BAM IT'S JOANNE

How many fashion rules can a fashionista break, if a fashionista could break fashion rules? 

In this outfit alone, I have broken three (...that I know of, there might be more). Mixing metals, accessorising and wearing a pair of jeans under another. The latter is not so much a 'rule', more so a 'whothehelldoesthat?' question, to which I respond - skinny people with oversized boyfriend jeans.

Let's start addressing these issues one by one. 

One, mixing metals. I have no reason to think why we should segregate rose gold, yellow gold and silver/ white gold. Colour segregation is a crime in the human world, so what makes you guys think it's okay for jewellery to be treated that way? Rings have feelings too.

Two, over-accessorising. I just counted - I have 14 rings in both hands, that makes 7 each on average! This is in no way hygienically practical (I've abandoned rings in washing basins before), but totally rapist-proof (blood will be shed if you throw punches at someone's nose). For personal safety and a defence mechanism, I say, heck, layer them babies up!

Finally, jeans over jeans. This is a fairly new concept to me, for I've never seen it done on the streets before. I was inspired by David Jones' latest denim editorial featuring Montana Cox where she layered two pairs of ripped skinnies together, and I thought, why, what a great way to wear my oversized boyfriend ripped jeans without folding them down the waist! Yes, that is what I usually do when even the smallest size is too large for my petite frame.

Do you dare break any of these rules? 

samantha wills statement necklace

samantha wills bohemian bardot ring & assorted fine jewellery

samantha wills bracelet worn as ankle cuff

nike free runs 5.0 via asos

boohoo boyfriend jeans, worn over..

.. jag 'the audrey' skinny jeans in 'patch blue'

sunday somewhere sunglasses

elegant touch express nails

mon purse monogrammed rucksack

eylure lashes in no.121 

photos by michelle xu

I'm wearing: LIFE with BIRD sweater and jogger pants, Seed Heritage shoes, eQuip headband

LIFE with BIRD has an amazingly stunning diffusion line called L.W.B, and it is a thousand shades of grey and black basics with a twang of modernity. Simply put, it is a normcore heaven.

I would not call myself 'normcore' blogger, but I do appreciate simple, clean aesthetics - any wardrobe requires basics. So imagine my frustration when trying to pick pieces out - 'Ooh, I loooove that piece.' 'Oh my god, that piece is even more stunning!' 'Wow, look at THAT.'

In the end, for my third instalment of the grey series, I decided to settle for comfort. An effortless, 'I woke up like this' look, but with some simple heels and glamorous headpiece for a nice touch. Who would ever think to wear pajama with heels and a Golden Slipper-appropriate headpiece? This outfit probably wouldn't sit well with some of you, but I enjoy putting unexpected pieces together - just to mess with your head a little.


Shop comfort basics:

Photos by Michelle Xu

I'm wearing: Life With Bird top, Black by Geng culottes, Seed Heritage shoes, Equip ear cuff (yes, just one!). Blonde hair by Amaya. 

Keeping in line with the grey theme lately, I've been experimenting with varying shades of grey to my heart's content. I've also noticed that I like pairing my grey outfits with silver accessories. It's very in-line with the modern, clean, no-bullshit aesthetic that I'm feeling very much lately.

Shop the grey/silver story:

Photos by Michelle Xu

I apologize in advanced that this is NOT going to be a fashion/beauty post, but one about entrepreneurship, which is my second passion. Read on, but you've been warned.... 

As some of you may already know, I’m highly interested in the entrepreneurial scene, having starting my own blog and turned it into a business. I have also dipped my fingers into started Australia’s first Fashion and Beauty Society (FABSOC) that has now spanned across five major universities in Australia! We are joining forces with some major brands to launch a Blogging Conference soon, and will give out details on that when we finalize the details.

Anyway, I remember attending one of Jack Delosa’s entrepreneur conferences called 'Unconvention' last year. One of the selling tip that I walked away with that I’ll always remember, is to have a video on your landing page as a hook to tell your story/ what your business is about. With so many tech devices and social media channels, we are craving instant gratification. Words / blogs just don’t cut it anymore - people are turning to YouTube, Vine, Snapchat and Facebook videos for entertainment. And if done right, for the entire duration of your video, you have your audience’s full attention - something hard to come by in this fast paced day and age.

So when I chanced upon Pitchi, a selling platform where people sell via videos, I was instantly enthralled. An eBay with videos instead of pictures! What a great idea! It was one of those moments where I went, ‘why haven’t anyone thought of this before’?

Here are a couple of my favorite videos:

And of course, a video for us fashion freaks:

I was really lucky to score an interview with James Curtain, General Manager of Pitchi. He was previously the General Manager of Carsales, so he has a serious amount of experience in online selling. 

Here’s the lowdown-

1.     'Pitchi' sounds a lot like 'picture', which is what you want to get away from, and into videos.. So why the name?

The name refers to pitching an item for sale. When we list items for sale we are trying to convince someone to buy it – we’re pitching it! So we’re playing on that idea because with a video you can do so much more to pitch your product or brand.

2. You have grown so much in one year! Even though what everyone sees is the reward, what has been the most stressful part of this journey?

Just getting the site off the ground and hoping that everyone would love it as much as us, but it felt like we were embraced straight away! It’s been amazing watching the site grow and see so many cool new sellers getting on board as well as the great response from the community. 

3. Where do you see Pitchi in 5 years? 

A household name known for being a site where people discover cool and innovative new products and quirky sellers. 

4. What's the most memorable Pitchi video you've seen of all time? 

We really like EAT.ME.DO’s Popsicle Earrings as the Pitchi really shows off how fun these accessories are and the enthusiasm that the designer pours into her creations. 

The Freefold Stool by Fold Theory is also another favourite. We love the idea of using cardboard to create modern and contemporary looking furniture. Video here: 

5. What is the secret to the success of Pitchi? 

A simple idea that inspires people. We have made using Pitchi as easy as possible, while maximising the engagement you’ll get out of it. We also support our sellers on our blog and act as an inspiration hub for emerging entrepreneurs. We are here to help grow ideas and we think people appreciate that.

6. What is your single, most important piece of advice for the young entrepreneurs and Gen Y start ups? 

Build relationships. No one is an island – get out there and meet your customers and collaborators. You might have the greatest product but you need to be engaged with the market to get it out there.  

7. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your pre-Pitchi self?

You’re totally right, they are going to love it!

I'm wearing: Black by Geng dress (worn with sweater over the top), Billini bag, Seed Heritage shoes, eQuip earrings

A bit obsessed with grey on grey pairings lately, as you can see. I think I've stocked my wardrobe with enough black items. Next colors on the list are grey, camel, khaki, nudes and whites. What's your favorite color this season?

Photo by Michelle Xu

Wearing Three of Something lace dress, Boohoo sunglasses, Hello Parry earrings, Dainty and Bold necklace

Usually around this time of the year (call it what you may - Summer/Fall, trans-seasonal, Sydney PMS-ing), my skin desiccates into the likes of dry cereal flakes and raisins in a bowl of Special K. And believe me when I say that no amount of organic soy milk -- in this case, moisturiser -- can combat that. 

However, in the few weeks since I've taken up the Skin Republic four-week challenge, I've had considerably less skin dryness as the colder weather sets in. I went through four Collagen Infusion Face Masks - once a week, and at night time before bed. Although the instructions on the packet suggest that I take my mask off after twenty minutes, I usually sleep with the masks on. This is okay because all of the Skin Republic masks are hydration masks, so they do not have the drying effect that mud masks do that will dry your skin out if put on for too long!

After four long weeks, my skin has dramatically improved, even though the most visible period was the first time I used the mask. It's easy to forget and take for granted the difference after three long weeks of enjoying lovely, glowing skin (see picture above!), but I thought the best way to capture my first impression is the next-day email I sent to the girls at Skin Republic to share my excitement. This is ACTUALLY an extract of the email I sent her (Alex, I hope you don't mind me sharing this :P):

Boy, I was SOOO wrong! It's never too early to take preventative measures against facial wrinkling. In fact, our skin dries out really quickly without us knowing it! For example, when you're scrubbing makeup off your face, the chemical dries your skin out. That is why it is incredibly important to tone and moisturize after cleansing. And on top of that lots of H2O and a hydration mask weekly for water retention. This gives off that glowing, dewy look that is all rage in the beauty world right now, because it symbolizes youthfulness.

At the risk of sounding vain, there's something about collagen that now makes my eyelids flutter. In my defence, and with the help of an elaborate scientific research study, wait - who am I kidding?! Google, collagen is a protein that connects our cells, tissues and organs. As we age, our overall collagen level declines. So to put simply, companies like Skin Republic has now created collagen that will give us the 'protein of youthfulness' we had when we were little.. so why not embrace such technological advances?!

Not to blow my own horn or anything, but I can now claim that I love protein just as much as my new gym-loving neighbour aka Hollywood hunk from Current Issues in Management Accounting. (hehe)

Take their skin care quiz here to find out which one suits you, or check out the one I used - Skin Republic Collagen Infusion Face Mask Sheet here.  

Photo by Michelle Xu