It's a business dress! Or is it?

This is a new dress, one I've been working on for the last wee while (although I've had the fabric stashed since probably about this time last year? Who knows. A length of time). It's a pattern I've made before, with one twist - this version has a super-low scooped back and exposed zip, just to sex up the otherwise extremely conservative cut in the front. It has the nice side-effect of suddenly showing off another rather large tattoo to all my workmates, because that's how I roll. AND it has pockets. Pockets. The joy of a dress with pockets cannot be overstated.

I finished the dress this weekend, full of determination to wear it to work today. With these shoes and that belt. Of course, Wellington then had to put on the showery rain all day, so I had to wear sensible closed-toe shoes during my trip from home to work to avoid suede getting rained on (I hear it's not the greatest, hey), but you better believe I took these in in my Bag of Holding and changed into them once I was at work. When pink suede heels are in the offing, who could choose sensible shoes?

Details (click picture for larger version): Black/grey linen/wool-blend dress with scoop back, handmade. Black cotton leggings, Glassons. Pink/cream suede heels, Ultra Shoes. Black patent belt, Cue. Pearl strand, vintage via Trademe. Pink rose brooch, from EGL sales community. Tattoos, Dan at New Zealand Tattoo.

I am colourblock, and so can you!

So apparently colourblocking is in this season.

This is from Fashion Week Animals in Hats over at The Hairpin. The entire thing is awesome, as is The Hairpin in general, so I recommend checking it out. What is also awesome is colourblocking. My good (excellent) friend over at Pearls in Vinegar is very keen on it, and she's just generally made of awesome herself, so I was all like, "Self, you need to try out this colourblock thing! You wear too much black recently! It's spring! Buy bright things and wear them with each other! You too can be like the Tarsier (which I think is maybe like a kind of lemur?) in his jaunty little hat." And then I went and bought a bright yellow belt from Trademe, and was all like AWW YEAH.

Readers, given the amount of dark colour above, I am not entirely sure that this counts as full colourblocking. In my defence, the dress I am wearing is really truly honestly navy, not black (according to the tag, it is 'ink'), and I wasn't planning on adding the leggings until a) I realised that both my pairs of sheer stockings had runs in them (DO NOT WORRY, I have now bought some more, everything is okay) and b) it's still actually rather chilly at the moment despite the sunshine. And I've somehow misplaced the strand of hot pink metal beads I was planning on adding, which would have been another pop of solid colour. My life, it is difficult. (This is a lie.) In any case, regardless of whether I can claim to have achieved colourblock nirvana, I still think it was pretty awesome. And that's what counts, right?

My eye makeup, though, that was pretty. And colourful. The colour is, sadly, a little washed out, but essentially this is matte pink on the inner corner, with a gorgeous, shimmery blue blended over the outer corner and crease, a slightly-sparkly teal highlighted across the middle, and a swipe of gold-green under the lower lashes. With a smidge of black liquid liner along the top lashline, and generous black mascara. All of it is MAC - the three on top are from the Devoted Poppy compact, and the gold-green is 'Juxt'. Applying shadow with a wet brush is the Best Thing Ever. Except for tarsiers. I think they might even be better than pug dogs, and that is saying a lot.

Details (click pictures for larger version): Navy draped dress with lace panelling, Ricochet. Yellow leather waist belt, Trademe. Black leggings, Glassons. Hot pink/cream high heels, Ultra Shoes. Pink rose brooch, handmade, via someone on the EGL sales community. Pink/white/black chain necklace, gifted handmade. Green wool capelet, Frutti.

(Not so) daily outfit - Graduation day!

Okay, so I've been really terrible at posting recently. In my defence, I've been super busy working up to Graduation Day! Here in New Zealand we don't have high school graduation in cap and gown, only school prizegiving (where it's most common to wear the school uniform), so the full academic-dress-robes graduation is reserved for finishing university.

This was my second graduation - last year I graduated my BA and chose to wear a lolita dress under my robes (Baby's She is Sleeping dress in white, plus pink lace tights and black high heels). This year, I went for a white (well, cream) dress again, but chose a slightly more grown-up frock and a pair of really freaking awesome high heels. Because it's not every day you graduate a Law degree, and heck yes I was going to do it in hot pink and cream suede platform heels with pink rosettes on the toes!

Details (click picture for larger version): Cream lace paper-bag waist dress, Kate Sylvester. Hot pink and cream suede heels, Ultra Shoes. Cream pearl necklace, vintage via Trademe. Pearl brooch, vintage via Trademe, borrowed from my flatmate (this was excellent for keeping my robe hood in place). Academic robes and mortarboard, from my university.

Bonus: me and my baby sister! She's adorable, and see? My shoes, they are fabulous.