The old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is one in which I find a lot of truth. Given the content of this website you would be forgiven for thinking that I'm a sociable creature when in reality I'm really more comfortable in my own company and although I'm not fazed posing for and publishing photos, and can stand on-stage and ad-lib a presentation to thousands of people without breaking a sweat, my friends know that large social gatherings make me anxious.

Under these covers, I'm as likely to skip the group dinners and the parties as actually attend. Even if I turn up, you'll generally find me in the kitchen with my apron (pretty of course) and gloves (the long, stylish, rubber variety) on helping clear the plates.

I do love catching up with friends in smaller groups though and the other day a couple of my friends and I caught up for after-work drinks. Given my hermit tendencies, my twenties has a distinct lack of bar visits and after-work socials, so it was fun getting in the mood by giving my outfit a bit of a Sex in the City flair. As I was on holiday, I had a bit of time to play around with it and since I didn't have to go to the office could be a bit more adventurous. It was certainly great to catch up with Tess and Di for a wee gossip and a giggle feeling all grown up and more like Manhattan than Christchurch in a hotel bar with a library on the side.

I actually wore this ensemble throughout the day, dressed down a little with knee-high boots for lunch with my other half. Adding the patent stilettos in the evening made me feel a tad more glamorous and walking across the park at dusk the city rubble was less apparent and I could have been in New York or London or Paris on a warm spring evening, flashing a little leg under my black trench coat.

Style trick

I absolutely love how classic and glamorous a mix of cream and black with a dash of gold and shine can be. But adding a pop of unexpected, bright colour is one way to turn classic into edgy.

When our twenty-one year old — who is tall, slim and gorgeous, by the way — got home this afternoon she looked at me and said, "you look nice today". That's pretty high praise from Miss Fashionista, who has a shared love of clothes and online shopping: it's a blessing our sense of style is very different so despite having the same dress size it's rare she raids my wardrobe or vice versa. I explained that colleagues from the Wellington office had come down for a visit... "And you thought you'd better make an effort," she finished for me.

You're probably noticing about now that there are over two hundred posts on this blog and several hundred more on Instagram that look like I've made an effort but Lo knows that curling my hair is a bit extra, as is layering dresses. Besides, she's also seen me in after hours track-pants and in my pink striped onesie — so her perspective on what Mia wears is significantly different from readers of this website.


I love both the dresses I had on today but both are somewhat problematic. The gold Supre bodycon isn't a bandage dress, just a textured stretch polyester which means it's thin, moves a lot including riding up and shows every bump and bit of flab. I wouldn't actually be comfortable to wear it out until I've trimmed a little more. The black chiffon number from The Warehouse is super cute but it's very see-through on the blouse and the front is loose and tends to gape open meaning it can't be worn without a full singlet or slip.

However, the two together make quite an ensemble and it's fun having a wee bit of sparkle through the otherwise unexciting black.

Components

• Black chiffon dress from The Warehouse
• Thrifted gold bodycon dress worn as slip by Supre
• Gold and black, Isabella Anselmi snakeskin stilettos from Overland 
• Thrifted gold belt
• Earrings bought from lostadam82 on TradeMe