Frocks & Frou Frou

Top: Dorothy Perkins – remixed

Skirt: Mokkafiveoclock

Shoes: Wittner

Melbourne’s having yet another cold snap, with temperatures hovering around the twenty-degree mark, but this is unashamedly a warm-weather ensemble.

Which today was decidedly not.

I got struck down with a KILLER lurgie over the weekend, and spent most of the last four days laid up in bed feeling sorry for myself while The Sophisticate looked after me. As a result, this outfit (actually Friday’s) is showing up on the blog a bit late.

Something about this bright red circle skirt screams summer. It arrived in the cooler months and I tried my best to winterise it, but in the end I had the resign myself to the fact that it would have to have to be shelved away until it it got hot.

And now it’s cold again.

Still, there’s a fair bit of summer still to come, with lots of opportunities to wear the skirt, and when I’m sweating through my fourth 35+ degree day in a row, I’ll be thinking longingly back on this cool-not-cold weather.

Earrings: Ruby Dalmation

Meanwhile here’s another sneek-peek Wedding would-have-been.

I bought these earrings thinking they might do well as my wedding earrings, but I think they’ve been deemed not-formal-enough. Oh, too bad, so sad. It means I get to wear them straight away! Hurrah!

Dress: Vintage, remixed via bohemeroyal

Belt: Free with Bettie Page Clothing dress

Shoes: Melissa

I bought this dress way back in July, in anticipation of it finally getting warm enough in Melbourne to wear it, and today was the day! Thirty degrees! Wahoo!

I like a good chevron stripe, and the rainbow hues in this dress were irresistible. It seems to have been handmade as there aren’t any identifying labels and lots of helpful little details (like pockets!) that never seem to be a feature in shop-bought dresses.

When I got the dress it was a bit of an a-line tent with an unflattering high neckline and a complete lack of a waist.

I asked the local tailor of they could do anything about the neckline, and she quoted me $80 to bring it down to a more flattering depth. Considering the dress cost me $25 I thought I’d buy a packet of bias binding and have a stab at it myself. I’m pretty happy with the result.

I also inserted an elastic waistband to give some semblance of shape, and the result’s a comfortable seventies-chic cotton sundress that will go splendidly with the YELLOW SHOES that I finally managed to find today!

It also goes with my disco nails – the polish is part of OPI’s new “Muppet” themed range. The colour I’m wearing is called “Rainbow Connection” and it’s like the best, sparkly, confetti you’ve ever seen.