Let's Frock! - Finding Femme

Today’s Frocktober outfit has a mildly amusing story behind it. I come from a family of car and bike lovers. When I was a teen, I fanned the flames of my own love of bikes and ended up wearing and owning several leather jackets. Some of them I gave up because their style didn’t last the test of time and some fell apart. Because of this, I’ve recently realised I needed to get myself a new one.

Luckily for me, leather jackets are very in fashion at the moment so I was able to come across two that I really liked. One that I wanted to try a little craft project on.

I found it on eBay, listed as new with tags. I ordered it and then a couple of weeks later, it still hadn’t arrived. I got a message from the person selling it to tell me that they had been sick so they hadn’t sent it yet. It arrived this week in an interesting condition.

The jacket smelled strongly of cigarette smoke. Bad enough to set me into a coughing fit (I’ve had the flu) when I pulled it from the parcel. I proceeded to put it outside in the fresh air for a few days to help air it out, ready to do this shoot. When I got it and put it on, I was a bit grossed our that it still stank. At any rate, it did still have tags so assumed the person must just have a smelly house. Until we got to the shoot.

Part way through the shoot I put my hands in the pockets of the jacket to discover a receipt for a dumpling house as a McDonald’s prize voucher for a free McChicken burger. So much for new with tags.

I was also extremely bummed because when I took the jacket off I stank of it. Earlier in the day I’d been to Sweet Fern to spray some of my new favourite perfume on myself and the stinky jacket had drowned out the smell.

You may remember this dress from a picnic shoot in the sunny afternoon sun with that I did with my sister Goldfields Girl last year. I’m considering selling it because I’m not in love with how it looks on me. I’ll give it one more go before I decide. I still have too many clothes so I have a final eBay sale still to come. Probably in November.

Frocktober is an annual event for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF). There are 1500 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year in Australia. Not many of them survive past the next 5 years. It is the most deadly gynaecological cancer, killing one woman in Australia every 10 hours. Unlike other cancers, there is no early detection test. OCRF has been around since 2000. They work with hospitals, universities and research institutes across Australia and New Zealand and assist to fund and guide research that will help develop and early detection test. That early detection could help save so many lives. Currently, the only detection test available is by taking a tissue sample during surgery. Raising awareness around ovarian cancer and its symptoms won’t save lives, but early detection will. Viable research is the answer and early detection is the key.

How can you get involved and make a difference?

Why not donate? Any amount helps get Frocktober closer to their fundraising goal. Last week around $75,000 had been raised of the $325,000 goal for this year. This week, it’s up to $134,000! Thanks, everyone who has donated so far. Please give if you haven’t had the chance to do so already.

Wear a frock and tag the campaign on social media (#frocktober2017 @OCRF). Make sure you give links so that your friends, family or followers can click through to the campaign and donate as well.

Start your own ‘Everyday Hero’ page or team to share your own personal story or passion to donate to the cause.

Find out more information at the Frocktober website here.