Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival is rather a big deal here in Melbourne.  With not only a great main runway line up but also a full and rich cultural calendar.  Hence why my posts have been a bit slow this week, as I’ve headed out to as many things as my legs would carry me and still be able to recognise my own children at the end of the week!  Fashion week is a brilliant time to combine both business and pleasure, seeing not only some of the best and brightest talents out there but also to catch up with delightful friends and wear some of my favorite things all at once!  I’ve had only a little time to photograph what I wore this week, but this outfit was a little bit special.

The talented Gabrielle from Hoplessly Devoted, created this showstopping musk pink, dupon silk headpiece for me to wear and show stop it did. Named the “Marie Fascinator”, it has great body to be able to mould the bow into the shape you want, and features beautiful knife pleating across the front.  I had planned to wear it with another outfit this Saturday, but just couldn’t wait, so last minute I teamed it with a simple black dress and bustle belt for a little Fashion Week fun.

If you look closely, you’ll see the evidence that I do really take all my own photographs for this blog.

And yes, LMFF so far has been a blast. I have some new favorites (Nevenka) and some old favorites that continue to blow me away (Aurelio Costarella).  There is just so much to see and to be inspired by.

Aurelio Costarella indulges my love of strong tailoring; of 1940’s silhouettes,waists, peplums and strong shoulders. Their winter collection is simply delicious and appeals to my sense of decadence and luxury.  They are garments you just want to breath in as they fill your senses with berry tones and kitten soft trims.  If you’d like to see more of the events, the who’s who and some beautiful photographs, head on over to OhJamie (who also happened to be my front row date one evening along with brilliant celebrity stylist Philip Boon) and catch a glimpse of his stellar shots.  For a full round up of LMFF by some of Melbourne’s favorite local bloggers check this out .

Awaiting the start of Runway 3 with OhJamie – blogger and talented photographer.

Image credit – OhJamie

I know some of you have asked for the little details of these nights, so here are a couple of pics of just what one takes away from these shows other than an incredible lust and impending credit card debt!  The ubiquitous goody bags.

Loreal knows that after all the air-kissing  our lips may need a little plumping to restore them to their former glory, and the tresses need some TLC after a weeks worth of super styling.

Being able to rest one’s stilettoed feet between shows is critical, as is keeping track of just who is showing so that you can find that lust worthy gown in store.

How did they know I love glitter and red lips? Nice one Loreal!

Keeping it chic, LMFF put together this great little hold all for the mags, the lippy, the whole fashion week lot as ruining the lines of your outfit with a shopping bag is just not on.

Outfit Details

Dress – Table Eight (a very long time ago)

Bustle Belt – CMK

Shoes – (out of shot) “Japan” by Wittner in black

Tuxedo Cuff – Somewhere in Bangkok?

Headpiece – Hoplessley Devoted “Maire” silk fascinator

Pink ring – Singapore jewelery store

Lip colour – AVON “Amethyst” over MAC “Russian Red”

Now please excuse me whilst I go and tackle a weeks worth of photos!

Forgive me for the excessive outfit posts in the last week and a bit, I’m currently snowed under with so much work that I haven’t been able to finish some of the things I wanted to bring you. I’m making up for it today with a huge recap on the weekend as well as all the outfit fun, so hold on for a huge selection of photos!

Anyway, my world is a whirlwind at present.  A mess of designing, writing, sewing, events and attempting to keep body and soul together for everyone in the household. It has meant a few 2am bedtimes, but I just can’t seem to ever tame my over achieving nature.  There was a small welcome break in one of these roles over the weekend however, as Mr. SKM took the girls on a trip to the country whilst I stayed in town for Fashion week events, parties and watching some very talented girls get their kit off!  Intriguing?

Saturday began with a quick trip in to to Circa Vintage Clothing, seeking out patterns for inspiration for my Friends of Couture collection as well as my own personal stash. Nicole at Circa has more patterns than you could possibly imagine and it is like a little piece of nirvana to sit there and search through for heartbreakingly beautiful gems. Yes, I found something amazing, but that will have to wait for another day when I can show you the finished product.

Then it was onto Worn Wild Alternative Designers Market as part of the LMFF calendar.  A great opportunity to check out lots of hand made and custom pieces as well as to meet and talk to the designers. So after a day of shopping and waltzing about looking at pretty things, it was off to see the amazing Sugar Blue Burlesque troop, over from Perth for one night only.  Oh, if only there were more shows! Sugar Blue were out of this world amazing!  The costumes, coreography, innovation and the downright cheekiness of it all. They really deserve their own post of highlights, so stay tuned.

So after all that shopping, socialising and sexy spangles, I finished off the night watching two beautiful friends perform at The Burlesque Bar here in Melbourne. The delightful Foxtrot India and the dark and devilishly good Miss Nic. What. A.Day!

And just what sort of outfit is going to tackle that kind of a schedule from 10am till 3am on a 30 degree day?  That would be this one!

Outfit Details

Leopard print shirt – Zara

Gothic lolita bustle skirt – Fanplus Friend from One Day in Paradise here in Melbourne

Shoes – “Japan” from Wittner

Over the knee stockings – I wish I could remember!!

Little Birdy – Harem on Brunswick street

All that and it was only Saturday!

Still to come.. A Vintage Afternoon Tea, all the fun of Sugar Blue Burlesque and hitting Loreal Melbourne Fashion Week.

Why Les Miserables? Well I think it is the ragged skirt that I love so much.  Something about this combo as I was putting it together, made me think of a Parisian Courtesan on her day off or a well dressed revolutionary marching the streets of Paris. This skirt has had so many appearances over the last autumn winter season and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.  Depending on how I wear it I can end up feeling like The Little Match Girl, Eliza Dolittle or like today, a Can Can dancer on her way to the shops! All that fantasy in one skirt? What a great buy!

(Some of you have asked for more detail of this skirt and this cardigan before, so prepare yourself for a gratuitous amount of photos)

The hair was done using my “Chic and Simple Updo” tutorial and takes no more than 5 minutes to achieve.

The makeup look has a tutorial on the way too.  I’m a little behind on the editing but hope to get it ready for you in the next week.  It is simple and soft, but can be amped up quite easily for an evening look.

Phew.. that was a lot of photos!  Now for the details..

Outfit Details

Skirt – Boo Radley

Cardigan – Friends of Couture “Daughters of Pleasure”

Teal slip – Anthropologie

Boots – Novo “Mali”

Hair Bows – My Little Rockabilly

Bow Earrings – Equip

Purple sequin bow clip – $2 shop

The first thing that occurs to me as I started getting these photos ready to post, is that I really need to allow more time before events to take some proper outfit shots! I always end up running out of time and then taking a few hasty shots during the evening that doesn’t really capture the detail of what I wore. Oh well, at least you’ll get the gist if it.

Saturday night was Circa Nocturna, the annual catwalk showcase of alternative fashion, and a place where so many of my loves can all be found at the same time in the same room!  I had planned to wear a particular vintage Gautier dress this evening, but the weather had other ideas with very high humidity and a storm that had cars floating down the roads and roofs collapsing!  So I had to do a bit of improvisation last minute.

I’d picked up these amazing boots (yes, a post on just these by themselves is coming) earlier in the week and was dying for an opportunity to take them out on the town.  Bit in the abcense of the previously planned dress, I had no idea just what I would wear them with.  So with an hour to go before heading out the door, I grabbed a pair of neglected black pants, chopped the legs off, whipped them through the machine and knocked up a pair of shorts!

It ended up being the perfect combination to keep cool in a very hot and humid evening, as well as dance the night away at the afterparty!

It wasn’t until I saw photos of myself with the lovely Hexotica, (who makes some stunning fascinators and accessories) that we realised how much we matched. In a sea of black, black and more black, a little white goes a long way.

Outfit Details

Black satin and chiffon shirt – Cue

Black buttoned cincher – CMK

Shorts- a quick creation from an old pair of trousers!

Thigh high boots – Novo Shoes

Faux fur collar – Target children’s wear! ( yes, the secret is out)

Silver clutch – Thomas Wylde

Earrings – Diva

Fingerless gloves – Forever New

Mini Tiara – borrowed from Miss 5

I’ve been diligently working on improving my casual wardrobe, using what I have and trying to keep this quest in mind when window shopping too.  Today’s outfit is based on a new find, this lovely,  almost nightgown like top from Angel Sissi. Well actually it is sold as a dress but I prefer not to have quite that much on show, so I’ve paired it with those old staple wide leg pants.

I love the sequin and lace detailing as well as the pleated chiffon sleeves.  It is cool enough for a summer’s day, and comfortable enough that you could sleep in it too. I also particularly like that they gave me the earrings free with the dress as well.

Because this outfit was intended as a stay at home, casual type of affair, I’ve gone light on the makeup and kept to soft pink tones with a light gloss lip. I’ve also used a light version of a smokey eye technique to blend with the tone of the top.  Yes, there is a tutorial currently coming together for that too.

I’m really loving this tunic top, which is odd as I don’t usually go in for them, reminding me too much of what I had to live with for 9 months of my life twice over!  Surprisingly, since I took these photos, I’ve actually worn the top again another three times styling it differently on each occasion. What that means is that it has fallen into that very hard to manage fashion category – the Safe Go To Item!  The piece that you pull on when you slept through 45 minutes of your alarm and have ten whole minutes to be out the door.  I don’t have many pieces that fit that bill well, but when I find them I’m likely to hang onto them for dear life.

Outfit Details:

Tunic Top – Angel Sissi

Pants – Made By Me

Shoes – Keds

Earrings – Angel Sissi