From grunge to goddess

Visiting the accountant to go over my income tax return is never something I look forward to. However, the knowledge that there are FOUR opshops just metres from said accountant’s office helps make this tiresome chore a whole lot sweeter. This dress by Scanlan & Theodore was just one of the bargains I found after a somewhat taxing morning recently. Note the oversized collar (which, as you can tell from my expression, is not a design feature that particularly impressed me).

The collar obviously had to go, but other than that, all I did was take up the hem. So it was a pretty easy update of 90s grunge-glamour to make it wearable as a day dress – given the chill in the air, I’ll be wearing a long-sleeved top underneath for quite a while yet, like so, although I can remove that inner layer and add jewellery for a more evening-appropriate look.

It’s a simple dress, but accessories add drama. I’d finally attached this dreadlock-style collar to a turtleneck so these outfit shots showcase two finished DIY projects at once!

For a change, I managed to get out of my backyard and get some fashion shoot-y type shots, thanks to my friends Kristine and Gwendolynne who let me join them on a jaunt around the Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda.

The collar and leather gloves (also opshopped, of course) somehow gave the dress a Game of Thrones vibe, hence the threatening-looking branch that Kristine made me wield as if it were a terrifying wand and I was some kind of warrior goddess.

 

Actually, if I had anything like the power of a GOT princess, I think I’d like to make tax bills disappear. But if I hadn’t needed to get my tax in order, I wouldn’t have found this dress… so swings and roundabouts, hey?