Dion Lee for Target

Dion Lee for Target is the epitome of sports luxe. The collection is filled up of 36 items ranging across pure active wear, active inspired night wear and accessories all priced between $25 - $119. Can I get a hell yeah?! That is a considerable price drop for Dion Lee’s eponymous label where a top similar to one in the Target collection sells for $690. Of course there is to be expected a difference in quality between the two, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the fabric and composition of Dion Lee for Target. I bought the Cross Back Top, a sleeveless, high neck black top with a open cut back, for $59 and would say you would easily find that cut and quality in any other retailer for at least $170. Another favourite of mine is the Black Cocktail Dress ($119) which hugs in all the right places and features adjustable straps, handy for girls like me who are smaller on top. The collection features gym gear that is destined to be worn to brunches around Melbourne everywhere and even some great tailored black pants and a silk blend white shirt which would make a very fashionable addition to any work wardrobe.

Photos via Target and Broadsheet

VAMFF / Josh Goot The Grand Showcase Review

Josh Goot’s 10^th anniversary show, presented at Central Pier in the Docklands was a highlight of the Virgin Australia’s Melbourne Fashion Festival. Goot presented a wearable collection full of white and black, embossed with digital florals of blue, purple, hunter green and burgundy. The excitement before the show was truly palpable. The audience were eager to celebrate one of Australia’s best design talents.

 

Goot’s Autumn/Winter ’15 collection was extremely fresh and modern, whilst still being relevant and classic enough to last for upcoming seasons, which is necessary in this post-GFC retail landscape. The collection boasted oversized shirts over pencils skirts with floral cropped vests on top. The skirts featured thigh high splits (although not to Angelina Jolie heights), a recurring trend this fashion week, also seen at Christopher Esber and Martin Grant.  The collection featured Goot’s signature bomber jackets and a new style of floaty skirts and dresses in ethereal white with vibrant azure flowers glided down the runway, diverting from his mostly structured neoprene numbers of seasons past.  

It was not only important that Goot presented a wearable collection this season, it was necessary. This collection needs to sell, and sell well. News hit this February that Goot had placed his namesake company under voluntary administration in order to restructure the business. A statement from Goot explained that his decision was due to the “well-documented difficult trading conditions in the fashion industry,” referring to the high Australian dollar of late, as well as the oversaturated Australian retail climate which has seen the arrival of huge international high street brands, hurting many local retailers. The company remerged after only one month of administration, the battle is still uphill for Goot. Hence why Thursday night’s show presented fairly classic clothing (by Goot standards anyway) for the bold, fashion-forward woman that he targets. Although the collection seemed a little too summery for autumn/winter, what with five sleeveless crisp white tops and dresses, Goot built upon this with clever layering and slowly transitioned into the darker colours in heavier fabrics. Not unlike Australia’s slow transition into our own mild winter.

Goot presented a commercially smart collection. The buyer is offered wearable luxury, in prints that won’t soon date. With average prices for Josh Goot starting at $700, you would expect a skirt to last more than a few seasons. Goot said he wanted this collection to feel fresh but last forever, and I think he certainly achieved that.

 Transgender model Andreja Pejić closed the show in a simple, strapless black floor length dress,  symbolising a new era of change for not only Goot, but for the entire Australia fashion industry.

Images from the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Facebook page.

Knitwear Kneeded.

Melbourne experienced its first 'cold' day of autumn today, giving us a taste of what chills will hit us (hard) this winter. Half of me is sad the warm days are ending, working pretty much full-time (inside with no windows) means I barely got to experience that glorious Melbourne heat whilst the other half of me is screaming 'Hurry up, winter! I want my jumpers back!'

Like most Australians, I enjoy summer and am craving the heat and open-toed sandals come mid-September but there is something about winter that just works for me. I would take freezing over boiling any day of the week. Summer feels like a long drawn out holiday where you still have to work. Stores only have old, make-up stained clothing on last-chance sale racks, there's no good television on, it's like everything is in limbo. Which I guess is what people like about summer: it's a chance to slow down. In winter, life gets moving. School is in session, projects get planned and you get to wear coats and boots. In summer, a lazy day in binge-watching Scandal makes you feel guilty for missing a beautiful day outside, in winter, the same activity makes for a perfect Sunday. Nothing is better than being snuggled up on a warm couch drinking tea whilst its grey and pouring outside. That is a universal fact.

I've also always been drawn to winter fashion over summer fashion. Sure, it's easy to throw on demin shorts, a singlet and thongs but that's just not for me. I'm probably the only Aussie who doesn't own a pair of demin cut offs. How unpatriotic, I know! (Never fear, I have not one but two pairs of Havianas!!)

But give me ankle boots, cropped jeans and thick jumpers and I'm thanking the weather gods for bestowing us with a 12 degree day! Knee high boots with tights, a mini skirt and another jumper? Yes please! I can make knitwear work for any occasion bar a pool party.

I already have a few good jumpers from previous years I can't wait to get into again, but just for fun here are some others I'm absolutely loving:

Camilla and Marc
A simple white jumper (I actually only have white in t-shirts). Can't go wrong!

Givenchy
Wildcard for the super wealthy. Dreaming of how soft this would be and expecting that it must have magical anti-piling powers.

Veronika Maine
This grey cardigan is what lounging dreams are made of! As shown above it looks equally amazing dressed up (I want the skirt, clutch and shoes also). 

Veronika Maine
Weather wise I'm not sure when this would be the right temperature to wear but the colour is stunning, the cut is cool and the back is split open!

Saba
An unusual pop of colour for me. I'm normally attracted to the neutrals of black, grey, white (only sometimes), navy and khaki. This bright orange would provide the exact burst of colour needed for a dreary day when I'm sick of looking dark.

Images from Camilla and Marc, net-a-porter.com (for Givenchy), Veronika Maine and Saba websites.

2015

How many sappy new blogs have that title do you think?

 It's a total cliche but this year I will try to better myself. Just like every other year. I will go to the gym more, eat more salad, eat less junk, and use my phone less. Okay, no to the salad. Salad is the worst. I will try to be more active though, in both my body and my mind. This is I want to work harder at university and push myself to my full academic potential. I want to use this space to work on and improve my writing. Right now, I'm a writer who doesn't write, with no prospects of a career, but I want to change that. Sartorially Speaking will be used to exercise my writing muscles and take them to a pump class. For the time being, it will showcase small samples of my limited creativity. Maybe it will grow, maybe it won't.  That's the beauty of a new year, the promise of a fresh start, you never know what will happen. 2015 may be the year I learn to like salad.

Woman Crush Wednesday

No matter how many years pass, no matter how much I think my style has changed, whenever summer starts to arrive, I always find myself drawn to Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) in Almost Famous for inspiration. She exudes 70s chic with Kate Moss nonchalance in that masterpiece of a movie and the more I watch it, the more I want to be her. No matter how bad of a role model I understand she actually is. Let me dress like her this summer, let us all dress like her this summer, and for all summers forever more.

 

Images via: 29 secrets, Acclaim mag, Buzzfeed, FanPop and Wear What Style

In Defence of Basic Bitches

The term ‘basic bitch’ has recently entered our lexicon shaming ‘boring’ girls who like Taylor Swift, Instagram-ed flowers and Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. It is used to describe a sheep, a simple girl without her own ideas that likes what everyone else likes and stands firmly in the average category. The term ‘basic bitch’ itself, with no meaning applied, sounds pretty horrible. It is used in context like, “Hey, look at that basic bitch at the Farmer’s Market” and “Her favourite movie is The Notebook, how basic”. She is described as being essentially and classically boring for reasons listed on The Cut such as wearing infinity scarves and peplum tops (together, or separately, I don’t know) and reposting or displaying inspirational quotes from Marilyn Monroe and the like. 

But really, who the hell cares? Is it really so bad for a girl to Instagram her morning coffee whilst subtly showing off her fresh manicure? And what’s so wrong with loving Sex and the City? Let them wear their love heart necklaces and enjoy the music that plays on mainstream radio. It’s not hurting anyone. 

These days, being an individual is cool, it’s encouraged. It’s the in thing to be yourself, break away from the crowd and do your own thing. Let your freak flag fly. It’s wonderful, it really is. But is it really unfair to be critical of unassuming women because they are not a completely separate entity with separate interests and separate style and separate tastes. What’s so wrong with liking Taylor Swift anyway? Sure, she’s mainstream but mainstream becomes mainstream because lots of people like it. Lots of people like it because it’s probably good. Not that many people are sheep nowadays and if a chick wants to listen to 'Shake it Off', so be it. It does not mean she’s simple or any less individual or intelligent or exceptional than someone who listens to an indie street band they “discovered”. It just means they enjoy catchy, feel good music. Is that really that bad? 

My issue with the term ‘basic bitch’ is that is mainly women devaluing other women based on the simple cheesy pleasant things that they enjoy doing. Just as the women using this term don’t want to be pigeonholed into a stereotype for their interests, neither do the ‘basic bitches’. So what if they enjoy mainstream food or clothing? Jumping on the macaroon bandwagon doesn’t mean someone is ‘basic’ nor a ‘bitch’, all it means is that they have a penchant for cute and yummy French desserts. It doesn’t mean they are a blind follower of the crowd with no originality or personality. 

 

Just like in The Incredibles, if everyone was super, no one would be. The ‘basic bitches’ of the world offer a contrast to those ‘unbasic bitches’, allowing the differentiation to occur and make the overtly unique appear so. If you are an incredible individual, thank, not hate the basic bitch, and stop calling her that. In my experience, the people using these terms appear to be strong feminist advocates, however, calling a fellow women a basic bitch with a mocking cruelness that it seems to come with, sets this whole feminism thing back, don’t you think?

So just as you want to be left to do your thing and be you, let your fellow female do her thing and be her,  even if it so happens to be the same thing as a thousand others.  

Disclaimer: This is based off my experience with the term alone, it does not mean everyone who uses the term does so negatively. 

What's to come

It's the end of semester, it's finally heating up and sandal weather is upon us. 

The season of iced tea and lemonade, markets and music festivals, late night swims and ice-cream. What am I talking about? It's always the season for ice-cream... 

 When looking for, I hate to say it but, inspriation for the summer months, I always tend to go three ways.
1. Old school: Brigette Bardot, Jane Birkin, Audrey Hepburn etc
Unoriginal, I know, but simple yet effective. If only I had BB's hair.  

2. Monochrome: Not only summer, this is an all year, all time favourite. I call it chic, but it's really just a lack of creativity. 

 3. Hippie luxe: Check back Wednesday and you'll get it. Also Kate Moss and Bosworth at festivals. Love heart eyed emoji. 

 

I'm clearly hoping to break out in some gingham also.

Photos sourced from vogue.com, Haper's Bazaar, Harper and Harley, pop sugar, pinterest.com