MELBOURNE – I have lived in Melbourne for nearly eight years making the move south from tropical Queensland. The move felt like a natural progression for me. Melbourne is a city that just makes you feel like you are home. I was particularly drawn to Melbourne because I loved the size of the city, it’s culture and atmosphere, the architecture mixing modern with heritage, green spaces and landmarks, the hidden laneways, and that it catered for every kind of niche. If you are a fashion lover, foodie, sports addict, culture junky or just someone that likes to explore and have everything on your doorstep, then I don’t think it gets better than Melbourne. Not in Australia anyway, but of course, I am bias!
Melbourne is renowned in Australia for its fashion and style. You can see designer and classic, bohemian and retro, and everything in between. People take such pride in the way they dress and they have true style. It is not about looking put together or commercial, rather people tend to let their personality shine through. There is a sense that what is worn resonates with the wearer so looks are quite original and a great source of inspiration.
If you have stopped by my blog, you will already be aware of my love for fashion. Living in Melbourne and travelling, especially to London (which feels like a second home), has made me more conscious that life should be more about focusing on what you love and enjoy verses going through the motions. I have always been passionate about fashion, but it was something that was more of a past time that fit around work and did not have any specific direction. Starting my blog has really provided me with balance. Although I originally started blogging as a form of escapism from my daily office bound life, it has since evolved providing me with a creative outlet, which has allowed me to meet and mix with like-minded people. It has been confronting experience as well. I felt rather exposed initially mainly because I am rather a private person by nature. This feels like a small hurdle now considering I get to blog about what I love, work with my partner and have taken more of an active interest in living well and being conscious about how I present myself. That can’t be a bad thing right?
I had a rather specific motivation with the direction of my blog. A large proportion of my shopping is online. I often wished that I could see an item more clearly, on normal women and with more authentic and wearable styling. The premise behind my photographs is to give overall looks and of course the details. I love details! These shots are my way of both appreciating the design and beauty of the items, but also showing other ladies who are potentially looking to buy the same item (or similar), just how gorgeous it really is and hopefully making their purchase decision a little bit easier. I wanted my blog to be an open dialogue space and a useful resource in addition to being a photographic diary representing my personal style, which is a balance of classic and latest look pieces, minimalistic accessories, denim and high impact shoes (my weakness).
One of my big dreams is that blogging will afford me more time and freedom to do what I really love and to be connected to the fashion industry. So what does the future hold? Freelance writing, fine-tuning my style so as to feel empowered and comfortable in my own skin (and threads), focusing on keeping post content ‘real’, and hopefully some travel to Europe. Watch this space.
Mandi Lamattina – Find Me A Muse
