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There's so much to write about in terms of my outfit today; it's one of those looks where I combined as much colour and pattern as I could just for the fun of it. My mint green heels are one of my most recent bargains and such a fantastic find. I adore the colour and I've been searching for shoes with a clear side panel for quite some time now. I saw them from Target and fell in love with them instantly. I was so
surprised to find such amazing shoes in Target but then I realised that Target, in terms of fashion, has been a lot better than usual this year. With the introduction of the Gok collection, there have been many dresses, shoes and accessories I've liked in recent times. Upon wearing my new mint green heels to work the next day, I received so many compliments! I was so happy and felt touched when my dear friend from work later purchased the same shoes in the other colour. My 'Dream a Little Dream' Cardigan is from my wishlist which I posted here. I bought it during the week in which it was part of the 50% sale at Alannah Hill (just the right time since it's now selling for substantially more than I paid for it). The sweet little neck tie is a lovely detail, the embroidery is pretty and I adore the metallic flower applique (I just wish the little flowers were sewn on more tightly). I've seen the 'Bring Me Flowers Skirt' on a couple of other blogs before (I think maybe Alannah Hill made a dress in this print too?). I found it on ebay and I was rather pleased to secure myself a special discounted piece. I love the colour scheme; there are a myriad of cardigans and tops I can pair it with. I loved the idea of wearing double florals in this look, can there ever be too many florals? No. Of course I incorporated into this look, the pride and joy of my Guess bag collection which I posted here. I like how complete my outfit feels when I include a Guess bag. The colour scheme is so unique and exciting! The addition of my yellow hair flower is somewhat random but why not? It's consistent with my recent love of yellow.
The Christmas holidays sure are close now (seriously, how did that happen?) I'm at work until half way through Christmas Eve. It's quite a different experience for me. Since With all my many years of being a student, I would have already been on holidays for about a month by now. But that got very boring and, at times depressing, so I prefer being at work. Keeping busy is much better for me. I was much more organised with my shopping for the holiday season this year. Instead of being so last minute, I have completely finished and don't have to tackle the shops this weekend (the one time of the year when tackle and shops should be used in the same sentence). I know I'm crazy for saying this but I'm actually going to miss work during my nine day break. It's changed my life that much; meeting the most amazing people and having something productive to do during the day. The highlight of the holiday season so far has been attending so many work social events and being treated with such kindness and generosity by my co-workers. I've had the best couple of weeks and I am so grateful in every possible way.
LOL:
Alannah Hill 'Bring Me Flowers' Skirt
Alannah Hill 'Dream A Little Dream' Cardigan
Kmart Hair Flower
Guess Bag
Target Mint Heels
Butterfly Foundation Hope keyring via Sportsgirl
Pandora Bracelet
Photos from: What I Wore Wednesday, Love Your Look, Style Sessions
As you probably know by now, yellow how become one of my absolute favourite colours this year. It's so bright and happy; I can't get enough of it! When Review released this dress a number of months ago I fell in love with it instantly; the combination of lace and yellow is a dream. I admired it endlessly; every time I walked through the shops or browsed online, the temptation to buy it was very strong. But I waited and finally I noticed it on sale. I bought it earlier this weekend for less than 50% of the original price. How exciting. It's a great time of year to wear such a dress (I've have so many work social events for the holiday season lately that I've needed dressy outfits to wear). I'm sure I'll wear this dress on either Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Years. I love it so much. I was thinking about what to wear with this dress and I decided to go for an all yellow look. The shoes have made a number of appearances of my blog and I can definitely say that, in the year I've had them (they were a Christmas present from my sister last Christmas), they have been my most popular/most complimented piece. I've certainly had a lot of wear from them. I thought the look provided a somewhat blank canvas for the imposition of my rainbow clutch bag. I'm happy with the way it looks against yellow.
As the year is drawing to a close, I find myself reflecting on the myriad of changes that occurred in 2013. I'd describe the year as one of both incredible highs and incredible lows. The most life changing experience was, of course, my first six months in the workforce. I've done three different jobs this year and I'm greatful for the skills that I learned at each one of them. It was heartbreaking when I left my previous job which I worte about here. I was devastated and felt like my whole world fell apart and it still somewhat impacts me today. But I'm appreciative of what I learned. It was a stressful demanding job and I proved myself. For the first time in many years I was incredibly motivated to learn. I took the job extremely seriously, stayed back late most days and performed tasks well outside my comfort zone. I made progress with my anxieties and showed myself that I'm capable of much more than I think I am. I used to think my fears were so bad that I'd never handle a job, but, that wasn't the case at all.
After leaving that job all I wanted to do was lie in bed and cry. It wouldn't have taken much for me to fall back into a deep depression. But somehow I surprised myself and found the strength to start again and dedicate myself to the job I'm currently at now. I learned how unpredictable life can be. I've mentioned before that I love my current job. It provides a better work-life balance, I appreciate the workplace environment and I've met some of the best friends of my life. In a competitive job market I feel especially lucky to have a legal job in a large dynamic wokforce with a fun workplace culture. Who would have thought? I'm actually much better off having left my last job because I enjoy my current job a lot better. I'm happy with the way my professional life turned out this year.
I've overcome some anxities this year which is a significant personal achievement but I still feel like I have a long way to go. Conversely my most difficult battle this year has been my continued struggle with depression which, at many intervals, has become a lot worse. There are a number of personal reasons for this which I shouldn't go into but I've certainly reached some unprecedented lows. I'll continue working on it. That leads me to the topic of overspending. I'm sure it's pretty obvious that I have a huge amount of clothes, shoes and accessories. I seem to be purchasing new items all the time. That's not because I have a lot of money, it's because I'm addicted to spending money in an attempt to make myself feel better. I spend when I'm sad, depressed, lonely or bored etc; sometimes I just want to fill the gaping void in my sole. I'm desperate for some happiness when I feel like a worthless loser so looking good in a new dress provides me with that (even though it's temporary and then the need to spend sparks up again). I've borrowed money to buy clothes and I've prioritised clothes above legitimate expenses. I feel like a terrible person. I can't afford my lifestyle and I'll never get anywhere if I continue down this path. I'm writing about this because I want to be honest- I've identified a problem and it's now time to address it. My main goal for 2014 is to stop spending so much money, to implement a minimal clothing budget and to find healthier ways of dealing with my problems instead of reaching for my visa card whenever I feel sad.
I can't believe it's only ten days until Christmas. This year will be pretty different for me because I'm working right up until the 24th of December (quite the opposite of being a student with seemingly endless holidays around this time of year). But I'm ok with that. It's better for me to keep busy.
Review Vivie Dress
Zu Shoes
Gloss Hair Flower
Forever New Rainbow Clutch
Linking to: What I Wore, Love Your Look, Style Sessions, What I Wore Wednesday, Monday Mingle
I love the Alice and Olivia 2014 Resort Collection. Here are a few of my favourite looks. The best outfit, in my opinion, is the red and white dress with the lips print (outfits don't come much better than that!) The blue and white lace dress, as well as the stripe crop top with the red flared skirt, come a close second. All the looks are gorgeous and I adore the beautiful backdrop. It is so pretty. I'm really impressed by Alice and Olivia lately; it's quickly becoming one of my most respected brands. I love the girly, classy and dressy look. The shoes used in this photoshoot remind me so much of a pair of heels which I have (the pair I posted here).
Photos from: Alice and Olivia Resort 2014 Collection
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I've been rather excited about posting this outfit since it features so many of my favourite pieces at the moment; the first outfit post after Christmas and the Boxing Day sales is one which I always look forward to. I will start with the bag. I received the Retro Embroidered Pearl Diamoned Lattice like Bag courtesy of OASAP two days before Christmas; that made it extra special since it seemed like a holiday gift from OASAP. As soon as I saw it, I was incredibly amazed and impressed by the quality and beauty of this bag. I've been searching for the perfect red bag for one time (it was the one colour missing from my bag collection and made it quite difficult when wearing red outfits) and this is it. As much as I adore my Guess bags, this bag is right up there as one of my favourite ever bags. The more i've used this bag, the more I've come to realise just how closely it resembles the red Lady Dior Handbag. The shape, structure and pattern are so similar. I often feel frustrated by replicas of designer items for various reasons but I love this Dior inspired bag. It's perfect for me. I love the classy pattern and the beautiful pearls. I really want to get this bag in both black and in white now. I must say that I have always been impressed by the quality and design of my products from OASAP. My beautiful dresses and bags have been such a joy to receive. 
