So Long Summer!

It's windy. It's cold. It's pouring rain. And I've never been more excited that the cooler months are finally rolling my way. Bear with me, lovely northern hemisphere folks! I know many of you are glad to see the tail end of winter, but I've been stockpiling winter fashion goodness all through the long, hot Sydney summer, and now I can finally throw on a scarf and revisit some of my favourite looks.

First of all...
[ COLOUR! ]
There's nothing better than seeing bright splashes of colour on grey, rainy days. I'm continuing my Mimosa obsession into winter if it's the last thing I do! And maybe a little mustard too. Ok, why stop there? Acid oranges, electric blues, teals and reds...






[ NEUTRALS! ]
Not that there's anything wrong with toning things down of course! Mixing greys, blacks, and even browns (gasp!) together with softer blues, purples and greens - delicious! Throw in a bit of texture or pattern for good measure and you're good to go!




[ MONOCHROME! ]
If you're going to head down Monochromatic Road, it's easy to find yourself veering onto Blandy McBoring Lane. I know I'm a regular lane-dweller on Monday's in particular, mainly because I'm usually still mourning and recovering from the bygone weekend. These ladies however have definitely stayed on track. They could have taken a detour along Overbearingly Bright Accessories Drive...but they didn't. And they look amazing. And I want that hat.


And let's not forget that Winter time is indeed a wonderful fashion season for...
[ THE LADS! ]
I like a man in a scarf. I'd even go so far to say that I prefer a man in a scarf over a man in uniform. Outrageous, I know. My man-in-scarf obsession probably goes a long way towards explaining my near-combustible rapture that it's finally starting to cool down here. I really, really love scarves. I love vests too. And gloves. And maybe even a preppy blazer or two.





And BLUE SUEDE SHOES! Check out those guys boots! I happen to have a little pair of my own blue suede boots that I virtually live in during Winter, so if any Sydney-siders happen to see an overexcited blonde girl dancing around in puddles any time soon...don't worry, the boots are waterproofed!


[Images via The Sartorialist, Garance Dore, Face Hunter and Lookbook]


Super Late Monday Madness

Happy Monday! I have lots of goodies to share with you this week, but due to technical constraints (capped internet speeds! UGH!) and my sleepiness factor, I'm going to have to start the week a little less extravagant than I'd like. But I'll make up for it, I promise!

So today is a little Earth Hour debriefing. Did you take part? I did! I packed up a picnic blanket, candles and even a few board games and dragged a few semi-willing friends over the Harbour Bridge and into a park that has a view a little something like this...


We secured a great little spot, set ourselves up with a glass of wine (and when I say glass, I mean plastic picnic cups, very classy!) and enjoyed the gorgeous warm evening with a couple of hundred of our best park pals. I very quickly realised that my camera phone was not up to the task of documenting the night, but with about 50 or so tripods set up with enviously large cameras atop, I figured it wouldn't be difficult to find a few great photos from the night. Big thank you to Carlfish who took these fabulous (and un-doctored!) photos.

8.30pm ticked over, a lone ferry sounded its horn, and slowly but surely the lights started flicking off across the skyline...


The Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, even Luna Park! Every logo on every building, and we could even see some office buildings turning off their lights level by level! Though I do have to admit, I foolishly expected all the lights to flick off at once. I'm greedy like that.

Eventually even the massive cruise liner turned off its lights, which was met with a cheer and a round of applause from my excitable park pals. And better yet, no fireworks this year (bravo Sydney City Council!) So we sat around for an hour, drinking more wine and plotting our revenge against all the nearby apartment buildings whose blazing lights kept our park completely free from shadows. I tried to coerce my crew into a round of Jenga, but everyone was a little too content with wine and relaxation, and who could blame them?


Here's a little slideshow of Earth Hour celebrations from around the globe! So tell me all about your Earth Hour exploits! Did anyone trick or treat? Did anyone roam around their neighbourhoods and embrace their inner zombie with a little Michael Jackson-esque Thriller dance? (Michelle, Jacqueline, I'm looking at you two!) Shenanigans aside, I'd love to hear what everyone got up to, so go ahead, make my day!

P.S. I feel guilty for the Blandy McBlanderson post, so here's a little eye candy via the gorgeous Mrs. Bliss to tie you over until tomorrow (hopefully!) You can see more of her beautiful finds here, and her own stunning blossom photos right here.




P.P.S. I'm still catching up on emails and comments, so pretty please bear with me a little longer...but please keep them coming too! <3



All That Glitters and Glows...In The Dark

Ladies and gentlemen, here is Day 5 of In The Dark for your viewing pleasure! The countdown to Earth Hour has officially begun and I am way too excited. I have my bus ticket at the ready and my candles, matches and board games all packed up and ready to go. Sure I'm 36 hours early, give or take, but I'm taking Earth Hour very seriously this year! I might even take along a little torch so I can put my hands up in the air and wave them around like I just don't care, just like these guys...






Straight out of Norway, Lightmark is a truly remarkable collection of stunning scenery, time lapse photography and a couple of insanely talented lads running around in the dark with light sources (torches doesn't sound technical enough!) Their "light drawings" are absolutely magical at a glance, but upon closer inspection many of the concentric loops, glittery sparkles and simple strokes are actually mimicking and responding to the landscape. Utter perfection!






There are SO many more beautiful images in their gallery, I feel guilty only sharing these few with you! Go over and check out the rest, and prepare to be amazed...some more!

In a similar vein, German lads Lichtfaktor have been using similar techniques in their "light writing" experiments. Their aesthetic has a distinct graffiti edge, and although the stills of their work are impressive enough, their work is best experienced through their extended exposure/stop motion films.




Check out this video to see a tiny slice of behind the scenes (skip the first 30 seconds, then watch the next minute or so, you won't regret it!) and then try to keep your jaw off the floor as you see what these guys go on to create...







Land dwelling whales? Rubbish bin robots?! A strangely adorable car-eating caterpillar!?! Eeeeek, resistance is futile!

And on that hyperactive note, I'm off to plot some of my very own torch graffiti antics. I'd like to wish you all a fabulous weekend and an outrageously superb Earth Hour! What do you have planned for the weekend? Will you be switching off your lights on Saturday at 8.30pm local time?


[Lightmark via BOOOOOOOM!, Lichtfaktor via Design Scene]

The Surreal and the Sublime...In The Dark

Welcome to Day 4 of In The Dark! Just between you and me, I was a little worried back there at Day 2 that I'd run out of material. 5 days worth of themed material, how hard could it be?! But thank you to the glorious and bountiful internet, one great find lead to another, and before you know it I had a whole chunk 'o goodness to share with you. Let us begin with the Surreal, and work our way through to Sublime. (Ok that's a lie, all of these images are both!)

This stunning image is the work of Chuck Anderson over at NOPATTERN, and it literally stopped me in my tracks. I've never wanted to frolic through a creepy, deserted car park quite as much as I want to right now.


Next is the truly surreal and utterly compelling work of Tim Simmons. This man knows how to take photos in the dark! He's spent 25 years perfecting it, and goodness me has it paid off! Long exposures and an incredible understanding (and manipulation) of illumination transforms familiar settings into unsettling, alien landscapes. Innocuous carports, walls, trees and boulders all take on a slightly menacing edge, but the allure of Tim's work leaves you wanting more.










And now onto something a little less surreal but undoubtedly sublime...sparkly light blobs! There are whole Flickr groups dedicated to these little glittery blobs of goodness, and for good reason...they're pretty! I'm absolutely enamoured with futureancient's Nocturne set.







Ah light blobs, how I love you so. Sublime!


Meanwhile, I'm thinking I might venture out this Saturday evening, perhaps snag myself a nice little vantage point overlooking the Sydney CBD and watch all the lights turn out for Earth Hour! I might even take the board games with me, and a few candles for practicalities sake! Mode of transport? Glamourous Sydney buses of course!

There's only 2 days to go (or 3 for all you northern hemisphere folk!) - have you made plans yet? If you're stuck for ideas, I threw together a little list of Fifteen Fool-Proof Earth Hour Activities last week; it's right after my environmental rant, just scroll straight past that! Who knows, you might just be inspired! (I'm still secretly hoping someone does either #3 or #8 and tells me all about it! Pretty please?!)

Oh, and remember how I mentioned last Friday that 1,858 cities, towns and municipalities across 81 countries were committed to this year's Earth Hour? There's been a slight increase in numbers...2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries! Incredible! It's going to be a great night!