INDIA

In Melbourne's freezing temps, I'm dreaming of Indian Summers! So here's a post full of throwback photos from my Indian Summer holiday earlier this year. India is where my family live, so normally I don't take too many blog-worthy photos as my trip is usually full of family activities. But this time we turned into tourists for a day and went to a 300 year old fort, a few hours drive from the city of Pune, that has now been converted into a beautiful resort complete with a spa, museum, cafe, two restaurants and a bar! This incredible place where history meets contemporary hospitality is Fort Jadhavgarh.

Photography is prohibited inside the museum, but its a must visit if you're in the area, it houses some extraordinary artefacts that were everyday objects in homes in the area 300 years ago and you will be amazed at the ingenuity and grandeur of these household items, However the drive to the Fort is bumpy for the most part once you are out of the city traffic, as you can imagine, so make sure you fasten your seatbelts!

Of course, no travel post is complete without an outfit of the day pic, so here you go...

Royal Lunch at Fort Jadhavgarh Outfit:

Loose White Top: *$15 (Cotton On)

Stripe Midi Skirt: $56 (ASOS)

Bangle: *$17 (Kate Spade)

Flats: $49.95 (Zara)

Usual Prada Sunnies

Outfit Total: $137.95

* = sale prices

Online Shopping

So, finally a few days ago, I succumbed to the temptations thrown at me by ASOS. Yes, I blame ASOS! I had a few items saved from when I was browsing and they were already on sale, so when ASOS said I could take a further 20% off the sale prices, I couldn't resist anymore. Here's what I got...

These are some of my photos from Instagram (have you checked out my Instagram account yet @fashionsansfortune). I'm glad the jacket doesn't look too glittery or jazzy irl. And its quite soft and warm, too. I haven't tried on the dress yet (oh, yes the one on the right is a dress). Links to the styles and clearer photos below...

ASOS Lace And Floral Kimono Dress

ASOS Knitted Bomber With Quilted Metallic Fabric

This is not an editorial, nor am I affiliated with ASOS in any way - but I have to say it's my favourite online store. I haven't bought from any other site as much as I have bought from ASOS. Even back in the day when they used to charge delivery fees, in Pounds! May be its partly that loyalty+nostalgia factor as well, as this was the first online shopping destination I discovered, and now they've made it big so I always go back. Even though the quality and fit can be hit and miss, I find they're very reliable and the website itself is user-friendly.

What other websites do you like? Would love to know what some other favourites are.

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.)

Favourite Summer Work Outfit

As the title suggests - this is my favourite summer work outfit! Comfy, loose, silky pants are a must-have in your summer work wardrobe. And they are so versatile; can be paired with loose or fitted tops. Solid colours on top are best if your pants already have a print. And low to mid or even high heels help elongate your frame as baggy, printed pants can sometimes make you look shorter/broader than you actually are.

These photos were taken Friday after work (hence the cropped-face).

Loose White Top: *$15 (Cotton On)

 Floral Print Pants: $59.90 (Zara)

Pointed Black Heels: *23.30 (ASOS)

Disc Necklace: Gift (Trent Nathan-Myer)

Manciure: $15 (OPI - Lucky Lucky Lavender)

Bag: Usual

Work Outfit Total: $113.20

 * = sale prices 

Short post today. Long week ahead. Hope you all manage to find fun ways to beat the heat. Ciao for now! xx

Spend or Splurge

I must have some kind of magical powers or something, don't you think? I'm getting really good at disappearing into thin air! ;) 'Tis the "silly season" after all. And I'm going overseas next week, so its fast-tracked silly season on steroids for me. Anyway, whilst I've been shopping (more like window shopping because I've already blown my budget) online and instores, I've found a few perfect-for-party-season pieces. And since I'm not buying anything for myself anymore, I thought I would share it with all my readers - 'tis the season of spreading joy after all ;)...'tis also the season of legitimately getting away with wearing bright red, gold/silver, green or all 3 together - okay, may be not all 3 together but you know what I mean - of looking festive! So, whether its your end-of-year work party or a Christmas dinner with the family, it's all about being bright and bold but elegant. In my quest to find these perfect outfit, I came across styles for different kinds of fashionistas - the Spenders and the Splurgers! So, here's my very first compilation of a Spend or Splurge list...

The Dress:

Spend: Asos Lace Dress - $76.50

Splurge: Lover the Label Dress - $740

The Clutch:

Spend: Witchery Paris Sparkle Clutch - $89.99

Splurge: Jimmy Choo Candy Clutch in Champagne - $525

The Shoes:

Spend: Forever New Misty Diamante Platform - $89.99

Splurge: Peeptoe Miss Indulgence Heels with Swarovski Elements - $599

 The Jewelry:

Spend: Lovisa Crystal Chandelier - $29.99

Splurge: Kate Spade Fragment Pearl Earrings - $78

Hope you find your inspiration in these! And no matter what you do, say or wear, I hope you enjoy the Holiday Season!!

Online Shopping

I've been a busy-busy-bee! But haven't been doing anything blog-worthy. Just work and other stuff. But in all this busy-ness I managed to grab a few moments to myself to do some online shopping. I haven't bought anything from ASOS in over six months. Mainly because I haven't had the time to browse through their gazillion pages of products to see if there's anything I like and also because when I saw what I saw, I wasn't impressed. But I had come across this Maxi Dress as I was wanting to get a few for summer so I put it my Saved Items to mull over it. Then I saw this Holster  Ad (and I wasn't looking at the Holsters) on Vogue Forums and everytime I went on there, it kept teasing me and reminding me of the ASOS Dress...

...And this was my (s)inspiration to buy this Asos Dress (AND there was a 20% off Code going around)...

Asos Maxi Dress

 ...and while I was there and I had the discount code, I even decided to sneak this into my Shopping Cart...

ASOS Wrap Dress

 Also, while browsing through Pinterest the other day, I came across this Shirt-Dress (remember a Shirt-Dress is one of the things of my Summer Wishlist) and it was selling on a website called Pinkbasis.com. I didn't buy it because a) I've never heard of this website before and didn't know if it was safe - although they do have the option to pay with Paypal and b) the shipping costs more than the dress - although the dress is pretty cheap and even with shipping doesn't come up to much. So, you see how I'm in a dilemma right now of "to buy or not to buy". 

Pinkbasis.com Shirt Dress

If anyone has ever bought from Pinkbasis and can provide some feedback, do let me know by commenting below. I've actually wanted a turquoise/teal silky shirt-dress ever since I saw someone wearing it at South Yarra train station, but I was on the train and she was on the opposite platform so it wasn't like I could ask her where she got it from (not that I go upto random strangers every opportunity I get and ask them where they bought what they're wearing from).

Anyway, hopefully this coming week I'll have more to share. My prediction for this week is that Venus looks to be moving into the house of Mars, which, loosely translated, means that I'm going to be spending money and Mr.Pre is not going to be happy about it ;). Yes, it's that time of the season again - 

BARGAIN ALERT: Chadstone VIP Night is on Wed. 21st Nov. And they're keeping stores open till Midnight this time! Hope to see you there!

PS: I don't work for/at Chadstone, I just do this purely out of the goodness of my heart. ;)

Pretty in Print

If summer's biggest trend was colour-blocking, this season's biggest trend is bold prints in bright colours. Everywhere I look I see these eye-catching prints...

On runways:

L: Prabal Gurung, NYFW Spring 2012, R: Mary Katrantzou, NYFW Spring 2012

On celebs:

L: Delta Goodrem at David Jones AW 2012Launch, R: Kate Mara at Ferragamo Fragrance Launch 

In the shops and on the Internet:

Topshop

Whistles.co.uk

They made my wardrobe of solid (albeit, bright) colours look boring and ended up becoming my (s)inspirations for my most recent ASOS purchase (along with the Pieces Weekender Bag mentioned in the previous post): 

Vero Moda - ASOS

Imagine my delight when I got it for a further 20% off the already reasonable GBP-22.00 price, and ended up spending only about AU$ 25! So at that price, I shouldn't feel too guilty, right? ;)

Autumn...and a new beginning

Spring, generally, marks the beginning of something new - but my new beginning starts on this cold, rainy Autumn day (errr, night)...and it feels great! Plus even though its Autumn here in Australia, its Spring in other parts of the world, so its not as weird. I've been planning this blog for a while now and I'm super-excited that this is FINALLY HAPPENING!

Well, so lets get right into it, shall we? Here's a snippet of what you'll be seeing on this blog: 

- My fashion inspirations (which, when cause me to become obsessive and frantically search all over the internet and high streets till I find something similar and buy it, I'll call "sinspirations"). 
For example, my Autumn Style Inspiration comes from these pictures...

- My latest purchase(s) (this one isn't technically the most latest purchase, but its the last one from ASOS). 
This vintage-style, Pieces weekender bag from ASOS which was perfect for my weekend getaway to the Dandenong Ranges over Easter Break...

- And finally, the AWESOME price that I snagged the bargain for. 
This Pieces bag was originally GBP-45.00, but I bought it with a 20% off promo code, so it came down to GBP-36.00, approximately AU$56.00. Great price, I think, for something so unusual!

So, now you've got a taste of what I'm about, keep checking back for posts like these and much much more! Until then...ciao! xx