Melbourne

On Sunday my dear friend Chris celebrated his 25th birthday, so in honour of the occasion we packed our bags and drove 750km to Melbourne to party with him. We left Adelaide at 5am and arrived in Melbourne at about 3pm. Chris, Rach, Amanda and I stayed in the Space Hotel  in a dorm with two other lovely room mates, Geoff and Michael. We ate the most delicious fried chili tofu at Dragon House then partied like there was no tomorrow  at The Provinical, Cape Live Bar (later known as "Cape Fear") and Laundry. Saturday consisted of sleeping in, big brekkies, a few hours of shopping (we were too fragile to hit it hard) and naps. On Saturday night we had drinks at Hells Kitchen, dinner at The Quarter, then more drinks at Lustre Lounge before buying a few cheeky bottles of wine and Fosters and heading back to the hostel. At midnight we sang Chris happy birthday and partied out front of the hostel with all our new friends. Sunday started with hostel check-out, breakfast at the amazing Tin Pot Cafe in Fitzroy and a long drive home. It was an amazing weekend with my dearest friends, but I sure was glad to sleep in my own bed again.

Delicious meal at Dragon House

Starting the night at The Provincial

Skittle bombs

Chillin at The Basement

Occupy Melbourne protest

Tree art

Trunk bar - sadly we did not get to wine and dine here.

Geoff and Chris

Rach and Sarah at Tin Pot Cafe

Just sayin'

I just wanted to post a quick note before I jet off to Sydney tomorrow morning. You can always, always look good on a budget. People ask me, "where do you shop, where do you get your clothes from?" I shop cheap, I am a regular at Valleygirl, Target, and the sale sections of Dotti, Sportsgirl, General Pants and Trims. I'm not embarrassed to check out what's new in Big W and K Mart. For instance, I previously posted about my new pair of wedges bought from Big W for $34.95, here:

You could also spend more money and get basically the same thing at Novo for $79.95

Or spend more money and get the Tony Bianco version for $179.95

Similarly, I can get these blue wedges I have been lusting over from Novo for $79.95

Or splash out on the Tony Bianco wedge at $179.95

And if anyone cares to drop a pair of those blue bad boys in my letter box (size 8, fyi) I will be so happy.

Topshop in Oz

UK fast fashion brand Topshop are coming to Australia, with plans to open two standalone stores in Sydney and Melbourne in 2012.

Previously, Topshop were stocked as a brand only in Incu stores in Sydney and Melbourne but now are looking at locations to put the stores in indirect competition with the recently opened Zara stores.

News about Topshop's Australian expansion at Fashionising, incidcate the most likely location for the Melbourne store to be in the Jam Factory complex on Chapel Street. Fashionising reports that Topshop could take over the 2,800 square metres of retail space previously used by Borders before their bankruptcy and closure.

From Fashionising: "While it would be impossible for the whole property to be dedicated to floor and shelf space, at 2,800 square metres the single storey Topshop store would be larger than Zara’s Melbourne store, which totals to 1,700 square metres spread across three levels.

With Australians already the third largest consumers of Topshops goods via their online store, Topshop’s opening in the country is a move certain to cement their position in the market."

It is not yet confirmed whether Topshop will feature collections by Australian designers they way their UK stores have with collections by Kate Moss and style selections by Katie Shillingford, Editor of Dazed & Confused magazine. Margy Osmond, CEO of the Australian National Retailers Association spoke on Kerri-Anne this morning, saying in international locations Topshop have not yet invited local designers to collaborate, but that trend could always change.

"It's not been their model in the past, but there's no reason why it couldn't necessarily happen," Ms Osmond said.

You can view the interview on Kerri-Anne here.

In the meantime...

Just bought these babies off eBay for $40 (free postage). I got them in black but a less sensible version of me would have bought the gold.
Seems everyone is doing Jeffrey Campbell rip-offs at the moment, which is great because I can't afford the real ones. Rubi are selling Lita knock-offs which (devestatingly) did not fit me, so when in doubt, I turn to eBay. And, voila!

 

Style.com

Like any good fashion blogger I joined Style.com and created my first lookbook. It is in no way exhaustive and taken entriely from the Fall 2011 runway looks. Mostly it is a compliation of styles I like to wear and inspiration for the coming season. A lot of the looks can also translate to Spring/Summer, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves.

Will be purchasing a tripod soon so I can begin documenting my looks and purchases. I will also be aiming to give more in-depth analysis of trends. In other news, I scored a job at Betts shoe store, ending the early mornings and grumpy customers I had to endure at Hudsons. Also stoked I get to sell shoes and have staff discount.

eBay win

I finally won something on eBay! After many last-minute losses, which made me very sad, I will soon be the proud owner of these loverly boots:

I saw boots very similar to these at Globalize at the end of Winter last year, just before I went overseas. The pyramid stud has been around for a while and getting a bit...old...shall we say, but there's something about it I just can't go past. I'm all about the leather and studs and like to think I look like a bad-ass rebel chick each time I step out of the house, so these boots are perfect for me.

Best Op Shops

I op-shop so frequently it's ridiculous. Now that I have no car, my shopping habits have been curbed, much to the delight of my worn out debit card!

Here is a list of my most frequented/best op shops (in no particular order):

Salvos on Broadway, Glenelg
I shop here quite often because I live close by and the range is amazing. There is always new stuff coming in and you can pick up some really good quality stuff. For instance, last time I was there I bought a perfectly fitting navy velvet dress for $15. Amazing!

Save The Children, Glenelg
Again, many a dime spent here as I live so close. They used to be a bit pricey ($15 for a daggy old top? No thanks.) But recently have had 50% off everything sale with no end in sight. And the ladies are always lovely and quick to give compliments.

Savers, Noarlunga
If you live in Adelaide and you haven't discovered Savers yet, you life is just not worth living. Seriously. It's basically a giant warehouse full of amazingness. It's full of mostly women's clothes arranged into style, size and colour (so handy). There's also shoes, LOTS of handbags, menswear, some furniture and bric-a-brac. As soon as you walk in the door grab one of the wheeled baskets - you'll fill it up in no time. Best of all, everything is mega cheap, better than Salvos prices. Win.

Salvos, Brighton Rd
This Salvos is pretty reliable though not as good as it used to be. That said, I've had some great finds here, such as the time the store was full of gypsy clothing. They've had a recent renovation and now stock a lot more than they used to, so it's worth checking out.

Goodwill, Hindley St
This store has been around for ages for a reason. The upstairs bit is always chock full of new and used clothing and some great jewelery. Downstairs is a retro/costume enthusiast's wet dream. So many bad dresses, so little money. And the 50c rack is always a winner.

Salvos, South Rd, Darlington
One of the best Salvos this side of the city. Always a winner for shoes, bags, dresses, everything. Prices are good and there's heaps to look at.

Salvos, South Road, Edwardstown
Similar to the Darlington one but bigger in size. This one can be a bit hit-and-miss but the sheer size means it's always worth a look.

Salvos, Whitmore Sq
Whitmore Sq is not the nicest of places to visit in Adelaide but the Salvos store there is worth risking you limbs/spare change.

Salvos, Magill Rd
Yep, Salvos again. There's so many of them I have no choice but to visit them all. I occasionally dropped in to this one to/from Uni and it was worth it every time. Because it's located in a more affluent area you get all the name brand/fantastic old lady stuff. Rich people have much more eclectic taste than my poorer, more conservative ladies of the south. Patterns, patterns and more patterns.

Anything on the main street in Hahndorf
Seriously. It's all so cheap and the ladies who run the stores are adorable, half-blind and often hidden behind mountains of clothing. It'll take a while to rummage through eveything but you'll come out with some absolute gems.

The one on the main street in Yankalilla
Ok, so I haven't visited this one in about five years, but what I remember was a dank, dark house full of clothing and random items, all ridiculously cheap. It would take days to get through each room and the old lady who runs the place might be dead before you finish rummaging. Only for the adventurous.

Anything in Norwood. 
Money, The Parade, old rich biddies. Need I say more?

And I think that's it for now. A long list, yes, but definitely not exhaustive.

2010 awesomeness

  

This is an old favourite bought in early 2010. It's loose and stripey and wonderful. Found at Edwardstown Salvos for about $5. Looks great tied up with a black maxi skirt, high-waited shorts or black jeans. I usually wear it with chunky heels/boots and dramatic eye make-up or dark red lipstick. So Frenchy, so chic. 

In late 2010 I visited the US (among many, many other places). Found this little gem in a Hollywood vintage shop for $10 (btw - all the best stuff can be found in Hollywood op-shops). I love wearing it with all types of denim for a bit of a cowboy/salute-to-all-things-American look.

I picked this up for $5 at Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco. The guy running the stall had ana amazing array of sarcastic and nerdy t-shirts. Had to cut the sleeves and the neckline to make it fit better.

I don't think Americans realise how amazing it is to shop in their country. When traveling through the US/Canada, Rachel and I became BFFs with Forever 21, H&M and Urban Outfitters. This little number came from Forever 21 in NY (East Village or SoHo or something) and I paid about $24.95 (I think). It's such a perfect fit, the fake leather waistband can get a little sweaty in summer, but I'm not one to complain.