Frocks & Frou Frou

Top: Dorothy Perkins

Long Sleeved Top: Giordano

Skirt: Tartanista

Stockings: Ambra

Shoes: Zu

At the start of winter, I love winter. I really, really do. Stockings, sweaters, boots, gloves, coats, hats... it's all good.

By the end of winter I'm ready to wave it goodbye and don my floral dresses and flirty skirts again, but at this time of the year I fall upon cool-weather clothes like a starving person.

Last winter was my season of Boots-Over-Jeans, but this year's shaping up to be more about skirts and stockings and over-the-knee socks.

Antipodean readers? What are you looking forward to wearing now that the weather has started to turn?

Long sleeved top: Suzanne Grae

Short sleeved top: Dorothy Perkins

Skirt: Sussan

Socks: Sock Dreams

Shoes: Zu

You know, I've never been much of a sock girl. In fact, I don't think I've worn socks - as part of an outfit, as opposed to something to keep my feet from slipping about inside my shoes or boots - more than one or twice on Frocks & Frou Frou.

Of course, that was before I was introduced to Sock Dreams.

See, I've always had the same problem with knee high socks that I've had with knee high boots: My calves just didn't seem to possess the right dimensions to fit in them comfortably.

Well, delightfully, the folks at Sock Dreams (bless their little cotton socks) give the maximum stretch measurements for almost every pair of socks on their website, and they even have a "plus sized" category under the search banner so that you don't have to search through every pair you've got your eye on before you find a few that'll work for you.

I bought several pairs of socks that you'll see over the next week or so - including some over the knee socks - and they all fit exactly the way they were supposed to!

Dress: Vintage via Thrush

Shoes: Zu

Not a moment too soon, but I got a few treats in the mail today - my Sock Dreams order and a pretty necklace that I ordered last week from Etsy. Coupled with the promise of impending short-shorts, another tartan skirt from Tartanista (plus a few other bits and pieces I'll spill about at a later date when my Budget Nazi's not paying attention) I'm working very hard to get my wardrobe back up to capacity again, and hopefully banish these God-I'm-Sick-Of-Everything-In-My-Wardrobe-Blues.

Twitter readers will also know that I picked up a cute sweater with an uppity-looking giraffe on it earlier today. It was cheap, and winter's (apparently) coming, so I don't feel too guilty about it!

Top: Victoria's Secret

Jeans: Embody Denim

Belt: Fiorelli

Shoes: Zu

You know, I've only every ordered from Victoria's Secret once, which is silly considering how much wear I've got out of this one blouse since I bought it way back in 2008.

I think I was a bit disappointed when it first arrived, because encompassing my f-cups it didn't look anything like the image on the website.

But then I should probably accept that the models on the Victoria's Secret website are Victoria's Secret models, and I need to try to blank the fact that they've all got gazelle-like proportions and concentrate on what the clothes might look like with a few more curves inside them.

Because this blouse looks great. It doesn't look like it does on Miranda Kerr, but it's still pretty darn hot, and who's to say that something else might not be equally successful?

Shirt: Events

Cardigan: 8Inkerman, remixed

Jeans: Embody Denim

Shoes: Zu

Belt: Fiorelli

and my carefully chosen outfit of the day looking like this:

Dress: Dorothy Perkins

Shoes: Zu Shoes

Headband: Mimco

I love Dorothy Perkins, but why oh why are their dresses always so bloody short? Also, I suspect their fit model is a bit of a freak, because things never seem to fit quite correctly (unless I'm the freak, I suppose...).

This dress for instance - it's non-stretch so I sized up, rationalising that with the tie back it would be better to get a larger size and tie it tighter than a smaller one and have it not fit. When it arrived it was extraordinarily voluminous around the shoulders and arms, slightly less voluminous around the waist and about what I expected around the hips. Which would be great if I were an inverted triangle, but I'm not so I had to do a bit of dress surgery to bring the sides in by inches.

Nothing can help the short hem though, so my knees (not my favourite part of my body) are on full display.

I do love it though... Spots! Stripes! Lace! What part of that is not screaming my name?

Dress: Kamikaze

Shoes: Zu

Well hello there!

Hope you're all having a good start to the week - I spent the first half of it in Sydney at Sales Conference and it was sticky and hot, but I got back to Melbourne last night and discovered that it'd had one of its cool changes, so today I got to enjoy something that I haven't been able to wear for months.

I know I say this every year, but I'm really looking forward to Autumn. It's probably got something to do with the arrival of cooler weather clothes in the shops - cardigans, and jeans, long sleeved tops, boots, hats, gloves - but I also like autumn and spring because they're kind of cross-over months with the northern hemisphere. This means that I can buy something from Dorothy Perkins, or Igigi and wear it straight away, rather than having to put it away for months until it's warm/cool enough to wear it.

So on that topic, have you spotted anything you're loving online right now?

Cardigan: Friends of Couture

Top: Borrowed from The Sophisticate

Jeans: Sussan

Shoes: Zu

Had a little bit of a wardrobe malfunction this morning, and had to borrow a t-shirt from The Sophisticate's wardrobe!

I realised when I went back through my blog that every time I wear this cardigan I do it in virtually the same way. White top, blue denim, brown shoes. I'd love some more suggestions... how would YOU wear this cardi?

T-Shirt: Mooch'n around

Skirt: Sussan

Shoes: Zu

Not trying very hard today, I'm afraid! I looked in my wardrobe this morning and thought "meh" so I've gone with something very simple.

I picked this little tee up in December at the Suzuki Night Markets when I was out with my little sister doing a spot of Christmas Shopping. She told me that she liked the top, because the cage door was open, and I liked it because it tied in nicely with a terribly emo poem that I wrote during the Dark Days of 2009.

Uncaged birds are the bomb, blossy - welcome to the flock.

Top: Barkins

Cardigan: Target

Jeans: Embody Denim

Belt: Nancybird

Shoes: Zu

Just a really, really short one tonight because it's been my first full week back at work since before Christmas, and it's nearing midnight, and I'm just about ready to drop!

Had my first test of Frugal February today, when I discovered that the short-shorts I was lusting after at City Chic in December were back in stock... I was seriously tempted, but managed to restrain myself. They do show a LOT of leg so it was probably a good idea not to cave. It's only day 5 after all!

Dress: Igigi

Shoes: Zu

This, it turns out, is one of those dresses that I either love - or not - according to how confident I'm feeling that day. I've put it on four times during Frockapalooza, but this is the first time it's been worn for more than 20 minutes.

Today I love it though. It's so bright and cheerful - just the thing for a hot summer's day.

Incidentally, I was rather hoping that all this skirty action would've resulted in nice tanned legs but, alas, I'm still as white as ever.

Dress: CKM

Leggings: Kmart

Shoes: Zu

Oh dear, here's one that I prepared way back in Melbourne, and apparently it was so long ago that I can't actually remember who made it! It's one of those super-cheap brands that you can find in every cheap & cheerful clothing shop in Melbourne.

I'm actually not entirely sold on the dress - it's a bit too tight, and a bit too short, and a bit too... young. It sort of reminds me of one of those old-fashioned Victorian bathing dresses.

Dress: Igigi

Shrug: Igigi

Belt: City Chic

Shoes: Zu

Man alive! It's freeezing in Canberra today following the drenching rain yesterday.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring any cooler weather frocks on holiday, and have had to don jeans and a cardigan, so you're getting another "here's one I prepared earlier" for day 30 of Frockapalooza.

I'm still recovering from Christmas, currently for lunch my Mum and I are having left-over turkey, then maybe some Christmas Pud for afters. With custard. Mmmnn... custard. And brandy butter. Mmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnn brandy butter.

Suki's finally started talking to me again, and I'm about to catch up with Haz-Mo's Mama, so apart from missing The Sophisticate all's right in the world.

I'm trying to get permission from my little sister to put a Frockapalooza post up from her - on a recent visit to Melbourne she bought a very swanky dress from Dream Diva for New Year's which I'd love to show you all because she looks so beautiful - let's see if we can convince her in the comments, c'mon Bella... share, share, share!

Dress: Jane Bon Bon

Shoes: Zu

How was everyone's Christmas?

I had a lovely one - very different from years past, with some new faces and new surroundings which seems particularly apt for a year which has heralded such epic upheaval in my own life.

Just a quick one today, as it's Christmas Day, and one for spending with family and other assorted loved ones, not a day for sitting in front of the computer.

I hope you all had wonderful days, overindulged to the point of feeling ill, and got spoilt terribly.

Love,

Lilli

Dress: La Madeleine

Cardigan: Portmans

Shoes: Zu

Sorry folks - bit of a cheat here, with a Frockapalooza entry that I prepared for you back in Melbourne. When I packed my bags for Canberra I realised that I wouldn't have enough room to include all the remaining frocks, so I took a few emergency back-up photos instead.

I've spent most of the day today lolling about in my pyjamas and steadfastly ignoring the fact that tomorrow is Christmas Day and I still have one or two little bits and pieces to buy (gulp!)

How are you all going with your own Christmas preparations?

Dress: Thrifted via Nena's Cachivaches Online Vintage Boutique

Shoes: Zu

Today was my last day in Melbourne before heading off to the 'berra for my long awaited holidays. I took the opportunity to premiere this dress on a jaunt up to the hills to have lunch with Sally & Fi, two of my favouritist ladies from the Blogosphere. I hadn't met Sally before, and was delighted to discover that she's every bit as scrumptious as you could have hoped, and daughter Ruby (generally considered to be the prettiest baby on the internet) performed admirably, sending Fiona and myself into a frenzy of broody goodness.

So, I'm running out of puff with Frockapalooza, but the numbers of dresses don't seem to be abating at all! I've packed the majority of the reaminder, but there's one or two "Here's One I Prepared Earlier" shots for dresses that didn't make the Canberra cut