I just had to keep this stunning photo from First Comes Love as a separate post! I fell in love with this dress (as modelled by the real-life bride who wore it on her big day) by Elvi Design, a Kalamunda-based label which specialises in made to order bridal gowns. Everything about this dress was perfect, down to the way it framed a large tattoo on the bride’s back. Definitely one for the inspiration board.
On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the second annual First Comes Love Bridal Fair, an initiative of the lovely folks at Studio Bomba. The premise was to create an alternative bridal/events fair for people who want to eschew carbon copy weddings and inject more personality into their celebrations. The ladies cooked up a collective of over 100 local creatives in various fields including photography, floristry, styling and graphic design to exhibit their wares at the Oxford Hotel over a sunny May weekend.
As I am a bride-to-be myself I had been looking forward to this event for ages and was so inspired by all the fabulous displays at the fair. Some of my highlights were lemonade dispensers along with miniature bottles and striped straws, a basement ‘garden party’ with popcorn, fairy floss and pink flamingos, and bouquets made out of glittering brooches. Marc’s and my visit was capped off with homemade icy poles from a tiny mint green caravan outside the venue. I definitely left brimming with ideas for our wedding and can only say thank you to all the First Comes Love folks for the inspiration!
MinkPink floral jacket | Urban Outfitters draped skirt | Vintage blouse | Mimco Glider Muse bag | Topshop Adorn boots | Karen Walker Number One sunglasses
Upon hearing this weekend would be bright and sunny, Marc and I decided to head back to our old suburb of Maylands for our traditional Saturday breakfast and some wandering. Every time we go back here I realise just how much I have missed the place, it’s not the best suburb in Perth by any means but I love all its quirks and the expanding cafe scene.
We headed to Milk’d for what are, in my opinion, the best baked beans in town, and then over to Sherbet Cafe and Bake Shop for a cheeky cupcake. After that we strolled over to our old apartment, past two churches and lots of weird new shops that have popped up.
It was the perfect chance to wear my new floral jacket, though the glaring sunshine means the colours look a little washed out here. It’s just so fun to wear and definitely makes me want to stockpile more blazers and jackets for winter!
It’s officially boot weather here in Australia! In my usual crazy way I stocked up on ankle boots during the summer and they have been sitting collection dust on my top shelf just begging to be worn. Well wait no more, because it’s gotten rather cold and rainy all of a sudden - perfect weather for donning a pair of boots to combat the elements.
These two Topshop pairs are among my favourites for their Acne-esque shape and ankle-grazing cut. The glitter pair was more of an impulse buy and I have not yet succeeded in wearing them out in the day but I am sure a time will come where I just can’t resist. In the meantime the solid black pair are perfect for any occasion and add a hint of cowboy-biker to outfits.
What’s the number one item on your winter wish list?
While I am swaddled in a knit jumper at home I can’t help but dream about what I might wear if the sun came out and I had somewhere fancy to go to. The three items above instantly sprung to mind for some reason, all on my current ‘to buy’ list.
After lusting over just about everything Secret Squirrel has made for the last few seasons, I still can’t believe I don’t own any of their pieces! Their most recent collection with all its botanicals and digi prints really caught my eye, and I think I am going to cave and buy this tuberose blouse. Something about it makes me feel like I am looking at amoebas under a microscope! I’m also rather obsessed with their current collection full of triangles in shades of brown so that may win out instead.
I don’t usually go mad for trends but the current metallic look is one that I want to fall head first into. These Topshop brogues are the perfect way to make the trend work for the day without looking like a walking disco ball. Over a third of my shoe rack hails from Topshop, they just make good, well-priced footwear that actually lasts pretty well. I have the sizing sussed too is a must when buying shoes online!
And finally a flamingo-pink shade of Nars lippy to top it all off. This wonderful site (as alerted to me by Alexis) ships to Australia but retails at US prices so it makes buying brands like Nars affordable. Pretty sure a big order is in store to take advantage of the killer exchange rate…
In case you were wondering, I would plan on wearing something of the skirt/pants persuasion if I ever was lucky enough to get all these items together for a party. Just sayin’.
It’s been a busy two weeks since I posted my last instagram update, what with leaving my job, Marc going to Sydney again, Perth Fashion Week and tons of writing. I rewarded myself with a couple of special buys to see me into Winter (and my new job!) but that’s for another post altogether. For now here’s a few fun moments captured on camera.
Also, I am trying to broaden my home cooking repertoire. Anyone know of a good vegetarian recipe they would like to share with me? I’m in desperate need of some new ideas!
The countdown to Mother’s Day has officially reached a crucial stage - it’s this Sunday! If you don’t already know what you are getting your mum, now is time to track down a last minute gift.
After my last Mother’s Day post with a variety of gift ideas, I thought I would hone in more on online magazine subscriptions as they make the perfect present that you can customise to suit her interests. I subscribe to five titles myself including two of those listed below and love that bit of me time I get when the glossy arrives on my door step.
And why not make a sweet home made card to let your mum know her favourite title will be delivered to her home every month (or week as it may be)!
Of course the deal is made even sweeter by what you could win for her by buying the subscription:
This blog used to be filled with odes to Jeffrey Campbell practically every week, however as of late I haven’t been that enamoured with the quirky shoe god’s designs. Until now, that is.
Meet Daul, my idea of heaven in a shoe. There’s floral, a perspex heel and a super cute ankle strap all wrapped up in an on-trend but unique style. Why is it that the moment I found them on Pixie Market (the only place to stock them), they were all sold out?
Apparently though, in case you want to nab a pair for yourself, they are re-stocking sometime this month. Until then I’ll keep refreshing the page daily for news and make sure I reserve just enough in my bank account so NOTHING will hold me back from these wonders. Psycho, much?
The Velvet Bow is a pastiche of fashion, lifestyle, photography, whimsy and vintage charm infused with musings, manifestos and a hint of glitter.
Jessie is a Perth-residing journalism student with an obsession for stringing words together to form perfect sentences, rummaging through thrift stores and travelling to far away places (some real, some imagined).
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