Preparing for Spring

This weekend, after a very very long time, I felt like my old self again. Shopping alone, just for fun, not for a particular outfit or occasion, examining all the shops in the area and then going back to the first, racing to get from one mall to another on public transport to get in before the shops close to get that one piece that I'm suddenly obsessed with but is only available in my size at another location (in this case from CBD to Chadstone at 4pm), fuelling myself with only sushi and coffee, something you can have on the go without wasting precious shopping time. Here's what I bought...

Embellished cuff Top - Zara; Scarf - Portmans; Blue Mini Skort - Zara; 5 Row Chain Link necklace - Lovisa; Earrings - Lovisa.

Though none of these were on sale, I was still happy to pay full price as they are all pretty unique and versatile pieces and most of them were selling out fast. The Skorts were all sold out in that colour in the city and so I had to rush to Chadstone. The top was the last one in my size. The scarf was the last one, too. The earrings there were plenty of but the necklace there was only one more remaining. 

The necklace is pretty cool, it sits almost like a turtle-neck, like the top of a suit of armour. The SA at the store was wearing it and I loved it as soon as I saw it on her and I loved it on myself, too. I don't know when or where I'd wear it, but it'd have to be for a special occasion....

Inspirations from the Roaring 20s

Hello all! For those of you who were worrying about my uncharacteristic disappearance, rest assured, I'm still alive - just not living very much. ;p The usual - busy at work, busy at home, spending ban etc. etc. Which is great when you have a lifestyle and fashion blog! ;)

Anyway, I'm finally coming out of this zone and reviving my senses to sniff out inspiring trends to zhuzh up your wardrobe and mine without burning a (big) hole in the pocket.

Speaking of revival and zhuzh-ing up, the 1920s-inspired trends are making a big comeback with the success of Downton Abbey & the much anticipated (and highly publicised) release of Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of The Great Gatsby.

Flapper dresses are no longer restricted to Gangster-themed costume parties. But if looking like an extra from the sets of Gatsby isn't your thing and you still want a taste of the glitz and glam of Old Hollywood, all you have to do is go to the website of your favourite store and type the word "Deco" in the Search field. You will find at least 3-4 styles, if not a whole panel dedicated to Art Deco inspired pieces.

Of course, I delved a little deeper and found these Deco must-haves from our much loved stores and websites that will make any girl feel like they belong in the upstairs world of Downton Abbey even without having inherited the Crawley fortune. ;)

For the evening

ASOS Needle & Thread Era Silk Midi Dress - $279.04

Portmans Pearl Gem Short Necklace - $19.95

Forever New Annabelle Beaded Clutch - $39.99

Forever New Kayleigh Statement Drop Earrings - $16.99

Betts Kiki Heels in Nude or Silver - $74.99

For the day

Myer Morgan & Taylor Felt Cloche - $79.99

Topshop Embellished Flower Vest Top - $60 Approx.

Lovisa Berry Art Deco Strecth Bracelet - $29.99

Portmans Double Bow Trim Gloves - $16.95

Great finds, right?!! And there are many more. Now we can all look the part and give Carey Mulligan a run for her money when we line up at our local cinemas on May 10th. ;) Can't wait! (And any news on the fourth season return of Downton Abbey, please feel free to post about in the comments below - I know it'll only be back in September, though.)

Chadstone VIP Night - Autumn/Winter 2013

It's been an unusually warm Autumn. Record breaking temperatures, heat-waves, 9 days above 30 degrees! Certainly doesn't feel like Autumn or like Winter is around the corner. But the retailers want us to get started on buying warm clothes in dark, wintery colours and they're using our favourite four letter word to entice us - SALE! So, even though I'm on a saving-spree, I decided to loosen the purse-strings just a little bit so I could get what I wanted/needed but at less than the original RRP. It was hard to think about what I would want on chilly winter days when it was so warm, so I didn't buy much. But my main purchases were:

Forever New Gemma Shirtdress - 20% off $89.99

Portmans Glamour Stud Heel Ankle Boot - 20% off $49.99

That was it for my shopping apart from a few other basics. And then I wandered over to look at the Sex And The City Exhibition that showcases dresses from the show and the movie. Photos don't do justice to the beautiful clothes TV's most stylish foursome wore, but here's just a little sneak peak of what was on display.

Love that Versace dress (centre) Carrie wears in Paris with "the Russian"! It just goes on and on forever. You could only get away with wearing something like that in Paris - or on SATC!

If you do get a chance, you must try and catch the exhibition while it's still showing, that is, until the 31st of March.

That's it from me for today. Au Revoir!

Love the Day of Love

Yes. I'm one of those. I'm a dipped-in-chocolate-coated-with-candy-hugged-by-teddy-bear-bathed-in-rose-petals-struck-by-cupid-kinda-romantic. And I lurve Valentine's Day and doing something special on the day.

So, this year it was his turn to plan VDay. And he did well. All I knew was we had to be in the City by 7pm. And for once, we were there well before time. So, we took some outfit photos.

Engineered Lace Shift Dress: *$83.96 (Portmans)

Mid-heel Black Shoes: $19.95 (Rubi)

Earrings: *$11 (Portmans)

Valentine's Day Outfit Total: $114.91

* = sale prices

And then as we walked along South Bank away from the restaurants and towards the river, I realised, we were going to spend the evening on a floating restaurant!

We had the best seats!

  Gorgeous views! Perfect summer's night! The weather could not have been better. Between courses we could go out on the deck and enjoy the summer breeze, which we happily did.

The only disappointment was that the food wasn't great. It wasn't bad - just very mediocre. So, I won't waste much time talking about it.

 Left from top to bottom: Entrées - King Prawn Salad, Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli, Main - Chicken with Mushroom Sauce, Mash and Veggies.

Right from top to bottom: Chargrilled Eye Fillet with Roast Veggies and Peppercorn Sauce, Desserts & Cheese platter to share, Our table.

A beautiful evening.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day...or whatever day it is that you choose to celebrate your love!

Friday: After Work

After a long work-week I needed to unwind whilst making the most of the last of the warm days (sigh!) Alumbra at Docklands provided the perfect setting for this. I love the ambience there. And the outdoor area is perfect for after-work drinks with high-rises and yachts floating along the Yarra river as the backdrop.

2 for 1 Happy Hour!

Our view of  Docklands

Sunset

Apple flavoured Shisha

For dinner we found ourselves back in Hardware Lane. I had a Penne Pasta with Kransky at Il Nostro Posto.

 And now for the most important part: What I Wore ;)

My Day to Night outfit

Green Maxi Dress: *$63 (Portmans)

Pale Gold Filigree Earrings: Gift ($39.95 - Angelique)

Gold Link Bracelet: Gift ($49.95 - Trent Nathan)

Gold Peep-Toe flats: *$10 (Rubi Shoes)

Bag: Usual (*$44.95 - Colette)

Outfit Total: $73

* = sale prices

I've used my trusty Colette bag so much now, I don't think it's fair to include it as an expense. ;) It's great being able to makeup your own rules as you go along. My blog, my rules! ;) Plus I've included the price in there if anyone wants to calculate the value.

And that's all I have to say about that. Have a great week!xoxo

Let it snow!

Over the Queen's Birthday long weekend, we went up to Mt. Buller. We left at 5.30am on Saturday, to make the most of the weekend.

At sunrise we stopped to take in the views: en route Mt Buller

Day 1 Outfit

Day 1 Outfit close-up

Jacket(super-super warm): *$70 (Bardot Blanket Slouch Coat) 

Warm Leggings: $45 (Zara)

Gloves: *$13.95 (Portmans Piped button Gloves)

Boots: $60 (Spendless Shoes)

Sunnies: *25 (Witchery)

Scarf: Gift

Outfit Total: $213.95 

* = sale prices

We had 2 wonderful days at Buller!

I tried skiing - I won't say I skied. I just stayed on the beginners' slopes and tried not break any bones. (By the way, I didn't wear my "Day 1 Outfit" while skiing, don't worry, I was wearing proper ski-gear)

Day 2 Outfit (& finally it snowed!)

Jacket: *$35 (Valleygirl)

Faux Fur Scarf: *$27.96 (Jacqui E)

Jumper: *$27.96 (Portmans)

Jeans: *$49 (Zara)

Boots: *$40 (Iniu Shoes - South Wharf DFO)

Leather Gloves: *$33.95 (Forever New)

Cateye Sunnies: $30 (Sportsgirl)

Bag: *$44.95 (Colette)

Outfit Total: $288.82

* = sale prices

We ended Day 2 with this Hot Chocolate+Rasberry Liquor conconction by the fireplace!

On Day 3, we woke up to frost (we were staying at Merrijig in the foothills of Buller, so no snow there)! I finally got to wear the Glassons jacket that I'd bought for this trip even before booking the trip - the one I'd mentioned in this post.

Day 3 Outfit

Jacket: *$17.50 (Glassons)
Full-sleeves Top - Red: *$10 (Glassons)
Jeans: *$49 (Zara)
Boots: $60 (Spendless Shoes)
Black Snood: *$5 (Cotton On)

Outfit Total: $141.50

* = sale prices

We were about to go have breakfast when this photo was taken, and I didn't want to scare you with my 8am, no-makeup, grumpy, its-the-last-day-of-my-holiday, I'm-hungry-I-need-breakfast-now face, so I cropped it off. No need to thank me.
Hope you had a great long weekend too! All the best for the coming long weeks! Stay warm...

Vip Night(s) May 2012

As promised, here's a low-down on the damage I've done to my bank account during the Chadstone and Melbourne Central VIP discount Shopping Nights...

Portmans - Tear Drop Top in Shiraz

Originally $59.95 down to $29.95 less 30% = $20.97

This also covers one of the items on my A/W Wishlist, where I'd said I would like to buy something in a rich, wine colour - what a coincidence then that the colour of this top is referred to as "Shiraz"!

Portmans - Tuck Detail Shell Top in Citrus

Originally $49.95 less 30% = $34.97

This top has a very unique lime colour. Its not as yellow as it looks in the picture. It looks really good IRL. And the maroon nail polish I'm wearing is also from Portmans ($7.95 less 30% = $5.56)

Supre - Zigzag Printed Tights

Originally $20 less 20% = $16

Not a bad price for a whacky pair of tights! And it actually looks good with that Citrus top!

Sportsgirl - Blake Plain Drape Cardigan in Charcoal

Originally $49.95 less 15% = $42.46 

I suppose I could cross drapey (asymetric) cardigan off my A/W Wishlist, too with this buy.

IDS - Vintage Floral Dress

Originally $59.90 less 40% = $36

And last but not the least, the most coveted item (by me) on my A/W Wishlist....

Forever New - Sylvie Wool Blend Coat

Originally $149.95 less 15% and I had a Gift Voucher so ended up paying $111

Normally I wouldn't pay that much but this was something I really wanted so I made the exception this time. But no more shopping for a while....

PS: Outfit Photos courtesy my new iPhone 4S :D!!