Bargains Galore

Hello there!!

I finally have some exciting things to blog about! It’s been a bit quiet on here lately, but hopefully that’s all about to change because it’s sale season! I’ve managed to pick up a few great bargains, and hopefully Hayley and Trista will too!

Let’s start with a favourite, Mimco. Oh Mimco, I am so in love with all your beautiful and wonderful things. To my delight, they were having a sale so I had to drop in to have a bit of a looksy. I could have bought so much, like at least 10 things. But, I had to control myself and I ended up walking away with only 3 things. Yes, only 3 things, it hardly seems worth it doesn’t it?! I’ll give you a bit of a squiz…





I’ve already worn/used all the items and I love them all, which is not a surprise because Mimco does not disappoint. Sometimes when I know I’m going to look in a Mimco store I have to make sure I’m not wearing too many Mimco items, otherwise I feel a bit over the top and a tad obsessed. Once I went into a store and I think I had a bag, shoes and a pair of earrings, the shop assistant was like ‘nice bag, oh and shoes, oh and earrings’. I felt a bit silly! So back to my things, I can’t believe how long it’s taken me to buy a brown bag, it goes with everything, I mean everything! This bag will definitely be getting a lot of use. The sparkly ball earrings, which are quite large and heavy, I saw a while back and have wanted to get them ever since. I’m glad I waited it out, $130 down to $55! The necklace, which I was actually going to get in black and gold but changed my mind at the last minute, and so glad I did, was like $170 or something down to $50! Major bargains!

Let’s move onto something just as exciting as jewellery and bags….. SHOES!





The blue heels are just a pair of cheapies from Rubi Shoes, $20! I don’t expect them to last me a long time but I thought they would be nice to wear every now and then to brighten an outfit and add a pop of colour.

The black heels, absolutely love love! I saw them and fell in love instantly. I didn’t buy them straight away, I wanted to make sure I really did love them and wasn’t just lust. After a couple of days I couldn’t get them out of my head so I knew it was love. I wore them on the weekend and I couldn’t stop looking at them, if they weren’t so high I would be wearing them every day!

I’ve been looking at my wardrobe lately and it’s looking very dark, lots of black and grey. I felt I needed to lighten the mood of it a bit. I get a lot of inspiration from magazines, I often see things in them I like then try find similar items. I’ve been wanting something leather for a while now, and I didn’t want to buy just the typical black leather jacket. I have a fake leather one that does the job just fine! I saw a light beige coloured jacket in a magazine a while ago, I think it was on Beyonce! Anyway, it stuck in my mind and thought it would be great if I could find something similar.

I wasn’t really looking for one or anything in particular when I came across this, so it was a bit of a nice surprise! I feel I haven’t really had any big buys for a while. I tried it on and I really liked it, it surprised me that it fit so well because most things in Forever New seem to be made for non-human bodies and never fit properly. I was a bit hesitant to buy it because of the price, I know leather isn’t cheap but I wasn’t quite expecting to spend that much money that day. I think I was in the change room for about half an hour trying to decide. I wanted to sleep on it but it was the last one in my size. I decided to take the plunge and just go for it, and turns out I made the right choice, it scanned up at about 45% off! I thought that the girl may have made a mistake because it didn’t have a discount sticker and had no indication that it was discounted. I felt like the lady in those funny Ikea adds, the one where she thinks they make a mistake at the register and runs out the store screaming at her husband to drive!

So, this is the jacket…..



I love the frill along the front, it adds softness and the shoulders are gathered which makes it look very cutesy. I feel it’s a girly leather jacket, most leather jackets can be really biker chick, which is fine if you’re in the mood but I like to mix it up and go for a more girly style sometimes.

So, I think I should stop buying jackets, shoes and anything Mimco for the time being because I have so many of each! I’m still thinking about all those other wonderful things I saw in Mimco….sigh.

I have a couple more things to show you so check back soon.

Buy Buy for now, don’t forget to check out the June sales!

Ishia
xoxox

An update

So, I haven't posted in a while, and here's why:



Aaargh! Quell horreur! Because of our home loan application, we had to temporarily cancel all of our credit cards. It also means that I've been pretty preoccupied with signing the hundreds of nearly identical documents that come with this house-buying racket. Sigh. I was so naive going into this process! I had no idea how much was involved. Settlement is in two weeks, and the sigh of relief I breathe when this is all over will be so strong that it may drastically alter global weather patterns. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I was pretty sad to cut up the cards.

I have, however, managed to pick up a couple of things in the last week:



A work top. It's actually pretty cute, the sleeves have a nifty twist detail that gives it that little kick of chic that I like to look out for. It's a cherry colour throughout - the flash has made it look a little ombre, but that isn't the case.



Not one but two pairs of shoes. I utterly ruined my favourite pair of Repetto ballet flats on the day of the Great Perth Storm (you might have seen me walking through the knee-deep floodwaters of Subiaco if you checked the news that night) but Cult Status hasn't had my size in to replace them. Boo! Luckily these onces from Wittner are just as supple and comfortable, so they will happily hold the place of the Repettos for the time being.

I also found a really nice pair of all-leather pumps in Wittner at the same time. Checklist?

• 100% leather throughout?
• No platform?
• Toweringly high stilleto heels?
• Red sole?

OK, so they're not Louboutins, but they're damned nice all the same and I'm happy to welcome them to my wardrobe and cross them off my wishlist. Thanks, Wittner, for a nice shoe-flavoured diversion. (By the way, they have SUPER CUTE animal print ankle boots at the moment that I totes would have bought if I wasn't already leaving with two pairs of shoes. Get 'em while they're hot.)

*****

So I need some style advice. I'm in a bit of a rut lately, style-wise. I work in a plant lab, so I need to wear long pants that can take a bit of a beating, and flat closed shoes every day. Over time I've refined this into a denim-and-ballet-flats uniform which serves me very well (and doesn't get me asked if I'm interviewing elsewhere - the standard of dress in labs is not particularly professional, so tailored pants are viewed with suspicion.) This works really well for me and I'm pretty happy with it.

HOWEVER. This five-year reliance on denim has me at a point now where I don't actually know how to put together a casual (or even smart casual) outfit that doesn't involve jeans. I don't know how it happened, but somewhere along the line my wardrobe developed a big gap between the jeans section and the church and dinner dresses section. So I need some advice. What should a girl who is fairly insecure about her legs (what I'm trying to say is no miniskirts please, or superskinny pants) buy for the bottom half of her body to fill this gap? I'm thinking casual pants or skirts but I have genuinely no idea where to start. What happened to me? All ideas welcome, keeping in mind my general wardrobe direction of Parisian ballerina. I did see a few things in the last couple issues of Shop Til You Drop that I like, namely a velvet skirt and a leather skirt. So that's a start. But I'm still pretty stumped so fire away with the suggestions if you've got 'em.

I need a stylist.

ASOS Loot

I’ve had a bit of bad luck with internet shopping and deliveries lately so when my ASOS package arrived a day earlier than expected and everything was in the package, nothing broken or missing and everything looking prettier than in the pictures on the internet I was over the moon. I will say it has to some degree restored my confidence in online shopping, which is good because there are so many wonderful things on the internet to buy!

This is my loot from ASOS... (I’m too much of a lazy bones to take real pictures)

A pair of awesome peep toe ankle boots! I’m absolutely loving ankle boots at the moment. It’s funny because until this season I haven’t liked them at all! I used to screw my nose up at the sight of them. What was I thinking? I don’t know....? The taupe is a great neutral colour, they will go with everything! ASOS have some awesome shoes, so if you’re looking for some check out their website.



I was only going to buy the shoes above, but then I thought that I may as well grab a few more things because I am paying for postage after all. So I had a look at my wish list and remembered I recently put a scarf on it. So I had a look at all the scarves and found this gem! It’s really very beautiful, the colours are nice and bright, it will add a pop of colour to any neutral winter outfit.



I’ve been wanting a gold bangle for a while, I mainly wear silver but I’m finding myself wanting to mix it up a bit with some gold. At first I thought this bangle was a bit too dainty with a few too many sparkles but then I saw this picture of it on the model and clicked on ‘add to cart’ within seconds. It’s a gorgeous piece jewellery and I absolutely love it. It’s not dainty in the slightest and the rhinestones add some glam without it looking cheap and gaudy.



Lastly, how could I go past these oversized statement earrings. They’re kind of costumey but they’re so pretty and I love them too much to care. I think if I wear them with a simple outfit they will look divine. I’ve put two pictures up so you can see how big they actually are! I love earrings and especially big statement earrings.





That’s me for now, I am expecting something very awesome to arrive either today or tomorrow so check back soon! It’s sooooo cool, I can’t wait to show you and I’m keeping it a secret until then!

Ishia

Shoe Affair

A few years back I used to buy shoes all the time, in recent years I’ve slowed down and have thrown out a lot of those shoes. I would still buy a pair here and there but nothing excessive. Judging from the 5 pairs of shoes I have bought in the last month and a half I have a feeling my shoe affair has returned. I think it stemmed from my recent trip to Singapore in December where there were shoe shops galore. I only bought 3 pairs (all a size too small may I add) but seeing the multitude of shoes did get me thinking....and looking! So now I look in every shoe shop I pass plus every online shop I stumble upon. Shoes are very beautiful and there are many wonderful pairs out there so I’m going to embrace my new found shoe affair and have fun with it!

Do you ever see something so divine that it, in a way, takes your breath away? This pair of shoes did it to me. I fell in love with them the instant I saw them. I don’t think I need to go into much detail or explain why, I’m sure the picture speaks for itself! They’re called ‘Rocker Stud Ballet’ from Mimco. I saw them a couple of weeks ago and have been patiently waiting to get them and it paid off. They were $100 off! The shop assistant was a bit surprised as she said they were new stock and didn’t understand why they were discounted, I guess sometimes it pays to be patient.



The second pair I got this weekend are a pair of totally awesome ankle boots! I saved $100 on the Mimco flats so this purchase is totally justified (let’s pretend I didn’t buy these before the flats). They’re almost identical to a pair I saw in Hobbs a few weeks back but without the price tag! I’m so happy with these. They’re a great height so I can wear them out casually or dressed up, with jeans, leggings, skirts, dresses or shorts. So versatile! I really want a pair of dark grey wool shorts to wear them with in winter, I’ll have to add that to my wish list! Oh, they’re from Forever New in case you were wondering.



So, that’s all from me for now!

I think Trista and Hayley are going to have to pick up their game!! Trista says she is on an 8 week shopping ban, so I guess it’s up to Hayley! However Hayley has posted quite a lot.....so maybe it’s back to me?

Ishia
XoxO

P.S. I have found 2 pairs of shoes from Victoria’s Secret that I want, but unfortunately 1 pair doesn’t ship until May 2010? The first is a pair of espadrilles with black suede straps and the second is a pair of bright pink suede pump wooden platforms! So I’ll have to wait until May to get these....

P.P.S. I saw a girl wearing the most perfect shoes the other day. They were black suede peep toe wedges, the wedge was only a couple of cm’s high and it was in the same suede as the shoe. I regret not stopping her and asking where she got them from. So, if you do spot a similar pair PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I would be eternally grateful!

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.)

And the list goes on.....

So, I managed to buy a few things from my wish list this weekend but I was faced with a huge problem.... I found many more things to add. So now it’s probably as big or bigger than it ever was. I’ve actually spent a lot of money over the last few weeks so I’m kind of annoyed at myself for always wanting more! I guess it’s that shopping gene I inherited! I’m going to try slow down a bit and save some money over the next month or so... For what you may ask? For a shopping spree of course! What a silly question of you to ask!

This is what I managed to invest in over the weekend...



I saw this jacket towards the start of this year and it’s always been in the back of my mind. I decided to get it so it would stop nagging at me! I found it on the rack and it had been marked down to $59.95...pretty good I thought (I think it was originally $79.95). When the shop assistant scanned it she informed me it was now $20... Yes $20!! This is probably the best bargain I’ve scored all year! I really like it because of the pattern in the fabric and also the cut, a nice twist on your traditional black blazer.



A bit like Tris, I went a bit tight mad this weekend and walked away with 3 pairs. I saw a cream pair of lace tights in the latest issue of Shop Til You Drop. When I went to Alannah Hill they didn’t have them, which didn’t really surprise me. Perth shops don’t tend to stock a lot of things I see in magazines which is a great shame. While I was looking in Forever New I found these 2 pairs. I couldn’t decide which ones I liked more so I decided to get both!



I picked these Leona Edmiston tights up from Myer. They’re very cute and I really can’t wait to wear them. This weekend is going to be very hot so the first wear may be a few weeks off yet. But, at least I have them!



My new shiny shoes! I originally wanted them in cream but they didn’t have my size. I equally like the beige colour though. Rachel Zoe said a pair of nude pumps are a must have in every woman’s wardrobe so I trust her! The nude goes with almost every colour so I don’t think you can go wrong. A good thing about heels is they go with everything! These days you can wear a t-shirt, jeans and heels and look fashion forward and chic, then of course they would go well with any dress or skirt. And because they have a closed toe.... TIGHTS anyone?



This top is super pretty. The photo doesn’t do it any justice at all. It’s kind of crossed between a light grey and a violet then the back has a big exposed zip from the neck to the bottom of the top. I’m not sure what colour to wear under it though, I tried a white singlet but that stood out too much. In the pic I have a skin colour singlet on but I don’t think I like this colour with it either. I’m thinking maybe a grey?

So they were my buys from the weekend. I also got the grey tee from my wish list and a couple of bloom nail polishes. I’m also thinking of going back to Alannah Hill to buy a pair of pretty flower earrings I saw but we’ll see. I have a few packages that should be arriving in the next few weeks, some jewellery from Anthropologie, a new pink laptop and I may have accidentally purchased those Dior sunglasses from my wish list. With all of that plus my buys from the weekend I have well and truly blown my budget.... Well, not that I actually give myself a budget but I’ve spend more than enough.....for today anyway :)

Ishia
XoxoX

These are a few of my favourite things!

I thought I would blog a few of my favourite things I have bought over the last few weeks to get us started! I sometimes go through phases where I will buy excessive amounts of items then not really buy much for few weeks. This gives my bank balance time to recover and it also gives me time to think about things I’ve seen around the place. I can think about what I currently have in my wardrobe and if that glittery sequined top I saw will really go with anything else I currently have. I often find that I won’t go back for half the things I thought I had to have otherwise I didn’t know if I could go on. If I do decide I really want it I often make quick trips to the shops during my lunch break! Once I’ve decided I want something I feel I have to get it ASAP, what if they sell out? My life would surely end...!

I got these ruffled suede flats from Zu, I was looking for a pair of black peep toe flats and these were all I could really find. They’ve grown on me more since I bought them and wore them to work today because I couldn’t wait to try them out! Verdict is they’re very cute, they’ll team well with jeans, a skirt or shorts. While I was buying them I saw some sparkle in the corner of my eye... I looked over in that direction and saw the cutest black shiny clutch! It was 50% off so I snatched it off the shelf. I forgot to take a photo of it so you will have to take my word!



Last winter I bought a pair of pointed flats which I wore to death, they were only cheapies so I was hoping I could find something similar this winter. I thought that a pair of patent pointed flats would be perfect (I really love patent at the moment)! To my surprise I found the exact shoes I pictured in Myer (Miss Shop), so of course I had to buy them straight away. I haven’t had a chance to wear them yet, I will probably wait until it gets really cold because I prefer to wear sandals or peep toe shoes, however I am looking forward to wearing them with a pair of tights and maybe a cute skirt or tailored pair of shorts.

Here are a few other things I have picked up over the last few weeks. Navy and white striped top from Review (super super cute, has a bow on the back and puffy sleeves), bling bling necklace from Sportsgirl (which I love love) and black skirt from Portmans (which I can’t wait to wear with lace tights and studded ankle boots)!



Autumn and winter clothes have just started hitting the shops. When new season fashion starts coming out I slightly panic and think “Oh my gosh, I need to get it all now before it sells out, I need to be prepared’. I don’t care that it’s still summer and probably won’t wear any of it for another month or even two. Or that this is just the beginning of the stock and there will be plenty more to come. So this is my autumn/winter shopping list of things to get soon:

- Cream patent pumps from Zu (I have a $50 off voucher...yay!)
- Black studded ankle boots and maybe a tan pair if I can find some I love
- Cream lace Alana Hill tights
- Black polka dot tights, I saw some in Forever New and I think Review have them
- Long cardigan to wear with tights (Black or grey....or maybe both)
- Dark denim ‘strinny’ jeans (Cross between skinny and straight leg jeans....I made it up, hopefully they exist or something similar)
- Black crop jacket I saw in dotti, very vintage looking

Wow....this list is getting big! There are also several other things I’ve been meaning to get:

- Light grey tee, loose fitting but not too baggy!
- Bobbi brown makeup manual which I’ll probably get on Amazon so I might grab a couple of other books I’ve been meaning to get!
- Concealer....to try cover my dark circles. If you were wondering why I don’t have one already (I’m sure many girls would consider this a staple) I don’t wear much makeup but I’m starting to and am going to start experimenting with a few things I don’t often wear....like eyeshadow and eyeliner ( I hear the gasps.....)
- Speaking of dark circles there’s a product I’ve been meaning to try so I’ll add that to the list – Jan Marini Factor A Eyes
- Dior sunglasses I walked pass the other day and have been thinking of them ever since. I haven’t even tried them on yet so I’ll have to see if they even suit me! I’ve found them on ebay so I’m ready to go! I have been looking for a pair of classic black sunglasses for a while so it’s not a impulse buy!

I’m going to stop myself there because this list is getting excessive...where will I even get all this money from to buy all these things? I want all this stuff like this weekend! Sure I have a job but I also have a mortgage and bills to pay, and food to buy (my husband and I tend to spend a lot of money on food....we must like it)! I’m trying so hard not to use my credit card these days and instead use ‘real’ money to buy my things. I change my mind about things so often that I may not even end up getting some of it....but this is my wishlist as it stands and I WILL use real money to buy these things! Well.....most of these things!

Looking forward to my next blog, hopefully I will be able to show you some of the items on my wishlist!

Ishia
XoxoX