Yesterday was delightful. Mr Smaggle and I got all dressed up and went to a Melbourne Cup Day lunch at our friend’s house. We drank champagne and ate tiny tomato tarts and yummy pavlova. Here are some photos of my gorgeous friends looking stylish for the cup…

Sam wearing a hat from Mrs Dewson’s Hats and Mikimoto Pearls

Charlie wearing Mellisa shoes

Steph

Alex wearing a hat from Mrs Dewson’s Hats

Jess

Stuart

Dave

Azz

We spent the afternoon playing poker and eating cheese. As one does on Melbourne Cup Day!

As I am an habitual early riser it’s 8.30 on Melbourne Cup Day morning (which is now a public holiday in the ACT) and I have already had breakfast and completed my full ’special occasion’ beauty routine. I am about to vacuum my bedroom but thought I would throw a few tips at you before I leave for the afternoon to freeze in my pretty dress and drink champagne.

* No fake tan. It smells really really bad. And you can’t exfoliate and it streaks and it makes you like you have some sort of skin disease. Be pale and interesting for a change. Rather than yellow and jaundice.

* Have fun with your hat. A few years ago a friend of mine made a fabulous hat out of a stocking and a coat-hanger which she wore to the side of her and there were tiny toy soldiers fighting a tiny little war on it. It was fantastic as everyone else was so conservative.

* Don’t get drunk and sit with your legs open in your short skirt. It’s supposed to be a ladies day but no one needs to see bits that prove it.

* Don’t be a bad sport. If you lose don’t sulk, just get over it. And if you win be gracious. If you can’t do either just don’t bet and spend the money on champagne…

* Throw a pair of flats in your bag for the trip home. It’s A LOT HARDER to be drunk in the afternoon than you might imagine and really disorientating because of the sun. I swear it induces early hangovers.

 Have a lovely day, lovely ladies and I will be posting pics of my lunch time fancies later!

 I am not a fashion purist. I am also really fickle. This means that I don’t blindly rave about designers because I am infatuated with them (or because my favourite celebrity is infatuated with them) and if a designer of interest puts on a less than average show I politely ignore it and move on. It is on this note that Mister McQueen’s Spring Collection of 2008 has caught my flighty attention this week.

Usually when I am checking out the shows on Style.com I am playing George Michael’s ‘Too Funky’ in my head and thinking about the super cool motorbike corset in the video clip. McQueen’s collection not only stopped the gay karaoke festival but actually replaced it with the theme music from Beauty and the Beast. I adore the use of feathers in their natural state. With the beautiful colour, shape and placement it’s an ironic reminder of where feathers actually come from. With all the pink and artificial fluff we think of as feathers it’s so refreshing to see such beautiful structure and pattern in this new trend. The hats through out the show are a touching tribute to the late Isabella Blow who acted as a mentor for McQueen early in his career. She actually purchased his entire graduate collection straight from the runway and through her contacts (She worked as Anna Wintour’s assistant for a while) and support he became one of the most well-known designers in the world. I do apologise for that little rant, I get more distracted by the story of the object than the object itself. Back to the point… God bless McQueen for bringing back the butterfly! This poor little insect took a battering in the late nineties when every 12 year old girl had cheap purple and pink glittery butterfly’s hanging from every appendage of their body and hardly anyone has touched them since. Until McQueen. And how much do we all want to thread butterflies on our last season super strappy sandals? I am feeling a Christmas day outfit brewing…

Today’s Cheeky Friday item was my lovely Jack the Skeleton necklace.

I got the following comments -

* ‘Oh it’s he fun?’

* ‘Is that a skeleton?’

* ‘He reminds me of the Corpse Bride.’ (Of course he does Nightmare Before Christmas was made by the same people!)

* ‘How unusual.’ (With no expression in the voice or face just a rather cold raising of the eyebrow…)

I did need to explain to a few people that he is a friendly skeleton, not a scary one. And I may have blamed halloween once or twice. I am not very good at Cheeky Friday. Any suggestions for fun crazy things to test out in my work place? 

My lovely friend Azz sent me the link for this fabulous bag today

It’s a Brain Bag! Ew… Could be intestines too.

Follow the link to one of my favourite sites Coolhunter for the full article…

I have only been reading fashion blogs for about a year but I must say I have become quite the expert. I have a long list of favourites that I flick through every morning (around 50 - eep!) but there are a few that I linger on a little longer and read a little more carefully. I feel like a five year old who saves up their pocket money to buy a big bag of lollies but leaves their favourites until last…

Style Bubble - The Liquorice Allsort

Susie Bubble was the first fashion site I ever found. She is an eclectic mix of all things weird and wonderful in the world of fashion and style. Her site is full of designer fashions, London street trends, daily outfits (which are just incredible) and post on magazines, books, movies, everything! She also updates daily which is a huge draw card. I always save the Bubble for last so I get that delicious liquorice taste that lasts all day. She is also incredibly humble about her obvious fashion talents and is really honest. She gives credit where it’s due but she won’t ever bullshit you. Her personal style is seriously amazing. Descriptions are futile - check it out for yourself. This photo is from Facehunter.  

Style Bytes - The Fine Belgian Truffle

Except that she’s not Belgian. She’s Norwegian. And she’s awesome. She has the ability to pin point exactly what makes an outfit work and she can pick trends straight from the catwalk and apply them to her own wardrobe effortlessly. My favourite section of her site is her DIY posts. She has such simple and creative ideas for making your own catwalk accessories on a budget. The reason for the truffle analogy is her personal style - She never goes O.T.T, her accessories are perfectly placed, there is often a taste of the unusual but she blends it perfectly with the rest of her ensemble. She is truly the epitome of a finely crafted European delicacy.

The Vintage Society - The Lolly Pop

She is colourful, bright, bubbly and impeccably groomed. She mixes colours, styles, patterns and seasons to perfection. But as her title indicates she is trapped in a different era than the rest of us. She looks to me like she should be spending her days riding a bike with a little basket full of flowers, playing with puppies in fields of daisies and strolling to the local milk bar to buy a milkshake. However in real life she is just about to open a vintage store in LA called The Vintage Society and she is tracking her progress on this blog. She also has outfit posts, outfit challenges (which are HILARIOUS!) and my favourite The Vintage Society Girl of the Week. Visit this blog for a good old fashion style fix!

Flying Saucer - The Jelly Baby

This spring chicken is still in her teens but don’t let youth fool you. She is sharp and on the mark with trends and she is a genius at creating catwalk looks with her current wardrobe and cheap chain store additions. She’s fun and funky and dresses the way she wants unapologetically. She provides a completely different view of fashion which is I why love her. She is my Jelly Baby blogger - young, colourful, funky and comes in a variety of colours. Plus her hair is divine… like a goddess.

Gala Darling - The Hello Kitty Strawberry Flavoured Candy

This is Gala Lumiere Darling. She is fabulous, joyous, wonderful and amazing. Seriously, her blog is so positive and uplifting you just walk around with a smile on your face all day. Although I regularly indulge in her daily outfit posts her site is so much more than a fashion blog. She updates daily with insightful posts on things like relationships, decorating, parties, self improvement, beauty, movies and general loveliness. My particular favourites are Things I love Thursdays where everyone makes a list of things they love and Carousel where on Fridays she provides a list of great links that she has collected over the week. She is my funky Japanese candy blogger - beautifully presented, stupidly gorgeous and full of juicy strawberry goodness! She also gets extra points for being a major Michael Jackson fan.

Not only am I a SEVERE Etsy addict I have officially become a repeat offender. Many, many moons ago Browny (my office buddy) and I ordered necklaces from the delightful Miss Vanda at Paraphernalia. I chose the blue bird from the Fauna Collection here is a pic of me wearing it…

And Browny really wanted the goldfish

But it was sold out by the time we ordered so she got the long tail bird instead

But we had some postage troubles and strikes and missing packages so we recieved our goods later than expected. But to make up for it Vanda very kindly included an extra necklace which turned out to be the goldfish! Browny was delighted and ever since I have been hooked on Paraphernalia. I could easily have ordered everything in store on my first visit but I obviously wanted to test the merchandise before stocking up. I received the necklaces months ago but alas my blog was non-existant. So here is a massively belated thank to Vanda - I adore her necklaces, they are original, well-made and the most compliment inducing piece of jewellery I have ever owned. And today I went back for more… Bad Lady Smaggle!

I was a little scared to order this one because I wasn’t sure how the general public would cope but I decided I don’t care. I love it and I’m gonna wear it to death!

And she has new stuff now! Name plate necklaces! And they are huge! 6 x 8 centimetres!

I ordered one that says ‘Lady’…

Do visit Vanda on Etsy, she is ever so friendly and helpful. Her work is amazing and her business is growing fast. I seem to recall her mentioning in an email that she is working on a PHD as well… Absolute genius! Something tells me this won’t be the last time she hears from me.

 Smaggle Love

Heaps of chunky pearl necklaces all different lengths and styles worn the same time. Just like Chanel.

Patterns that look innocent but up-close it’s really dogs humping each other or millions of interlocking penises.

Check out these tee’s that are partially censored pornographic strips but from far away look like blurry stripes!

Inappropriately bright shoes. This is Agathe from Style Bytes.

Smaggle What the…?

 Skinny, skinny, skinny jeans.

I am talking about the kind of jeans where you see the owners butt crack THROUGH the jeans. Word to the wise ladies - NOTHING SHOULD BE VISIBLE THROUGH JEANS okay? Not even underwear. And certainly not vital organs of the female anatomy. If you can see your baby making bits through thick layers of denim it’s quite possible that you will squash something important and make yourself infertile. So in the name procreation be size wise when comes to buying the skinnies.

3/4 Length Leggings and Tights

Am I the only one who realises that they cut you off at the most unflattering part of your leg and make most (if not all) women look like stumpy little characters from Noddy? I know they are really useful and everybody loves them but I am all bitter and twisted because I am built like a Shetland pony (all body, no leg. Much like a Dashund puppy) and leggings just look rubbish on me. So I certainly won’t be wearing them but for those of you that must check out Fashion and Style By Eric for a few tips on wearing leggings well.

 Please feel free to share your yays and nays of the fashion day! I love comments… they make me go all blushy.

Don’t wear work boots. Ever. Chunky work boots covered in construction site crap worn with a summer sundress is a terrible, terrible look. That is all.

I adore Filep. Mostly I visit his site to check out the portraits he takes of people who visit him in his studio. There is something very raw and enticing about his site that keeps me clicking on a regular basis. Being the vague little chicken that I am, I only just realised that Filep is a designer. I read his profile on the site which is an entertaining yarn about his life and the people he as worked with. He recently had a show of his work and I have to say, Lady likey. I’m not a runway girl but if more fashion shows looked like this I think I could fast become one…

The pearls have me sold. They are such a timeless and beautiful accessory and Filep had taken them out, got them pissed on martinis and let them run wild on the dance floor. I adore the sheer fishnet dress with pearls sewn across decolletage and the stockings are just too damn cool. I love the way he has mixed textures with pearls encased in tulle and string and attached at the neck with what appears to be some kind of rope. I am sensing new trends coming from this - fabric based necklaces and large statement accessories made with leather and crochet. Oh I can feel myself getting all crafty! Do check out Filep’s website, he is trendy little bugger and if you keep your eye on him he will lead you straight into temptation…

Oh and I just received an email from the man himself (soooo excited that he took the time to read my post!!!) and he asked that I credit Maria Mastori his collaborator for the stunning jewellery and also John Leeaneris for the for the fabulous photography. What a beautiful team they make. How special that three people combined their talents so seamlessly that it never occured to me that more than one genius was involved…