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Spring is awakening in the depths of the Antipodean countries like a shy deciduous leaf bud, magnetic fullness of the sun tingling it's roots outward with a promise of warmth . Just as the golden rays of summer dim in the North by a minute at first, then two are added to days here and just like that, the light changes and daylight after 5pm starts again. Oh sweet daylight life after 17 o'clock! I have missed you!

Ok, ok, I must disclose, and many of you would know if you follow my instagram, in fact I slightly cheated and spent 3 weeks in my birth country of Croatia in July enjoying a hiatus from blog life, each day filled with sun, swimming , cooking and watching my daughter pull out an array of various sea urchins out of the sea for inspection before throwing them back , wide eyed, each time, as if it were a miracle. Which, indeed it is, as is anything we really look at with unclouded, curious eyes. Everything around us is a wonder, a dream within a dream, and a dear friend of mine tells me each time he sees me : "Tanja, all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be!", quoting of course Pink Floyd's Breathe. And he is right. If anything I'm realising more and more with each day of being alive, it would be how much more I can open my eyes,  how many more ways there are to see, to touch, to taste, to smell, to understand , breathe, love, embrace. It truly is all about perception of our experience, what we allow ourselves to compute once we peer past the programs we run in our heads as defaults.

Take next season's curious mix of burgundy, maroon, pink and mauve shades for example. Not just because they are your ticket to one of 2016/2017 's hottest fashion trends but also because they are a conundrum of simultaneously being sweet as spring berries, punchy and spicy as heavy Malbec wine and other non simile laden , simple adjectives such as understated, feminine, elegant and earthy. For my third collaboration with Thomas Sabo, I picked out my favourite jewellery pieces from the new collections for three different personalities, then mixed them in with lustful new season examples of marooney, pink camellia goodness . My Moon, after all is in Gemini, so personalities I know!Above: Unleash your inner punk but switch the Christian symbolism with ancient Egyptian. For example, did you know that some speculate an Ankh was a symbol for a primitive energy transformer? It may sound like a conspiracy theory but the mere whiff of magic excites me, as do winged goddesses on necklaces and the sheen of silver

MELTS02  Wearing: Ring, bracelet, earrings and necklace by Thomas Sabo, bralette by Agent Provocateur, vintage leather pants, Dorateymur mules, Oroton bag, Dion Lee coat 

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Fine jewellery looks best layered and the new triangle collection is no exception. Add a scarab for extra wondering tribal goddess vibes

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Wearing: Thomas Sabo bracelets, necklaces and rings, dress by Dion Lee

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As the sun sets any self respecting bohemian will reach for her plunging maxi dress - for what else could be more perfect for displaying rows of her protective amulets? Or maybe they are her swan caller charms?

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Wearing : Thomas Sabo rings and pendant necklaces, Zimmermann dress

photographed by Alice Wesley- Smith

After a month of temperatures in the high 20 Celsius and above, it started feeling like Sydney was stuck in some sort of Ground Hog Day scenario where sunny, perfect days were becoming a hot nuisance instead of a heavenly blessing. A few people remarked how they longed to wear jeans and jackets and one friend exclaimed she was sick of being so tanned. After a while, I couldn't even be bothered to run to the beach after work...after all, there will be another perfect day tomorrow and my couch and closed plantain shutters were so much less stressful than dehydration and crowds. Some claim we live in a world of duality because humanity still has to learn about what it truly likes and wants from experiencing it's absence. Black is too severe, white is too pure; so praise be, what is the exact shade of grey we need for our worlds to feel just perfect?

In my personal world, that nuanced grey , that dream life of perfect temperature, look, taste and feel would probably be one of a mid century heiress living in Palm Springs, blue skies above me, Richard Neutra home behind me, a cold amaretto sour in my hand, feet dangling languidly in a sparkling pool. I would have a walk in wardrobe full of beautiful 50s linens, tweeds, terry toweling and diamonds; all colour co-ordinated by my fateful butler with insane organizational and bartending skills. I would spend half the year doing hands on charity in far away lands such as Zanzibar, Tunisia and Fiji whilst I wrote books on new found botanical species and had exciting, adventurer boyfriends and many brilliant, loving yet self-sufficient children. I think about this picture and it seems complete perfection but then I remember how I would miss hip-hop and the internet and how terribly horrid it would be to live in a world even more racist and misogynist than the one we are still trying to change today ...and a little part of me shudders.

Duality is a bitch but there is a lot to learn from Palm Spring Heiress' fashion. For my newest Thomas Sabo jewellery edit I re-imagined my dream girl as a modern woman with a minimal mid century aesthetic and desert turquoise running through her veins...after all there is something so American Indian ethnic yet completely elegant about this newest collection. This season also introduces Thomas Sabo Love Bridge bracelets, which will become a modern classic and fit in with anything from suits to sportswear. This season, mix silver accents with beige, brown, tan and grey for the ultimate in Palm Springs inspired elegance

As the temperatures cool down consider cacooning yourself in a whole new manner of leisure suits and ensembles - they are all the rage this season. This cashmere combo is elegant and soft at the same time whilst the turquoise dream catcher and feather shaped necklaces mix in a vintage American influence

( Necklaces by Thomas SaboIris and Ink top and skirt from the Outnet, Christian Louboutin pumps)

Stand strong and deliver: offset neutrals with turquoise accents for impact ( Thomas Sabo necklace and bracelets, Asos jumpsuit, Aquazurra sandals )

Silver toned accessories are all the rage this season - mix them with beautiful separates for the ultimate in Palm Springs elegance ( Thomas Sabo Love Bridge bracelets, Zimmermann swimsuit worn as bustier, TY-LR coat dress, Karen Walker skirt )

 

photographed by Alice Wesley-Smith
direction, styling and production by Tanja Gacic

This Friday, the 20th March is a special occasion. Not only is it the Spring equinox in the Northern hemisphere and the Autumn equinox in the Southern hemisphere but there is also a total solar eclipse happening and a supermoon will be gloriously huge in the sky. These things, you see, I take very seriously.

When I was a child growing up in Croatia, my relatives from the countryside used to tell me magical folk stories in which the heavens and Earth were always connected; planets and stars weren't masses of matter but characters personified here on earth. Whenever something was going on in space, it had direct correlations to our mortal world and we had to prepare for our life changing in some way. In this sense, faeries were completely real beings that occupied a world overlapping ours, only a thin veil away. These faeries were not some cute little creatures like Peter Pan's Tinkerbell, but female beings ,long haired, beautiful, sometimes endowed with goat legs underneath long dresses.  They harbored emotions and intentions, sometimes evil and capricious, sometimes pityingly sensitive to mankind's plights . Occasionally they fell in love with men, abducting them and the males would cross into their world never to be seen again. Congregating around water, rocks or anything misty; they danced next to flowing forest springs and roamed foggy sunset fields. I was terrified and mystified yet dreamt and wanted to be them; ethereal and eternal, perfect but ultimately flawed in their formless shape, never quite of the material world.

For my Thomas Sabo edit I wanted to emulate these otherworldly beings while showcasing some of the most gorgeous clothes available right now. Thomas Sabo is a company I have had my eye on for the last few seasons for their meticulous attention to detail, high quality and collections that vary from classically elegant to extravagant and punk rock. Their beautifully crafted , innovative silver jewellery garnered them fame in the 1990s, however the original collection has expanded into a myriad of styles ; from charms and pendants to crystal jewellery, there is something in the range for everyone. For my edit, I picked my favorite pieces ; silver seashells and white pearls, gorgeous gold plated medallions, cute flamingos and chakra inspired mandalas. I hope the faeries approve ...

MELTS1This Alex Perry gown is modern romance personified while beautifully crafted silver jewellery and pearls add a little moonlight to the ancient rocks

MELTS2Ellery does contemporary with a vintage twist - this gorgeous tweed fabric and flared details are completely on point. Match up tones with Lucy Folk's delicate bead clutch and Thomas Saboo's Maharani set with radiant milky quarts and milky aqua. Faerie of the seafoam would approve

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The forest faerie should be so lucky to posses a special amulet such as this radiant sphere for her crown and a beautifully crafted Toni Maticevski knot top to dance around the weeping willows in

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Don't let the adorable flamingo and intricate charms fool you, this faerie is being naughty in her Agent Provocateur corset.

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Align your chakras by wearing beautiful pendants the other way around with a backless gown - all that skin needs ornate adornments to shine (Kaliver gown)

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Toughen up pretty lace with some rock n' roll jewels - this Bianca Spender floor length dress is asking for moonlight nights and bad boys

 

 

photographed by Ana Suntay- Toledo

‘Tis the season to start planning your festival inspired outfits…

The Australian summer isn’t all about the beach, surf and barbecues even though these are welcome perks of living in the beautiful land of Oz while tfor a myriad of small and large festivals. It means sunny days with friends listening to some of the best artists in the world in gorgeous sunny locations. It means long nights, singalongs to your favourite band and cold local ciders. It also means packing your best mixture of rock and roll, bohemian folk, techno queen or pop inspired easy pieces that will work hard at nonchalant cool. Here, I share some of my favourite pieces that I packed for a festival trip recently…

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Every girl needs a sexy dress to dance the night away in. This number works hard in cute cut outs and leopard print while staying demurely knee length. Add a palm ear cuff for the ultimate tropical feel. (Shona Joy dress, Thomas Sabo earring)

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What would a summer holiday be without a bikini? This spotted baby is incredibly supportive and doubles as a graphic bra top under an open shirt. (Zulu & Zephyr bikini, Giambattista Valli slides, Loom band anklet)

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Pack a vintage inspired dress and strappy sandals for long summer days. (Alice McCall dress, Ancient Greek Sandals, Borsalino fedora)

Photographed by Kasia Werstak at For festival, Croatia.

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