My Little Visit to The French Trader in Leura

Today after our little bush walk through Leura Cascades, my girlfriends and I stumbled across a house with a huge sign "The French Trader" at the front. Whilst we are frequent visitors to Leura, this is the first time we noticed this house. Modest on the outside, I was taken back when we opened the doors and entered.

Outfit Edit: Mustard Trench Coat by Ladakh

I have officially decided to live in trench coats this winter. Why? Because I can roll out of bed and simply put a trench on. Pj's underneath and all.

So after we saw the huge "The French Trader" sign, we saw this. Who can say no to "award-winning" scones?!

 The cobbled walk-way leading to the door of The French Trader. 

A gorgeous feature wall in the room where tea and scones are served daily. I love how the wall has been used as a chalk-board. Absolutely LOVE.

This is what you are greeted by when you open the door. Cluster to some, but a  French Provincial heaven to me.

 

Look closely and you will find a bath tub. 

How relaxed does this lady look?

And here they are, the "award-winning" scones. How on earth does a scone win an award anyway? Needless to say, the home-made scones, jam and cream were delicious.

 

The teas here are loose-leaf and come in a small pot- just the way teas should be served. I hate places that charge over $3 for tea bags. If I wanted that, I might as well stay home. So if you think about it, you're paying for hot water (starting to sound like my mum now).

 

 

 

Sorry about this one. I couldn't help myself.

With love from Leura, 

whoYen

xox

The French Trader: 

198 Leura Mall Leura

  

Hours:

Wednesday - Monday 10am-4pm

In Love with Leopard Print

I think I've mentioned my love for all things leopard print before. If not, well here it is: 

I love leopard print. 

I even underlined and bolded (not a word) the sentence to emphasise just how much. I don't know where this love started, or how, but some people (like my cousin and sister- you know who you are), would tell you it's an unhealthy fascination. I recall their use of words such as "tacky" and "too much" to describe it. I completely understand where they are coming from, but I believe when worn well, leopard print can look sexy, bold and, dare I say it, even classy (I can hear you cringe, I'm sorry). 

When it comes to leopard print, minimalism is key. No one wants to see full-blown leopard print. I am tempted to say "No one wants to see leopard print pants..." but I'm imagining Kate Moss in them, and she looks fierce. But then again, she is Kate Moss, and we are not. 

To play it safe (which I hate when it comes to fashion), one should always start with a leopard print scarf. My hunt for the perfect leopard print scarf ended when I stumbled upon one in Zara a few months back in Melbourne (at Chadstone, where else?). I draped it around my neck and knew it was the one. Just the perfect size (I HATE small scarves- what's the point?!). Here it is, worn with three different outfits. 

Outfit Edit: Scarf by Zara; Boots by Zara; Jbrand Jeans & Tan Jacket by unknown.

Outfit Edit: Trench by L' Art De River Island; White Denim by DL1961; Peeptoe Boots by Dolce Vita; Leopard-print Scarf by Zara

Outfit Edit: Jacket by Cameo; Scarf by Zara & Vintage Suede Clutch

Outfit Edit: Skirt by Zara; Silk Blazer by Sass&Bide; Shoes by Zoe Wittner & Vintage Bag.

Toned the look down with flats today. Here's the irony- it pained me to wear them.

Outfit Edit: Leopard An by Wandering Souls.

Outfit Edit: Leopard Ankle Boots by Wandering Souls & Black Jacket by Russh.

Leopard Print Gone Wrong: 

OTT, tacky, fierce gone wrong- you can always rely on the Kardashian sisters to get it wrong. I also hate the print. Yuck. I bet its from their collection. 

 

No words. At all. 

Leopard Print Looks I LOVE:  

The days when Lara Bingle was styled by Christine Centenera resulted in moments like this. Edgy, simple, classic.

A lot of leopard, and also a lot of class. Unlike the Kardashian sisters, Palermo kept it simple with her jewellery, makeup and hair. Love, love. 

 

Please ignore Kylie and take a look at Rachel Bilson. If you told me you were going to wear a full-length leopard print dress, I would probably start laughing. I am looking at Bilson right now and I am not laughing.

All black with a pop of leopard print is a match made in heaven. 

Let out your wild side and wear some leopard! 

Love,

whoYen

xox 

 

P.S. More leopard print looks worn by me coming shortly. Watch this space. 

Melbourne Trip Edit: Chadstone Shopping Centre

I live in a pretty comfortable home, but I would trade it up to live here. 

Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne is a fashionistas dream. Home to 530 stores, you are definitely overwhelmed by the choices you have (and the lack of money in your purse). My sister lives only ten minutes away by car so whenever I make a trip down to Melbourne, you can bet on finding me here.

Mostly browsing, unfortunately.

Some people say it doesn't offer anything new, that the stores are mainstream and you can find them anywhere. This is true, but I doubt you'll find such a large variety under one roof (and what a beautiful roof it is). The glass roof on the top level allows sunlight to peer through and if you're lucky, you might even catch the rare Melbourne blue sky. On this level, the crowds are minimal (great if you hate shopping with TB's) and plenty of high end stores (from Zimmermann to Chanel). If you're feeling slightly nauseated by the $$$, just take the escalators down stairs and another shopping world awaits (not so glamorous, but friendlier on the hip pocket).

Outfit Edit: Cut-out skivvy by unknown; Skirt by Kirrily Johnston; Boots by Zara; Bag by Phillip Lim

 

 

How pretty is this La Belle Miette macaron stand? I also LOVED the macarons.

Saw this belt at Thurley and fell in love.

Some more Melbourne purchases: Heels by Windsor Smith; Clutch by Witchery & Nail Polish by Lancome.

Some change room fun inside Myer (sorry about the sprawled items of clothing). Purchased these mini shorts from Grab Denim to pretend it was summer.

If you're ever in Melbourne, do visit Chadstone Shopping Centre. It might be a bit of a hike from the CBD (a 25 minute taxi ride), but I promise you won't regret it.  

Much love, 

whoYen

xox

False advertising at its best

I woke up today and made myself a bowl of Uncle Toby's wholemeal oats with banana, honey and a scoop of Bornhoffen yoghurt. This is my breakfast of choice, keeping me full and energized (most of the time) until lunch. I love it. Most people cringe watching me eat it, almost as if to say "How on earth can you eat THAT? It looks like vom..." you get my drift. 

As much as I love Uncle Toby's Quick Oats, I almost die of laughter when I see their advertisements. Can I just say, the resemblance is uncanny! I never knew my oats could look that fluffy! Yeah...Right... 

Here's a picture provided by Uncle Toby's on their website (such lovely lighting used): 

This brings me to my second story. I recently purchased a trench  for my husband from a popular Australian online store. I am tempted to provide the name of this store, but they are working to rectify the issue (and have been very nice about it) so dragging their name through the dirt would be ungracious on my behalf. 

Back to the story. I purchased this trench for my husband because I was won over by the picture. I loved the fit, the cut, everything about it. The purchase was immediate- click, click, card details, done. It arrived in the mail a few days later, and I had a "WTF" moment when I opened it and put it on my husband. Actually, we both did. I literally took out my iPad, uploaded the photo just to see if my eyes were planning tricks. 

They weren't. 

The trench bore some resemblance, but some details were missing. When I questioned this online store, you know what they told me? They said they reviewed the jacket and decided it could do without these details. 

Another WTF moment. 

How do you upload a photo on your website, allow the close-up function so potential customers can glaze over the product (finer details and all), knowing that the picture does not completely match up? 

But wait, there's more. 

I said earlier I loved the fit of the trench. Well,the trench that arrived was loose on my husband. It came with this weird buckle that you could attach and tie at the back to create a more defined look. It was the most awkward fashion accessory I have ever laid eyes on. In the end, we decided to do without the buckle (creating a loose look which totally defeats the purpose of a trench). At this point, my curiosity started to kick in. I went online again and checked out the behind photo of the model wearing the trench. There was an accessory, but it was not the same one I received in the mail (and no, it was not a delivery mistake). What it was, was pure and blatant false advertising on  behalf of this popular online store. 

Disappointing, but we kept the trench. We figured, what's the point of online shopping if you have to step out of your house to return it?

Happy online shopping, 

whoYen

xox 

Girl Envy

You know which girls I envy? The ones who look so put together without lifting a finger. The ones who glide through life looking effortlessly chic, almost as if their outfits chose them and not the other way around. They wake up and they don't even need to think about what to wear. They just do it, it just happens. Dressing is intuitive, instinctive for them. Everything fits- from the jewellery, make-up to the shoes. They make fashion look easy and fun.

That girl is not me. 

It's not that I plan my outfit a few years in advance before wearing it out, it's just that I need to have a vague idea what style or look I am going for. Most of the time I would have one key item in mind (usually something I have recently purchased) and work around that. I usually make a mental note of this before going to bed (less of an effort on work nights). You might think I am crazy and a bit on the OCD side of things, but believe me, my mornings are usually stress free and I am out of the house in record speed. It surprises a few people. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not robotic, tiring or anything like that. Most people plan what's for breakfast, I just plan what I want to wear. I do this because I don't do effortless. Getting dressed for me isn't a matter of "oh, let me look through my wardrobe today" kind of thing. I could be there for a long, long time. I also hate making a mess, throwing clothes everywhere before I find "the look".

This brings me back to what I was saying earlier about my girl envy. My cousin Lo falls into this category (I said I would give you an honourable mention). I hate her most when I compliment her outfit and she replies with "This? Oh,it's nothing special. I just put it on."

"Just put it on." No sweat, no thought, nothing. It just happened. 

So I will end here, and leave you with a few photos of "effortless looks" that bring out the green-eyed monster in me: 

Olivia Palermo, style queen of NYC in all black with a hint of gold. LOVE

I'm not the greatest fan of Miranda Kerr's style, I just love how effortless she makes everything look!

White bags are my latest style crush (just not sure I want to pay $$ to see it get dirty?)

I swear I didn't mean for everything to be black & white...

whoYen

xox