dressed in leather

Did you feel that Melbourne? It’s almost practically Autumn. Break out the black, the blazers, the boots and days watching West Wing cuddled up in bed.

Shakuhachi shoes, OPI Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous

I’ve got new shoes. I love the way they look but they feel a little cheap, which is a shame. I’ve decided if I wear them in a bit they’ll get a bit scuffed and look much, much better. They’re also higher than I expected so I’ve been tottering around in them to practice... whilst wearing trackies. The joys of working from home!

Therese Rawsthorne leather skirt, $2 shop t-shirt, Shakuhachi shoes, Karen Walk cuff

I love my wolf t-shirt. He’s so cosmic and dangerous at the same time. There’s a French saying “entre chien et loup” which means between the dog and the wolf. It’s used to describe that time after sunset when it becomes twilight, a time of danger.

miss chu

Off and away and into the city I go to catch up with friends at Miss Chu. I’d read about the Sydney hole in the wall restaurant on Not Quite Nigella and was so excited to hear that a friend’s brother had opened up one in town. That’s Miss Chu on her entry visa into Australia.

You can’t book here but we were lucky that we had a table for four saved for us. Half way into our meal there was a huge line out the takeaway door.

You can eat in, pick up your own take away or these little beauties deliver your meal within a 1km or so radius. Convenient.

Once again not many pictures of the food as I was:

1. Too hungry and the service was so quick there was no waiting around to get out the camera or I would have missed out on hot dumpling goodness
2. Gossiping
3. Wondering if men prefer girls who wear socks (that’s for you Frances).

I highly recommend the Beef, lemongrass rice vermicelli noodle salad.

Action shot.

We also devoured the Vegan vermicelli noodle salad which was deliciously good and made me wonder why I wasn’t a vegan. Then I found out the secret was some kind of sugar on the funghi and tofu, cheeky. Two rounds of the Shanghai dumplings, Peking duck rolls and king prawn ricepaper rolls and we were rolling out the door. There was more to try and I can’t wait for a return visit (or for one to open up in my neck of the woods so I don't have to brave driving AND parking in the city).

So what do you wear to Miss Chu’s? Nicholas shirt, Alice McCall skirt, Gorman Clogs and new Karen Walker cuff, of course.

Brass playing car drivers, it's like a scene out of On The Road.

my kingdom for a new wardrobe

It seems most bloggers are posting their Winter wish lists. I’m trying not to look online because I placed Winter orders back in October, I am finding it hard to remind myself this. I recently buckled and bought this engraved Karen Walker bracelet in the yellow. I love the colour and the NZD to AUD just makes it a little less bad.

www.karenwalker.com

I’m also lusting impractically after this Therese Rawsthorne 'tear drop' shirt which has one of my favourite features – a little window in the back across the shoulders.

www.aliceeuphemia.com

And last of all, although probably not for all of Winter, this Alice McCall ‘Crooked Man Cardigan’. It’s heavily beaded and would fall so nicely, and just a little departure from the blazers I usually wear.

www.alicemccall.com

the holy grail

I’ve found my perfect top – floaty, silky, a little sexy and black all over. It’s from Green With Envy’s in house label Nicholas. I’m so tempted to also buy the dove grey and the rust versions too. Would that make me completely nuts? Perhaps just the grey one.

(Nicholas blouse, Arnsdorf skirt, Gorman clogs)

You haven’t even seen the best bit yet! Yay! For a cut out back!

Hope everyone is enjoying Valentine’s Day. I like receiving flowers but I always buy them for myself anyway.

So what do I get? A synthetic grass bunny rabbit. I’ve named him Rudolph. Why? Besides being quite a nice name this is the way my brain worked - Valentine’s Day --> Valentino --> Ruldoph the Rabbit.

I’m off to ‘action’ (as Faux Fuchsia would say) a heart shaped quiche.

i love how you blush

I’m not sure where I first heard the sentiment ‘I love how you blush’ but I think it may have been years ago on a Kate Spade bag. I could also be horribly confused. After sweltering 40 degree heat, monsoonal rain that comes through your chimney and chilly weather. So after your typical Melbourne week it’s been nice to have some cool sunshine.

(Sportsgirl blouse, Camilla and Marc Skirt, Gorman Clogs)

(ring from Bangkok markets, cuff from Sri Lanka, close up of skirt’s print)

My two favourite perfumes are also blush coloured – Stella which both my mother and sister also wear and Stella In Two Peony which is a little banged up as it’s always in my handbag.

I’m also quite enjoying the sight of our bar fridge at the moment. I love a bulk buy.

cafe blah blah

I often feel a little sorry for wait staff on Sunday mornings and so give them a bit of leeway when an order goes missing or gets stuffed up. I can’t imagine anything worse than being hung over and serving eggs. The staff at Cafe Blah Blah on Ormond Road in Elwood seemed to be a bit dazed however I don’t think this can be contributed to a hangover as the mean age look about 16 years old.

We sat down (after bypassing a packed Jimmi Jamz which is where we had intended to go) and 5 minutes later were handed our menus. Five minutes later we ordered two bloody marys, Eggs Benedict for Chris and scrambled eggs with bacon and tomato for me. Twenty minutes later we still hadn’t been served our drinks and a table outside had left after waiting for their order to be taken. Now, I’m not usually one to be precious and if they'd been really busy then I'd be fine about the situation but I was getting a bit hangry – that’s a combination of hungry and angry.

Finally our bloody marys were delivered. Hot tomato juice, no Tabasco sauce and quite frankly nothing makes my stomach lurch like a cucumber garnish. I just can’t stand the smell of the stuff. I managed to grab one of the waiters eyes and asked for some cracked pepper to help add a bit of spice. My old flatmate would have given this request a Tone Warning.

Breakfast was delivered quite a bit later. Chris’s Eggs Benny came out with a thin hollandaise sparsely covering overcooked eggs and ham that looked like it came out of plastic packaging. I took a few bites of my breakfast and pushed it away. It left me with a mouth that felt like it was coated in oil. Oil that had cooked a thousand rashers of bacon then left to cool and then heated up and used again to fry up some eggs.

We left thinking never again. On our way to the car we walked past a much quieter Jimmi Jamz, looked in lustfully, went home and I had cold pizza for breakfast.

(I was unsure whether to post this blog - I feel like an absolute bitch - or just leave it be but after paying $46 for the worst breakfast I've had in a very long time I had to get it off my chest.)

French / American

Two of my favourite fashion labels are American Retro and American Vintage. American Retro is a brand that I fell for when I was in Paris. This blazer is one of my favourite, yet least worn things in my closet. I’m not sure why this is.

American Vintage is a really beautiful basics label that comes from the south of France. I worked for the fashion imports house who bring American Vintage to Australia so I’ve got lots their cotton t-shirts and dresses and I pretty much live in them. Some of the pieces, like the white t-shirt below, have come to the ends of their life span.

(American Vintage t-shirt, American Retro vest, sass&bide skirt)

That’s just one of the moves in my dance repertoire. Here’s another shot to prove I’m not lying / further embarrass myself. Also, wearing an American Vintage t-shirt here.

As much as I love these labels I find their names a little perplexing.