Recent purchases

Topshop coat; Sass & Bide jacket; J Brand leather pants; Mimco loafers

Tea Party for One

At first being a mother was a very time-consuming full-time job... But now that we have settled into a little routine, it is quite relaxing. I like to change things up a bit each day to avoid going crazy - today I treated myself to a little tea party for one whilst my little girl napped. 

 

 

My recent purchases: 3 Country Road knits for $19.95 each; Django and Juliette tan leather boots on sale for $95; bloomers and tunic dress for my baby girl

 

One danger about having this time to myself is the temptation of online shopping. An email in my inbox a few days ago announced that the Country Road online outlet were having a further 50% off knits. Now with an upcoming trip to Japan looming and my winter wardrobe looking very sad due to me being heavily pregnant the whole season, $20 knits were too good to pass up. Of course, I couldn't place the order without throwing a couple of cute baby things into my cart. I had also been on the look out for new tan boots after wearing my old ones to death. I found these on sale at Zomp whilst on our fun family outing over the weekend, and the last pair were my size - perfect. 

 

But don't think my days are all lonely tea parties and credit card work outs. Oh no, the best part is the baby smiles and cuddles, play time, singing and nonsense conversations. Before long, we may even be having tea parties for two. Yes, I love being a mum!

Same same but different

I have sold quite a few things on ebay lately and would like to splurge on something nice. So now it's decision time. Here are my ideas:

1. A good quality coat (pros - I can wear it in Japan, I don't own a warm coat that I really love; cons - I lie in QLD, I can probably get by with my Country Road hip-length coat)

Options: Karen Walker - $560/ $320

2. A handbag (pros - my everyday mid-size bag is worn to death so I can see a definite gap in this department, colour goes with everything; cons - I already have a Marion and my baby bag that I am getting by with, have to be careful doesn't get baby-damaged)

Options: Alexander Wang Rockie/ Emile - $620/ $920

3. A ring (pros - could get my daughter's name engraved inside as a sort of birth memento; cons - gold expensive, but silver could get tarnished)

Options: Karen Walker single or multi-flower in gold or silver - $635 gold/ $95 silver; $865 gold/ $120 silver

What would you do?

Spring bargains and a Summer wishlist

I still have a quite substantial wishlist that I am trying to narrow down. Here are some of my top picks - not quite the bargains pictured above... October and November may not be as restrained as August and September...

Karen Walker sunglasses, dress and navy shorts; Alexander Wang Rockie bag; Lover floral shorts

Luxe to... Less?

I had been umming and ahhing over these Mimco brogues for some time. To be honest, I was waiting for further reductions, because as much as I advocate the quality of Mimco shoes, they do tend do come down in price a bit during sale time. Plus, baby budget... So when I saw that Topshop were having free shipping, I had a quick browse of their sale section. Underwhelming, EXCEPT for these cute mint coloured brogues. I have had no experience with the quality or fit of Topshop shoes, but for $AU15 and free shipping, I thought it was worth a try. Perhaps they will get the Mimco version off my mind.

Meanwhile, I can't stop looking at bags lately. My "dream on" favourite is the Chloe Paraty, medium sized in this gorgeous peacock colour. At $1800 unfortunately it won't be mine any time soon. Next up, almost $1000 cheaper, but still a bit much for me at $890 is the Alexander Wang Emile, small size in Mercury/ rose gold. And finally, the humble (ahem, $230) Catia hip bag from Country Road in a lovely lilac colour. I have always found Country Road bags to be a little boring and overpriced, but their new season bright colours and textured leathers are somewhat tempting. This bargain price doesn't quite instill quite the same reckless abandon as $15 shoes, however, so for now I'll keep dreaming... if only I hadn't already spent my tax return on a boring car service.

I'll leave you with a final cheapie purchase: Spearmint knit from Dotti, on sale for $30. I forsee some cute Spring outfits, paired with my Topshop brogues, with any luck. Pictured with Karla Spetic leather-backed skirt, Antipodium skirt, Lover shorts.

 

Love Karen Walker Eyewear

Karen Walker Anwhere, Number One, Anytime, Number Six and Helter Skelter

I have the bottom two pairs, the first oversized and the second a nice small fit. Together, they pretty much cover all bases. But a black pair wouldn't go astray. And just check out their Fantastique Limited Edition Eyewear Collection (coming in September). The frames come in gold or black filigree. Amazing! 

 

Out with the old, in with the new

I recently had a huge wardrobe cull (could have been "nesting"?) and it feels much better to see everything in my wardrobe clearly. I imagine that I will revisit it again in a couple of months when I have a better sense of my shape and can see what items fit/ suit me. The prospect of having my waist back is pretty exciting and I feel like celebrating with some new purchases, plus the sales are just getting more and more tempting, as pieces I couldn't even consider at the start of the season are now massively reduced and will soon fit me. Being on a baby budget, I shouldn't even be considering this... but maybe if I get some culled items up on ebay we could come to some kind of arrangement...

These I have already purchased (sneaky!) and I think they'll mostly be quite suitable for the new lifestyle.  All pieces are Karen Walker, from Vanity Flair (use code SALE20 for a further 20% off) and karenwalker.com, except for the jeans which are Current/ Elliott from Shopbop. I predict that white jeans will be a must-have for Spring.

These ones are still on my wish list (clockwise from left): Karla Spetic silk and wool dress; Equipment yellow and teal blouses; Lover dress; Mimco brogues; Karen Walker skirt (but the short version); Lover blouse.  

I'm holding off because I think most of them may be impractical with children... but then there's the pretty factor... Most likely purchases are the shoes, skirt and one dress (to be decided). 

I'm also considering a pair of either floral or pastel jeans from J Brand or Current Elliott. Do you think these trends will be around for awhile?

Feeling sunny

Finally today was sunny after a week of rain. Made me excited for Spring... the weather, the colour, the possibility of having my waist back.... I've always loved yellow, but after a few ruthless culls, it appears to have disappeared from my wardrobe and I'd like to invest in some more. On my wish list are an Equipment blouse in lemon and the short version of the Karen Walker pleated skirt. Yellow looks great with navy, which is a staple colour in my wardrobe, so I'm sure I'd have no trouble making these pieces work for Spring.

Thoughts on yellow? What are you looking forward to wearing this Spring?

US Sale Picks

So I finally got around to properly checking out some of the US sales online. There's still some good stuff floating around, much of it now further reduced. And the Aussie dollar seems to be back in front again (just). These are my top picks from Net-A-Porter and Barneys:

1. Emma Cook sequin print silk/cotton dress, $164, 70% off

2. Acne uniform silk-crepe dress, $144, 70% off

3. APC Zebra print t-shirt, $35, 50% off

4. Emma Cook denim print silk jumpsuit, $204, 70% off

5. Current/Elliot cropped floral jeans, $100, 50% off

6. Alexander Wang Prisma tote, $409, 40% off

7. Miu Miu sequined leather pumps, $455, 50% off

Mini bags

My constantly changing body shape has made anything but the cheapest of purchases quite pointless, unfortunately... Or fortunately for the bank balance! Strangely, I find myself in the shopping mood. This has mostly been satisfied with cots, bouncers, bassinets and the like... but the nesting instinct has not completely taken over. I'm currently lusting after a mini bag. These versions from Proenza Schouler, Chloe, Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang are a little pricey for a girl on a baby budget, but I can't seem to find any cheaper versions that are near as stylish. Any suggestions would be appreciated.