barre||noire.

I've been in touch with Timm from barre||noire - an amazing label based in Berlin, that just had its first runway show during Berlin Fashion Week (just saying that makes me excited for them - big years ahead, Timm!) - and last week, he sent through these incredible shots barre||noire is all about clean, sharp and precise cuts juxtaposed with an unpredictable element, whether it be the femininity in a giant bow, brights or pastels, and most of all, may-I-say-groundbreaking textures (yellow slash-pattern pants? I love you). And somehow, through all this complexity, the pieces manage to jigsaw with each other into an overall aesthetic of calm, composed sophistication, and in that respect, the beautiful lighting in these particular shots really communicate that (I dream of being able to capture this kind of light).

I've pretty much fallen for the draped jumpsuit. Your turn! Click HERE to see more of barre||noire!

Hope you've all had a great weekend so far.

P.S. LAST DAY to enter the amazing fredflare.com giveaway!! So quick quick quick CLICK. I'll be drawing the winner tomorrow :)

*love*

xx

Life is better with 15% off.

1. Stairwell sunset - 2. Floral lovers - 3. My brother's 15th birthday candles - 4. New favourite dress - 5. Looking stupid :) - 6. Vintage Celine Paris

These are just some unrelated shots that I've taken (aside from 2. by Katie, and 5. by Natasha) over the past couple of weeks, and they really didn't have any real place anywhere else. You'll definitely be seeing more of that ClubCouture dress and the amazing vintage Celine Paris purse thanks to Red Mera Vintage!

But to the point of this post. My lovely friends over at Lulus.com are offering you beautiful readers an awesome:

15% off your next purchase at Lulus!

Just enter the coupon code SHINE at the checkout and you'll get more of Lulus' super cute quality for your money - I've always been a fan of the vibe and aesthetic Lulus radiates (that's right - they radiate :D), and their selection ranging from sweetheart necklines to pretty vintage pieces are pretty amazing, so go take a hunt before August 13th! Click HERE to start shopping to kick start your weekends!

And I'm freaking out a little that it's the weekend - two days until my massively important block of exams start! So do forgive my poor effort at replying to all your beautiful comments :(

The fredflare.com giveaway makes up for that though... right? Only one more day to enter! So get clicking (HERE) to win $100 to spend at fredflare.com and a mystery giftie!

*love*

xx

ETSY love: FriedaSophie.

I quite recently professed a newfound love for raw crystals, unfinished stones and other things to that effect - though I haven't really had the time or patience to put that into practice (my last term of school ever is slowly eating up my life). And almost simultaneously, I jumped on the ETSY bandwagon - I haven't quite gotten around to shopping-basketing or even wish-listing anything for that matter, but I do have a much greater appreciation for all things handmade, now. Particularly having seen the handicraft of the lovely Sandra Ducheneaux (store, FriedaSophie), whose incredible encasing (I can't think of a better word) of any slice and cut you can think of has really kick-started my love of all things unrefined.

They emanate a certain regality - particularly handy in the dressing up of things too street, and the dressing down of things too ballroom.

I like that :)

Check out more of Sandy's work HERE.

P.S. and don't forget to enter the giveaway - I mean, who doesn't want $100 to spend at Fredflare.com!

*love*

xx

So bright, it's illegal.

SpinDizzyFall Vintage Sunglasses - Lime Crime Lipstick in 'Retrofuturist' - Junk Clothing Floral Cutout Dress

I've been searching for a perfect fire engine lipstick that doesn't look like plastic (as they tend to do), and this suitably eye-popping shade thanks to Erica over at Lime Crime has, thankfully, ended that search - one can only take so many testers in a day, and I do hate how makeup counter tissues fasten themselves to your lips and leave the equivalent of lint all over the place. Not cool. Lime Crime also has some other amazing colours for you to check out - warning that your eyes get a bit watery from impact :)

And what better way to celebrate this perfectly textured lipstick than to pull the PRADA SS10 that I've been meaning to do for a while - it was probably my favourite SS10 collection. Aside from Miu Miu's shoes. But they're all the same family anyway :) Nonetheless, I think I've captured the movement (with a bit of bonus mucking around) that I was so obsessed with in that campaign - next stop is to own those lucite shoes (... yeah right).

You're going to have to excuse my flicky-out layers that are 1) impossible to de-flick and 2) impossible to fake a fringe with, but I think the monochrome floral print and heart cutout on this Junk dress makes up for that. It's probably as close as I'm ever going to get to owning the amazing digital prints of that PRADA collection too, so that's always a plus!

Another thing to ignore are my slightly swollen cheeks - my wisdom teeth have chosen a really inconvenient time to start kicking my gums (yummeh) so it's a tad painful.

And don't forget to enter the amazing fredflare.com giveaway! Click HERE.

*love*

xx

Fredflare.com GIVEAWAY.

That's right! We're on a roll - with a way to say thank you to you guys right? But also Fred Flare's awesome celebration of Nancy Drew's 80th birthday - what the lovely Jen from fredflare.com doesn't know is that Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden were pretty much my childhood. I was such an odd 90s child. Clueless? Hell no. Nancy wore the skirt first!

Just:

1. Be a public follower of Shine By Three
2. Leave a comment below with your name and email address
3. Take a stroll through Fred Flare and drool (mandatory - I will know :p)

Easy as pie.

I'm so excited about this Mystery Prize even if I'm not the one winning it - especially with all the great pieces fredflare.com stocks. And really, who doesn't love a mystery? I'm so digging out my ridiculous collection of kid-detective books now. And dressing like Nancy for the next week :)

And speaking of giveaways, I drew the La Dama giveaway this afternoon and the winner is:

Anna G of Razzle Dazzle

Yay! And for those of you who didn't win, thank you all for your love - and It's just as well as you have this Fred Flare one to enter! :)

Hope you've all had a great start to the week.

P.S. Follow on Twitter and Bloglovin' while you're at it!

*love*

xx

Brian Reyes.

Brian Reyes' ability to construct an incredibly structured piece from a series of twists really does get me thinking about the industry and what needs to set you apart from the grain. I came across Brian's work when I saw the incredible corset gown in red, which I vowed to wear to my graduation formal - though somehow that's looking a little doubtful at the moment! His latest Resort 2011 collection really captures the vibe we associate with different elements of times of year when the mercury is high and zinc does not leave noses alone, but the best part is that there actually is something there for everybody. The collection covers such a wide sweep of genres, age groups, you name it, that has not been approached in such a way before. But the creative process is there in mixing and matching to make it so.

Thanks so much to Michael McLaughlin for sending these through! Given my current love for scoop necklines and sweetheart necklines (wow - not very discrete on my part), Brian's work has really clicked conceptually for me too :)

Check out more pieces HERE.

P.S. the giveaway is now closed, but not even joking: there shall be another tomorrow! I'll also be drawing the winner so keep those fingers crossed :)

Hope you've all had a great weekend!

*love*

xx

Spanish Moss Vintage: Suzanne Carafano.

The last time I wrote about Spanish Moss Vintage was a few short weeks ago, it was to showcase their awesome Fall lookbook, which has since expanded to an even more dance-worthy degree of pure art and badassery. I can never quite manage to tear my eyes away from the incredible range of lovingly sourced vintage pieces - if they were hanging in a closet, I'd snatch them all the way Anastasia does to Cinderella's dresses in the second Disney film. Stocking an impressive list of glare-at-you labels and her very own clothing label, I'd say founder Suzanne is doing pretty well :) and it was more than my pleasure to catch up on what goes on in the land of amazing vintage:

Hi hi, how's it going!
Great- extremely busy but great!

Tell us a bit about how Spanish Moss Vintage started out.
I was living on the road literally, and after a series of catastrophes in my life I started selling on ebay. It was during the golden years before that market became so over saturated. I'm really lucky I started when I did!

We made it big in 2006 and then were able to jump start the spanishmossvintage.com site in 2009 and it's been going great ever since! I think the key was our early timing, working like psycho hose beasts and a genuine love for our business.

On average, how long does it take to source one good vintage piece?
Oh lord, long for me. I'm very particular about the vintage which in turn makes me work harder to find just the right pieces for our audience. That's why I don't source just from the cities I live in, but constantly take road trips to find the best of the best.

What would you say is the most important thing to consider when buying a vintage piece?
My three categories of qualification for a vintage piece are: is it "top shelf" as in extremely unique or intricate you wouldn't be able to see it anywhere else? Is it currently a trend? Is the fabric soft to the skin and in good condition? No matter how awesome something is, if it's scratchy or a gross feeling poly, I won't buy it. My goal for our vintage section is to always have a very tightly edited collection. I don't want my buyers to ever have to wade through a bunch of mediocre pieces to find what they're looking for!

Now can you fill us in about American Gold?
American Gold is my personal clothing line that's manufactured in Los Angeles. Everything for the line is done in America, in the Golden State - hence the name. We only use cashmere and fine soft wools, silks, cotton, antique crochets & velvet burnouts, so the quality of what you're buying and the attention to detail is unparalleled. We've had 3 seasons- the first two I was really getting into the swing of design and testing the waters. Our third collection is for Fall 2010 and I'm really proud of it : ) It's inspired by Stevie Nicks and travelling all girl bands. The sheer velvet florals can really be worn to the beach in the summer or in the winter as a sexy dress. I'm making velvet a summer time fabric! You can see the lookbook at theamericangold.com. Our Spring '11 line is my favorite of all time!! I cannot wait until it comes out!

Who are you style icons of the moment?
Jane Birkin, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Lou Dillon, MK Olson ofcourse, Marianne Faithfull, and our fashion forward customers tend to buy all of my personal favorite pieces, they would be: Erin Wasson, Sky Ferreira, Scout Willis, Daisy Lowe, Ruby Stewart - they are all my style icons so I'm very honored they love what I do.

Where do you see yourself and SMV in 10 years time?
Expanding the SMV magazine, working on American Gold, having an ever growing collection of vintage and independant designers. Being able to hire more people to do some of what I do so I can write books and possibly get a PhD.

Some of our previous interviewees, the gorgeous girls at Lucky13, would like to know: Coffee or Tea?
Both! Peet's coffee with cream every morning, Earl Gray with cream in the afternoon, cold unsweetened green tea all the time!

And last of all, what's a random question you'd like to ask our next interviewee?
Hayley Mills or Lindsey Lohan Parent Trap movie? (I go for Hayley everytime.)

Thanks Suzanne!

I guess it's a given that you all agree that these shots are absolutely incredible - just as the featured pieces are (beware the growing love of leather shorts, people). Some things can only be found in the states - and SMV has them all (so check them out HERE).

Hope you've all had a great weekend.

P.S. Don't forget that the giveaway ends tomorrow! So get entering!

*love*

xx

"When red-haired people are above a certain social grade their hair is auburn." ~ Mark Twain.

ClubCouture Diamond Back Shift Dress - Seventh Door Over The Knee Socks - Orbit Footwear Arrest Boots - Urban Originals Leader of the Band in Grey Denim

Before I admit that I did have to run inside and grab a jacket after taking these and before running down the road to Officeworks, I would just like to say that I love you all so very muchly, because:

BABY we hit 900 followers

I want to fly to all your respective countries and give you all hugs. I give good hugs. Get excited, if not slightly creeped out :)

With Spring just over a month away, I am dreaming of all those pretty things associated with pink lemonade and straw hats, where I shall definitely be wearing this pretty ClubCouture dress - despite it being black. And don't forget that ClubCouture is offering 15% off items storewide just for you (type in the code CCBLOG15 at checkout)!

These boots are also just the right glass of badass to wrap up winter, with a big shoutout and thank you to Holly Rayner of Orbit Footwear, whose shoes I am just a smidgen more than obsessed with (not to mention the kick-in-the-face rubber soles on these babies) - check out more of Orbit HERE and please prepare for a mammoth leap on your to-buy/to-drool list. Just saying :)

The bag, the bag, the amazing Leader of the Band in all its studded glory - one of the samples dear Samantha from UO let me borrow for purely happy purposes (see the other HERE and their impressive stocktake sale :O).

I could eat it. But I will refrain.

And to top off my seriously weird mood, my favourite knee highs

Back to my trip to Officeworks, which is completely irrelevant, but sit it out and you'll love me for it. Ages ago I found a pen in my locker that wasn't mine, and it was actually the most perfect pen of all time (important, considering the amount of writing I have to do in my upcoming exams). So it ran out this week, and I've been hunting for it with no success at all. I'm going to stop there. Cool story, Margaret. Shut up, Margaret. :)

Do pardon the sun going a little nuts - self-photography really doesn't go down well with that.

Hope you've all had a fantastic week - I feel like I'm about to tip over sideways.

P.S. only two more days to enter the giveaway!

P.P.S. The title of the post is completely unrelated to anything, except that my hair's getting longer - party party time.

*love*

xx

Bardot: Hannah Gaunt.

Everyone here in dear Australia will be more than a little familiar with Bardot, whose constant output of on-point pieces has filled a pretty significant gap in our wardrobes with anything from staples to whatever you crazy people wear lying on a jetty staring at shooting stars :) Some of my personal favourites bear the lovely Bardot tag, and I was certainly very excited to catch up with Senior Designer of Bardot, the lovely Hannah Gaunt:

Hi there, how’s it going?
Really well, we’re planning the launch of our new in-store magazine and lovin’ it ;)

How did Bardot start out?
Bardot was the vision of Merchandise Director Carol Skoufis. We started out as a little store on Melbourne’s Bridge Road and as a small team of 5 - we’ve definitely come a long way in 14 years!

Tell us a bit about the girl who wears Bardot.
She’s a fashionista and not afraid to take a risk. She follows the latest trends and knows exactly how to put an outfit together. She demands quality, stylish clothes at a price she can afford.

What are Bardot’s style leanings for this coming summer?
We all went a bit ‘Abu Dhabi’ crazy after the SATC2 movie and loving the tribal tropics movement, so expect lots of animal printed maxi’s, beading, and an exciting, bright colour palette.

I am loving the Prairie vibe happening with Bardot’s pieces at the moment – where do you get your inspiration from?
We wanted to steer clear of the traditional ‘prairie’ look (no dowdy ‘little house on prairie’ style here). We have taken the more relaxed 70’s, dreamy vibe. Think Virgin Suicides meets Woodstock...lots of soft flowy fabrics back with high waisted denim shorts in sky blue washes.

Which is your personal favourite Bardot piece?

We can’t go past our Luella Distressed Vintage jeans...they are the perfect fit and wash and have that ‘lived in’ feel about them.

What kind of work goes into designing and releasing one piece?
We’re very lucky that most of our designing and sample making is done in-house. This means we can sketch and dream up the prefect piece, select fabrics, and our talented pattern makers and machinists bring the design to life.

Where does Bardot want to be in 5 years time?
Still rockin’ in Australia and expanding overseas.

What do you think of the new wave of bloggers coming through?
Think they’re fab – we have a list of blogger’s sites that we check religiously every morning. They’re really inspirational. It’s just great to see so many people so passionate about fashion.

Here’s a random question: What’s your favourite time of year?
Would have to be summer for play – love a long summers day with sunshine and good friends and winter for fashion – love layering and wearing boots and scarves.

And what’s a random question you’d like to ask our next interviewee?
What item in your wardrobe did you buy but never got around to wearing? Why?

Thanks Hannah! And a big thank you to Sarah Morgan too.

These shots are from the said online magazine that is only out as of today, so go check it out HERE - the photography makes me wish the mercury wasn't so low... especially with some of their newest arrivals: I die.

P.S. Only three days left to enter the giveaway! So get clicking :)

*love*

xx

A pocket full.

Boutique Quilted Shoulder Coat - ClubCouture Crossback Floral Dress - We Love Colours Sheer Knee Highs in Nude - Zoe Wittner Ursula Wedge - Boutique Braided Leather Belt

This gorgeous dress from ClubCouture is continuing my streak of perfect floral prints and makes me want to find an endless field and a picnic with pink lemonade and Jane Austen type things (but having said that, the cut (crossback!) and perfect length are just as smiley-worthy). I pulled out this coat that I hadn't worn in a while, as well as these awesome We Love Colours knee highs - half the world tells me that hosiery lighter than my skin is a no-go. Wrong.

ClubCouture is a seriously impressive label that has just arrived in Australia and is also available for all you gorgeous international readers! They offer the widest selection of vibes, colours, cuts, textures, you name it, to jigsaw nicely into whatever you have in mind - they did for me anyway, especially with the extreme versatility of their pieces. What's there not to love about something that can be worn, unrecognisably, a million ways?

And just for you, ClubCouture is offering 15% off items storewide - just type in the code CCBLOG15 at checkout!

And don't forget that Aussie and New Zealand lovelies also get free shipping on We Love Colours orders over $30 with the code WELOVENZAUS!

P.S. another thing not to forget: enter the giveaway to win that oh so amazing arm chain!

*love*

xx