The chop before my travels! 

New leather pants!

Yo, Jess here. So a couple of days ago my dear mum, after putting it off and off, FINALLY decided to clean out her wardrobe. Now this is where the 2 of us differ. Whereas I like to reassess the clothes I have in my cupboard a few times a year, as I feel it is thoroughly cleansing for the soul, this process absolutely terrifies my mum and makes her terribly anxious.

So I decided to help her out. Be a gem of a daughter. And oh, what a nightmare it was! She simply couldn't let go of anything! At times I actually had to physically grab some garments out of her hands and chuck it in the garbage bag for her! We found some keepers along the way, but we also found some pieces that HAD to go!

Throughout the tedious process, we came across a pair of pants that caught our attention. And what a pair of pants they were! Leather, FLARE pants! My mum had purchased them from Italy about 9 years ago (my dad had made her buy them, of course) and she has worn them about twice since then.

I decided to try them on. It was hilarious. The flare was too much to handle. It was wrong. SO WRONG!  The fit though was absolutely perfect. The leather was soft like butter. I had to have them. I had wanted to get my hands on a pair of leather pants for too long now. But most of them are about $800 or more in stores now.

They don't fit my mum anymore, and I don't think she'd want to be caught dead in them anyway, so she said I could have them with pleasure. But for me to actually wear them, the flare had to go.

End of story.

I picked them up from the dressmaker (and what a genius she is) last night, check it out!

(Jack & Jack sleeveless shirt, Topshop jacket)

(Jack & Jack sleeveless shirt, Shakuhachi cape)

(Marc by Marc Jacobs heels)

Visiting My Grandmother's Hat Shop

Hey, it's Gabs here! I am currently in Jo-Burg, South Africa and I just came back from visiting my grandmother's (Dolly is her name) hat shop.

My granny is a famous milliner.  Everyone in Johannesburg who has ever worn a hat knows her, not just for her hats, but for her outright comments, and her eccentric views about hats and the people who wear them.  

She is 88 years old and still works 6 days a week.  She has been in the same shop, Broadway Milliners,  for 65 years. Can you believe it?! Studying fashion myself,  I feel a strong connection to her, and  the skills that she uses every  day  –  she sews ,  makes pleats, moulds straw, cuts felt,  ties  ribbons. 

When I went to visit her in her shop, She took one look at me and said , ’23 centimeters’.  Next minute there was a tape measure around my head , and 23 centimeters  it was, my hat size, that is.

Before I left she gave me a wide brimmed black felt hat – Funny enough it’s the very hat I have been searching for! Lucky I have a granny as a milliner !!

Here I am trying on one of her creations.

Hat heaven 

My new hat !! 

I don't think there is another work room as eccentric as this one!

All my grandmother's ribbons and hat moulds 

Thread GALORE 

This is my grandmother's sewing desk which is around 65 years old! I don't believe there is another sewing desk like this one. If you notice there are two sewing machines yet only one works however my granny refuses to remove her Singer vintage machine.....which is very typical of her character. 

Here is my granny  fitting my hat to my head......dare I put on my own hat. This is true to her controlling behavior  HAHA 

S H E L L A C !

Chilly, but beautifully sunny down by one of Sydney's harbour beaches... 

Channelling leather and leopard today

Love this.

FRIDAY.

Sass & Bide ripped boyfriend jeans

Shakuhachi sweater

Sportsgirl knit

Asos shoes

Late Night Lamingtons

Today's cheap purchases... 

A comfy One Teaspoon knit

Cute little Ksubi jumper...love the leopard print as well as interesting design of back. Oh, and this was half price! #winning

I've been looking for an orange pleat skirt for ages! Finally found one, yippee da doodaaa...

Sparkly number - love the cut of this one!

You gotta love 'em sales.

Brrr....it's so cold out! 

Gabi has already left so it's just me, Jessie, stuck in bitter Sydney. I simply cannot wait to leave in 2 days! Bring onnnnnnn summer!

THURSDAY.

Sass & Bide pants

Ksubi tee

Zara jacket

Kirrily Johnston sandals

Marc by Marc Jacobs watch

New kicks!

Hey hey, Jessie here! Okay, so we've been drooling over the Isabel Marant sneakers for quite a while now, but the 2 of us just can't seem to bring ourselves to spending a whopping $800 on shoes that may...yes, 'date'. There's no denying, the IB ones are uh-maaazing, but they're so depressingly pricey - boo! So we've been on a mission to find a pair that look hot, and don't burn a massive hole in our credit cards. 

Surprisingly, there is quite an array of wedge sneakers out there. Unfortunately, there are many, many sneakers out there that are simply not okay. The soles are too thin, the material looks cheap, the overall styles seem downright lame! Not the look we're going for... 

After desperately searching for the perfect pair, I discovered these on an online store a couple of days ago (for only 80 pounds!), and they just arrived in the mail today.

When ordering them on the website, I knew at the back of my mind that they would definitely need some work. I was a fan of the colour, but NOT feeling the red...I thought they made the shoe look totally cheap and uncool, ya feel me? I thought, no prob, I'll just change the laces and somehow (emphasis on the somehow) dye the part of the lace that's attached to the back of the shoe!

Yerrr, so this minor issue that crossed my mind when ordering the shoes kinda turned into a dilemma. How on earth would I actually 'dye' this lace?! What was I thinking?! So I raced off to the Shoe Repair Guy (that's what I call him...yet to still find out his name!)and asked him what he could do. 

He gave me 2 options:

1) Paint the lace with fabric paint and a fine brush (Risk involved: umm, staining the leather! A no-no.)

2) Stop complaining and just keep the shoe laces red (The Shoe Repair Guy was totally for this idea...who asked him anyway?!)

So I made a decision and bought the paint.

I was absolutely fixed on the idea of transforming these babies, and I wasn't going to let the nosy Shoe Repair Guy stop me!

Look how they turned out. BOOM!

Today's lesson: Don't just blow all your money when you're after a certain trend. There are ways to get what you want and not subsequently land up completely broke! Please, go out of your way to discover exciting little treasures that are totally affordable and worth your pennies! The painting process took me maybe a half hour or so...it was quick AND fun! (Okay, I lie...it was absolutely terrifying but oh so worth it.)

The secret is out...Alexa Chung is going to be the new face of French fashion label, Maje! 

El Loco and Tio's Bar in Surry Hills last night...

Prawn tacos, delicious grilled fish, tequila shots, free popcorn!

"JACOBS 

BY 

MARC JACOBS 

FOR 

MARC BY MARC JACOBS 

IN COLLABORATION WITH 

MARC JACOBS 

FOR MARC BY MARC JACOBS"

Great canvas bag for the gym or uni!

Essentials for travelling.

How great is this?! The perfect compact pen to remove stains and help keep your clothes in mint condition! 

Oh, dry shampoo...what on earth would we do without you?! There are many different brands out there, but we especially like this one as it smells delicious! There's a variety of fragrances to choose from. Perfect for when you're on the run and don't have time to wash those locks!

Eyebrow brush: A must have!