Smaggle Style

A few weeks ago I quite innocently did a post on 1920’s style that caused quite a stir with my friend Na. She screamed (wrote in capitals) ‘NANCY CUNARD! NANCY CUNARD!’. She linked to some photos. And now I’m obsessed.

Nancy Cunard came from a well to do family but rejected the ideals of the elitest society she was born into. She was a socialite and socialist, writer and poet and eventually she went into publishing, where she was one of the first to publish Beckett. This woman discovered BECKETT! She also go it on with T.S Eliot, Wyndham Lewis, Earnest Hemingway and Man Ray. That’s quite a line up of intellectual and artistic arm candy. Everyone knows how much I love my bangles and red lipstick! I feel as if I may have been her in another life…

I’m dying to try the look with smokey eyes, ruby lips, dark tousled hair and a sneer. All I have to do now is find myself a starving artist or poet to shag on a regular basis and develop a mental illness. I’ll keep you up to date with my progress…

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

This weekend Mr Smaggle and I went to Thredbo. It’s a posh little snow village about two hours drive from Canberra. You know the kind of place - lots of babies wearing designer shoes (I never understood the point of that seeing as they CAN’T WALK) and everywhere you go you’re either dodging a BMW or a bleached blonde soccer mum with a fistful of acrylic nails. Nonetheless it is absolutely beautiful. This is what I wore on the trip up…

* White dress from Tree of Life

* Black opaques from Myer

* Black flats from Zu

* Black cardigan from Wayne Cooper

* Leather jacket from Target (It’s real leather and it’s just the style I was looking for)

* Scarf from Tree of Life

Thredbo also happens to be at the foot of the highest mountain in Australia, Mount Kosciusko. It’s quite a gentle four hour walk up the mountain and back down again so we packed some yumminess and walked our little bums right up that big ol’ mountain. And I took an outfit shot from the highest point in Australia! Obviously the outfit isn’t too special but I drew a bit of a crowd doing my outfit shot poses on the stone monument…

* Tracksuit pants from Big W

* Dunlop Volleys (what up 1988!) from Target

* Long sleeved t-shirt from Target

* Zipper jumper from Peter Alexander

* Head wrap from Tasmania

* Red sunglasses from Equip

Needless to say after trudging up the mountain Mr Smaggle and I were very hungry, windblown and ready to be dressed in something other than running gear. So we got all pretty and went for a drive outside of Thredbo to find a yummy restaurant to have dinner at. There were twelve Italian restaurants and one Chinese restaurant. Mr Smaggle is allergic to wheat so we exclusively eat Asian food. The one Chinese restaurant was the most disgusting place we have ever eaten. They had brown vinyl tablecloths and orange plastic tables with the scummiest old napkin dispensers (the dispensers were so old that the contact number for the supplier had 5 digits. Australian phone numbers have had 7 digits for at least the past 10 years) . The waitress said ‘youse’ about eight times. ‘Do youse want drinks?’. ‘Are youse sharing?’. ‘Do youse want chopsticks or forks?’. And this charming lass at the table next to us ordered her main meal and then got herself a Chiko roll from the takeaway next door and proceeded to eat it in the restaurant while waiting for her food. Her boyfriend audibly burped at regular intervals while this was going on. The restaurant also sold cigarettes. That’s right. Corner store style. It was also a bakery and sold croissants. And it had an ice cream fridge like a service station. It was positively surreal. Here is what I wore to the restaurant from hell…

* Dress from Big W

* Cardigan from Wayne Cooper

* Black opaques from Myer

* Boots from Redpaths

* Leather jacket from Target

* Scarf from Tree of Life

This photo was taken mere seconds after we ate very little of our mixed-stir-fried-but-still-half-frozen-vegetables with unidentifiable brown sauce and our chewy dark meat with glug topping and peas and celery. Because peas and celery are obviously traditional Chinese vegetables. The rest of the weekend was blissful though!

How was your Easter weekend? Super lovely? Do share!

Oh and I totally forgot to tell you that I saw a car with the number plate ‘poo’! Ha ha hahahaha haha haha!

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

If you’re anything like me then the chocolate consumption at Easter time will always start well before the marked day. For almost a week leading up to the main choc-exchange there are a few warm up nibbles and slowly but surely you start replacing balanced meals with Cadbury Creme Eggs and Mallow Bunnies. This means one thing and one thing only. Jiggly belly town. It’s pretty much a given that on Easter (and Christmas and birthdays…and Sundays) that you will stuff yourself so full of sugar and fat that you can’t button any of your pants and you feel like your head is going to explode into a cavalcade of chocolate coated brain crumbs. Every year I promise myself that I won’t do it but every year the little golden Lindt bunnies come bounding my way and seduce me into my annual dark choc-coma. And then I get a big chocolate high (much like a child) and then I crash and burn with a chocolate headache (much like a child) and swear never to eat chocolate again. Well ladies I am here to rescue you from your sickly sweet purgery of over indulgence. Here are a few tips to keep you feeling and looking great over the weekend of gluttony. That is until it’s time to stop eating chocolate and start eating normal food. Like fruit. And eggs that aren’t filled with milky goodness and wrapped in tantalizing sparkle…

* Ditch your jeans. Every one feels fat and gross around Easter so don’t add insult to your injury by trying to squeeze into your skinnies.

* Embrace the baby doll. I know I was quite recently bitching and moaning about the pregnancy-esque baby doll but I have finally found a purpose for our unflattering little friends. Baby doll tops and dresses are perfect for hiding your chocolate bloat, showing off your arms and legs (areas that the chocolate won’t hit for a while) and for allowing you maximum comfort so you can continue on your cram-fest with out interruption.

* Exercise. We all over do it at Easter. And we all feel gross as a consequence. So get up of your behind and go for a god damn walk. And drink lots of water. None of this will erase the 4 million calories and the 5 zillion grams of fat you just consumed. But it will make you feel so much better and it will set you up to get back on the feel good pony.

* Eat some salad. It will neutralise that formaldehyde feeling in your gut. There is nothing like a little greeness to help you through the process of pickling your insides with chemically enhanced confectionery.

Have a spectacular Easter weekend my little jiggly jubblingtons! See you all on Monday with lots of weekend goss…

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

What lucky little chickens you are! Double the daily style! This is what happens when I actually go out at night instead of wearing my delightfully saggy trackies around the house. Last night Mr Smaggle and I went to the most decadent restaurant and had a mouth watering banquet to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. I’m not overly interested in food - I generally just eat when I am hungry and I usually don’t notice if food is good or bad. It’s just food. However this food WAS SO GOOD that I actually noticed. So well done to the chefs. Oh and we were standing out the front and Margaret and David from the movie show walked into the restaurant in front of us! And then Kerry Armstrong and the boys from The Chaser! Sorry to all my non-Aussie readers but the people I just mentioned are some pretty famous (and awesome) Australians and being the fame whore that I am it was a pretty spesh moment…

* Dress from Ebay

* Suede scarf (worn as belt) from Unit Concepts

* Suede heels from Shoe Biz

* Clutch bag gift from my lovely friend Gina

* Earrings from vintage store in Bungendore

And then this morning Mr Smaggle and I went on a ride in a hot air balloon! I bought him a double voucher for his birthday last year and we finally went this morning. We got up at 5.30 (I am so fuzzy with tiredness right now) and it was dark and chilly. We got to help set up the balloon though and that was fun. It wasn’t scary at all, it was actually quite peaceful and really quiet. It would have been majorly romantic without the other 15 people but nonetheless it was an amazing experience and one I think everyone should try. Even if you’re afraid of heights. The guy who was flying the balloon said that in 17 years he only had to execute an emergency landing once to let someone out who was panicking too much. That bitch must have been hyperventilating like a mofo…

* Skirt from Tree of Life

* Top (under jacket) thrifted from Brain Injury foundation

* Black flats from a play I performed in

* Leather jacket from Target

* Scarf from Tree of Life

* Hat from FCUK

* Bag from Felt

Here is a picture of me helping to pack up the balloon at the end of the flight. I combat rolled down the entire length of the deflated balloon to get all the air bubbles out. It’s such a strange and kooky thing to be able to say that I have done!

What have you done that’s kooky and weird and that probably not too many other people have done? I have been to a wedding where I had previously kissed both the bride and the groom (acting opposite each of them in different plays but still it was pretty weird), I have dated five boys called Ben and I also met Guy Pearce in Paris.

Come on spill the beans! What wacky things have you been keeping from me?  

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Whoa! Crazy busy day at work today. This afternoon I’m off home to get all pretty for my date with Mr Smaggle. It’s our two year anniversary today and we’re going to a lovely resturant for dinner tonight and then on a balloon flight tomorrow morning. I’m so excited!

* Black skirt from Tree of Life

* Top thrifted from second hand store at Kingston Markets

* Wedges from Big W

* Rabbit brooch from Department of the Exterior

* Earrings from Centrepiece

* Bangle from Diva

 I’ll let you all know tomorrow what the balloon flight was like!

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Today was the most Virgo-esque day I’ve had in ages. I cleared out all my old folders, made new ones and shredded. Yes. Shredded. I adore the feeling of finality that comes with shredding. It gives me a pathetic little power kick. This afternoon I’m off to buy food because carton soup just won’t cut it two days in a row. Tonight I have the house all to myself so I’m going to watch bad T.V and do all those annoying ‘personal upkeep’ jobs that I’ve been neglecting. My eyebrows are like furry grubs that are camping out above my eyes…

* Dress from some store in Melbourne

* Black wrap worn undone from SES

* Red wedges from Big W

* Coin necklace from Poppy Smaggle

* Betty Boop bracelet from Ebay

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Does everyone remember my promise of last week? I said I was going to show you something that comes in a can and is just as good as the ones you find in Europe? Was the clue a little too cryptic? Well all is about to be explained. Welcome to the magical world of Canned Style! I’ve been surfing street style blogs for years now and I have developed a serious obsession with Finnish, Norwegian and German street style blogs. However quite recently I have noticed how Australian street fashion doesn’t seem to be represented effectively in the blogosphere. There are a few (fabulous) street style blogs in the bigger cities but smaller cities like Canberra seem to be ignored. And as one of the ‘university’ cities of the country we have quite a selection of eclectically dressed lassies and lads stalking the streets of the nation’s capital in broad daylight. Canned Style will bring you the weirdest, wildest and most inspiring outfits fresh off the streets of Canberra, Australia. Here is the first batch of bitches I’ve smaggled… 

Olga working at Unit Concepts, Braddon

Hadley at The Front, Lyneham

Erin at The Front, Lyneham

Tain at The Front, Lyneham

Watch out my little Canberra style queens… I’m going to smaggle the shit out of you.

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

On Saturday I had lunch with my lovely friend Taë who is studying jewellery design at NMIT in Melbourne. She gave me a belated birthday present and I swear I nearly peed in my pants when I saw them.

They are oxidised propeller earrings. That actually spin. Wearing your hair up is essential (otherwise they get tangled) but it’s a small price to pay. The engineering in these earrings is spectacular. I wish I could show you how beautifully they spin but uploading a video would cause me hours of torment so you’ll have to take my word for it. I’ve had people blowing on them all day to make them twirl. It’s fabulous! Except when they get a little over excited and spit on me.  

 I’m currently kicking Taë’s butt into gear to get a website. So my apologies to the international ladies who wish to purchase. But Aussie girls can find her stuff at the National Gallery of Australia, Bijoux Jewellers, Craft ACT and the Canberra Glassworks. I have a few of her pieces now and the compliments I receive are incredible. Her aesthetic is brilliant and her designs have a really clean silhouette. Expect to hear more about her in the future… The force is strong in this one.

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Seriously. My awesome-ness astounds me sometimes. I’m actually posting a proper outfit shot ON A SUNDAY!!! It’s a whole new level of Smaggle commitment. Lets see if I can keep this up. I also like the paparazzi type photo Mr Smaggle took. It makes me look all famous.

I’ve had such a lovely weekend - Yesterday I organised my earrings (O.C.D Town. Population: Lady Smaggle) and met my delicious friends Taë and Sally for lunch. In the evening Mr Smaggle, P.J (our mate) and I went to Skyfire. For those of you who don’t live in Canberra, Skyfire is a fireworks display that happens at Lake Burley Griffin every year in late March. For no apparent reason. There is no celebration or anything, it just happens. Rather bizarre but a lot of fun. We sat on the lawns of Parliament House. And we very maturely rolled on our sides down the hill until we felt sick and had to lie down. We then fell asleep watching episodes of The Office. This morning I made a pair of earrings for my friend’s birthday and then went shopping with Mr Smaggle. Tonight we’re off to see our friend’s band play and have a few drinks…

* Top from Sportsgirl

* Pants from Felt

* Resin ring from Dinosaur Designs

* Sandals from Marco Gianni

* Sunglasses from Paddy’s Markets

* Earrings from Myo Designs (more on Myo later!)

* Bag gift from my aunty

Oh and here are the earrings I made…

Do you think she’ll like them? Let me know what you think!

And while you’re at it tell me how your weekend was. I love hearing about your weekends!

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

I’m smiling today because it’s Friday! And it’s a real Friday for me because I don’t have to work on Saturday this week! Yay! I also managed to get everything all caught up at work and being the anal-retentive Virgo that I am I get to leave work with a clean desk and a clear head. Bliss face. This evening I’m going home to get all prettied up and then I’m going out for dinner and then to a film festival. And I just might sleep in tomorrow… mwah ha ha ha!

* T-shirt thrifted from Salvos (It has a massive picture of Cruella De Ville on it but the dress covers it.)

* Dress thrifted from Vinnies

* Boots from Redpaths (not the best idea in 30 degree heat…)

* Coffee cup ring from robinsjewellerybox

* Earrings ‘borrowed’ from Mama Smaggle years ago

* Head band from Mama Smaggle from Tasmania

What does everyone else have planned for the weekend? Better yet what are people going to BUY on the weekend? I love hearing about shopping.

Have happy days ladies! And gents…

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

p.s I may have something new and fabulous to show you next week. Here is a clue… it comes in a can and is just as good as the ones in Europe… stay tuned.