Bright and sunny.

Oh, winter. I catch the train to work and everyone is so dreary in their blacks and greys. I'm going to try bring a little sunshine to people's lives by dressing up in bright summer colours.  This will be my first real winter for five years, let's see how I can survive :-/

These photos were taken when the weather in Melbourne was slightly better than it is now... 

Dress designed and created by Franki.  Photography by Franki.

Eyelashes by Primark (with surprisingly NO infection considering how cheap they were).

Goodbye Dubai.

I left Dubai in September, my home for the last five years!!
I miss it already but I'm glad to be back in my hometown, Melbourne.

On my last night in Dubai, my girlfriends and I spent the evening out at Armani Hotel.

Mabellie and I in the foyer of Prive.
I'm wearing a dress I had tailor made in the Satwa souks of Dubai (blogged below) and that cute pink 'Allanah Hill-ish' purse is a thrift shop find!

This is my favourite photo. Dee took it on her blackberry but it turned out pretty magic. It's the background of my phone screen actually, I love it that much!

Made in Satwa.

For a few years, my sister and I have been going to a tailor off Satwa Road. We picked him at random, just to get some alterations and zips fixed. Every time we went in, he'd be measuring up people for dresses. And he was constantly busy. I thought I'd take this as a good sign that he was a pretty decent dressmaker, also taking into consideration that his customers were of many nationalities.

I found some black cotton and grey cotton fabric from one of the fabric stores called Srour and brought it over to my man and asked him to make me two dresses for work. I came back one week later and have to admit he did a pretty amazing job.

 Photos (and post-production werk lol) thanks to FrankiV.
I'll get better photos of the dress soon!!
***
Future Tailors +97143498723, Opposite Regal Shop, near Emirates Bank, Satwa.

At The Top of the world!

This is me sitting on the observation deck of the tallest building in the world, looking over my lovely city of Dubai.
Philippines thrifted skirt - Tshirt from Bangkok Weekend Market - Sandals from random guy selling shoes on a street in Bangkok!

Ski bunny!

The other week my friends and I went to Ski Dubai, the indoor ski slope and snow park in Dubai's Mall Of The Emirates. Five years of living in this city, it was the first time I actually visited the place... it actually opened a couple of months after I arrived!

I'm originally from Australia and I have to say, I'm not a winter person - I love to be in the summer sun (which is why I avoided this place for so long!) but it was so much fun. We had skiing lessons and a bit of a play around in the snow park with all the kiddies.

 Overlooking the indoor ski resort. In the background there you can see the glowing yellow lights... that's the shopping mall! 

While you're shopping you can stop and watch people playing in the snow.

(PS sorry about my facials... it was cold! I can't be accountable for my facial reactions, I'm not used to it ;))

The mini slope where we took our first ski lesson. I was actually quite surprised and it was easier than I thought it'd be. 

I think I'll be taking more lessons before I leave Dubai. What a story to tell people... 

"So Cathy, what'd you do in Dubai?" 

"Oh I learnt to ski!"

"You learnt to ski in the middle of the desert?!"

 Avalanche Cafe, a place to escape from the -2 degrees chill.
The chill is a nice change from the outside temperatures of approximately 48 degrees though.

 We couldn't resist... Fashion blogger poses. ;)

Sporting our ever stylish (and borrowed) snow suits courtesy of Ski Dubai.

We've both been terrible bloggers, Mabellie and I, with such infrequent posting, but the blogger in us still lives.

Girls night in.

On Friday night, my friend Majeigh hosted a little 'cupcake party' for Resh, Mabel and myself.

Not only is Majeigh's house just absolutely adorable, but she prepared for us a gorgeous table of macarons and cupcakes.

Cute, right? It felt like we were dining in some chic and sweet cafe.
The delicious girly cupcakes were decorated with icing of handbags, shoes and lipsticks! ;)

 

I wore my New Look lingerie dress, Carvela short heels and my purse from Bangkok markets.

It was such a great evening in with the girls. The chance to just dress up a bit and indulge in all these sweets...

I'm definitely going to miss nights like this when I leave Dubai! :(

Gothchic.

Last week I was given the opportunity to work with three amazing and talented people.

Makeup artist and stylist Gene Ginno Alducente, and fashion photographers Tinayums and Mahryska.

Not only was this an exciting experience, but the outcome of the shoot was pretty amazing. 

Makeup, styling and accessories provided by Gene.

It's so inspiring to work with such creative people. Thank you all for the fab experience!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Ps- this is a pic I took from my blackberry - I LOVE the makeup and will only dream of going gothchic full time :-)

Never Stopped Looking [Video].

Remember the pictures I posted way back a few weeks ago here from a photoshoot at Jumeirah Beach? Well, here is the finished version of the fashion video, which was shot and edited by the amazing Jmerts. I hope you like it!

Equipment: Canon 5D MII /
Song: Trespassers William 'Vapour Trial' (original version by Ride)

Shot at Jumeirah Beach, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Leftover Green Beans.

Since 2007, Josy and Aza from Left Over Green Beans have been creating clothing made completely of re-purposed and organic materials - such as vintage fabrics, hand-crocheted curtains, deconstructed clothing, and handmade trims. They find pieces they love in flea markets and their grandmothers’ closets and put them together to create totally unique garments.

Here are some of my favourite looks from their current collection:

The Avedon

Crochet skirt handmade crochet and organic lining, flower top made from an apron with green plaid trim from curtains

The Mirabella

  Vintage embroidered table cloth with green plaid trim repurposed from curtains

The Audrey

 Top is a bed sheet with crochet table covering skirt, vintage silk pieced together with french rickrack and, vintage lace trim, and embroidered flower appliques.

The Carrie & The Leanna

Skirt is made from a bed skirt. Top is repurposed fabric from childhood clothing.

Yellow skirt is made from vintage fabric. Top is made from a curtain & vintage buttons.

What do you think of the pieces? They're so gorgeous and unique, with a truly fun, vintage vibe to it. The fact that each and every piece is eco-friendly too would definitely make you feel good about wearing them! To find out more about the girls behind LOGB or to get a bit more inspiration for your next visit to nana's, go to their website:  
http://www.leftovergreenbeans.com/logb.html

iFly Dubai!

I had a pretty interesting weekend. Shopping and watching football, but the best part was when I got to experience indoor skydiving! In Mirdif City Centre, they have this centre called 'iFly' which is a skydiving simulation tunnel where you get in with the trainer who helps you on body positions and techniques. It's pretty fun. I'd like to do the real thing but after feeling so uncoordinated in the tunnel, I can't imagine how it'd feel thousands of feet up in the air! Anyway, If you're in Dubai and interested in the experience, go to their website.

And now, random cupcake photo! There was a parade at the mall and I couldn't help but take a photo with the cupcake (or muffin)! How cute is the cookie too. Dubai is so random sometimes - one minute you're shopping, the next thing there's a marching band with jugglers, stilt walkers and sweets following behind.

 In our super stylish skydiving outfits - the wind tunnel is in the background.

Some pics of the instructors up to their tricks. They're pretty amazing, and super nice guys!
I'll definitely go back to iFly while I'm in Dubai - it's a great chance to experience the thrill of skydiving without jumping out the plane (and also a good chance to learn a few new tricks) ;)

Starburst.

If I see something in the shops that I like, it's highly likely I'll buy more than one of it if it comes in other colours.

Claude d'alban black skirt / Warehouse singlet / accessories from Bangkok Weekend Market

You might recognise this bow-back skirt because I have the exact same in mustard. 

Do you buy multiples of the same stuff if you really like something? I wouldn't buy the exact same thing (same colour) in double, but if something really catches my eye and I can't decide on which colour to get - I'll get both or all :-))

This cute little purse is from an area near the MBK markets in Bangkok (I told you I'd be blogging about Thai-bought stuff!!) Peeptoe heels from Reiss.

I forgot to get the name of the girl who made this bracelet, but it was bought in weekend market. 

Her stall was full of fun jewelry like this. Very chunky, that's how I like it!

This one is also from the weekend market. This is the biggest diamond I'll probably ever own ;)

Sawasdee ka!

That means HELLO in Thai :-). I'm back from a fantastic three days in Bangkok, we had such an amazing time. The weather was really hot, but it didn't seem so crowded with tourists yet (still from the red shirt protests from the last few months I guess). We felt completely safe though now, and the hospitality of the Thai people was as genuine as ever. Seriously, Thailand = The Land of Smiles is the most honest description of this country.

Here are a few pictures of the things I did (and some outfits I wore;)) and I hope you enjoy!

First day in Bangkok, riding the famous Tuk-Tuks and having a tall glass of Thai Black Ice Tea. So great!

On vacation but never on holiday from my blog! Haha - Outfit post in the hotel room.

Primark skirt / Evie bag / Jeanswest vest / Splash scarf / Diva bracelet and ring from Philippines

This was the view from our hotel window. I stayed at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Silom area. 

Fantastic hotel, and the rates are pretty affordable at the moment! I love the colourful traffic.

Forever 21 skirt / Dotti studded vest / Owl pendant from Bangkok markets

My sister Chrissy & I at the Floating Markets, with some hats we picked up for just $10!

With my new friend, this monkey python... I always saw photos of people with snakes around their necks and would never think I'd do it, but it wasn't scary at all! Nice to see I was entertaining to the ladies behind me too:-) hahaha

On the Bridge over River Kwai.

Wearing my sisters dress, since I'm such an emo-kid with a closet full of black clothes, I needed to borrow it as we had to wear 'light coloured' clothing for the Tiger Temple - see next photos!

FEEDING TIGER CUBS in Tiger Temple (Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua). This was the most amazing experience!! We spent about 45 minutes in the housing enclosure with four 6-week old cubs. I'm such a cat lover so playing with them was just like playing with some overgrown kittehs!

Photo time with the full grown tigers outside. They have a strict dress code when visiting the temple and my skirt was too short (mmm should be used to this by now!) so bought a new dress from the Floating Markets. In the Tiger Temple it's best to wear shorts or pants covering knees and a shirt covering your shoulders. Also, strictly NO red or dark pinks (maybe the tigers will mistake you for a juicy steak ;)).

 Speaking of food... YUM!

 

In a dress I picked up from Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market, I think it cost me about $3. That market was never ending. With everything from homewares, street foods, mens and ladies fashion as well as pet fashion, it's a must see! I love the style of the Bangkok youth, and a lot of local designers had stalls at the weekend market selling their products. Lots of funky printed tshirts and unique jewelry.

You'll see me in my new Thai bought clothes in a lot of my future posts now. 

Bargain hunting in Bangkok is the best!

Bang bang bang.

Super producer Mark Ronson's newest single with new band "The Business Intl'" is the very, very cool Bang Bang Bang.

The new album is out in September this year hopefully (according to Wikipedia), but this single is out in July.

I love the kookiness in this whole clip, it's pretty much all crazy nonsense. 

 Thanks to Dubai's best music blog http://www.discoballbreaker.com/ for the clip!

Ps- I'm going to Thailand tonight for a long weekend break. Can't wait for some amazing Bangkok shopping!

Grazia and vintage Cathy (ok, just one year ago).

Oh, hello! I was featured in Grazia Middle East's June issue in the Style Hunter section from last weeks Bloomingdale's event at Dubai Mall. Also on the same page was fellow blogger, Mahryska and these cute, young twins (I'm so jealous of her huge Bottega Veneta bag). I love how Mariyah and I are on the same page. Small community, we are.

In the April 2009 issue of Grazia, I was also snapped while out at the Dubai Polo Desert Challenge at the Desert Palm Hotel. Can you guess who my main inspiration was last year? Lol, I think it's pretty obvious... (ie. a bloated Blair Waldorf).

I kind of cringe when I look back on the photo - although it was just a year ago (a year is not very long), I couldn't get away with wearing that huge headband anymore, and even though the heels are about 3-4 inches high, I still have them but don't wear them.. they're not HIGH enough for me now :-)). Also, everyone keeps telling me my hair looks better darker than this strange metallic brown look I had going on (I agree).
And somehow within the year, I changed nationality from British to Australian...

Ha! Well at least one thing's stayed the same - I'm still into my florals!