citrus

Rag & Bone 'beach' knit // Alice & Olivia 'butterfly' shorts // Louis Vuitton 'noé' bag // Karen Walker 'deep freeze' sunglasses

Given the opportunity, I would love to spend my days holed up in 

a cafe somewhere with a good book, endless food and an inappropriately large 

cup of coffee (flat white on skim, if it ever comes up), peppered with

the occasional trip down the street to where the boutiques are lined up.

But since there are things like uni and work, I can just dream and plan

until my days off.

x karen

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p.s. how pretty are the remaining jacarandas on the floor? Sydny is beautiful in the spring.

modern spring romance

Equipment shirt, One Teaspoon jeans, 3.1 Phillip Lim d'Orsay heels, K is for Kani floral headband 

I recently read an article that lamented the fall of chivalry and gallantry due to the feminist movement. I'm a strong believer of to each their own- after all, one person's polite gesture of opening the door for a female can and have been interpreted as someone else's expression of sexism. Whilst perfectly capable of opening my own doors, sometimes a simple gesture can be rather refreshing and reminiscent of the Austen world; a society that was heavily dictated by etiquette and manners. 

However, this article did get me thinking in this fast changing world and even faster changing fashion. How does romance and fanciful notions of Prince Charming translate into our world, and more importantly our wardrobe. If our greatest example is the Duchess of Cambridge and her infinite wardrobe of sensible nude pumps. Should we be foregoing our Louboutins and leather skirts in lieu of tea dresses and wedges should Mr Darcy come knocking on our door? 

The answer is a big, fat - NO!

Why wear a sensible floral dress to a spring picnic, whether its by the Serpentine or Bondi Beach or the Eiffel Tower, when you can restrict your floral to just a silk shirt to be paired with devilishly ripped boyfriend jeans. And maybe a floral crown too because, well just because. And modern romance should be exactly that; a contrast between the traditional notions of romance and our new unrestricted sense of freedom (and who said fashion was frivolous? Look at me being all theological and shit). The outfit should be the girly you that grew up watching Disney movies and the tomboy you that just wants to be comfortable. The heels? That's for the inner narcissist that knows a good pair of boyfriend jeans needs a good pair of heels.

After all, we're not really a boy.
                      
x karen

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palm beach

 happiness // view from the hotel of the marina

 beach chic at the barrenjoey // summer is all about the beach

having our own party in the hotel // dessert goodness

my favourite hydrangeas & peonies // brunch at the boathouse

In a random burst of spontaneity, two of my girlfriends and I

found ourselves on a mini roadtrip to Palm Beach. 

The word mini is imperative, Palm Beach is still in Sydney.

We stayed at Newport, which made me sprout

"Welcome to the OC, bitch"

way more often than necessary (which should be zero).

But it was wonderful to get away from everything for 

two days, especially when the company is wonderful

x karen

camouflaged sequins

Dannika Zen 'deserter' tank // Aje white catara mini // YSL belle du jour clutch

Nothing is more fun than wearing camouflage with something

ostentatious, like this Aje sequinned skirt, and a classic YSL clutch,

stolen from your my mother's closet.

I had initially toyed with the idea of wearing a Little Black Dress/Jacket

since I was going to see the Chanel Exhibition. But surely even Mlle Chanel

wouldn't say no to some camouflage. After all, she did always find

inspiration in military wear.

x karen

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all wrapped up

t by alexander wang skirt // country road shirt (seen here) // topshop sneakers (seen here) // karen walker sunglasses (seen here & here) // Alexander Wang spiral clutch

an outfit whipped up in 3 minutes on a lazy sunday (so lazy 
that it even foregoes the capital 's' treatment)
due to two parts running late and mainly one part
drinking too much the night before. The clutch was a remnant
of the previous night's outfit and since it already housed all
my essentials, it only made sense to not change bags. 
I love finding old pieces in your wardrobe (circa 2010 
is positively ancient in fashion, non?) that still blend right into

your current aesthetic. Why do I need a leather doggy bag (via. jil sander)

when I have a notebook that masquarades as a clutch? 

Insta-geek-chic.

x karen

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palm beach// day 01

All about eve shirt // One Teaspoon shorts // Seafolly bandeau

There's nothing better than relaxing by the beach on a sunny day,
until the sun starts playing hide'n'seek in the clouds. 
But then, it's a whole different feel which doesn't take away from 
the amazing view. Nothing says summer like denim shorts and 
oversized shirts with lace paneling. 

x karen

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jacaranda blooms

Ellery 'the wicker man' apron skirt // Rodarte 'rohearte' t-shirt // Prada bag // Alexander Wang 'joan' pump // Karen Walker 'deep freeze' sunglasses (in tortoise)

One of the best things about spring in Sydney is the abundance of

jacaranda trees everywhere you go. So when I saw this giant patch of

purple at Paddington, I couldn't resist jumping down to take photos.

This Ellery skirt proved to be the bane of my existence that day.

It will most likely be the first and only time I deal with

peplum in such an exaggerated manner. As much as I like the 

mock shirt-tail bottom, when I get wrinkled- it ain't pretty. 

But with a casual grey tee, it's the perfect blend of casual chic

and office wear. 

x karen

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teaser

Ellery 'the wicker man' apron skirt // Rodarte 'rohearte' t-shirt // Prada bag 

I don't normally do teasers but here's a little preview of an upcoming

post. Everything is a bit delayed at the moment, I have the most hectic few

days coming up and so this will have to do for now.

As you're reading this, I will hopefully be tanning at Palm Beach.

x karen

cliche

Laduree limited-edition Lanvin box

Is it too much of a cliche for a fashion blogger to post pictures of macaroons, especially the variety from Laduree? Sometimes, it seems that fashion blogging and food blogging is nothing but an inextricable web of photos and irony (when did it become more fashionable to pose <post?> with food but to actually eat it? Well, that's another story). Not that I have a right to speak, I'm an unapologetic "fashion foodie"- which basically means a whole lot of food positioning and instragram filtering. 

Essentially, taking pictures of food is easy, readily available (an average of 3 meals a day, 7 days a week- that's a lot of photoshoot opportunities!) and it's pretty (pretty pictures on our Instragram...ergo, we're pretty?). Who knows? I don't pretend to delve into any deep dark psyches today- mainly in fear of stumbling across any hidden Freudian meanings; a macaroon is just a macaroon. They're pretty to look at, goes well with coffee and, most importantly, they come in a pretty Lanvin box appease the mother. 

Despite anything that I've said, I'm actually a big fan of Instagram foodies (if you follow me on instragram, you'll understand!- @thechicndamned). They're pretty, makes me hungry and introduces me to new restuarants/cafes. The last one only really works for the places within reach- i.e. nothing that involves a 12 hour plane ride, no matter how amazing the Mexican food looks in LA. So, seriously, keep on truckin' food-photo-taking (?). Haters will always hate and someone needs to provide the material. Think of it like a community service. I know I do. 

x k

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monochrome floral

Shakuhachi scarf print top // Lover mystical shorts // Senso Bertina boots // House of Harlow Chelsea sunglasses

 Nothing is more perfect for the summer heat than silk barely-there clothing.
I've had this Shakuhachi tank hanging in my wardrobe for a while, 
waiting for the perfect summery day to debut it. 
I love the way it flows so seamlessly with these amazing Lover
lace-trimmed cami shorts. I can see myself wearing variations of this
and silk dresses all summer long. 

x karen

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wish i'd bought KENZO TIGER SWEATSHIRT

image source: google & mortarna of the intersection paddington 

Perhaps this section should be changed to "wish i could get my hands on..." because "wish i'd bought" gives the impression that I had a chance to procure it. That is decidedly false. There was not even a chance that I was going to get my hands on this sweater/sweatershirt/jumper. At one moment, early one Friday morning, the grey version was available on the Kenzo website for a millisecond; but alas, they only ship within Europe. Just when we thought we conquered the fear of overpriced shipping or shipping restrictions from the US, it hits us from the other side of the world. 

Many people have suggested more wallet-friendly alternatives from the likes of Asos, Topshop and Wildfox (who has an amazing velvet alternative). But it just doesn't feel the same. The Kenzo sweatshirt, with its rancid green colour and boxy shapes reminds me of the jumpers we used to wear at school during sports days (my house colour was green). I like it for its nostalgic values and its loud and unapologetic branding. I love the infinite amount of outfit inspiration that can be found online. I love that it would look even better with a few dirt smudges and over-stretched cuffs. I love that it would be the perfect statement piece for those days that don't really require a statement piece. It's all very Wang- but with colour. 

If anyone knows where I can get my hands on you, let me know! (exemption: no over-priced ebay auctions please, I'm not that desperate yet.)

x karen

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sculptures by the sea 2012

I don't think I ever understood the importance of the weekends

until it became the thin line between me and Jack Nicholson

in The Shining. 

All work and no play makes Karen a dull boy (?!)

I spent the past Sunday wandering around Bondi, 

probably one of my favourite places to be during the summer

All plans to see the Chanel exhibition went out the

door when I realised that it was the last day for the Sculptures

by the Sea exhibition. Evidently the same thought went through half

of Sydney-siders' head and boy was it packed there on Sunday!

And here I thought everyone had migrated south for Derby Day.

I wish I could have taken some more photos during the walk

but with the crowds of people swarming about, I was lucky to even 

see anything for myself. Although, truth me told, I was way too

mesmerized by the jewel toned ocean to really concentrate on the 

sculptures. As you can see from the above photos. 

You can view the photos here. 

x karen

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