I have noticed an infuriating trend lately: inappropriate summer clothes being worn in winter. OK OK, Brisbane doesn’t exactly get to sub-zero temperatures during winter. In fact, on average we have crisp 13° which means it’s usually still quite warm in the sun. But it’s still winter, and when the seaon changes, it’s time to change with it and start wearing some season-appropriate clothing.
The main culprit? Denim hotpants. They are still being worn by so many girls and it is just not on. The other day I saw some teenagers wearing tiny denim hotpants (which I hate on principle, especially on underage kids) with jumpers and were very visibly freezing their arses off, because they were covered in goosebumps and hugging themselves in the cold wind. Girls, when it’s cold enough to put on a jumper an scarf, it’s cold enough to wear some real pants. Hot pants are to help you cool down in the heat by minimising how much skin is covered up. They are strictly a summer-only item of clothing. As I’ve already admitted, I am opposed to denim hot pants in general, I think they usually look tacky and are just fucking ugly a a whole. But I appeciate how good they must be to wear in summer whe I’m sweating half to death in my leggings/skirt combinations because I am too shy to show off much legs. But as soon as you decide to wear them out in public during the colder months, you’re basically shouting to the world “Hey, look at my nice legs, I am determined to show them off to everyone because I want attention at all times, even if it means dying of hypothermia for it”. T. A. C. K. Y. Don’t even get me started on the girls who war ugg boots with their shorts. if it’s cold enough or ugg boots, then it’s time to ditch the skimpy butt-coverings FOR GODSAKE.
Then there are those obnoxious tops that have long sleeves and random cut outs everywhere. Is anyone a bit done wth them? I am, especialy because it reminds me of the days of those dreadful one-sleeved shirts from my nightmares. Having a long sleeved top implies the wearer needs to cover up to maintain a certain level of body warmth. By removing random areas of fabric, you’re causing the long-sleeved shirt to lose effectiveness and basically render it useless. Also, what’s with the long sleeved, backless tops/body suits? What are you, a friggen ballarina? I know that’s a bit rich coming from a girl who almost exclusively wears tutu’s, but at least tutu’s serve a purpose (ie hiding my butt under layers of lovely tulle) whereas as backless body suits make your arms warm, you back cold and makes it impossible to wear a bra, which for most women is a necessity. There is no shame in wearing a long sleeved top that is whole and complete. Having random cut outs in your short-sleeved tops and body suits makes a lot of sense when the weather is hot and you need to expel as much heat as possible, but no sense at all when you’re trying to keep warm in the middle of winter.
Now this is one I’m a bit uncertain about: socks with strappy, open-toed heels. In theory it’s repulsive but when worn well it doesn’t look all that bad. But it’s a pretty hard look to get away with and most of the girls I’ve seen wearing socks and heels have gotten it completely wrong. But since I am on a roll with what not to wear in winter, I have to say that wearing airy, strappy high heels in winter is a bad idea. Adding socks to the equation is just about as bad as the hot-pants-and-ugg-boots wearers and should probably just be avoided. Let’s face it it, it’s just an updated version of one of the most elemental fashion faux pas out there and only about 2% of the people you encounter while wearing this will get that it’s a new trend and won’t snigger behind your back. If you must wear socks with heels, you’re better off going with an enclosed shoe in my opinion (the brighter the better, of course).
There’s nothing wrong with covering up a bit now and then. If you live in Australia, particularly up here in Brisbane, you don’t get a chance to wear winter fashion for long. There is no shame in wearing jackets, long pants and thick stockings for couple of months of the year. Save the tiny shorts and midriff tops for summer where they belong and embrace winter fashion while you can!
About Ruby
My name is Cara (but you can call me Ruby) and I like the colour pink, swearing, fist shaking, daggy dancing and 90s RnB music. Often all at once. I live in Brisbane which is always warm and is famous for its zombies.
I am so sick of the bitching and moaning people do about those who wear leggings as pants. GUESS WHAT? THEY ARE PANTS! They are pants by every definition of the word pants. They fit the description and serve the same purpose as any other style of pants, so why do so many people claim they aren’t pants? Just because you don’t like the look of them when worn as pants, doesn’t mean you can just proclaim and entire type of clothing is not what it technically is. Leggings are pants, end of story.
I applaud anyone who can wear leggings as pants. I only wear them under skirts or dresses as I hate my legs and don’t like showing them off. If I had the arse/thighs to wear leggings as pants, I’d be all over it. It’s not about being skinny, it’s about having the right sort of legs and bum for them (I’ve seen many big girls who look amazing in them, and some skinny chicks who look foul, it’s all about proportion and wearing them well). It’s also about styling them well, too. Wearing them with short t-shirt is trashy as hell. You’re showing off every bump and curve of your bottom half, so balance it out by covering up the top half a bit and you can pull it off. Ideally bottom -skirting tops (as in the cover most of your butt) are preferred, but not essential. It’s also about buying some decent leggings, your shitty K-Mart ones that go see-through when you bend over won’t do at all! They need to stay opaque at all times. I worked with a girl once who wore the same pair of leggings day in and out and basically they’d become sheer tights, it was awful. She’d bend over to pick up a box and BAM perfect view of her underpants through the worn out cotton leggings (how she got away with it was beyond me, given it was a corporate office). Invest in some good ones that won’t go clear after a few washes and as soon as they get a bit tatty, get rid of them. Also, don’t let them dag down as we all know leggings tend to do. Do you want to look like a slob? Or like you pooped yourself? I didn’t think so. There are some very basic standards for making leggings as pants work, so stick by them and show those people who say they ain’t pants!
On a similar note though, stockings are definitely not pants. They’re not even close. No matter how opaque they are, they’re not going to work as pants ever. By wearing them as pants out in public, you’re basically walking around in your knickers. It’s a fine line, guys, but an important one.
On a final note, I think I just found my dream leggings…
In actual fact I got these amazing phone charms from a shop that I’m fairly certain is Korean. But it’s almost the same thing (ie. awesome). One is a puffy, sparkly pink heart lined with pearls. The other a black fur ball with random pearls and jewels. The case is one I created myself with a plain case which I then attached with dozens of jewel stickers. I think it is fair to say the effect is absolutely amazing.
I recently bought Clinique’s Superbalanced Powder Makeup. I am a very big fan of all mineral foundations and have used a few different brands (such as Revlon, Natio and Loreal, which has so far been my pick). I was actually wondering if ever Clinique would get on the bandwagon and release their own version (they probably had already but had never noticed), and it was only recently that I discovered finally did. First and foremost, I am a massive fan of Clinique. While most bloggers go for the fancy, colourful and trendy MAC, I go for the slightly daggier Clinique. I have reasonably sensitive skin so I like how they don’t add perfumes and other irritating ingredients to their makeup. I also love how they give free stuff away all the time which means I rarely have to pay for mascara, moisturiser or eye creams!
The only reason I took as long as I did to buy this product was because of the cost, a whopping $65. I’ve always known this brand is more expensive than your Revlon-type brands, but even I was taken aback by the cost. But I kept gazing at it longingly, marveling at the excellent way you get product out (more on that soon) and eventually I had enough and bought it (and got some great freebies to boot).
First of all, you don’t get product out like the standard mineral makeups, you have to turn the inner white dial clockwise which kind of grates off some powder to use. That alone makes it almost worth the money in my opinion. It also seems to minimise waste and spillage and given the size of the container it will probably last me a lot longer than the typical mineral foundation. So far the money seems like it might be justified after all. The brush you get is a tad small but kind of thick so it does spread out a bit and gives you more coverage per swipe than you might expect.
When I first bought it, the sales attendant put the smallest amount on me which made it look as though I had nothing on at all. It almost put me off, but I had a good feeling I could work it better than she showed me. To be honest, this stuff is a lot lighter than the other types I’ve used and does need a lot more than a Clinique staff member might tell you to use. But if you do a good job and prep your face properly first, it does look great.
Steps to making the most of Clinique’s Superbalanced Powder Makeup:
Moisturise like you would any other day. Applying mineral makeup direct to dry skin will make it look splotchy and hideous.
Apply some sort of primer. I can’t get enough of primer, it makes such a difference. I use Clinique City Block which is mainly a skin protector from sun and nasty stuff that cities ruin your face with. But it’s also an effective primer and as I use the SPF30 one, I know it’s helping protect my skin while helping my makeup look better.
Use any other products that you’d normally use before putting your face on. I use a concealer as I get dark circles under my eyes.
Apply your first coat of mascara .
Start to apply the Superbalanced Powder Makeup. I brush downwards in large circles, starting on my cheeks, then going to my nose, chin, around my mouth, the forehead/temples and then my eyelids. Not to say this is the best way to do it, but I like to keep a routine and this works well for me. I especially do the area around my mouth as that’s where I lose makeup first because I am a slob when I eat/drink. Apply liberally until you’re satisfied all is covered evenly. I use about two twists (one twist means moving the dial about 10 degrees) for my face which is at least twice as what was recommended to me.
Apply some light blush as you will look washed out without any cheek colour, but make it light as this makeup is going to be a hell of a lot lighter than your usual foundation/powder look. Likewise if you fill in your eyebrows, as I do. You don’t need to go as dark because your makeup is not as heavy.
Finish with a final coat of mascara and colour your lips, and you’re done!
This is how I looked before, with only my mascara and primer on:
And here I am after:
Apologies for the crappy webcam photos, I am still yet to get my camera fixed. As a result the after photo is not crash hot and I actually seem to have more shadows on my face than in the before image. But let’s just assume the light sucked and that you get the general idea.
In conclusion, I like this product and will wear it to work everyday so I don’t feel overdone with a full face of makeup. I don’t think the coverage is a good as it could be, and the price was pretty steep considering I have to use more product than with other brands of mineral powder. But with a bit of experimentation it does look good. You still need to prep your face properly as with any other type of makeup, but overall I save a good five minutes every morning with this stuff than by using foundation with a translucent powder, and to me that is a HUGE plus.
So I was killing time on Friday evening after work before an appointment, and decided to check out the shoe department at David Jones. I rarely do this, since I know I will get into a jealous rage at all of the amazing shoes In can’t afford and feel depressed for two days afterwards. This time though was different. I have my mind set on a certain type of shoe for my new job (see the Mary Janes in the previous post) so I could appreciate the extra lovely shoes without getting too upset.
The thing I found the most interesting were the amount of designer gumboots I found! For one thing, I haven’t seen this sort of thing since I was living in London in about 2005 when high-heeled gumboots were in, plus summer is almost over which is the wet season in Queensland so the need for expensive gumboots is minimal. But regardless, I was kind of excited by this find and thought I’d share with you some of the designer gumboots I found:
I love these and at $140 I actually think that’s a fair price for such stylish gumboots. I bought some shitty ones for $20 from some awful cheap accessories shop for a festival late last year, when these would have been 100x better and probably not caused scarring where the rubbed my calves. They also do another nice pair called Midnight Rain.
I did know Burberry did gumboots but I wasn’t aware of just how many! I really like these ones, the only ones they actually had, because they’re classy and understated and don’t feature that god-awful Burberry print. I also dig how they make no pretense that they’re anything but a gumboot. It is what it is while managing to be pretty classy and oh-so-shiney.
Rain Boot by Emporio Armani
There is something so ridiculously decadent about an Armani boot, I can hardly comprehend it. The ones I saw (not these exact ones as I can’t find them anywhere on the internet) were pretty reasonably priced too, only $275. God knows owning these would be the only way I could afford a pair of Armani boots any time soon!
OK so I didn’t see these there, which is lucky because I probably would have bought them there and then! Patent pink gumboots with heels? Um, yes please.
Actually, as it turns out there is so much variety in gumboots at the moment, it’s really hard to pick the perfect pair. Here are a lot of excellent examples, including ones by Chloe, Hunter, Valentino, Dirty Laundry and many others. Who would have ever thought??? I think I might just start putting away some money for some designed gumboots for the next festival season!
I have decided I need to write more about fashion on this lil ol’ blog of mine. God knows I spend 90% of my life thinking about and buying new clothes, so why don’t talk about it more? I will try and change that :)
Malice Dress in Wild Roses by Lena Hoschek. My god I want just about everything from her latest season :O
Mary Jane heels by Dr Martens. I stare at these every time I pass Downes Shoes near my place. I imagine they’re super comfortable which is all I need in a heel.
Lorissa Studded & Crystal Peeptoes by Sam Edelman. I actually saw a version of these in a shop in the City and haven’t stopped thinking about them since. I don’t care if they’re comfy or if I can’t walk in them, I must have them!
Kissing Poodles Necklace by Lovisa. I just found this shop (have I mentioned how much I love working in the City again??!) and was thrilled by their Skulls & Crosses collection (no pics of the pieces I liked unfortunately). I love affordable jewelry!
Black Blouse by Ella Lai. Since I am about to start a super corporate job, I have been keeping an eye out of awesome, unusual tops that will cover my tattoos. For once those annoying daily etsy emails paid off!
A friend of mine pointed me to StyleTread today, which was very convenient as it was only this morning that I looked upon all of my shoes strewn across my bedroom floor, I thought about how badly I need some new, interesting shoes to mix things up a little. I have so many shoes, we’re talking about 50 pairs, but I tend to be a bit samey with a lot of them. Black patent? Pink leather? Sequined flats? I have heaps of ‘em. I guess I tend to just go for what I’m used to, often without really thinking about it. But I need a change! As I browsed through their hundreds of goregeos shows I came across a few that are unlike what I currently own but are still very “Ruby Velour”.
First off is Leo by Diavolina in Black. I love the suede, the wood and the studs. Three sexy textures in one shoe! The heel is just thick enough so I know I would be able walk in these without too much stumbling and the thick sole means enough padding my feet won’t be ready to fall off at the end of the night. Oh and they have grip! Oh how I love the thought of heels with some grip! They are so simple, but definitely not boring. I have about a dozen LBD’s I could team up with these. They’re just $139.95 too.
OK so allow me to explain… I love the 1920s very passionately. I love the fashion, the art, the music and the decadence of the roaring 20s. I swear I was a flapper in a former life, visiting speak easy’s, getting drunk on bootleg liquor with my long pearls, short hair and low-backed dress. I absolutely adore in these shoes (Louisiana by I Love Billy in Black/grey) and would wear them with so much. Just because they look like they’re from the 20s, doesn’t mean you can only dress like you’re from the era when wearing them. Because of the colours you could wear them with just about anything. Personally I have a few black and white dresses that would look outstanding with these and at $89.95 I may well just have to get them.
And now for the totally ridiculous! Please welcome Faya by RMK in black! I was only talking to a fiend recently about the ghetto fabulous boots that used to be around in the early – mid Noughties. These are by far the most ghetto-fabulous yet completely wearable type I have ever seen. They’re hiking boots, with sexy heels. Aaaah it’s a match made in heaven for me. So impractical and fun, I think these would look amazing with black skinny jeans. I honestly don’t know what I own that would suit these, but I am sure I can work something out! The brown ones are also very special. These babies are $189.95.
Yay my first ever wishlist! I tend to lose track of all the cool stuff I find online that I want to buy, but not today! Here are the lovely things I am currently gushing over:
I was going to explain why I like them all to you, but I think they all speak for themselves. I’m seriously considering getting that dress though. I don’t think it could be more “me” if it possibly tried. And the price is pretty good too!
This is some bold new territory for me. You see, I have never really been a fan of Christina Aguilera’s music. I never minded her that much, it was more that damn warbling she did in her songs that infuriated me. I kind of liked her feisty attitude and the fact she didn’t seem to give damn. But her music mostly drove me nuts. I hated her pin up phase, it was way to cutesy and clean-cut. To me the real XTINA is Dirrty. Man that is a great song and an amazing film clip.
So I was pretty ashamed at myself for now checking her song “Not Myself Tonight” out sooner. In fact I’d only heard a cover version of it in one of my gym classes and had no idea who it was actually by. I am really impressed by it, she’s back to being her sexual self and it’s a really sexy clip. I know at first it seems a bit Lady Gaga-ish at first but more than anything it reminds me more of one of the sexiest film clips of all times “Human Nature” by Madonna.
I was shocked to realise I barely even noticed her warbling, which is usually all I can hear in her songs. It’s about time she showed off the rest of her voice instead of just relying on that damn 90s white female singer cliche. Well done Christina, you’ve gone back to what you’re good at and you look absolutely amazing doing it!
I don’t go out clubbing that much any more. Not because I’m necessarily over it or anything, but I am trying to be responsible with money plus the migraines that come with a big night out are getting worse as I get closer to the age of 30 (*shriek*) so I tend to only go out when I have something to go to. This is my outfit from last Saturday night, which was a friends 30th at one of my favourite Brisbane clubs, Alhambra. I have to admit it’s one of my favourites, which I also have in black. It’s real silk, plus there’s sequins and fancy straps and oh man… I love this dress. I got it from Forever New earlier in the year after falling in love with it a month or two earlier. I couldn’t justify the $150 or so that it cost, and couldn’t decide which colour I liked more. Then one day I found it on sale for $80. I went to get the black one, discovered it was 50% sale items so I ended up getting the black and pink/purple ones for $80 altogether. Best day ever!
Detail
I cannot get my camera to get the true colour, it’s actually more pink than this, but you get the idea. It’s only downfall is that the sequins can scratch the shit out of your arm as you’re dancing. But the amazing, swishy skirt more than makes up for that!
And just for laughs, check out an action shot of me at the club. Ruby Velour = True Class.
Dress – Forever New
Fishnets – Ambra
Shoes – Rubi
Hair flower – Dotti
Bracelet – Found on the floor of a club one time ;)
