Some people may laugh at me because I’m different, but I laugh at them because they are all the same. I have never been one to wear what everyone else is wearing, and I have always been extremely independent. I never have liked being told what to dress in or how to have my hair when I was a kid. Although two decades have since passed, nothing has changed. I am who I am.

A photo that my mother took of me when I was 5 years old with red spray-painted hair, a 1980s puffy pink dress and a nylon strong guitar.

This is a photo taken by my mother of me ‘singing’ when I was 5 years old, courtesy of Mum’s archives.

The media commands that we must look a certain way because it’s the latest trend. It seeks to dictate to us how to have our hair, whether to crimp it, have it spiral permed, or straightened. We are told how we should apply our makeup and what shades to wear (with orange bronzer being one of the most preferred at the moment). We are even told what clothes we should dress in, regardless of whether it actually suits our build or taste. Really, all the media is encouraging us to be is sheep! Although I like sheep (and have had one called ‘Wooly’ when I was a child), I don’t want to be a sheep. I want to be me.

My wardrobe is filled with cherry, nautical and leopard print fabrics, high waited trousers, sarong and wiggle dresses, circle skirts, petticoats, embroided blouses, seamed stockings, corsets and cinch belts. So what? I have more high heels than I can fit onto my shoe racks, which I lost count of after three hundred, as the population of shoes occupying my house no-longer seemed to go in my favour. To keep my high heels company, I have a bunch of cowboy boots that survived the 1980’s. I practically live in those. My favourite garment however, would be my vintage fox shrug with glass eyes that we call Garry (and hope to adopt some friends for him soon).   I wear what I like because my fashion is my way of expressing my individuality. It is my way of being me.

This is me, and this is how I dress everyday, unless I am working on cars or painting of course, as this would be one way to wreck some good clothes! Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people think of me anymore, or be something other than myself to please anyone.

Photo taken by Cody Chance Holley at Dodge’s first puppy class. If you think that winged eyeliner is challenging, try doing it whilst in the car with a German Shephard puppy jumping all over you!

A couple of months ago, I took to my blonde hair with some ‘Hot Hot Pink’ Manic Panic and I absolutely love the result! Manic Panic is a great vegan hair product that is ‘tested on celebrities and not animals’. Sounds good to me. Apparently the dye will make my hair glow under a black light too, but I haven’t found a black light to try it out…. Yet!

I really love my pink hair, since change is better than a holiday and cheaper too!   Pink is such a bright and happy colour and I do not have to bleach my hair anymore, therefore my hair will be happier and healthier and will hopefully grow quicker too!

I don’t care what the negative people say, or if they treat me differently. When people look at me and proclaim something like “Oh look a carrot!”, it will usually elicit a response from me, such as telling them to get their eyes tested. I’m my own person and I’m not going to let anything hold me back. People can judge me all they like, but I have one life and I am going to enjoy it and do what I like.  I am not hurting anyone else by being different, am I?

 Now that I have pink hair, I can have a bit of fun experimenting with my wardrobe, including with colours that I would usually steer clear of. Recently I got this gorgeous wool blend ‘Ashley’ coat by Collectif, which is perfect for the freezing Melbourne weather this time of year and is a colour that I would have usually not worn but I love it! I loved the design, but they only had one left in my size in the green, so I bought it and I honestly do love it! We need to spoil ourselves sometimes because life is too short! Also, as I am getting older, I am feeling the cold more so need a nice warm coat, especially one with a fluffy leopard print collar and cuffs.

My Ashley coat is prefect to be worn with a wiggle or sarong dress and looks fabulous with a circle dress, especially my polka dot halter neck from Vivien of Holloway Australia. I love the edgy twist of the pink polka dots on the black. It goes well with my pink hair. Some black heels (or cowboy boots) simply add the final touch.

A photo taken by Christine Bitomsky from Vivien of Holloway Australia of me wearing my Collectif coat and VoH dress!

I really love the design of the these 1950’s reproduction halter neck circle dresses by Vivien of Holloway Australia. They are made in the UK and are such beautiful quality. The bodice lined and the poly boning gives the dress a beautiful, flattering fit that compliments my curvy build. I love this particular style of dress so much that so far, I also own it in red and white polka dots, red satin, pirate skulls and anchors as well. Yet with my pink hair, I really love the pink and black polka dot one the most at the moment, especially when paired with something green like my ‘Ashley’ coat.

I have never been one for green, but my green leopard Sourpuss cardigan has never been worn so much now that I have my hair this new colour. I even recently bought a green tiki handbag from Stars and Swallows which is fabulous because it has bamboo handles. I also managed to resurrect from my wardrobe, this Kermit the frog green-coloured thing that is crossed between a cardigan and capalette with pink pompoms. It was something that I bought donkeys years ago because it looked unique, yet never really dug it out after it got buried in my wardrobe… until now! My new pink hair has definitely opened up new opportunities to experiment with my wardrobe.

If people don’t like what’s in my wardrobe or the colour of my hair, I don’t care, I love it and I’m pretty sure that Monty my friend’s snake loves it too!

Having my hair re-styled by Monty the Snake. He is very cheeky! I’m wearing my pink polkadot VoH halter neck circle dress with matching bolero. Photo by Kelvin Bitomsky from Vivien of Holloway Australia.

We are born original, so why live like a copy?

♥ Mallory xoxox

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My very first bathroom selfie in my latest Vivien of Holloway dress and Collectif coat, which you can’t really see but you can see my cool bathroom tiles.