What I Wore: Blue & green should never be seen, NOT.

Another smart casual day, but I needed a jacket & a heel.
Scanned the rack of jackets & this one popped up - havent worn her in a while.

The jacket

Maybe 15 years old, from David Jones, a conservative cut but that's why its stood the test of time.

I dont usually wear muted blues, especially in a jacket, but I have worn this to death.

Its a melton blue wool & its beautifully structured.

Love the way Max Mara imprint their brand into the lining.

Love the way the cuffs are done. 

Unfortunately the corners of the cuffs have gone bald. Its not as noticeable as it would be on a fine dark wool, so I have left them as is. I could get a dressmaker to shave the corner so it was 80 degrees instead of 90 degrees, but since the fabric is quite thick, it would make it harder to do & I decided not to go ahead with it.

The jeans

Apologies, yes they are the Not Your Daughters Jeans.

The scarf

The scarf was the next thing I picked after the jacket. It was $90 from Blue Illusion in a wool/silk mix. It has shades of soft blue/green on black/brown. Notice how I love checks? 

STYLE TIP: If you are unsure about mixing colours, start with a print where the brand has already mixed them for you.  Then add two things, each with one of the print's colours & you have a co-ordinated outfit. Easy.

STYLE TIP: Forget the rules your grandmother lived with.
Blue & green SHOULD be seen. Almost anything goes these days. If you're not sure, get a second opinion. 

The top

A cotton tee in a dark chocolate. From Belinda, 100% cotton, it was around $60. Very soft fine knit, so I spent the day looking down at my tummy checking for little holes from friction with the jeans. So far, so good.

The necklaces

From left to right, a Greek coin on black beads, $30 from Beautiful Things By, in Beecroft. They have since brought in the identical style in other coins, but the Greek one was appropriate since my parents are Greek. My father confirmed the coin was genuine which make sit a bigger buzz.

Then my absolute favourite part of the outfit - a magnifying glass from a homewares shop in Epping (Note to Self, $25). Since it had a teeny hole, I placed it on a large keyring that echos the magnifier & strung a Hermes leather cord though it. Since the cord is totally adjustible, I could have it lower than the coin as they were too large to be dinging against each other. 

The an Elk sterling necklace with a house design, from a store called Stem in Balmain for $80.

The rings

A multi ring Russian wedder style. Chunky. Just how I like them. In sterling. Very old. Pretty sure I bought it at a silver store in The Met Centre in Sydney's CBD called Fuse Silver. 

The other ring is just plain weird. The oval top sits at an angle to the base. Both top & bottom are about 1 cm wide. Just plain weird. From Beautiful Things By in Beecroft for <$100. Sterling. 


The arm party

I made all of these except the silver bangle at the back, the two black rubber bangles & the one which is separated to the right side.

These picked up the blues & the greens in the scarf. Match made in heaven.

The one on the RHS has photos of cats & every photo is different. Each disc has the same photo on both sides, so there isnt an "ugly" side. Just cats. My girlfriend is a cat lover, so I should have got one for her too, but too bad, I bought her another cat item instead. It was from an accessory & homewares store in Dural called Willow but they are silly enough to call their FB page "Deer Willow" so if you dont know this, you cant find them! 

This next photo is of the arm party in Salvation Army pieces.
Bought from the store in Gordon, the top oval dish is a Limogues Paris ($6), the small round dish is fine bone china Made in England ($4) and the bottom is a Wedgewood for $24. All are in immaculate condition.

I am mad about trinket bowls & dishes but if they are vintage I only buy English or French or German items. I only shop for them at antique & op shops where the prices are cheap. 

What drew me to both dishes here is that the flowers are blue. Harder to find than pink/red combinations. 

The shoes

Bruno Maglis from the David Jones warehouse for no more than $120. The original was $500. I checked the box for the age - winter 1998. The vamp is a navy canvas. The back is leather. 

Slight problem, I snapped one of the heels many years ago, so the replacement heel isnt as elegant as the original (or the front), but it'll do. I still love them.

See you tomorrow.

Its in the clearance sale cos no-one wants it!

Do you honestly think it's on the clearance rack because its a bargain?

The truth is its on the clearance rack because its cheap.

There is a difference & when you understand the difference, you may start looking at clearance racks in a different light.

In Australia, there are two main clearances a year - half year (June) and end of year on Boxing Day (December 26). June clears winter stock while December clears summer stock.

Twenty years ago, no-one went on sale til those dates arrived. No-one. 

Ten years ago the mid season sales started creeping in - in March/April & September/October. 

Five years ago with the advent of on-line shopping, retailers began to spruik a sale at most times of the year. You see, studies show that an item for $100 will be less tempting than the identical item reduced from $150 to $100. We all know its illegal to mark an item up in order to mark it down, but there is no harm in producing a garment with an inflated RRP intending put it on sale shortly after it hits the floor.

By the time an item has hit the clearance rack, it has been on the floor for at least 3 months. At least. 

If it was special, classic, well fitting, appealing, flattering or trendy (before everyone started to wear it), trust me when I say to you, it wouldnt be on that rack. It would have sold way way way sooner. 

Its in the clearance sale because no one wants it. It's on the clearance rack because its cheap. The chances of it being worthy of you or your wardrobe are virtually nil. 

Dont waste your time on the sales.

I can say this with confidence because the stores are on sale 365/year and when you look online, 24/7.

Oh sure, everything isnt technically on sale 365/year...but the high street chains will reduced jackets for two weeks, then sweaters for two weeks then suits for two weeks. Wait a few more weeks and the merry go round starts again. Other chains will for 25% reductions on everything for a week. 

Seriously, all you have to do is watch & be patient. 
Everything has already been reduced before the clearance rack gets wheeled out. The good stuff isnt on that rack and never will be.    

Of all the wardrobes I clear out, of the stuff which had only been worn a few times, 99% was bought ON SALE BECAUSE IT WAS ON SALE.

When you make decisions on price, you compromise quality. Stop buying because its on sale at the end of the season. 

Look at your wardrobe, look at your lifestyle, plan what you need & stay focused. When it goes on sale, buy it and START WEARING IT. Immediately.

You may (only!) get a 30% first level reduction, but if you start wearing that baby IMMEDIATELY, she'll be worth more than getting the left overs on the clearance racks. 

Clearance racks love damaged product which isnt in your size or your colour and they have the stuff that everyone and their dog has already been wearing for months & months. This stuff isnt value for money. Its cheap and it looks cheap. Even at 80% off.

I hope I dont burst your bubble here, but the department stores also bring in truckloads of merchandise which goes into the sale and is especially made for the sale. Especially made for those cheap prices. Its not the same as the full price stuff that is often taken off the floor for the purposes of the sale. Look closely at the item number - its not the same. Price reflects quality. "Bargain" price? Low quality. 

If you wouldn't have bought it at full price, then avoid fishing it off the sale rack. Assuming you want a wardrobe that works, stop wasting your money at the sales. 

What I Wore: Lost a Fiancee but gained a (gorgeous) Sweater

In the early 90s I met a nice Greek boy & we got engaged after 12 months. We were due to be married in late November 1995. He was a really decent fellow & smart & funny. But we couldnt seem to agree on anything - he was conservative (& I am not talking politics here) & I hated going with the grain. Plus I was good at spending money which he didnt quite appreciate as much as I did.

Eight days before the wedding, he said to me that he couldnt go ahead with it. I was SO relieved. Best decision ever. The very first thing that went through my head was "Thank God I dont have to tell him about the sweater." No joke. 

Rewind.

The sweater

Back in the 90s there was an amazing designer store called Papoucci in Double Bay. Owned by a very classy Greek lady
called Tina Hatsatouris, her stuff was outstanding. Unfortunately it was also expensive. 

She also had the licence for Adrienne Vittadini in Australia and had concessions in the larger David Jones stores. Did I mention her stuff was expensive? Oh yeah, I did.

All the more reason to camp out for her annual warehouse sale in Double Bay. 

The sale was in the office - not in the store. 

TIP: I NEVER go to warehouse sales held in the store - they are never really reduced by alot and they are far less likely to bring in additional merchandise (which hasnt already been on the floor all season). When the location is the head office - that's when I do a Linda Evangelista & get out of bed for a sale. Because head office sales have the interesting stuff. Plus brands curate head office sales so the discounts are way deeper than the store.

So in 1995, on a Saturday morning in late November, I arrived, first in at the papoucci warehouse sale. I grabbed the navy daisy sweater in the photo. It was $300 which was alot of money back then (for a sweater) but I knew instantly I had to have it. The original was $795. I still have the tags. 

Vittadini did oversize cotton sweaters with daisies, like this most summers, they were featured in Vogue & finally the planets were aligning.

I love the daisy pattern.
It was dark navy (dark navy is my black).
It was 100% cotton.
It had these little baubles all over but had a tight weave (so no pulls).
The yellow & green popped beautifully against the navy & white (but back then I never would have used the word pop) The yellow & green werent overwhelming (since green & yellow are my worst colours).
it was oversize (I love big & sloppy in a fun print).
It was Vittadini (yes, i am a brand slut, but in my defense, its due to the quality associated with brands).

So despite the fact that I had been saving like crazy for the better part of 12 months, I splurged. It was mine. I hid it in the boot of the car, wondering if I would ever have the courage to take it out & show it off. 

As it turns out, a few hours later, I took it out & admired it. I started wearing it the next fall.

Did you notice how the elbows each have a daisy & its not randomly placed?

Look at the back. There is a daisy at the top of the centre back. Too cute & no daisies on the butt (sometimes I dont know what brands are thinking with print placement). No, this baby was carefully thought out & that's what explains the price. 

The only drawback with this baby is that it takes about a month to dry - & I place it on a mesh sweater dryer & it still takes a month! Almost. 

The jeans

Not Your Daughter's Jeans, you've met these before. 

The necklace

This gun metal piece is an Emporio Armani. 
I bought it at a massive warehouse sale at the old casino in the late 1990s. 

Up til that time, the Armani license was held by a Singaporean woman called Chrisitina Ong. Her company was called Club 21. She also had other luxury franchises like Bvlgari & DKNY.

So she decided to give up (?) on Armani & DKNY franchises & held the biggest clearance I have ever seen. Think around the time of the Asian financial crisis hence why I am querying whether she gave up the franchise or the economic climate forced her hand.

A girlfriend of mine & I went & stocked up. I bought 2 jackets, 2 silk shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 evening dress and this necklace, all in Emporio Armani (diffusion). The necklace is the only remaining piece I have. The rest have shown too many signs of wear for me to keep, mind you I was wearing them for a long time - they were not one hit wonders. In total I spent about $1,100 on these items.

In addition, I also scored 2 pairs of shoes & a handful of runway jewellery which were Giorgio Armani, main line.  I still have all of these & they still look amazing because they are so unique. This is a good example of why I covet main line items & avoid diffusion like the plague. 

TIP: IMO, its better to buy less diffusion & save up for main line. 

I remember looking through racks & racks of the main line Giorgio racks & thinking they were out of my price range. 
Why? Why? Why? Did I not give back all that Emporio Armani stuff so that I could afford one or two items of main line? I had no brain back them. Obviously.

The rings

The yellow one is a Lovisa ring for $7. I bought a few colours in the silver tone. The yellow was the only one in gold tones. 

The large one is a Jan Michaels piece - a San Francisco jewellery designer who uses semi precious but isnt far into the stratosphere priced. I think I paid $200 for it. Its massive & a very bold piece.

This came from a costume jewellery store in Double Bay called Inro, owned by Caroline Rowe. I think this store has closed recently - it was an amazing place - most of her pieces were French or Italian. She had an amazing eye. 

Interestingly she took all manufacturers' branding off the items she sold & simply displayed the items with the Inro tags attached to them. By eliminating the other brand names, she made it harder for people to track down items elsewhere & made it easier for her to secure the sale at her mark up. 

The shoes

The shoes are from Nine West. Purchased at Birkenhead Point for $15. I also bought the pink version & the yellow version for that same price. About 6 years old. 

Unfortunately, not leather lined, but I pick & choose the days/occasions I wear them so the feet arent trapped in them for a long day.

I love how the grosgrain ribbon is sewn at the ends & not left to fray.

I rolled the jean's hem up to show off the ribbon.

See you tomorrow. 

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.  

A tale of two sneakers - you get what you pay for

 

Let it be known that I didnt need red sneakers. Nor did I want red sneakers.

I always seemed to reach for navy ones instead....or my denim ones. They were just as nautical as red sneakers and nautical was the look I always went for.

But strolling through Kmart one day I saw the red pairs of basic sneakers were $6. At that price, I was almost making money!

So I bought a pair, as you do.

I was a happy vegemite. I love a fast fashion bargain!

Yesterday I was at the David Jones warehouse and I happened to see a red Keds pair. 

The original store price was $50, less a standard 30% brought them to a warehouse price of $35 & there was another 40% off, which made them $20.

That's 60% off the original store price.
woo-hoo!

So, knowing the brand & its quality, I pounced.

Then I went home & compared the Keds with the Kmart ones....

Rubber grip edges: 
 

From the side they look similar, except the Keds have the grip rubber all the way around. The Kmart version only has the grip around the toes.

The shade of red & the stitching colour is different - that doesnt bother me.

The toe area:


From the front, the Keds have higher toe room, while the Kmart ones are flatter/lower.

  


The binding:

The binding around the edges of the foot is a thin cotton for the Kmart ones. Its a thick canvas for the Keds. The thin cotton will wear through quite fast IMO.

The soles:


Finally look at the soles - you cant tell from the photo, but the Keds sole is thicker - the Kmart sole is quite thin.

What I have done in the past, to make up for the thin sole is put a layer of sheepskin in the sneaker.

I get these from Coles for $4.20 per pair.

The other thing to notice is that the Keds sole is sewn in while the Kmart sole is glued in.
No guesses which will last longer.

Which sneaker wins?

Considering the differences in the brands, and the price difference of $5 versus $20, I am going to return the Kmart pair - they havent been worn & I have my receipt - even if I only paid $5, there is no point having them hanging around if they arent the best they can be. 


If the Keds pair was still at the original $50, I might have kept the Kmart pair and not bought the Keds. 

Or if I needed the sneakers for exercise (function) rather than fashion (form), then I may have considered keeping the Keds pair, no matter what the price.

The moral of this post:

You get what you pay for (unless you can get something for a sale price).....


The $50 pair is better in many many ways than the $5 pair. If you examine the two pairs carefully (like I did), you will notice the differences. 


Ultimately it comes down to not just your budget, but your needs.


A good quality bargain that is only marginally more expensive than a cheapie will, in most cases last a heck of alot longer & do a much better job for you. 

Longer use will mean that its cost per wear (CPW) will come down to lower than the cheapie.  

This is a one horse race - Keds all the way.

PS: Maintenance

Scotchgard the sneakers (& any fabric shoes) when you buy them, then after every time you wash them.

You can soak the sneakers in a bucket in napi-san to wash out stains & with a bit of a scrub, they should come up pretty good.

David Jones watrehouse - shoes, shoes, shoes

When the David Jones warehouse first opened, they used to bring in the top flight designer scarves...so I went nuts buying those for about 18 months...the manager was also a scarf nut, so she let me go into the back room reserve & look through the incoming boxes for anything that called out to me.....

Then the good scarves petered out - the manager told me they just weren't selling- people were going there to get bargains but scarf bargains just werent bargain enough.

So I started stalking the designer shoes....at that time they were kept in a separate space to the non designer shoes and they were all the best brands...at silly prices, with weekly red spot extra % off specials.

After about 2 years of the shoes, I discovered the imported lingerie....the brands that fit me best were the Italian brands La Perla (& its little sister Malizia) & Cotton Club - so I stocked up there too. Again, silly prices with
weekly red spot extra % off specials.

I have also bought the odd clothes, hats, bags, swimwear too. But the scarves, lingerie & shoes were the gold mines. 


However, alot of friends who into the warehouse say its a mess and they just cant shop in there and its full of junk.


I agree its a mess and there is some junk, but there is alot of gold - you just have to be prepared to look. Shopping in a warehouse is not a sprint - its a marathon.


So today I pulled out some (high end) shoes which I found in alot of sizes & took some snaps.....



Below from L to R:

Milana, black mock croc with suede sides and heel from AW 2009, warehouse price of $299 to $160 & an additional 40% off.


Milana, black lizard & patent strappy sandal, $145 & an additional 40% off.


Milana, grey suede Mary Jane, store $499, warehouse $349 reduced to $245 & an additional 40% off.

The middle ones are similar to Anna Wintour's preferred Manolo Blahniks.....

Below from L to R:

Mimco, mock python heels with studs and diamantes, store price $400, warehouse price $280 & an additional 40% off


Robert Robert [Marni inspired] heels with velcro straps and patent trim, leather upper, warehouse price $140 & an additional 40% off.


Milana, python ankle strap sandal, warehouse price $160 & an additional 40% off.

Below from L to R:


Off white sling back round toe pump with black patent trim, warehouse price $290, to $145, & an additional 40% off.


Milana patent blue-grey wedge sandal espadrille, warehouse price $250, reduced to $125 & an additional 40% off.

Milana bronze wedge sandal espadrille, warehouse price $250, reduced to $125 & an additional 40% off.

 

Below from L to R:


Milana patent taupe wedge sandal espadrille, warehouse price $250, reduced to $125 & an additional 40% off.

Diavolina by Robert Robert, nude mesh platform peep toe pump, $104 & an additional 40% off.

Milana, cream patent cross strap sandal with cream patent wedge, $175 & an additional 40% off

The cream patent strappies are very Anna Wintour - see photo...

Below from L to R:


Steve Madden, mustard lizard print strappy sandal, $170 to $105


Milana, cream brown strappy sandals (ankle strap stored in reserve), $139


Milana, blush pink patent sling back with bow strap, $199, reduced to $139 & an additional 40% off.

Below from L to R:



Milana pink & cream fabric & leather sandal, $199 to $139 & an additional 40% off.


Alexandra Neel, pink patent & suede slingback, store price was $750 to $300 & an additional 40% off.


Dolce & Gabbana, hot pink patent strappy sandal, store price $699, to warehouse price $350 & an additional 40% off. These were a size 41 & the only ones I could find. All the other shoes had multiple sizes unless I state otherwise.

Below from L to R:


Alexandra Neel, baby blue patent & suede slingback, store price was $750 to $300 & an additional 40% off.

Newkid pale blue patent flat sandals, $78 & an additional 40% off. 


Diavolina by Robert Robert, blue elastic thick strappy sandal, $105 & an additional 40% off.


Urge satin blue ballet flat with bow, $80 to $40, & an additional 40% off.

Below from L to R:


Milana lavendar strappy sandal, $165 & an additional 40% off


Walnut purple cotton ballet flat, $20 & an additional 40% off


Ralph Lauren Collection, chocolate suede high heeled pump, store price was $600 reduced to warehouse price $280 & an additional 40% off. I only saw one pair of these in a size 41.

& a couple more piccies......so pretty....

So what do you think of the warehouse?
Worth visiting?