First dress for S/S 2013

First of all, yes I have been MIA for a long time - I've lost my blogging mojo and real life intervened. Hope you're all well.

Just popping by to share my latest impulse buy. I had received nice compliments for the Whistles dress that I bought back in July and thought I'll have a look at what's available now.

The Fia dress has a fun Aztec print and a flattering cut, and it is £100 off! Who can say no?

With the weather warming up I'll be able to wear it in next to no time :-D

Have a great weekend y'all!

Read More

Lemming: Miu Miu Madras Bauletto bag

This is perfection.

Updated: How gorgeous in the purple!

Even The Duke likes it.

For now I'll admire from a distance ...

(grey bag from Net-A-Porter, £924)

Updated: The stylish Jen from In My Shoes bought one in black!

Read More

His and hers ASOS hauls

Sorry readers I have neglected the blog - I have been spending my evenings with the TV (Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, both fantastic shows). I needed something to get me back to blogging, and what better than a few online purchases?

ASOS has a further 10% off already discounted stock (discount code: 10sale) so I had a browse on Saturday night and of course ended up with a few things!

I haven't bought eyeshadows for a long time - this cute Stila Rockin in Rio palette (£12) has five nice shades and a convertible cheek/lip colour.

I have been checking out Whistles since I learnt from What Kate Wore that it is one of the Duchess of Cambridge's favourite high street brands. The Veronica Safia dress (on sale, £99) is very much my style.

£17.50 for a striped knit dress? Yes please!

I'll wear this metallic jumper (on sale, £12.50) for a day at the park (or to a grocery run!)

Yesterday The Duke wore a super ancient jumper that has seen better days. Unfortunately he has a few of those in his wardrobe. I decided to take matters into my own hands and buy him a few new jumpers so the old ones can be retired. I'm pleasantly surprised by the stock available at the sale - good brands and most of them are less than $A100. I settled on these three:

Religion crew neck merino jumper (on sale, £26) - the style's a bit plain but it's a great price for a jumper made with 100% wool.

Fila vintage jumper (on sale, £39) - this will easily cost over $100 here!

Superdry Fiennes henley jumper (on sale, £45.50) - The Duke liked the Polo jumper I bought him for his birthday and this looks like a carbon copy.

Here's hoping that the parcels will turn up by the end of the week :-D

Read More

Oz shopping premium?

I’ve written before about some of the ridiculous price mark-ups in Australia compared to the rest of the world. With the internet we can easily discover pricing of products overseas, and many of us are voting with our wallets and purchasing items from overseas etailers.

I think it’s fair to say that if an item cost the same in Australia and overseas we'll buy it from an Australian retailer, but the reality is that most products cost more in Australia than overseas. Part of it is due to the relative lack of competition. I read a report comparing Australia retailers’ margins with their global peers and Australian margins are consistently higher in all categories (e.g. consumer electronics ~3% globally, ~6% Australia, department stores ~5% globally, close to 10% in Australia).

However there are other factors at play:

• Globally speaking, Australia is a small market. Our retailers, as powerful as they may be here, do not have the same scale as their overseas counterparts, so they are unlikely to get the same wholesale pricing or delivery costs as their peers in the US or Europe.

• The Australian dollar is at an historical high making prices on overseas websites very attractive. If the Aussie exchange rate against the US dollar drops back to its 2007 level ($0.84) or to its 2002 level ($0.54!!) the picture will be very different.

• Retail employment and real estate costs are much higher in Australia compared to the US, and probably some European countries.

• Overseas brands are used to the high margins they earned in Australia when us shoppers have no alternatives, and unless retailing tanks in Australia in a big way, they’re unlikely to give up the “fat”.

With all that in mind, are we going to accept as a premium to buy from Australian retailers?

The retailers take on the exchange rate risk – they may not pass on the savings when their purchasing cost decreases due to a strong Aussie dollar, but by the same token they’ll absorb (to an extent) the extra costs when the Aussie dollar falls, and I think it should be reflected in their pricing.

And of course there are benefits from buying Oz. Buying from a brick-and-mortar store means we can test out/try on the product in person, which will always be better than browsing the item on a computer/smartphone screen. And instant gratification is worth something.

Even if we are purchasing from an Australian etailer, it is often easier to return an unwanted or unsuitable item.

Lastly, buying something in Australia means the money stays in Australia. It may be paying an SA’s wage (many of us either work in retail or have done so in the past, e.g. during uni), supporting a small business, or contributing in a small way to our super funds by increasing the retailer’s profit and dividend payment.

I think I'm comfortable with up to a 30% "premium" and will probably tolerate up to 50%. The actual dollar amount difference will play a part as well. Once the difference reaches $50 I'll be more inclined to buy overseas.

How about you? What do you think is a fair "Oz premium"?

Read More

First impressions of The Iconic

The Iconic is probably the first serious mass market fashion-oriented etailer in Australia. They have gone all out with advertising - I was surprised to see an ad on TV!

More importantly, they are delivering the type of online shopping experience that our US and UK counterparts have enjoyed for years.

• free delivery regardless of order size
• overnight delivery
• free return (100 days!)

And 3-hour delivery for $4.95 in Sydney is very impressive.

How do they achieve overnight delivery for free? Apparently they persuaded Australia Post to run a sorting shift between 2am and 4am at no extra cost to them (and us) so that products bought at night are ready to be dispatched by 6am the next day and delivered at 9am.

The number of products on The Iconic is overwhelming, and the styles are a bit all over the place so it take a long time to sort through. ASOS probably has more products but somehow they appear to be more unified, whereas with The Iconic I see a bunch of teenage-oriented clothes immediately followed by matronly designs, which was very strange indeed.

I've been itching to give them a try, partly to see if they can deliver on their promises, and partly so I can blog about it! On Tuesday night I went on the website to check out its final sales and liked the look of a pair of flats. I placed the order around 9:30pm and at 10:54pm I received an e-mail from Australia Post notifying me that the parcel has been despatched! The next morning I received another e-mail stating that the parcel was with the driver, and it was delivered to my workplace at 10:50am. That was some service!

The flats I ordered are Sia from Siren Shoes. They're down to $74.95 from $109.95 and I found a coupon code (RUSSH) which meant another $25 off. $49.95 for a pair of leather shoes - bargain!

And they are very cute indeed.

Unfortunately they don't offer enough support for my super flat feet.

Not a good look!

So I have to return them. The return process sounds easy - log on to the website, print a return label and stick it on the box that the item was delivered, and drop it off the post office. I'll report back on how quickly the money was refunded.

I don't usually buy shoes online because fit is tricky, but with free delivery and free return it's OK to order just to try and return if they don't fit. I remember one of my colleagues in London said she could order items online in 2 sizes and return the one that doesn't fit. Now we can do the same!

Other thoughts on The Iconic:

• Website functionality gets a tick from me - filters, sort by, wishlist, product information, ease of use are all good. They've learnt from the best in the business.
• I'm not really "feeling" the model shots. I can't put my finger on it but they're not as good as ASOS, Shopbop etc.
• There are so many brands offered it is difficult to navigate the brands page. Maybe they can sort the brands by categories, so for instance the fragrance brands don't clutter the fashion/clothing brands?

I don't know how often I'll buy from The Iconic but it is definitely a welcome addition to the etailing scene in Australia.

What are your thoughts on The Iconic?

Read More

Myer is (not) my store

The Duke and I looking to buy a new mattress with a pillowtop layer. If we buy one we'll need some extra-deep sheets as the mattress is very thick. So I went up to Myer at lunchtime yesterday to see what is available.

The first two sales assistants on the floor did not know about the extra-deep sheets. The second one directed me to the Sheridan specialist. I went up to her and politely explained what I was looking for. The answer I received? "You go and get the measurement of the mattress then come back to me".

I couldn't believe my ears.

It wasn't just what she said but the way she said it. She was talking down to me, like I was wasting he time.

I left Myer quickly and proceeded to David Jones where the sale assistant was actually assisting. Guess which store will get my custom?

With online stores threatening department stores' livelihood you'd have think that they'll work harder on differentiating themselves on things like customer service, but it looks like Myer didn't get the memo.

I'd happily do my own research and buy online when it's convenient to me without the attitude. I'll  probably have more choice, and save a bundle in the process. Myer, if you don't up your game you're going to lose sales from people just like me. In fact, judging from your declining revenue, it has probably started already.

Does bad customer service drive you to shop online?

Read More

Jigsaw's return to form

In my 20's I was a big fan of Jigsaw, both for their elegant style and sharp tailoring. A few years ago they moved in a direction which I wasn't fond of, and the brand fell out of my "regular rotation". So I was pleasantly surprised by their A/W 2012 collection - the look and style that I love are back!

A few weeks ago I bought the Campbell jacket and I'm getting so much wear out of it. It's a classic style that will serve me for many winters to come.

I browsed through their sale online and discovered quite a few gems.

Jacquard is great for winter and I like the look of this dress (on sale, $149).

And this jacquard skirt (on sale, $101) is a lot of fun.

If I'm in the market for a classic knit this one is a shoo-in (on sale, $129).

And I think I'm a little bit in love with the Macarthur coat (on sale, $299). The rich purple colour and the miltrary-inspired tailoring work really well together. This is another investment piece.

Ummm I may have to visit a store over the weekend to check it out in person ...

Read More

Winter warmers

I've been on the hunt for knitswear in the last few weeks. I've searched online and offline to no avail. It has taken so long because I'm a bit fussy. I want something that looks a bit different (I have enough striped knits already), I prefer natural fabrics, and I don't want to spend more than $150 each.

I decided to hit the shops at lunchtime today, I was determined to fulfil the gap in my wardrobe.

First stop was Marcs - this colour block jumper looked promising online and it's on sale for $89.

I tried it on and it looks nice, but on second thoughts it looked a bit "mumsy".

Gorman was my next stop, out of all the shops I browsed online they had the most interesting patterned knits. And eureka!

The inka jumper (on sale, $120) has a fun print, it was made with 100% merino wool and it has a nice fit. I can't wait to wear it with jeans in the weekend.

Then I went to an old favourite, Alannah Hill. I wasn't particularly hopeful because they're more well known for their cardigans and I was looking for pullovers, but I was in luck and found TWO 100% wool knit tops!

The You Like The Dark top (on sale, $112) is going to be a versatile addition to my wardrobe - I can dress it up with a pretty skirt or dress it down with black slacks.

And the She Kissed Everyone jumper (on sale, $89) is a signature AH design which I'll pair with black skinny jeans.

Feeling the high of instant gratification, I hopped into Seed and bought this cute knit for TLP (on sale, $40).

So bring it on, winter! I'm now ready to face the cold ;-)

Read More

Japan snapshots part 4 - the shopping

It was a bit difficult for me to start this post because I don't want to disappoint my readers, but the truth needs to come out at some point.

My shopping tally in Japan = 2 t-shirts + 3 lipsticks + 1 eyeliner.

I didn't expect to buy much in terms of clothing and shoes, as my size 12 figure and size 39 feet ruled me out of many stores. And the fashion over there is either too girly or too minimalist for my liking.

The two t-shirts I bought were from the Peanuts collection at Uniqlo. At ¥990 (around $A12.50) they are great bargains.

They also have a Hello Kitty/Kitson collection. I offered to buy a t-shirt for Jen/Mallhaciel but she said she has too many already ;-)

 
Uniqlo is Japan's answer to GAP with great quality basics that are reasonably priced. I bought a fleece jacket on my first visit 10 years ago and I'm still wearing it. They have stores around Asia as well as the US, UK and France; maybe one day it'll arrive on our shores.

It was raining when I bought the t-shirts so the SA put a transparent cover over the shopping bag to protect it from the rain. A nice touch, but part of me think it's a waste of plastic...

A case in point on the uniqueness in Japanese fashion. There is a chain store called East Boy  specialising in "school girl" fashion. That's all they sell at the store!

I was a bit more hopeful on my visit to Burberry Blue, a Japan-only Burberry diffusion line. I bought a few handbags from them in the past, but I wasn't feeling the S/S 12 collection.

Burberry Blue bag,  ¥37,800 (~$A475)

I was close to buying this Longchamp bag (love the colour!), but somehow I managed to talk myself out of it. Silly me!

Longchamp Le Pilage Cuir ($US255)

Muji is one of my favourite chain stores in Japan. They sell a mix of fashion, homeware, stationery and food in classic, minimalist style.

There was a massive Forever 21 in Shinjuku, I had a quick look inside, felt too old and quickly left...

Two of the lipsticks and the eyeliner I bought were from Kate, a pharmacy line by Japanese cosmetics company Kanebo. The Rogue HG lipsticks (¥1,024, ~$A13) are lovely and very moisturising.

Photo: Beauty Gang Shop

TLP bought me a Shiseido lipstick at the airport as a Mother's Day gift. The Perfect Rogue lipstick was a bit of a splurge at ¥3500 (~$A44) but I thought I couldn't go wrong with buying Japanese brand in Japan. It was a shock to discover that Shiseido puts a big markup on its prices in Japan! The lipstick is only $US25 in the US and $A29 on StrawberryNet! It was a lesson learnt.

Talking about make-up, what a neat idea to sell them at convenient stores (a Shiseido diffusion line no less!). You never know when you need an emergency eyeliner or lipstick.

I think online shopping plays a small part to my small shopping haul. I no longer rely on overseas trip to access international brands, and the vast range of products available online has made me more finicky. The Duke was probably secretly relieved!

Here's a wrap on my posts on the trip. Thanks for reading and commenting. Now I need to book another holiday so I have something to look forward to...

Read More

Crafty online purchase

The internet is not just good for fashion purchases, it's also great for niche products.

With the weather getting cold I'm keen for a craft project to do at night. Since my artistic skills are severely limited, cross stitch kits are as adventurous as I go.

I want to make something that I can hang up in The Royal Bedroom when finished, so I consulted The Duke before making this purchase - a cross stitch kit of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night, which is one of my favourite paintings.

It looks like a challenge! I wonder how long it'll take to do?

I gave Aussie etailers a chance by searching for it on Google's Australian site, but like most things on internet it is so much more expensive in Australia - $A79 vs £25 from UK etailer Quality Needlecraft. I guess with niche goods it is even more difficult for Australian-based shops to be competitive, the market is just not big enough here, and wholesale prices set by distributors are likely to be prohibitively high.

If any reader is interested I'll post some progress photos of the project on the blog from time to time, it'll give me some motivation to soldier on when it gets tough!

Read More