Sparkle Motion

Frocks and Frou FrouFrocks and Frou FrouFrocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou Frou

Top: Country Road

Skirt: Target

Tights: Sonsee

Shoes: Naturalizer

I like sparkly things. I really, really do. I think I might have been a magpie in a former life, because all you have to do is throw some sequins or rhinestones onto something and I’M THERE.

That said, I don’t have a lot of glittery, sparkly things in my wardrobe. I mean, there’s my sequin dress from Monsoon, my glitter heart top from Dream Diva, and the sparkly collar necklace that I wore a couple of times in New York last year. But that’s really about it.

When I buy jewellery for myself I tend towards delicate one-off pieces from local designers, or independent jewellers on Etsy. They’re versatile, and I can wear them regularly and often. But sometimes you just want something with a bit of POW! to jazz up a simple outfit.

Totally Jewel is kind of like Australia’s alternative to the mega-accesory company Bauble Bar with similar stand-out pieces at fabulous prices. They add new pieces every two weeks so you’ll always be able to find something fresh and bang-on-trend, and they source directly from the manufacturers so their prices are even better that what you can find at shops like Lovisa and Colette.

I’ve got a few pieces from Totally Jewel now (including the dainty little clover necklace that I was wearing with my dotty Igigi Dress) and I’ve found that the quality of the jewellery was excellent for the price. Everything arrives nicely packaged up in tissue paper, and there’s no loooong wait for things to get delivered (you guys in the rest of the world have no idea how far away Australia feels when you’re waiting for a parcel from anywhere outside the country!)

Today I wore the Diamante Blossom Necklace, which I love for its snowflakey crystal flowers, and free-form design. It’s a great piece that actually teams beautifully with more casual outfits and I’ve had a number of really great comments about it. I’ve worn it three times now, and it’s still in perfect nick – no missing rhinestones or faulty clasps. You can adjust the length of the chain to suit different necklines (it also looks great worn high and  peeping out from underneath an unbuttoned shirt collar)

Frocks and Frou Frou

I also have the gorgeous Finny Feathers necklace, which is even lovelier in person than it is on the website, so keep your eyes open for that.

Totally Jewel offers free shipping in Australia on orders over $50, a surprise gift with your first purchase, and – wait for it – a special 30% off discount for Frocks and Frou Frou readers with the code FROU30 until the 29th of September.

 

Heaven and Earth

Starry Top & Black SkirtStarry Top & Black Skirt Starry Top & Black SkirtStarry Top & Black SkirtTop: Yesstyle

Cardigan: Target

Skirt: Target

Tights: Sonsee

Shoes: Easy Spirit

I love stars. Love them. When I was a kid I used to think I wanted to be an astronomer (that was before I found out how much math was required). I grew up in Canberra, so the night sky was pretty visible, and I remember going onto the neighbour’s balcony to look at Halley’s Comet when I was about seven or eight. I was obsessed with Star Wars into my early teens, and I still harbour a secret fantasy about going into space (though after watching Gravity my ardour for that particular endeavour has cooled dramatically).

Spacey, planety, starry, galaxy-themed clothing and accessories get me every time. Stars and hearts: my two favourite motifs.

I was on Yesstyle recently, ordering up some more of my favourite BB-cream and thought I’d have a bit of a peruse around the rest of the site so I wasn’t “wasting” the free shipping.

The “plus-size” line is pretty hilarious (most of what they consider to be plus-size would be lucky to fit a size 14 in Australia) but each clothing item has the real measurements listed, which means that you can usually take a safe punt on what will or won’t fit you. And most things are so cheap it’s worth giving it a whirl, anyway.

This black and gold starry print tee is also available in white, and is theoretically “one-size-fits-all”. At 46″ around the bust it’s fitted on my f-cups, and oversized on the teensy little model pictured. I’m not fussed though, I love the scattered star print, and the $28 price tag made it hard to say “no” to.

The fabric’s a stretchy, woven polyester that has enough drape and stretch to work over a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The wide neckline and dropped-shoulder-sleeves give it enough volume to work easily on my fuller-figure.

It’s better quality than what I would have expected for the price (under $30!), the gold-foil stars have a lovely spangly shimmer to them, and while the fabric doesn’t even pretend to be anything but 100% polyester, it’s a soft, wearable, utterly un-crushable tee that should be easy to dress up or down according to what it’s paired with.

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Necklace: Modcloth

I wanted to wear it to work, so I teamed it with tights, a skirt, a cardigan, and then – because I couldn’t resist – my shiny gold “There’s a Map For That” necklace from Modcloth. It goes so nicely – the earth, suspended again the background of starry heavens – don’t you agree?