Tuille and Tell

I haven’t been posting recently but I’ve been very busy shopping. I really need to reign it in before my big New York trip later this year or I’ll have nothing to spend there! And that would be too sad for words.

But when I popped in to the Trelise Cooper sale about a month ago, I just Could Not Resist this skirt. It’s longer on me, to the floor, and when I came out to look at it in the mirror, I heard an intake of breath and a teen girl near me whisper to her mother “It’s like a Sex and the City dress!”.

I teamed it with a navy Cooper blazer and a t-shirt but what I’m hankering after for this look is a elbow length batwing v-neck green silk jumper. Wonder if I’ll find one in the States??

September Issue

Nooooo! I read on Twitter that The September Issue is screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 1 August at 7 pm. And I will be most definitely on a plane at that time, winging my way back to Melbourne.

I hope that it's only the preview and that it goes on general release. Because I am gagging to see this film. Simply gagging.

Ho hum.

Staples

Apparently, a pair of D & G t-bar shoes is not a staple. That is, something which should be purchased in multiples, with only slight variations.

I was browsing the Coggles sale and came across this pair which I love love love. Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel are the masters of this look. I simply can't get enough of it.

But a junior male walked by the screen and said "Don't you have those shoes already? I'm sure I've seen them in the study. On the floor somewhere." Humph, I thought and clicked onto another tab.

I tend to do this; buy several shoes in similiar styles, organise my wardrobe and discover that all of my black jackets are of similiar lengths and cuts. Walk into a store and think "I must have that!", only to discover that I already do. And let's not get me started on when I discover something I adore has gone on sale and so I buy a second pair, jumper, skirt. Ssssh, that's a secret ...

And speaking of Coggles, you have to admire a store founder who names it after her lover's partner in infidelity.

The story goes that in n 1976 founder Victoria Bage, was about to expand her successful new business and open her first store when she discovered her lover was having an affair with his secretary, Sarah Coggles. Victoria did not suffer fools gladly though and on discovering the affair, she promptly threw him out and named the store after the secretary to remind him of the mistake he had made.

The Australian Top 40 Best Dressed

I usually only buy the Australian on the weekend, for the mag and the Review section. But when strolling through the newsagent the other day I saw that they had a 40 Best Dressed List in their Wish Magazine, I snapped it up.

When I got home, I waited until I had some quiet and could sit on the sofa and thoroughly read the list. But I was quickly bored, quite quite bored. I do applaud the Australian for reaching out to assess a wider group of the stylish, rather than the standard socialites, singers and actors. Business people had their own section, as did couples and fashion people. Many of them I had never heard of. But my real problem was the limited photographs - one per person and most were not fully body shots. Many of the pictures really did not give a good sense of the individual's style and with only one per person, I struggled to fully appreciate why some of these people were nominated.

It was a more mature, inclusive, diverse list. But it wasn't exciting.

Big Girls Do Buy

Welcome news that Elle Macpherson's lingerie range is to include designs for women wearing cup sizes D to G.

Her designs are pretty and well-priced (particularly at the Bendon outlets) but the straps are flimsy and often offer no real support to the larger breast. It will be interesting to see how the new range is engineered, as a bigger cup is not sufficient if it is still held up by 2 spaghetti straps.

Full article from The Age here.
Bellaforma, an Australian site offering gorgeous bras and swimwear for the bigger bust here.
Choice article about bra fittings, stating 68% of bras professionally fitted were incorrectly sized.

Mimco Clutch

I have to admit, I'm not usually a fan of Mimco bags. The button bag is so ubiquitous and many of their other bags simply don't have the quality of materials nor design to warrant their price. Their cuffs and hair accessories yes, their bags and shoes, no.

But it has to be said; I am a sucker for their clutches. Particularly when picked up cheap from one of their factory outlets for the mere price of $49.95. I don't like Mimco much, but this, this, I love!

Two Plus 2

Don't worry, I did notice the maths issue in the Paul & Joe jeans photo.

I was uploading the picture and called out to my brother, the banker "Hey, $49 and $49 is $98 right? "

He loved living with me during the GFC last year as I have all the financial channels on pay tv and he could get his fix of after hours analysis. He made me watch a documentary last night called "The Ascent of Money". I said "But doll, I am more about The SPENT of Money".

My brother thinks Rachel Zoe and I, in no particular order, are responsible for the shape the world is in right now. I pointed out to him that bankers have played a small part. I rest my (vintage Vuitton) case.

Paul & Joe/Karen Millen Sample Sale

Paul & Joe and Karen Millen sample sale started today. Link for details here .

It has to be said that I love a sample sale. I could never afford a wardrobe filled with as many beautiful pieces as I have if I'd had to pay for them, you know, in a shop. When I was working outside the home, I used to glance wistfully at the ads for the Spencer & Rutherford sales but that was all I knew about.

Then I (a) was no longer constrained by working full time (b) subscribed to MissyConfidential and (c) started spending time on the Vogue forums Sale and Discount Outlets section. Suddenly there were constant sales I itched to attend. I became very familiar with the back streets of Richmond and Collingwood. Anywhere industrial, looking for the determined girls striding up the street with a purpose.

Today was one of my favourite sales, the Paul & Joe one. Nowhere near as good as last time and I only came away with a glorious blue patent handbag marked as faulty. Only one stud loose from the main frame which a bit a superglue will fix in a jiffy. $350 down to $79. Very pleased.

But the real bargain was this:


They had two racks of denim; dark blue, pale blue, green, grey, white. All small sizes but if you can sift through and find what you like, a real bargain!

On Being Good

The Net-A-Porter UK sale just started and yet, I find myself being strangely good.

Flicking through US Vogue and Harpers, I fell in love with this Moschino Cheap and Chic tweed jacket. Girls in fields lolling about with the gorgeous yellow glow of the neck twist. I had it shipped from Saks and could not wait for it to arrive. But it was too large in the body and I wasn't going to pay AU$1000 for a jacket which wasn't perfect. That could go towards a Chanel jacket!

So it went back. But I have been stalking NAP ever since, waiting for it to go on sale. And last night, constantly pressing refresh every time I sat down at the computer, it did! But at around 300 pounds including shipping, that's $650, and the question is, do I love it that much? I know that I $500 love it. When I packed it up, I decided that was the price I was willing to pay for it.

So I am resisting. But it doesn't mean I don't sneak a peek at it every now and then ...