Clothing from my Hawaii Trip

Basics

On this trip I purchased three pairs of trousers from Banana Republic. I am curvy and love the fit of their jackson style.  The same as the black trousers in my earlier post of the Top 10.

I have these in black and charcoal, they have a really nice tab feature at the waist and they are lined to mid thigh. They are wool and elastine. For the first time ever with BR pants I have to get them shortened.

The other trousers are black cotton and elastine, also in the Jackson fit - so slightly more casual in appearance.

Yet again in black, I purchased a light weight black cardigan from Gap.

Another basic that I have been searching for most of winter is a basic pencil skirt in black; I finally found one in BR (yes one of my favourite shops in the USA).


The last basic I purchased was another pair of Hudson Signature Bootcut jeans, these have been stored away for when my current pair are looking sad. To see what they look like see below under my post about 10 Must have items.

Outerwear

I purchased three jackets, a light grey wool military style jacket from BR.  This jacket I will wear for both work and casual as I think it is a very versatile style.

The next is a work jacket from Forever 21.  It is a fully lined black jacket with white trim. A bit of a bargain at under $35USD.

The final jacket is a casual light weight Calvin Klein zip front jacket with faux leather trim.


Tops

I managed to find two great knits at Forever 21, the navy and white strip for $12USD (in this photo you can't see the button detail on the shoulder) and the olive and marl grey for $16USD.

The black top with black sequins also came in charcoal, again from BR.

An olive long-sleeved t-shirt with silk ruffle detail (this also came in black, charcoal and white).

A soft loose knit strip Calvin Klein jumper.

And finally a charcoal cowl neck Calvin Klein Jumper.


Blouses

And surprise surprise, I did actually buy some colour!

This lovely sheer ruffled navy short-sleeved blouse from BR outlet.

This cobalt blue 3/4 sleeve blouse, great to dress up or down.

A surprise favourite is a coral silk / cotton blend cardigan which cute jewel buttons.

And finally a red sleeveless ruffle blouse. Now I know there isn't a picture but I want some things to not been seen before I wear them.

SL

Accessories from my Hawaii trip

Sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog.  I have had requests to see what was purchased on our trip to Hawaii.

Today I will show you the accessories and after I have ironed the clothes I will show you them too.

The most important accessories of all are the shoes.  I purchased four pairs, two pairs of heals and two flats.

These are my Calvin Klein wedges; they were my first purchase on the trip.  They are from Macy's and were a bargain at under $40USD.

For work I purchased these Nine West patent leather wedges for $79USD + tax.  I love wedges as they are comfortable and easy to walk in.

Both of the flats are from Banana Republic. The grey suede brogues from the retails store and the zebra print pony skin from the outlet.  Banana Republic has recently improved the inners of their shoes making them more cushioned and they are great to wear.

Macy's and Banana republic both ship to Australia (and New Zealand) but beware the shipping can be very expensive.  The most economical way to do this is get a group of you together and combine your order.

On this trip I was very light on the accessory buying, in fact I did not purchase belts, scarves and only one piece of jewellery.  This necklace was bought with the money my lovely friends gave me for my birthday.

One of my favourite accessories shop is Coach, their outlets have great deals and they have well-made handbags. On my trips to the USA I usually pick up a Coach handbag and this time was no different.  I was with my daughter at the Waikele Coach outlet and was walking to purchase a wallet, and noticed this gorgeous cobalt blue handbag with cobalt snake skin trim which is now mine.  My daughter also convinced me not to buy the black wallet but the green wallet, in her 10 year old wisdom it was better to have one in my favourite colour than boring black.

And last but not least this purchase was technically not by me but by my darling husband.  This is my birthday present from him. 

A bit of background here, it has my initials all over it and it is french (I was born on bastille day)

Off to do some ironing and photography for the clothing part of my purchases.

SL

Spring Summer Shoe Trend

If you have been into any shoe shop lately you would have noticed that shoes too are following the colour blocking trend.  The easiest way to look up to date with fashion would be to wear a pair non matching shoes with your outfit in a bright colour. Tony Bianco has heaps of coloured shoes this season

Another big shoe trend is the Raffia Wedges.  These are everywhere from Target for $40 to Christian Louboutin for around $700. Cork and wooden wedges are also on trend this spring summer - try Witchery or Nine West for a good mid priced pair.

Here is a target option (plenty more styles too) for the price savvy shopper.

Or these Steve Madden ones (if you want middle of the road ones).

The faux animal skin is making a come back too, whether it is snakeskin, leopard or the not so obvious Zebra print.

My favourite snakeskin sandals are these Wittner ones.

Jigsaw currently have some cute ballet flats on sale with a Zebra print. If you look at my blogs background you will see my Leopard pumps from Tony Bianco.

Now for the more practical flats, tan sandals are great, they go with everything.  Country Road have a couple of options and great prices.

I will stop there as I love shoes and could seriously go on for ages about which shoes I would like to buy (I currently have 11 pairs in the shopping cart on my favourite online shop).

SL

Another Rumour - TOP SHOP

Those of you who have been the UK will know this great shop.  It is rumoured to be opening in Melbourne.

Stay tuned for more details

SL

The Colour Blocking Trend

One of the biggest trends this summer is Colour Blocking.  This is the pairing two or more colours together in big blocks (yes that sounds obvious) for example a yellow skirt and a orange blouse.

My advice to pull off this trend without looking like a fashion tragic is to stick to just two colours. And you can take or leave my advice at the wardrobe door but this is how I would pair them.

If I was feeling particularly daring I would take two bright colours (perhaps even complimentary but clashing colours such as pink and orange)  and wear them as a blouse and skirt or trouser combo with the shoes in the colour (or tones) of the either the top or bottom (like the yellow and aqua in the above photo). 

Or to tone it down you could wear a dress in a solid colour such as cobalt blue with shoes in red or yellow.  Like this Zara dress and Country Road shoes (espadrilles another big trend).

 Tyra has this colour blocking look done in a great simple way.

Shopping in Waikiki Oahu Hawaii

Waikele Premium Outlet

My first port of call is Waikele Premium outlet, they way I see it is – you should go to the outlets first to see what you can buy discounted then to the full price shops.

Waikele has a shuttle from Waikiki or you can get a tour bus or better still drive yourself and make a day of it.

If you sign up online as a VIP member you can get extra discounts. You can print the discount vouchers off their website.

 http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=29 

Saks Off Fifth Avenue has great bargains and you can signup for extra discounts with their discount card.

For kids they have Old Navy, Gymboree, The Childrens Place and Carters.

The also have the standard fair of fashion

·         Banana Republic

·         Tommy Hilfiger

·         Calvin Klein

·         Guess

·         True Religion

·         Levis

And for accessories

• Coach
• Michael Kors
• Sunglass Hut

There is also a great Sports Authority store.  NB Sports Authority and Old Navy are to your right when you drive in the main drive and the other outlet stores are to your left.

Waikele Premium Outlets

94-790 Lumiaina Street
Waipahu, HI 96797

Another store like Saks Off Fifth Ave for discounted designer clothes, shoes and accessories is Nordstom Rack.  This can be found within walking distance from Ala Moana Shopping Centre.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/nordstrom-rack

333 Kamakee St

Honolulu HI 96814

Ala Moana Shopping Centre

Ala Moana Center is a premier international and local shopping destination with over 290 shops and restaurants. From beachwear to high fashion, casual dining to fine dining, you'll find everything at Ala Moana Center, all in a beautiful open-air setting filled with lush tropical landscaping and koi ponds. (This is from their website)

The cheapest and easiest way to get there is by the pink line trolley, costing $2 each way (as at Ju;y 2011).

This has the normal range of US stores such as

Banana Republic www.bananarepublic.com

Gap www.gap.com

Old Navy www.oldnavy.com

Abercrombie and Fitch www.abercrombie.com

Victorias Secret www.victoriassecret.com

I have added a new favourite Sephora, great for makeup and perfume.

And many more

It also has the follow department stores

Macys www.macys.com

Neiman Marcus www.neimanmarcus.com

Nordstorms www.nordstoms.com

Sears www.sears.com

It also has high end designers such as

Tiffany www.tiffany.com

Chanel www.chanel.com

Miu Miu www.miumiu.com

Burberry www.us.burberry.com/store

And more

 

Kalahaua Ave

Shopping

Many of the shops at Ala Moana are repeated on

Kalakaua Avenue, including the luxury brands. But for some more affordable options there is:

 

The International Market

This is great for souvenirs, such as T-shirts, hula outfits, necklaces (if you like the nut necklace you will have to declare it and have it fumigated) and ukuleles. You can bargain with the stall holders especially at the end of the night.

 ABC Stores

These are everywhere, about every 6 shops or so (I am not kidding).  They sell everything from lilos and blow up water rings, to alcohol, food and drink, to t-shirts, towels and souvenirs.

We usually buy lilos and get them blown up, and snorkeling masks and flippers.

Stores are open 7am to midnight daily.

Also worth a look is the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center located in front of Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Sheraton Waikiki, just minutes from Waikiki Beach

Five Quick Tips for Clothes Shopping

Tip One

Take a friend who will be honest with you shopping, NEVER rely on shop assistants – they are paid to tell you that you look good even when you don’t.

Tip Two

When trying on ask yourself or a trustworthy friend if it flatters you.  It should suit your shape, the colour should be great and the size should fit (or be taken to a tailor to fit properly).

Tip Three

Do you have somewhere to wear it?  For example will you wear it to work, a party or casual or will it hang in your wardrobe only to get admired.  No point in having a great piece of clothing that you will never wear anywhere (I know I have a great jacket that has nowhere appropriate to wear it).

Tip Four

Is the item worth the cost?  Think about cost per wear.  If you live in jeans then I think it is okay to buy a great pair even if they are expensive as the cost per wear is minimal.  Then there is the expensive dress that gets worn once, which is really not that economical, so think about where else you can wear the dress.

There is also the reverse of this – the sale item that seems like a bargain but never gets worn.  Don’t be seduced by the sale item, take a step back and think would you buy this at full price if you could afford it? If the answer yes, buy it; if the answer is no, leave it.

Tip Five

Does it go with something in your wardrobe? There is nothing worse than getting home and realising the items goes with absolutely nothing you have, unless you want to go and buy a whole lot of other items.

Happy Shopping