Tuesday Museday #1: Rihanna

I want to introduce a new post theme to my blog, where I discuss my muses—people whose style inspire me and influences my own approach to what I wear. For my first feature, I will be discussing Rihanna. I've been inspired and influenced by her Rihanna's style for some time now—she just seems to be able to pull off any look she creates, whether it be edgy and modern, or timeless and feminine.

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L A C E

I absolutely loved Rihanna's look on her debut cover of US Vogue in 2013, shot by Annie Leibovitz. The "Ariel" (the little mermaid) red shade of her hair works so well with the elegant gown, picking up the patches of red in the lacework pattern. The dress is by Chanel's Pre Fall 2011 collection, which featured some amazing Byzantine era-themed pieces. I love lace fabrics—I find that certain pieces can be dressed up or down depending on the situation. For example, a lace midi skirt can easily transition from a daytime (I would usually style with a basic t-shirt or singlet to balance out the figure-hugging skirt) to night-time look with the addition of accessories and a crop top. Providing the lace is of good quality, I believe you can't really go wrong with it.

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S E T S

Ahh, where would I be without matching sets?! Firstly, they are the most versatile clothing to style, because while you can wear them as the set, they can also be worn apart, making for infinite outfit possibilities. I've seen Rihanna wearing multiple twin-set outfits, but one of the outfits she wore on her 2013 Diamonds World Tour is my favourite. I think she looks like an Egyptian goddess in the fiery-red crop top and matching draped, asymmetrical skirt. The outfit was designed by Rihanna's own costume designer, Adam Selman.

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D E N I M

Denim is timeless, and one of its many forms in that of a jacket. In her latest music video (accompanied by Kayne West and Paul McCartney) Rihanna has a natural look going on, stripped down to basics in terms of both make-up and clothing. She wears an over-sized denim jacket in a classic true blue, which reminds me of the 1980's Levi silhouettes which are constantly making resurgences over the years. The jacket is a vintage Sean John jacket. The over-sized, boxy fit is a classic jacket cut and one which I love and I'm sure I'll continue to love.

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F E M I N I N E

This is probably one of my all-time favourite looks Rihanna was worn. For the Christian Dior Cruise 2015 show in 2014, she wore an amazing little pink silk number by—of course—Dior. True to her style, I really like how she edgy-ified (not a word, I know) the dress with her hair, accessories and make-up. Especially those pearl double-end Dior earrings. The dress is the perfect shade of baby-pink with a drop waist cut, with a high-neck and short sleeves. It is classy and modern, and also looks comfortable to wear.

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G L A M O U R

The dress that was the talk of the internet for a week (or more), with divided opinion. While it may have been controversial or too revealing to some, I thought it was elegant, unique and beautiful. The dress was also designed by Adam Selman and features 230,000 Swarvoski crystals. It makes Rihanna look like she is just dripping in diamonds, like a waterfall and also brings her song—aptly titled Diamonds—to the forefront of my mind. The wrap adds a touch of old school Hollywood to the look and the matching gloves and headscarf complete the look. In looking behind-the-scenes images of the making of the dress, I am amazed at how painstakingly each crystal was applied onto the fishnet fabric, . The phrase 'every little detail matters' really applies to this dress and it sure paid off in the final result. She is legit goals.

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L E A T H E R

For the final look, I've chosen one of the outfits she wore in her shoot for Rolling Stone in 2013. In this look, Rihanna wears a Christopher Kane leather jacket from the Fall 2010 collection, a black bodycon knee-length skirt and Manolo Blahnik Chaos sandals. This jacket is my favourite as it has the perfect mix of edgy rock n' roll vibes and feminine floral detailing. The overall look has an air of office-chic through the classic white button up and pencil skirt, but is modernised and taken to a different place through the addition of the leather jacket and gold necklace.

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Until next time! x

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Oh my god, I am honestly just so amazed and scared at how the time files once I get into the uni week! Seriously, how can it be Saturday again so fast?! I've been busy working hard at all my uni projects so I've really not had any time to myself (except to eat, exercise, sleep and all that important jazz) - it's pretty much a full-time career for me. I shouldn't even really be making a post right now because I feel swamped under all my workload, but I wanted to keep my internal promise to myself to try and post once a week. It never sounds like much but when you realise how fast those weeks fly by, it really takes up a good chunk of time!

I've been really getting into making short little GIF animations of my illustrations, just making the subjects in my work come to life through blinking or lip movements. It's a great way for me to practice my animation making abilities, although I really want to get into developing my skills with After Effects more as I've only had a little animation experience with that program and I'm quite terrible at it!

Here's my week:

1. Outfit details - the cuff is by the label From St Xavier and i love the blue stone in it so much!
2. These shorts are actually amazing. They are by Cameo the Label and they feature a chili print!
3. I have become obsessed with kale recently, I know I know...I don't want to be one of those pretentious health food people but I genuinely love the taste of it in a salad or wrap.
4. Finally bought the coveted Alexa Chung book, IT. I haven't read it yet but I've had a flick through and it looks like a professionally diary/sketchbook format, featuring set typography and collaged images and sketches.
5. A recently finished illustration featuring mushrooms! I love a good ol' 'shroom, my favourite fungi.

This week I have been inspired by blush tones and gold. as well as combining these tones and shades with black leather-look items, such as skirts, pants and shorts. I also love holographic items - a clutch or a pair of shoes is an amazing statement to any simple outfit. I also have been incredibly inspired through my research for a project focusing on medieval and historical maps - some of the examples such as the Hereford Mappamundi are so amazingly detailed, complex and mythical. I'm just so fascinated by these artefacts of history.

Until next time! x

Translucent

Well, as I mentioned previously in my last post, the weather situation is dark and dreary with the constant rain clouds looming over the city, causing downpour every so often, There has even been predicted hail and snow up in the hills, so this has definitely been the most rainiest winter I have experienced in a while! It makes for plenty of time spent indoors with a good book or film and some warm beverages - so lots of catch-up has been the order of the day and week! I return to uni next week too, so for this reason I am likely to be blogging very infrequently, due to commitments related to that.

I've been inspired by monochromatic clothing quite a bit of late, this may be due to the weather, but I also find that a simple black and white outfit combined with a slick of brightly coloured matte lipstick really is all one needs to "dress to impress" in a really simple way. I also loved the simplicity of adding bright, bold accessories to a simple outfit - it's just such an easy way to jazz up a combination of clothing which seems to be missing that "x-factor", so accessories such as rings, statement necklaces or sunglasses are always things that you can never really have too much of (its just an excuse to have more shopping sprees!).I've also been feeling inspired by models of the 90's, in particular Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer, who were/are such babes and always possess effortless and enduring style.

Here's been my week in images:

1. I made a mean stir-fry the other night - packed with veggies, heart-smart pork strips and a layer of black squid ink pasta - so nice!
2. Another illustration in the works, which has been in the works for quite some time now (due to uni responsibilities, of course).
3. Mixing and matching jewelry with this rose gold skull bracelet I found at Sportsgirl the other day with 30% off already reduced price - you can't go wrong with that!
4. Trying out some neon nail-polish - the funny thing is that this colour looks dull and gross under artificial light but when you're under natural light man, it sure packs a punch!
5. Staying with my family at my grandmother's house, which has this amazing 60's sort of blue floral wallpaper, which contrasts so nicely against the white framed oval mirror. The house itself is extremely old an part of a heritage site, I believe. As kids we would always hear from our parents the stories of the ghost that haunts this house, who was the original commissioned and owner of it which always scared me, but it's just a story!
6. Time for tea! ❤

That's all for now,
until next time,
keep on day-dreaming. ♡

Time for Tea

❀ I dream of Ladurée. ❀


Hello again, ♡

This week has not been very eventful, I have just been drinking lots of tea and walking, jogging and yoga-ing regularly to keep my energy levels sky-high. I haven't been drawing as much as I'd like to lately, which is annoying seeing as I have more time spare, yet the days go by so quickly that I can barely keep track anymore!

Talk and tea is his specialty, said Giles. Come along inside... We'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place."
~ The Wind in the Willows

The above quote from the wonderful The Wind in the Willows cements the concept of "teatime" as a positive, wholesome and joyous ritual perfectly. Taking tea with cake or any other form of delicate sweet foodstuffs is an age old tradition that has been embedded in daily life for many thousands of years. From the ancient Egyptian creation of bread saturated with honey to the elegant tiered wedding cakes, and the tea-drinkers of ancient China to modern day convenient tea-bags, tea and cake are essentially a basic part of life, a way of life and a part of humanity constantly.

Tea is a massive part of my life and existence in general. Without it, I hardly think I'd be sane! I can drink it at any time of the day, during any season of the year and it doesn't matter what variety of tea it is, it will always make me feel lovely and warm inside. Green tea is my ultimate favourite, although I usually love all tea I try. Another part of my life is cake and other sweet treats taken with tea. Although I try to limit my intake of high sugar foods, I can never resist a small smackerel of cake or a macaron in my morning or afternoon to keep me calm until lunch/dinner. I associate tea and cake with different traditions they are included in, such as morning or afternoon tea, Devonshire tea and High Tea parties. I loved, as I'm sure other girls did, setting up little seats and tables for my toys and then adorning the miniature table with components from a little children's tea set, the imaginative elements of such a game were enhanced by the natural openness of mind all children posses, which they use to broaden everyday mundane life.

I really want to visit Ladurée in gay Paree someday, they sweet delights they concoct are like something out of Harry Potter, or some wild fantasy realm where the sun always shines softly and creates beautiful rainbow refractions throughout the rays. There are pastries, cupcakes, macarons, cakes, tarts and slices, all multi-coloured and decorated with an air or magic and make-believe. I feel that the gossamer silken fingers of fairies must have produced these beautiful foodstuffs, I can just imagine little fairy huts situated in the kitchen area, light emerging from the tiny wooden window frames revealing many little creatures hard at work producing these amazingly intricate and scrumptious treats.

I am also reminded of the various scenes in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, with the lavish spreads filled to the brim with cake and other saccharine-sweet confectioneries. The cakes of Ladurée would fit so well with this extravagant era of history.

Tea and cake are the perfect couple and can never be separated, they provide comfort in times of need, and the sight of a little pink cupcake next to some piping hot milky English Breakfast tea will never fail to produce a smile on my face and bring the roses to my cheeks. •

❀ Collage inspiration. ❀

Here are a few snapshots of things that have related to my life at this present moment. (From L-R, top to bottom):
1. This beautiful dress is by Minkpink and was on sale, so I couldn't resist. It has a marine sailor ~vibe~ going on and is really flattering on! (even though horizontal stripes are supposed to make you look fat, it don't ever believe these things). I have combined it with my gold collar Sportsgirl necklace, Sunflower perfume, gold Topshop sandals and gold eco-drive Citizen watch.
2. Reading an illustrated edition of Picnic at Hanging Rock, one of my favourite novels.
3. Trying to work on developing my website, I have so many different concepts that it is so hard to stick to one idea, but many ideas are better than no ideas!
4. Another outfit combo, combining pastel ice cream shades - a 70s/80s pink lace and ribbon blouse, with a lavender Valleygirl skirt, lemon yellow Dotti socks, Frankie 2013 journal, Vera Wang's Princess and my ultimate favourite lip balm, Baby-Lips.
5. Found this orange and black number whilst op-shopping, it has super strong 60s ~vibes~.
6. Life affirmations to keep me inspired.



That's all I have to share with you today, until next time, here's a playlist I created which fits the theme of this post well.

In the Dollhouse Made of Ladurée from bambisvalentine on 8tracks Radio.

Ineffable Lucite

Hi all! ♡

Basically I have been reading a lot and staying indoors as much as possible this week (except to go for a run and other essential errands), because the weather here has been sososo incredibly HOT, I can barely move. It is quite stifling heat, 43 degree Celsius days filled with nothing by catching up on reading, watching films and documentaries and fixing up things that needed to be fixed. Hot weather is never kind to me, especially my skin, which glows in the sun it is that pale! Which is why I burn so easily, thus rendering me a captive to my own home. :( I'm still looking at the class enrollments for uni when I start, trying to organise my semesters so that I can get the best classes together and try not to create huge stresses, because studying full-time is always really intensive and I find myself on edge constantly, but if I try to organised moments for meditation and yoga, I think I'll clear out my mind and get through the year well enough!

I have been in love with trying out different perfumes for a while now and although I do not have an extensive cabinet filled to the brim with perfumes, I have four basic ones which carry me through all the different events and moods that occur in my life. They are:

Lola by Marc Jacobs

Sunflower by Elizabeth Arden

Into the Wild by Sportsgirl

Princess by Vera Wang

I love them all equally, each has a certain quality to it which is either appropriate for night or day, and seasonal differences. I really love Princess, it is floral-y but also vanilla-y, like a pretty pink flower cake. Sunflower makes me exceedingly happy whenever I smell it, so it is my current daily go-to scent.

But while I love the scents, I love the bottles they are contained in even more. I'm always more inclined to buy a perfume if it is beautifully packaged, even if the scent does not sit well on my skin.

❀ Collage inspiration. ❀

Here are a few snapshots of things that have related to my life at this present moment. (From L-R, top to bottom):
1. So good, so cheap. $2.95 @ Sportsgirl for this lovely musky scent.
2. Reading the latest Frankie magazine, with my new clip-on earrings, hearts by Avon and some silver classic swirls.
3. My new Minkpink dress arrived! SO PERFECT. I am ecstatic for graduation.
4. New shoes by Peeptoe to go with my dress for graduation.
5. Fresh pomegranate seeds, like little ruby jewels.
6. Making a card for my dad's birthday.


The Mamas and Papas - California Dreamin'

That's all I have to share with you today, until next time,

You're a virgin who can't drive.

Night all, ♡

I watched Clueless for the first time in what feels like ages and it reminded me of all the things that I loved about growing up in the 90's. I had a massive nostalgia attack over the film and this post will include my never ending love and dedication to this classic piece of 90's, captured on film. The frequency of plaids, florals, tartan, stripes and mary-jane shoes in Clueless are quintessentially 90's, as is the use of the grungy tie-dye and checked shirts of the skater group. Also as a side-note, I wish I had Cher's virtual wardrobe matcher to help me choose my daily outfits, getting ready for uni would be so much easier! I actually only discovered that the film went onto become a running TV series, airing from 1996 to 1999. I found majority of the episodes on Youtube and I'm planning on watching them sometime soon while I still have free time. Not sure if it will be as good as the film but I'll see!

❀ Collage inspiration. ❀

Clueless also takes me back to the days of the original Beverly Hills 90210 which was of course paramount in regards to early to mid 90's fashion. It seems that hardly anything has changed between the trends of today compared to the trends of the 90's, particularly in the resurgence of crop tops circa 2010 and all things floral printed.

❀ TOO MANY AMAZING 90'S CLOTHES. ❀

❀ Donna's body-con daisy print dress is perfect! ❀

❀ I love the over sized orange chiffon shirt and the white t-shirt + red polka-dot skirt ensemble. ❀

❀ Those orange red pants! LOVE. ❀

❀ This lips printed skater dress is equally perfect! Totally wish I could find something like this in an op-shop! ❀

❀ Stripes and high-waisted shorts, super modern. ❀

❀ L-R: Minkpink ballet school dress, Minkpink all sorts dress, Minkpink blossom dress, Minkpink copacabana dress ❀

Much of Minkpink's collections feature 90's inspired pieces, which is one of the reasons why I love this brand so much! I particularly love the last dress, it has a feel of tropical beaches and hot summer nights dancing the tango at a beach party.

Here are a few snapshots of things that have related to my life at this present moment. (From L-R, top to bottom):
1. Love this dress by Minkpink, it has a really nice 50's vibe about it and it looks so flattering, I can't wait to wear it for my graduation ceremony!
2. Trying out the dutch crown braid/milkmaid braid, but it never works on freshly cleaned hair (has to be at least 2 days old I think) and I also have so much excess hair left over!
3. An authentic Egyptian painting, painted on papyrus from Egypt. I really want to visit Egypt in my lifetime
4. A collection of random pastel objects I love - pink lipstick, Mason Pearson hairbrush, antique gold bobby pins and combs.
5. One of my regular backyard visitors. ♡
6. Affirmation for 2013.

Jill Sobule - Supermodel

That's all for this week my dears, I hope all of your new year's eve's were filled with wonderful things. Until next time,