Luck Be a Lady

Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou FrouTee: Ruby & Lilli

Skirt: Sera Lilly Curve

Shoes: Naturaliser

Melbourne’s in the grip of a long, last gasp of summer (in mid-autumn) so I’ve been enjoying a few more weeks of bare legs and t-shirts before the tights and cardigans come out for good.

I haven’t worn this pretty blush skirt very often since it arrived in February and I’m actually thinking I might get a bit more wear out of it with a slightly shorter hemline. There’s a few layers, so it’s definitely a job for a tailor, and not my own wonky hemming skills.

The “Lucky” tee is from Ruby & Lilli’s current season, and I’ve had my eye on it since I saw a sneak peek of it on Instagram. As usual for a Ruby & Lilli tee it fits beautifully, with a wide, rolled neckline and a great foil print on the front.

POP-IG-with-all-info-4MEANWHILE! I was really excited to get an email earlier this week from the lovely Kerry Pietrobon from Harlow, letting me know that during May lucky Melbournians and Sydney-siders are getting the option to visit a Harlow pop-up shop to have a play with the beautiful clothing that’s usually only available online, and try and buy in person.

Being online gives us the opportunity to reach out to anyone that is on a mobile device or a PC and that is amazing, it allows women all over the globe to shop Harlow from the comfort of their homes. However  we also know that there is nothing like popping into a beautiful boutique that has been perfectly curated with a selection of fashion and accessories that not only fit your body, but also your personality and walking out with your purchases with a spring in your step from receiving personalised service.

 – Kerry Pietrobon

The pop-up boutiques will be open from 10am to 8pm during the week, and 10am to 6pm on the weekends – nice long opening hours that mean you can drop in after work, or before a dinner out. For more information you can check out the pop-up pages on Facebook: Melbourne here, and Sydney here.

HARD0233_Diva_Tshirt_Dress_Black_-_low_res-1842_1024x1024I’ll definitely be dropping by at some point – I’m dying to check out the new Diva Slouch T-shirt dress and I’m keen to try the denim that I’ve heard so much about.

The denim brumby

Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou FrouCardigan: Princess Highway

Blouse: Love to Love You

Skirt: DIY Brumby skirt

Shoes: Naturaliser

While I was at the A+ Markets I was lucky enough to meet Laura, a reader and fellow sewist who I know peripherally through a mutual friend, Hellen. Laura was wearing this magnificent skirt, with big, deep, wonderful pockets. She told me that she’d made it herself (damn) from a pattern that I knew from experience didn’t go up to my size (double damn) but that if I wanted she could send me a copy, graded-up to fit a wider waist (hurrah! and double hurrah!)

Grading patterns is still well beyond my skill-set, so I can’t properly express how thankful (and impressed!) I was when an impeccably marked-up set of paper pattern pieces for Megan Nielsen’s Brumby skirt arrived in my letterbox.

I got myself to a fabric shop quick smart, and picked up some lightweight denim so I could give the pattern a whirl. It’s a lovely and fairly simple skirt with deep scooped pockets, a wide curved waistband, and soft gathers that fall in fullness from the hips.

Frocks and Frou FrouThe pattern is fairly straightforward, though I managed to attach the waistband upside down the first time (apparently nearly everyone does). The curved waistband is divine, and I don’t know if it was Laura’s mad sewing skillz, or the weight of the denim fabric, but I wore the skirt all day today, and didn’t have to wriggle it down from under my boobs once. Good stuff.

I’m already keen to make it again – I think in a softer fabric – and I thought I’d experiment with the gathering and maybe try piping for the first time to really make those pockets sing. Today I teamed it with my old confetti blouse and a short sleeved mustard cardigan

To keep the cardigan in place I employed a set of daisy sweater clips that I bought a few years ago from Etsy.

Frocks and Frou FrouMy thanks again to Laura for providing me with this pattern – I’m in your debt!