Changing Seasons

Hello my friends and followers, we have completed one month of winter here in the southern hemisphere and although Mother Nature isn’t changing seasons, change is still in the air.

The time has come for final post.

I have not come to this decision easily because there are many of you that I genuinely like and feel that I have been blessed by having you all in my life for this season. However, I just don’t feel that I have the drive to continue giving at the level I have to date and it’s not my style to just mess around with an occasional post.

There hasn’t been time for me to enjoy a good fashion mag for a couple of months and I haven’t read a proper book for ages.

Writing this blog has helped me learn a great deal about myself and shown me that even at darn close to 50 I can still embrace my individual style.

So to close out my time and as time goes…bye!

Closing Night

If you want to stay in touch please feel free to email me at astimegoesbuy@hotmail.com

You will all spend many more seasons in my heart.

Cheers,

Laura

Oh My Sole!

Yes, I can spell. I really do mean oh my sole!

A little over a month ago I read about this online site called “Shoes of Prey”. As you can imagine, they had me when they included “shoes” in the title. So I thought I would check it out and see what all the fuss was about.

Again I say “Oh My Sole”!

Within a couple of days I had taken the time to sit and create a pair of shoes that I had envisioned in my mind. Yesterday, my dream shoes arrived on my door-step! I’m so excited about how amazing they are that I can’t even wait to put them together with an outfit to show them to you. I had to take pictures as I worked my way into the box!

One thing you should know…this is NOT a paid article. I loved the concept and wanted to check it out both for my passion of shoes and to share openly with you. So my totally amazing, new shoes were bought…by me…at full price. AND, I’m so in love with them that this may be the way I buy most if not all my shoes in the future.

I love the concept of going online, picking a basic style and then customizing it in every way from heel height to what material is used for each part of the shoe and all the shoe accessories that can be added. You know there is something empowering about creating a shoe and knowing that no-one else is going to have the same pair. Well at least in my world there is.

While you are selecting materials a drawing/image of the shoe modifies so you can actually see what you are creating in a 360 degree view.

My Shoes of Prey

A Beautiful Black box from Shoes of Prey

An actual photo of what I hoped was inside

Now these are some serious oxfords!

On Friday of last week, I received an email to let me know my shoes had shipped and the email included a photo. So naturally I became even more excited. Then nervous.

What if they didn’t fit properly or if I didn’t like them?!

On Monday the post office box held a pick-up package slip. I knew it had to be the shoes but I got home too late to get to the post office and had to wait until Tuesday. Tuesday on my way home from work I stopped at the post office, came home, got the camera and began opening the box.

Everything was beautifully packaged and there was an envelope containing a copy of the photo of my shoes.

They are stunning…and they fit!

I modeled them for the Fashion Mister. He thought they were definitely shouting my personality so he has promised to take photos of them and me this weekend.

Right now, I am just over the moon and oh so happy with my sole!

Not to mention, I am dying to know what you all think? Please tell. Would love to hear your styling suggestions.

Pretty sure I will be wearing these to the Friday Shoe-down at Cafe Cornucopia!

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How to Wear Rose Prints – Casual

Another in the ongoing series of How to Wear. Today it is How to Wear Rose Prints – Casual. Of course, it also works with our Rose Month Theme!

This is actually what I wore for the weekend outing to Clunes with the Fashion Mister. The outfit yesterday was after a quick change…in the car…behind a building! Decided to try to take advantage of the sun and get a couple looks photographed. Which meant really pretending I was a model and changing very slyly while trying not to freeze to death because of the cold! The Fashion Mister was good enough to go play look-out for me. Not that I think we had a plan of what to do should anyone actually come our way.

Blue Accessories

Accessories for Blue Rose Print

Casual Rose Print Look

Relaxed Rose Print

Country Store Rose

Rose Print – Casual or Professional?

Blue Roses

A Casual Rose Print

How to Wear Rose Prints – Casual

The Look: Pretty sure you have seen all of these pieces before, just never all together. Hopefully this is a little more proof that my wardrobe is NOT that huge and that I do a fair amount of mixing and matching. You’ll remember that the skirt was an op-shop buy and I love that not only is it a blue rose print but that it is a white denim skirt…classic! The shirt is a short-sleeved denim shirt that I DIY beaded the placket to give it some personality last year, and the jacket is the one I purchased from H & M a couple of years ago that I honestly wear ALL the time. So none of the core pieces are new.

The Accessories: It’s autumn and it’s cold but I have 20 something pairs of open-toe shoes so my go to trick, wear them with tights! In this case I really played up the contrast by having the grey ribbed tights with the electric blue cork-heeled wedges. The big white shell earrings and a mix of blue, silver and white jewelry keep everything working together. Then the old stand-by handbag – the classic black quilted bag.

By the way, it’s just over two months until I head to Hong Kong for my birthday and splurge on a Chanel quilted handbag! But who’s counting!!

 

 

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Autumn Rose…Sweater

Well, that’s the colour of the sweater, autumn rose.

A little bit of sunshine means it’s mandatory to gt outside and get some photos. So the Fashion Mister and I drove out to Clunes to take advantage of some of the lovely old historic buildings as a back-drop for this photo-shoot before stopping at a cafe for lunch.

It’s a little modern, a little retro and all about the autumnal colours.

Visiting Historic Clunes

History Repeating

Autumn Rose

Vintage Layers

Finding the Sun

Looking a little Retro

Which era is this look from?

Many layers of Vintage

The Look: This look not only has layers but it also has layers of pieces from or inspired by different decades! At the core, 80s bronze coloured skinny pants – just a little disco. On top a vintage argyle sweater. It looks like it could be from any number of decades but the beading really made me think 40s. It’s probably far more recent than that but because I purchased it from my favourite op-shop, I’ll pretend it has been around a lot longer.

Autumn Rose Sweater

Finding the Sun

Bronze coloured pants and leopard print shoes!

Accessories – Autumn Rose

Classic vintage Accessories

The Accessories: Continuing with the many decades theme, I have my red/burgundy 20s-40s style cloche hat. My 50s alligator skin handbag (my first Australian Vintage purchase from years ago), and my 50s inspired Diane Ferrari leopard print kitten-heel pumps.

With the shine and sparkle of the pants and the beading on the sweater, I really didn’t need a lot of jewelry so a few bangles and classic charm bracelet finish off the look.

I’m dying to know what you all think? Is it too much for a winter weekend? Has this autumn rose bloomed and faded?

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Everything’s Coming Up Roses

If only everything WERE coming up roses! Unfortunately, it’s just too cold for that. It may not be officially winter here in the Southern Hemisphere, but it sure feels like it is!

Which is why, I am bundled up and trying to stay warm in today’s look. The Fashion Mister and I didn’t even venture far from home. I was trying to think of somewhere we could get a few pics and it seemed the white wall of Sunny Crust Bakery was as good as any on this chilly day. And as it’s only a kilometer from our house we were able to get back inside next to the fire pretty quickly.

Winter Layers and Cool Accessories

Winter Accessories

Wrapped Up in a Blanket style Cardigan

Tribal Inspired Long Cardigan

Weekend Warmer

Grey Winter Day

Layered Up

Wearing Warm Layers

Trying to stay Warm

The Look: Ballarat has a bad rap in Australia for being cold. But it is deserved to some degree. It can be very cold in the winter, however we rarely get snow and I have never seen it stick for more than an hour so it certainly could be worse. However, because the wind can from the cold south, it is important to wear layers. In fact, moving to Ballarat is part of the reason I have two drawers full of scarves!

This is one of my classic weekend looks. Jeans (from Just Jeans purchased at the op-shop for $6), white long-sleeved thermal shirt (purchased a few years ago from Wal-Mart, while in the US, cost $3 on sale). A BIG, and most importantly, WARM tribal rug inspired cardigan, (purchased last year from Sussan).

The Accessories: I’m wearing my black ankle boots with the silver studs at the back. One of about three black winter scarves I own. A really cool big silver bracelet that I purchased from a little gift shop in Beaufort for like $15. My white watch and big white shell earrings. Besides using a scarf to keep my neck warm in the winter it is a great way to finish an outfit if you don’t have the right necklace. Which is why I also own so many light scarves that I can wear in the warmer months.

Even though everything’s NOT coming up roses. I still had a nice relaxing day.

What are some of your go to items for the weekend?

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Rose Print Jeans Inspiration

There was a time when you couldn’t have paid me to wear a pair of rose print jeans. Now, I find them inspirational! Granted, you have to be careful how you wear them because for those of us whose backside is not our best-side it can get pretty ugly.

I find I feel most comfortable with a print on my pants if I have a loose shirt or big sweater on to cover most (if not all) of my backside. What I really like about a rose print pair of jeans…especially skinny jeans, is that you then have so many options for a top and shoes. You can keep it subtle or bring on the blooming colour!

Here are some pairs of rose print jeans that I would love to have hanging in my wardrobe.

My favourites? Loving the big red rose print and the small black and white print, but also wishing I had the ones with the black background and the bright blue roses. Those would be fun to wear!

And certainly would be inspiring.

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Meet My Favourite Australian Rose

Well, she is certainly one of my favourite Australian Rose’s. Ruby Rose Langenheim (born 20 March 1986), better known as Ruby Rose, is an Australian model, television presenter, MTV VJ and recording artist.

There is something about this Rose that I truly admire. Perhaps her beauty, edgy style or extensive ink. Probably all of those!

If you don’t know her, I have provided tons of photos for you to see more about her.

Enjoy meeting my favourite Australian Rose.

Ruby!

The Beautiful Australian Rose…Ruby Rose

This one is probably my favourite photo. She is gorgeous, her look is fantastic and it almost makes me want to cut all my hair off and get more tattoos!

The Beautiful Australian Rose…Ruby Rose

What do you all think of my favourite Australian Rose?

 

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How to Dress For Work to Drinks

It’s that time again. Yes, a helpful how to!

Even though I know June is Rose Month, there are no roses in this post. It really is about how to dress for work to drinks occasions. It can be tricky. You have to be at work all day but you are heading out for drinks after work. How do you balance the “day-time professional” with the “give the girl a drink”?

It could so easily go wrong.

Here’s one way to go about it.

9 to 5 and beyond

What to Wear for Work Drinks

Accessories from Work to Drinks

How to Dress from Work to Drinks

What to wear to work

How to Dress for Work to Drinks

Catch the Morning Train

From work to after

The Look: I have to thank Tricia from my favourite op shop. She sold me this skirt and shirt, and she was also the lady that sold me my fantastic Louis Vuitton wallet. The skirt is by “Wish” and is a classic pencil skirt with a twist. Classic in that it is dark grey pin-striped flannel and a twist in the ruffle that runs down the length of it. You know I describe myself as “classic with a twist” which made this skirt a perfect match for me. I have purchased a couple of silvery-grey shirts from the op shop over the past year but neither of them have been quite right and have found their way on to a friends wardrobe or back to the op shop. This one will have a long-standing spot in my wardrobe! It’s got just the right amount of sparkle and bling going on and is a classic t-shirt cut which makes it crazy comfortable and versatile. The black shrug is from Target and was very reasonably priced. So much so that I am sure after two years it has cost me less than 5 cents per wear.

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The Accessories: I have continued with the black and silver/grey theme with the accessories. After purchasing a couple of fantastic pairs of tights while in Spain, I have become quite hooked on tights for the cooler weather. So first priority with a skirt…tights! I like the kind of crochet effect of this grey pair. They are both vintage inspired and modern at the same time. To really amp up the modern I have paired them with my favourite black open-toe wedges. If you remember from this post, it really is okay to wear socks/tights with open-toe shoes…if you do it properly!

Working our way up…the classic black handbag, black and silver bracelets, a necklace with pearls and chains interwoven, tri-colour pearl earrings.

All fairly simple and straight forward. However when worn together I think it makes for a great look that will transition from work appropriate to after-work drinks and look just as fantastic in either place.

What do you think? Is this a good option for how to dress for work to drinks? Or am I just dreaming?

 

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How to Wear Rose Print and Not Look Like a Granny

June, rose month. But that doesn’t mean we have to be all sweet or dress like a granny…even if you are one! My mission, how to wear rose print and not look like a granny. Actually, everyday my mission is to not look like a granny but today I have made it more difficult by wearing a rose print skirt.

This weather ain’t rosy!

How to wear a rose print and not look like a granny

Dark Roses

How to wear a rose print skirt

A Tough Edge to a Rose Print

Rose Print Skirt

Not your grandma’s rose print

The Look: You may remember this Asos skirt from Dark Romance. I loved it then for its dark and moody rose print and I still love for that same reason. It’s just not girlie or granny. Two g’s I’m happy not to be. So of course I had to continue mixing the feminine with the tough. A feminine pale blush pink peplum top and my well-loved black leather bikers jacket.

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The Accessories: Continuing the theme into the accessories was pretty easy. I have a multi-strand necklace that is a mix of pearls and chains. Add in some pearl earrings with multiple colours, silver and black bracelets and black ankle boots with silver studs on the back for more edge. Finished off with my black quilted bag (because I am now less than three months away from replacing it with a Chanel!).

As you can see, the weather is pretty miserable just to add to the mood of the photos. A special thanks to Mother Nature for giving a little sun after the photo shoot.

I certainly think I managed to wear rose print and not look like a granny. What do you think? Granny or Glam?

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3 Happy Hens and 1 Happy Chook

Every time I drive down to Geelong I pass an egg farm called “Happy Hens” and when I see those 3 Happy Hens out front I become 1 Happy Chook. For my northern hemisphere friends…Aussie’s call chickens – chooks, but it’s also a bit of a name used for mature aged women. Sometimes as a term of endearment, and sometimes a little derogatory.

I don’t mind being a chook.

So this last Sunday we planned to meet some friends from Ocean Grove at the Hotel in Batesford for lunch. It’s about a 40 minute drive for both of us, so perfect for a Sunday outing. Two other great reasons to meet there? The food is pretty darn good for a pub and we get to drive by the Happy Hens. On this day, I made sure I had the camera and that we left a little early so I could stop for a photo shoot with the girls.

Dancing with the Happy Hens

One Happy Chook

Hen worthy Accessories?

Hanging with the Happy Hens

The Accessories

Dressed for Country Living?

Having Fun with the Hens

Happy Hens and Happy Chook

The Look: Above all else, priority was to be wearing a smile. Which was easy because I always think the Happy Hens look like they are doing the Macarana! Next, the weather is cooling so layers and we were going to be spending some time in the car and sitting at a restaurant so comfort. I love the black vintage dress with polka-dots purchased from Lost & Found and it makes a great starting point to layering a look with a bit of red.

First the dress, then black leggings for warmth. A red cardigan for colour and warmth. Decisions between the black cowboy boots and the red…red usually win! Belt the cardigan to give myself some shape, then add a black and white scarf, a red poodle pin purchased at the Love Vintage Show last weekend, a little black and silver wrist bling and a classic black handbag!

Perfect look for Sunday lunch with friends and for celebrating with the 3 Happy Hens!

Which is why I am 1 Happy Chook!

What do you think of my look? To scrambled? Or does it show the sunny side up?

 

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