Versatile Khaki

It will have been mentioned somewhere in this blog I am sure-(GAWD forbid I repeat myself!)  but I never grew out of my childhood favourite colour when most others did. Green will always be a fixture in the wardroom- but I do still run into people occasionally that are genuinely surprised if I am wearing another colour. Green will always be my first colour love- but it hasn't been a monogamous relationship lately.

"It's not you green... it's me. I just think I need to experience other colours for a while. Red is looking damned attractive these days and I don't know how much longer I can fight the pull towards yellow. We can still be close though. I promise I won't let things won't get weird between us..."

I'm not elitist towards different shades of green but they do seem to have their set times and places. A bight kermit green will make me think of more Summery ensembles whereas a nice deep khaki seems to be a more Wintery shade. That little theory fell over somewhat with this dress. A light a floaty khaki Summer dress with a subtle floral print in yellow, blue and orange.

Khaki is a good base colour for any outfit because as far as greens go it is still quite neutral. I have a few khaki and red combos I like to pull out from time to time- and I really like that this dress has it's own in built colour co-ordination options. It is just a matter of choosing one now.

Ok. I tried. I couldn't choose. What a great excuse to showcase the versatility of this khaki frock and its accessorizing options! I have set myself a rule in this showcase. I will only be using 2 forms of matching accessories. There will be no hair flower/ belt/ shoes/ handbag over matching here today. I will be interested to see which one works out the best.

First up is a great deep shade of turquoise. The belt I am wearing in this shot is actually a genuine 70's cummerbund. (I have the matching bow tie and 'kercheif too) I have paired it with a cute pair of turquoise wedge slingbacks with a bow detailing.

Second off the block is a nice bright yellow. I have matched the dress with a pair of yellow pumps and hair flower.

Last but by no means least- is the lesser utilised orange. Nothing rhymes with orange. Did you know that? I have gone with orange hair flower and (the bordering on ridiculous) 70's strappy cork platforms.

I think I would feel comfortable to wear any of these 3 colour combo's when it comes to this dress. I love how the fabric of the frock itself seems to change when you put different colours next to it. It pulls out the colours in the floral print and can really make them pop. 

So.. which is the best combo dear reader? This little trial has taught me a couple of things. It has taught me that I am in dire need of a skinny orange and yellow belt! You didn't really think I would start imposing limits to my colour coordinating did you? That was a total accident and only because I didnt have the right belts to go with the orange and yellow options... By the time it comes to wearing this frock again I'm sure that little speed bump in my "ensembling" (new word) will have been obliterated.

The Great Frock Swap (Part 1)

You may recall a couple of posts ago my anguish at the "One That Got Away". (or more aptly explained- "The Dress that Didn't Fit".) You may also recall that my dismay was somewhat thwarted by the excitement of not just swapping the dress for one that did fit- but also timing it so that the exchange happened on the same day the 300 new frocks were showcased in store. I swear the first thing that went through my mind on Friday morning was "Yay! Its new dress day!" Yay indeed. The great frock swap certainly didn't disappoint.

The only trouble with seeing that many great dresses all at once is that you certainly run the risk of that good old problem. Total sensory overload. There is such a thing as too many colours and patterns for any average brain to handle at any one time. Thankfully mine has been well trained over the years (and every day when I walk into the wardroom too!), and I was ready for whatever the racks could throw at me.  After the first walk through I hand picked my favourite 15 and went off for round 1 in the fitting rooms. I whittled 15 down to 3- but then figured it would be silly not to have a second whip through the racks in case I had missed anything. Round 2 in the fitting rooms commenced with another 22 dresses...

I should possibly point out at this juncture that I swear I went into this situation with the best of intentions. I transferred some extra money into my savings account so I couldn't accidentally spend too much. I had a plan. I had 1 dress to swap- and figured I had a buffer where I could come out with 1 more. Maybe even stretch it to 2 if they were amazing. My mental pep talk was clear and I was good to go.

So back in store and I had now tried on a record 37 dresses in one go. The 3 I set aside had now skyrocketed to 7. 7 dresses was WAY more than I intended to buy. After some careful consideration I further condensed my selection into 5 that I absolutely could not live without.

The really silly part is that I felt like I deserved some kind of personal reward for not buying all 7 of them! I swear I even left the store feeling like I had done really well instead of leaving the store realising that I had completely blown out my Friday Frock budget.... Never mind. This is a good time to reiterate my shopping mantra to anyone that questions my decisions. "You can't put a price on my happiness".

So that takes us up to the frock featured today. It was one of the lucky 5 that made it through my stringent choosing process. I particularly like the colour combo in this dress.  A white background (always a brave choice with my history of spilling things down my front!) with an unusual mix of teal green, khaki, coral pink, red, cerise and a deep purple. Lots of options for co-ordinating accessories there. I was also drawn to the pattern given that most 70's frocks have flowers OR stripes. It's not often you get them both in the one garment!

This time around I have matched it with the good ol' red peep toed wedges, skinny red belt and a red hair flower. Next time I will try and be less boring with the accessorising. Red is a great staple- but I feel like I fall back on it a little too often...

P.S Now that "The Great Frock Swap" is complete- I can tell you which shop I went to! Smoove on Little High St in Auckland City. If you have not yet been there- you need some Smoove in your lives. Trust me!

Khaki with Roses

I have recently rediscovered this top and have a whole new appreciation for it! I don't know if this happens to anyone else- but in the wardroom things get lost on the racks from time to time. I occasionally get a bit stuck in outfit circles- and forget to rummage through the rest of the options. I am glad I had one not too long ago as I rediscovered a few pieces to throw into the mix for the coming months. Between that and the weather showing the first signs of getting warmer- it is an exciting time for outfit picking!


(Upon re-reading that last sentence maybe I need to get out more....)







So back to my first rediscovery. This top has been kicking around for a few years now. Its no secret that I love any shade of green. It's also no secret that I have a thing for flowers. Especially roses. Oh look. This top has both. Tick and tick.


I love that the roses have a vintage quality to them. They are such a vibrant red- and this really stands out on the khaki. I like that they aren't a "flat" colour too. They have a depth achieved with the shading on the applique. (flowers and leaves I may add...)








In this top's recent reincarnation I have teamed it with a red scarf around my neck, staple black pencil skirt and finished it off with red peep toes. When I wore this to work a week or so ago I also worked in a red handbag.

Khaki Woolen Winter Coat

I have a lot of coats. Not as many as I do dresses- but the coat section of the Wardroom can certainly hold it's own. The green sub-section of the coat section is actually quite extensive in itself. Here is a nice warm example....

Army green. Khaki green. Olive green. whatever you call this particular shade- I have always thought it is a great Winter colour. Throw in a light grey fluffy collar feature and you are really cooking with gas.


The collar on this coat takes up a lot more space than other fluffy collars I have come across. Starting at the neckline (where collars usually do) it swoops all the way down to the shoudler line.

Sadly the moths in my old house took a bit of a shine to this coat. There are a few patches where you can see it has become a meal and a half for some fashion struck moth. The holes aren't so bad as to render it unwearable- but enough to be annoying. Not much consellation- but at least they had good taste!

Brown and Khaki. Again.

I do really like this colour combo when the weather gets colder. I put this partly down to the fact that these boots match it perfectly!

I don't have that many long sleeved frocks in the collection. A lot of the time I "Winter Up" the dresses myself by teaming them with tights, boots and cardigans. This is a dress that need no such preparation.

It was another inspired Spacesuit purchase from years gone by. (such a good hit rate with that store... Bring it back to Auckland already!!)




I have never really gravitated towards brown as a colour- but I am still glad that I chose this dress in that shade. (I would call it "Chocolate" but I spose a less tactful person could describe it as "Poo brown")

The collar of the dress is a crocheted lace and almost victorian in the detailing. It has 3 buttons on the bust- and the crotchet details are continued as an empire line and then again around the waist. There are gathers on the sleeves that give the impression of "puffs" and the hemline has a bubble finish as well. Quite a lot going on in one frock really.

I have teamed it with my favourite scarf. This scarf was knitted for me by one of my best friends a few years back and I love it. I'm sure I would have loved it if I found it in a store too- but knowing that it was handmade specifically with me in mind makes it that much cooler!




The boots tie the whole ensemble together quite nicely I think. I'm sure it has been mentioned here before- but my boyfriend always calls me a ninja when I'm wearing these boots. My house has 2 flights of wooden stairs and I'm not especially light on my feet at the bast of times. Add 7 inch resign platforms under my feet and you would think a herd of elephants are stomping around the house!


Another good thing about this colour combo is the coat options I have with it. There are a few khaki green coats in the wardroom and I have a couple of beautiful brown ones too. They are so good I think they deserve their own post in the coming months. Stay tuned for the impending coat collection!

Khaki Hoodie Dress

I know a lot of people are begrudging the colder weather setting in- but I am actually ok with it. I would always much rather be too cold than too hot. If you are cold there is always something else you can do. You can put on more clothes, get a hot water bottle, sit in front of a heater... when you are too hot you run out of options much much quicker.

Impending Winter also means there is an entire section of the wardroom that will get some attention with the temperatures dropping... YAY!




This outfit was one of these. I have a soft spot for this colour combo in Winter- and have a few outfits that this applies to now. Khaki green and brown is vaguely Autumnal too I guess. Plus- it goes so well with my previously posted Harajuku boots!

This dress is an interesting mix of features too. No sleeves, stripey fabric, hooded, bubble hemmed mini with a tie around the hips. Quite the ensemble really.





Another additional feature of this outfit is the pin I wear on my chest. I was wearing this dress the day it arrived in the post (trademe purchase) - and it has become part of this outfit permanently. A tiny weeny little Fender Rhodes pin. Just like the full size one that lives in the Wardroom!

Lime Green Angora

Angora feels so nice to wear. Nothing like snuggling up to something warm and fluffy on a cold day. The only down side of said fluffiness is that it gets all over EVERYTHING. Especially my wool blend black pencil skirt that seems to be worn with all the angora I own...



This top is no exception. In fact- I spent about 15 minutes after this photo trying to get all the remnants off the skirt.

It's no secret I am a sucker for all things green - but lime has never been my shade of choice. I will not discriminate however so giving it a go in this top anyways.


I have teamed it with a scarf in hues of lime, orange, khaki, brown and cream. Great colours together that scream the 70's. To me at least.