LF

We've got some pretty great fashion retailers here in Australia which always stock the latest trendy pieces - Sportsgirl, General Pants, Dotti, boutiques on Rundle Street, everything in Melbourne, etc. But I'm always jealous of the choice and great price of clothing in the Northern Hemisphere at places like Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Topshop and H&M which we don't have here. I suppose it's a case of "the grass is always greener" but when I come across stores like LF, I get just a little green and wish I was back in the States, shopping up a storm. Check out pics from LF's banging Autumn and Winter lookbooks:

They also stock shoes by Senso and Jeffrey Campbell. I think I'm in love.

Zara Adelaide

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to the media tour/opening of Zara at Burnside Village. On arrival we were gifted with a lovely leather tote bag and a usb with photos of Zara's latest lookbook.

The tour started at 8am, and we were taken in groups around the store and given detailed introductions to each collection by different staff members. Zara's concept is to keep each collection in its own section of the store, like a mini boutique where you can pair and mix individual items and access the coordinating shoes and bags.

Surprisingly, Zara's prices are not unreasonable. Shoes retail for around $60-90, a large selection of jeans for $60, coloured knits for $30 as well as some higher price points for limited edition items and finer materials. Not only was I impressed by the range of colour, cut and style for women, but the men's collection is very well thought out with plenty of pieces to mix and match. (If I'm lucky, I'll drag Pete along to buy him some slim fit shirts!) There's also a very cute and age appropriate kids collection and TRF, a collection aimed at fashion-forward youth.


Adelaide's Zara store is the largest in Australia, housed over two levels and occupying 2,300sq m and is modeled on the Fifth Avenue, New York design. It's a lovely store, very open, clean and relaxing. I think Zara will do very well at Burnside, as the style of the store and merchandise is in line with the mix of middle range and high end retailers in the shopping centre. 

My lookbook usb

Leather tote!

*Note: Sadly, at the start of the tour I realised my camera battery was completely dead (though it appeared full the night before). I have no photos of my own from the tour, but can show you pics from the Zara lookbook.

Evil Twin Summer Lookbook

Aussie label Evil Twin (the twisted sister of Mink Pink) have released the lookbook for their first Summer collection, Black Magic Woman, and it is an absolute winner. According to the Evil Twin blog, the release is a bit late and we can expect their second summer range next week! How lucky!

The collection, if you couldn't already tell from the title, is a continuation of the themes we saw in their A/W collections and full of 70s nostalgia with a nod to rock-and-roll and tribal mysticism. While the cuts and silhouettes featured in this first collection are not ground-breaking, they boost the retro trend finally making its way to our shores. The collection is versatile and very wearable, highlighting one of the main reasons this brand continues to be a favourite of mine.

In the midst

In the midst by southernstrut featuring structured handbags


 Another Polyvore set, this time to pair with Betts Retro-B wedge ($89.99) below.
 

Actual Pain

Seattle-based brand Actual Pain have just released their latest collection titled All Of Them Witches. The current designs tap into the new age trend seen in the likes of Evil Twin's latest collection but in a darker and much more understated way. The collection has a great retro vibe to it and I love the sinister twist given to a certain Disney character. I also love their completely unpretentious video lookbook. Check out some of the designs and head to the website for more.

Ear cuffs and mood board

For ages I was hunting down this ear wrap until I figured out it doesn't go through the ear, but slips on either side (like a regular earring). My ears are stretched to 10mm so I got excited to have something that would go through my ear. Oh well. Looking around, I found some great stuff at Marty Magic which would go well with any of the 90s gunge and 70s hippie/new age looks going around at the moment.

While we're on the subject, I thought I'd post a mood board of all the looks I'm currently wearing. I can't get enough of all things 90s and 70s at the moment and so find myself wearing these looks on alternate days or mixing them (which works surprisingly well!)