Just a few bits and pieces...

Just a few things I picked up this weekend that I'd like to show you...

I am so excited about these boots! They are HOT, with a capital H, O and T! I started seeing the ‘Over the Knee Boot’ more and more a few weeks ago. I had a pair of knee high boots which were ruined on a trip to Japan about a year ago now, I decided I wasn’t going to replace them because I didn’t feel all that keen on knee high boot. While they served me very well in Japan in the freezing cold weather I didn’t feel enough love for them in general. But the ‘Over the Knee Boot’ is a total different story! All I can say is HOT! I love how they go over the knee, well dahh... hence the name! But they sit at such a great height, and when worn with a short dress/skirt/shorts they show just a few inches of leg and look amazing, well, on models anyway, not so much me! I tried on a few leather pairs and liked them, but then I found these suede ones in Betts which I liked more. They’re not real leather so they won’t last me as long but the suede is such a richer black and I think they are more wintery than the leather. And because the facric is a bit more floppy than the leather, if I'm in a ‘Knee High Boot’ mood, I can fold the top over and scrunch them down and there you have your knee high!


I did pick up a few more things this weekend. I saw this floral tunic on Sportsgirl.com.au last week and adored it, I really like the way it’s styled in this picture, it’s really quite cute. So now I just have to get a boyfriend blazer and a pair of pattered stockings! It’s a bit of a funny fit but I really liked the print and it’s nothing a big belt can’t fix!


I went a bit Sportsgirl mad this weekend actually, I also picked up this vintage looking cardigan, and wait for it, it has shoulder pads? Now, I know 80’s fashion is in, and I do have a few tops with big, puffy sleeves but I just don’t know if I can go as far as shoulder pads? I’m still deciding whether to keep them in or cut them out? If I’m in a real vintage mood, I could wear this with the floral tunic, they look quite nice together and I love the idea of mixing different prints and textures.


And a couple of accessories, an embellished headband, which I loved so much, I didn’t even bother looking at the price and I still don’t know how much it cost! And you know I love bold jewellery so I couldn't go past this necklace....and again quite vintage looking.



Speaking of jewellery, I really love big rings and I had an awesome thought last week. I’d like collect 7 rings, one for every day of the week. They have to be decent quality so no plastic or fake stones, so it won’t be happening overnight but hopefully within the next couple of years. I have one and I already have my eye on a big fat pearl one from Mimco, my wedding anniversary is coming up next month (so Mark if you’re reading this... HINT HINT)! I’ve also been thinking lately that a gold watch would be nice for when I wear other gold jewellery, I only have a silver one at the moment so when I wear gold I don’t wear a watch and I’m constantly looking at my bare wrist for the time! So, I guess this is a bit of a wishlist update!

I feel so much better after my shop this weekend. Late last week I was feeling strange, I had the most enormous urge to want to shop and now I feel revitalised! I have however, realised I have a lot of clothes in my wardrobe to get through this winter so I won’t be buying much more. I think I’ll be concentrating on books and homewares! But, maybe a few items of clothing here and there, I have my eye on an oversized man-style shirt/dress and I really want something leather, and at the moment I’m thinking a leather vest! And also tops, I had a major top meltdown on Monday, I have none! And I couldn’t find one to buy anywhere, I didn’t like anything, it was so frustrating and then I found one, but they didn’t have my darn size. I felt like screaming in the middle of the shop, but I thought it would be slightly embarrassing so I had to hold it in.

That’s all from me for now!

Ishia

P.S. I know I was really lazy this time with taking photos, sometimes it’s so much effort! You have to take the picture, usually a few times until you get a snap you like, then load in onto the computer, then sometimes do some photoshopping (depending on how lazy you are that day), then upload it and put in the descriptions, tags, etc, etc, then put it into the post. So it does take a lot of effort! I will be better in future though! And I also just realised I have used a lot of exclamation marks!! This is a bit of a lazy post and not my best, so please forgive me.

Shopaholics Anonymous

Hello, my name is Ishia and I am a shopaholic. It’s been approximately 2 hours since my last purchase (at time of writing) and only a few days since I vowed not to buy anything more. I’ve been bad and I am slightly ashamed. This is what happens when I have no supervision and am left alone, so I could say that it’s not my fault. I could say that it’s my husband’s fault, if he didn’t work last night I would have gone straight home to meet him, but he was busy, and I was bored, so I went to the shop. I told myself I wouldn’t buy anything more for a while, and because I did I kind of feel like I have stolen something. I feel quite terrible in fact, but I think this is a good thing. Maybe I just needed to get this one last splurge out of my system and now I’m ready to stop?

So, ready for my justifications?!!

I really like the leggings/tights trend. Let me just clarify, I like leggings worn with a short dress or a long cardigan, etc. DEFINITELY not with a normal length top, leggings are for wearing underneath things, not as a pair of pants. I see too many girls who totally miss the point of leggings and it drives me nuts. There are a couple of exceptions however, wearing leggings with a top to the gym is totally acceptable and also if you are supermodel thin and they are a pair of totally chic leather or textured leggings, then I think that too is acceptable! So back to my justification, I wanted a cream dress to wear with black tights, and I found one in Forever New so I bought it. I’m going to see Cats this week so I think I might wear it then.



I saw some black sandals in a Big W catalogue so I went to have a look. Turns out the sandals were horrible in real life (no surprises there), but I did find these black ankle boots, for $30 you can’t go wrong. I know I already have a pair of black ankle boots but these ones were too cute and cheap to pass up! I think I’ll wear them with the dress to Cats!



I wrote in my last post that I wanted a trench coat or cream coat. I feel like I have jumped the gun here and bought the first one I saw, but I really love this. It’s a trench coat but not the basic style you usually see. This one has little puffy shoulders and quite a full skirt so it’s more of a trench dress. It’s long enough to wear with just leggings and it has a navy and white striped lining on the cuffs which looks adorable if you roll up the sleeves, Hayley would approve! When I tried it on my heart melted which is why I bought it straight away without really looking at any others. Every time I picture it on I’m also wearing a little hat so I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for one that will compliment it.



I bought all this stuff last Thursday and started writing this post that night. I was too lazy to finish it then and left it all weekend. Over the weekend I may have purchased something too. This was hugely influence by my husband. He told me to buy it, he really did! I was hesitant to spend that much money considering we don’t have much at the moment. It was on sale and he said I would regret it if I didn’t, so being a good wife I listened to my husband. I’ve wanted a leather black bag for a long time, I bought a Chloe one in Singapore at Christmas time which I do love but the shoulder strap is too small to actually put over your shoulder and it really frustrates me. The strap on this one is a great length and the leather is so soft and smells nice, I love the smell of new leather! When I went to pay for it I also grabbed a pair of gel heel grips, the shop assistant forgot to put them through with the bag so she just threw them in for free, score! I think it probably had something to do with the fact that I was wearing a pair of Mimco shoes and earrings and she was like wow, you must like Mimco! And yes indeed I do.



So that’s all from me for now. Last night I woke up and this thought popped into my head ‘I need a pink boyfriend blazer’. I don’t know where it came from and I keep thinking about it, I think it must be a sign? I would love one, I think it would look sweet with a pair of jeans and espadrilles or wedges, I keep picturing that way in my head, so I think I will keep my eyes out for one.

Bye bye for now!

Ishia

Update

I've been requested to provide a few more details for the dress and trench coat in this post. The trench coat is by Bardot which I got from Myer, but I have seen it in the Bardot stores and it was $129.95. The silk dress from Forever New was $99.95 and it's called 'Drape Sleeve Mini Dress (DR2129) in Sahara Beige.

Hope this helps!

Ishia xox

Oh Review, I do love you

There's a lot of squee going on here this afternoon, because I just brought this home:



It's the Lucinda dress from Review, aka the black dress that's been dancing through my dreams every night since I saw it in their catalogue last month. Yes, I know, it's only been a month, but the thing is, I've been looking for the perfect LBD more or less forever (haven't we all?) and this, for me, is The One. It's everything I've been after. It's unbelievably flattering. It fits me like a dream. The sweetheart bodice bisects my chest in just the right spot, and the lace overlay keeps it classy. The way the neckline dips into a V at the back shows off my back (which, by the way, is my favourite body part. Weird?) but doesn't dip so low as to be obscene. The pleats skim my hips just-so. The waistline nips in at exactly the right spot. The hem finishes right at the skinniest part of my leg. You see this rhapsodising here? I'm in love, you guys.

As you will note, my wishlist contains an unimpeachable black dress, and as you may recall, things on that wishlist, to me, are worth as much money as it takes. Ergo, I was more than happy to pay the price on the tag. But lo! The lovely sales assistant informed me that dresses are 30% off at the moment. AND WAIT! I had a voucher for an extra $25 off in my bag! So this dress, worth every penny of the asking price to me, was mine for only 60% of that asking price. I'm just overjoyed. Thanks, Review! You guys have climbed inside my head this season and given me exactly what I wanted.

I really have to stay away from the shops for the next couple of weeks now. Even though I got a thumping discount on this glorious dress, I wasn't planning on buying anything else this month, so I have to lay low for a while. (Taking bets in the comments: which one of the remaining items on my list will I find in the next week and be unable to walk away from?) As such, my next post will probably be more of a Theory Of Shopping entry than Whee, Look At My New Thing! But we'll see. Never say never, right?

- Hayley xoxo

Birthday shopping

Yesterday was my birthday (26th, for the record, which is a highly unimportant number as far as I'm concerned), so Ant let me indulge in a little shopping. Thanks baby! Here's my haul.



Cross this one off my list. Nude shoes from Mollini in Subiaco. They have a lot of shoes going for $50 at the moment, so if you're that way inclined then I suggest you head over for a look. These have a lower heel than I would usually consider, but I really liked them when I tried them on. It just goes to show that you can't always be sure what you like.



Another list-crosser, this time a superfine merino (OK, not cashmere, but close) V-neck jumper from Country Road in Claremont. I do like Country Road an awful lot. They make flattering, high-quality clothes for less money than you'd expect.



Oh, I'm so in love with this headband. I wanted to find something just like this to wear to a wedding this weekend. It reminds me of the one Crown Princess Mary wore to Prince Christian's christening. (Yes, I'm a royal watcher. Sue me. I hate all the "Mary's secret tears!" stories in New Idea though.) Also good news is that Ant thinks the Alannah Hill boutique is quite charming, and even called me over to show me a cute pair of shoes. Squee!



I didn't buy this yesterday, but it did arrive in the mail yesterday so I'm including it here. This is the dress I was looking for all summer - the versatile, go-anywhere lightweight jersey dress. It's Calvin Klein, and I got it for a monster discount at Royal Tag. They have a huge selection of really classy clothes for very reasonable prices, and I'll definitely be shopping there again. This dress, again, will be coming with me to the wedding next weekend.

So that's a brief look at my latest acquisitions! I really am thrilled with all of them, and I know I'll get many long years of service from them, too. Who could ask for more?

- Hayley xoxo

Update: Oh my goodness you guys, I am so in love with the dress. It is perfection. It fits like a dream, and goes with everything. I've worn it so far to dinner, church and just hanging out in flat sandals, and it works everywhere. This is definitely going to be <$1 per wear.

To add to my wishlist

• Awesome grey-blue lace-accented dress
• Red peeptoe platforms
• Fur clutch
• Brown suede belt
• A certain Italian charm

And then, maybe then, I will look as awesome as this Milanese girl from The Sartorialist.

(I could do without la sigaretta though.)

Just a few things......

I am starting to collect tights! Sportsgirl is my legs' friend! I lovvvveeee the tights in there! So far I have purchased 2 pairs!



This pair I wore in my photoshoot! Love tights.. can not wait to collect many more! Under mini shorts! Love that look!



So onto other things.... this is a skirt I purchased a few weeks back! I am really into buying skirts at the moment! It sits just above the waist and sort of balloons out a little bit! The balloon effect is very flattering on the legs!!

The back has a big black bow! Super cute! Im actually thinking I might wear the bow at the front! The tag is there so its obviously meant to be the back but when I tried it on I like the bow at the front!! Teamed with a black tank and heels I think this will be a pretty cool outfit!

Forever New has awesome stuff! Went in there today and saw so much I wanted to buy! can not wait to start my new winter look! Very exciting! I did walk away with 3 items! One black lace body suit.. check... one white semi small studded top.. check and one studded bling cuff.. check! I think I shall be revisiting this store on a weekly basis! Awesome leather, studs, grunge style clothes mixed with that hip ultra chic trashy yet ever so classy look! Not to mention the fantastic range of tights!

Yesterday I hit the shops of Subiaco! Was so fun ducking in and out of cool little shops in between interviews! I was walking past this awesome dress shop and this dress was in the window and I just HAD to try it on even though I had no intention of buying it! Here I was secretly snapping pictures of myself in the change room and the next thing I know the sales girl knocks on the door and asks me to come out! So i do and she gave me these manky heels and asks do I want to take a picture! hahahaha So i hand her my camera and she happily snaps a photo! The dress was sooooooooooo cute! I really did like it! Until I looked at the price tag! Not a purchase yet it was so cute the dress I just had to share it with you!

Until next time! xo