It's soup season in Sydney. Not lovely bowls of heavy soup dusted with parmesan and served with crumpets but the soupy damp air of late summer that only grows more oppressive when there's rain. The temperature stays warm so you never really dry off.
No amount of showering makes you feel completely rinsed.
I was still damp from the shower and the sticky air when I chose my clothes early this morning.
The dress is a silk floral number I bought from a second hand store in Newtown on half price day so it cost me the princely sum of six dollars. It's made in Thailand, most likely at one of the seven zillion tailoring stores in Bangkok. It has the sweetest little shoulder pads and the simple shape lends itself well to a big meaty belt. In this case the belt is a vintage Laura Ashley that I got at a garage sale for a dollar. The shoes are Aerosoles from my recent US haul and the tights, which are actually the most expensive component of this outfit, are by Wolford. Oh! And there's a slip.
This one came from Lee Mathews summer sale last year. I love slips under silk dresses, partly because they save a lot grief and clumsy clutching of skirts should there be a gust of wind, and partly because when I get home I can do the Butterfield 8 Thing.
Best use of a silk slip ever.
Incidentally I stopped smoking five years ago today. I welcome any kind of praise, sympathy and acknowledgement and am not too proud to advertise for it.
Okay, so I've managed to climb the awkward barbed fence of posting pictures of myself here; the next hurdle is to find a good time and location to actually take the photos. The absence of a style photo here is evidence that I haven't found that perfect time and place yet. The bedroom where I dress is too bright, the dining room has no point high enough for a camera on the self timer .... anyway, while a solution is underway, I can tell you that I wore a plain oat-coloured shift today with a shot of green:
The bangles are glass for Pete's sake. I was attracted to them in an op shop for their weight and pleasant clinking, but a suggestion that they might break on my wrist and cause all kinds of bloody damage made me reticent to wear them. I'm happy to report they've not wounded me yet and are the prettiest colour when they catch the light. The silk scarf came in the same haul and spent most of it's time on this syrupy, humid day tied around the handle of my bag.
I also tried to wear a lipstick Nat brought back for me from her recent trip but I just can't bring myself to smear it on.
It's from Paul and Joe. It is a perfect pink-brown shade - I just wish it wasn't looking at me with such trust.
