u/LongTallSalski

Slide 1: old becomes new. I picked this dress up second hand last year and have only worn it that one time. I loved the concept of it, but never find myself drawn to the white/light things that are in my wardrobe. I was going to dye it black, but I already have a black semi-transparent dress so I didn’t want the two to be competing for attention. Enter the orange. A colour I absolutely love and don’t own enough of. Same styling with the black leggings and flowy cardigan but a whole new look. I added the heart necklace for an extra detail and couldn’t decide what to do with my messy hair so covered it up with a matching beanie.

Slide 2: inspired by lichen on granite. Original outfit was from July 2025. I switched the barrels for wide leg jeans to capture the flow of the river. The original blue and orange shirt gave a messy appearance so I switched to a plain navy long sleeve to streamline the look. The long scarf captures the colours of the landscape and the lazy flowing motion of the river.

Slide 3: abandoned mall fit revisited. Wasn’t 100% happy with this last week. Middle restyle was another work look where I flipped the colours. I’ll keep this one in my rotation because it was effective. The best decision I’ve made this week is updating my plain black leather “professional” belt to this eyelet belt. Nobody has noticed but to me it feels like a massive improvement. The right outfit was a weekend version of the original with all the added accessories I felt it needed. The matching bag and beanie add to the intentionality of the monochrome fit. The checkerboard belt, heavy black necklace and belt chain give it the grungier feel I was missing.

The last few weeks I felt like I finally had a cool winter style sorted with funky tights, shorts and boots. Then I went and got two leg tattoos in a week and now I can’t wear tights, leggings or tall boots for about a month (facepalm). Of course it’s worth it, I’m just tired of wearing wide leg jeans because I wear them all week at work and they lack the sensuality I need in my style. So this week is a little bit different to my recent outfits, I’m 90% happy with them but also feel something missing.

Slide 1: Leo season creativity. Photography is my main creative outlet, (the other is style). I decided to go on a little photography adventure after my tattoo appointment on Sunday to capture my two favourite sides of the city, the wide boulevards with their stunning architecture and the hidden laneways with their graffiti and grime. I made this little collage of some of my favourites, the juxtaposition of the ornate and the undone.

Slide 2: tattoo fit 1. The fur hoodie blocks the wind very efficiently so was perfect for a typical dreary Melbourne day. New belt purchase to add to my collection of studded belts, specifically to match these shoes and for my black and white outfits in summer. I don’t like the length these jeans sit at and am thinking about adding some contrasting fabric to the ends. Skull ring to match my new skull ice cream cone. I own a tank top with a similar motif which inspired me to get this piece. That shirt is on its last legs but this will last forever. I forgot to add my belt chain to this which made it feel unfinished.

Slide 3: tattoo fit 2. The skirt is comfortable and cosy for lying down for a few hours. I wanted to portray that I’m cool and creative so I chose the well worn zebra jumper. I’d been eyeing this laughing kookaburra tattoo for a while but didn’t like the beer can in the original design. My artist changed it to an alcopop label for me as I’d been wanting a memorial tattoo for my friend but not an overtly obvious one. Guava Cruisers were her absolute favourite.

Slide 4: dog walking outfit. I got three separate compliments on these overalls when I was out, which was lovely. They are super cool. I struggle to style them for winter so took the opportunity of the sun being out. This feels very different for me than what I’ve been wearing recently, lighter and softer, which is perhaps what made me more approachable for comments.

Slide 5: work outfit. I’d wanted to try the red shirt with the burgundy jeans for a while but was worried about it being too “out there” for work (or for my boss’s delicate sensibilities). The Leo lesson of courage helped me to just do it (also the fact I was exhausted from working an event the day before meant I gave less fucks). The colour and shapes combination reminded me of this photo I took the week before in a wasteland 70s style mall that is super aesthetically pleasing in its semi-abandoned state. This outfit would benefit a lot from more jewellery but I couldn’t because of work. I’ll probably do a re-do at some point.

I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s interpretations of Persona this week. I don’t ever use Persona consciously as a keyword, but a few years ago I did some work on my re-occurring “style characters” and made the top half of this collage for my style book. The description for the Melburn-out (combination of Melbourne and burn-out) was as follows: dark colours inspired by the cityscape; playful in a sarcastic way; layers, grunge and badass vibes.

At the time the other style characters I listed were “coastal cool kid”, “outback wanderer”, “tropigoth” and “regal usurper”. I use coastal and tropigoth more in the summer months but I’ve moved away from the outback wanderer character as I’ve moved away from that environment. Now I live on the outskirts of my home city again I’m more drawn to that Melburn-out character than ever.

The bottom half of the slide shows outfits from the past 6 months that fit that character too, but with more refinement of the concept. Being in the correct climate helped realise that vision of layers and I’ve collected more pieces which meet the grungey criteria than I did when I was first exploring this character.

Slide 2 is an outfit from the weekend for a gig at a local venue to see an old local band. I was hoping they’d play their late 90s cover of A Hazy Shade of Winter so I decided to manifest it by channelling a wintery skate-punk vibe. I wanted to make the most of wearing my cool tights as I’d booked a calf tattoo for the next day and won’t be able to for a while. Lots of layers for punching darts in the smokers area because the forecast was 2c overnight, but the venue gets very warm inside so I needed versatility. The reoccurring stripes in the beanie, gloves and tights made me happy and I felt like a proper Melburn-out.

Slide 1: dinner in the city. Celebrating my sister’s birthday, she will always be predictably in black with some leather and perhaps red. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. She complimented my scarf because it looks like blood stains on a white scarf. I experimented with it draped or as an infinity loop and preferred the long line of the drape even though it slightly hides the asymmetry of the hem on the black dress. The tights are a new addition because I’m finding I constantly want to wear short hemlines in the depths of winter so I may as well keep my legs warm while doing it. I found earrings that almost perfectly match my spike necklace and it makes me so happy how they work together.

Slide 2: back to back weekend outfit repeat, with the long warm jacket for a visit to the trash and treasure market and with the cropped hoodie for shopping and drinks with a friend. I am in love with these two toned tights and my new chunky Globe skate shoes. Even though narrower sneakers are trendy at the moment I always want something big in my rotation because certain outfits call for it. The repeated shades of burgundies through this look gave me joy.

Slide 3: I told my best friend I was freaking out about dressing for his Sunday family lunch and he told me just to be myself, or if that fails dress for what the kids would think was fun not the grown-ups. His nephew tried to steal my necklace so that 100% worked. Even though I’ve met all of the adults in his family individually it was the first time I’d been invited into a real family gathering so it felt important to make a good impression, but by dressing like myself I felt like I was able to be myself freely. The soft contrast of the sweater with the harsher details of the chains and dark colours felt inviting and warm.

Slide 4: weekend errand running day. Looking like a rockstar while buying new sheets. There was no real thought process here, these pieces just spoke to me on a dreary day and I liked the weird looks I got from passers-by.