Frocks & Frou Frou

Blouse: Dream Diva

Cardigan: Target

Skirt: Kelda Leigh

Shoes: Chie Mihara

Brooch (gifted by Haz-Mo's Mama): Tango and James

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to discover that here at Chez Lillipilli it's all about comfort. I don't like "support garments", I don't believe in slimming pantihose, and nine times out of ten I'll wear flats over heels.

A few months ago a girlfriend of mine introduced me to a particular shoe designer "Chie Mihara" whose speciality isn't simply classic, almost retro looking footwear, but shoes that are designed for comfort.

Chie set up her own footwear brand after having worked at an orthopaedic shoe store learning about foot anatomy and common foot problems. All her shoes are made with an anatomical footbed designed specifically to accommodate a woman's foot. She says (rightly so!) that all women are workers and that while we want to look "feminine, beautiful and attractive" we shouldn't have to sacrifice comfort to do so. 

This video gives you a bit of an idea as to her philosophy, and you can all "aww" over her adorable accent, too:

Now, I can vouch for both the extremely comfortable comfortableness of these shoes, and the frightening price tag (you're looking at several hundred dollars a pair. On sale) but here's my secret. eBay. Keep your eyes peeled, because they pop up all the time, and instead of spending five times what you'd normally pay for a pair of shoes, you can pay what you'd normally spend for a pair five times as good.

Blouse: Dream Diva

Vest: Target

Skirt: Tartanista

Stockings: Ambra

Shoes: Chie Mihara

So, I found some grey ribbed tights from Myer on reader Lauren's recommendation - they're pretty good, though I'm going to keep looking for a pair that are slightly lighter as well.

It's a long weekend in Australia this weekend, but due to the miserable weather and the fact that I'm a bit skint until next paycheck I'm being very domestic and have so far spent the weekend baking at home.

The Sophisticate's best friend is abandoning us for the warmer climes of Sydney, so to see him off (and better encourage him to come back to us!) I hosted a home-cooked meal last night with a delicious herby tomato quiche and apple crumble for dessert. Today's been pancakes, then scones with home-made jam. Om nom nom nom.

I'm not sure how much detail you can make out on my brooch, but I quite love it. I picked it up earlier this week at one of my bookstores: Brunswick Bound which, in addition to having a great range of carefully hand-picked books, has some of the best accessories I've seen.

It's by, er, someone. I've lost the card it was on originally on, but maybe Sarah McNeil? There were a few of her brooches in the same cabinet...

ETA: Eagle-eyed reader Madeline let me know that the brooch was made by Julia Swaney - Have a look at her store, the brooches are too gorgeous for words! Thanks, Madeline!

Blouse: Victoria's Secret

Cardigan: Sussan

Skirt: Tartanista

Stockings: Best & Less

Shoes: Chie Mihara

A nice quiet one today - I've taken a few days off work, which is pure bliss.

Theoretically I'm supposed to be catching up on my reading, sewing my Macaron dress, making tomato relish and maybe an orange poppyseed cake.

Realistically, I'm just hanging about at home having some quiet time to myself before a packed and busy weekend.

I've been looking for ways to wear this skirt that isn't too schoolgirlsy, and I think I've cracked it with this combination of plaid skirt and polkadot shirt.

BTW, the stockings I'm wearing? Fleecy. I kid you not, on the inside they feel like a pair of tracksuit pants - just the thing for these cool winter months.

Cardigan: Target

Dress: Now @ Kmart

Hat: Morgan & Taylor

Socks: Aussie Sox

Shoes: Chie Mihara (via ebay)

I have a confession to make. I have a Great Big Fashion Crush on Emily from Some Girls Wander. Her style is gorgeously feminine and retro, and she manages to pull off hats, fingerless gloves and knee-high socks with an aplomb that I can only dream about.

Some Girls Wander is the only straight size fashion blog that I read with any kind of regularity, and it always leaves me feeling like diving headfirst into an op-shop, embracing red lipstick and dusting off those hats that I keep buying and never wearing. The last one being a kind of somewhat more discreet version of Aretha Franklin's famous inauguration hat.

I loved the hat. I think I realised at the time that there wasn't much of a chance I would ever wear the hat, but I loved it, so I bought it.

Sure enough it sat on my dresser being neglected, until I picked it up and realised that at some point during the months since I had bought it Suki had made short work of the little veil.

This, combined with a recent post that J over at Fatshionable did on hats, inspired me to finally muster the courage to pay homage to my favourite fashion blogger and take my own foray in Wanderland.

Top: Liz Jordan

Cardigan: Target

Jeans: Embody Denim

Shoes: Chie Mihara

Result=Not Good, but never mind. I'll try and catch the sun tomorrow!

Top: Chelsea Design

Skirt: Kelda Leigh

Shoes: Chie Mihara

What an exciting weekend that I spent with InnerCityChic up in Sydney!

First up, on reader Kristy's recommendation, I visited the Finders Keepers Market, which afforded me the opportunity to see some Very Special Goodies in person - many of which I recognised from mooning over them in the pages of Frankie Magazine. Only the thought of the Paddington Markets the next day kept me frugal, but I picked up handfuls of business cards, so it'll be all about Shopping Online for the next few months I think!

I love Melbourne, I do. The shops, the people, the food... but I'm going to be brutally honest here: Melbourne markets suck. They do. Apart from the monthly Shirt & Skirt Market and the adorable, but miniature Rose Street Markets most markets in Melbourne seem to be tourist traps full of mass-produced dross, soap stalls and polished stones with trams painted on them. There's nothing that could compete with Sydney's Paddington Markets, or if there is (ohplease, ohplease) I haven't found it yet.

I have a real soft spot for the Paddington Markets. As a teenager and budding fashion tragic it used to be a regular treat to visit the markets with my Dad every time we went up to Sydney.

The market has evolved and grown dramatically since I last visited it a few years ago, but the quality of the products is as exceptional as ever, especially when it comes to the fashion stalls. There were lots of floaty silk tunic type things, lots of neutral palettes, lots of lace and lots of miniskirts. And - as usual - almost everything on offer stopped at a size 14 (and a small one at that).

I had a little wad of money burning a hole in my pocket, so imagine my delight when I found, tucked away near the food stalls (incidentally, is it possible to have a market in Australia that doesn't have a Poffertjes Stall? And has anyone figured out how to pronounce it yet?) a gorgeous creature called Kelda Leigh with a riot of curls that I immediately coveted and a range of skirts that went up to a size 18.

I made a bee-line for a skirt that looked like it had walked off the set of The Education and lo, it fit beautifully.

The skirts at Kelda Leigh are very simple and classic shapes, she's got a good eye for colours, and everything's really well produced and finished. She also tells me she does custom sizes, and ships internationally from her online shop. Check out the "sale" section where you can search by size, which is a great timesaver.

Now, in other news, eagle eyed readers may have spotted me recently on the pages of theFrench Glamour magazine! Whoop! Whoop! It was such an honour to be included, alongside Gabi from YFF, J from Fatshionable, Sakina from Saks In The City, Stephenie from Le blog de Big Beauty, and Kylanita, who is a new favourite.

How wonderful to see a mainstream fashion mag doing a feature on "fatshion", let's hope the Australian media follows suit!