Summer on Wray Avenue

Black Out Day Six

On Saturday my friend Jess and I headed out to celebrate the first day of summer. Upon stopping to have lunch at the gorgeous Wild Poppy Cafe, we explored Freemantle's only Avenue to find locals celebrating as well. 

We noticed rolled up scrolls around pieces of chalk, on doorsteps and chalk pavement messages and drawings all up and down. While stopping to read them, a man walked up and asked if we lived there, explaining he had given out the chalk. He then told us that he had wanted to encourage his neighbours to express themselves on the pavement. He handed me one of the notes, which tells the story. Given the stormy weather we have had here of late, the idea was to "reclaim our limited public space to make the footpaths a sea of colour and creativity for the first weekend of summer." It then went on to encourage neighbours to meet up and share chalk colours, expressing messages from the heart.
I think given the Black Out challenge, this felt like a fitting way to end the week of banning black. 

Here I was wearing a cotton Alice McCall embroidered dress, which I think I could wear to death, it is so fun and comfortable. There really is something about a soft cotton shirt dress. 

Colour Meanings

Day Six

Silver:

Silver is fluid, emotional, sensitive and mysterious, soothing, calming and purifying. It acts as a symbol of change, reflection, moving forward, it is seen as glamorous, modern and elegant. Silver has a feminine energy; it is related to the moon and the ebb and flow of the tides. It is seen to be respectable and courteous, dignified, self-controlled, responsible, patient, determined and organized and unbiased. While similar to grey, it is more light hearted and optimistic. Watch that it doesn't come across as two faced, vain or deceptive.

Grey:

Grey is a colour of sorrow, loneliness, isolation, practicality, maturity, responsibility, security. It is neutral, lacks emotion, meaning, expression, creativity, warmth,  emptiness. It can be worn with another colour to reduce its intensity, but can also spell out a lack of imagination, initiative and character, instead it suggests compliance and neutrality. Wear carefully!

Wearing:

Alice McCall Embroidered Shirt Dress

Karen Walker Tortoise Shell Sunglasses

Silver belt is a bag strap from a Sass & Bide Clutch

Witchery Silver ballet flats

Mimco Envelope Clutch Purse

Seaside Rainbow

 

 

This one is a little sneaky post. I did not have time to take outfit shots on Friday, so these are some taken a week or so ago. I had been planning to wear this outfit to an event in September, but it had turned out to be a really cold night. Kat Ellis of K Ellis Jewelry custom made this fun neck piece for me to match my Sass and Bide neon clutch. Her pieces are really pretty, with cameo rings, beaded bracelets, statement colourful neck pieces and a lot more.

Knowing I was about to participate in the Black Out Challenge, I thought I would give wearing non black accessories a try for this shoot. Normally I would throw on a pair of black pumps. 

These shots were taken near where I had been living in Scarborough beach, I kept jogging past this building admiring the paintings, I knew I had to shoot there before I moved.

So consider this a bonus and alternative to day Five of the Black Out. I wont add colour meanings as I have covered most of these before.

(For the record on Friday I donned a mint dress from Zara and silver ballet flats, it was pretty girly!) 

Thanks to Emma Robinson for taking these shots for me.

Be sure to check out K Ellis Jewlery here

Here is a look at Day Six of the Black Out Challenge...

Tomato

Day Four of the Black Out Challenge

This weeks weather in Perth has turned into windy, rainy but still warm. 

So I have managed to work the outfits I had planned, but have admittedly gotten a little blown away.

Thank goodness for navy trousers and my vintage denim jacket to cover up and change as the weather does. 

I love this tomato tee from Sass and Bide, I never know if I can pull it off, but it feels like it works with this creamy short, white, silver and neon touches. I love these colours, red, yellow, orange, they are so cheerful and strong. I think I would actually pair them mostly with blue tones, a la the impressionists.
Photos taken my Heidy of lovethymuse.com

Colour Meanings

Day Four

Red:

The colour red seems to mean vastly different things to people in a lot of different cultures. A lot of these things are also rather condtradictory. I think for me, I take it that given this colour stirs up so much, what is conclusive, is that it is one of the strongest colours.
Red cancels out green, in that, your eye will automatically be drawn to something red over green.
It is a symbol of love, anger, temperament, prosperity, joy, passion, warmth, energy, enthusiasm, action and power. To wear it is bold and empassioned. It is one of the most favoured colours of men, although with women it is often linked to sex appeal. It is practical, and relates to the heart.
I learned early on that throwing on a red lipstick boosts your confidence, and also masks tiredness.

Yellow:

Yellow is one of the easiest colours to see, in particular, colour blind people often find it the easiest. Although the shade determines the meaning. Yellow is creative, intellectual, it is the colour of happiness. It is wise, in flowers a yellow daffodil symbolises unrequited love, and a yellow rose denotes friendship. It brings clarity, awareness, it relieves nervousness and affords clarity, sharper concentration and memory. It helps to relieve depression and exhaustion. It prompts confidence in expressing oneself. To wear yellow is cheerful and will help define your decisions.
As a kid I was obsessed with yellow and blue. I decorated my room in sunflowers, with yellow curtains and blue carpets. I think it stems from the feeling of happiness I get from looking at a Van Gogh painting. I can never shake it, his work fills me up with a kind of euphoria. 

Wearing:

Sass and Bide tee

Alice McCall pleated short

ASOS Sienna Heels

Sass and Bide Neon Clutch

At home, in Camilla and Marc comfortable casual blue denim and watercolour striped tee...

Watermelon

The Black Out Challenge has begun and I am going for it. 

On day one (yesterday, I will be blogging one day behind but instagraming as I go) I wore this silk tee from Sportsgirl, which I actually could not wait to wear. The brightness of the pink is a little punk, and one of my favourite colours to rock. 

During the day I teamed it with these Acne mint shorts, which for the office I later swapped for a creamy pencil skirt. 

Had to shoot at our park, since these jacaranda trees are so pretty right now. 

Big thanks to the lovely Heidy of lovethymuse.com for taking photos for me. 

So happy to be neighbours with that lovely lady. 

I just moved, and being obsessed with trees, gardens and coffee, I am now in the perfect spot for all that and more in Perth. 

Colour meanings:

Day One

Pink: 

Promotes feelings of unconditional love and understanding, caring, tenderness, self-worth, and acceptance. 

Shades of deep pink, such as magenta, are effective in neutralizing disorder and violence. Some prisons use limited deep pink tones to diffuse aggressive behaviour.

   Pink is feminine and romantic, affectionate and intimate, thoughtful and caring. 

It tones down the physical passion of red replacing it with a gentle loving energy. 

Pink is intuitive and insightful, showing kindness with its empathy and sensitivity.

Mint:

Is known to encourage peace, calm, harmony, balance, focus, growth, renewal, health and environment. It is one of the easiest colours for your eyes, promoting rest. 

A healing colour, mint green paired with a bright like pink is a lively combination. 

Wearing:

Sportsgirl Silk Tee (Comes in a ton of amazing colours!)

Acne Mint Shorts

Gorman Blue Sandals

Merrin and Gussy Some Nights Bangle

Dolce & Gabbana Clutch

Here is a sneak look at Day Two...

Black Out

 

I have an addiction. To black. Big time. 

I LOVE colour, but I wear black everyday. 

 So when Monique of Mon Amie sent out a challenge to wear no black at all for a week, and embrace colour I thought I should give it a go. Then I realized that all of my shoes, bags, hats, glasses, jackets, etc are all black. 

Oh dear.

I thought, 'this can not be right, I swear I am like a carnival of colour'. 

Nope. 

I went through my photo files to see if I ever wear an all non-black outfit. 

It turns out, not often. Well, not in the past few years. 

Once upon a time I wore so much colour, so many dresses, ballet flats, scarves and bows I pretty much dressed like a cartoon character. 

I wear more colour in summer, as I tend to stick to dresses and skirts, which are all lighter cottons and silks. In winter I am all about black jeans, long cardigans, tights, leather jackets and grey tones. It's all moody.

 

I managed to collage together photos from the past year or two above to prove to myself I can do it! If you have followed my blog for a while you may recognize some of these posts. 

My style inspirations this week are anything worn by Chuck in Pushing Dasies and Jess in New Girl. 

 

I am pooling from the pile below. Bright pink, blue, green, orange, pale purple, mint, cream, and white with some floral touches. Colour makes you happier, it encourages smiles, and each has a myriad of meanings. We did a lot of colour projects while studying design, so I will add a little colour meaning to each post.

 

For more info on the Black Out challenge, and to check out the coverage from other bloggers click onto Mon Amie here.

The challenge will be documented through the participating bloggers Blogs, Twitter
accounts, Instagram accounts and Facebook accounts. You can find associated
images by searching the hashtag #blackout, #anythingbutblack and #banningblack.

 

Participating bloggers include:

Evie from According to Evie

Nora from Black Balloon

Erin from Chimerical Perfection

Esme from Esme Wonders
L from Etherial Reality

Amanda from Frocks and Other Frivolities

Tara from Gin in a Teacup
Claire from Harbour Master

Lisa from Hug Sized

Jess from Konstantinos
Steph & Trish from Le Fanciulle

Rachelle from Love From Shell

Fiona from Miss Tea & Co

Nadine and Kari from Modern Girls in Vintage Pearls
Myself from Mon Amie

Cindy from Oriental Expresso

Sophia from Owl Vs. Dove

Rachel from Racheena
Rachael Jane from Rachinald

Sharon from Sass and Spice
Jenelle from Shut My Eyes Can't Find the Break

Stacy from Tee & Fame

Ally from Unknown Pleasures

Emily from Vintage Chic