T’was the first of Movember...

Movember 2011 started today ladies and gentleman, and once again I will be attempting to grow myself some semblance of an moustache, while raising money for the Movember charity. You can donate and support my Mo’s progress be clicking here, or by following the link in the toolbar, and following the instructions.

I have notoriously weak facial hair. My Scandinavian blood on my father’s side dictates that I’m about as hirsute as a Ken doll, and lucky to have the hair that I do! I like taking part in this fund-raiser because it deals with issues I’m personally familiar with in an entertaining way, and above all else it represents a real challenge to me. In the several years I’ve been taking part, I don’t think I’ve ever actually managed to grow what you could classify as a Moustache, and I always wind up looking like one of those 15 year-old kids you see at the mall, who is clearly pretty fucking pleased with the fact he’s got hair on his upper lip... Never mind the fact that it looks like shit; he feels like a man now, and he is going to let that sad little lip-garden sit there and gain notoriety.

God! Puberty, aren’t we all glad that bullshit is behind us?

So, once again, I’m taking part in Movember and I’m not taking it too seriously. I’d love you to sponsor me in my endeavours to see if I can out do myself and grow something that actually looks like a moustache, and the worthy causes that I’ll be supporting by association. I’m setting myself a goal of $300, but really, any money raised is better than none.

Today’s ensemble was:
checked Herringbone Tweed Blazer – a thrifted gift from my mum
blue and white checked Shirt with French cuffs – T.M. Lewin, thrifted
navy silk Tie with embroidered boots and saddles – thrifted
goldtone Cuff Links and Tie Clip – gifted from my other mother
brown leather Belt – Country Road
bootcut Jeans in ‘Grant’ style – Lee, from eBay
brown laser-cut Leather Shoes – Raphael Steffens, from Carmen Steffen’s boutique

Xx

After the Wedding:

<p>So as I mentioned, I was away this weekend at a friend's wedding in Sydney. The weather could not have been better, with balmy days and cool evenings, and while we stayed in an unfamiliar area of Sydney and I didn't get to haunt Chinatown like the Gui Lao I am, I still had a really nice time<p/>

<p>You may have caught me whinging on Twitter about the fact that I had nothing to wear to the wedding because I'm too fat for all my Suits now. Well, here is the ensemble I wore to the wedding, featuring a purpose-purchased new suit:
new two-piece light grey Merino Suit - Oxford
blue and white fine-striped Shirt - T.M Lewin, eBay
black leather Belt - Raphael Steffens from Carmen Steffens boutique
black leather Loafers with buckle detail - Raphael Steffens
black leather fold over Clutch - thrifted
crystal embellished Octopus Ring - Etsy<p/>

<p>Xx<p/>

Weekend Away:

The Boyfriend and I are off to Sydney today for a wedding tomorrow afternoon.

We're staying somewhere on the North Shore, and I am harbouring hopes that we may be able to make it to Adriano Zumbo's Manly Patisserie, though most likely we just won't have time. It's a very short and sweet trip, and while we have Monday off work, we've got a post wedding BBQ to attend before rushing home in time for work on Tuesday! I'll be posting about all the excitement of the weekend and of course, the fashions from the wedding, on Monday evening.

Until Monday, have an amazing weekend everyone, and be sure to check out and comment on my previous post 'Philosophically Speaking', if you haven't yet already.

Xx

Philosophically Speaking:

I have been thinking a lot about Fashion lately, well, for the past couple of years really, and it strikes me that if I am doing all this thinking, I might as well put it into the Blog and see if I can generate some sort of discussion. You see, I like talking about things – I like exploring and learning about them, and pulling them apart and learning about what makes them tick and seeing if I can put them back together in another way. Fashion, to me, is endlessly open to this sort of thing. So, until my Blog turns 4 in 2012, I’m going to post regular discussion topic here at Ink & Leather, to try and get people talking about these things with me.

I love clothes and magazines and dressing up and taking photos of myself, but I am not delusional. At best I believe that I have a functioning sense of style that enables me to generally make sure that I am not getting about looking like I’m colour blind or vision impaired. However, I also have a rather bizarre sense of what looks good, and I don’t generally agree with a lot of what I see coming down the catwalk. I’m also prone to making blanket statements and refusing to budge when I’ve made up my mind about something. This combination of factors can make for really interesting conversation, or really tedious arguments and sometimes openly offensive comments.

Come what may, I can promise you lively debate regarding a whole slew of Fashion-centric topics.

I have taken a somewhat lofty liberty in naming this segment Philosophically Speaking. I am not claiming to know a great deal about Philosophy, modern or present, and I am certainly not saying that I am a philosopher! The logic behind the name is that I want the segment to be about getting us all talking about fashion in a more lofty sort of way, focusing less on immediate circumstances or trying to fix or change something, and instead looking at ideas and thoughts and feelings about fashion. Basically, I want us to take a step back from taking fashion so bloody seriously, and to enjoy it a little more.

To start us off, I thought I’d share some of my more controversial* thoughts and theories about Fashion in general, to get this party started and encourage a dialogue, so here we go...I don’t understand why a lot of apparently fashionable people are considered to be so. Kanye West? Alexa Chung? I just don’t get it.I think that there are ethically sound ways of wearing fur and leather.I am a closeted Bogan and I live in my Ug Boots 70% of the year.

Discuss!

Xx

*I am aware that saying my own thoughts are controversial is incredibly gauche, but I spent 30 minutes working on that sentence and in the end I decided “Fuck it! This Blog was built on self-indulgence!”

Ink & Leather loves Lady Melbourne:

I'd like to dedicate today's post to congratulating the delightful and amazing Lady Melbourne on her upcoming 1000th Blog post! What an awesome achievement. I know she is celebrating tonight in Melbourne (and I cannot wait to see the pics), but I wanted to do a little something here on my Blog to pay homage to Lady M, and I guess to say thank you for having been such a wonderful influence on myself and so many other Bloggers just starting out.

I remember the first time I met Phoebe, we were at a Nuffnang hosted Bloggers meet up at Federation square, and I remember being all awkward and stuff because I was (and still am) this giant dork from Canberra with a pretty confused personal style Blog, and Phoebe made a point of coming over and introducing herself and having a chat to me about my Blog... I felt like I was meeting this enormous celebrity. And I was. I'd always been a fan of her Blog, but I guess I just sort of never imagined I'd meet her.

I've always looked up to you Lady M, and I'm so grateful you're out there, kicking arse and taking names and all the while embodying everything it means to be a Lady! Congratulations on 1,000 Posts, and here's to an equally successful 1,000 more!

Today I was wearing:
navy blue new wool Blazer with brass detailing - Hugo Boss, thrifted
light blue Oxford Shirt - Polo Ralph Lauren, thrifted
hand carved bone skull beaded Prayer Necklace - Etsy
brown leather Belt - Country Road
dirty wash bootcut Jeans - LRG, via Karmaloop.com
laser-cut brown leather Shoes - Raphael Steffens, from Carmen Steffens boutique

Xx

After the Storm:

After yesterday's freak out and the resulting crazy, today I felt a lot better off, and much more in control of things. I had a productive day at work, managed to pull this ensemble together, and in the afternoon received a call asking me to attend an interview next week. It was a huge turn around from the day before!

Today I decided to wear:
thin black cotton V-neck - Fluxus, purchased in Melbourne
grey collared Tank - MunkeyBusiness, Newtown Sydney
two piece 'Fragments' Ring - Drown
black leather Belt - Jag
light wash bootcut Jeans - Industrie, thrifted
black leather Chelsea Boots - Country Road

I love this Ring/s, which had to be custom made in my size. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to buy them, and the delightful Alicia was very accommodating in creating this piece for me. I love how it looks different from different angles - sometimes the shards seem to disappear all together, and sometimes the look almost opaque. The only thing that could have made the whole look better today was one of the matching necklaces... I'll have to see how I'm faring next payday I believe!

Xx

Springtime in Canberra:

It is starting to feel a lot like Spring here in Canberra, which for most means a buzzing sense of joy that, very soon, Summer will be here. Not so for yours truly. I abhor the heat, being in the sun, and perspiration. For me the Australian Summer is an exercise in how best to struggle through without being reduced to a blithering, drenched puddle of hysterics. It rarely works out in my favour. As the season is changing, however, I decided to make the most of it and brought out this exceptionally light-weight 80's Blazer that I thrifted from the women's section (I have since removed the colossal shoulder pads!).

Today I'm wearing:

taupe poly-cotton Blazer with cross-hatching detail - thrifted, Salvos Queenbyane

grey marle T-shirt - Calvin Klein Jeans

religious medals Necklace - Made by Me

striped canvas Belt - Country Road

dirty-wash bootcut Jeans - LRG from Karmaloop

suede driving Loafers - Raphael Steffens from Carmen Steffens boutique

I had a fairly unpleasant start to the morning, when I learned that I did not get a job that I applied for. It would have been a fantastic position, but clearly they were looking for something else. Turns out, I really was as well. After a mild breakdown and an hour of vicious scribbling in my note book, I came to a decision: I want to go and study fashion design, and I've been lying to myself about this for some reason. So,I called the bank, shuffled some money around, and I'm putting in an application as I type this now.

Wish me luck...

Xx