What I Wore | Winter Berries

Gee, it's been awhile between "What I Wore" posts, huh? I'll try to make them slightly more regular, a combination of work, weather and inclination has popped them on the back burner for a little while. I couldn't resist pairing my crisp woollen coat with the bright red berries that have popped up in the recent frosty weather we've been having.

I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I bought a fire pit with the intention of roasting some veggie snags and cobbling together some Australian S'mores (substitute Graham Crackers with whatever I can - Granitas for now). We enjoyed one bonfire but jeez, it's been so cold we haven't had the inclination to spend the evening outdoors again, brrr! Even with a fire...

Regardless of my desire to stay indoors, I'm loving the chill in the air. It makes you feel more alive after a lazy summer. Speaking of laziness, do you ever feel like you get totally stuck in a rut? I suppose everyone reaches that point at various times. I'm not feeling so rut-ty but more... like things are about to burst open and something new is just around the corner. I've been pouring my energy into work so much that I've had blinkers on for just about everything else in my life. But really, you know when your head is down and you just get a feeling. Bring on change, I'm ready for a shake up!

striped shirt | Modcloth

coat | c/o Oasap

boots | (sold out) Urban Outfitters (similar)

necklaces | A Lively Blend

ice cream ring | Japan

leggings | Industrie (old)

skirt | Tokito (really old)

Kitty
xo

What I Wore | Glittering Black

It's been a long time since I posted an outfit, a combination of rainy weather and lots of work on meaning I haven't had the time nor inclination. This outfit post brings exciting news, though! Over the weekend I attended my very first blog event, a blogging masterclass followed by a cocktail party which was put on by the Kidspot Voices of 2014 folks. And the reason why I was there? Kitty & Buck has somehow managed to land in the top 40 Australian Beauty & Lifestyle blogs for 2014!! How exciting is that? I'm so flattered and grateful to be in the running, after being selected from over 1000 nominations. It's totally mind boggling! I met so many new Aussie bloggers, and caught up with a few that I haven't seen in awhile.

The masterclass covered topics from the best ways to utilise Facebook and social media, to privacy issues and my favourite, how to create a successful side project to your blog - It was exciting to see inspiring ladies like Luisa Brimble, Pip Lincolne and Jaclyn Carlson share their experience and ideas.

Since the dress code was 'casual' for the masterclass and 'cocktail' for the evening party, I thought I'd try something outside of my usual comfort zone and donned this sparkly number. Plus, it was a serious experiment to see if I could be 7ft tall... Not my usual style at all, but it was fun to get dressed up for the night! Besides that, you can flip the sequins around to make crazy patterns. That in itself should sell this dress to you ;)

C and I decided to stay near the venue for the evening and booked a room in the Medusa Hotel. I was sold when I read reviews comparing it to New Orleans! It was definitely a little more modern than anywhere I visited in NOLA, but still had the spirit, with a definite Sydney flavour. These crazy colours lit up the courtyard outside our room, giving it a very Darlinghurst (ahem, Darlo) vibe.

The overall winners won't be announced until later in the year, I'll keep you in the loop. You can check out the full list of finalists here.

reversible sequin dress // asos

jacket // borrowed from C!

heels // windsor smith

ankle socks // urban outfitters (similar)

Kitty
xo

What I Wore | Pretty in Pink

I think I blinked and missed summer this year. Just like that, it's Autumn and, as though the sun sticks to our arbitrary calendar religiously, there is a sudden chill in the air. I'm wrapping up a job in the next couple of weeks, so I've been pretty caught up in the excitement of a deadline ;) And in the middle of all of that, I have managed to start organising our next trip, we are taking our immediate families to Japan in November for a very intimate wedding, so I'm planning for not one, not two, but nine people! I'm definitely channeling my inner Francis Whitman, though, honestly, he's not to far from the surface.

I've decided in some alternate reality that I'm a Japanese tour guide, running about with a trail of delighted duckling-people, wondrous gazes lighting up their faces as we round each corner. I'm pretty sure on one hand it would be really rewarding to share a completely new place with people, and on the other, it might get a teensy bit stressful. I'll let you know in December ;) If it goes well, hey, who wants to come on tour to Japan in 2015?

I've been polishing up on my Japanese, as per one of the items on my 2014 to-do list, and I'm really pleased to say that it's actually going well. I think in 8 months, I will be able to speak enough to have a simple conversation and also deal with hotels, restaurants and shops as head translator for our group! Plus my reading and writing skills are flooding back! Fingers crossed, guys. While it's fine to have no Japanese skills for one or two people, I think logistically it's going to be much better if I can communicate effectively with such a large group.

 

Have you ever been responsible for a bunch of people in a foreign country? I'd love to hear any experiences, good or bad, I'm here to learn!

Dear Creatures Dress | Emerging Thoughts

Denim Jacket | c/o Oasap

Carved Brooch on collar | Vintage, Katoomba, Australia

Harajuku Bow Brooch | c/o Under The Shade of a Bonsai Tree

Wanted Babe Oxfords | Amazon (similar)

Lola Handbag | Irregular Choice

Kitty

xo

WIW - Geo Tropicana

Remind me again why I thought it was a good idea to go to the beach on a hot, sunny Sunday? I'm usually tuned in to these things and manage to avoid throngs of people, but my radar of sensible must've been broken on Sunday. Somehow we managed to snap some photos in the middle of the highest traffic area with a massive audience. Talk about awkward. I feel uncomfortable about having my photo taken at the best of times, so this shoot is an exercise in exposure therapy! At least I had some cool backdrops to distract me from their burning stares ;)

I'm always reading about bloggers finding it awkward having their photos taken. I wonder why we do it to ourselves? For me, I've always been really shy, so I started taking photos to try and get comfortable in front of a camera. I couldn't believe when I read Kate Moss talking about having "facial tourettes". I'm not sure that's exactly the most sensitive or accurate description, but I understand what she is getting at. I thought it was something that only my family suffered from. Try to take a family portrait and 100% guaranteed one of us will blink weirdly with one eye, open our mouth in a bizarre rictus, or something equally unattractive. It's something I'm working on. (so damn slowly)

On a completely unrelated note, this particular street art installation caught our eyes. We think it's a deranged Bart Simpson feeding on the quivering bodies of some thwarted alien invaders. Whatever it is, it's Blood Hungry. It's awful good.

Geo Print Cardigan | c/o Oasap (currently on sale!)

Tropical Print Crop Singlet | Revival (no longer available - boo!)

Sticks and Bones Jeans (different colour) | Ziggy

White Wedge Oxford | Urban Outfitters (similar)

Color-Blocked Hair Clip | Vintage from Katoomba, Australia

Blue Cuff | Gift

Banana Necklace | Gift (made by C.)

Gargoyle Urn Ring | Metal Couture

Sunglasses | Gift

Kitty
xo

What I Wore - Wild Palms

C recently dug an old DVD copy of Wild Palms from a bargain bin in a record store somewhere. I don't know how I hadn't heard of this show before, but it's a 5-part mini-series sci-fi/drama produced by Oliver Stone. There are various directors attached to the project, including Katherine Bigelow (she directed one of the greatest vampire movies: Near Dark, before other such gems as Point Break and Strange Days before becoming the first female to win an academy award for direction with The Hurt Locker). The guy who directed Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey even directs an episode! I'm actually surprised that this has no relation to David Lynch, other than the fact that ABC told Stone that the series must have a beginning, a middle and an end, due to Twin Peaks (at the time) recent trailing off into no-mans land.

Wild Palms is distinctly Lynchian, focussing on a secret society based in Los Angeles. It even has Mr Eddy in it for goodness sake! Oh, and a cameo from William Gibson! We haven't finished watching it yet, so I can't tell you how it pans out, but for now it is a strange and interesting artefact uncovered from 1993.

You might have noticed in more recent photographs, I've been avoiding dying my hair for awhile now, just because I couldn't face the effort involved, and I'd run out of my usual colours (turquoise, purple, pink and blue) I've had this pot of "Special Effects" Virgin Rose sitting around, so I decided to splosh some in. It's so much better! Begone yellow blonde hairs!

Christmas brought me a fairly excellent haul of new clothes. C was concerned that he would pick things I didn't like, or that didn't fit, but he has the magic eye and everything fits like a dream, and is super adorable too! I love these summer shorts, I feel like I should pop some victory rolls in my hair and pull up a sun-chair with a cocktail.

Kitty Cardigan // (gift)

Sailor Shorts // (gift)

White Tee // Urban Outfitters

Betty Red Clogs // c/o Moheda

Necklace // 1930's antique from Spitalfields Markets, London (gift from a couple of years ago)

Black Diamond Octopus Ring // OctopusMe (gift from a couple of years ago)

Kitty
xo

   

What I Wore - Coach Tour Dress And A Chalk Sun

This is one of my favourite parts of Sydney, mostly because it feels like a slightly pale version of European city, or maybe New Orleans. There's lots of lovely wrought iron, potted flowers, big old trees and colourful painted doors. There's a couple of tiny courtyard style lanes, where you can wander around without fear of being squished by a crazy Sydney motorist. The best part is the trees though, it's always shady, with dappled light and birds chirping. Oh, and it's right by three great bookstores, so C and I can always partake in the dusty smell of a secondhand book hunt.

Coach Tour Dress // ModCloth (currently 20% off!)

Kimchi Blue Roper Lace Up Boot // Urban Outfitters (on sale!)

Wood Veneer Sunglasses // Tumbleweeds Handcraft (similar)

Harajuku Bows Brooch // c/o Under The Shade of a Bonsai Tree

Scarf around wrist // old (limited edition)

Black Skull Ring // Japan

Turquoise Silver Cast Ring // Handmade (gift) from Tucson, AZ

   

What I Wore - Sweet Tooth!

It's the tail end of the year, which, if it means anything, it's cake time! haha. When Steff from Asockalypse (great name, huh?!) contacted me to see if I'd like to wear some socks from their store, I definitely couldn't go past these cupcake socks! These ladies are based in New Zealand and have a great range of colourful socks, for ladies and men. I love the new striped over-the-knee socks and also, the cat socks are so adorable! (since it gets damn cold in NZ, they have some nice long socks and tights for my wintery northern friends, too)

I wonder if everyone has a pre-disposition to having a 'sweet tooth' or to favor savoury? Both of my parents are sweet toothed, so I've been lumped with one too. That said, I rarely indulge, I definitely have a 'less is more' mentality when it come to treats. Sometimes it's tough, I am half German, and sharing genetic heritage with Augustus Gloop makes it kinda tempting to go for a dip in a chocolate river ;) But the cupcake socks, they're making me think of sweet delights.

On an unrelated note, as I was foraging for pretty shells and polished glass, I found the shell above and it brought back memories of my childhood, whenever I found these particular shells, I'd pretend they were false fingernails.

Back to the outfit - I also have a super special discount at Asockalypse just for Kitty & Buck readers! Enter KITTYANDBUCK at the checkout for 10% off your order. These would make great stocking stuffers, or better yet, make them the stockings and fill them with loot!

curator dress (old) // emerging thoughts

cupcake socks // c/o asockalypse

babe oxford shoes // wanted shoes

ice-cream necklace // glebe markets, sydney, australia

ice-cream ring // tokyo, japan

silk scarf // limited edition art print (old)

rainbow skull bracelet // tokyo, japan

Kitty
xo