Sweater: Collectif Aida Jumper in Creme

Skirt: Collectif Caroline Pencil Skirt in Green

Shoes: London Rebel

Bag: Rubi Shoes

(I promise I'm not angry in these photos, it was just very sunny!)

The weather has all of the sudden decided to get pretty warm which, as a Melbourne girl, is always a bit of a shock when spring rolls back around. I absolutely love winter, and so have been trying to get as much wear out of all my wintery clothes as possible before it just becomes unbearably hot.

Today I want to talk about my new to me pencil skirt from Collectif! It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I love Collectif. They're possibly my favourite retro clothing brand and I own more of their stuff than a poor student ought to. Can a girl help it though if some days she wants to show up to uni looking like she's just stepped off the set of Mad Men?

Pencil skirts are typically a no go for me as I have a pear shape and often find they're not that flattering on the booty, but I was drooling over this skirt (and matching jacket, which I'm yet to get my hands on) for so long but kept telling myself not to buy it, you'll never wear it, it won't look good, etc. And I was good! I didn't buy it! Well, not at first. When it popped up new with tags on a trading group, I mean, what was a girl to do?

Sometimes I'm glad that I'm so weak when it comes to shopping because I bought the skirt and I love it, I love it, I love it. It's incredibly well made and the fabric is a beautiful wool blend that will be perfect for the Melbourne winters. I'm just sad that there's not too much time left for me to wear it before Australia's plunged into the fiery depths for a good few months.

My Aida jumper is an older Collectif piece, but it's so cute and snuggly that I take it out for a spin whenever I get the chance. The whole outfit feels very 1960's secretary to me but I absolutely must get my hands on the matching Marianne jacket to finish the look.

I mean, look at it, just look at the fur! I need it.

It's safe to say my no shopping September didn't go very well, but at least I had fun, right?

Sorry for being such a hopeless blogger. I do promise I have more posts planned and will try to keep on top of things. I only have four more weeks of university and then I'm a real adult and if I don't spend all of my time crying over the impending stress of adulthood then I'll be here, crying over clothes that aren't in my wardrobe.

Dress: TheCelebrityDresses

Accessories (excluding ring): Lovisa

Since my first viewing of Joe Wright's Atonement years and years ago, I've known that the green dress worn by Keira Knightley in that film is my soulmate.

This dress was my everything. I'd watched the film countless times, drooled over the dress in person at the Hollywood Costume exhibit at ACMI, scoured the internet for it's perfect replica and even hoarded sewing patterns that I thought I could work with to make my own version of it.

With the Gangsters' Ball on in Melbourne this September I knew I finally had a valid reason to get my hands on that silky number.

I found TheCelebrityDresses while internet stalking the dress one day, and was admittedly a little apprehensive about purchasing it. I've found in the past that often websites that do replicas can be very hit and miss, and with the pricing being so cheap I was a little worried about the craftsmanship. The dress definitely has some pros and cons, and I've detailed those below.

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The biggest issue for me was that some of the construction of the dress was a little bit strange. For a dress that is designed to look good on someone with pretty much nothing going on in the boob department, it was a little disappointing to see that the design had been altered to fit someone with a much larger bust. The princess seams looked silly on me, when the original shape would have been perfect, and made the top gape under my arms. Another strange design element is the strange tuck of fabric at the waistline, and the fact that the ruching doesn't quite sit over your butt where it would be much more flattering. There are quite a few design elements that are different from the original.

The colour is much lighter than the dress in the film, however TheCelebrityDresses do offer different colourways, so I'm sure you could purchase it in a much more accurate shade. I purchased what was in stock due to my time frame.

The only other thing I can be nitpicky about is that I feel that the plastic sliders on the back of the straps lessen the authenticity (though I do understand the practicality of having them there), and the fabric isn't the nicest I've ever worn. However, for the price it's acceptable.

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The skirt is beautiful and flowy; they've pretty much nailed the silhouette from the film. It looks absolutely stunning when moving, especially when you're going up the stairs and the train flows behind!

In spite of the cons the price is very reasonable as you still get a gorgeous and incredibly flattering dress. The colour is almost a little bit iridescent, as it shifts slightly under different lights. The skirt was also the perfect length to be worn with heels (I'm 5'4").

Their customer service was fantastic, and most of the cons I've listed are just me being fussy (and knowing the original dress back to front)! I've been doing a bit of research on the company and their reviews seem to be really positive. I would definitely order from them again if I'm lucky enough to ever attend another event where it's acceptable to wear a gorgeous gown!

The Gangsters' Ball itself was wonderful. It was so thrilling seeing everyone in their outfits and the atmosphere was incredible. Time machines do exist, just not in the way we imagined.

I'm new to the whole blogging thing, so any feedback you have please do share! Hopefully you'll be hearing more from me in the future!