Oxblood and burgundy and bordeaux, oh my!

Or perhaps that should be ‘oh wine!’, given that the hue of the moment seems to be of the kind that you’d swirl about in a wide-bowled glass before quaffing. Either way, wine is the sartorial colour of the moment and I, for one, am crushed as a vino grape.

I’d been attempting to ignore this incoming trend with moderate levels of success. Emails from the likes of Net-A-Porter and Who What Wear advising that I get on board with burgundy were promptly deleted, and I stayed well clear of my usual style haunts. All was going well until last week when I was struck with some kind of summer ‘flu, the kind that leaves you bed-ridden for half a week, and whilst at first this seemed like a positive development – if I couldn’t leave the house, I would be safe from even a street-sighting of burgundy – boredom quickly seeped through my defence wall of constant trash television and a tap-tap-tap later I was knee deep in style blogs and having my ‘burgundy is not a trend’ bubble of pretense punctured by this Fashademic post.

You see, it’s not that I don’t like burgundy but rather that I love burgundy in the all-consuming way that I think I’ll love my (still very much hypothetical) first born child and to that end, do not want to share it. Burgundy is my winter pink, my dramatic red. It’s not that I’m looking to claim credit for being forward-thinking or cutting edge – it is, after all, only a colour, not a copyrightable innovation – it’s just that I don’t want to look like I’m unable to dress myself without first consulting the ‘Vogue Loves’ page.

I know loads of ladies (and gents) who have been here. You figure out a colour/style/way of wearing something that makes you look your best, and then somewhere along the way that very thing that seemed so individual to you and your wardrobe becomes a trend and a version of it is selling like hotcakes on ASOS. Maybe you were op-shopping before vintage was hot property, or were a Manolo devotee before Carrie Bradshaw was a household name (if this is you, I am pea-green at the very thought of your shopping budget), or rocked a fedora before it became a festival mainstay. In any case, I’m thinking you’ll know my pain.

Rather than dropping burgundy from my wardrobe faster than an indie kid ditches their favoured band at the first whiff of commercial success, I’ve decided to ride it out and, after a little inspiration from the archives, amp it up by adding more burgundy to the mix. As my fondness for the hue seems to have primarily manifested itself in the footwear department, I couldn’t stretch it to a full oxblood only outfit and so have thrown in a little white to ensure that I stayed fully clothed and decent for public viewing.

Urban Doll knit (seen before here) / Iris & Ink white silk shirt / ‘Marilyn’ pants by Neuw / Dieppa Restrepo loafers (again) / Colony x Alice Euphemia cat eye sunglasses / vintage necklace / MAC ‘Dark Side’ lipstick

Thanks to Chloe of Fashcapades for snapping these, and for alerting me to the fact that my fallback ‘blogger’ pose seems to be spinning in circles. Only a friend can tell you that kind of awful home truth.

Frocktober, day thirty one: my favourite dress

The territorial and altogether frightening mother magpie must have been out running errands this afternoon when I popped out to take these photographs, leaving me the entire backyard to spin, pose, and attempt my best Lucille Ball circa I Love Lucy face with a modicum of dignity. I guess posting these pictures on the internet strips that away in the end anyhow, but it was nice not to have to flash the construction workers in the laneway for the sake of showing you the petticoat situation required for this dress.

With it’s defined waist and full skirted 1950s silhouette this dress was probably a bit much for a day at the office, but I figured that the last day of Frocktober was worth celebrating, and what better way to do that than with my favourite dress? It also garnered me a couple of last minute donations from colleagues, so it was definitely worthwhile. Make no mistake though, as much as I have enjoyed frocking up every day of October, by the time you read this I will be wearing a pair of pants and enjoying it more than is possibly proper to enjoy a garment.

Vintage 1950s floral print dress, bought from Grandma Takes A Trip / CoSTUME NATIONAL pumps / vintage poodle skirt & taffeta-like skirt by CUE to give the dress a little volume as I couldn’t find my usual tulle petticoat

Don’t let the pretty dresses distract you from the cause – Frocktober is a fundraiser! I’m raising money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, and if you’ve enjoyed this post, you can contribute here.

Frocktober, day thirty: FLORAL

If I had to guess I would venture that at least half of the dresses that I’ve worn for Frocktober have been floral, but with its near-obnoxious lurid orange, green, and yellow flower print I felt that this dress deserved the official title.

It’s just a quick post this morning, as I’m getting ready for the final day of Frocktober (and already planning which pair of pants I’ll don with relish tomorrow). I’ll share today’s dress tonight, it’s one of my favourites from my vintage collection.

Thanks so much to those who have supported the fundraising drive already. Frocktober raises money for much needed research into ovarian cancer, so if you have ovaries or love someone who does, and you’ve enjoyed this series, perhaps you’d consider sending $5 my way?

Vintage dress – an eBay find / brass brooch, bought from The Finders Keepers market a couple of years ago / beloved Dieppa Restrepo loafers

Don’t let the pretty dresses distract you from the cause – Frocktober is a fundraiser! I’m raising money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, and if you’ve enjoyed this post, you can contribute here.

Frocktober, day twenty nine: the ‘Monday’ dress

This dress is my ultimate Monday frock. It is so comfortable and convenient, and so often my Monday frock, that I’ve never thought to share it here before – it is as practical in my wardrobe as my yoga pants, and practical is so rarely ‘blog-worthy’.

I know I ought to bounce into the working week feeling revived after a weekend of rest and riotous fun, but Monday is the day I’m most likely to sleep right through my alarm. I am never ready for Monday.

This dress is what I reach for as I fall from the shower, finger combing the dry shampoo out of my hair, somehow both sleepy and filled with the panic of being late. This dress is my lazy girl wardrobe equivalent of dry shampoo. All I have to do is put on underwear, this dress, heels, and a necklace, and I am decent enough to jog off in the direction of the office, bowl of as-yet uneaten fruit salad breakfast in one hand and coffee in the other, ready for Monday.

Leona Edmiston wrap dress / Cara Couture necklace / Acne heels

Don’t let the pretty dresses distract you from the cause – Frocktober is a fundraiser! I’m raising money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, and if you’ve enjoyed this post, you can contribute here.

Frocktober, day twenty eight: magpie

This week a magpie mother has taken up residence in our backyard, carefully constructing a nest high up in the branches of the largest tree and filling it with magpie chicks who, unsurprisingly, she is a little precious about.

My camera, tripod, and I have been marked out collectively as enemy number two, trailing a close second to my cat  who seems to take a perverse delight in sauntering into the backyard and hissing in the direction of the nest. Mother magpie sits on the fence with her head cocked and beady eyes fixed on us the second we intrude into the yard, which has made for some uneasy frock photography.

On Sunday mother magpie decided that she was unwilling to tolerate the presence of myself and my tripod-weapon any longer and so to the soundtrack of her newly hatched chicks chirping commenced operation swoop. Perhaps she was offended by my (unintentional!) magpie lookalike/camouflage get up? Either way, I ran as fast as my new ankle boots would carry me (pleasingly fast, might I add) to a magpie-free zone for these photographs.

Horror stories of Australian wildlife aside, today’s outfit makes a nice follow up to my recent post on tips for wearing the mixed prints trend. What I didn’t note there but is worth mentioning alongside this particular outfit is that hosiery is an easy and inexpensive way to add a second print to your outfit if you’re keen.

People Tree graphic print dress / black belt by J Dauphin / FireHosiery ‘Geo Art’ tights (they were a sweet thank you gift from FireHosiery for my coverage of their launch) / Calvin Klein Collection ankle boots (again, yes – I’m trying to wear them in for Europe!)

Don’t let the pretty dresses distract you from the cause – Frocktober is a fundraiser! I’m raising money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, and if you’ve enjoyed this post, you can contribute here.

Frocktober, day twenty seven: the unsuitably short dress

You know that you’ve been watching too much Downton Abbey when you look at a dress with a short hemline like this one and think it frightfully indecent (to be read in your scandalised Maggie Smith tone) and in need of a good pressing (and this from the girl least likely to iron anything).

The skirt of this dress is a little on the transparent side, which I imagine works beautifully on leggy sample-sized teenagers, so I usually add a black mini underneath to increase the modesty factor a tad. Ironically enough, the slips that I own are all too long to be an appropriate undergarment for this dress.

 Konstantina Mittas dress / black Nu + Nan mini skirt (worn as underskirt) / Carven buckle-up flats

Don’t let the pretty dresses distract you from the cause – Frocktober is a fundraiser! I’m raising money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, and if you’ve enjoyed this post, you can contribute here.

Frocktober, day twenty six: a lesson in mixing prints

I’ve had a couple of (extremely flattering) questions from friends and readers recently about how I shop and dress so I thought I’d start introducing an occasional DIY/’how to’ post on the blog, kicking off today with a couple of pointers on wearing mixed prints.

If you’ve gone shopping, picked up a fashion magazine, or laid your pretty peepers on a style blog at any point in the last year, you will have noticed that mixing, matching and clashing prints is rather on trend at the moment. The good news is that you don’t need to have the style nous of Susanna Lau to pull this off, as there are a couple of no-fail tricks you can employ to start out comfortably and confidently.

I’m not so keen on fashion ‘rules’, so these are more like guidelines that you can use to start out if you’re feeling unsure about trying this out, or as a fallback on the days where it feels like nothing in your wardrobe works for you.

1. Choose patterns in the same colourway, or at least with a shared base colour. In today’s post I’ve used black as the matching base colour across two patterns.

2. Combine similar prints of differing sizes for greater impact – for example, try a small floral print with a large floral print. Or, as I’ve done here, mix a fine graphic print with a thick and bold one.

3. To keep the focus on your clever choice of prints, go with simple accessories and a sleek hairstyle. I’ve repeated the base colour from my prints – black – in my hosiery, shoes, and bag to anchor the look, and chosen a simple gold necklace to add a warmer tone to the outfit.

Tali Roth ‘Zig Zag Barb’ dress, worn as cardigan / Yeojin Bae ‘Art Noveau Stripe Katie’ silk shift – still available and on sale / Leona Edmiston opaques / Calvin Klein ankle boots / black patent leather bag by The Leather Satchel Company (currently on sale at ASOS)

Don’t let the pretty dresses distract you from the cause – Frocktober is a fundraiser! I’m raising money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, and if you’ve enjoyed this post, you can contribute here.

If you’ve got a style question that you would like answered or addressed, tweet me at @_KaylaBrock, hop on over to the F tangent Facebook page, drop me a line at theFtangent {at} gmail {dot} com, or ask away in the comments. I’d love to see what you’re wearing too, so if you’ve been playing with mixing prints, share a link below.