Hi all

Project dark romance is in full swing here and I have been playing around with my pearls and brooches from Etsy. It’s always a bit risky buying used items over the internet but overall I am pretty happy with my purchases. I am also loving my new lace up boots. Super comfortable. I am thinking about duplicating them in burgundy.

Here are a few outfits. I appreciate any feedback. Oh, and I had a copper coloured semi put through my hair. Just for a change.

Outfit 1 (pic 2): I wore this on a weekend (daytime) trip to a town near Canberra. Canberra is cold, so I am all rugged up. The brooches are Celtic. I am part Scottish so they appeal to me. I am wearing black velvet jeans (older AGs), lace up boots and an ombré jumper that I bought online from the US last year. The colour shows more clearly in the Find.

Outfit 2 (pics 3-5): work. Teal jacket worn with a byzantine style brooch and pleather panel A-line skirt. The skirt is one of my favourite winter skirts but it doesn’t photograph well. You can see the pleather panel in the Find. I prefer to wear this sort of jacket closed because it showcases the funnel neck. I did try pinning the brooch to the funnel neck but it is a little too heavy and it pulled the collar down. The floral handbag charm is from Etsy. I also added a gold braided strap (from H&M) to my handbag to edge it up a bit.

Outfit 3 (pics 6-7): work. The ink blue jacket is the same style as the teal jacket in outfit 3. It’s a staple style for Australian retailer Marcs. This one is from last year. Big blingy brooch. I found the brocade skirt at a discount store for $30. The SA at the more up market store where I took these pics asked me if it was Rag and Bone. I wish! I wore a blue flared sleeve lace top underneath the jacket and layered pearls. Brown boots. No black!

Outfit 4 (pics 8-10): so, back to black. Casual. The black pearls (ok, beads) are also from Etsy. I layered Ye Olde Zara turtleneck knit top over a mesh top. The mesh top has solid sleeves to the elbows that form fingerless “gloves”. I usually wear this with a solid sleeveless top layered over but I liked the short sleeves for a change. A bit 90s. I wore this with the James Perse jacket recommended by Gryffin last year and a Victorian style brooch on the collar.

Outfit 5 (pics 11-12): weekend outfit for dinner out. Layered pearls again. I am a really enjoying the fringy bag with its new floral charm (from H&M).