6 weeks til Spring (but who's counting?)

Melbourne looks deceptively warm through the windows of my 12th floor office complex. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and I swear this morning, I could sense spring in the air. We are only halfway through July, still weeks away from birds chirping and the sounds of children in parks and the smells of freshly cut grass, yet, as the days start to get slightly longer (yes, I realise its only a minute or two every day) I can’t help but get excited about the prospect of another Racing Carnival just around the corner.

I love Spring Racing. An opportunity to get frocked up and drink champagne in the sun, to put dollar each way bets on a sport you know nothing about and possibly the only time you can get away with wearing ludicrous head adornments and still be called fashionable.

Today I took a quick tour of the DFO shopping centre at Spencer Street, and was drawn to the Jackie E store – not because I was looking for a gift for my Mum or Nanna, but because the frocks in the window were just so very pretty, feminine and charming I had to take a closer look.

Perfect chain store chic for Spring Racing (or for those of us that feel the need to purchase a new outfit for every outing at the carnival), Jackie E’s range of dresses, skirts and accessories will take you from the office to the track and out on the town afterwards without breaking the bank.

The pale colours of grey, champagne, ivory and pink work so well together and create a softness that melds with spring perfectly. They even have the shoes to match, though I wouldn't recommend taking pale coloured satin or silk anywhere near damp grass or muddy racetracks. (By the same token, please don't be one of those girls walking/stumbling home with her heels slung over her shoulders...)

The countdown is on … 6 weeks and counting. Start planning your outings and outfits now (and don’t forget the head adornments!)

http://www.jacquie.com.au/
http://www.racingvictoria.net.au/
www.vrc.net.au/victoria-racing-club/events.asp

Here are three of my favourite looks from the current Jackie E collection.

Stilletto sprints for Shakuhachi

Today appeared to start out like any other day, but maybe a bit of the odd side. I know this might sound strange, but I had that experience where you can’t remember if you were awake, or asleep and dreaming. For some reason I thought I had set my alarm clock back two hours on purpose. Clock said 4am, I thought it was 6am. So I lay there, arguing with myself as to whether I should get up or go back to sleep for another 20 mins and risk being late for my 9am meeting. Inevitably I fell asleep again (if I was even awake to begin with!) and woke up when the alarm went off at 6am.

A very odd start, but then it got more left of centre. I’m a fairly typical Melbourne girl, and generally wear our standard uniform in shades of black and grey. Today, in honour of the crispness of the temperature and the touch of winter sun, I choose a rather eclectic spring colour palette – yellow, orange, hot pink and brown Claude de Alban summer dress over black long sleeve tee and tights with knee high brown stiletto boots. Add a hot pink coat and scarf – I look like a flower bouquet – and off to work. In a city like Melbourne, I now stood out like a sore thumb (literally, due to all the pink!). So with all these people looking at the girl in the strange bright outfit, it seemed fitting that today I would develop a rather unpleasant static issue. My skirt is clinging to my butt and my hair has a mind of its own.

I don’t know why I am so statically charged today! What causes this? And more to the point, how do I get rid of it? I have static spray – but it’s at home. I also have hairspray. Also at home. I needed a miracle cure! While trawling the web for a quick fix at lunch, a fleeting check of Twitter bought my attention to today’s Project Runway OZ competition.

Those who follow me on Twitter will know that yesterday I missed out on the Hussy dress at DFO by mere seconds, so when I saw that the team were again in my territory, I threw on my coat to cover the static cling and took to the streets! 15 minutes and a tram ride later, I was manically checking Twitter on my iphone to ensure the prize had not yet been claimed and missed the tram stop! Result – a girl in a hot pink coat and knee high stiletto boots running down the Paris end of Collins Street towards the Regent theatre (comment if you saw me!).

But it was worth it, because I won! After a minute of getting my breath back, I became the proud owner of a Shakuhachi dress. Unfortunately a size 8, but the thrill of winning is enough for me! You can check out all the Shakuhachi designs here www.shakuhachi.net.au

I also won a CocoLee voucher for being runner up yesterday – a gorgeous online fashion boutique where I can shop up a storm - can’t wait to find a bargain! www.cocolee.com.au

And so my afternoon at work has been a bit of an anticlimax after such an exciting lunchbreak. My static cling and aching feet have kept me confined to the desk and I am now considering the benefits of doing away with hosiery all together as I can’t possibly continue to walk around like this! But for future reference, I will bring the static spray back to my office drawer, and endeavour to wear more sensible shoes when planning on running in the pursuit of designer dresses.

Don’t forget Project Runway Australia, starting tonight on Foxtel, 8.30opm!