Wish "Winter In The City" Style Challenge

Wish Heartbreak Cardi, Asos T-shirt, Isabel Marant Sequin Vest, Levis Jeans, L.A.M.B Heels, Arm Party from Amber Sceats, Katherine Dunmill Bag, Texan Leather Belt and Churchill Fingerless Gloves via Midwest Trader.

When Wish contacted me to participate in their "Winter in the City" blogger style challenge I immediately thought 'it is about time that I took you guys out for a night on the town'! 

Wish have teamed up with Honda Australia to promote the release of the Honda City VTiL and challenge a host of Australian blogger talent to style up a piece from the Winter 14 Wish collection. 

For me, although I have worked in town on the odd occasion, my time spent in the city is generally at night. For the most part, I avoid the office 9-5ers and parking hassles in favour of the culture of the night. We may be off to a gig, a theatre show, a film, meeting people for drinks or dinner (Chinatown eats!), whatever it is, the city at night is all right by me. As a creature of rock and roll, this Heartbreak cardigan with its bold red stripes and cascading front is daring and works back with my endless array of blacks, greys and neutrals. 

So last night we shot this look on one of our nights out in the city, supporting the small bar culture, eating amazing asian food, wandering through the city streets, people watching and generally rocking out. It was super windy and minutes after we had decided we had what I wanted, it BUCKETED down with rain and a storm took over the city, sending us into a cozy bar, Whisky Sours in hand. 

When I visited my Mum last week she sang one of "my songs" (things I requested on vinyl as a kid and sung like a broken record) to me. The song? 'We Built This City On Rock & Roll'! 

So this is me, and my take on "Winter In The City" for Wish. 

With thanks to Honda Australia, Wish are offering some pretty impressive prizes for the style challenge, so be sure to click over to their Facebook pages and check out how all of the bloggers have styled their winter in the city looks. 

Follow Wish @wishxoxo and Honda @honda_australia on instagram and twitter, and search #wishhondacity to check out what the other bloggers are instagraming. 

xx Jenelle 

Mount Lawley

Lover Dress, Cheap Monday Jumper, Asos Fedora, Seed Heritage Sacha Boots, 4th and Bleeker for Billabong Clutch. 

When Mario asked me what my story behind shooting this outfit post was, I thought I would share with you one of my favourite Perth locations. So, above is a morning spent wandering around Mount Lawley. I would say a typical morning, but to be honest, there isn't ever really much in my life that I would call largely 'typical'. At least the places we went to are regular hangouts. Given more time I could really go further into depth with the hot spots in Mount Lawley, but given we had a little over an hour, this is just a taste. In 2007 when I flew to Perth for the first time, there was an article in the Qantas inflight magazine about Mount Lawley, an area North of the Perth CBD, with a beautiful parklands, a shopping strip featuring beautiful cafes and shops in Art Deco buildings, a theatre, all within walking distance of WAAPA (where I was due to be studying).

 To say that this felt like a sign, while corny, is true. I think I knew from that moment that this area would soon become one of my favourite places. 

I cannot walk down Beaufort Street without running into someone I know, who also generally happens to work in the Arts or Fashion. It is guaranteed to have the best coffee in town (via Cantina -whom also made the kinda amazing Cinnamon Brioche Doughnut I am chomping through above) and a host of cool places to wander around in. For me Planet Books is the best bookstore I know, I have bought shelves of very heavy but beautiful art, fashion, design and photography books, as well as most recently a host of David Sedaris novels. 

With an adjoining cafe, record, movie and clothing stores, Planet is the best one stop shop to spend all of your money. Ahem, I mean, buy people presents. 

You will have seen me (if you have been following for a while) in all of these clothing items, except perhaps these suede thigh high boots. I had been eying off a Philip Lim pair last year, but, not wanting to part with in excess of $700 online, waited and searched for a more affordable alternative which I could try on in real time. In the past few months the new season shoe collections have been released, there are a lot of thigh high options on the market. I have spotted a heap that all look pretty good, but for me, as a lover of black suede, these from Seed Heritage were perfect. 

Thigh High Boots:

Tony Bianco, Seed Heritage, Witchery, Revolve, Windsor Smith, Siren

I also found a huge range at The Iconic, find the link below.

Photos by Mario Recchia

xx Jenelle

Taste Of Perth

Billabong stripe tee, vintage blazer, Dr. Denim jeans, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani sneakers.

Over the weekend Mario and I went along to the first 'Taste of Perth' festival. We were kindly given tickets, so went along as punters. The festival, held along the Perth foreshore at Langley Park, showcased some of the top chefs and restaurants serving up 'taste' sized dishes. Mario and I sampled dishes and drinks from Bib & Tucker, El Publico, Greenhouse, The Classroom, Print Hall and more and attended talks such as a rum class with the charismatic owner of Bar Lafayette. We budgeted spending $45 each and shared our serves, each were really well prepared and delicious. Bib & Tucker was one of the only places we had yet to actually dine at and now I want to go even more. 

Although the portion sizes were small (like smaller than tapas small), it was an excellent opportunity to try out new places and enjoy a bit of people watching. The event was well executed, and a welcome inclusion to the Perth foodie calendar. (Here it comes... an Adelaide comparison... I do this all the time...) I am used to attending a lot of food festivals back in Adelaide, which are very popular. I would say that with a little better public awareness the Taste of Perth festival will grow, and perhaps attract a stronger attendance. I think the major things which felt lacking were a national or international chef guest, something which noticeably draws in a crowd (think the gazillions of people who enjoy reality cooking shows) and perhaps a food option with a bigger portion size. I left satisfied but ultimately hungry a couple of hours later, and can imagine that to offset smaller dishes an option for something a little more filling would have been popular. The price of entry also seemed very Perth - with tickets over $30 (double the price of most Eastern states food festivals, but reflective of the International Taste Festival prices), and the average spend over $40 for food and drinks, it could add up to a costly experience quickly. 

A little note on my outfit... again teaming jeans and sneakers, and that blazer- told you I wear it a lot. Wandering around on grass equals sneakers, and this stripe tee is one of my favourite 'surf brand' cheap finds from SurfStitch. Find a link to them below, I have nothing but love for their range, prices and super speedy delivery. 

xx Jenelle

Photos by Mario Recchia and myself

Perth Blogger Garage Sale

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is our Perth Blogger Garage Sale! 

Women of Perth, this is your chance to shop designer, vintage and trend pieces from over 18 bloggers of all shapes and sizes. 

We look forward to meeting you, come and say hi! Pictured is a look at what I have to offload, including pieces you have seen on the blog and more. 

The details are:

Sunday 27th April (ANZAC long weekend)
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
226 Ninth Avenue, Inglewood 

There are regular buses stopping along Beaufort St, take bus 950 and get off just after Bunnings in Inglewood. Cash only, with free beverages and snacks on offer. 

xx Jenelle

#bloggergaragesale

Blogger Garage Sale

As you may know, I tend to ruthlessly attack and purge my wardrobe of pieces on a regular basis. Despite that I only weeks ago sold another 20 something items on eBay and gave a bag full of pieces away, I have still managed to find a few more things to sell, so at the last minute I have decided to jump on board with this weekends Perth Blogger Garage Sale. As bloggers tend to snap up new season pieces, are tuned into sales, offered exclusive discounts or are given items to wear, the stack of clothes and accessories pile up quickly. 

This weekend is your opportunity to make the most of this by shopping our wardrobes, at a discounted rate. With over 15 bloggers including Bonnie Friday, Ethereal Reality, Where The Styled Things Are, Modern Girls in Vintage Pearls, Little Miss Mon Bon, Harlequins Party, The Style Trust, What’s the Goh, The Boyfriend Shirt, Vintage Chic, Lady Maple Vintage, The Illusive Femme, Adorn You, Sass and Spice, and myself all opening up stalls. 

For myself I have pieces from Acne Studios, Lack of Color, Sass & Bide, Elizabeth & James, Alice McCall, ASOS, Flannel, Ray-Ban, Josh Goot, First Base, Sonia Rykell, Lucette, and more with nothing over $100.00. Pictured are just a few of these. 

The details are:

Sunday 27th April (ANZAC long weekend)
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
226 Ninth Avenue, Inglewood 

There are regular buses stopping along Beaufort St, take bus 950 and get off just after Bunnings in Inglewood. Cash only, with free beverages and snacks on offer. 

xx Jenelle

BLVD Markets with Hatch

Sussan's Denim Shirt (gifted- similar here), ASOS Denim Skirt, Ellery Sandals (similar here), 4th and Bleecker for Billabong clutch

On Saturday afternoon I got myself down to The Boulevard Hotel to hit up the BLVD Markets and at the kind invitation of DGPR attend a blogger lunch. I can not really think of a greater afternoon than to spend it with a kind and supportive group of vibrant women all snapping photos, chatting and swapping stories. The food was spot on (and I am a fussy eater) with an excellent tasting plate, and if you follow me on instagram- you will have seen my Salmon steak lunch. The Boulevard is a newly renovated hotel, the food is European-inspired with an extensive and impressive wine list, outdoor area (which let's face it, will be used a lot considering our Perth climate of sunshine and warmth) and spacious interior bar. Their signature cocktail of infused earl grey vodka and citrus was perfect to sip in the sun. Finally we were treated to cakes by Laura Isabella (I probably should have taken mine home to eat later!) with wine, cider, beer and gin producers sampling their wares. 

The BLVD Markets in collaboration with Hatch (remember our Hatch feature back here) are almost rounding up for the season, but you have one more chance (May 10th 11am- 4pm) to stop by before they do. Featuring the best of what Hatch and local WA designers have to offer, the markets are a great place to chat with local designers and shop their unique wares. With Autumn/Winter 2014 garments and accessories from local favourites like Chalice, Conchita, Zed Alliance, Jonte A, Bare Fingers, Rosie and Broken, Generics, Empire Rose, ALBD by Ange Lang and more. Pictured is THAT Katherine Dunmill black leather bag I know now for sure I need in my life from her latest collection, as well as a tree of Alister Yiap necklaces, embossed geometric Gyptian bags (I mean, wow!) and more. 

Thank you to Nicole and David for inviting me along, the markets are seriously well executed in a beautiful location. This spot was a little gem that I can anticipate becoming a local hotspot. I was very grateful for the opportunity to spend time swapping stories with fellow bloggers, something which I always find to be rewarding- I am not kidding when I say that this blog has afforded me the chance to meet some truly beautiful people. 

Finally, I better tell you about this ASOS denim skirt bargain! I actually love it, despite the fact that it screams the 90's in a way that I normally would wish to avoid. Even better, it is on sale for $36.95 and if you use the code YES20 at the checkout you will get a further 20% off. (Oh and go up one size cause it is small and not super stretchy. I am looking out for you!) It is a great easy to wear piece that despite the hesitations from my male friends who saw it as I opened my last ASOS order, looks great on. I love that it can be dressed up or down, worn with ankle boots, sneakers, sandals or heels. You decide. Double denim is also optional, but on a surprise 32 degree day in the middle of Autumn, it kept me comfortable. 
xx Jenelle
Photos by Laura Liy and myself