My Summer must haves from Liza Emanuele's Boutique

I'm not sure if it's cheating or not to own my 'must have' fashion pieces for this season, but rather than talking about aspirational items, I'm lucky enough to have these in my wardrobe at the moment.

Here is what I love right now from the Liza Emanuele Boutique on King William Road.

Ignore the Winter clothing - this was taken in London. Pay attention to the bag.

My favourite handbag is from After The Apple (see above). This demon of a bag holds EVERYTHING and has both a shoulder strap, which is sensational for travelling, as well as shorter woven handles for toting around. Leather (of course), the After The Apple bags are designed in Australia by a woman who used to design for Mimco. I love her style and how unique each bag is. They are currently stocked at Liza Emanuele Boutique and retail for around $600.

Here's a more detailed photo (and the colours are more true to form).

My next must have for this season, is a versatile black dress.

Look at the dress, not the sensible ballet flat for walking.

This dress is also from Liza Emanuele Boutique (yes I stocked up before I toured Europe) and is extremely comfortable to wear, while standing out from the crowd. People in Europe and back home in Australia, all assumed I bought this in Paris. No. I just wore it there. This is a great dress for work, dressing up for a cocktail/NYE/Christmas party, or dressing down with flats and spending the day shopping on the Champs Elysees.

No, you can't have my best accessory. He's not for sale.

Next up - a great, lightweight Summer frock from Liza. This gorgeous design was the perfect dress to wear to the Church for one of my best friend's weddings. The neckline is stunning and luckily for us, Liza designed several different versions of this dress with different fabrics. I thought this was a one-off wear dress when I picked it out of the rack, but since the wedding I've worn it a dozen times. It's my new favourite, particularly on hot days.

Lady in Red

For my finale piece - who can resist a great gown. This beautiful Liza dress had to be taken up as I'm pretty short (5'3") but now that the length is right, this dress will always fit me. As it's a wrap dress, it can shrink & grow as my culinary trends vary over the coming months/years. The fabric is soft and billowy, and the dress truly feels like it was made for me. This gorgeous number comes in a variety of colours and is guaranteed to turn heads. Definitely a must have if you have a more formal event coming up.

Check out what's in store at Liza Emanuele Boutique at 147 King William Road, Hyde Park or visit the website at http://www.lizaemanuele.com/

Press* and The Marquis, bringing Christmas joy to me

This time of year is frightening. Let me clarify. It's frightening to the waistline. Despite this, I've taken it upon myself to accept pretty much ever Christmas lunch invitation going. I'm playing a little catch up with existing associates, networking with potential clients, and doing as much business as possible, over food and wine. You see, since I had by baby 6 months ago, I've dropped out of the scene a little, so I have relationships to strengthen. Well that's my excuse anyway. Oh, and did I mention the Christmas parties and drinks after work?

Now that I've justified myself, let me tell you about my recent indulgences.

Yesterday I experienced Press* on Waymouth Street. Cleverly named to reflect the giant Advertiser building across the road (well that's my assumption anyway), I can certainly imagine many business lunches and drinks happening between journalists here. After walking through the low key entrance, you are met with long wooden tables with matching tables, which I'm guessing are there to encourage strangers to eat together and find their new BFF IRL. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to spend more time online. Or not. Hang on, I'm getting distracted. I didn't eat at these tables. I went straight upstairs to a more intimate area, where you sat with those you arrived with. Much more traditional. And comfortable. Now to the important part. The food. Yes, it was incredible. We had 14 people at our table and the waiters brought out an array of tapas dishes which proved to be hit after hit. The order of the food was slightly unusual though, with the heavy meat & fish dishes being brought out hours after we arrived, when, quite frankly, we were ready for coffee and dessert. I suppose this is a positive thing in a way, as it meant that we filled up long before they anticipated. Generally I find that someone goes hungry when shared tapas are chosen for a meal. Some of my favourite dishes included a carpaccio topped with a creamy salad, various sashimi dishes, a great beetroot salad and the desserts were to die for. As we went to leave, the waiter opened some doors (we hadn't noticed) and a great little outdoor area was revealed to us. More of a terrace garden space than a balcony, complete with a few little tables. I can't wait to go back there and enjoy some wine in that space. 

The wine wall at The Marquis

Next up, The Marquis on Gouger Street. This was today's treat, and I was lucky enough to eat there over a business lunch meeting. After yesterday's culinary delights, I didn't expect to be wowed again, but it seems that Adelaide's venues are on fire at the moment. This is a sensational venue. The Marquis brings a contemporary Parisian experience to the centre of Adelaide - offering a diverse venue which reflects a more French way of utilizing a space. Go there for a coffee and read the paper, take the ladies for a bottle of bubbles (so many different ones to choose from!), or sit down to enjoy some incredible food - The Marquis caters for the lot. The highlight of the venue however, has to be its wine list. It's epic. With over 700 wines, this certainly caters for everyone - from those with lower budgets to wine lovers who are looking for something unique and delightful. And guess what... you can purchase wine to take away. Yes, you read that correctly. This venue is essentially a hotel, so you can pick up a bottle of wine while you're waiting for your Chinese food from down the road. Yes, this place has it all. Because of the 'bottle shop' mentality of The Marquis, this is the perfect place to drink wine though, as you'll only pay a tiny corkage fee on top of the purchase price - making this SO much cheaper than the average restaurant or bar, which substantially marks up bottle prices. Wait, I'm distracted again. Wasn't I talking about food? Why don't you just go in and find out for yourself. You won't be disappointed. The chef is just brilliant.

The Moon Fish (far) and the King George Whiting (close)

It's Black & White

Let me start by saying that the Women's & Children's Hospital Foundation Night of Lights Gala Ball was spectacular. Bravo to their events team. The food at the Adelaide Convention Centre was great. We had a brilliant waitress called Rebecca who did a sensational job looking after our table. The decorations were beautiful. The entertainment, entertaining (and with Kate Ceberano headlining how could it not be!). All in all, it was worth going along. I'd highly recommend it for anyone thinking of booking a table in 2012.

The reason for this post however, is to focus on the dress code for the evening. If you saw my last post, you will have seen a sneak peak at what I was planning on wearing. The invitation said Black Tie With A Hint Of Sparkle. The perfect opportunity to dress up. My dashing partner wore a black Armani tuxedo and I wore a full length Sherri Hill gown from After Dark Boutique on Fullarton Road, accompanied by stunning statement jewellery from Liza Emanuele Boutique on King William Road. The lovely Andrew Elsegood from Andrew Elsegood Hairdressers on Goodwood Road did my hair, and I completed the outfit with silver stilettos from Gary Castles (Sydney).

Here's a photo to show you how the look turned out.

Now back to the reason for my post. It seems I was under the false impression that black tie meant tuxedos for men and long gowns for women. I went so far as to Facebook and Tweet about this (& the lack of long dresses I was seeing at the ball), and was absolutely slammed by my friends & followers for misunderstanding the dress code. I wasn't far off it, so luckily I wasn't inappropriately dressed, but I thought I'd share my findings so that if you're faced with anything similar, you know what is or isn't appropriate. What I was thinking of, was White Tie (which I'd never heard of). The less formal evening counterpart of white tie is black tie, which allows women to wear cocktail dresses.

Here's a quick run down.

Black tie for women: Women's dress for black tie occasions can vary, ranging from a cocktail dress that is at or below the knee to a long evening gown, determined by current fashion, local custom, and the occasion's time.

Black tie for men: For a man, the main component is a black jacket with contrasting lapels, known as a dinner jacket (in the Commonwealth) or tuxedo (mainly in the United States), and a black tie. 

White tie for women: Evening dresses, full length gowns. 

White tie for men: White tie for men means tops & tails. The chief components for men are the black dress coat commonly known as an evening tailcoat, white bow tie, white waistcoat and starched wing collar shirt. I can't say I've ever seen this done, not properly...

Now what I'd like to know is what you'd call an event where you'd like men to wear tuxedos (which is as formal as I've seen in Australia) and women in floor length gowns. This is what I'd expect to see at any ball, but apparently this is a mix of the two dress codes. Perhaps invites could state white tie for women and black tie for men? This is getting more difficult than it should be.

At the end of the day, all I really want is the odd occasion where us girls can glam up and wear long, beautiful dresses. Formality is all but gone these days, so it's nice to feel like a princess once in a while.