Sunday, 30 October 2011

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

Latest addition to my shoe collection

These I saw online before I went to Hawaii, but sadly they had sold out. You can imagine my joy when I saw them in the Marie Claire!

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

Thursday, 29 September 2011

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

Monday, 22 August 2011

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

Sunday, 14 August 2011

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

Friday, 12 August 2011

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.