Birdette's Dictionary: Scalloped

Scalloped (Pronounced Skol-lop-d) is a detail you will find on the hem of many cute and sweet clothing pieces. Instead of the usual flat hem, or scooped -another trend that has been in use lately- the hem comprises of numerous and identical dips that come back into the garment with points... sort of hard to describe, so here's a pic!

The most notable debut of the trend can be attributed to a certain Chloe Suit a few years ago that Chloe Sevigny wore a few times, and quite well considering her usually uh, interesting wardrobe. It has come back with a bang for the upcoming Spring/Summer range and I think it's going to be huge, it's too damn easy to incorporate into your wardrobe, and anyone can wear it. It's not an item that you can be too *insert anything negative* to wear!

There's a stack of very cute ways of adding this detail to your wardrobe, here are a few of my favourites.

This top by portmans evokes a real classic take, with tucks around the neck and a gorgeous shape that will work with pants and a top, I have one of these myself (as used for my example of scalloping above) and I love the way it looks with a pair of tailored trousers, as well as pencil skirts. Awesome.

Another different take of the trend is this shirt by ASOS. showing that scalloping doesn't just belong on hems. This subtle feature used on the collar immediately draws the eye up to your face. Pair it with a necklace over the top for even more oomph, and another look that's hot this season.

How would you wear this trend? Do you have any scalloped detail already in your wardrobe?

Guest Post! Laura Clarke on behalf of ASOS talks Feminine Prints

Printing is everywhere this season so there is bound to be a style for you out there. Whether it is Aztec, animal, baroque or floral prints there is surely a style that will suit you perfectly.

A patterned dress, like this one from ASOS is a great way to liven up your winter wardrobe, and this Aztec print lovely will be perfect either on its own or for colder days a pair of tights will keep the chill off your pins. For a casual look leather ankle boots work well. To add personality into your outfit, be sure to accessorise with plenty of jewellery and a leather jacket will add a real rock chick edge.

For all out girly glam there is no better print than floral. It can literally be found in any form of clothing you want from dresses to pants to shoes. For winter a great pair of jeans is always an essential, but that doesn’t mean they have to be the tried and tested black variety. For a quirky look that exudes femininity a pair of floral print jeans will be a perfect choice.

Baroque prints have been seen on all the biggest stars and will be a classy choice for a casually chic look for a day of shopping or a lunch date with your girlfriends.

If printed clothing isn’t really your thing then perhaps accessories will be more to your taste. Animal printing rarely ever goes out of fashion so accessories in this print will last a lot longer than one season, which is always a plus. Ankle boots are always a great investment as they will last all year round from wrapping up warm with jumpers and jeans in the winter to looking hot with your favourite summer dress when the weather heats up.

So for a winter wardrobe that is far from dull, why not try out some print perfection this season? 

This has been a sponsored post

Bought! Pastel Mint Skinnies from Jay Jays

So after hunting high and low for the last few months for yet another pair of jeans (that makes three different varieties this winter... oh dear.) I finally found a pair that suited my pastel, skinny and flattering requirements.
Imagine my joy when I flipped the price tag and saw that I would get change from a $50!

Pastel Green Skinny Jeans by Jay Jays

The jeans are a good cut for my hippy frame, though I still need a belt. They're cute to cuff and show off my shoes, the hems do look a little odd in the picture above but they're straight and don't get skinnier at the hem as they appear to. You can go all out with the pastel trend and wear them with a white belt, and a darling sleeveless pale blouse, or use them to jazz up older items in your wardrobe. The colour pops with so many items this season.
I do quite like to browse Jay Jays, not just for myself but I can pick up some items for my strangely picky-yet-unstylish boyfriend. They're great for cheap denim, if not slightly small in their run of sizes.
Another thing I like to get from there are Sunnies. I'll be honest and say I don't see the point in dropping a fortnight's rent on a pair, I'm notoriously careless with mine and don't want to wave goodbye to a large amount of hard earned cash when I accidentally sit on something. I also nabbed a pair of faux classic raybans for $5 (!!) Ah, bargains.

What's your favourite place to go when you want bargain streetwear? I'd love to know so I can check it out!

Just sayin'!

So I was browsing through some shops the other day and I spotted this, it kind of made me giggle! Please don't misunderstand as this isn't a stab, but more of a humorous observation.

Item one, jacket currently available at a common Australian Chain store.

Item two, Grandma Yetta from The Nanny.

Very interesting!

Do you have any "Totally looks like" clothing items you'v spotted lately?

Talulah Sale Brisbane!

I have something for you to jot down on your calendars girls! So a little bird has told me that Talulah are going to be having a fantastic one day only sale with up to 80%(!!) off. Interested?

The necessary details:

When? August 4th (Saturday), between 9 and 2 o'clock.

Where? At Mirra, 86 Bridge Street Fortitude Valley.

What? Items from their Summer '11, Autumn '12 and Winter '12 collections as well as show samples and limited editions.

I'll see you there!

Hauling! Dotti

So uh, I had a particularly difficult day at work on Friday, where my boss has recently been instructed to lay off some staff... only half of my team. Friday was the day where the individuals found out if they were staying or leaving and it was horrible. Some people did have the incredibly lack of empathy to take it out on me. I have truthfully never cried so many times in one day. Pull myself together to get my job done, only for one cruel word or look to make me fall apart again.
But moving on, this too shall pass etc. etc. That is not the focus of this post, only the occurrence that triggered this haul!
What else did I do to make myself feel better but go shopping?
Now Dotti have been moving on up in my eyes recently, their ranges have been great and full of both staples and great little fashion updaters for a fantastic price. I've been finding that I can't go in there without finding something that I want to make mine. Here's what I picked up yesterday!

Stripe Peplum zip back top 

Peplums are everywhere at the moment, it was like "pop!"  and every store suddenly had them about two months ago, personally I adore them, and I'm surprised they didn't take off about three years ago when a lot of dresses had them. Why did no one think to bring out some in a top style then?? These are great for hiding food babies, my advice if you're unsure is to balance the look out with a pair of skinnies, and wear with a cute upstyle and bright lippy.

Brooklyn Collar Shift 

This dress is amazingly versatile, and certainly something I recommend for everyone else to snap up. Why? the shape is completely classic. A black shell that can be accessorised so many ways. And the absolute kicker? The collar is both reversible and removable. The other side is black velvet, but you know what? The crafty girls out there (or those with crafty mothers, ha!) could easily use the collar as a template to make whatever kind of collar they choose! Highly recommend, like I said, you should buy this dress.
Those who aren't fond of collars could also use it to pair with bold accessories, An arm party of bangles, a statement necklace, Breakfast at Tiffany's Glasses. the list goes on.

Paper Bag Pant

Now, these trousers are something that I can look at and think "These will not look good on me." Wrong, wrong wrong. Never limit yourself just because you don't think it will work, you can find a way to make most things work, trust me. These trousers turned out to be incredibly flattering, Black is slimming for this odd shape, and they are a great canvas for your best shoes. If you see them, try them, and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Grosgrain Tie Knit Coat

Lastly I bought this gorgeous coat, after realising that I have been through this entire winter without buying myself a new one, I love the rounded collar and the unusual tie up front. the shape is loose which is something I wouldn't normally go for, but it will work great with all my flarey skirts I have and skinnies too. Navy is a great colour to have too and it will go with warm and cool outfit palettes.

Source: Dotti.com.au

Remove ink stains from clothing

We've all done it, left a pen in our clothes pockets and then put it in the wash, or haphazardly drawn a line on our sleeve, what is great about it is how easy it is to remove most pen inks.
The trick is hairspray!
By no means do I suggest you now run and go all Picasso on pieces of your wardrobe just to test this out, but if you're struggling to get the stain out next time, or haven't even tried anything else yet, grab a can and spray it on the offending ink, You need to pretty much drown it, and it should actually fade on the spot. Then chuck it into the wash to get rid of that crispy hairspray! Wash, dry, iron as normal afterwards but if it has worked, you will know before you even put it in the wash.

Do you know any super effective but random stain removal tips? We all like looking after our clothes after all!

Bought! Bento Lunch kit

So it may come as a surprise to some readers that I am fascinated by Japan. I may not be obsessed like I used to be in my teenage years but I still harbour a real soft spot, Ironic since I've never been, but that's what we have the internet to be thankful for. I can find out so much, see so much, and BUY so much more then I ever could 10 years ago!
Bento is a traditional lunch style in Japan, consisting of compact home made meals. think of it as a Rice based (but not always rice based) lunch box and you're on your way there. You may have seen them in your local sushi store, those gorgeously presented flat meals in trays. Mega healthy normally too.
So playing in with my occasionally kitschy nature I spotted this cute as a button set on eBay and quickly snapped it up. Bright pink of course with a kitty theme, my inner twelve year old is exploding. The cute kitty ears that pop up when the bag is tied? Too good!

I plan on using it to tote around lunches that are good to eat either cold or at room temperature, I bought this from the seller littlejapanmama but as I only just bought it today I can't recommend her just yet. (I'll update!)

Product review: Mascara guard

This is one of those cool little gadgets that they come up with in Asia to make your life simpler. an all in one tool that you use to stop your mascara going all over your eyelids during application (both top and bottom lashes) and then a comb to separate lashes afterwards. It might seem like a silly product, but when you can buy then for less ten $5, who is really complaining?
Here is what it looks like.

I have to admit that it did seem like a superfluous tool to me at the start, but I've come to love it, especially for lower lash application. To use it you gently nestle the tool up against the skin you're trying to 'guard' and paint away.

Also a tip for those who are new to it - don't try and use it for the first time during a busy morning where you don't have time for mistakes, I wound up stabbing myself in the eye with my mascara, and completely ruining the make up job I had already done! And I leave mascara for last ...

You can pick one of these up really easily from eBay by typing in "Mascara guard" I bought mine from the guys here (they sell a lot of bathroom and beauty stuff)

Do you guys have any quirky make up tools that you swear by? I want to hear about it!