Welcome to the Jungle

Wearing: American Apparel Sheer Floral Blouse, Skirt from Miss Shop (Myer), This is Make Believe Resin Rose necklace, vintage scrunchie, elephant purse from Melbourne Zoo.

The purpose of this post is two fold, I had been collecting clothes together in a neat pile with a jungle sort of theme and this morning the delivery man gave me my new rose resin necklace! I'm super excited to finally have it, although I must admit the colour of the red is more pink then I originally thought it would be.

I'm sort of tempted to wear shorts, this blouse and necklace as well as my hair out tomorrow to my university enrollment day, the resin roses are faceted with double chains and some of the thickest clasps I've seen. I'm absolutely in love with my necklace, I wish the New Zealand label made more of this amazing necklaces! There are some available for sale on the Good as Gold online store, but I payed a sum total of $60AUD for mine instead of over $300! I love eBay and picking up on what other people don't want anymore.

My mother bought me this skirt several years ago and I usually get a few compliments when I wear it; it's reversible and has plain green on the underside but I love the sketched leaves in black and their pencil-like markings. It's pretty stretchy too so when going out for a big celebratory meal at a restaurant it never lets me done and is really comfortable in soft cotton. The elastic gather around the waist also makes it pleat gently down at the hem, one of my favourite features of a skirt these days.

I brought this sweet little purse to my Indonesian oral examination since I was discussing conflict between farmers and elephants on an Indonesian island- it just fits a few cards for ID as well as maybe bank card but I can't quite cram my phone in there. I really should wear my leaf skirt and elephant purse together more, maybe even go back to Melbourne Zoo to buy some more colours of this purse.

This is possibly the best little bun that I've ever done, but it still fell out after about an hour or two; the scrunchie isn't really supporting the bun instead I use the hair and twist it into itself and hold down the ends using clips. Still, I'm glad I'm getting some use out of my floral scrunchie. I only payed 50 cents for it at my local second hand shop and they had a whole bunch on display at the time. I wish I had bought more though.

Opening Ceremony: Floral Quilt Blouse

After having lost all my useful opened tabs in my Internet browser and having to get them back, I found these two amazing blouses from Opening Ceremony on the Black Box Boutique online store and my heart had a tiny little stammer. I thought intensely and prayed to the gods of fashion "don't be expensive, don't be expensive". The price for one of these gorgeous little blouses featuring floral detail? $963. Even if that is in New Zealand dollars, for an Australian the price might come down to $900 if you're lucky. Nearly one grand for a single item of clothing that isn't too extravagant and special in it's design blew me away, that's in the bad way. I knew from the label the price would be in triple digits but to be over $500 for a single blouse is enough to make any body's heart ache and start tears in their eyes. 

 

Being made of 97% silk and 3% lycra for a little give I can understand the cost of materials being included but I have bought silk blouses before for a hundred something dollars and while Opening Ceremony are a great brand and I love nearly all of their clothes featured on their website, production is not going to cost one hundred dollars and the mark up is extreme.

Still, the design and clean cut lines of the blouse combined with the applique flowers reminiscent of Japanese kimonos with a Western twist are a rare touch and not something I've seen used in garment design. The three-dimensional flowers feature slightly ruches petals and a lovely texture about them as well as beaded detailing at the centre of each flower in the same colour as the petals. The cream coloured blouse is more suited towards the day, whereas the black one could easily be worn at night with the addition of some heels and a plain black skirt.

 

The flower arrangement for each of the blouses is exactly identical, using the same sized flowers in the same places. You've got to admire their quality control I must say, these would be blouses made far away from smokey streets in a sweat camp but instead by aspiring fashion students who know the importance of minor details as well as the careful beading process at the centre of each flower.

 

I had originally stated that it would be worn with a black skirt, but you know what? That's just a little too boring, even if it does suit I like the patterned leggings they've chosen to showcase the blouse but a wild print would suit the black blouse and the cream blouse would look dreamy with a skirt in an Oriental Ming vase print. Alas, I can't afford any of these blouses and my wishful thinking will be firmly grounded until I find some suitable work and/or win the lottery.