BeautyGoddess

Showing posts with label summer essentials. Show all posts

Tuesday 6 February 2024

WHAT I WORE ON A HOT SUMMER DAY

Hello my dear readers, how are you all faring in 2024?

In this post I would like to continue what I started in the previous post, summer and linen. If you missed my last post, you can catch up with us here.

Today I would like to present you my new linen waistcoat (UK version) or a vest, as its called in the England. If you live or have been in Australia during summer months, you sure know how hot and humid it could be, so wearing items like vests, singlets or spaghetti strap dresses makes perfect sense.

Out of all summer fabs popping up on the streets of Sydney, the linen or light cotton vests seems the most popular. Some women like to wear them paired with wide legged pants and flats sandals or sneakers, while others opted to wear them with pencil skirts and heeled shoes, a smart way of mixing casual and smart for the office.

I was on the lookout for a linen vest myself and when I saw a vest in bottle green colour in Zara, I couldn't resist adding it to my closet. It came right on time, as the temperature in Sydney has soared to new heights in the last couple of weeks. Today I am wearing it with my old white Bermuda shorts and flats but I also tried it with my new tie-dye skirt (worn here) and white linen pants (yet to be shown ) and it looks great with both.

It might make you chuckle looking at me wearing a scarf in the middle of the hot summer day but we are on the way to a museum and as all other public places in the city, it is heavily air-conditioned and very cold which makes me get seek easily, hence I seldom leave the house without one.

As I am writing this post, I am looking at the images that my younger daughter just sent me from one of the ski resorts in Japan, where the snow is up to her knees and the temperature is below zero. And she is absolutely loving it. Go figure 😀.

Until then,

Anna

XOXOXO

Sunday 14 February 2016

HOW TO WEAR A CAFTAN DRESS FROM A POOL PARTY TO A COCKTAIL PARTY

I love caftan dresses. This timeless wardrobe staple is so versatile that with very little effort you can easily rock it from a beach party all the way to a cocktail party. The market for these dresses is absolutely massive, offering as many varieties as you can imagine: from simple printed dresses that you can buy for $15 dollars all the way up to embellished silk gorgeous gowns that would cost you a small fortune. There are no hard and fast rules and this is the one of the perks of the caftan.

Caftan: Naomi Levi
Handbag: Bondi Markets (also worn here)
Ring: Bondi Markets

Shoes: Urge from the Glue Store

I bought my caftan dress for the hot Australian summer and I can't get enough of it. It is a light, airy, one-size fits all creation that helps you to live through the hot months feeling cooler and lighter.

At first, I only wore it to the beach or to a barbeque party where you don't need to put too much effort into your outfit. But then one day we were invited to two parties, both on the same day, the difference was - one was a pool party, the other - evening drinks and the timing between the two didn't allow us to return home for a change which was quite annoying.

Then I thought that I can probably wear my caftan dress to both parties, all I need to do is change my handbag and accessories. And that is exactly what I did. For the pool party I put on flat sandals and carried my cow leather saddle bag and when the time came to say goodbye, I kicked the sandals off and instead slipped into my high heels, put a cocktail ring on my finger and slung a small leather bag over my shoulder.

Shoes: Miu Miu

The transformation was instantaneous, with the help of just few little things my outfit went from pool party to a cocktail party.

Handbag: Vivienne Westwood

Ring: Swarovski

Necklace: Givenchy vintage

Lesson learned, never underestimate your accessories, big or small, they can make or break your entire outfit.

Linking Tuesday: Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Penniless Socialite

Wednesday 20 January 2016

TIME OUT ON BONDI BEACH

It may sound strange to you but perversely I am quite relieved that the festive season is over if not for anything else but for the amount of food and wine consumed, hence the increase in waist size, which in turn led to two weeks of strict dieting and excessive exercising. This resulted in my being able once again to be able to wear my favourite shorts when we go to the beach. On a windy day like today, I like to pair them with a crisp white shirt for a beach chic look

denim shorts+white crisp short, the horse watch

One of the biggest perks of living in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs is having Bondi Beach on our doorstep; arguably one of the World's most famous, popular by tourists and most loved by the locals, its beach and promenade are always packed with people bustling with various activities, even on the coldest and the wettest days of the year.

There are a lot of things you can do around here. First and foremost is to have a swim between the yellow and red flags, followed by sunbathing under the hot Australia sun, surf the perfect waves or join a team playing beach valley ball. If you are a fitness fanatic and want to have killer legs, challenge yourself by having a run for a couple of laps on the sand or along the promenade.

Ironically, both my husband and I are not big lovers of the sand and waves. Our most popular activity is taking a stroll along the promenade joining the throngs of people walking their dogs, kids riding their tiny bicycles, bronzed and toned fitness fanatics running past you with a swoosh and myriads of other activities that fall under the Beach Culture umbrella. Watching the waves crashing on the rocks on the northern and southern ends of the beach always makes me feel calmer and helps me to clear my head.

Walking from one end of the boardwalk , you can't help but notice the stretch of the wall covered in graffiti which the local government regards as "helping Bondi to lead the way in being a vibrant and inspiring place that supports its diverse population, creative culture, enriching lifestyle and stunning natural features.”

Of course, beach culture is not just about the beach so for a complete beach experience head on to a vibrant, colourful joint with outdoor beachfront seating called The Bucket List for a bucket of prawns or fish and ships washed down by a glass of crisp white wine or a quirky cocktail and watch the world go by.

Young entrepreneurs trying to make some money in front of Bondi beach graffiti wall

Bondi Beach Graffiti Wall

Shirt: Uniqlo

Shorts: Just Jeans

Watch: The Horse

Bag: Cape Town markets

Necklace: A gift from my daughter from South America

Glasses: Bondi Markets

Link-up with Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, The Fashion Canvas, Style Elixir

Monday 26 January 2015

SUNSET AND NEGRONI TWIST

Hello everyone,

This outfit reminds me of our holiday in Bali. One particular night when we were sitting on the terrace of a bar overlooking the rice paddies, watching the yellow sun slowly disappear into the ocean, drinking Negroni Twist cocktail and watching the sky gradually changing its colours from bright red to inky purple like the colours on my palazzo pants.

At first I was hesitant to wear them but then one day I put them on, added a bright yellow top and when I looked at myself in the mirror my face lit up and my spirits soared. I was in my element and those of you who follow my blog, know that I am in love with bright hues even if it is only just a red lipstick.

Who has never been admonished by the older generation with the words of wisdom such as “You must dress according to your age” at least once in his life? When you are young and daring, your parents and teachers are constantly trying to put a stop to the way you dress and wear make-up all the time but when you finally grow up and are free of their rules and become your own person, it turns out that you are too old to wear short dresses and cut out denim shorts and the colour scheme of your clothes should be no brighter than 50 shades of grey.

Well, I decided to go against the flow and prove that this rule is not always applicable. Certainly, going out dressed top to bottom in bright hues is not everyone’s cup of tea, taking in consideration your skin complexion, hair colour and overall body shape. However, if you do love wearing bright colours but want to play it safe, you can inject a little dose of sunny hues with a little help from your accessories. Shoes and scarves, for example, are perfect for a colour pop without throwing you out of your comfort zone.

I totally understand that women with rather conservative tastes in clothing might think that my outfit is far too bright and frivolous for a woman my age. The white blouse is a perfect solution for toning the colours down just a notch while the nude colour low heel closed shoes add a touch of sophistication to the outfit without killing off its summer spirit.

Anyhow, the sun is shining brightly here in OZ so I invite you to embrace the colours of summer – wear bright clothes, have a drink, enjoy the sunset and be fabulous!!!

Cheers!!!

I am wearing: ;pants - Zara, tops - Zara, handbag - Bvlgari, sandals - Urge, shoes - Dolce & Gabbana, kimono- Bali markets

Linking up with Style Elixir, Fashion Should be Fun

Saturday 27 December 2014

SUMMER ESSENTIALS - CAPRI PANTS

Hello again, everyone

I trust that you all had a fantastic Christmas and are gearing up for New Year!!!

Ours is going to be quite modest due to my husband’s heart operation which he had in September, we don't want to go anywhere which is remotely crowded or too noisy. So we are planning to have a fabulous dinner with our friends at a restaurant called Monopole and we will watch the fireworks from their apartment overlooking the Harbour Bridge.

Now that Christmas is over it does not mean that we, in OZ, stop partying. There is still New Year to come and as summer is in full swing in the Southern Hemisphere, we, Australians spend a great deal of time outdoors eating, drinking, swimming, sailing and generally having a ball.

And what is one the great fashion staples that is perfect for summer weather? The answer is a pair of Capri pants. I will be honest with you, I have never been a big fan of short pants. I have seen so many women wearing these type of pants that did not suit them that I quite often felt tempted to ask why would they wear such unflattering clothes?

Then one day I walked into a Trenery store and saw a pair of white linen Capri pants. Actually, I was looking for regular white slacks but I saw these and decided to give them a go. As is my common practice, I brought them home and then spent the next hour mixing and matching them with what was in my closet to see how they would work together.

Mixing and matching is a lot of fun, it is a great skill that becomes better with practice. It helps to utilise the contents of your wardrobe to its maximum capacity. Once you have mastered it, you will be surprised about how many different looks you can create and how many various outfits you actually own. Not to mention that is a very practical way to save money and time so you don’t have to look for a new dress every time you received an invitation to a dinner party.

Following wise saying that, "a picture worth is a thousand words", I decided to take a different approach to writing about fashion and instead of just telling you what type of pants you should or should not wear, etc. (cyberspace is clogged with websites giving women this type of advice, so that there is nothing new left to add) but rather I will share with you some images of my take on Capri pants. I sincerely hope that they would give you some ideas and inspiration on how to wear yours.

However, if you have any questions to this post or any of my previous publications, please drop me a line and I would be more than happy to help.

On this note I wish you all a fabulous New Year and I will see you again in 2015!!!

Until then

Black and White is always trendy

Pants: Trenery

Shoes: Senso
T-shirt: Sportsgirl

Sunglasses: Ray Ban

Elegant shoes and smart jacket will change the look from casual to chic

Jacket: Zara

Shoes: Miu Miu (as before)

Bag: Coach (as before)

With the help of an oversized tunic and contrasting shoes I am ready to rock

Top: Prada

Cardigan: Sloane Society

Shoes: Chloe

Keep it simple and let the accessories do the talking

T-shirt: Trenery

Shoes: ZaZou

DISCLOSURE