Resort '14 - Sass & Bide

collection




There are three main reasons why I am such a huge Sass & Bide fan.

1) The clothing and accessories are totally wearable, perhaps not head-to-toe, but certainly individual pieces would fit in very well into any ordinary fashionista's wardrobe as part of normal everyday outfits, going out/special occasion clothes or even work attire.



2) Wearable does NOT equal boring or mundane or 'trend'-driven. Every collection features pieces that are uniquely Sass & Bide and also identifiable as such. Certain prints, certain materials and certain cuts are instantly, 'Oh, that's from Sass& Bide isn't it?' There is a certain allure to the pieces which is difficult to replicate. And I love that!





3) Sarah (sass) & Heidi (bide) are two gorgeous designers and inspiring women who are the best ambassadors for their brand, living a wild and free-spirited life while wearing the shit out of their own threads. They're never afraid to push the boundaries or try new things (check the giant ice-cream prop in this shoot!), and I just admire their outlook on life and their success so much!






This resort collection is super futuristic and super pared-back, nothing too fancy but at the same time so effortlessly graceful and strong too. As usual. This is a bold & beautiful translation of pre-Spring wear. I love the contrasts between black & white, and bronze & silver. Exquisite lace, prints and embellishments so signature of the Sass & Bide name appear throughout the collection with a fine balance between edginess & femininity.

Like I said above, these pieces could fit into anyone's wardrobes - there are casual knits & tailored shorts, pant suits & floor length gowns. Always a great range of clothes to pick from, and I've sure got my eye on a few pieces, especially that cute silver embellished t-shirt in the second last pic! :)

You guys can see a few more pics of the Sass & Bide resort over at fashionising.com, I posted most of them but not all. Enjoy this Sunday night inspo, and hope everyone is ready for the dreaded Monday tomorrow!

Night my lovelies,
Stace x x

Pictures courtesy of Sass & Bide


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All Black E'rrythang Y'all

outfits
Walking around Melbourne these days, things are a lot different to what I used to see. Trends like 'neon' knits, swirling graphic painted dresses, colour blocking and prints & patterns abound around me. But do you fellow Mebournians remember those days of all black everything? When black woolen coats and black skinny jeans and black shift dresses were all to be found as far as the eye could see?

Today's outfit post is an ode to the typical Melbourne black attire - hence the title of this post. I was trying to be a little gansta too...but let's face it I'm an Asian girl who studies classical music and drinks tea. Couldn't get much further from gansta than that!











Sportsgirl bomber jacket, jewelled tee & embossed scuba skirt (still online) | Tony Bianco wedge booties | Sistaco chandelier earrings | Pandora ring

Wearing all black isn't as simple as it sounds, though. It never is. Black outfits require depth and texture to carry off without looking like a funeral-goer or a goth. I picked up this outfit on the weekend - and it was unintentional but all three Sportsgirl pieces fit together so well! The jacket has an oriental style embroidery on it which matches the embossed 'scuba' material of the skirt, and the plastic jewels on the t-shirt add a little sparkle.

The earrings are from Sistaco, see my last post to find out what they're all about. It's affordable jewellery with a conscience. And I'm always trying to be conscious of what impact I have when I buy new material things.

I have a feeling this Winter is going to be another all black e'rrythang affair, despite my pledge to Black Out and where #anythingbutblack during Summer. Despite the fact that my wardobe is probably over 25% colour now, the sniffly-nose, frozen windscreen, bone-chilling wind mornings of Melbourne's Winter is slowly forcing me back into the black depths of my closet; we are creatures of habit, yes we are.

Ugh anyway I'm going to go sit next to the heater now and drink a cup of tea. Anyway, 'til next time.
I gotta bounce, catch ya later homie G.

(Sorry...)

x x Stace


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Sistaco


Awoke Monday morning to the sound of my friendly local postman ringing the doorbell. He dropped off this cute little brown paper package which felt heavy and jangled as I took it off him. Hmmm. Scrawled over the front was the following little motto:

Be Inspired.
Be Yourself.
Be Sistaco.



Sistaco is a jewellery label started in May 2011 - the name Sistaco came about after it was decided that the business wanted to support women, not just in Australia but in less fortunate countries as well. A company run by women, for women, means that a large part of the philosophy is to inspire women to be themselves and to be strong, independent and confident. This philosophy is not only met through the confidence women gain in wearing the product, but through education, inspiring stories and the knowledge that they are supporting something bigger than themselves.



After much deliberation, the first charity Sistaco is supporting is Awaken Mozambique, a ‘not for profit’ organisation that provides women in the African country of Mozambique the chance to realise their own dreams, by starting a business through micro-financing. Not only are the women assisted financially, but part of the package includes business education, teaching them techniques such as budgeting, purchasing and salaries.

I think that this is a beautiful philosophy for a brand to have! To check out what Sistaco has been doing with the ladies from Awaken Mozambique, check out the page on their website :)


Here are my three pieces from Sistaco that were in my package!

Also if you haven't already feel free to my Instagram to see how I wore the first piece I received. I can't wait to wear these gorgeous pieces in my upcoming outfit posts (which will happen I swear!). Exams are drawing to a close, I've only got my piano recital left next week. So expect a few more posts coming up.

Hope everyone's having a good week, and Happy Hump Day!

x x Stace

Shop Sistaco.


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Knots & Knits - interview with Megan Todd

interview
I first encountered the beautiful & talented Megan Todd, behind the fashion label Knots & Knits at the Tom Gunn Melbourne store launch last year! She had a few pretty clutches and bags on display along with the Tom Gunn shoes, and from then I was captivated by the process and ideas that Megan went through to create such unique pieces.



Megan crafts her art using needles as large as tent pegs and high visibility roping, the outcome is a vibrant mélange of colour and raw textures. Recently I've been seeing so many of her knitwear accessories floating around the blogosphere & internet, so I thought I'd catch up with her and introduce some of my readers to her wares. Megan was kind enough to agree to be interviewed so here it is - some insight into her life & her label knots&knits :)

***

S: What's the story behind knots & knits? How did it all start and where did you get your ideas from?

M: Knots & Knits all started, back when I was working in London in mid 2011. I never dreamed I would own my own label, however while I was working for Antipodium, I started to think of all the things I would do if I had my own label. By the time I was working for James Long (amazing knitwear designer), I knew I had to come home and start a business creating knitwear that was essentially me, combined with the concept of creating knitwear for Summer.



S: What is your current inspiration in terms of designing and creating?

M: I draw inspiration from all sorts of sources, it may be in music, or beautiful imagery, or colour and texture combined. At the moment I seem to be doing a lot of reading. I love reading biography's on incredibly successful people who seem to have the common thread of creating and doing things in the unconventional way in order to make an imprint in this world. I have just finished reading Grace Coddington's, Grace: A Memoir, and it was a brilliant source of inspiration - it was almost like a select history lesson on fashion editorial and photography from the early 60's to current. So I found myself researching and googling along the way - digging deeper into the history of fashion and moments that impacted the turn of a new age.

With the actual creating and designing, I think that comes down to me having an idea or vision of new designs, sourcing materials from everywhere I can, and then beginning to play with the concepts I've had in my head. Which always evolves into something more. I have to keep bringing myself back to the idea of "functionality" and not stray too far into unwearable territory.



S: What kind of girl is the knots&knits girl?

M: It's every kind of gal! I have customers who are 13 all the way up to the 70's. And I love that. I love that my bags do not exclude anyone due to their age, shape or size. They are accessible for all the beautiful women out there, who dare to swing a different kind of bag over their shoulder. I think we are all drawn to texture and uniqueness. I think in a world of increasing fast fashion and mass produced goods, we crave something a little more grounded - something that is hand made in Australia with lot's of good energy. So I think the Knots & Knits girl, is the one who appreciates that kind of creation.



S: What do you love the most about what you do?

M: I love that I work for myself, and I can spend all day every day completely creating. My world is filled with colour, whether I am knitting neon pink and papaya custom orders, from madly pinning and tumbling beautiful imagery, to choosing roping colours for the new range, I love that my world is filled with so much colour and texture. I think what I love most about what I do, is the complete freedom to be truly me and truly creative, and that people out there actually like it and respond to it. How lucky am I?



S: Do you have a motto or mantra in life?

M: Dream Big - "What you think, you become" (Buddha)
Also - I believe the secret to life is gratitude and happiness.

S: What was the last thing you bought?

M: 4 books online.



S: What are you working on now, and where do you see knots&knits in 5 years time?

M: I am currently wrapping up the existing range, and putting together the new range. Very excited for some fresh energy, with new colours and designs. A lot of sourcing has gone into the new range, so I hope people like it!

5 years? Well it's only been a year and half and I cannot believe where the label is already, so who knows! Definitely a studio space and some Knots & Knits employee's, travelling to further corners of the world to source amazing materials, branching into a lot more avenues of ladies (and maybe even men's) accessories - and of course, still doing custom orders, however turning this into a bigger practice!



***

What an inspiring lady!! I can only hope to find myself in a place where I can be as creative and fulfilled as Megan is, and I will definitely be watching out for where knots&knits goes in the future!

Megan's range of quirky, unique and beautiful knitwear accessories can be found on her knots&knits website. Other stockists include Alterior Motif + Molten Store + Rock & Royal.



I've promised myself that as soon as I get a full-time job one of the slouch bags such as the green one above will be mine! mine! mine!

Enjoy the pictures and definitely check out Megan's website as well as her instagram - find her @knotsandknits & also knots&knits on Facebook :)

Happy Monday...even though it's been cold & grey in Melbourne - *sigh*.

x Stace


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Wedge Sneakers III: Game On!

outfits

So I thought after a lady-like and a night time dressy interpretation of my JC wedge sneakers I'd finally get to the 'sport luxe' or sporty look that these sneakers were created for.

First things first: what is this 'sport luxe' trend popping up? Well my post a while ago about sneakers as fashion-wear was only the beginning. Sports clothing/gym gear is fast becoming much more than just an item of clothing - the line between fitness and fashion is definitely blurring. Women are taking their athletic wear from the treadmill to the street. From bright neon Nike trainers with dresses, to skin-tight compression pants, to sweater dresses, crop tops and even leather trackies! But far from being tomboy-ish and lazy - it's about being a little feminine about it, and more luxurious, more sleek.








Adidas tank, American Apparel chiffon skirt, Jeffrey Campbell sneakers, Unknown brand headband worn as necklace.

What do you guys think of this look? Obviously if I were to actually go out I'd tone the sportiness down a little - the headband-necklace thing was just a prop and I'd pop a blazer over the top of the tank. Overall I think it's a pretty basic look and you can mix 'n' match pieces too. For me, it's just a great excuse to feel totally comfortable - no stilettos, no super-tight jeans, no being restricted in button ups or zips or buckles. Just slip on clothes that make you look super-fit and cool :)

I'm pretty happy so far with my efforts to keep my wardrobe sustainable, ethical and environmental - the skirt is AA, a sweatshop free brand which has all it's garments made in LA, and the sneakers I bought secondhand.

By the way, I took these photos in the cold. Yes I did. Am I dedicated or what? Although I was running to and from the camera getting the self-timer right, so I felt pretty warm afterwards haha. And it's swotvac. The dreaded week of essays due, exam revision and general procrastination. Boo.

x x Stace



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