Hi, stud (or: Sandy from Grease is way hotter at the end of the film)

So this morning, with the weather all bloom-y and warm and lovely (Wellington weather, y u do dis with the changing of the seasons constantly) I decided "Self, it is time to rock some 50s retro style. Get out your winged eyeliner and your preppy knit shirt and your floral circle skirt. And let's do a high ponytail with the ends curled." Not having the time or inclination to argue with myself that early in the morning (well, 10.30, which is not really early by any stretch of the imagination but still) I faithfully curled my hair, and winged my eyeliner, and put on this adorably twee shirt. 

And then I got to the point of putting on a floofy petticoat, and held up my floral skirt, and something in me rebelled. Sandy is way hotter at the end of Grease than at the beginning, it said. And not owning a pair of tight leather pants, a ruffled leather miniskirt was the next best thing. Aww yeah. Admittedly, the shoes I wanted to wear were my super-high black wooden platforms, but when my flatmate cautiously agreed with me that yeah, they might be a little too trashy, combined with the short leather skirt, for my workplace, these little floral brogues were the next best thing.

Details (click picture for larger version): Pink/black silk shirt, Fred Perry. Leather ruffled miniskirt, Ricochet. Black tights, supermarket. Floral brogues, Shoe Connection.

A surfeit of styles

World, I am shamefaced. An ENTIRE MONTH without posting once. Seriously, for shame. That said, though, I have been doing Things. Like what? I hear you ask. Weeeeeelllllll, I've been sewing a bit, and working, and hibernating as far away as possible from the cold and wet and wild that is the Wellington winter. Okay, confession, I've pretty much mostly been hibernating. Is Cold. Do Not Like. But finally the build-up of outfit snapshots just became far too much to ignore, so this post is a veritable bevy of outfits, all in vastly different styles. See Vanessa's exposed skin slowly disappear as the days grow ever colder! It's a fun game for all the family, or something.

Okay, I have been doing one other thing. Want a sneak preview? Of course you do. Okay then.

EEEE excitement! Yup, that's the beginnings of my Twinkle Mermaid-inspired half-sleeve right there. I've had more work since then - the frame is now nicely filled in with black - and I'll be starting colour in a couple more weeks. I may not wear lolita anymore, but dammit, that's no reason not to have awesomely pretty mermaids around!

This outfit, according to my photo timestamp, is all the way back from the 27th of May. That is SO LONG AGO, blog world. This outfit is also really super-gothic-black for me, which is a style I've recently been getting into a lot more. Wellington is kind of known for its citizens tending towards nothing but black, and I've always bucked that trend with colour (especially pastels) so it's a little bit weird to finally be doing the minimalistic Black Black Black thing. That said, this dress is amazing - it's a twist on a shirtdress, with button detailing down the sides, an uneven hem line, and SHIRT COLLARS FOR SLEEVES. Seriously, how cool is that?

Details (click picture for larger version): Black shirtdress, Company of Strangers via The Service Depot. Black tights, supermarket. Black suede boots, Mi Piaci. Black patent belt, Cue. Silver arrow pendant with crystal detail, Madame Fancy Pants.

From super-minimal to ultra-luxe and pretty! I wore this to work one day when I was a bit tired of casual dress and wanted to kick it up a notch. Sadly, this (at the beginning of June) was the last time I've been able to wear this blouse - I wanted to wear it today, but when the weather website says it's six degrees with windchill, that is not a day for short-sleeved silk chiffon. EVENTUALLY it will be spring and I will wear it again, OH YES.

Details (click picture for larger version): Black silk chiffon blouse, Sylvester via Kate Sylvester. Caramel/nude lace pencil skirt, Kate Sylvester. Black tights, supermarket. lack faux-leather studded platform ankle boots with wood heels, Number One Shoe Warehouse. Pearl strands, vintage via Trademe. 

Now we get to yesterday! This is one of my recent sewing projects - it's a lined double circle skirt with a black velveteen waistband and a satin bias-binding hem. DOUBLE circle skirt, yes - it's roughly six metres worth of grey Prince of Wales check merino wool suiting, with pleats at the waist. I adore this skirt unreasonably, even though hemming it was an exercise in patience and frustration (I think around 13 metres worth of hem, from memory...) The fabric was in my stash for years, and is the perfect weight for this skirt as it's heavy enough to drape but light enough to swoosh about marvelously as I walk. In addition, I have adorable new boots! The winter sales are on in full force at the moment, and with my tax return burning a hole in my pocket, I couldn't resist cute little ankle boots in brown/black leather ("little" is kind of a misnomer as they're 3.5" wedge heels - I can actually reach things on the top shelf of the pantry!) This outfit had my workmates calling me a schoolgirl, and made me feel like I ought to be wearing a beret and be in some French storybook.

Details (click picture for larger version): White elbow-sleeve collared blouse with black ribbon tie, Sylvester via Kate Sylvester. Black merino jersey-dress, Fred Perry. Grey merino check skirt, handmade. Black tights, supermarket. Brown/black wedge ankle boots, Mi Piaci. Victorian-girl necklace, gifted. Red lipstick, MAC Russian Red.

And finally, today's outfit! I've very recently been on a chiffon maxi-skirt kick - Glassons (which I guess would be very similar to Forever 21) has had a few really lovely-for-the-price varieties in, so as well as this long, gathered black chiffon version (which depending on the light is rather more transparent than in this photo), I also recently acquired a nutmeg-brown-with-black-waistband-and-knife-pleats option. ALL THE MAXI-SKIRTS. I've also, as you might be able to see here, satisfied (for now) my desire for raw crystal, in the form of this citrine pendant, as well as a similar version in amethyst. I am now (according to my somewhat snarky flatmate) well-protected against psychic attack! Regardless, I now have acceptable levels of shiny crystal pendanty things, although I'm still gearing up for a giant knuckleduster of a ring eventually.

Details (click picture for larger version): Black merino top with kimono-print sleeve detail, Frutti. Black chiffon maxi-skirt, Glassons. Black tights, supermarket. Black/brown wedge ankle boots, Mi Piaci. Brown belt, Glassons. Raw citrine pendant, Etsy.

Daily outfit: black and brown and a pop of red

So I was all set this morning to try out a semi-mori-inspired outfit with my newly altered Midsummer Night's Dream skirt. And then I actually got out of bed, and it was raining and HOWLING GALE SOUTHERLIES (which, for Northern Hemisphere readers, gust up pretty much straight from Antarctica and are made of cold and wrong and bad). Metservice said it was 4 degrees with windchill, which Google tells me is around 39 degrees in Fahrenheit. It was COLD. Lacy pretty things were out. Merino dress and fur and tights were definitely the order of the day (plus a coat and scarf and hat as soon as I stepped outside). The blouse/sweater combo I'm wearing is actually a sweater-dress, which I adore but which shrank in the wash the first time I washed it (I swear, I was doing everything right) and is now a bit too short to wear as a dress. GUTTING. But at least it'll get a load of use this winter tucked into other things, and bonus: it'll keep my bum warm. Oh, fashion, you are such serious business.

Details (click picture for larger version): Black merino sweater-dress, Fred Perry. Red riding hood embroidered skirt, Baby the Stars Shine Bright. Brown belt, Glassons. Black tights, supermarket. Brown slouchy boots, Overland Shoes. Pearl earrings, gifted. Brown fur stole, vintage, via my alteration. Red lipstick, MAC Russian Red.

Double daily outfit: IW, ETC and a new winter coat

Oh gosh, I've been horrifically lax with posting. This is what happens when I'm hit with two weeks of flu followed by ultra-business both in and out of work. But I have plots up my sleeve for posts, oh yes! Watch out post-Easter, there'll be giveaway goodness and hopefully some new tutorials too. In the meantime, here's a double daily outfit - one from last week, and one from today.

Looking back at this makes me wistful - in only a week, winter seems well and truly to have set in, and outfits involving a cute little cardigan and heels aren't exactly practical in pouring rain and southerly winds straight from Antarctica. Yes, this is the third iteration of my IW Shoppes skirt - I really do adore it, as it's a more muted print and seems extremely versatile with what I already own.

Details (click picture for larger version): Pink/black silk knit shirt, Fred Perry. Cream high-waisted shoppes-print skirt, Innocent World, via my alteration. Black tights, possibly the supermarket? Cream lace cardigan, Portmans. Black/cream peep-toe heels, Magnini, via Ultra Shoes.

I've always adored Alice in Wonderland prints, and this ETC version is perfect for me - it's a lovely rich but muted blue, with a whimsical but not too little-girly print. However! It was also made to fit a 26" waist, which I am ... not. ETC skirts don't come with waist ties, and it would have been a little difficult to match the blue of the waistband to add an extra panel into the back (something that I'm planning a photo tutorial on for another skirt). So instead I took the skirt off the waistband and re-pleated it onto a new black velveteen band - I think the effect is quite lovely since the print has black in it and the hem has a band of black sequins. These ankle boots aren't my usual style, but I'm totally in love with them and quite like the contrast of studded boots with a sweet skirt and blouse.

Details (click picture for larger version): Blue Alice-print skirt, Emily Temple Cute, via my alteration. Cream silk chiffon pussy-bow blouse, Max via Trademe. Black tights, supermarket. Black faux-leather studded platform ankle boots with wood heels, Number One Shoe Warehouse. Yellow rose brooch pin, vintage gifted. Camel peacoat, Witchery.