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

Chadstone VIP night - Novemeber 2014

Last Tuesday was Chadstone's last VIP night of the year. The Pre-Christmas Summer VIP night is their biggest shopping event apart from Boxing Day. Also, William Sonoma, West Elm, Pottery Barn & Pottery Barn Kids opened at Chadstone on the Lower Ground Level in the Home Section of the mall. Here's a little peak at the stores. You must check it out for yourself, they had great homewares, very sophisticated at very affordable prices especially West Elm. William Sonoma is a bit more pricey though. 

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn Kids

West Elm

William Sonoma

I didn't buy anything from the new stores, it was too busy for me to think straight. But I definitely saw stuff I liked and would go back for.

Here's what I did buy...

"I'd Rather be Shopping" tee: $19.95 (Zara)

Black Bejeweled Ballet Flats: $45.95 (Zara)

Chambray Baggy Pants: 20% off $99.95 (Seed)

I was happy with that. Some good buys. Less is more.

BARGAIN ALERT: 26th November is Melbourne Central's Shopping Night.

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

More from Singapore

The weekend that we were in Singapore happened to be the weekend of Chinese New Year! In a city that is always abuzz with activity, you can only imagine what excitement welcoming the year of the horse  would have created. Just a few hundred meters from our Hotel was Marina Bay, where the sights, sounds, smells and most importantly tastes all spelt C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N!

Makansutra

Our dinner that night consisted of sampling different foods from the countless foodstalls that had sprung up along the river to feed the thousands of  revelers. Also a permanent feature on the Bay is a food court - no not like the ones on level 3 of a shopping mall - a real food court - with real, fresh, asian food stalls. Its called Makansutra. A MUST visit for when you are in Singapore, even if you are only there for one night - like we were.

We then walked over to the other side of the bridge, quite literally, to the uber-chic world of the Marina Bay mall. It makes malls like Chadstone look like a tent! I swear, my feet were aching just from walking across 3 quarters of this mall. And I walk 3ks everyday as part of my daily routine. 

Finally, what I wore to keep me comfortable and still looking appropriate for the festivities - an outfit post after so, so long!

Loose White Top: *$15 (Cotton On)

Blue Mini Skort: $49.95 (Zara)

Bow Necklace in Soft-Gold: $19.95 (Portmans)

Wallet with Wristlet: $35 (Charles & Keith - Singapore)

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

CNY Outfit Total: $124.94

* = sale prices

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....

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

Pre - the Picky Picker

My updates are a week behind now. So here are some photos of our adventures from last weekend. Last Saturday was the perfect Spring day. 22 deg. C. and sunny. So we went to the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm in Mornington for yummy strawberry deserts (oh they were so sinfully yummy!) and strawberry picking (much needed exercise after all that food).

Strawberry Sundae, Belgian Waffles, Pancakes with Maple Syrup and Vanilla Bean ice-cream

The farm

 It was cool at first so I had my cardigan on, but soon after walking around in the sun, it was warm enough to take off the cardigan, yet not so warm that we were uncomfortable being in the sun. And even with all the screaming children, running around, strawberry picking to my surprise was actually quite a calming and relaxing experience.

I was being a very picky picker and the area we were meant to pick from hardly had any decent strawberries left by the time we got there.

After about 20-25 minutes of picking (may be more, I'm not quite sure, I lost track of time) my punnet wasn't even half full because I was only after the most flawless berries. 

After the first 25 minutes of picking

My picky-ness paid off - just when I was considering lowering my standards, one of the staff members came and announced that they were opening up a new area to pick from so we had more choice. This was really helpful, as in the new area I found lots of my kind of berries - the kind you see in photos and drawings. Perfect!

The Perfect Strawberry!

And in after about 15 minutes in the new area, my punnet was filled with these!

Full punnet! (Sorry about the hazy photo. It was too bright, I couldn't see what I was doing)

Ah and the most important part! A picky picker's outfit must be comfortable so that all the focus can be on the task of finding the right fruit. I was worried if I wore a dress or flowy skirt the wind would distract me and all I would be worrying about is having Marilyn-Monroe-moments with my skirt flying around. Still, I wanted to wear a skirt so I could walk around without getting too hot. So, I wore a more fitted skirt. Flat, comfortable walking shoes, of course - and it is quite mucky there so they had to be ones that I didn't mind getting dirty and then could easily clean later.

Off-white Lace Top: $39 (Zara)

Pastel Pink Bow front skirt: $19.95 (Valleygirl)

Coral Ballet Flats: *$15 (Rubi Shoes)

Necklace: *$7 (Valleygirl)

Assorted bracelets: Gift (Lovisa)

Sunnies: $35 (Sportsgirl)

Navy Crochet Cardigan: $25 (Temt)

Outfit Total:  $140.95

* = sale prices

After all that toiling in the farm, we got really hungry, but all the cafes around had closed. So we went to the local grocer in Shoreham (I think it was) and had a late lunch-early dinner (or "lunner" as I like to call it). It was exactly what we needed! Carb-a-licious!

 

Meatlovers Turkish Pide & Coffee

New York Pastrami Sandwich

It was a perfect day! It was only last week but it feels like a long time ago... This last week has just been one long roller-coaster ride. Perfect at first - and then far from - and then a little better again. I just hope it all settles down soon as I'm starting to feel a bit dizzy.