On sale : Alex Wang.

Alexander Wang knit, on sale at shopbop

The Australian humidity and sundrenched days prevent me from this purchase ... but if you're residing in the more arctic regions, hurry up and make this yours! 

Love, Mandy. xx

OCRF white shirt style series : summer florals.

(OCRF x Witchery white shirt; floral shorts - Topshop, blazer - Reiss; watch - Michael Kors; rings - Hello Parry)

Photos by Love Yaz.

Amongst the plethora things I love about summer (balmy afternoons, holidays, chilled mangoes...), there lies in my heart a very fond love for jacarandas. For those of you who are not familiar, jacarandas are the gorgeous trees in the background of these images dotted with the lilac-hued flowers that emerge in the late days of spring and is subsequently associated as being a harbinger for impending exams. This year, for the first time that I can remember, I was able to revel in the beauty of the jacarandas without the concomitant curdling in my stomach so it seemed only fitting that Yazzi and I frolicked around jacaranda-lined streets with floral shorts and my favourite white shirt!

...And I know many of you aren't experiencing summer so I'm sending lots of love and gorgeous Australian sunshine your way!

Love, Mandy. xx

A few lovely things.

(Beautiful crimson petals overhanging white picket fences in Trouville)

(Mocha with marshmallows and an extra chocolate shot at my favourite cafe in Brisbane)

(Frolicking under jacaranda trees with floral shorts to match - full outfit post coming soon!)

In some ways, today was a typical Sunday with the perfunctory breakfast to start the morning - only that I spent it looking over the expansive coastal panorama of the Gold Coast 78 levels above the ground on the Q1 sky deck in the company of my gorgeous med school friends for our graduation breakfast (the beginning of a long series of graduation events that will be occurring throughout the week). 

To ease myself into what will be a hectic week ahead, I have made a small compilation of lovely things that I have an affinity for - as you may have already surmised, I do have quite a penchant for flowers (I snapped about 500 floral-themed images from my last Europe sojourn)! 

I hope you all had the most sparkling weekend and that you have an even more radiant week ahead!

Love, Mandy. xx

Island essentials.

Sandals - Skin Hello Midnight from Adrenalin Boutique // Invisible Zinc tinted daywear moisturiser // Saroff Designs sunglasses // Korres lip butter // Pree Brulee necklace // Reef suntan oil

Perfect beachside reading for indolent balmy afternoons in Phi Phi. Hammock also mandatory.

Pristine waters and vertiginous cliffs at Maya Bay.

                                                             Photos via Instagram.

... And so, my days in Phuket (and the even more idyllic Phi Phi islands) were spent in sun-drenched languor, with bright-hued bikinis under local crochet dresses, delightful villas with thatched roofs, and tropical fruit baskets, whilst sunset implicated the taxing decision of reading books that had been abandoned over time, imbibing coconut cocktails (the perfect remedy to the implacable humidity), or revelling the summer breezes during beachside oil massages, or all of the above ... but the greatest luxury of all was the sheer indolence, which I have decided is the common man's ultimate indulgence, even if only for one ephemeral week ...

                                                               Love, Mandy. xx

Yarra.

(Top - ASOS; skirt - Bird of Prey; belt - ASOS; bag - Kate Spade; shoes - Senso Diffusion from Lady Petrova)

Photos taken by the absolutely gorgeous Sonia De Macedo from Daring Coco. 

With my incipient status as a doctor (I can officially scrawl the two-letter prefix to my name as of next week!), the concomitant wardrobe changes have inevitably been considered. The unfortunate reality is that my often whimsical aesthetic will have to be tamed within the pragmatic limits of the hospital milieu, which means a resultant influx of pencil skirts, pussy bow silk shirts, and pointy kitten heels into my daily routine. I don't usually post my professional looks on the blog (mainly because I feel they are prosaic and repetitive) but since so many of you have asked me what I wear to work, I may consider it for next year!

This is an outfit I wore to a recent congress in Melbourne, a reasonably demure ensemble with a few contemporary touches (I have a relentless love affair with the perspex heels that I bought from the ever so lovely Lady Petrova - visit her gorgeous little store if you're ever in Melbourne!) where I spent the afternoon on the Yarra River with Sonia (of the beautiful blog Daring Coco) in a daze of hazy sunlight and post-high-tea-induced-euphoria (at The Langham, obviously).

Love, Mandy. xx

Split personality.

(Top - this is a plain tee; skirt - Hello Parry; jacket - Pink Yotto; shoes - Tony Bianco; bag - Kate Spade)

Photos by Love Yaz. 

There are a few sartorial imperatives that every discerning lady should possess in her wardrobe. I categorise a split ruched jersey skirt in the same calibre of a little black dress, a perfect pair of alabaster shorts, or an impeccably constructed blazer. This one by Hello Parry (a personal favourite online store of mine) has been worn relentlessly through a whole spectrum of contexts, from languorous Sunday strolls to lounging around the pristine beaches of Phuket. It is particularly brilliant for those days of indecision when you can't seem to err on the side of either the maxi or the mini...

As an aside, can you believe Yazzi and I shot the first few images on a rooftop car park on the Gold Coast? Whenever I look at them, they conjure images of snowcapped mountains and luscious ski resorts! 

Love, Mandy. xx 

OCRF white shirt style series : neon flash.

(OCRF x Witchery white shirt; neon bralette - ASOS; wool skirt - Ruby; rose gold watch - Michael Kors; rings - Hello Parry) 

Photos by Love Yaz. 

"Mandy, you're only young once!" was my mother's response when I sent her these images and asked her whether they would be appropriate to post in the public domain that is my blog (interestingly, I'm always the more conservative one between the two of us haha). To be honest, my personal aesthetic is somewhat more demure and whilst I love the notion of this outfit, I don't think I could actually bring myself to leave the house without at least buttoning up the shirt! The pop of neon against the alabaster canvas is most definitely up my sartorial alley though and I blame the momentary disinhibition on my beautiful friend and photographer Yazzi who somehow makes frolicking around in my bedroom far too much fun.

I hope you are all having a lovely week! I am now back home in Brisbane so hopefully I will be able to post with some semblance of regularity now!

Love, Mandy. xx

Wardrobe inspiration : knits & neon.

1. Asymmetrical knit - Alexander Wang // 2. Leatherette skirt - All Saints // 3. Neon snakeskin heel - Nicholas // 4. Rockie bag - Alexander Wang // 5. Number One sunglasses - Karen Walker

I have just returned about six gradients darker after an amazingly indolent vacation in Thailand (photo diary to come soon!) so I do apologise for the sparse blog updates of late!

Since I am now in Melbourne where the weather is decidedly more arctic than Bangkok, or even Brisbane, I have compiled a transitional season outfit that will also be perfect for my readers across the sea! I am still obsessing over the Karen Walkers and the perfect architecture of that Alexander Wang knit is incessantly on my mind!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Love, Mandy. xx

Witchery x OCRF white shirt series.

Witchery x OCRF white shirt (Project Runway edition).

The perfect white shirt is deceptively elusive. However, every time Witchery combines forces with the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, they inevitably produce a high yield white shirts that encapsulate everything you desire in this sartorial staple. The most recent release, designed by the winner of Project Runway's Witchery White Shirt Challenge Tristan Melle, amalgamates a contemporary aesthetic (gorgeous contrast panels and concealed button through placket) with elements of comfort with the relaxed fit and batwing sleeve.

Since the Witchery x OCRF initiative is something I feel incredibly passionate about, I have decided to dedicate a style series featuring the most recent version of the white shirt over the next few weeks. Hope you love them as much as I do! 

The Witchery x OCRF Project Runway shirt is sold out online but you can find your nearest stockist here!

Photos by the gorgeous Love Yaz.

Much love, Mandy. xx

Chic eats : Tedder & Woodroffe.

Photos by Love Yaz. 

I recently stumbled upon Tedder & Woodroffe whilst taking respite from our photo shoot last weekend. Nestled in Tedder Avenue, Main Beach, I was instantly enamoured by its charming alabaster decor that instils a sense of resplendence without being pretentious. The loveliness extends to its gorgeous menu - a cornucopia of delectable dishes that will tempt even the most fastidious of palates; the flourless chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream is pure seduction and is the perfect foil for a hazy sunlit afternoon after a leisurely beach stroll.

Next time, I intend to spend an indolent Sunday session here with tapas, sangria, and live music!

And just as a side note, I hope you like this new series of posts I have decided to incorporate into my blog - since I seem to always disregard the 'other frivolities' component to my blog and also have a compelling love for food, informing you of all my lovely food finds seems to be a natural progression! ;) 

Love, Mandy. xx

Tedder & Woodroffe

Shop 1/19 Tedder Avenue Main Beach QLD 4217

Phone: (07) 5532 4539

Email: dining@tedderandwoodroffe.com.au

Netherton Grove.

(Dress - French Connection, heels - Jeffrey Campbell, bag - vintage Dior)

These images reside in a special place in my heart for two reasons. Firstly, they were taken on one of those gorgeously lit afternoons where dappled sunlight filters through the verdant surrounds in one of my favourite places in the world - Chelsea, London. The real reason for the fond sentiments, however, is that we shot this series only a few moments after finding out that I had passed all my med school exams so I think I was irradiating with sheer happiness the whole afternoon. For someone who has dreamt of becoming a doctor since childhood, it is really quite surreal to come to terms with becoming a step closer to the dream! 

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! I have some exciting new content and a few lovely collaborations that I absolutely cannot wait to share with all of you! 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Wardrobe inspiration : summer essentials.

1. Bikini - Zimmermann : I tend to gravitate to more demure, effeminate bikini styles that can transition into the evening when worn with a billowing maxi skirt or Palazzo pants. 

2. Tan & silver sandals - Pour La Victoire : my fundamental shoe maxim when on vacation is versatility and I don't think these will be incongruous to any outfit I own.

3. Powder puff volumising powder - Kevin Murphy : I'm not very fastidious with my hair (I don't even possess a hair brush haha) but I do keep this volumising powder in my beauty arsenal for that summer nonchalance. 

4. Soho wide leg pants - Rachel Rachel : these pants are so beautifully constructed with their flowy contour and high split. Perfect for throwing over a maillot for a seamless segue into cocktail hour. 

5. Number One sunglasses - Karen Walker : the feline/wayfarer hybrid is such a flattering contour, this is the sunglasses equivalent of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. 

6. Classic tank - Kain : how delectable is this shade of nude/stone? I would wear these on the plane and, well, everywhere else really. 

7. Tinted daywear - Invisible Zinc : living in Australia, my skin is incessantly assaulted by UV rays and I literally don't leave the house without a liberal slathering of Invisible Zinc. 

To celebrate the end of my med school days, I have an incipient sojourn to Thailand where I'm hoping to indulge in beachside massages, lychee daiquiris, and general indolence. These are the summer fundamentals that I intend to bring along with me! 

Are any of you going on a summer vacation? I would love to know what your obligatory beach items are! 

Love, Mandy. xx