Daily Outfit: The Shirt Off His Back

Today’s outfit is just a little bit devious. You see, recently my Boyfriend went on a trip for work, one of the stops of which was London. Of course, his luggage went missing, and he needed to buy new clothes for a conference he was attending. I had asked him to stop by the T.M. Lewin store in London to pick me up a set of collar stays, so naturally, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and grab some work shirts and ties there. The shirt I am wearing today is one of those.

I have been lusting after this shirt from the moment I unpacked his luggage. We’re fairly lucky in that while I am taller and his shoulders are a little broader – the Boyfriend and I can essentially share the majority of our clothing. And while we have very different tastes when it comes to clothes; this classic navy and white striped Shirt is something that I think most men could agree is very desirable.

Today’s criminally sourced outfit was:

Navy and white striped business shirt – T.M. Lewin, London Store
Orange wool vest – XXXX, Etsy
Navy silk necktie with white pindots – John & Lois, thrifted
Gold-tone tie clip and cufflinks - gifted
Brown leather belt – Country Road
Lightly distressed bootcut jeans – Armani Exchange A|X, thrifted
Brown leather laser-etched shoes – Raphael Steffens

The criminal element of this outfit is in the fact that I don’t really intend to give the shirt back. Ever. I’m basically planning on washing it and then stashing it safely in my half of the wardrobe. There is a pink and white shirt I could offer him in exchange, which would suit him much more than it suits me... But where is the fun in that?

Daily Outfit: Show Your Bones

In my charge back to dressing corporately while at work, I completely managed to forget that while I love a good necktie, there are other things that go just as nicely with a decent business shirt. Case in point, the strand of carved ox-bone skull beads which I paired with a fairly conservative blue Oxford cloth shirt today.

Daily Outfit: The Tyranny of a Shirt

I’ve been strictly opposed to both the colour orange and polo shirts for quite a while now, so today’s outfit is something of a shock for me. I’m slowly letting go of my colour hang ups and embracing everything orange – as it is my favourite colour, and I’m now aware that it doesn’t actually make me look as washed out as I previously believed. However, polo shirts are a whole other kettle of fish. My problem with the humble polo shirt stems from having worked retail for a cumulative total of roughly 9 years. As a result I still associate polo shirts (and black Slacks, for that matter), with work uniforms.

Daily Outfit: AliciaHannahNaomi Love

Today's post is a dedication to the amazing craftsmanship of Melbourne Jeweller Alicia Hannah Naomi, whom most of you probably know as the leather-clad creatrix behind SeaofGhosts. I am a huge fan of Alicia's work, and so when I saw her post about the Pan ring prototype she had created, I contacted her immediately to find out whether I was able to commission one for myself. It arrived this afternoon.

Daily Outfit: Repetition Repetition

Part of planning my daily outfits up to two weeks in advance is realising that there are a finite number of different combinations of clothing I can plan; before I either have to do something REALLY drastic. Like cutting the crotch out of some jeans and wearing them as a sweater; or to wear a repeat-outfit. This actually happened sooner than I had thought, on account of my being lazy actually, and looking back through my previously planned ensembles for inspiration for new ensembles.

Daily Outfit: Middle-aged McDonald

Let’s not pussy-foot around the issue here people, today’s outfit was a mistake. I had intended this week to be an All-Star week of my little book of planned daily outfits, as I have been rigorously planning what I wear weeks in advance in a new book for ten-whole weeks as of Sunday. However, yesterday evening passed me by in a haze of honey chicken, True Blood and FanFiction, and I awoke this morning in a rush, and all my careful planning went out the window.

Daily Outfit: Fun Ran

This morning I was up early and beside Lake burly griffin here in Canberra, with thousands of other Canberra’s, to watch the finish line of the Canberra Times 10 kilometre Fun Run. Of course this sort of thing usually holds all the appeal of Lesbian Porn for me; however today was different because my best friend Mags was running the 10 ks.

I waited on the terraced lawns overlooking the finish line, and of course I actually missed Mags finishing the race altogether. Because I am that spectacular of a friend. I met up with her afterwards however, and learned that she completed the whole 10 kilometers in under an hour! I am so fucking proud! I couldn't run that in under an hour, or probably at all, even with the cast of Teen Wolf luring me forward with a bucket of KFC dangling from a stick...

Daily Outfit: Dreaming of Denim

If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times– I love my jeans. 

Not specifically the pair I wore today (Though they are among my favourites), but all jeans and denim trousers in general. As a wardrobe staple they are, time and again, the most forgiving and understanding garments. They can tend to be a little stayed and plain as a result though, and I am starting to feel that I could really do with more jeans in my wardrobe.

Daily Outfit: Second Skin

I love this leather Jacket from Zara. A little while ago, when I was coming out of my six-month hiatus from dressing like an adult, I really wanted a leather Jacket that wasn't the standard black or brown colour. I considered white, because they're relatively accessible, however the colour never really sat right with me. I happened to chance upon this in the Zara store in Sydney, and it was the only XL they had in the store. Needless to say, I grabbed it and ran to the counter.

Daily Outfit: Thrifted-Monday:

Today, being a Monday, I set out to bring my A-Game. The more I write about it the more I agree with myself that dressing up on a Monday is so important. I think it works in the same way that casual Friday does, just in reverse. On a casual Friday you’re dressing down, allowing yourself a taste of the weekend earlier than you probably should. On Monday, however, you’re steeling yourself for the working week; and you can do so by dressing up.

Suffer for Fashion:

I have been thinking recently about how much money I have spent on clothes and accessories in my relatively short life span (twenty-six years). When you think about it – I’ve really only been clothing myself since I was about 15 – making it only 12 years of independent shopping that we are talking about. In that time, I have spent A LOT of money on A LOT of clothes. The tragic thing is – I don’t really have a great deal to show for it.

 

The oldest Item that I have in my wardrobe is a blue raglan sleeved T-shirt that I bought for maybe $5 at an Op Shop in my hometown.