Majestic Minimalism

This weekend, a well deserved break was on the cards to The Blue Mountains. When there’s an opportunity to leave Sydney for a getaway I jump at the chance, as still have a lot to see in Australia! When the resort is as beautiful as Hydro Majestic, it's hard to turn down; which I’ll be talking about more in my review post towards the end of this week. 

Today’s look channels elegance and minimalism. An all black look is one of my favourites, and it’s been a while since I have photographed an outfit of block colour. When arriving at the hotel, it was pretty apparent that the style of this look was going to compliment the setting perfectly. Clean crisp grounds with black detailed balustrades, it was definitely a “it reminds me of Paris” kind of moment. And I couldn’t have been happier. The surroundings are really important when I’m styling a blogpost as I like the article to not only feature the beautiful garments, but to take you all to the place I’m visiting though the images. If you’ve read “How To Be Parisian” there's an obvious statement that Parisian women only wear black, and Coco Chanel is a prime example of this. A black pleated dress and tailored jacket felt elegant and classic. It’s also worth noting that it was very windy, which added sexiness and moodiness to the movement of the look. 

Lately, I have been drawn to flat shoes, and these Jo Mercer Pony Skin beauties made the outfit feel more relaxed without taking away the silhouette of the look. Being only 5ft 3, I can sometimes get conscious that clothes either looked swamped or too long but thankfully I didn’t feel like this with today’s look, so I’m glad I didn’t opt for high heels. To style this look for a colder day, I would definitely suggest layering, maybe adding a slouchy cable knit jumper which would still expose the pleats in the dress, yet add contrast to the lightweight movement.

My hair has had a refresh this week! Decided to go a little darker, but have kept the length. It’s starting to look a lot healthier lately and the vintage wave is definitely here to stay! Easily mastered with a curling wand and then brushing out the curls with a paddle brush to create soft waves. Stay tuned for my review of this beautiful resort in the coming days!

Shop the look:

Camilla and Marc Black Dress: SHOP SIMILAR HERE and HERE

St Frock Black Coat: SHOP HERE or SIMILAR HERE

Jo Mercer Black Shoes: SHOP HERE or SIMILAR HERE

The Daily Edited Clutch: SHOP HERE

Babybonie Silver Jewelley: SHOP HERE

Photo Credit to Chris Bray

Hair by Paul Anthony Studio based in Potts Point Sydney

Bohemian Bondi Sunset

Every weekend, I make an effort to head down to the beach and experience the wonderful coastline thats on my doorstep. I am so grateful to have found the perfect Bondi house within days of landing in Sydney six months ago. I work in the industrial part of the city, so it’s really important to remind myself the reason I moved here. Beautiful beaches and inspired creativity. As you all know, Andrea from Leather and Lattes blog is one of my closest friends here, and we collaborate almost every weekend. I am so happy she is back from her round the world trip and we’ve already been planning fun locations and shoots for the coming months. I’m also hoping to be posting on my blog twice a week from next month which will test my time management holding down a full time job and passion to write. I’m feeling positive that I can do both with determination and the beautiful sunshine that pushes me! This is also my first post with a change in hair colour! Last weekend I braved a Balyage at Inch Hair Salon in Bondi. I’m hoping to go lighter again in the next month. Believe it or not, my natural hair colour is blonde, so looking forward to getting back to my natural colour again. I’m sure I’ll fit into the Australian way of life very soon!

I can’t believe that in six months I’ve never done an outfit post down at the beach! It’s the most perfect time as the crowds diminish and all that’s left is the pastel skies and seagulls squawking. Culottes and off the shoulder tops are staples this spring, and Boohoo never fail to surprise me with their on trend pieces. I’m still finding it hard to pull away from black, but this bohemian top stole my heart! Boohoo is a British website, so now is the time to order your summer pieces if you are in Australia. Almost all of my favourite pieces are on sale at the moment, so make the most of the contrast in seasons. Wide legged pants, cute bohemian dresses and cropped tops are some of my favourite items, so get your bargains while you can!

I’m currently writing this post sick in bed, but my weekend catch up with good friends and sunshine make it somewhat seem not so bad. Hopefully I’ll feel better in the next few days as have some exciting events on the calendar. Keep up to date on all the happenings on Instagram and say hello! Have a great week ladies!

Shop the look:

Top: Boohoo

Culottes: Boohoo

Slides: Zara UK (similar here)

Bracelet: Opa Designs

Photo credit to Andrea Hetherington from Leather and Lattes blog.

Helen-Jayne x

Bondi Stripes

I’ve been living in Bondi exactly eight weeks today! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone and when I look at all the amazing people I have met on my journey it makes me grin like a Cheshire cat! So it felt right to host a breakfast at my place last Sunday for our collaborator Jo and Fellow bloggers Andrea from Leather And Lattes and Kelly from Piezloves. Continental muffins, croissants and fresh fruit were perfect to kick start our day and it was lovely to meet Kelly who had driven down from the Central Coast to meet us today. What a babe. 

A quick trip to the coastal path and the cameras were clicking. All week we were praying the rain would hold off and luckily enough it did! The past few weeks I’ve been working at Camilla and Marc which meant that I was lucky enough to have first dibs on this beautiful tailored black vest. I picked it up at the warehouse sale at a quarter of the price, and spent days wondering how to style it. Thought this Elliatt Blaze leather skirt had a beautiful cut to it and was a little more fitted than I usually wear! But loved how it worked well with the lines of the vest. I opted for this low cut Blesse’d Are The Meek tee that was so flattering and relaxed looking. 

Ankle boots are probably my favourite piece of footwear, but seeing as the location was slippery rocks at the ocean it would have clearly been a safety hazard! So these Urge Footwear oxfords were the perfect choice. The look was finished off with Pushmataaha jewels that really popped in colour reflecting the ocean. Absolutely adore turquoise jewellery. It was such a fun day, especially shooting with these girls. One more Bondi post to follow in the next few days!

Vest: Camilla and Marc

Top: Blesse’d Are The Meek

Skirt: Elliatt

Shoes: Urge Footwear

Necklace and Ring: Pushmataaha

Helen-Jayne x

Black Is The New Black

My obsession for black tailoring has yet to diminish, and it’s not going anywhere for a while. Leaving the UK at the end of a gloomy winter meant I was able to buy into this trend just at the right time. And knowing that it is set to stay over these next few months makes me one happy lady! Here in Sydney, we’re going into Autumn so it is the perfect temperature to bare a bit of belly and add some layers.

Today’s shoot was with my partner is crime, Alisha (www.alishayi.com). She has been eager to show me The Grounds of Alexandria ever since we discussed it at Fashion Week. Thankfully, we were graced with the sunshine and enjoyed a tasteful Aussie brekkie to set us up for the day ahead. I love picture taking with this lady as we both hate one thing.....Greenery. It looks beautiful to the eye but is our little pet hate in photos. So we took a walk around the grounds and found a backstreet alley to add edge to our structured looks.

The lines of each black piece really complimented each other and choosing this cropped look meant that you could clearly see the cut of each item. I love the shape of these harem shaped trousers and especially like the draping from the waistband. My tailored style was inspired by one of my favourite designers, Alexander Wang. His SS14 collection consisted of low slung loose fitting trousers, bralets, and open split shirts. Well toned midriffs were owning the runway. A tasteful street twist styled on a sexy masculine trend. It’ll be interesting to see how Australian style hungry females style this trend in the coming months. I definitely think layering will make this look really powerful and can’t wait to wear more looks like this one.

Top: Sportsgirl

Trousers: Topshop Australia

Vest: Sportsgirl

Bag: Alexander Wang

Helen-Jayne x