The Fountain

Dress - Trashy Diva
Shoes - I Love Billy
Sunglasses - Asos

I have walked past this odd stone structure many times in the city botanic gardens without a clue as to what it actually was, and today on closer inspection I discovered that it is actually a 19th century drinking fountain! Built in the 1860s it functioned as a drinking fountain until 1930 and while it no longer has running water, I think it's rather beautiful.

Bush Walk

Dress - Hell Bunny
Shoes - I Love Billy
Parasol - Ebay

I love going for walks in the bush. When I first came to Australia many years ago now, I never thought I'd grow fond of the Australian landscape and at the time I found it to be quite harsh and sinister even. Nowadays I still find it to be the very same, but it has grown on me and I can appreciate the novelty of how different it is from the European landscape.

Shades of Van Gogh

Van Gogh did a series of paintings of sunflowers where he depicted the flowers in different stages of their life, from full bloom until they withered away. It is easy to see how these magnetic flowers inspired him, for even a week after having bought this bouquet for our dinner table the flowers still remain magnificent, albeit slightly wilted!

Pancake Day!

The beginning of March marked the end of Pancake Week, and so we saw it as a fitting excuse to indulge in some delicious pancakes and vanilla shakes!

Memoirs of a Geisha

Dress - Bernie Dexter - on sale at the moment, get it here!
Shoes - Betts
Parasol - gift

When I bought this beautiful dress last year I was hoping to save it for a future trip to Japan - and while that probably won't be happening for a long time yet, one day I would love to wear this dress in Kyoto and meet real Geisha. I have always been enthralled by the beauty and grace that Geisha possess and their intricate hair and makeup. I think the Geisha on this dress are just as stunning as their real life counterparts, with heavenly vibrant kimonos and cherry blossoms in their hair.

China Town

Cheongsam - Hong Kong
Parasol - gift
Sunglasses - Asos
Shoes (not pictured) Forever New

I love to wear cheongsams because I find them both comfortable and flattering. I like the sleek cut and the beautiful patterns that they come in. I also like to carry a parasol in summer because I have sensitive skin that reacts badly to sunscreen. Incidentally, I find oriental style parasols to be the most beautiful and practical.

I can't help what I like and I don't think its particularly terrible to want to wear something that comes from another culture. After all, how boring fashion would be if we were weren't inspired by other cultures! Something that I love about vintage styles is the way many of the fashions in the 50s and 60s were inspired by Hawaiian, Mexican and Asian cultures. I don't believe this is appropriation, but rather, a celebration of diversity and the beauty of the world's different cultures.

Chinese New Year at New Shanghai

To celebrate Chinese New Year which ends this weekend, we went to New Shanghai - my favorite Chinese restaurant. I love all dumplings from Russian pelmeni, to Japanese gyoza, but Chinese dumplings are by far my most favorite and they just so happen to be the specialty at New Shanghai where they are made fresh on the spot. I never need an excuse to come here for their delicious pan fried pork dumplings, and Chinese New Year turned out to be the perfect occasion to go again!