Saturday Sydney Shopping Trip

Summerblossom - http://www.summerblossom.com.au

I have absolutely fallen in love with these accessories for weddings.  Just a heads up, if you're going to be my bridesmaid, you are going to be wearing some of the beautiful designs from Summerblossom.  Soooo pretty.  They currently have a pop-up shop at Westfield Eastgardens.

Midsummer Tiara $45.00

Fields of snow headband $25.00

Somewhere, dusted silk solid headband $30.00

Kaboodle Designs - http://www.kaboodledesigns.com.au/

Kaboodle make cute vintage inspired jewellery.  You can catch them at Bondi Markets.  I just adore their beautiful necklaces and quirky accessories.

Alice Bottle Necklace $25.00

Hello Bird Cage Necklace $24.00

White Carousel Necklace $28.00

Fashion's Night Out  - only five days away

I'm considering getting an iPhone just so I can use the FNO app which apparently boasts the following features:

• "Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall will set the scene for a virtual treasure hunt hosted by Vogue, as an interactive shopping guide app leads shoppers through stores to unlock special offers and gifts on Fashion’s Night Out, Thursday 8 September."
• "The free location-based Vogue VIP app will lead shoppers to nearby stores recommended by the Vogue team and highlight any special offers or gifts available. "

Secondly,  the Diane von Furstenburg FNO Official T-shirt is now available.... and also apparently sold out online.  :(

Orange, coral and red are in... all together at the same time.

Tangerine, coral, sorbet, terracotta and burnt orange are all over the shops at the moment.  It's a tricky colour combination, but retail designers are way too excited about this colour scheme to stop and ask themselves how we are going to incorporate this used-to-be colour faux pas into our long term wardrobes.

Portmans Sorbet Sateen Dress $129.95

Portmans Terracotta Stephanie Concave Midi Skirt $79.95

Cue Colour Block Dress $229.00

Forever New Bow Detail Skirt $69.99

This scheme reminds me of a Bollywood movie...  I feel like some designer stole this colour theme from a wedding.

Summer fashion is here (and so are my body issues..)

Me and summer are not friends.  I really love the cold, you can always add more clothes when it's cold, but there's a limit to how many clothes you can take off when it's hot.  Anyhow,  one thing I don't mind about it getting warmer is new season clothes.

Cue's new season has hit stores and my favourite picks are:

Sleeveless Shirt Dress $260.00

Shirt Dress $279.00

Not sure what it is I love about these sleeveless dresses.... maybe it's just the models have much skinnier arms than me.  I can imagine that these aren't going to look anywhere near as good when I get into the change room, but a girl can dream.

Seafolly Sophia

Bikinis are the next thing I love/hate about Summer.  When you go outside in Summer there are beautiful bodies everywhere to be compared to.  That's why finding a swimsuit that suits your body is one of the most important things about Summer.  Seafolly make great swimwear and you can buy the tops and bottoms separately in different sizes and colours to make the most of your body.

Forever New One Shoulder Flower Dress $199.99

How beautiful is this dress???  It reminds me of the Vera Wang Bridal collections  (Did I mention I'm totally obsessed with weddings... I could totally do this as a bridesmaids dress; and did I mention that I want a Lilac Vera Wang wedding gown?)

Vogue Fashion Night Out is coming!!!  It's on Thursday September the 8th from 5:30pm till 10pm in Pitt Street Mall.  Yay!

Bags, bags, bags

When I was young, I never thought I would grow to like bags.  They are heavy and you have to carry them around all the time.  I despised the fact that women were expected to carry bags and men just stuffed their items into their pockets.  I still don't like carrying bags.

But hell do I LOVE BUYING BAGS!!

Kikki.K Norrmalm

Excuse me, but when did Kikki.K start selling bags, and aren't Mimco angry that they're trying to steal their style??  Also, this bag is $450.00, the average price at Mimco!!  Regardless, you can view the whole range of Kikki.K bags and wallets here.

Laptop/iPad/Tablet Cases as Clutches

A4 clutches are in at the moment, and I'm particularly loving the idea of using an laptop/iPad case as a clutch. 

Blackberry PlayBook Leather Envelope  $59.99

Marc Jacobs Quilted Leather iPad Bag $495.00

Just waiting for a point in my career where $1000 sounds reasonable to spend on a bag...

Reed Krakoff $990.00

In the meantime I'm just gonna laugh along to Natalie Dee...

LOL... drowns my money related pain..

Accessories haul

Remember that episode of Friends where Chandler Ross (!)  talks about "Unagi" - a state of total awareness.  (n.b. it actually means eel in Japanese).  Watch it here.   SOOOO Funny....

Anyway,  USAGI headbands are in at the moment.  Usagi means rabbit, and as you can see, these headbands look like rabbit ears.  They are absolutely adorable!  I picked this one up at Sportsgirl for about $20.00.  The "ears" have wire-like stuff in them so that they stand up and can be shaped into folded down rabbit ears as well as standy-up rabbit ears.   Casual Friday here we come (i.e. me and my bunny ears).

Also, I cut my fringe (I mean cut it myself, with scissors).... and haven't cut or dyed my hair since everyone thinks it's a horrible idea.

Do you like my hat??

hope Necklace

DANGER!!!!!!

uuuuunnaaagggiiiii.    LOL

Sales assistant snobbery

I love to work.  I always say that I would probably still work even if you didn't pay me.  This has meant that through-out my teens and young adulthood I always had a surplus of my own money.  I loved to work all the time and I was somewhat oblivious to how much money I received as a result.  As a teenager, dressed in short shorts, a singlet and thongs, I often had more money that could be spent out whatever I felt like, than the average 30 year old woman in her tailored business suit and expensive shoes.   So why are sales assistants so bitchy and judgemental?

What are the factors by which sales assistant's judge whether I have money or not, and whether I am going to spend money or not?  

I absolutely HATE it when I go to an "expensive" store to buy something and I don't get served.  Oroton, for example, makes up a large proportion of my accessories; yet when I walk into the store, it feels as if I'm a homeless person looking for a toilet.  The sales assistants don't even look at me for fear of catching my poorness disease.  Thank god for online shopping because I don't enjoy browsing in a store like that.  It makes me feel uncomfortable and it sure kills the shopping mood, like a cock-block for sales.

Mimco is another one that can be hit and miss.  Sometimes they will ask me millions of questions and get everything I look at out of the case and make me try it on, other times they just grunt and avoid me, even if I stare at the same item for over five minutes (trying to use my x-ray ability to read the price tag from within the jewellery cabinet).

Cue is quite the opposite.  No matter how stupidly I am dressed, even if I came in my pajamas, they would still take everything I picked up to the change room and ask me if I needed assistance.  I'm not sure if this is part of their extremely highly-pitched voice routine, or their often fake friendliness, but I don't really care.  It's a lot easier to politely say no thanks to someone who greets you and offers you help you don't want, than it is to try and catch the attention of someone who has written you off as a dole-bludger.

Regardless, shop assistant's need to change their perceptions.  Gen Y is full of money to spend; we still live at home, we have good jobs, and we don't care about saving for the future.  We are just waiting for something to spend more money on.  We're keeping the economy afloat.

Have you been treated poorly by a sales asssistant?  What do they expect me to wear in order for them to give me the time of day?  Similarly,  I'm trying to buy their clothes so I look like they are expecting me to look.  How can I be impeccably dressed if they refuse to serve me??

How long are these turban jokes going to curry on?

Turbans have hit mainstream Aussie fashion.  They were on the catwalks and celebrities in 2010 and now here they are at Sportsgirl and Dotti.

Yesterday Alyce the Westfield Insider posted a photo of herself wearing the Dotti turban on Facebook.  This elicited varied responses from "that's racist" to "it's nice but I could never pull it off" and "disgusting wtf". (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=204214662963574&set=a.126181447433563.21177.117517234966651&type=1&theater)

I'm yet to make up my mind, but I think I could get away with one of these on business casual Friday.

Dotti $19.95

Sportsgirl has the Turband going on, which is not quite a turban, not quite a headband.

Sportsgirl $19.95

I think part of the way to preventing turban disaster is to pick a solid colour and to make sure the turban is not too big,  flowery and prominent. I also think the Turband is a lot easier to rock than the full on turban.  If all else fails, calling them the "urban turban" may help you convince people that you don't look stupid.

Prada

Extreme Turban

See this tutorial for: How to tie a turban 

Just remember that turbans are a sacred form of headwear in Sikhism and that a certain level of respect is required in relation to them.  A little light hearted banter and fashion is fine, but racism and attacking others religions is just stupid.

Thank god I'm a woman because I hate pants

I hate pants, pants hate me.  Ever since I moved past a size 8, pants have pretty much become my enemy.  If, at some point, I can squeeze my ass/legs into said pants, they either look ridiculous on my legs or cause cascading muffin tops only a horrible baker would ever encounter.

Pants make my legs feel scared and imprisoned.  Pants make my stomach feel fat and sticky-outty.  Sadly, I've come to the realisation that working in the corporate world means multiple "contribute money to a charity and wear jeans, if you don't wear jeans everyone will assume you forgot, or you're a hateful person who doesn't want to donate" days.

Back to my hate of pants. Pants are restrictive, they are evil.  When you sit down stuff comes out the back and the front and gets pudgy. Pants only look ok when I am standing straight or lying flat, and I don't think I can manage a whole day in the office doing either.

Pants suck.

General Pants Co have opened the Denim Co Concept Store where you book in and they find you the best pair of jeans ever to grace your ass (apparently).  It's in the QVB, and I think I'm going to take the plunge and book in for an appointment (yes you need an appointment).   Does it scare me that someone's going to be waiting outside the change room while I cry about jeans?  Possibly.  Will they have jeans that fit my size 14 stomach?  Possibly.  Only time will tell.

As a side note, I wonder how much the freaking jeans are gonna cost...

Fashion I'm in love with right now

Shout out to Natalie Dee for this hilarious scribbling

Another month, another trend. 

Accessories

Why do people wear ugly accessories?  Accessories are just like words,  if you don't have anything nice to wear, don't wear any!  I recently saw a young lady on the bus with the most repulsive matching hat and scarf.  It was like a car crash and I couldn't look away... not to mention the whole look made me question her sanity for the remainder of the bus-ride.  I actually thought "maybe she's just crazy and her fashion disaster is not really her fault".

If you're looking for something funky and home-grown try Recreational, Young Republic and Petite Grand. How cute is the jewellery from Recreational? I love this iPod Headphones necklace.

$39.00 from Recreational

Knits

Knits are in, in a big way.   Personally, I love the cold.  I have worn my Havaianas everyday this Winter and I have not suffered at all.  However, I know that not everyone is as big a fan of the frost as me.  Don't worry, your time of heat will come, and you will find me melting on the office floor.  In the meanwhile, you can be thankful that knits are sexy this season.

Try Sportsgirl (and they're on sale!) and the likes for some cute knits to warm up your work outfits.  Try this Sloppy Cable Sweater over a pink and white striped long-sleeve shirt. 

Sloppy Cable Sweater $89.95 from Sportsgirl

Other Things I am in Love with Right Now

This shirt from Eleventh Hour which is probably close to $300 but I love the style.  I think it'd look beautiful with a skirt suit in the office.

Carman's Muesli Bars now come in "Rounds" which I think is just another word for "cookies you don't feel guilty about". Yay!

This ring is a copy of a Jordan Askill Single Heart Ring which retailed at $180.00 but sold out, this means I don't feel bad buying a $30 copy off Etsy.

Generosity is so fashionable right now.  Why not give some food to someone homeless, buy the Big Issue, give thoughtful gifts to your friends, write notes to people to tell them how you feel about them and brighten their day or make a packed lunch for your significant other?


Things that have me Confuzzled

How can Shoptilyoudrop, which is basically just a big magazine full of advertisements which try to convince me to buy things, be so enticing?  What compels me to spend money to read advertising?

Also, I am heavily considering chopping my hair to my shoulders for a more professional look...  in case anyone wanted to weigh-in on the issue.

On a side note, why do hipsters dress like they are homeless?

On trend: Spring 2011

Spring 2011 Fashion is upon us.  I hate the idea that women who gush about clothes in the office are seen differently than those who don't.  I dislike that being fashionable can give a certain reputation to a woman.  However, it's season trends like the ones below that make me realise why those who don't follow fashion, can sometimes think we are horribly naive for following trends.  Some of these trends are not office appropriate, or even appropriate for wearing outside.

Sheer Maxi Dress


The sheer maxi dress is in.  How? I don't know...  Do not try this without carefully planning what you're wearing underneath.  Avoid wearing this to work, a little bit of sheer is nice for the workplace, maxi sheer is not.  Anyone who successfully pulls off this look should send me a photo!

If only I was as pleased  with this trend as the guy behind you.

Sportsgirl $129.95

D&G Sheer Maxi Dress

Did men decide this was a good trend??

Lace


Lace is very feminine and definitely do-able for the office.  Just keep your hemlines in check and keep your breasts and back covered.  Black lace on nude is too bedroom for the office, so stick to other colour combinations for the best look.

Forever New Lace Dress $89.99

Review Eva Dress $279.95

Add lace stockings for a more subtle look

Tassels

Fashion waits for no woman.  I'm not really a fan of tassels yet, but don't worry, in a few months maybe I'll be head over heels in tassels??  Maybe??  Tassels always remind me of those things Burlesque dancers put on their nipples.  

These look alright

Tasty AND Tittilating

Oroton Serene Satchel $595.00

Tail hems

Tail hems is just the fancy name for clothes that are longer at the back, like a mullet for your clothes.  We all thought they would go away with the end of the trashy summer,  but alas, they are back for a new season.   I personally think they are just a way of having your skirt as short as possible in the front, while still being able to sit down.  However, I have seen some beautiful designs I would be willing to embrace.  I can totally imagine this cut in the window of Cue this season.

In bigger news the Oroton Outlet sale is on for a week starting tomorrow.  Click below for a sneek preview.