Strong Suit

Maybe it's just a mini-trend, or perhaps it's in retaliation against a dictate from the latest President of the United States that women dress "like women", but we are currently seeing more women in suits on the red carpets at this year's awards season.

Evan Rachel Wood kicked things off at the Golden Globes earlier this year, and it has been carried on with sparkly aplomb by Emma Stone in Chanel and Meryl Streep at the BAFTAs, all the way through to the kiddies, with Blue Ivy nailing the trend at the Grammys.

Can't see the pants?

There they are!

 

Following Streep's highly political address at the Globes, I'd have to suggest her choice of outfit was a definite statement.  

So there you have it Trump: here in the 21st Century, dressing like a woman means dressing however the hell we want to dress.

Food for Eating: All The Superfoods

I made this delightful salad during the week, and as I was assembling the ingredients realised that I had the who's who of Superfoods all in the one bowl: quinoa, kale, blueberries, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and avocado being the key food celebs. This recipe is fast, easy and I think most would have the staple ingredients at home already. This is great with smoky barbecued chicken, but please yourself I say. While I have never warmed to kale, I actually really enjoyed it in this, I think primarily because you remove the stems and chop the kale leaves into very manageable pieces. If like me you aren't a fan of kale, chop it a little finer - but not so much that you squash the leaves and get that horrible squidgy effect.

Who says you can't win friends with salad?

Kale, Quinoa and Blueberries Salad

Happy Friday: Perspective

One fine, slightly windy day in August this year, I found myself in hospital in labor and very close to meeting a freshly minted baby girl. Fast forward approximately 11 weeks, and I'm sitting at my work laptop tapping out emails (and procrastinating via this blog), and waiting for the little squawk that signals wake up time for the divine Little Miss.

While I would prefer not to be at work so soon, I am lucky for now in that I get to work from home. While I have ventured into the concrete jungle of the city a number of times for meetings and half days in an office to test out how I'll go working away from Little Miss as well as juggling my laptop, work phone and a breast pump, I am doing the bulk of my work from home. In a few short weeks, I'll be back down south and back on site: donning PPE and full throttle back in to project life. A very large part of me is dreading the return to work.

I adore hanging out with my baby. I think I have totally scored (so far) in that she is calm much of the time, doles out the most gratifying of smiles, and sleeps through the night, meaning my tiredness is not as bad as I had expected. Breastfeeding has been a breeze, and during those hours spent feeding her not only is there the joy of moments spent entirely together as one happy unit, I have been churning through books and TV series with gusto. Those few weeks of not working actually felt like a rather pleasant little holiday (albeit housebound and with good heapings of domestic chores). But the weeks were numbered, and I have been back at work in some capacity for several weeks. This week has marked a fuller return to work, and in a few weeks once I'm back at site, I will be 110% there. As the project ramps up, I know the expectations of the workplace will be high (as it is for everyone in our team).

As I extremely tearfully waved goodbye to my mum this week after she helped me out with trialing me working back in the office, it all felt a bit much. Missing the lovely days spent together with Little Miss, and feeling the pressure of my job and the demands of a stressful workplace, I wondered what the hell I was doing. Just as I asked, the Universe delivered an answer.

Back in September, I wheeled Little Miss in her pram to a Brisbane Writers' Festival event featuring Kirstine Stewart. Kirstine Stewart - VP Media for Twitter and named one of Canadian Business's Power 50 of 2016 - had recently released Our Turn, a book that joins the ranks of Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In. A  passage that I read last night really resonated with me (thanks, Universe):

...along with the elusive "have-it-all" brass ring we've been primed to capture, the other concept that does a disservice to parents everywhere is the idea that you should strive for work-life balance. You may as well hunt unicorns. The very word "balance" suggests that somehow you can give equal importance and time to all corners of your life at the same time. The person who loses most in that equation is you; if exhaustion doesn't get to you, the guilt will.
The idea of balance doesn't reflect how the world works, or how we truly spend our time. It's not about achieving balance, it's about flow. We swing from one priority to the next, pushing hard at work and then pulling back to be with family. How hard you push and pull depends entirely on the moment. There are high-pressure times on the job when deadlines loom, trips need to be taken, or tough decisions have to be made, and you work flat out for a long stretch without making it home for dinner. But there are other times when a sick child or parent or spouse, say, or simply a much-needed vacation, takes precedence over any job. The key is to aim for a career in which you can earn the freedom to achieve work-life flow.

While the pursuit of freedom can sometimes be a trap in itself, I think we are now in an environment where many workplaces are more flexible than ever. As I work from home, I realise I needn't tie myself up in knots ensuring the green light of "available and working" is blinking on my Outlook profile at all times. As long as my work gets done, I should be taking this window of time and the enormous luxury I have of these remaining weeks of workplace freedom to spend  time with Little Miss. While dealing with perceptions once I'm back in the workplace will be another challenge in itself, it is not the challenge for this moment. For the next few weeks, I have earned the freedom to focus on Little Miss as well as still contributing to my Project team - so I might as well just enjoy it rather than fretting about something that is probably all just in my own head anyway.

Perspective is everything. What do you think of Kirstine's words?

Black Out Curtains

With the relentless march towards sleeplessness coming closer to its final destination, I have decided I probably need some kick-arse Anna Wintour style sunglasses to hide the bags under my eyes from the friendly people in my neighbourhood.

Living in a city like Brisbane makes it hard to go anywhere without bumping into people you know. This is a lovely thing, but some days (i.e. the days when you haven't brushed teeth or hair) it's the last thing you want. I also find that the day you're in your least flattering jeans and haven't a scrap of make-up on your face (oh the humiliation of not being in either adorable boots or fabulous heels and sans mascara to add to the horror!) is the day you are guaranteed to see an ex-boyfriend or a frenemy and all you want is to look a bit glamorous and just a touch more put together than that familiar person in your line of sight. Never happens though, ammiright?

I recently came across Thierry Lasry sunglasses while floating around Sydney: described as sunglasses based on the concept of futuristic vintage with an updated, modern and avant garde touch, I think these are pretty much exactly what's needed to evade the Fashion Police over the next few months.

While there's not a whole lot new that can be done with sunglasses, it's nice to have a newer player in the game apart from the usual Gucci, Prada, Tom Ford, D&G. At this stage, I've only seen Thierry Lasry stocked in Brisbane at Scanlan Theodore and boutique opticians.

Happy Friday: Summer Holiday

Holy wow it is finally here - one whole week of holidays. In the SUN. In temperatures exceeding the mid-teens. And I don't have to do anything other than "take it easy" and "eat what I like" and "spoil yourself". All hail the pregnancy card!

My main priorities next week are to: have pedicure; enjoy oily in-room massage; read latest Vogue; read trashy novel; eat delightful breakfasts with sides of croissant; generate slightly olive glow on skin; engage in afternoon napping.

 

While it would be great to do all of this with a flat stomach, I guess you can't have everything. At least I get to do it all with my handsome hubby taking care of me in his signature gentlemanly style.

 

Shoesday: Feeling Flat

"Oh my god! You really are pregnant - you're wearing flats!!" my friend exclaimed: partly in horror, partly amused and partly in sympathy: there's no way I'd be giving up my beloved heels without a solid fight (and very firm advice from a medical professional, and even then I tend to ignore such advice. Frankly, I gave up the heels because I was scared).

I can narrow it down to the exact moment when I believe my attempts at super-human activity as a pregnant woman lead to the downfall of my pelvis, and marked the end of wearing high heels for the next few months.

Since the beginning of June I have been moving at the pace of a crippled snail thanks to a condition that affects about 2% of pregnant women: pubic symphysis disfunction (PSD). Essentially, the ligaments that normally keep your pelvic bone aligned during pregnancy become too relaxed too soon before birth (it's meant to happen closer to birth - I've had symptoms since the start of June. With a due date at the later part of August this is waaaay too early) . As a result, the pelvic joint (aka the symphysis pubis) becomes unstable and can cause pelvic pain, the most common symptom being difficulty walking and wrenching pain - as though your very being is tearing apart.

Thankfully, the weekend this happened an Occupational Therapist friend of mine was in town, and she quickly told me the symptoms were not normal, that she had heard of it happening, and the best thing to do was to get some help from a physio. I had wrongly assumed this was a normal - horrible - part of pregnancy and that I would just have to slug through it. Admittedly, I am just slugging through it, but I have been getting some assistance from a physio and massage therapist and it has helped somewhat. To be perfectly honest though, the pain is still pretty intense and there are days where I spend most of my afternoon or evening in tears because it is so painful and so frustrating. I am frustrated in the sense that I can't walk without pain, and for a person who extols the virtues of tuck jumps, not being able to move freely is an awful impediment to living what I consider a normal, healthy life.

So there it is: pregnancy since the start of June has been hell on earth, and some days, it is a struggle to remain upbeat. My pity parties can be quite intense (I'm sure exacerbated by pregnant lady hormones). Not even a new visual album from Beyonce is enough to cheer me up some days.

Beyonce: feeling the feels.

For those of you who are pregnant or are planning on getting pregnant, fear not: this isn't a common side effect of pregnancy. My only advice is that if you are feeling any type of pain during pregnancy, do NOT stoically soldier on and go and get some professional help. You may continue to damage yourself or make worse your new condition. For example, don't go to a gym class thinking a nice bit of exercise will tease out the muscular pain you are suddenly and intensely feeling (#iamanidiot).

In case you don't believe me, there are women out there still doing these types of activities at 40 weeks pregnant:

Photo courtesy of YogawithGeorgia 

Shots like that actually make me want to cry tears of frustration, as I know pregnancy is not meant to be 100% nightmare. I am feeling unfairly targeted by the Universe and wondering what I did so wrong for this to happen. Also distressing for me is that the only cure for my malaise is child birth, which seems like such an abstract - and frankly not very reassuring - cure, that I remain fearful that I will never be fixed and this is permanent. No more tuck jumps - ever. *cry*

Enough of my sooking. Next week, hubby and I are off to Palm Cove for a long awaited Babymoon. I can't wait! I am so, so tired (the PSD means rolling over in bed is wretchedly painful, so my sleep is frequently punctuated with trips to the loo and painful attempts at rolling over, plus my workplace commences every day at 7:30am sharp with a site meeting). Having been in a winter climate since March, I am also looking forward to tropical weather, tropical fruits and open toed shoes!

FLAT ONES OF COURSE.

Metallic, bejewelled or adorned with pom-poms, I really don't care. As long as they're pretty and come with a pedicure, I'll be happy.

Molten Metal

Raf Simons is one of Belgium's greatest exports (other than chocolate). Previously Creative Director at Jil Sanders, he is particularly well known for his (rather brief) star turn as Creative Director at Dior, with his first collection for the iconic fashion house being beautifully and most fascinatingly documented in Dior and I (if you haven't seen it, you really should).

Raf Simons and a gorgeous bunch of peonies, in France. What more could you ask for?

Since resigning from the fashion house (by all accounts on excellent terms) in order to, in his own words, "focus on other interests in my life, including my own brand, and passions that drive me outside my work".  

In addition to developing his own label (to be shown at Florence Fashion Week), Simons has collaborated a number of times with Adidas. His latest collection, released last week, is spectacularly metallic, and follows on from last year's gorgeous colours in the notorious Stan Smith shoe for Adidas.

Being a narcissist, I believe the "R" is designed specifically for me, however I think it is quite obviously not the case. In any event, I would love a pair, but retailing at a cool $500 a pop I am not entirely sure they will make it in to  my next online shopping cart... So sad.

Bow Down

One of the best things about Beyoncé is her mystery. Rarely giving interviews (I think she has done one in about 3 years), Beyoncé communicates to the world via her music, film clips and Instagram account. And as we have seen on countless occasions, while a picture (or film clip) might be worth a thousand words, they are still not the subject's own words, so we really can never know what is going on in that secret gated community of the mind.


After dropping her latest visual album, Lemonade this week, we are scratching our collective heads wondering what it all actually means? This album that bluntly alludes to infidelity, daddy issues and forgiveness. Who is is Becky? Did her dad really hit her? Is Jay Z a cheating swine? Does Good Hair mean good hair, or does it refer to black slavery talk for the whiter slaves with less curly hair who were able to work inside the house and thus able to attend to their hair more often? Was there a very good reason for Solange to attack Jay Z in that lift?


Keeping in mind, of course, Beyoncé has a team of songwriters who assist her on each album - so this is not all necessarily her own stream of consciousness. But who cares really, when we have so many questions to mull over, all as we listen (and watch!) yet more genius from Beyoncé.

Ivy Park Has Arrived

As a tragic Beyoncé fan, I have been waiting, waiting, waiting for the launch of Ivy Park, Beyoncé's ath-leisure range (catch up!). And now. It. Is. Here.


Although the range was developed in collaboration with Topshop boss Phillip Green, it is being sold at a range of outlets in Oz including Myer (which not at all accidentally is home to capsule collections from Topshop) and via the terribly addictive The Iconic. In the USA it is also available at big names like Selfridges and Net-A-Porter. Girl has reach.


Of course Ivy Park is no fluorescent pink range spouting girl power quotes. And why would Beyoncé need "I run like a girl" when simply her brand is powerfully feminist enough?

Icon made

The tone of her promotional pictures are so wildly divergent from most fitness campaigns as to continue to cement Beyoncé as one of the most unique style icons of this decade (OK, I'm really starting to gush now).

Not only is the collection instantly desirable, happily enough for this little shopper, the pricing is infinitely reasonable (in fact considerably cheaper than Lorna Jane).


Of the Ivy Park range, Beyoncé has noted that: “True beauty is in the health of our minds, hearts and bodies. I know that when I feel physically strong, I am mentally strong, and I wanted to create a brand that made other women feel the same way.”


I love this theme of strength that seems to follow Beyoncé - the body is not waif thin, and the mind is strong. It's a nice change from the #fitspo world which lauds thin bodies and seems to gloss over any mention of a woman's mind, ambition or strength of will.

Happy Fake Friday

Husband and I are readying to embark on a week long road trip from South Australia to Victoria - sipping our way through the Coonawarra wine region (some more than others... there's always a designated driver)

... hiking through the Grampians and Otway National Park, zipping along the Great Ocean Road with a soft landing in the gorgeously named Port Fairy for a wedding in a week's time.

Easter has always been my favourite time of year (mainly because of the abundance of chocolate, public holidays and proximity to my birthday - i.e. more gifts!), and it always seems right to celebrate it with a road trip. A road trip is always all the more better with someone you want to spend time with (remember the excruciating road trips with your parents as a child? no say over what's on the radio, let alone where you're going!).

After a long period of time not seeing much of each other - to be honest, almost our entire marriage we have seen each other on average only 30% of the time  - it is nice to be living in the same place as each other and, rather than "meeting up" at our final destination, it's great to finally be heading to that destination together in the same vehicle. While I think long distance relationships or FIFO life can work for some people, it is definitely not for everyone. No matter how robust your relationship might be, there are triggers that can make things tough - be it distance, one partner's emotional baggage, financial stress or whatever. Being able to identify those triggers and right things before they get out of hand is essential. While it's not nice to experience crappy times, it's probably also ... (oh God, I'm going to say it) "character building" for you, your partner and your relationship - provided you get through it of course! Although I must say, there is also something rather character building about surviving a big break-up, but that's not where this ship is sailing today.

I hope your Easter is full of good quality chocolate, luxuriously long work-free days and of course time well spent with those you love. xo  

Shoesday

How adorable are these shoes from Asos? A total steal at $95!

Happy Friday: I Like to Boogie!

The Fashion Weeks are doing the rounds (RIP to Brisbane's Mercedes Benz Fashion week which has called it quits after 7 years due to lack of sponsorship and State Government support), and there was simply no ignoring the 70s disco-themed collection from UK designer Ashish at this year's London Fashion Week.


Born to Indian parents, Ashish Gupta's A/W2016 show was a dazzling mix of exuberance, candy colours and high octane glamour - a David Bowie takes on Bollywood type collection.

 

 

Classic black still got a look in

Not surprisingly, Gupta has designed outfits for a number of high profile personalities, including M.I.A, Madonna, Jerry Hall, Victoria Beckham, Kelly Osborne, Lily Allen and Patrick Wolf. Frankly, I'm surprised that Kate Moss hasn't worn some of these creations. Perhaps for her next birthday party?

Since his first show at London Fashion Week in 2004, Gupta has won the New Generation Award three times. Gupta's street cred has grown with a collaboration with Topshop - the 'Ashish for Topshop' capsule range. His mainline collection is stocked in Selfridges and Browns Focus and can also be found in Italy, USA, Russia, Dubai and Kuwait.

Happy Friday: All About That Bass

It has been stinking hot in my neck of the woods lately, and there is really no better way to luxuriate in the heat than to eat ice cream (or better yet, to bask in a roof top pool with ice cream and aperol spritz' on hand).

Things started off strong today with free ice creams handed out on the sidewalk (I can now confidently recommend Streets Fruttare coconut smoothie ice creams), and will continue throughout the weekend without a doubt. I am rubbing my fat, sticky little fingers together in anticipation....

Happy Friday indeed! x

Making History

In not-so-scandalous fashion news today, Anna Wintour has been sighted on the fashion front row wearing *gasp* a t-shirt!

Appearing at the Marc Jacobs show in a Jacobs-designed Hillary Clinton campaign tee, Wintour has scotched any confusion over who she would like to see as President of the USA later this year. Not that there was likely to be much confusion: Wintour has on several occasions previously very publicly outlined her interest in the advancement of Clinton, and assisted on a few occasions when Hillary's popularity was on the wane (think the Monica Llewinsky years in 1998, when Hillary graced the cover of a Christmas-themed edition that December).

Marc Jacobs has also publicly proclaimed his support for Clinton, stating that:

“My support for Hillary is grounded on our long-standing shared belief in equality. I am proud to share this T-shirt as a champion for equal rights, for the progress we have made, and for the hope of continued progress with Hillary as President.” 

For those of you familiar with Jacobs' politically-motivated activities, you may recall he designed t-shirts for Hillary in 2004 for her Senate re-election campaign, as well as for her ultimately unsuccessful presidential bid against Barack Obama in 2008.

Also coming out in support for the Jacobs-designed shirt is Kendall Jenner, appearing on Instagram in the shirt on Thursday.

Model of the moment Kendall Jenner shared the picture with the hashtags "#MadeForHistory" and "ImWithHer".

For those of you familiar with Jacobs' politically-motivated activities, you may recall he designed t-shirts for Hillary in 2004 for her Senate re-election campaign, as well as for her ultimately unsuccessful presidential bid against Barack Obama in 2008.

Jacobs is not the only fashion designer to show support, with Tory Burch, Maxwell Osborne and Public School also designing shirts for the range (available for US$45 from the campaign website).

Clinton will also appear in a 10 page spread in US Vogue's March edition (sure to be a keeper for Clinton-dynasty lovers).  While the results of the Democratic nomination - and indeed the ultimate Presidential race - are still a while off, I am hoping this extra momentum from the fashion community gives Clinton a much-needed bump in the polls. If I were a US voter, I'd be leaping at the chance to vote not only for the first female US President, but also for about the only candidate who doesn't seem to be a tad ... well ... scary as leader of the USA and as many say, the Western world.

Happy Friday: For the Lovers

Garance Dore has recently become engaged (you can read all about it in 4 instalments on her ever-lovely website here), and I just loved how she described that moment when a man proposes to a woman - it's so true. 

It was beautiful, touching, imperfect, and really really really moving. For hours and even days. Moving to the point that we had a hard time having a normal conversation after that. It unleashes so many profound emotions and stirs you all up inside. And you look at this man next to you and say he’s going to be your family. And you love him even more because he had the incredible courage to do that, to ask you to marry him. You know it won’t change anything and it will change everything at the same time. You hope you’re ready and up to the task.

Each year since I've been married, I've made a New Year's resolution to try to be a great wife. I think it takes a lot of work to keep a marriage dynamic, healthy and on the right track. It's easy to take people (especially the kind ones) for granted. I am terrible for that. I always try to remind myself that all that handsome hubby does for me comes from a place of deep love, and that I should respond in kind with great love - and patience. It can be hard when I'm running at a rate of knots, my mind is focused on a million different things. I often very unfairly expect him to be on my wavelength always which is so crazy. We are so different, and think so differently. I didn't marry someone similar to me for a very good reason - too annoying! Too impatient!

While I had to not-so subtly remind Handsome Hubby that it was Valentine's Day and that the perfect way to celebrate was to give me a voucher to my favourite nail bar, I still know our love is deep (in spite of his sulkiness at being forced to buy in to Hallmark-generated events). 

Happy Friday to all the lovers. x

Wedding Dress Envy

Sofia Vergara wed ridiculously good looking werewolf / male stripper Joe Manganiello over the weekend in possibly one of the most-Instagrammed-by-a-bride celebrity weddings of all time. Colombian glamour-puss Sofia encased her curves in a white lace gown designed by Zuhair Murad (the brief was "sexy", which I think we can all safely agree was achieved).

 Vergara quickly changed from Princess Bride to Slinky Bride as she removed her detachable tulle skirt (FABULOUS!), to reveal the slim line, all-lace affair below.

I have mentioned in a previous post drooling over a Zuhair Murad gown that I had originally hoped to do something similar with my own wedding dress, but decided against it when the rather significant cost was quoted (I was a frugal bride!). While I still totally adore my wedding dress, when I look at the spectacular Sofia I am so glad to see what I had envisaged materialise so majestically. Who could achieve that but the daughter of a French lace distributor or a woman who cares not what she spends on her wedding dress? I think she looked utterly radiant, totally beautiful and madly in love. Just the way every bride should look.

To ease the sting of any wedding dress envy I may have had, it was my 2nd wedding anniversary yesterday and a chance to reflect on the real reason for a wedding. Don't get me wrong, the dress is important, but the person you marry is where it's at. Every day I feel grateful for the man I married. He is so kind, so considerate, so loving, so supportive, so dashing-in-a-suit and he makes me laugh. And that's really what it's all about.

I had the slim dress below the tulle - just not all that lace, and the tulle didn't detach. 

French lace... So divine

Happy days, big love

Weddings really are the best - especially your own. It remains the best day of my life. There is something very beautiful about being married. I highly recommend it.

Sofia's wedding pics courtesy of her Instagram account. My wedding pics courtesy of the extraordinarily talented and excellent Todd Hunter-McGaw. See more here.