Breakfast at Grace

Last week I had the immense pleasure of perusing pretty things over breakfast and coffee with some of Melbourne's wonderful style bloggers at Grace boutique in Toorak.  Such a wonderful space filled with clothes, accessories and knick knacks that would make the perfect gift for just about anyone in your life.

Georgia and Ilana opened Grace in 2007 after reconnecting in New York (lucky ducks) and have since filled Grace with a niche blend of gorgeous, complimentary items from some of the most distinctive international brands around the world (think Carven & Anna Sui) and of course their own house label, Grace.

A real, wonderful shopping experience in a world increasingly reliant on a quick fix online shopping binge.  I think there's still something wonderful about receive personal attentive service in a pretty store and skipping away with a new treasure wrapped in tissue paper.

Grace
595 Malvern Road
Toorak
(03) 9827 2133

Colours

Last week I decided to live on the edge and start work late.  Usually I like to be at my desk around 8am, to do list in hand ready to begin my day.  But I thought why not sleep in for a change?

When I woke up the sun was shining and I opted for some colour rather than my work uniform of grey, black and charcoal.  I must admit that I felt better for it.  In hindsight I probably should have gone out and paired it with a swipe of Maybelline Coral Crush lipstick.  And there was even enough light to snap some pictures of my outfit.  Life's too short.  I should do it more often....

zara blouse, j crew necklace, asos origami skirt

John Galliano x Kate Moss

by Mario Testino via vogue.com

I am not much of a Kate Moss fan.  We know she's made mistakes and I must admit I do admire her ability to overcome the repercussions of those mistakes. It's particularly wonderful that she's supported Galliano after his indiscretions just like most of the industry supported her during her lowest points.

The smiles on their faces in this photo couldn't be faked.  I've rarely seen her happy as she looked on her wedding day.  I adore her dress and how traditional the whole weekend ended up being.  Huge props for not having a strapless gown or a puffy skirt (here's looking at you Kim Kardashian).

"The happiest people are those who think the most interesting thoughts. Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good company, good conversation, are the happiest people in the world. And they are not only happy in themselves, they are the cause of happiness in others." Williams Phelps

Happiness is spending hours at the botanic gardens on a sunny day.   Just Monty and my thoughts.

Lets talk shoes boots

The plan for the trip is to make do with 7 outfits which can all be mixed and matched to create the perfect capsule travel wardrobe.  Something fancy enough for the opera and ballet but comfortable enough for getting lost in my new neighbourhood.  I hate nothing more than lugging bags on trains and planes.  It's frustrating and definitely not chic.

I have however hit a road block.  Footwear.  It will probably definitely be too cold for ballet flats.  It will be too unpredictable (and possible wet) to wear my beloved suede Yves Saint Laurent booties.  Riding boots alone will not cut it.  My Witchery ankle boots are sadly too uncomfortable.  So what now?  Cue these Zara boots.... Low heel, go with most things I plan to wear.  Weather appropriate too.  A miracle right?  Then there's my my dilemma 1. no shopping allowed 2. not as yet available in store and ordering online is too risky due to my annoyingly sized feet.

Life's tough for some isn't it?

via zara.com

  

"Each man should frame life so that at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet" - Victor Hugo

It hasn't really sunk in yet that the item at the top of my bucket list is about to be ticked off.  But not without work and sacrifice.

What's been new with me?

3 jobs.  A complete style overhaul. Constant racing around town.  Overcommitting.  Stress. A return to the gym (exercise makes me feel alive). Anxiety. A forcedly really well kept to-do list - what a revelation.  A diary to keep track of my life in 30 minute blocks.  And I'm not even a high flying, in demand celebrity.  Working hard for 3 months to get to do something I've always wanted to do?  TOTALLY WORTH IT!

For the past 3.5 weeks I've also had a house guest.  Someone who knows someone who knows someone I know.  Who packed a backpack to come to the other side of the world for love only to be told at the airport that he was feeling flat?  Cue 3 nights of sleeping on strangers couches which broke my heart, so I took her in.  The least I could do was provide a warm bed, some dinners and lend an ear.  I hope I was a good host.

Another Melbourne winter is coming to a close.  Another Melbourne winter of me defaulting to layers of knits.  I've had this picture handy for inspiration but haven't mastered being warm and stylish just yet... I'll try again next year... Summer is better.

via the sartorialist

via the sartorialist

via tumblr

Some plans

There are many things you miss when working 3 jobs.  Blogging, twitter banter, runs around the tan, lunch time tennis matches, friends birthdays, favourite TV shows, weekends away, weekend newspapers read over a lazy brunch and pot of tea (as opposed to read on the train on Monday morning), baking, cooking, the chance to wear a half decent outfit.  But November is near enough and it will all be worth it.  Speaking of November, hasn't this year gone by way, WAY too fast. WAAAAAAAAY too fast.

My blogger is changing the colour of my photos.... WHYYY?

Photo is of my hair after the world's best blow dry thanks to Stephen at Rubi Hair in Prahran.  I bow down to you Stephen.  Ignore the left blogger ambushed colour of my hair.

Buy this not this

ASOS ~$85

Rachel Gilbert $660

Orange on my mind

Olivia Palermo rocking the Victoria Beckham has totally sent me into orange-love-overdrive for next season.  Bit of St Tropez and I'm set.  Maybe not head to toe but certainly at least an accessory.

What colour are you looking forward to wearing when the season changes?

Country Road

Asos

\

Essie

J Crew

NAP

NAP

Sigh

Unexplained

I've been coping relatively well with this year's winter.  I have things to look forward to, lots of exciting projects I'm working on, big pots of tea to drink, kick arse central gas heating that warms the house up in less than 3 minutes...  Happy girl.

Today however I couldn't do anything to get warm enough.  But the sight of the buds on the tree out of the front helped.  As did hours spent sipping peppermint tea and reading the Sunday paper at my favourite cafe.

The sight of summer clothes in stores and preorders on my favourite websites is sending me into a tizz.  I'm just not ready yet...  Have you started to look towards the next season yet?

Le Specs sunnies, Scanlan & Theodore cardigan, Gypsy05 tank top, sass&bide leggings, falke wool tights underneath which are a completely Godsend, ASOS boots... and a half built and half painted deck

Poor and neglected front garden...

Diesel Island: 3x $100 voucher giveaway

Two things have been playing on my mind this week.  The carbon tax and it's ability to help stall climate change and the fact that the spring/summer fashions are starting to pop up.  I haven't even got my winter wardrobe sorted.  Time flies.  I'm envisaging myself wearing a lot of denim and orange this summer.  I just need a tan.

To celebrate the launch of the Diesel spring/summer collection I have the pleasure of giving away 3 x $100 vouchers for an Australian store of the winners choosing.  You lucky readers you!

Diesel is fed up and is taking over an island for the summer.  Why not join them?

To be in the running to score one of these vouchers all you have to do is complete the following sentence as a blog comment:

"If I was spending the summer at Diesel Island, I wouldn't be caught dead there without __________".

The competition is only open to Australian readers and closes next Sunday 31 July 2011 at 23:59 AEST.

Vouchers will be awarded for the most creative entry, a random number generator entry and to the person who puts in the biggest effort and shares the competition with others via their blog/facebook/twitter - be creative!

If you do share the details of the competition around leave me a separate comment.

If you wish to Tweet about it, be sure to @ my twitter name - @milijana_ and use the hashtag #dieselisland

Good luck!!



M xx

“Listen. Say yes. Live in the moment. Make sure you play with people who have your back. Make big choices early and often. Don’t start a scene where two people are talking about jumping out of a plane. Start the scene having already jumped.” - —Amy Poehler

"Only the minute and the future are interesting in fashion -- it exists to be destroyed. If everybody did everything with respect, you'd go nowhere" - Karl Lagerfeld

I often look at magazine profiles of people and their perfect closets.  Bloggers with the huge walk in wardrobes, 100's of shoes, absolutely perfectly organised lives and I often chuckle to myself and I wonder what's out of the shot.  What mountains of junk and things in space bags lie out of the camera shot.

This is my wardrobe space and this is what's currently in it.  My favourite and most worn items.  And they all go with the other items.

I had the chance to build a monster wardrobe but I decided against it.  My ultimate wardrobe has about 15-20 amazing things in it that all go perfectly with everything else that's in it.  When a new item comes home, an existing item must leave.

Up until 48 hours ago, all of these things below were also in in that wardrobe.

A huge laundry basket full.  (hello Monty)

And a mountain that now lies on the couch in the guest bedroom.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with all this stuff.  Put it back where I found it?  eBay it along with a ton of other stuff already eBay bound (seller: bk6076).  Throw it out?  Give it away?  Take it to Camberwell market?

My taste is almost everything has evolved hugely recently, including my style.  I'm starting to be drawn to leather.  To ACNE. To completely edgy and unusual thing.  How do I make it stop?

Winner of the "June giveaway" is...

Sorry it's taken me a week to draw the winner of the giveaway I ran last month...

Entries 1 to 30.

And the winner was number 5.. Paris and Pearls!

Congrats!

Thank you to everyone for entering and reading my blog xx

Northern Women in Chanel

If I wasn't saving like mad this amazing book would be on its way to me now.

via mymag

Je ne peux pas attendre d'aller

It's some ungodly hour on a Saturday night/Sunday morning and I'm sitting on the couch thinking.  When I was in my mid teens I set goals and very high expectations for myself.  Things that I would do in my 20's.  

Education and life experience were at the top of my list.

One of the last remaining must dos on my 20's list is to spend some time in Paris.  I've got an embarrassingly huge collection of things to do and see there.  And I don't mean the Eiffel Tower. I've been to Europe a number of times in my 20's, but it never felt like the right time to visit Paris.  I didn't feel ready.  But in the last few months something changed.  I felt ready.  Except I was neck deep in investments and properties and planning for the long term rather than planning for the next holiday.  What's a girl to do?  Nothing but shelve that bucket list item I guess.  But like always seems to be the case for me, when I want something, life seems to be able to rearrange itself to accomodate my desires.  One thing is for sure, it takes me FOREVER to figure out what I actually want, but once I'm sure, the universe seems to align itself to make it happen.  And the amazing people in my life help out too.

I'll picked up a little unexpected project that'll cover my airfare.  I'll sell some of my most loved items on eBay.  I won't shop for a few months.  300 euro all inclusive long weekend trips to quant European cities will appear on Expedia and I'll be able to go to Paris.  And Prague.

The only thing holding me back is guilt.  Guilt that I'm doing things for myself again.  Going to places I want to go, crossing things off my teenage list.  Why should I always be able to do what I want?