Sunday, 18 August 2013

How Nicole Richie Likes To Travel

Nicole Richie's gone and done it again. 
She's brought out the green-eyed monster in me with a few more spectacular outfits.  And when I say spectacular, I don't mean dripping in jewels, red-carpet spectacular, but the kind that makes you go "HOW DOES SHE DO IT?" 

Again and again, she delivers. In every way. This time, on a recent family trip in Europe. She looks relaxed (as you'd expect when one is in Europe sipping cocktails while getting sun kissed) and remarkably effortless. So damn effortless, it makes me want to cry. 

Take a look for yourself. 


You don't need fashion gurus and stylists to tell you black & white is in. In my mind, it was ALWAYS in. While I could never pull off something like this (especially those shoes!), I love it. The relaxed white jeans, the crochet singlet, the Belanciaga tote, the aviators... it just all works. Like she didn't even try. While most of us spend forever planning our outfits (or is it just me?), Nicole Richie blinks and it just happens. 

Or at least she makes it look that way.


 



Where is that Tree of Life skirt I purchased years ago???? Richie gives us a refreshing take on boho style, making you almost want to ask...

Sienna Miller who? 


...and now, to the picture (the dress!) that brought me to tears. The print, the plunging neckline (my absolute fav), the shoes...it's like magic, right in front of your eyes.



You know someone is a style queen when you don't even like what they're wearing and yet still love it!

Get it?


Loose denim, pure genius. While most of us are too busy squeezing our way through the tiniest denim shorts we own, and regretting last nights take out dinner, Richie (even in her tiny frame) is one step ahead. 

Thanks to you Nicole, I'm going to ditch the attempt and google some loose-fitting shorts to wear this summer.

What I Wore

Travel bug has well and truly died. 

Why would you want to be anywhere else other than Sydney, when the weather is this good? 

Spring is around the corner, though it feels like it's been here all month. Winter? What winter?

It's the type of weather that makes you want to jump out of bed so you don't waste one minute of it. And jump out of bed I did. Even with a slight headache from last nights festivities, I decided to go for lunch with my cousin at Cofa Sopra's new location in Alexandria. 



In my previous blog post "Playing with White" I mentioned my experimentation with white. Since then, I've had eyes for all things white. These shoes are a recent purchase from Mollini (available online only). 

Outfit Edit: Top by Lucette; Tights by Sass & Bide & Shoes by Mollini.
Just casually crossing the road. 
Not staged at all.




Cafe Sopra's new location in Alexandria (corner of Mitchell and Buckland). From the outside, the new (but in my opinion, not improved) Sopra looks quiet and small. Inside, it is spacious and lively. Some might like the new look, but I found it too commercial and impersonal. The old Sopra on Danks Street in Waterloo was rustic and had a lot of charm compared to this place.

Chicken Liver Pate $20
When you've had pâté at Chiswick, Claude's and 4fourteen (and paid less than twenty bucks), it's hard to enjoy anything else. I liked the additional salad, but the pâté itself was average, borderline boring and a waste of money. Lucky I was hungry.

Prosciutto with Parmesan Cheese & Rocket Pizza $22
How do you charge twenty dollars for pâté, and twenty two for a pizza? A very good pizza, I might add.

Lamb Ragu $22
Love the hint of  chilli in the sauce.If it was truly winter and cold, I might have enjoyed this a little more.

Friday, 16 August 2013

What I Wore: Bright Pink Shorts


What a week. 

Late (and sleepless nights), endless cups of tea, the occasional (and naughty)  snack, mid-night text messages, skipped meals,  editing, reading, editing, reading, editing... 

The life of a teacher, teaching Year 12. 

And all I wanted to do, was blog, write about nothing and everything. To immerse myself in the world of fashion, where there are no rules (kind of), no corrections, no editing, no nothing. 

It's official, I'm going crazy. 


Here are some photos of me from last Sunday; when I was feeling a little less crazy, and a little bit brighter (literally).

whoyen
xo


Outfit Edit: Top by Kirrilly Johnston; Shorts by Nicholas; Bag by Alexander Wang & Shoes by Tony Bianco


I love me a splash of colour. Bright. Bold. Eye-catching. The brighter the better. Actually, I lie. Who am I kidding? One Sunday, wearing pink shorts, doesn't automatically take out the neutral in me.







Sunday, 4 August 2013

What I Wore

Ten minutes to get ready this morning, and this is what I came up with. Finally wore this pale pink jacket by H&M that was sitting in my wardrobe for over six months. Dust and all. I fell in love with the structured shoulders, but every time I went to put it on I felt so restricted. Today I had no choice as there was no time to think twice. It was on, and I was off.

Outfit Edit: Jacket by H&M; Vegan Leather Shorts by Premonition Design; White T-shirt by H&M & Shoes by Tony Bianco.



Boring mood, boring outfit. All my energy dissipated from trying to wake the hubby up. After an hour of: 

- switching the lights on and off 
- chewing loudly next to him 
- screaming 'wake up!!' 
- lifting the blanket up and down ...

This is what I found. When in doubt, I ALWAYS go to my Sass & Bide leggings. I have an unhealthy obsession (four black ones, one gold & a cream pair). It's funny how I sometimes wear the opposite of what I plan in my head. From thoughts of a bright pink pair of shorts, to this...

Outfit Edit: Skivvy by Witchery; Sass & Bide leggings & Heels by Mollini.


Thursday, 25 July 2013

Playing With White

White is not my colour of choice. I love it as much as I love waking up during winter (not much- believe me. Snooze x100). I know it's been "in"- but I don't do "in" and following trends is not my thing. Until I meddled with the idea of buying a white pair of jeans (went there, and felt somewhat awkward. Does it go with anything?!). One foot in already, I started to think about white more and more. Then all these fashion instagrammers started posting "all-white looks". 

All white?! 

The last time I wore white from head to toe was on my wedding day, three years ago. Felt magical then, not so sure how I would feel now. But you know what? I'm going to do it. Nothing really scares me when it comes to fashion (oh wait, I still can't be too close to a pair of jeggings). 
 

Some photos of me playing with white... 
(More to come at the end of the weekend).

whoYen
xox

Outfit Edit: Top by Manning Cartell; White shorts by Zara; Shoes by Tony Bianca & Prada Bag




Outfit Edit: Top by Forecast; Skirt by Premonition Design & Shoes by Tony Bianco.


 



Outfit Edit: Blazer by Atticus; Dress by Fleur Wood & Shoes by Zoe Wittner.


A beautiful Sunday morning walking under the Sydney Harbour Bridge... 

Outfit Edit: Crop top by Supre, White A-line skirt by Nicola Finetti; Clutch by Witchery & Silver choker by Nicholas The Label.

Outfit Edit: White Dress by Erin Wasson RVCA.







So there it is. My week in white. And what a lovely week it was.





















Sunday, 21 July 2013

4Fourteen

That rare moment when you find parking in the city right in front of your restaurant was welcomed by hubby and I this afternoon. It was 2pm, we had hardly eaten, so the last thing we wanted was to trawl through Surry Hills looking for a place to park. Today was not going to be one of those days. 


Enter 4Fourteen, a bustling restaurant in Surry Hills headed by Colin Fassnidge and Carla Jones. Even with an empty stomach, I was instantly impressed by this chandelier and the rustic design of the restaurant.



Sunday conversations between family, lovers and friends. 


The open bar smack bang in the middle...


 

... but I opted for my usual- soy latte.


 


 An amazing piece of art on top of an amazing piece of art!




4Fourteen: ‘Chicken ‘n Dip’
Chicken, Parfait, Apple Chutney, Tortilla
14
Hubby and I never ever say no to Pâté. In any shape, or form. Today we were extremely impressed by this version- pâté and chicken. Hubby described it as "honest". He didn't lie. 



4Fourteen: Grilled Rodriguez Chorizo with Lemon
8 each
If there's one thing I usually don't order from a menu, chorizo would be it. I find it best eaten in simplicity- fried or grilled. And that's how most restaurants serve it- only they like to charge a ridiculous amount for it. For a dish that lacks creativity, I usually pass. Until I had the most amazing chorizo and scallops at a restaurant in Berry a few months back. I don't lie when I say the chorizos were so good that they overshadowed the scallops. Today, at 4Fourteen, I was also impressed.

4Fourteen: Crab Roll, Spiced Avocado Puree 12 each

I would pass three pork rolls for one of these. 

And I love pork rolls.


4Fourteen: Seared Bonito
Ginger Beer Jelly, Apple
19

We were going to go for the fish fingers, but the waiter recommended this instead. It was refreshing and reminded me of summer.

4Fourteen: Roast Pork
Cauliflower, Cavolo Nero, Prunes
35
Their famous suckling pig special had run out for the day, so we decided to go for the next best thing. Everything about this dish worked for me- from the cauliflower to the sauce. As for the pork, well, it was soft and succulent. Pretty much perfect. 

It was one of those dishes where I had to lie and tell the hubby "I've had it enough, you eat it". 



It was definitely a perfect Sunday. 

4Fourteen: Rhubarb Ripple Rice Pudding
Passion fruit Curd and Pistachios
14
I ordered dessert and my breakfast arrived. If you're a fan of rice pudding, go for it. On inspection of the dessert menu I saw "passion fruit" and ignored everything else. My bad, because I did not enjoy it. I understand the intention here- to create a seasonal dessert menu. What I don't understand is how I opted for this rather than the "Bounty" (a deconstruction of the famous chocolate bar). 

To give me an excuse to visit 4Fourteen again, perhaps?


WHAT I WORE:


I had another rare moment today- dressing casual. No thought process involved, just went into my wardrobe and picked this out. Boring. But that's how I was feeling.



Outfit Edit: Knit by Helmut Lang; Jeans by Cheap Monday; Shoes by Tony Bianco & Clutch by Sass & Bide.







4Fourteen Restaurant Information: 
Tuesday- Saturday 
Lunch from Noon till 3pm 

Tuesday-Saturday
Dinner from 6pm 

Sunday
Lunch noon till 4pm


Review from Terry Durack: