does highlight the transformative power of sparkly eye shadow. These accents were made more powerful with a cheeky marijuana necklace, which tbh is something which reminded me of Jeremy Scott Spring 2015. I've never really recovered from fangirling over all the cute pastels, rainbows and cheap plastic jewellery. While Ammerman Schlösberg is a far cry from the same hype, the brand has already established they are the rulers of their universe. Whether it be the doll hospital, or the projector room from Mean Girls (which is what this reminds me of) the duo has attained levels of cool some can only dream of.

*Images via Dazed Digital, Photography Evan Schreiber

Jonathan Saunders Fall 2015

Abstract cumulus clouds, square boxy sunglasses and loosely coiled turtlenecks all contributed to the revival of the 1970s at Jonathan Saunders, whilst everyone else remained firmly enamored with the allure of the sixties. A departure from fringed suede and billowing dresses, Saunders focused on the synthetic or plastic fantastic if you prefer.There was something very Wonka-esque about the entire assortment of candy-colored outfits which drifted down the runway to the tune of George Michael's Careless Whisper. Perhaps it was the eye-popping combinations of purple and red softened by shades of grey and brown. But there was nothing diminutive about this collection, in fact Saunders adopted the mantra of "less is a bore" for this season specifically and cited the music which he chose for the show as something which put a smile on his face. The collections I find most inspiring are those where the designers always demand more of themselves and of their art. In this case Saunders has reconciled work and play beautifully by simply enjoying his craft and being able to create moving art.

Although those technical powder puffs opened and more or less defined the show I fell completely in love with the stripes. Notably Saunders opted for vertical stripes over horizontal stripes, breaking that age old fashion rule. You know me I find so-called fashion rules to be a complete bore and restricting. It's because of these rules that my mother will dictate what I can wear, at what time of day and where irrespective of the harm she may be causing to my self-esteem. So basically, fashion rules suck and creativity is awesome but it looks so glamorous and chic with a pair of laced up thigh high boots. These stripes in particular look more dreamy, colourful and playful than any vintage piece which has had to for survive decades. The same goes for materials such as vinyl which often degrade and can flake which can be exacerbated by wear. It's a real shame but sometimes despite all the love and care our clothes receive it's important to remember that they are material objects and do not experience change and growth the way our bodies do over the course of a lifetime. So sometimes the most healthy thing we can do is to buy something new and enjoy it's short but beautiful lifetime and make sure it gets lots of wear and simply look at each scuff mark as a little memory.

Another aspect which I enjoyed almost unexpectedly were the trousers paired with a simple colour block sweater. They were chic but understated and suited for a more emasculated, 1970s counterpart of Mad Men. The only thing that seemed missing was a cute little clutch purse or something else to create contrast. Even in a frozen snapshot I admire they movement and flow through them, as well as the legacy of slightly frumpy stretched flare pants that went around in the 1990s. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you should definitely check out this post by Style Bubble here. Although admittedly these pants by Saunders are the cats meow and nothing can quite compare to their lovely tailoring. The simple knitwear made me feel like I was transported to the packaging of a Kodak film roll or something as equally antiquated but colourful. The variation of stripes, as well as vertical patterns emulating wallpaper and interior designs of the seventies made for a smorgasbord of colour. Pleated panels were also used as a substitute for more stripes making the transition from straight vertical stripes to curvilinear rainbows.

I'm not someone who normally delights in the mod aesthetic, save for Shirley Kurata who is definitely a celestial being and not of this world. The narrative of a secretarial workspace has also been recently popularised by a number of designers, choreographing their shows to the typical closing time of any office space. Jonathan Saunders goes beyond each of those two ideals but maintains their whimsical nature in spire of a somewhat dreary or minimalist setting. That brings us back to the Willy Wonka vibes that I mentioned earlier minus a creepy cane or sinister subtext. I can't be the only one who had nightmares haunted by little orange men with green hair or confectionery creations turning on their consumer in an act of revenge. Childhood trauma aside, this upbeat collection was in its own way the physical embodiment of Saunders enthusiasm and delight in his work. It is people like him and Bill Cunningham who take such joy in their work that I idealize above all others. Happiness and good health is what will always matter first, what you're wearing and looks are not nearly as important in the grand scheme of things.

*Images via Vogue.com