True colours

This is just a quick little bonus post because today I did something crazy...

I wore colour to work, you guys!!!!

In fact, there were multiple colours! Multiple, clashing colours! And a pattern! ALL IN ONE OUTFIT!!!!

Yeah - I am ca-ray-azy!

I bought both the jumper and the skirt are from Gorman on the weekend (yeah - I spent quite a lot of dosh this weekend...) and the colours actually look even brighter IRL. 

Oh and, if the orange and green clothes weren't eye-catching enough, I wore bright pink lipstick and lilac nail polish. SHAZAM! 

It definitely got me a lot of attention - most of it positive - which was good because I felt pretty self-conscious to begin with. Even without the safety of my usual black, white and grey duds though I ended up feeling quite special by the end of the day.

My lovely friend suggested that I wear colours again tomorrow but I think that this is pretty much all the colour I have in me for this week. 

Still, it was fun and made me happy on an otherwise craptastic Monday. Yay!

I wanna be a cowgirl

Today I did something that I have been dying to do for, like, EVER.

I BOUGHT COWBOY BOOTS, Y'ALL!!!! YEEEEE-HAW!!!!!!

Source: www.radaronline.com

And I am not talking about some sad little, ankle boots that have been done vaguely in a cowboy style - I am talking about the real thing. Check it:

Oh my gosh - I love them so much!!!!! I got them from Route 66 in Darlinghurst and they were not cheap. But they are just so cooooooooooool - I couldn't resist.

The tag on them described them as:

"Fantastic vintage rockabilly filly cowgirl boots handmade in Mexico. These 2-tone boots are superbly made & very stylish with black cherry vamps, pull tab detailing & collar overlays. The black shafts with elaborate eagle stitching are echoed in the delicately cutout filigree heel rands & wingtip overlays."

I have no idea what most of that means, but it just makes them sound EVEN COOLER!!!

Not sure exactly what got me lusting cowboy boots so much - I mean, they aren't exactly an on-trend right now or anything like that. I do know, though, that when I saw this Justin Timberlake video I imagined that, if I bought a pair of cowboy boots, I would basically look as hot as the chick that Justin is chasing around NYC and that, you know, boys like JT would start to follow me around and stuff.

But apart from a gorgeous model from a JT video and, of course, Jessica Simpson before she at all the buttered pop tarts, I couldn't think of any other girls who wore cowboy boots so I was not that sure how I was going to style them.

Source: www.virtuetv.com

Yeah, I don't think I can get away with the whole Daisy Duke thing...

So, as any gal would do, I hit the Google for inspiration. And it was HARD! But I did find a few celebs that have rocked them, with varying degrees of success.

An Olsen (I think?) and Kate Bosworth wore them with pretty little white things:

Source: www.blogspot.com

Kate Moss, naturally, looked like a total rock star in hers, matched with cutoffs, an army jacket and ripped fishnets. Hot.

Source: www.bestfan.com

Rachel Bilson wore a red pair with an LBD. This actually looks a bit weird - like maybe it is laundry day and she lost all of her other shoes?

Source: www.cowboybootreview.com

But the most awesome, cowboy boot wearing celeb in Hollywood is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Miley Cyrus!

Source: www.disnology.com

Source: www.mileycyrus.blogspot.com

Source: www.onsugar.com

Source: www.fancarpet.com

What I have learned from Miley is this: Wear them with denim cut-offs, girl!!! Oh, and perhaps I need a couple of different pairs - Miley has got quite the collection. The last pair are particularly awesome.

But this doesn't help me right now, cos it is cold in Sydney and my legs would go blue if I wore those little shorts outside.

So instead, for now, I will take my inspiration from these not famous but still very stylish chicks:

Source: www.aliceanddaisy.com 

Source: www.newyorkstreetstyle.blogspot.com

Source: www.emmlittlesecrets.wordpress.com

Then, come summer, I am going to be all like, BAM! Like Samantha Mathis in 'That Thing Called Love':

Source: www.movienetwork.ca

Just need to get me a gee-tar, y'all. Yeah!!!! (And, also, an 18 year old's legs. But first, the guitar.)

Snuggly-wuggly and warm

While I will often whinge about how the summers never get hot enough in Sydney (blame being brought up in Queensland for that), I really do love the winters here.

I love dressing up in lots of warm, snuggly layers and heading outside when it is really cold but the sky is cloudless and the most brilliant blue.

And my favourite thing to wrap up in is a massive, knitted jumper.

When I lived in Queensland, I don't think I owned any chunky jumpers because you would always end up overheating, taking it off and lugging it around with you all day - you are much better off doing lots of thin layers so you can adjust throughout the day and chuck whatever is removed in your bag.

But in Sydney, it is just cold enough so that you can wear a nice, thick jumper aaaall day long. And I love it!

It is also easier to look really cute in winter clothes. This year, I have already noticed how much nicer all the girls are starting to look in their skinny jeans, big coats and ear muffs (yes, ear muffs!!!!). Much better than the too-small denim cutoffs, orange skin and flip-flops that the Sydney girls love to rock around in throughout the warmer months.

You tell me, what looks nicer - this:

Source: www.fashionisingpictures.net

Source: www.ifyouseekstyle.com

Source: www.imgfave.com

Source: www.imgfave.com

Source: www.sacramentostreet.com

Source: www.stardustandsequins.wordpress.com

Source: www.vogueoneone.com

Or this???

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Source: www.denimblog.com

Source: www.denimology.com

Source: www.imgfave.com

Source: www.ranger.com

Source: www.zimbio.com

Ok. So maybe I was a little biased in my selections and that isn't an entirely fair comparison - but I stand by my argument.

Winter is the cuter season.

Run, lazy girl. Run!

So I know I said just a couple of posts ago that I was getting back into running and how ace that was all going to be and blah blah blah.

Source: www.allmoviephoto.com

And while I have done a few little runs here and there, I haven't exactly got back on the running horse.

What I need is some inspiration to get me started.

I mean, I know when I get into it, I will love going for runs. But until you get your cardio fitness back up to a certain level, it can all just be a bit too hard. And if you try to get yourself out of bed at some ungodly hour in the morning by telling yourself that you will have a good time if you just get started, for quite a long time your brain just responds by just saying, "Bollocks you will! The only thing that will make you feel good is hitting snooze and sleeping for another hour".

Obviously, if you keep that up, you never actually get started.

What I have done in the past when I have started getting into this "I can't be arsed" frame of mind is to come up with a new playlist for my iPod. Lots of tracks that have a great beat and take my mind off the fact that my legs are achey or that my lungs are all knackered. Having a great playlist is also really handy when you are doing time on the treadmill at a gym because then you don't have to listen to the god-awful Euro-trash dance crap that they always seem to play in gyms.

When I am putting the playlist together, I like to mix songs that make me want to hurt myself with songs that make me smile - I think it gives the whole work out some balance and, most important, stops me from dying of boredom (or, more likely, giving up and just heading out for a coffee instead).

And because I am lovely and stuff, I thought I would share my latest playlist with you guys in case you are looking for some ideas. (There is no magic to the order - in fact, I tend to put it on shuffle so it doesn't get too predictable.)

• Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Voodoo People - The Prodigy
• Buy Me A Pony - Spiderbait
• Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
• Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
• Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
• Lose Yourself - Eminem
• Everyday Formula - Regurgitator
• Eat Me - Arkana
• Electric Feel - MGMT
• Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (duh)
• Just a Girl - No Doubt
• Watch Out Boys - Magic Dirt
• Army of Me - Bjork
• Best Of You - Foo Fighters
• Damn Girl - Justin Timberlake (yes, really)
• Everybody Nose - NERD
• Not Afraid of Romance - Machine Gun Fellatio (perhaps the best song in the WORLD to run to)
• Sabotage - Beastie Boys
• Uprising - Muse
• Push It - Garbage
• Papillon - Editors (even the video for this song is motivating)
  
  

So there you have it! Hopefully, that will be enough to get me going out for a run bit more often and for a bit longer. And then, when this rain finally disappears, going for long runs outside (yes, yes - very dangerous to run outdoors with your iPod blaring - but it is also quite lovely so...yeah, I still do it).

If you have any tracks that you think I should be adding, leave me a comment because I am always changing the songs around so I don't get too bored. 

Happy running!! 

For hat's sake!

I love a good hat. I wish I could wear them all the time. All seasons, all outfits, I want to add a hat.

But, contrary to what the classic 90s movie 'Clueless' would have us believe, it is not easy to pull off a hat in real life.

Source: www.confessionsofaglamaholic.com

Take today, for instance. Today, I wanted to wear my very cute, new skirt which reminds me of something that Bridget Fonda's character in 'Singles', Janet, would have worn. And she would have totally worn a hat with it - so I wanted to wear one with it too.

Source: www.toutlecine.com

Also, it was raining. A lot. And hats are great in the rain because they stop the rain from hitting you in the face and kind of keep your hair dry (but then there is the dreaded hat-hair to deal with - which I tend to deal with by refusing to remove my hat - even indoors).

So I put my skirt on with opaques, a jumper, some big-ass boots - and my felt bowler hat. And I felt pretty gosh darn adorable, I must say!

When I walked downstairs, husband looked confused. Not quite stinky face, just that look that seems to say, 'Very funny. Now what are you actually wearing?'

But I would not be dissuaded from my hat wearing - not today!!!!!

Because, you see, I have been trying to add hats into the mix for years - but for some reason I always end up bowing to peer-pressure and going with the far more socially-acceptable 'hatless' look. So many times, I would brave the great outdoors with my fabulous new hat on, only to be faced with the same, cutting taunt - 'So what's with the hat?'

Here are some of my earlier attempts (in chronological order):

(I can't really remember, but that may have been taken in the last year before I started dying my hair - I think this may actually be my natural hair colour!!!!)

(Ah - behold, my unfortunate androgynous years! Why, oh why did I cut my hair short in the middle of that awkward stage where I already looked kind of like a boy? Of course, the velvet hat helped me out immensely! *facepalm*)

(Matching an evening dress with a beanie - my nod to grunge at my sister's wedding)

(This hat still lives in my wardrobe - but it only gets worn when I am overseas and no one knows who I am.)



Now what I should have said to everyone who dissed my hats by asking what was 'with' it, is this: 'There is nothing WITH my hat. I just think hats look COOL! And they ARE cool. And so am I, GODDAMMIT!!!'

Of course, I never did. I would pretend that I had the confidence to pull a hat off initially but then it would end up being taken off and shoved to the back of the wardrobe when I got home where it would get dusty and misshapen and would never see the light of day again.

Sad, isn't it? My wardrobe is basically a hat graveyard.

Why can't I just wear my hats with confidence, like these babes?

Source: www.instyle.com 

Source: www.newyorkgirlstyle.com

Source: www.thefashiondivas.com 

Source: www.madisonmag.com.au

Source: www. harp-arrow.com

Well, today, I tried again. And I left my bowler hat on aaaaaaall day. Today, I held my be-hatted head high!

And I think I am going to buy more hats. Especially given that it is winter now. Hats are ace in winter.

PS - hats look totally awesome on guys too - right, Ryan?

Source: www.starpulse.com

Mmmmm - lovely.