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

Hawaii - The Outfits

Needless to say, Hawaii had great tropical weather so it was all about dressing comfortably for the hot weather and long walks we did as tourists (one day we actually walked 12ks! That's a half-marathon!). But also going from winter in Melbourne to Summer in Oahu I was loving that I could finally add some colour to my look which I was very happy about. The most challenging outfit to plan was my travel outfit going from a cold and wet 13 degree wintery day and a 10.5 hour long air-conditioned plane ride (I get really cold on planes) to a warm 28 degrees. I'm not really the trackies+runners wearer when I travel. I usually wear jeans and a top and like to add some fun pieces to my outfit. So, for this journey, layering was key and I found the perfect jacket on Missguided.com to put me in the tropical mood whilst keeping me warm....

Left: Grabbing a coffee before take-off at Cafe Vue, Melbourne Airport; Right: Arriving to a gorgeous balmy morning at Honolulu International Airport

 Neoprene Palm Tree Print Jacket: *$43.98 (Missguided)

Black Silk Tank: *$5 (Dotti)

Black Long Sleeve Cotton Top (not shown in photo): *$10 (Dotti)

Embossed Jeans: $49.95 (Zara)

Black Ballet Flats: $12 (H&M)

Sunnies: *$27.50 (Zara)

Handbag: *$70 (Seed)

Polka Dot Neck Pillow: $14.95 (Typo)

Red Trolley Bag: Gift from Dad

Outfit Total: $233.38 (including Neck Pillow)

After a day of Outlet Shopping, dinner at Morimoto

 Dress: *$129 (Country Road)

Brown Peep-toe Flats: *$5 (Rubi Shoes)

Bangle: *$17 (Kate Spade Outlet)'

Outfit Total: $151

Driving around the island of Oahu, we stopped at this fruit stall for some fresh Coconut Water

Grey and White Sequinned Tank: *$7 (Banana Republic Outlet)

Denim Shorts: $14.95 (Valleygirl)

Red Peep-toe Flats: *$5 (Rubi Shoes)

Sunnies: *$27.50 (Zara)

Shell Bracelets: $5 (bought at a market stall in Thailand)

Outfit Total: $59.45

She gets a kiss, I get a chip!

 Navy & White Striped Cold Shoulder Top: *$12.95 (Valleygirl)

White Cotton Shorts: *$10 (Cotton On)

Brown Peep-toe Flats: *$5 (Rubi Shoes)

Shell Bracelets: $5 (bought at a market stall in Thailand)

 Sunnies: *$220 (Prada from Waikele Outlet Mall)

Outfit Total: $252.95

Asymmetric Hem Beach Dress: *$15 (Dotti Sample Sale)

Shell Bracelets: $5 (bought at a market stall in Thailand)

Sunnies: *$29 (Forever New)

Thongs: Gift (Havaianas)

Outfit Total: $49

Lounging around, Waikiki Beach

 50s-style Red Swimsuit: *$24 (ASOS)

White Cotton Shorts: *$10 (Cotton On)

Hat: *$20 (Kiosk at Chadstone)

Sunnies: *$27.50 (Zara)

Outfit Total: $81.50

Posing for the cam right before boarding the Atlantis Submarine, using our tour brochures as a Clutch ;)

Black & white Graphic Print Overlay: $19.95 (Cotton On)

Citrus Tank: *$19.95 (IDS Fashion)

Denim Shorts: $14.95 (Valleygirl)

Bangle: *$17 (Kate Spade Outlet)

Shell Bracelet: $2.50 (bought at a market stall in Thailand)

Sunnies: *$220 (Prada from Waikele Outlet Mall)

Outfit Total: $294.35

It wouldn't be a trip to Hawaii without a photo wearing a Lei!

Maxi Dress: *$89 (Sportsgirl)

Gold Chain Necklace: $30 (bought at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort)

Wallet: $36 (Charles & Keith)

Shell Bracelet: $5 (bought at a market stall in Thailand)

Thongs: Gift (Havaianas)

Outfit Total: $160

* = sale prices

Hope this post has given you some fun summer and travel outfit inspirations! xoxo

Chadstone VIP Night - Spring/Summer 2012

So, as you all know, I was super-excited for the Chadstone VIP Night this season - it had been over a month since I'd shopped, I got my first Credit Card, my birthday is coming up, the weather is not as cold anymore - lots of reasons to be pumped for shopping till late on a Wednesday night (and I don't mind the whole big crowds thing, its all part of the fun)! Anyway, as it always happens when you get over-excited about things, this VIP night was a bit of a let down for me. I did really well in the first hour - bought a few things from Dotti, which I'm really happy with....

Collarless Tux Jacket in Peach - $69.95 less 30% (Perfect for spring!)

Tapework Yoke Tank in Blue - $49.95 less 30%
(Love this colour!)

Superhero Leatherette Peplum Top - $49.95 less 30%
(This was the best buy of the night! And this photo doesn't
do justice to how good it looks irl)

And I also bought a dress from Dotti, which I don't want to reveal right now as it could potentially be my Birthday dress (but it could potentially not be my Birthday dress) so I will reveal after my Birthday (yes, my Birthday is a very big deal to me - if it was up to me, I would have it declared as a public holiday but, sadly, it isn't up to me :p).

Other than that, I just bought stuff to wear to the gym - because confession: my gymwear is so daggy, its not even funny! I always put all my thought, effort and money into clothes I wear for 'work' and 'going out', but never for my 'workouts'...

Speed Running Pant in Black/Citron - $24.95 less 30%

Jodie Jogger Pants in Coral - $19.95 less 30%

Strappy Banded Hem Top in Black - $24.95 less 30%

Mesh Panel Top in Coral - $19.95 less 30%

To keep my gymwear ontrend with the pastel-boom this season and to keep me warm on cooler days I picked up this Jacket from Factorie...

Varsity Jacket - $14.95 (But not to wear with above styles, to go with other pre-owned gym gear)

...I'm not a sporty sorta gal, but I think ^this looks cute. I also bought a Purple Nike t-shirt from Sportsco for $20. But THAT WAS ALL! Didn't find anything interesting after that. I was looking for shoes for my potential-bithday-dress but no luck. Zara was a bit of a disappointment. And Myer had just released the Material Girl by Madonna "range" which had all of four, that's right, FOUR styles! Or atleast there were only 4 styles left when I went there. Sad, sad, sad. The only hot thing I bought after that was Nandos Chips with Peri-Peri salt!

Now, I have a new Credit Card but nowhere to spend it, sigh! Back to the drawing board shopping ban...

DFO Haul

I think it is my duty to warn everyone out there - Spencer St DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) in Melbourne is a DANGEROUS place! Once you go in there, you WILL NOT come out empty handed! Here's what I found myself coming home with the last time I was there...

Glassons Quilted Jacket

I bought this jacket because we're planning on going on a ski-trip in the winter and I thought this baby would be a great companion in the snow. 

Umm, no we haven't booked our holiday yet...no, I don't know where we're staying....no, sorry we haven't decided which Ski Resort we'll be going to. But hey, a girl's gotta plan ahead! 
The best part, the price; originally $59.99 down to $55, further 50% off sale = $27.50, I had a Glassons gift voucher so I only paid $17.50 for a winter jacket fit for the snow!!! Best bargain ever! (Sorry about the bad photo, will definitely do an outfit post when I wear this jacket.)

Here's a similar Burberry jacket for your viewing pleasure:

On every trip to DFO I never leave without stopping by at Cotton On Body...

Cotton On Body Floral PJs

Floral print on PJs

I picked up these PJs (again, sorry about the dark photos) for $15 and a couple of basic cotton tops for gym and home at $5 each.

Good thing is Spencer St DFO shuts at 6pm. Bad thing is...Topshop is open till 7pm! So from Spencer St, I made a quick dash to Chapel St and made it just before the doors closed (because I had to take a train and then walk) but it didn't matter because I knew exactly what I wanted...

Topshop Colour Block Shorts

...these Colour Block shorts for gym - originally $58 down to $23. 

OK, I better go now, I've been really naughty....its past midnight and I'm still up!...Oh, you thought I said I was naughty because of all the shopping I did...well, you ain't seen nothing yet! Tip of the iceberg. ;) Good night! xx