Day 1: Sydney Shopping Report

Day 1 - Shopping in the 'City'

Purchases: Five.

From the Willow sale:

* Draped 'Metro' dove grey silk skirt (pic borrowed from an ebay auction, close-up here)

* 2x Silk georgette scarves with fine copper chain 'fringe' in pale grey and black

* Oyster Safari coat dress (which I wore on day 3, pics to come).

From the Akira store at The Strand:

* 'Waist Tuck Pants' in Ink, I posted about in Akira Isogawa Printemps Ete 2009 a few months ago. Beautifully cut in a gorgeous heavy silk satin fabric & high-waisted, I see it as an 'upgrade' from my Harem pants, and am in love with them (as well as with the draped Willow skirt, they're my favourite purchases from this trip).

(www.akira.com)

Tuck Waist Pants in Ink

Today's Outfit: Started with Akira blue silk/wool dress & Claude Maus navy silk chiffon hoodie and Dries Van Noten patent grey sneaker wedges and Chloe Ava tote in Mocha, I later changed into the Willow dover grey silk draped skirt I had bought earlier in the day, with the Marni grey top, grey Willow georgette silk scarf with fine copper chains, and Dries Van Noten beaded sandals.

Breathtaking moments: At the Willow sale were some stunning fully sequinned pieces I had never seen before, one dress in particular was absolutely stunning. At Akira, breathtaking pieces from the Printemps Ete 2009 collection. Including:

This scarf

This dress

This jacket (I tried it in black, and tried the pants too), also gorgeous obis...

This dress, beautifully embroidered at the front (saw a lady trying this on, but without the obi, which I think is needed for this dress)...absolutely stunning!

This dress (too small for me, as this was cut small...boo hoo!)

All photos above from www.akira.com.au

Shops covered: Willow sale at Kippax Street, Surry Hills; The Strand: The Corner Shop (amazing pieces by Dion Lee), Akira Isogawa; MLC Centre: Belinda (gorgeous SS09 Dries Van Noten pieces, and Ann Demeulemeester jewellery), Robby Ingham and Evelyn Miles (from which I once bought my Patrick Cox peep-toes, and stocked Miu Miu and gorgeous shoes, now only to be filled with Midas shoes, what happened?); Swarovski (shopping for a birthday present for my mom); Myer & David Jones department stores.

Food: Started with brekkie at a funky backpackers on George St (coffee and a spinach, fetta & scrambled eggs on Turkish bread), and then I met my cousin, and we went to the Sydney Fish Markets, armed with rice, ponzo sauce, wasabi, bowls, chopsticks and sauce dishes for a sashimi picnic! We bought fresh Rock oysters, grilled unagi (eel), sashimi tuna & kingfish, wakame (seaweed salad), all washed down with Sapporo (beer). Absolutely amazing!

Oh no she didn't!

I promise I didn't!  I didn't purposefully set out to buy the outfit on the cover of Elle UK Sep'08. After months of oggling the Stella McCartney wooden wedges, it was only after I bought the Burberry Prorsum coat (which I spotted when it reappeared in the Dec '08 Elle UK, but not on the cover I had been staring at for months), that I realized it was the same coat (the coat never registered in my mind, despite loving it, as my eyes were always drawn to the shoes first).

Love that 2nd shot!

Took these pics in a hurry, so I'm sorry they don't do the coat nor the shoes justice (took this pic in a hurry when I got home from work):

Coat: Burberry Prorsum military blue coat

(under it: Cue bubble hemmed black pinafore & Alannah Hill 3/4 sleeved turtleneck speckled white knit)

Leona Emiston Pins in Onyx

Stella McCartney wood wedge patent heels

This coat is very cocoon-shaped, especially from the side, will make a good maternity coat someday...

Burberry Manor bag in red

I was told these shoes run 1/2 a size bigger, so I followed the advice to buy these 1/2 a size bigger, turns out they must run TTS (or large), 'cause I need insoles & heel grips to pad them up!

Off topic, but I'll be adding this Sass & Bide 'All you need is Love' black trench coat with white piping, to my 'shop' it has an interesting print on the inside of the coat (which you can't see when it's on), it has epaulettes on the shoulder, and little belts on the sleeve, and buttons engraved with 'Sass and Bide'. (white spots are from the camera, and not the coat), 100% thick cotton twill, labelled an AUS 10, US 6 (fits a size up or down).

Yep, the print is meant to look like that...

Packing for a weekend away - Autumn

(Leather holdalls from Marks & Spencer, so cute & colourful! And a bargain too! Wonder if they ship to Oz...)

So I'm packing my bags again, this time, for a 3 1/2 day weekend in Sydney, can't wait! The Autumn weather is slightly warmer there, and not as unpredictable as in Melbourne (see my previous post 'Packing for '4 seasons in a day' - weekend away'), so am trying to decide what to take with me.

Packing for a weekend revolves around what I’ll be doing while away (this trip will be shopping, but mainly window shopping, as I’ve exceeded this month’s shopping budget, as well as catching up with friends), so will involve a lot of walking. When it comes to clothing, interchangeable outfits are key, so I try to create an outfit for everything I’ll be doing, mixing & matching, reusing items like shoes & accessories, limiting myself to 1 or 2 pairs of shoes, and the outfits are planned around them. Just in case I find something I must buy (or several somethings, haha), I'll pop a lightweight foldaway bag in your suitcase. Okay, so thinking out loud:

Shoes: I won't be hiring a car this time, so will be relying heavily on 'Bus 11' (ie. my legs), so flat comfortable shoes are a must, maybe my Dries Van Noten patent sneaker wedges (it's obviously not flat, but the wedge makes them more 'walkeable' than other high heels), these will probably be worn on the plane, as they are the bulkiest item, which means I may get some funny looks as I take them off when I (and they) go through the airport scanner. My Marc Jacobs flats will be in my bag for a comfy back-up. Ooh, ok...I may break my 1-2 pairs of shoes rule, and add my Dries Van Noten sequinned sandals, just in case I go for a fancy dinner (plus, have yet to wear these!)

Pants/Skirts: May not be able to wear them this trip, as I still cannot fit any of my jeans/pants, except for my trusty Harem pants, and they certainly don't go with ballet flats, nor my DVN wedges, hm...this may be tricky...Instead, I will bring a cashmere/wool bubble hemmed pencil skirt by Burberry Prorsum:

(www.firstview.com)
Burberry Prorsum FW06

Dresses: Instead, I think I will focus this weekend trip on easy-to-wear dresses, which may be a first (I usually prefer separates so they can mix & match). Therefore, I will have to plan on what I will layer over & under these dresses for versatility...I think my Ilana Moses purple silk dress will be great for layering (turtleneck underneath or cardigan over it, which will be nice & relaxed when I go to the beach on Monday), and also my Vanessa Bruno black wool & silk chiffon dress and 3.1 Phillip Lim navy Rosette tank dress...

Tops: I will bring a SABA turtleneck knit I recently bought to layer under the dresses, my navy silk chiffon Claude Maus hoodie jacket (again for layering under or over the dresses), and a Marni grey marle top.

Jacket/Coat: I will be wearing my Martin Margiela military merino wool belted cardigan on the plane (so soft it feels like cashmere), long & comfortable, great for layering over dresses. For the colder evenings, I'll bring my Burberry Prorsum blue military coat on the plane too, as it'll be very cold when I land (minimum temp of 6 degrees during the next few nights!).

Bag: Haven't decided which one, but it'll have to be big, as I plan to stuff my camera and ballet flats (if opting for the DVN wedges), along with everything else...

Accessories: Stockings (Leona Edmiston Pins Opaque in Onyx & Lead) and Leggings (again Leona Edmiston Pins in Onyx), and scarves (one silk, one cotton, one alpaca), and a Burberry patent quilted black belt.

Some shops I'll be checking out: Belinda (in the MLC Centre, in Double Bay and in Oxford St, Paddington), Akira (on Queen St., Woollahra and the Strand Arcade), Poepke, The Corner Shop, and Vanessa Bruno on William St., Paddington. Willow (Glenmore Rd, Paddington), Robby Ingham (Oxford St., Paddington & MLC Centre), Scanlan & Theodore (Oxford St), Kirrily Johnston & Lands End (Glenmore Rd), Orson & Blake and Nicola Finetti (Queen St., Woollahra), The Vintage Clothing Store (Castlereagh St), Paablo Nevada (Double Bay & Bondi), also in Double Bay: Marni, Cosmopolitan Shoes & Christensen Copenhagen...yes, a lot of walking to be done...

Ok, now what have I forgotten?

Strawberry Shortcake in Dolce & Gabbana Leather Trenchcoat

Dolce & Gabbana floral leather trench coat (for close-up of the details please see my previous post)

Ilana Moses silk purple dress

Stella McCartney red pump stilettos (not shown)

For some reason, today this D&G floral leather trench coat reminded me of one my of childhood favourite cartoon characters, Strawberry Shortcake. Funny, I had never made the connection before...

http://i-love-cartoons.com

PS. For those who requested pics of the actual Chloe cone heel shoes I have for sale, I have added them to my Shop at Brigadeiro's site. Thanks!

Dolce & Gabbana floral leather trenchcoat

I'm so happy to have my mom here visiting, as I get to celebrate Mother's day with her this year.

I will be wearing my D&G Dolce & Gabbana leather floral trench coat, perfect for the occasion, no?

Happy Mother's Day to any mothers (or mother-to-be) readers out there!

D&G Dolce & Gabbana leather floral trench coat (got this five years ago and love the soft leather, the engraved 'bone' buttons & buckles, the red satin lining and most of all, the floral print).

You can click on the top right close-up picture to enlarge it.

Practical vs Not-so-Practical Purchases

SABA Corinne Babywool Polo tops

www.saba.com.au

I recently purchased these knits from SABA (Australian label, for whom Scott Schumann, aka 'The Sartorialist' is reportedly shooting a campaign for), in black, charcoal grey & marle soft grey. Not only are they Winter staples I always seem to lack each time this season comes, but they are beautifully cut, with panels at the waist for that perfect fit, and slightly puffed shoulders in an incredibly babysoft merino wool, and all at $50 off its rrp!

Despite all this, I was still reluctant to purchase these knits. Why? Because they are ‘practical’ items, the ones I am reluctant to spend my money on, often the staples or basic items I 'need' rather than 'want;, that don’t excite me terribly, along with underwear, gymwear, hosiery, pyjamas & clothes for work.

Why is it sometimes easier to buy something that may cost more, but will be worn less often?

Stella McCartney patent wedge heels (on my sad-looking grass) - the sculptural wood & metal wedge heel is incredible!

Dries Van Noten sequinned, beaded sandals (aka. my dream shoes, finally mine - please excuse the ugly pic)

Are you the same? Are there certain items you are more reluctant to spend your money on than others?

Chloe cone heel boots EUR 38.5 - SOLD!

Sorry I haven't updated my 'Shop at Brigadeiro' items recently, I will be adding several items in the coming weeks, as I really must make some room in my overflowing wardrobe. The most recent addition being these Chloe cone heel shoe boots I bought from net-a-porter last year. I also have these in grey in a size 38 (both come with original box & dustbag).

Navy leather shoe boots with a 90mm stacked cone heel. Chloé shoes have a keyhole opening on front, a round toe and a strap across top with a concealed press stud fastening.