It seems my red and black woolen plaid dress last week was such a hit, I decided to try another.  There is something so inherently snugly and sexy about a form fitting plaid dress, and this one is no exception.  Last night I headed out to the Friends of Couture season launch party to check out all the latest offerings in their new Deep Into The Woods Winter range.  Admittedly, I snuck into store earlier in the week to pick up this outfit for the occasion.  I had lots of email after my last plaid dress posting asking where one could buy such an outfit, as the one I’d worn was from a few seasons ago.  This time however, the dress is hot off the designers sketch pad and hit the stores this week. (As soon as it is available online I’ll let you know) Meet the “Tales of Treachery” dress. This one is also sleeveless making it a good choice for layering, dressing up or down.

The dress shown in the Deep Into The Woods look book, worn with longer sleeves underneath.

Of course, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t up the swank factor and add a big dose of vintage style. The shape of the dress was just begging for a 1960′s styling, so I paired it with the super soft, red angora “Hollywood Moment” cardi and one of my favorite brooches, for a bit of a Joan Holloway feel.  The dress comes with a skinny patent leather belt, but to up the wiggle factor, I introduced a wider elastic waist cinching belt to give it even more definition.

Outfit Details

Dress- “Tales of Treachery” from Friends of Couture‘s new Winter season

Cardigan – “Hollywood Moment” angora shrug from Friends of Couture ( and currently on sale in the online store!)

Brooch and Earrings- Vintage 1960′s

Stockings – Levante

Waist cinch belt – KMart

Shoes – Luca & Marc ( worn with red shoe clips- all the details on those coming up in the next post!)

Lipstick – Loreal Age Perfect True Red

Lashes – Eylure

Nail Polish – Red from The Face Shop ($3 bargain!)

I know Mother’s Day is still a little way off, but I was doing some rummaging around today and wanted to share this with you.  When I came across this photo I almost cried. Miss Two now looks almost exactly the way I do in this photo and that makes me fell a thousand things.  Not least is that I am so grateful to have had a well dressed mother who lead by example and taught me about style – not fashion. Who let me explore dress up boxes and wear what I wanted (mostly, although there were a few dodgy teen years there). Who taught me to see the value in a well cut suit, a second hand knit and to create with a needle what my mind would dream.

This photo is the beginning. It is the foundation of a lifetime of joy through style, of understanding balance, colour and harmony. It is one of the best gifts I was ever given.

xxx

I’m so often asked to come and participate in different events in other cities around Australia and this time I am pleased to say I am heading somewhere I’ve never been before. I will be in Hobart this May!  I’ll be joining the Lindy Charm School Mistresses for an action packed weekend of classes and there are still a few places left.  So if you’re in Hobart on Saturday 22nd May, come along and join us to learn how to Style Your Hair, Perfect Your Pout and Pose with Perfection!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be heading to Tasmania as I hear that not only are the locals a delightful bunch,but also that the vintage shopping is to die for!  Yes a full report will be in order as will loads of photos and no doubt Tweets over the weekend.

So please, if you’re in Hobart that weekend, make sure to book in to spend the morning with myself and the Mistresses in vintage heaven.

Facebook Event here or visit the official Lindy Charm School site here.

As promised last week, I am going to attempt to take pictures at different junctures of my day to show you just what happens in and to my outfits.  Generally I try and make time to take outfit shots every day or two, standing up my little tripod and snapping away quickly before popping the kids in the car to school.  This week, I’m roping in Mr. SKM whilst he is convalescing, to give me a hand and take some photos on the hop.

So to start this out, today’s outfit photos were taken at the end of the day. It was a day of school runs, errands and a little shopping before heading home to cook dinner for everyone.  After a day in heels I generally remove them on getting home and depending on just how much walking I’ve done that day, either swap them for ballet flats or house shoes. This week was so chilly I decided to up the Nana factor and went out and bought myself a pair of classic, fluffy, brocade slippers – exactly like the ones my Grandmother has!

Outfit Details

Dress – 1950′s Vintage piece

Apron – Ladelle

Stockings – What Katie Did

Slippers – Grosby

*- Also, a very big thank you to everyone for you kind comments, emails and messages after my last vlog. Your words of encouragement and support mean the world to me.  Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, my troops are on the mend and yes, I am planning a day at the salon later in the week to recover myself!  -*