Trinket storage - English bone china

As I have grown up in front of your eyes (hahaha), you have seem me go through various obsessions.

You may recall artificial flowers, cushions, 1,000 TC bed linen and now I have a new one. 

English bone china.

The double benefit with this one is that it looks pretty & can also be used to store my pretty trinkets. 

I have two tall boys which have numerous of these trinket containers & I rotate them around depending on the mood. 

Here are the latest ones on show....

I love how the large one has the flowers all the way to the edge with no border.

a better view of the baby cup - notice the 3D painted dots....

the little one in front has the picture on the inside
& I dont want to scratch it, so I leave it as is.
The large round dish is a Limoges Paris, the others are English. 

Shop your closet - the Gucci loafer

To celebrate their 60th anniversary, Gucci has re-released the classic loafer which was born in 1953.

Of course, the colours & leathers & soles may differ, but the essence of the shoe will be the same.

So I went through my shoe room & pulled these two babies out from the back of the room to the front - a red suede pair & a green leather pair with a rubber sole.

I had bought these two in 1995 at a warehouse sale - they were part of the AW 1992 collection & I even have a copy of US Glamour magazine where the red ones were featured in editorial. back then, it was a big deal for me to have my stuff featured in a magazine.....

The sale was the first big name warehouse I had ever been to - it was at Sydney Town Hall & I queued up for 2 hours along George St to get in, on a weekday. Yes I was late for work but I had arranged a half day annual leave. The sale was bedlam.

Back then had no idea how to navigate a sale and no idea what to expect. Its a wonder I managed to get these - in my size & in colours I actually wear.

I also snared a rasberry red fitted sweater in 100% wool, which I have never worn (too fitted for my easy style) & am finally looking to re-sell.  

Now that Gucci is re-releasing the loafer, these will get some extra wear.

Which brings me to the moral of the post:

1. Yes, things do come back in style.

2. But they rarely come back exactly the same - most of the time they are worn in a different way & if you wear them the same way you will look dated.

3. It is more likely that accessories will come back in vogue closer to the original form. It is more likely that clothes will need to tweaking so they dont look dated.

4. Just because something is classic, doesnt mean its doesn't date. Your suits of the 80s and 90s dont look smart in the noughties. Your jeans in the 70s, 80s and 90s will look dated now. While classics are less likely to date than trend items, you need to assess every single piece every season. 

5. Now more than ever, something very distinctive from yester-year may work today due to the proliferation of trends & the street looks that filter upwards into collections. But again, each piece needs to be assessed every season before you decide its suitable.

6. If you want the retro look - by all means go for the dated stuff.  

Pretty girls, pretty photos

All photos by Tommy Ton

Retail Legal Dilemma - what would you do?

Here is a situation which I would like your opinion on.

You are at a department store going through a stack of specials on cosmetics and skincare.

One stand in particular has a sign on the top:

"50% off, prices as marked"

You pick up a body lotion, original price $20.
It is marked at $14.
It scans at the register for $14.

There are many of the same body lotions on the same stand, so the line item has been placed there deliberately by the store staff & not accidentally moved around by customers.

FYI: Legally, you are entitled to have that item at $10 because the "50% off" overrides the "prices as marked".

Knowing this, I'd like to know what you would do.

1. Would you ask the sales assistant (SA) for the price to be reduced to $10?

2. If the SA says "it was a mistake" or tries to fob you off, would you insist on the $10? Maybe even ask for a supervisor?

3. Would you leave it & walk away on principle?

4. Would you buy it anyway at $14.

Rainbow fashion....

Rainbow fashion....

   

   

 

  

 

Spin out shopping at COSTCO.

My girlfriend is a member of Costco & took me with her today to their Auburn store.

I was gobsmacked - I have never seen anything like this warehouse in Australia. Maybe in the US, but never Down Under.

Things are finally moving forward....

We arrived at 11 am on Sunday.
The car park was 2/3 full.
90% of people there were Asian - very few "Aussies" and Europeans.

So we grabbed a trolley & off we went...

On the right is the entrance - here, on the left, we see those leaving...

The journey starts...

This is only ONE of the flatscreen aisles

The bling was at the front of the store too....wow!
All real & with plenty of security guards to watch the cabinets....

My fave. No diamonds, metal band, classic shape, quality brand. 

Here it is again....

This is real. 

I think this was $9K...

I ADORED both these babies...

The electrical goods were at the front & when I saw this (& the flat screens) I assumed they would be the high value items. Wrong!!!!!

One item on display, & a gazillion to take below it.

One item on display & a gazillion below it ...like a sewing machine!!!!

Then you look above eye level & you see two - three palettes more. 

OK, these are cute.

More cute. 

I love any supermarket that has packs of 48 coloured pencils. I love colouring in.

Grosgrain, satin & chiffon ribbons for $8.99. Too cute.

Yes, it works and is for sale.

This was massive. Still is.

I'd rather buy this than Ikea stuff...

I wish they had this in funky fabrics.

We saw plenty of cars with the mattresses on their roofs!!!

Aaawwww, cute.

This was $300. It was quite nice & a steal.
You can move the drawers around so the graded colours sit differently.

Fancy a rug?

Tucker box, anyone?

The fresh food Costco brand is Kirkland. For hot & cold. Yummy. <My friend said their meats are terrific.

I have eaten Costco deli products (salads, meats, cheeses & pies) at my friends place many times.  All I can say is they taste great & the prices are reasonable.

The engine room.

Freezer items are sold in the same quantities as our Aussie supermarkets - but b/c the volumes sold are so huge, the items are stacked in their boxes rather than as single items.  

I've never considered buying freezer bags in packs of 216. until today.

Havent noticed 500gram packets at the local supermarket....

Stacking by the carton, not by the tin. 

I thought these were a terrific buy. Great on feet & legs when you have to stand for long periods - ironing, washing etc.

Another print of these mats. & many more available.

These Star Wars dolls were about $33. Yoda I love.

Recent release books

Oh, here he has popped up again!!!!

Couldnt resist going back to the bling.....

From memory, this is the normal retail value for this....

Just one of the Swarovski cabinets...

Gorgeous Longchamp bags - great price.

Another good price.

Heading to the checkouts where you have to show your membership card to pay.

This photo was taken when we walked in around 11 am.
When we went to pay at around 1, it was so crowded at the register area
 that you couldnt see the floor. 

Snack time.......Costco has a large cafeteria area, this is only a small part of it...

We watched the service at the cafeteria - the servings are BIG. The prices are terrific.

From now on I am going to call my Diet Coke, a diet soda. I LOVE Americans....

This followed us home for  $15. It was 18" diameter...

I buy these identical product from Coles in boxes of 12 for about $5.
Costco had boxes of 40 for $13.80. 

I would imagine that if you expressed dissatisfaction with the membership after 11 months, you  would probably go on a black list so that you couldnt be a member the next year....just a thought...

I have never seen car parks where there are dedicated spaces against all the walls for the empty trolleys. No more dinged car panels!!!

The VERDICT:

My friend has been shopping at Costco since it opened. 
She say that they are cheaper on maybe half their stock compared to the Aussie supermarkets. On the other half, they are more expensive.

She uses Costco to complement her other grocery shopping.

The moral is that you need to know prices & check specials in the other stores before you fill your trolley up at Costco.

Also I can honestly say that Costco has to be the weirdest Australian shopping experience I have ever had. But good. Weird, but good.

We also had an arrangement whereby we would go to Coco Republic (my fave furniture store) just down the road, afterwards.

But we were so hungry, tired & happy to go home, that we skipped yummy furniture. 

All I can say is Costo must be pretty good to make me forget about CR....

What's your experience with Costco?