Nina Proudman "Love" Necklace - s4, ep1, by Tesori Trellini

Nina Proudman's necklace - season 4, episode 1.

The shorter necklace in the photo immediately below is from Tesori Bellini in Melbourne.

Nina's choice has the "Love" inscription, but Tesori Bellini also has "luck", "courage" and "wish" inscription alternatives. See photos below.

See anything you like?

The necklaces are plated in silver or gold and they are $79 each.

They are an old style for the brand, but due to Nina, they are being re-done. 

You can pre-order by placing a 50% deposit. Details here.

They also distribute other brands like Samantha Wills and Mezi. 

I dont like wearing an identical item to a TV character. I have tracked down and bought my version of this....a Me & Ro short necklace with "Fearlessness" on one side & the same in sanskrit written on the other side of the plate pendant.
I bought the sterling silver version (I dont wear silver plate).

This piece is sponsored by Mariska Hargitay's Joyful Heart Foundation and proceeds go to help women in need. She has also released a vertical version which she wears in the current season of Law & Order. 

If you prefer the Tesori Bellini version, production turnaround is approx 6 weeks. Delivery within Australia is included in the price.

Note also that the TB store in Melbourne is closed for renovation until spring. 

Will you be buying this necklace?

What I Wore: A funeral suit which also goes to work

People always ask me what I consider to be the wardrobe essentials which should be in every woman's wardrobe.

I never answer this in terms of items of clothing. I answer it in  terms of occasions. So if that occasion came up, you have something to wear at a moment's notice. This means you need to have an outfit that will take you to cocktails/dinner, an outfit that will take you to a lunch with friends, outfits for work, outfits for being at home, outfits for running errands, outfits for sport, outfits for red carpet (yeah, right...hehehe) etc.  

The volume of clothes in each category or occasion is your next step - depending on your lifestyle. Obviously a stay at home mum will have a greater portion of home outfits & a smaller portion of work outfits than a corporate girl.  

Back to occasions.....the other outfit every woman needs is one for a funeral. 

I had to attend a funeral today.
For me that means something dark. It doesnt have to be black, just dark. And something suit-y - formal, although a dress (think LBD) could also have worked.

The jacket

A black Giorgio Armani super fine 120 wool. Single breasted, fully lined, moderate shoulder pads, covers the bum. Works all the time. 

STYLE TIP: Look for buttons at the cuffs which have faux button holes. A sign of a better quality garment than those without. Mind you, this makes it more costly to shorten the sleeve, but the look in the end is so much classier.

STYLE TIP: Dont put things in jacket pockets. Ever. That's what handbags are for. Leave them stitched up so the garment retains it shape and looks neat. 

The jacket is part of a suit which I bought about 5 years ago from the Martin Place store for a bomb - its skirt is fitted & flared at the knees with a million flippy bits. Unfortunately it wont fit me around the hips & tummy at the moment so I had to find an alternative skirt. You've probably noticed I am not big on pants unless they are casual or jeans.

STYLE TIP: The best way to make a matched suit out of unmatched separates (in the same colour) is to make one of them a knit. Since the knit has texture and depth, as long as it is in the same colour as the woven, it will work with the woven even if technically they are not matched.  

In contrast its very hard to exactly match two wovens in the same colour without looking like you are trying but didnt quite get there. 

Since I wanted the formality of a jacket (not a cardi) my knit had to be a skirt.

The skirt

A black Sonia Rykiel which you have met previously.
I adore the combination of super tight fit through the legs with a flippy skirt.

Also love the wide thick waist band - good for sucking in the tummy. 

I'd better get rid of the pilling before putting this away in the wardrobe.

The top

The trusty Coles Mix black scoop neck tee. $6.
No photograph required.

The scarf

This is navy & black Nina Ricci wool scarf which is an open spider weave type of knit. I bought it for $20 from Recycled Rags in Neutral Bay many years ago. It was $20 and had plenty of holes in it which I stitched up by threading black cotton in & out through the holes. 

The shape is a rectangle with curved edges. All the raw edges are sewn in, via piping in the same knit. the work on this baby is top notch. 

It has a gorgeous little red resin drop at one end with the brand name etched into it. 

The brooch

The brooch is probably my favourite thing of this outfit.
I bought it from the Giorgio Armani boutique in Sydney when it was where the Hermes boutique is currently, about 12 years ago. It was $300 & a steal. Its the perfect sparkly jet black Swarovski beads on a gunmetal grey round structure. I like having something sparkly which I can wear at the most somber of occasions without disrespecting the hosts. 

The shoes

These are Azzedine Alaia in a wool felt with a croc front trim.
I bought these pre-loved for < $300 from a pre loved store in Paddington which I no longer shop at. If you want to know why, just ask me on the FB page.

See you tomorrow when I wear brown jeans...

What I Wore: SIA wears ballet flats instead of loafers

Today I started with the jeans and added a cardi.
The rest if the outfit revolved around that twosome.

The jeans

Not Your Daughters Jeans in a washed mid blue.

The cardi

A black Rick Owens knit with long sleeves.

But, it can be worn upside down!

Wear me one way:

As a shawl collar knit.

There is something bizarre about this cardi - it is ridiculously slimming when worn in this way.
Its not a thick knit nor thin enough to cling to all your curves - but it sits just right to make you drop a dress size when you wear it.

Wear me another way:

As a large floppy lapel knit.

Turn me upside down & the front fabric that was previously below the armpits now becomes large floppy lapels. A bit boho, a bit messy, but still Owens cool. 

The aspect about it which allows it to be draped either way and not look like it is attacking me is a large hole in the back. A very clever detail. 

This is the back wearing it in a subtle shawl collar style & showing the hole.

This cardi came from ebay. Its a 2005 Rick Owens in a wool/nylon mix. I paid around $300 for it as I bought it 4 years after it was released. 

One other thing I love about it is the knit varies all over the garment. The sleeves are ribbed, the body is a pointelle (or a waffle weave) and the hem is a rib. 

The top

None of my What I Wore posts are complete without a Coles item.

The top is a Coles Mix white cami with a bronzey full length back zip.

I have about 10 of these as they were reduced to $6 at some stage. I also have quite a few black ones. Perfect layering pieces.

The scarf

In winter, I grab a scarf almost every day.

Today its a navy Epice - a French brand in 100% wool.
This brand is worth hunting down on line, both new & used on ebay.

They only use natural fibres, they weave well & their patterns are always different.

This one came from a Belinda sale for $90. I loved the pop of red along the edges. Knowing that would work with all my dark colours, I wouldnt have bought it without that.

STYLE TIP: Black & navy DO go together. Exceptionally well if the navy is a dark shade. If the navy is a light or bright version, then wear a print with any navy & black colours along with the navy and black item. Sweet. 

The necklaces

The long pieces are a Kaboodle fob watch ($35) and a Collette Dinnigan for Lovisa necklace (from $20 to $7) with semi precious beads.

The short piece is a mix of Lovisa charms and a green Isabel Marant charm on a sterling necklace.

The rings

My Bottega intercaccio and a $10 Lovisa blue swirly enamel ring.

The shoes

I decided to park the loafers today and go for ballet flats.
This is the only navy pair I have. They are over 10 years old (& I have an identical black pair). 

See you tomorrow...in a suit.

What I Wore: SIA does matchy matchy sweater & scarf

Let's get this straight.

I have never in my life worn anything tight. Ever.
Everything either skims or is loose. The looser the better I feel. I dont do tight. If in doubt, I always go up a size, never down.

Having gained some weight of late, some pieces are getting tighter & perhaps even tight. 

Panic city. But not enough to exercise or change the diet in any material way & fight nature. Fighting nature is an uphill battle.

The only issue with weight gain for me isnt how I look or even the health side (bad, I know, some of my health nut readers will shake their heads). Its that I cant fit into my clothes. The beautiful clothes that I love & I buy to have forever. That's the tragedy.

Case in point: My Sonia Rykiel striped sweater.

The sweater

  

Sonia has been doing rainbow stripes on everything from accessories to clothes for a gazillion years. The shades vary & most of the time she alternates with with black to white/cream. Its her trademark.

Here are some examples...

Love this tee from her main line

A scarf from her diffusion range, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel -  her main line would never offer  such simple stripes. Her diffusion is always watered down (cheaper) in styling/fabric compared to the main line & that's what makes it cheaper.

Her Enfant range

A collaboration with H&M a few years ago

I have found that most of her rainbows are warm toned so I tended to stay away...you know, lots of mustards, yellows, oranges, corals, turquoises, bright orangey reds etc. Hospital colours. I'm more into the burgendies, fuschias, cobalts and forest greens. 

Then one day many years ago I did a David Jones pre-sell (where they show you the imports in a private viewing & you can buy away from the public space) and this sweater popped up. 

It had mostly cool colours. My colours. Magic.

She puts a marker on her main line peices, sometimes a diamante, sometimes a plate, sometimes a ball. 

& the more magic part was there was a matching scarf. Double magic.

I had to buy. Simply had to.

A week later I was in Hong Kong & the same collection which had only just arrived in Sydney, had been on the floor for a couple of months & was reduced by 50%.  I was at the SR boutique in the Landmark building on the island. It was like XMAS. They didnt have the sweater in my size but I did score the scarf and saved about $600, $500 in reduction & $100 in exchange rate. 

I was in HK for a week, punding the pavement & I only bought two things (& a stack of runway mags). The scarf was one of those things.

Back in David Jones, I returned the scarf, received a refund & all was good as I had still paid a bomb for the sweater anyway. 

Sweater worn again & again & again. 
It was a fine wool with 10% cashmere and would work under suits & with jeans. 

Scarf worn about half that time, but as I am a scarf girl, it was a terrific "in the coffin" purchase.

Well fast forward about 5 years & this thing called weight gain set in & it felt too tight for my liking. So I stalked ebay & found the next size up (French 42) & bought it for about $120. I sold the original for about $70 (crazy, huh?). 

SHOP TIP: If you're patient, most things come around again on ebay. If you're not patient, then dont even think about it. 

Fast forward another few years & I have grown out of the 42.
I couldnt be bothered looking for another one - frankly the longer the time from the original garment, the more chance there will be issues with the item (critter holes, stains, etc) - while that isnt a full proof reason not to look, its a contributing factor. 

STYLE TIP: The label says Dry Clean Only. For an unstructured knit in wool/cashmere, no way will I heed this instruction. Out comes the wool wash (or the shampoo), a few dips & swirls, gently squeeze out the water but dont wring, roll in a towel to take out the excess moisture & lay flat to dry. 

Recently I was looking at some photos of shirts under sweaters & the lightbulb moment hit.

The shirt

My What I Wore posts wouldn't be complete without a Coles mix item.

I grabbed a black cotton/elastene poplin shirt from last season & wore it under the sweater.

I wrote about these shirts when I found them....

http://styleintoaction.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/the-coles-mix-2012-gold-medal-find.html

These shirts were serious gold in quality & price. 

Sweater sleeves pulled up.

Shirt tails hanging out, front & back & front bottom two buttons open. 

Collar popped (you look taller with a popped collar).

The shirt smoothed over the lumps & bumps so the sweater wasnt hugging them, but merely sitting over them.

It worked.

I was happy to walk out of the house with this look.

The rings

Alexander McQueen skull enamel ring in stainless (& made in China).

Bottega intercaccio ring, I love thee more than life itself.


The jeans

A washed grey Not Your Daughters Jeans straight leg.
Any denim would have done the job here as it is the stripes that pop the outfit.

The shoes

A Tod's grey pump - a perfect work shoe.
Originally I bought the black, realised what a great shape they were for me & found another neutral to invest in.

As usual, love the pointy but round toe & the stacked heel.

It would have been alot easier to just grab a loafer, but since I was in an outfit that I had not worn in this way before, I wanted everything else to say "confident". For me, heels do this all the time.

Have I forgotten anything?

Oh yes, 

The scarf

An identical knit colour to the sweater but a slightly different weave so when the scarf hangs next to it, they look identical. Everything is thought through with brands like Rykiel and frankly that's one of the things you pay for. 

So we are talking matchy matchy but in a perfect meant to be kind of way.

Its so wonderful having colours that like your face near your face. 

I also love the way the sides are finished with a knit that looks like a fine hem...

I have taken the large Sonia Rykiel tag off the scarf. However the bronze "SR" plate remains. It is sewn on & is intended to stay on. 

STYLE TIP: Take all tags off your scarves when you wear them. They look so much better without those tags which are styled with the brand's logo in mind, but dont work in harmony with individual pieces made by the brand.  

Probably the only exception to this is Hermes scarves - I'd suggest to leave the tags on & tuck them in via the folding. Better resale value and the scarf which is a premium item, remains original.

The dilemma - 

Scarf hanging? or Scarf wrapped around neck? 

My fashion goals in life (Yes, I AM making this up as I go along) are (in no particular order):

1. Comfy
2. Wear only what I love
3. Exceptional fit
4. Quality fabric
5. Quality making
6. Flatter my complexion
7. Flatter my shape
8. Make me look taller (I love height).

Based on these criteria, which scarf placement did I choose?

Hanging?

or wrapped?

based on my goals - Hanging? or Wrapped?

& why?