Why This Secondhand Skirt is Different (Aussie Curves)

This week's Aussie Curves theme is 'secondhand'. As somebody whose wardrobe is, I'd estimate, at least 70% secondhand, this week is EASY! A little too easy... *twinkle in eye*

This theme last cycle was actually my VERY FIRST participation in the Aussie Curves challenges, and I tackled a hectic phobia of wearing a body con dress.

I was also really inspired by Jacqui's entry of showing us 3 different pieces she owns, and why they're sentimental to her. And it got me thinking about what items of clothing I feel sentimental about. I mean, I inherently tend to over-attach myself to possessions anyway (perhaps the side effect of starting boarding school at the age of 6), but the love I feel for my clothes is NEK LEVEL.

Since my Nan passed away earlier this year I got a few things of hers, but (hilariously!) they are pieces of "fast fashion" from places I normally wouldn't even step inside of, like Millers and Supre. I don't expect they'll last very long, but i'm enjoying wearing them while they do.

So, i've been babbling a bit, but I guess I want to talk about this ASOS swing skirt that I bought from Jess West (aka Orange Jess, of "The Jess's") at the A+ Market a couple of months ago. Yes, it's also fast fashion, and there's nothing particularly excellent about this skirt - aside from it's awesome twirl, and gorgeous colour. But what IS special is that it kind of represents my newly acquired circle of babin' babe friends that i've made in the last 6 months.

Don't get me wrong, I love and cherish all of my friends from the very bottom of the heart, but never before have I had a circle of plus-size girlfriends (Sasha, Jan and Helen I still love you even though you're not fat). Until now! And it's so fricken awesome! This year, for the first time in my life, i've been swapping, borrowing and buying clothes with and from friends!

I talked a little bit in this plus-size pinup post about my phobia of having to share clothes with people because i've just never been close enough friends with anyone around my size. Well, not close enough to share clothes with. And now I have this whole circle of fierce babe friends with killer style! It's so exciting!

So, this one's for my luscious ladies - you know who you are ;)

"When a mummy and a daddy Birds of Paradise Flower love each other verrrry much..."

If I look like a flower, I must BE a flower! No?

TA-DA! Just trickin'!

Oh dear, but I do amuse myself sometimes. 

OUTFIT DETAILS

Skirt: ASOS Curve

Top: Rivers

Necklace: Miss-A-Ree Guts Creations (click name for link)

Earrings: Creep Heart (click name for link)

Flower Crown: Sweet As Candy Vintage (click name for link)

Boots: Anarchy

Excitement: MINE!

Big thanks and love to Sam for taking my photos xx

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Turn Around, Bright Eyes (Aussie Curves)

The Aussie Curves theme this week is "Then and Now", but I keep thinking of it as now and then, which causes to me to get Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' stuck in my head (because of the repeated lyrics "every now and then I get a little bit.... *insert various thing*).

So. Yes. Ahem. Excuse me.

It's funny, but I do often reflect on how my style has changed in the last couple of years, probably most since i've moved to Melbourne. I believe that's because I suddenly had access to more shops (new and thrift) and also because I felt I could finally, fully unleash my creativity and personal style in this glorious and thriving city.

But what I don't often reflect on is what came before that. Like, early teen and high school.

So I jumped into a long lost box of photos that haven't seen the light of day for, ohhh, probably about 6 years.

Firstly, I was not nearly drunk enough to deal with some of the stuff that was in there.

Secondly, it was SO DAMN DIFFICULT to find any full length photos of me in that era. There were thousands of photos, but so few of me. The most prevalent were group shots, and oh what do you know... I always just so happened to be riiiiiiiight at the back!

15 year old Kobi's uniform - baggy 3/4 denim shorts, stripy knee-high socks, a baggy dark t-shirt and my prized possession; a pair of Oakley sunglasses in pearl white. 

I worked SO HARD to save for those bad boys. 

So I had my hardcore tomboy years in which pants, 3/4 short and t-shirts were all I would ever be caught dead in. Seriously, I wore shorts and t-shirts to go swimming. That outfit on the right (above) with the tight(er) jeans and the blue check shirt... I remember my mum buying me those because she wanted me out of baggy clothes, and that was my only compromise. I still remember how uncomfortable it felt to be so "restricted", but I also remember getting some serious compliments from my friends. That'd never happened before!

And then I started to "develop my style" (hahahaha) by making my own circle skirts (which I would often tuck up into my undies to achieve some weird draping effect I really liked - see top left grey skirt below) and op shopping for black shirts. Seriously, I want to give me a hug right now.

The bottom is my year 12 formal dress that I designed based loosely on a dress Christina Ricci wore in the movie Sleepy Hollow. It was a stunning and unique Victorian bustle dress, and possibly the first time in my life that I ever felt beautiful.

I won't bore you with the story of "and then I transformed, like a caterpillar shedding it's cocoon", because I feel like I crap on about those reflections quite a fair bit.

But what I will say is that THANK GOODNESS I made it through those terrible years of self-hatred. I now see "fashion" (I use inverted commas because fashion to me is just personal style, not actual fashion fashion) as purely a means of expression, and something enjoyable that I choose to do when I want to. Which, granted, is quite a lot.

Some days I feel like getting dressed up and doing my makeup when i'm not even leaving the house. But some days I just go out in a scrubby house dress and not a skerrick of makeup. Point is, the things I put on my body no longer reflect how I feel about myself as a person, and they certainly don't contribute to or impact my feelings of self-worth.

Now, clothes are just for fun.

OUTFIT DETAILS

Dress: thrifted (note, I had to stitch the front closed... #boobieproblems) Boots: Dr Martens, hand-painted by moi Lipstick: Lime Crime Velvetine | Suedeberry

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Hello Polly, i'll clean my room. In exchange for your immortal soul.

I don't think this is a new fact, but - I LOVE OCTOBER! I feel like a kid before Christmas. The excitement, the suspense, the DECORATIONS! I also love the decorations when they're on my body, as you can see for yourself below. 
This little betty here is the Wednesday dress from Domino Dollhouse.  I'm going to have to be honest, this dress and I have had a bit of a sordid past:
1. I saw it, I wanted it badly, yet I denied myself.  2. A lovely lady on Aussie Curves declared she had accidentally ordered the wrong size of the dress and was devastated because by the time she got it and realised, it had sold out. She ended up with my size! 3. I met said lovely lady on a street corner in Melbourne CBD and exchanged cash for dress.  4. I was delighted.  5. I tried the dress on (my first ever from Domino Dollhouse) and was a bit disappointed! 
Now I don't want to give DD a bad review, because I LOVE their style and I think they're doing fantastic things for the plus clothing industry so I will definitely be purchasing again, and testing the waters further. But here's why I was disappointed:
Mostly because; the collar is actually made of some sort of shiny, plastic-y material that makes the dress look cheap (which, at AU$100 with shipping, it ain't) and is a bit uncomfortable around the neck, and also has the habit of sticking up like a frill neck lizard. After a wash, it has calmed it's tits a little but is still predisposed to standing up awkwardly. 
The other reason is that it didn't seem long enough in the torso. By the time it was over my bust, the waist line was sitting very unflatteringly right up under my boobs. So I have to wear this dress with a belt. BUT that could be an intentional design characteristic that just so happens to look balls on me (sans belt). I repeat: I am NOT writing off Domino Dollhouse. 
Anyways, sorry for a million photos. Sam and I had so much fun in his cute new backyard. After the shoot we read each other's "Goddess cards". Turns out - we are both goddesses! 

OUTFIT DETAILS

Dress: Domino Dollhouse

Earrings: Made them myself!

Belt & Socks: Kmart

Shoes: TUK

Lipstick: Lime Crime | Black Velvet

Flamenco Cat Lady Goes to a Business Meeting Tea Party Just Because She Can

Oh wow. These post titles. Just, WOW. To be honest i'm pretty inspired by a blog I read which used to be called "Hey Dickface" but has been (sadly) renamed Lazy Kat.  Her posts are in french but the titles are pretty much always in english, and literally always cracks me up. Some off the top of my head are "my dinner stomach is full, but my dessert stomach is empty" and "it is my greatest ambition in life to use up an entire chapstick before I lose it". Seriously, so much fun in one title.

So, this outfit is my flamenco cat lady goes to a business meeting tea party, just because she can. Whatever that means. Recognise the backyard? If you read Fashion and Pho, you will!





Thanks to Jacqui for the photos!

OUTFIT DETAILS

Dress: Fit Fat (Thai brand) Tights: plussizedclothing.com.au Necklace & matching Earrings: Miss-A-Ree Guts Creations Hair flower: Kmart Shoes: Famous Footwear

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Shakmina, Warrior Princess from the Planet Faragh Borgh

Shakmina, warrior princes from Faragh Borgh.Exiled to planet earth to accelerate urban decay.And to also prove that fat girls can still be totally smokin' with no hair. 







Umm, yes.I don't really know what else to say, except this:

Special thanks to my pal Ed Yates of Feature Creatures FX for mekkin' me bald! 

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Donut Deny the 80's Realness

Woo hoo! It's getting warmer in Melbourne. Happy first day of daylight savings!
This is a cute little outfit that I thought i'd share because, well, it's cute. Reason enough, right?
This black linen jacket was actually my nana's. It has shoulder pads which makes me feel like i'm surreptitiously incorporating some sort of 80's executive realness into my kooky wardrobe. What else to do but pair it with donut tights?!
Also, those jelly sandals are the EXACT ones that Hayley Hasselhoff asked to take a photo of at the Curvy Couture Roadshow this year. Apparently she wanted a pair for herself! That's my total claim to fashion fame :)

I didn't take a photo of the other earrings - the Bride!

This adorable jewellery is by Ella Mobbs of Creep Heart.

OUTFIT DETAILS

Jacket: was my nana's (no tags) Dress: Kmart (last summer) Tights: H&M Sandals: INNIU Belt: City Chic Earrings and brooch: Creep Heart

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