Report from Sydney, Australia

annagybe

Today I went to see a special exhibit at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. They brought in 10 terracotta warriors and horses from that tomb in China (blanking on the emperor's name).
I wore a white t-shirt dress, black leggings pulled down over my heels, silver and black AGL flats, denim jacket, silver and grey Alexander McQueen scarf, and my purple studded cuff.
After the exhibit we also visited two bookstores in downtown Sydney.
One thing that surprised me was the overall casualness of everybody. Also there is a prevalence of thongs (flip-flops) with business dress. I haven't been in Australia in over 5 years, so maybe my memory is tainted.
Also for the record I wore my green dress to family luncheon yesterday and was way overdressed. Oh well. I did however get a good lead on where to buy Australian fashions.

Anna

15 years ago

General

11 replies

Latest reply was from Megan

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

Anna today's outfit sounds fabulous!!

You know your comments on the 5 year changes got me thinking... I think I would say that over the past 5 years, our fashion has gone very casual in some ways, but really improved in other ways.... Day to day dress is now very casual, but going out of an evening - even just to a pub for dinner - seems to require a greater dress standard than before.

But you are right, thongs/flip flops are so common anytime anywhere

So, I'm curious, which stores have your family pointed you towards??

15 years ago

yublocka

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Veteran

I'm curious as well And glad to hear you are having a good time. Yes thongs are ubiquitous here. As much as they are not ylf approved, I really cannot imagine life without them.

15 years ago

rute

Veteran

I'm so envy... have tons of fun!!!!!!!!

15 years ago

stringy

Veteran

I hope everyone at least admired your green dress, even if it was a bit much for the occasion!

I've been very good and not worn thongs at all since the weather warmed up. I just don't feel the need, although I could do with a larger choice of sandals.

re: very casual. I was wondering the other day if it's because back when the current generation were teens, the height of coolness was to wear surfie labels like Billabong and Roxy, instead of the normal tees and shorts that you could get from Target, etc. So now that that group have grown up, they still aspire to look surfie-cool rather than anything else?

15 years ago

stringy

Veteran

Oops I meant to say as well that your art gallery outfit sounds fantastic. The exhibit sounds great too.

15 years ago

Active Member

Hope you have a fun time Anna!

Thongs with business dresses!!! Really??!! Do mean normal rubber thongs? That's crazy. I don't see that here in southern Aus.

I only wear thongs to the pool/river - definatley not in town.

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for the report from down under, Anna! (Trying not to have flip-flip apoplexies).

15 years ago

Jenava

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Veteran

anna, I might copy your art-walking outfit. (-:

I have such a hard time feeling good in really casual clothes. That's one of the reasons I prefer city life to living in the country.

I wonder what the causes of cultures going more casual or more formal are, in general. I know around the US there has been a small re-surgence of more formal fashion, particularly for men. I love that this feels just a normal as going a more casual direction, such as how dressy denim can be now. Jeans are now appropriate for going out, whearas a generation ago there were anything but. It's fun that there seems to be so many versions of normal now. Maybe this is just the US, or maybe it's just my (admittedly skewed) perception.

15 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

My second cousin recommended the the third level of David Jones (main one downtown, I think Pitt Street) has a lot of Australian designers.
I saw rubber thongs with business dress. I wonder if they're for commuting purposes. It was hard to tell.

15 years ago

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Your outfit sounds great - incredibly stylish and very chic!

I must say......Thongs with business attire? Blurk! The only thing I'm wondering as a potential justification was to ask whether it had been recently pouring with rain? Sydney did have a lot of rain a couple of days ago.

If the rest of the look was pulled together, I'd say that was the reason - like you say, worn for commuting so as not to destroy the good shoes. (Proper shoes would have been in handbag or the office. Kinda like the Aussie equivalent of wearing sneakers on the train until you change as you get to the office!) If the rest of the outfits you saw were "interesting", I'd say it was that person's unique take on fashion....

I hope you are having a great time out and about and have an even better time shopping at David Jones! Paddington has a LOT of independent designer fashion stores too if you have time to make it out there (not that you heard me telling you.....).

15 years ago

Megan

Active Member

I'd say Katiepea has picked it- the weather here has been quite lousy (but today is gorgeous). I'm in the CBD regularly and never see thongs and business wear except on commuters.

Come visit Newtown- it's a funky suburb with some cool stores

15 years ago

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