MSFW: OUTFIT DAY 2

Shirt: H&M

Skirt: Topshop

Belt: Sportsgirl

Bag: from a market in LA

Shoes: Wittner

The story...

Today was the RMIT Student Runway, one of the most highly anticipated events on the MSFW calendar. It's loved for its creativity, boldness, character and lack of commercial restrictions. Because of this, I wanted to wear something a little different and eye-catching. In terms of the Melbourne fashion scene, I like to think of my dress sense as unique and original, but I'm not totally wacky and out there like some amazing ensembles I spotted. This was my compromise!

The turquoise skirt was a statement piece I had to have. It's totally unlike any skirt I own (and creases like mad!) but I love the unsymmetrical hem and bold colour. True to form, the first thing my Dad said was "What happened to the other half of the skirt?" - classic dad gags and Happy Father's Day! 

To let the skirt do the talking, I paired it with a simple white sheer shirt. There was much debate over what colour bra should go underneath (nude looked granny-like and I did not have one in the same blue as the skirt) so ended up opting for white to make it look like part of the shirt. 

The spirit of the night in mind, I decided to go for a bold clash in accessories, with a hot pink skinny belt over the turquoise skirt. Given the skirts unusual bottom, I went for my highest strappy black and cork heels to ensure my legs looked long rather than stumpy (hence the headless picture!) 

Rather than choosing my bag to match any of the existing colours in my outfit, I went for a funny statement. Given I'm media, why not take my camera clutch!? The 'camera' is an old leather handbag I bought in LA almost six years ago on my way to Australia. I've actually only used it once or twice, so thought I'd dust it off today. It's got short handbag straps which I don't like, so I just tucked them in to turn it into a clutch.

Makeup: I tried something different by experimenting with colour - tying in the hot pink and turquoise of my outfit. I bought Sportsgirl's hot pink lipstick in 'strawberry' the other day, loving how the colour made my eyes look really blue. I used turquoise pencil eyeliner to line the bottom of my eye, as well as a flick on the top. It's just a cheap pencil from Priceline, but it's very pigmented and bright.

To confess - for day one I didn't have time to paint my nails, so ended up going naked (nails that is!). It almost ended the same way today, given I had 20 minutes between finishing work, getting changed and hopping on the train. I just made it as the doors were closing but had to paint my nails on the train. Not my finest moment (or nice habit!) but these are the things you do for fashion.

New friends - Georgia from melbourneandgeorgette

What do you think?

Brittany x

MSFW: OUTFIT DAY 1

Jumper: Vintage from Wardrobe Weekender

Necklace: Sportsgirl

Skirt: Topshop

Clutch: Sportsgirl

Shoes: Wittner

Rings: Assorted

The Story...

I bought this black and white textured skirt from Topshop with Melbourne Spring Fashion Week in mind. The white patches are smooth while the black is more of a velour material. I love the monochrome trend, but wanted to do something a little different with it that would make me stand out.

Cue this bright red jumper. It's SO FLUFFY and soft, and I love the bright colour. It's from the '80s so has plenty of padding in the shoulders, but I think this just gives it a bit of drama and shape. It does have diamanté studs around the neckline, but I added the chunky silver chain to toughen up the ladylike look. 

These are my favourite heels ever - dainty but on trend with their sheer front. The black and silver back on the back tie the outfit together nicely. Finally, I added the red clutch to set off the jumper.

Makeup: (apologies for the bad quality selfie!) nothing too out of the ordinary for me - liquid eyeliner for cat flick eyes and a lashing of Sportsgirl's bright red lipstick in Bombshell. 

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2013 (MSFW)

Spring has finally sprung and in Melbourne that means only one thing - Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. Fashion fever takes over City Square and Swanston Street is filled with well-dressed people in towering heels tottering down the street.

                 

As you know, I'm a contributor to a fantastic online magazine called Onya Magazine. This year, I'm lucky enough to be attending five shows for them - Designer Runway 1, RMIT Student Runway, Wittner Shoes Runway, Designer Runway 2 and the Resort Show.

My reviews and pieces on these shows will all be on Onya, so I thought I'd use my blog to share my outfits (so much pressure on deciding what to wear to these events!) and the behind the scenes snaps. Before I had the opportunity to attend any fashion shows, I was always highly curious about what they were like. Hopefully if any of you feel the same, I can satisfy that curiosity! One tip - they rarely ever start on time. Still, I suppose that's why they call it fashionably late!

I hope you enjoy these posts. I'll be posting links to my Onya reviews as they go up. If you've got anything specific you want to know/ask, just leave me a comment!

Brittany x

What I'm Reading

I've spoken in previous posts about my love for books and reading, so it should come as no surprise that I'm rather excited about it being National Bookshop Day today! My first (and previous) job was working at my local bookshop which I loved with an absolute passion. To be surrounded by gorgeous books and other people who loved them just as 

much as I did was to me, heaven. Everyday I got to open up boxes to see new releases as well as be involved with various author talks and literary festivals. Ah the halcyon days!

Anyway, enough reminiscing. To celebrate National Bookshop Day, I've decided to launch a new kind of post - What I'm Reading. In it, I'll share and review any fashion- related book that I'm reading. 

The first book to feature in What I'm Reading is Australian journalist Mel Cambell's debut book - 'Out of Shape - Debunking Myths about Fashion and Fit'. 

I was given this for my birthday by two talented friends Broede and Alia. (We all worked together to produce the 2013 RMIT O-BOOK which you can view online here). I started reading it yesterday and can already not put it down. It's non-fiction, and basically explores sizing and fit in the Australian and International fashion industry and how out of touch it is. When you read about what the Australian sizing system is based on, you'll probably laugh with disbelief! Campbell also shares and explores the dressing room nightmares we're all familiar with - I.e having a mild panic attack when you get stuck in something, and being harassed by a shop assistant to purchase something you know doesn't suit you. 

There's a number of very good points and issues she's made so far, which ill go into more detail when I review it! So far, it's funny, informative and offers a  refreshing perspective on an important and relatable aspect of fashion.

Reading a great fashion book too? Comment below or tag @halcyonfuturefashion on Instagram!

Mixed Assortments

I recently made an Instagram account for the blog (@halcyonfuturefashion - go follow follow follow if you haven't already!). I'm using it as a way to showcase what's on and going on with the blog, as well as mini 'blog-bites' - smaller posts on a daily basis. 

A mixed assortment from the last week..

Candy Colours - turquoise Lovisa necklace paired with a gorgeously soft candy floss pink Topshop knit.

Mint Sorbet - Sally Hansen 'Mint Sorbet' on the nails, my new three band Sportsgirl ring and Sportsgirl turquoise tote in the background.

Back on Black - University is back so I took this sneaky accessories snap while waiting for my philosophy lecture to start. Wearing my Lipstik cut out boots with tassels and 'tote-ing' (terrible pun!) my Zara black leather bag. I bought it a few months ago for only $49.99 - and that was full price!

I really do think Zara has some incredibly well-priced accessories (and clothes, but less often), given what you'd expect to pay for a similar bag had it been in Sportsgirl/Forever New etc

Feeling Blue - finally got round to repainting my chipped mint nails - the weather was unusually glorious with blue skies a-plenty, so I stole some inspiration from that. The sky blue is from Barry M cosmetics, a brand I don't think is available in Australia. I absolutely love this colour, so always buy myself a few bottles whenever I'm back in England. I still really like the effect of the accent nail, so chose a slightly darker and glossier blue from Rimmel London.

Also spy my Sportsgirl silver floating rings!

 Birthday Drinks - With it almost being my 19th birthday (three more sleeps!) I had to do the obligatory teen club outing. I won't say too much about the dress, as I want to do a special blog post on it, but it's from online store Harpers Dresses. I felt amazing in it, and had a brilliant night too. 

Finally - Arrived home from work to find my British Vogue had arrived! Turned out to be the perfect end to a very good day, with a few bits of news I'll hopefully share with you very soon!

Brittany x

A Cosmic Connection

The EOFY (end of financial year) sales may be quickly drawing to a close, but there are still a few gems to be found in the shops. What I promised myself would only be a window shop the other day in Melbourne Central was broken after a trip into French Connection. With a wardrobe now bursting with clothes, I was quickly drawn to their accessories on sale, where I spotted this gorgeous monochrome cosmic print scarf. Reduced to half price at just $19.99, I didn't take much convincing to buy it.

As I tend to do with new things, I wore it for dinner with the girls that night, pairing it with a red mohair jumper, matching red lips, baroque print shorts, black tights, heeled boots and a leather jacket.

Circus Tricks: Film Noir

The other week I was lucky enough to review the National Institute of Circus Arts' show 'One False Move'. Performed entirely by second year students, it was an amazing show featuring flexibility and strength that was almost unbelievable! As it was the opening evening, the invitation requested guests to dress in "film noir" style, a genre that greatly inspired the performance (think chicago gangsters, femme fatales, many gun shots etc). You can check out my review and some amazing pictures at Onya Magazine.

So what did I wear?

 I only realised the evening was themed a few hours before it started, so had a mad search through my wardrobe to pull an outfit together. With the collar of my coat pulled up and a fresh coat of red lipstick, I felt ready to tackle any crime.

Beige coat - H&M

Sequin clutch - Forever New

Black Dress - Boutique in Chadstone (will find name!)

Shoes - Wittner

Faux fur wrap - Sportsgirl

Lipstick - Sportsgirl

It was a fabulous evening with everyone dressed in their finest attire. And if you ever hear of a NICA show - go, I can't recommend it highly enough!

Brittany x