Australia- fashion deprived?

The annoyance of living so far away in Australia is really only a problem for us sometimes, and usually it's for 2 reasons...shopping and going on holidays...!

With news that Topshop stores are opening all over the US this year it makes those of us loving fashion very annoyed to wonder how the US needs a Topshop with all the alternatives- Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Gap the list goes on.... How is this move viable? Especially in the worst recession since the 1920's....!

Australia has been bypassed again by an international fashion heavyweight and last month depressingly we found out that Australian Glamour is not going ahead this year as thought... I was particularly excited about this title as I was a avid reader of the UK Glamour and with the news it was to be published by News Limited it would be a departure from the present magazines monopoly.

Perhaps we are doomed to a future full of rumours of Zara coming to Australia and never eventuating... As a resident of Sydney's eastern suburbs, this rumour about Zara coming to Bondi Junction Westfield surfaces at least once every 6 mths only to be quashed with statements that Zara's rights in Australia are owned by the Witchery clothing group and they want to keep the market clear of competitors.

Let's be serious here- Witchery may be a great store but their offering is far more conservative and serious than the fashion forward Zara label. While there may be some overlap, there is plenty of room for great affordable fashion brands in Australia. Not all brands can deliver everything and we appreciate when our customers have emailed us saying that larger chain stores took 10 days to deliver their parcel when ours arrived within 2 days. It's all about servicing your niche and the point remains that there is a place for anyone else prepared to do something well!

Also just to let you know- we have launched our Style Members discount of 10% on all stock as of today for our loyal customers. To be a 'Style' member and receive the discount off any of our new or sale stock you will need to join our newsletter and check the code monthly to redeem.

Ciao and have a good week,

SQ
x

Fashion Envy

Ok so Sex and the City started the first real 'aspirational' tv fashion show. Not only giving you a great idea of what trends and hairstyles to pick up and which to avoid.... I'll never forget hunting a pleated full skirt at Portobello market because I wanted to wear it with a strapless boobtube like Carrie had done in season 3. Thankfully I left a lot of the 'way out' looks alone including the sheer singlet dress with a pink g-string Carrie wore on a night out with the girls... Pretty sure I couldn't pull that off!

Other 'fashion based' shows have spiralled from there, some of which I have fallen for and then they've been callously yanked from production! Cashmere Mafia was one of these shows and I was obsessed with Lucy Liu's outfits from day 1... Oh to have a glamorous job and wear office attire fitting to a cocktail party, including large ornamental earrings larger than one's ear. Practical for answering a phone... no, but that's what an assistant is for!

For two seasons now I have also delighted in 'Gossip Girl' but I have to say that I have become disillusioned with the stylists on the current episodes. I certainly have missed the style advice that says a olive green woollen cardigan in a V-neck grandpa style buttoned up is classy... I also loved the 'headwear' at the start of the series, the ornate beaded headbands, fur hats and diamonte clips etc usually sported by Blair have become oversized turbans and not so fabulous.

Ok, my recent new 'fashion' inspiration is the new show 'The City' on MTV. For those of you, like me, that was obsessed with 'The Hills', this is the new spin-off of Whitney Port's new life working for Diane Von Fustenburg in NYC. She teeters down the streets of NY in fabulous stacked heels and short flirty dresses and manages to make the winter layers look chic and cosy not boring!

As a girl that visited New York at age 21 with a best pal and had dreams of living in that fabulous metropolis, it is closest some of us will get to living and breathing the life we imagined back then! I am loving Whitney's attire for most of the series thus far- including holding her own fashion cred against her work colleague, Olivia- who happens to be a very attractive, rich heiress with a bitchy streak... My absolute favorite bit of the show happens to not have much to do with fashion at all- it is her new relationship with Jay, a cute Australian she meets prior to moving (check out the Hills for their meeting). Jay brings a refreshing 'Australian' feel to the whole show and it's nice to see his behavior, that Whitney finds confusing at first is pretty typical to the 'Australian Male' breed.

I have posted previously about the 'textbook' hair curling seen on 'The Hills'. 'The City' carries on the sweet and simple hairstyle trend from Lauren and Whitney for the middle part, twisted two sections secured at the back of the head with a mini clip. Looks cute and not too hard to implement, will try this out and get back to you- in the meantime check out it out!