Paris : via Instagram.

1. An impeccably dressed lady casually strolling Paris on her bike in Louboutins (as you do!) // 2. Survived the massive trek that was the Louvre // 3. Laduree Paris - where macaron dreams come true // 4. Frolicking in the Tuileries Garden // 5. Rose petal ice cream that is an artwork even before reaching the palate // 6. Jardin du Luxembourg - only in Paris will you stumble upon a 'garden' and find a palace! // 7. Paris Opera - where the Phantom originated // 8. The most delicious mussels gratin that I now crave for incessantly // 9. Pierre Herme macarons (which are absolutely divine!)

With my limited photography skills, I constantly feel that the images I take of the beautiful places I visit simply do not serve the moment any justice - in some ways, I think Instagram certainly has revolutionised my ability to encapsulate the moment a little more accurately! 

Love, Mandy. xx

Eiffel tower.

(White ruffle top - She Insider, coral scuba skirt - Nasty Gal, heels - Zara, leopard belt - River Island, bag - vintage Dior) 

Of late, I have been so busy chasing my dreams that I have barely had time to breathe, let alone scribble a blog post! In the time since my last post, I have covered three countries across Europe, started a placement in my dream department (Ophthalmology) and as I found out today, have passed all my med school exams and will officially be a doctor as of next year! Thank you to everyone who has shared this incredible journey with me!

Apologies for the brevity of this post but I am now off to celebrate with some high tea at Harrods! ;) Have an absolutely stunning week everyone. <3  

Much love, Mandy. xx

Flash of pink.

(Knit - Sabo Skirt; faux leather shorts - Topshop; top - Shakuhachi; clutch - Sportsgirl; shoes - Charles & Keith) 

I am currently writing this from my hotel room in Paris and after two days of traipsing around its labyrinthine streets and lush jardins, these photos taken in a break during my exam block seems like worlds away from my current existence of impeccably dressed people, gorgeous scenery and macarons that taste as whimsical as they look.

Whilst I absolutely adore this city, internet here seems to be quite erratic and I somehow find myself breaching my personal goal to write more regularly since exams yet again! 

If you want to follow all my Parisian adventures, you can follow me on Instagram (frocks_frivolities). 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Grey and neon.

(Dress - She Inside, clutch - Sportsgirl, necklace - Rock Paper Metal, heels - Itti & Otto)

I always love grey jersey and this dress is so unique with its draping and architecture. Unfortunately, these images don't really serve it much justice with the tumultuous wind causing it to billow in the wrong places but I assure you it is actually an absolute dream to wear. For those of you who haven't discovered She Inside, this may be both a blessing and a curse - it is the ultimate purveyor of perfect, affordable street wear and it has been my latest obsession! 

                                                                 Much love, Mandy. xx

Label alert : Love Obsessed.

(Etsy store : Love Obsessed)

I recently stumbled upon this iridescent Etsy store and immediately fell in lust with their jewelled confections. It is quite difficult to justify what would be become my third neon necklace, especially with an incipient overseas trip, so hopefully I can wear these vicariously through one of you! 

On another note, I have somehow managed to emerge from my final med school exam block unscathed! It's completely surreal to think that six years of study have finally culminated to this moment and that I am almost ready to live the quixotic childhood dream ... I honestly feel like the luckiest girl alive. This also implies that I will resume full intensity in my blogging efforts so you will all be updated with my impending sojourns to Paris, London, and Boston! 

Thank you again to all of you for your beautiful words and stalwart support - the gratitude and love I have for you is completely immeasurable and beyond the scope of mere words. <3 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Mustard skirt perfection, part 3 : colour block.

(Mustard split maxi - SABO SKIRT, top - Finders Keepers, shoes - Jeffrey Campbell 'Sassy')

                                                Photos by the insanely talented  Love Yaz.

Since I am in the depths of exams (one down, two pending!) and completely devoid of time to do any photo shoots, I thought I would share the final instalment of my 'perfect mustard skirt trilogy' (you may remember the precedents here and here). I know it isn't technically (or sartorially) colour-blocking when you accessorise with the nearest dilapidated shed in the radius but it is just so fun and frivolous that I can only conclude that this should be more common practice haha. 

To ALL my beautiful readers, thank you so incredibly much for the inundation of love and support over the last few weeks - I have been absolutely overwhelmed by how encouraging everyone has been despite my intermittent posts during these somewhat hectic academic times. Not having the time to personally reply to all of your sweet comments has honestly been utter anathema for me but I promise that I will be stalking you all after exams! ;) 

                                                              Much love, Mandy. xx

Wardrobe inspiration : diamonds for day {a sponsored post by Anjolee}.

Silver jeans - Joe's Jeans // knitted stem hem vest - Topshop or summer version here // silver quilted iPad case - Pree Brûlée // silver barrel rings - Collect // ANJOLEE classic diamond box tennis bracelet // ANJOLEE 'surrounded with love' diamond drop earrings // two tone sandals - Michael Kors

I have always held an avid appreciation for timeless pieces that transcend the trends and endure the seasons so when I was asked by Anjolee to style a few of their beautiful pieces from their gorgeous range of tennis bracelets, diamond studs and hoop earrings, I was immediately inspired to create this ensemble of crisp white with subtle hints of silver (which is basically an extrapolation of my love for the white-on-white trend). I am an ardent believer that diamonds need not be limited to special occasions and I think that adding them to a day time casual look pulls the aesthetic together in such a chic manner. 

The lovely people at Anjolee are also offering my stylish readers a 5% discount if you use the code MP591! Such a perfect gift or addition to your wardrobe that I promise you will love forever. 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Beneath a setting sun.

(Hazy knit dress - Zukoh, belt - ASOS, floral clutch - Dancing at Dusk, vintage slip, floral wreath - Jackson & Bella, shoes - Jeffrey Campbell 'Sassy') 

Photos by the wonderful Karen Li. 

One of the things I love about blogging is that, somehow, people become really familiar with your personal aesthetic. When the lovely Lynette from the gorgeous online store Zukoh sent me this cosy knit knowing my personal affinity for white, I was so thrilled to add this piece to my wardrobe - the slouchiness is so comfortable and flattering, whilst the graduated hem can be worn loose so that it kisses the ankles or belted at the waist as I have done. The combinations are endless - I feel I could even slip a neon knit underneath on days when I'm having more colourful proclivities! 

Also, congratulations to Ashley K who won the Hello Parry giveaway! Thank you so much to everyone else for entering as well, you are all so wonderful.

Hope you are all having the most sparkling week. <3 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Lucidity {& don't forget to enter the giveaway!}.

(Knit jumper - French Connection; white ruched skirt - HELLO PARRY; neon necklace - Pree Brulee; sunglasses - Sarroff Designs; Karissa heels - Tony bianco) 

Photos by the lovely (and talented!) Karen Li.

Even though these images were taken only last week, it feels like absolutely aeons ago. Since then, the sky has become an ominous canvas of mottled grey and my brain has been confined in a nebulous haze of serial journal articles on depression screening for my incipient assignment deadline. The good news is that it will be my final med school assignment (ever ... hopefully!); the bad news is that I will probably score quite highly on the depression screening tool by the end of this assignment haha. 

That's the wonderful thing about blogging - it can provide a window of escapism, even if only for a fleeting moment, to a world that is wholly different to your own. Even just looking at these lovely images (it was Karen's first time with an SLR by the way - didn't she do a sublime job?), my sanity is slowly being restored and the light flooding them somehow seem an adequate substitute for the current void of sunshine outside. I imagine that a few of you might be going through exams at the moment so I hope this post can serve as a small reminder to stop for a moment, take a break, and you may be surprised at the clarity it will impart afterwards. 

Speaking of reminders ... don't forget that HELLO PARRY is giving one of my lovely readers the white ruched skirt featured in this post - the competition closes on June 6 so scurry along and enter here! 

Much love, Mandy. xx

P.S. This knit jumper usually has a far more flattering contour but being the goofball that I am, it was tucked awkwardly into my skirt throughout the entire duration of the shoot hehe, so typical. 

OCRF White Shirt campaign.

Madison x Witchery shoot for the 2012 White Shirt Campaign

Models : Erika Heynatz, Didier Cohen & Alexandra Agoston

At the inception of my blog last year, I always envisioned that I would somehow want it to become a platform to spread the word about salient issues in the medical world but I didn't think the opportunity to do so would arise so early, so when the lovely Bridie from the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation Media approached me to work with them to write about their ongoing projects, I couldn't have been more thrilled and honoured to do so. 

In Australia, ovarian cancer kills one woman every 10 hours - a statistic I find quite difficult to grapple with. If we want to eradicate this scourge, we need to address the root of the problem - by funding research for people who are inconceivably dedicated to the cause and by increasing awareness amongst each other.

Collectively, we can instil change. 

To my beautiful Australian readers, even though today marks the final day of the White Shirt Campaign the White Shirt Collection will still be available for purchase until they are sold out so visit your local Witchery store or buy a white shirt online here (they are honestly a sartorial fundamental!). There is also a stunning silver jewellery collection that will be available throughout the year. 

True style transcends the seasons and benevolence, like the perfect white shirt, is never out of fashion! 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Autumn leaves.

(Sequin hem dress - gifted by SHE INSIDE, cardigan - Topshop, heels - Nicholas, rings - Sabo Skirt)

Photos by the lovely Karen Li. 

Reading the title of this post now, I realise its unintentional duality in addressing not only the obvious theme of these images but also the fact that we are soon departing autumn with the incipient Australian winter. Indeed, the morning air is chillier and my bed is noticeably more difficult to crawl out of in the bleary hours of dawn, but it is in these types of moments where we're chasing the auburn sun amidst a backdrop of russet and burnt orange hued maple leaves that I truly feel like I live in the most beautiful place in the world ... 

And how pretty is this sequin hem dress? I'm not one to shy away from sequins for a day-time look and layered with the appropriate knits, it makes the transitional weather all the more resplendent! 

Much love, Mandy. xx