YEARBOOK ONE

STYLE SMORGASBORD turns ONE today! How crazy is that … ? I think its particularly crazy because I launched SS on the day after I finished my HSC Exams and a year later I’m celebrating its birthday on the day after I finish my first year of university.

Sometimes I get into a funk because I question what I’ve achieved in the past 12 months but then I look back and I realise you know what, I actually did a lot blogging and life wise. But more on life stuff on New Year’s Eve. Halloween is the day we look back on SS.

Thank you to everyone who has ever stumbled upon SS. Whether that stumble ever led to a backtrack and an oh hey! I always appreciate your eyeballing, liking and commenting. I also want to thank all the people I know in real life – family and friends, that creep on my blog and are always too nice to say no when I ask for them to take photos of me. Thanks for feeling awkward behind the lens and going with it anyway ❤

I would like to think that year one was more of a testing the waters type thing. Style Smorgasbord gained some traction as to the general way blog posts are formatted in the last month and I intend to continue with this format for the near future. Here are some of my favourite blog posts: DIY Marble Side Table / Sun Salutations / Stay Gold / Entertainment By The Sea / Varsi-Prep and where it all began: Style. 

Finally, I have some goals for year 2 that I’ve been debating whether or not to write down but if I never put them out in the open, I’ll never have any motivation to achieve them so here we go:

• Invest in a new camera
• Move to WP.org and become self-hosted
• Change my blog’s design
• Increase consistency and frequency
• Develop a more recognisable brand

Vitamin Sea

It’s almost that time of the year again … Not Christmas though … STUVAC is rolling in with one week left of uni. I almost didn’t write a blog post today because I thought I didn’t have anything to put up but then I realised I still had this draft sitting pretty since June just after I had wrapped up semester 1. One of the biggest motivators for me during STUVAC last semester was texting my study and workout buddy each morning with motivational quotes so I hope this post gives you a little inspiration to go out and tackle your finals head on. Don’t forget to get off your studying bum once in a while, stay hydrated, eat clean and get a lot of vitamin sea. Also, I thought I would include my 10 STUVAC Commandments:

1. Wake up and go to sleep early: a good night’s rest = clear mind; trumping last minute cramming = groggy mind
2. Stay active: an active body equals an active mind – go for a walk outside or do some Blogilates
3. Plan something to do outdoors after your exams: I like to go to the beach for some much needed vitamin sea
4. Find a study buddy: to cheer you on and keep you sane ❤
5. Beat unproductive days: with the Pomodoro Technique 
6. Be comfortable in: // Sweater: Old (similar here) Pants: Uniqlo / Sneakers: Nike //
7. Study in different places: you’ll be more likely to recall information in a foreign location come exam time
8. Clean: your bedroom and other studying spaces before everything starts to go crazy
9. Consider using a: bullet journal if you struggle with organisation or plan like me!
10. Use: Self Control 

If you are still keen to extend your study break (are you procrastinating on SS haha, check out some post exam inspo here ) / Photos by study buddy: Adela x Styliminal 

(Teal)quila Mockingbird

Tequila Mockingbird is an actual drink, I discovered it a few years ago when I was passing by the cocktail section of a bookstore and I looked at the title and thought how punny. Today we’re not talking about alcohol but er maybe we should because of the questionable hyper poses seen in this post. Instead we’re talking about my favourite colour: robin egg’s blue. It’s basically a more washed out version of teal, hence my clever double pun title hur hur. 🙂

If this was a traditional New England preppy sailing look, you would probably go for a navy dress, a cable knit sweater stolen from your hunk and some boat shoes. I modernised the whole thing with some lace up ballerinas and a pastel frock but made sure to add a statement with everybody’s favourite preppy summer fabric: seersucker! You can see how I styled this blazer with matching shorts in ‘A Style Tale of 2 Cities‘. These pictures were taken at different places and as Sarah Donaldson said, “never trust a blogger’s geotags.” The cute little palm tree coffees and striped umbrellas are from Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel where everything is teal even the toilets which give that whole under the sea vibe which is very cool. We actually went first thing in the morning when it was relatively empty but then we went again at 4 for iced coffees and the place was super packed so I don’t recommend Sunday arvos for coffee and chill there. Netflix and chill more like it am I right?

Recreate the look with this Brooks Brother blazer, Dotti dress, Lipstik flats and Essie polish 

Stay Gold

I am finished with my first semester of university, exams and all! To celebrate, Adela and I went to our mecca that is Bondi Beach. Its a tourist spot, sure but its endless array of cafes dotted along the seaside is too attractive to pass off. After being holed up for a month, it was such a literal breath of fresh air to be outside. We grabbed brunch from Trio Cafe which is an all day breakfast place and we split the mango and lime buttermilk pancakes and raw salad both of which were de-li-cious and the portions were ge-ne-rous. Then we popped by Pressed Juices to grab something that was indeed, ‘positively life changing’ (as their slogan suggests) so we could have something to drink whilst we sat by the beach and just talked about how great everything was 🙂

I’m so glad I brought along my camera because we set it to self timer mode and went a bit crazy with candids. The following pictures are a few of the gems that I found; most notably, scenes of the sky changing colour as the sun set and Jasmine Dowling’s contribution to Bondi’s street art scene! These pictures remind me about a lot of things but above all else, to stay gold Ponyboy.

Red Lip Classic Thing

Style will forever be one of my favourite Swift songs along with the piano rendition of Forever & Always, Never Grow Up and Begin Again. Its lyrically, vocally and musically beautiful and it will never go out of style (pun intended!). I wouldn’t say my style is classic per se because I’m young enough to throw random stuff together and leave the door without much thought but I do like the idea of modern prep which I think is how I would describe my go to style … which brings me to this lightweight trench coat. With the winter solstice behind us, that means we can start looking forward (maybe a little too early but I’m just wishful like that) to longer days and warmer weather very soon! It was 5 degrees this morning when I left for university but much warmer when the sun was beaming so I really shouldn’t complain. I like keeping it all loose like a goose with this coat and then layering my infinity scarf and furry snug for maximum impact. Add some fun printed pants, practical boots, a classic leather band watch, bright lips and you have my personality in an outfit – bubbly, practical and imperfect!

// Trenchcoat (c/o) Trendsgal / Pants Cotton On / Boots Jeffrey Campbell / Infinity Scarf Cotton On Similar / Fur Snood DIY / Watch Vintage Tiffany & Co //

Coming Up Rosy Gold

Anything copper or rose gold I am down. Particularly love it when its paired with maroon, pink or navy. What I like most of all about this bomber is the little pocket by the arm. I’ve never been one for magic tricks but when I whip out my opal card in two seconds and slam it on that rainbow circle triumphantly, I chuckle to myself a bit whilst all the plebeians have to go through the process of taking out their wallet from their bag, behind, etc. and flipping through their cards in slow motion.

// Bomber Jacket: H&M (similar here) / Cropped Sweater: Miss Shop (similar here) / Peplum: Forever 21 (similar here) / Leggings: Dotti / Slip Ons: Zu (similar here) / Purse: Coach / Bracelet: Pandora / Watch: Vintage / Ring (c/o): Elyia / Scarf: Old (similar here) //

Pictures by Adela 

Shelfie

Did you know bookshelves say a lot about a person? Take the bookshelf test here and then share your shelfie with me! I am a bit OCD with my Ikea expedit shelves; I need them to be their aesthetic self but at the same time, I need them to be functional and hold as much junk as possible. Here are my tips!

ONE: Collect a bunch of boxes and magazine holders to store the unattractive bits. You can also buy very cheap binders and decorate them like I have done here a la Kate Spade.

TWO: Hold onto those champagne bottles, glass candles and jars and fill them with fresh, dead or fake flowers.

THREE: Display your favourite accessories that you never seem to get to use. For me, these are my quirky clutches and my cat flats which have died a bit.

FOUR: Let it go. Its basically impossible for your shelf to resemble a Pinterest shelf so don’t worry too much. Have fun, switch it out regularly and inject as much personality into your bookcase as possible. Magazines, gift bags, candles, travel memorabilia and picture frames are all great space fillers. Try stacking stuff sideways and if all else fails, shove it in a storage bin and try again tomorrow!

Varsi-Prep

The rest of the garden is brown, wet and sad but then there are these lovely hot pink camellias in the dead of autumn. Always look on the sunnier side kids. Oh, and always wear your clothes back to front because if T-Swizzle is doing it (exhibit a, b, c, etc.), we should all do it too. Pictured here is a very much loved sweatshirt worn back to front, my chiffon collared shirt, the only pair of jeans I really wear, white cons and my good old ray-bans. They call it varsi-prep*. Well at least that’s what I call it! Thank God Its Friday (tomorrow) and have a great weekend!

*As in a cross between varsity and preppy, shoutout to Adela for the inspo x 

Birds of a Feather Mirror Together

I’ve actually been on a three week shooting hiatus so I decided today was the day to get off my behind and and put it in this wild midi number from Lil Muse. I have to admit, I’m not a big animal print person … I think this is the first animal print that has ever made its way into my wardrobe. Animal print frankly scares me but I threw myself in the deep end by trying out a double animal print mirrored midi body con skirt. What a mouthful! All full of words that usually do not exist in my closet vocabulary!

Making a statement can be terrifying. Committing to pink hair, a sleeve tattoo or a house made of glass would be impractical for most of us. For those brave souls who have that level of commitment, I applaud you. That doesn’t mean the rest of us can shy away from standing out every once in a while and I honestly can’t think of a better non-permanent form of expression than the way you dress. So go on, try that tucked away piece in your wardrobe and let that feeling of liberation wash over you.

Initially, when I started SS I was determined not to put outfit details at the bottom. I wanted SS to be simply a source of inspiration not an add to cart type of a site. More recently, I have been receiving messages and emails asking me where certain details are from so from this day forth, I will try my best to put details at the bottom. Keeping in mind, I’m just a broke student so sometimes my stuff is from two seasons ago and will not be available anymore. Today’s outfit however is still available online so I definitely recommend you check out the top and shoes since they are heavily discounted!

Top: Cotton On KN Alanis Cut Away Crop Skirt: (c/o) Lil Muse Snake of Paradise Skirt Shoes: Betts Slave Heel in Stone

The Storm Before The Calm

Have you ever been to the beach and then had to promptly leave again? I have, many times including this time when we thought to head down to the beach for a pre dinner stroll. It had started to rain, the wind was really ripping it and when there’s wind, there’s sand tornado-ing around you. If you’ve never experienced it, be thankful. Sand, after all is made up of granules of rock and minerals so when its windy its kind of like nature is throwing rocks at you and its not pretty.

Nonetheless, my poor camera lens braved possible scratching and I managed to get in several pictures of my Endless Summer Blouse from  Lil Muse Boutique. The crochet detailing is really fine and although I wore shorts, its long enough to double as a dress. It also looks quite lovely off the shoulder!

After we left and hung around the predictable nature of the swimming pool, the sky decided to clear up again and the storm was over. Everything was calm once again. Still but not eerie. I’ll take it.

// Top – c/o of Lil Muse Boutique: Endless Summer Blouse / Shorts – Vintage Replay Cutoffs //