Archive of ‘Lifestyle’ category

What’s the Oldest Piece of Clothing in Your Wardrobe?

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Can you tell me what’s the oldest piece of clothing in your wardrobe? Do you have pieces you’ve owned for years, but can’t part with? I still have my wedding dress and formal dress – which must be the oldest dresses I have in my wardrobe.

what's the oldest piece of clothing in your wardrobe

Can I admit, that lately I have been convicted of the effects of fast fashion.

And when I survey my wardrobe, I can see the effects of fast fashion because most of the items have been acquired in the last few years, post children.

I love fast fashion. I love its affordability (at times) and the fact I can get a new outfit to wear easily. But at what cost?

I shared my conviction with a business woman and she was quick to remind me that my feelings were warranted, but when I share outfits from local boutiques, I’m helping another business prosper, while also offering affordable clothing options that won’t break a family’s budget. If you read this blog, I gather you enjoy reading about fashion, or want to be inspired too.

But I also don’t want to fuel the need to constantly buy new things. Hence why I repeat a lot of my outfits on Instagram. I can’t afford to be buying new clothes all the time, and I’m sure you probably can’t either.

When I look at the clothes in my wardrobe, most items are a couple of years old. The main reason for my new purchases have been because my size and shape have changed after 3 kids. Pre-kids I was a size 12, post kids and 3 years later, I’m a border line 14-16. Most times a 16 because I like my clothes to be a bit roomy.

But when I look beyond my lifestyle changes, there are still pieces that I have worn, pre-children, that I love wearing time and time again. There are also a lot of new pieces that I hope to keep in my wardrobe until they start to look drab.

This dress from New Zealand is one of them. Despite it being 10 years old, and having worn it pre-kids, during pregnancy and post kids, it’s been a great dress to have in my wardrobe. The flowing fabric and belted waist means I can cinch the dress in to suit whatever size I am.

I want to have more dresses like this that I wear time and time again. Clothes that I love to wear which prevent me from heading to the shops to buy more. Every time I wear this dress, I’m reminded to think a bit more about how I ‘consume’ my clothes and how I want to get better at buying clothes that will work with me and stay in my wardrobe longer than a season.

The other thought that I’ve had about my clothes is creating memories in them. I can remember where I bought that dress in New Zealand and some of the places I’ve worn it and the comments I’ve received from wearing it. Strong memories with clothes can allow us to get reflective of the past and can give them sentimental value. This can prevent us from looking for more pieces to fill our wardrobe, because we learn to be grateful for what we have.

Right now, I don’t think I need any more new clothes. I think the gaps have been filled. Which is a crazy statement to make on a fashion blog when I do enjoy modelling new clothes. But it’s a good place to be.

Some of my oldest clothes, are classics that haven’t dated and I enjoy wearing them time and time again. My thought process has been one where I have begun to think more about my purchasing habits and ensure my wardrobe isn’t constantly churning through clothes. Take for example this skirt I wore on the weekend. I think the last time I wore it was last summer. Sometimes we can forget the amazing pieces we own already!

How old is the oldest clothing piece of clothing in your wardrobe? If you looked at your wardrobe, how new are the pieces? One year old, three years old? A couple of months old?

Boxing Day Sales Come Early

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I don’t know about you, but I feel like there is a sale on every week! Well not literally, but my favourite brands are always emailing me when they have 20% off store wide or when they have ‘Buy and Save’ events. I think we’re becoming accustomed to brands being on sale frequently… so with Boxing Day Sales coming up, I’m not really too excited because I’ve become used to it. Do you feel the same?

Having said that, and as expected, some stores have advertised their Boxing Day sales early.

I thought I’d share some of the stores that I shop from, and the sales they have on their dresses –which is usually what I’m drawn to when shopping on Boxing Day.

There is no point buying anything during the Boxing Day sales unless you need it or absolutely love it. The dresses I’m sharing with you that are on sale right now, are dresses I’ve got similar in my own wardrobe, that I wear on high rotation, or dresses I’ve had my eye on. All of them are under $100.

I’ve tried to find dresses that have all the sizes in stock so you won’t be disappointed if your size is not there.

Bohemian Traders – Navy Dreamer Dress $80

navy bohemian traders dress in navy

Millers Stripe Everyday Dress $20

miller stripe everyday dress

Katies Border Kaftan Print Dress $41.97

katies border kaftan dress

Adrift Chloe Dress in Blue Weave $64.99

adrift dress

Boden Confetti Calissa Dress $85

boden calissa dress

Of course, if shopping retail is not your thing, check out your op shops in the new year as many people tend to clear their wardrobes out during the Christmas and new year break.

Happy Shopping!

Will you be shopping the Boxing Day Sales?

Disclosure: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

My Experience Op Shopping for Designer Clothes

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I have a gorgeous friend who always looks trendy and has designer clothes in her wardrobe. She is not afraid to admit she has bought them from an op shop. A simple designer dress may set her back a couple of dollars, instead of $100’s (or possibly $1000’s) of dollars, brand new. She has been prompting me to come shopping with her and a few weeks ago I relented. I wanted to see for myself, whether op shopping for designer clothes was really what it was cracked up to be.

Me and Sam

Me and my gorgeous friend Sam.

Location Location Location

We headed to three op shops in New Farm and Newstead.

RSPCA op shop

When you head to an op shop, location is key. The New Farm op shops are her favourite. Often, many of the residents in that area will donate their barely worn, sometimes tags attached, designer clothes to their local op shops. If you’re particular about getting a certain brand, the inner city locations will offer more variety, than stores that are in the outer suburbs.

Saturday morning is best

My friend said Saturday morning is the best time to go, as most people clear out their wardrobes during the week, and the staff will stock the clothes first thing on a Saturday morning. It does get very busy though, as many experienced thrifters will be scouring the racks for new wares. We headed on a Tuesday morning, and I was still surprised by the amount of clothing brands that were stocked.

The most stocked sizes are 6, 8, 10 and 12

I noticed that there wasn’t much variety in the plus size range, or the clothes in those ranges were from local department stores (Kmart, Target etc). If you’re a size 10 or 12, the outfits are in aplenty. I’m between a size 14 to 16 and some of the clothes in the 14 range didn’t fit me. I walked away with no clothes for me, but my friend walked away with a few designer dresses, 2 pairs of pants and some Guess heels.

Op Shopping for Designer Clothes

Me in I’m not sure what it is I’m wearing but it was the only dress that fit me.

It wasn’t all a loss

I did buy three tops, and gave them a good wash and iron and listed them on eBay. I doubled my money by listing the tops for the price I paid for them, and waited for the bidding action to occur. It was a risky move because I could have not sold them, or only sold them for the price I bought for them. The brands that I find sell well online are Cue, Veronika Maine, Review, Alannah Hill and Country Road.

Will I go again?

Yes. I enjoyed looking through the racks, hoping to find gold. Even though I didn’t, I haven’t lost faith in the process. You can still head to a shopping centre and come home empty handed.

My size is the average size, so maybe this was why I couldn’t find much to fit me. Maybe next time I will score something amazing.

Have you ever gone Op Shopping for Designer Clothes? What’s been the best bargain you’ve found in an Op shop?

My Five Favourite Click Frenzy Deals

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If you’re on a shopping ban, don’t look at this post. If you’re already here, and still want to know my picks of the sales, then keep reading. Today, most stores are offering a click frenzy sale where you can save anywhere from 20-50% off when shopping online. The sale is timed perfectly for Christmas shopping.

While it might be tempting to go all out and buy up to treat yourself (hey, I won’t judge if you do), these sales can make it more affordable to buy things you really need. Like linen. We need new bath mats and I’m loving the ones from Pillow Talk.

So rather than tempt you with all the sales that are happening today, I’m going to share my favourite 5. Things I use and wear which you can save on, if you purchase today.

Adorne

If you love seeing my tassel earrings-, they are all from Adorne. I’ve spent anywhere between $29.95 to $39.95 for a pair of tassel earrings. Today only though, Adorne has 20% off all jewellery. That makes all the hooped tassel earrings reduced to $23.95.

Pillow Talk

Pillow Talk is my go to linen place for cushions and home décor. The sale for pillow talk is as follows

– Receive $10 off when you spend over $100 – code: SEA10
– Receive $30 off when you spend over $200 – code SEA30
– Receive $75 off when you spend over $300 – code: SEA75

Katies

I’m loving some of the tropical print tops at Katies at the moment. For today, they are offering an extra 50% off selected pieces. Enter TAF50% at checkout. I think this monochrome cold shoulder top is gorgeous and a steal for $20.

 

Skin Boss

My face has been loving Skin Boss oils. I originally purchased the night oil as I was wary of putting a day oil on my oily face. I was sent the day oil to try, and I was surprised at how well the oil penetrated my skin and didn’t leave an oily residue. These oils are great all year round, but for today only, you can buy them for $35 each. I’m nearly out of my night oil, so I will definitely be purchasing today to make use of the sale.

Skin Boss Oils

Skin Boss Oils, $35 each

Jo Mercer

My favourite Frankie 4 shoes sold out, but I found a similar pair at Jo Mercer.

Jo Mercer Sandals

Jo Mercer Sandals, $145 before sale

I love wearing Jo Mercer shoes. And I can vouch for their quality. My beige boots are still going strong and I have black heels that look as good as the day I bought them. Jo Mercer is offering 25% off storewide.

These are favourite brands that are taking part in click frenzy. Will you be making use of the sales today? What’s on your to buy list?

A Glimpse of Shopping With my Girls When They’re Older

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On Saturday, I had to head to the shops to get some Christmas craft from the discount store and tomato sauce for our end of year/Christmas get-together BBQ we were hosting at our house that afternoon.

I told Esther she could come with me to help choose the craft. As we walked into our local shopping centre, we noticed a new Ally store had opened and had 20% off, storewide for its grand opening. I could see Esther wanted to look at the clothes and I was keen too because there were some cute prints in store.

I ushered us past though, and headed to the discount store to get our craft supplies.

But when we walked back, I told Esther to have a look around and see if there were any tops she liked.

Right now she’s in a size 8 to 10 in girls clothing. I know we are going to be entering the years where she will have her own ideas of what she likes and doesn’t like. I’ve already looked at some of the offerings in the size 8-16 range in department stores and not a lot of it appeals to me – or to her. So I’m open minded about going into stores that I think would suit a tween to get the right fit.

So we headed in and Esther wandered along the racks, as did I. I found a stripe tee and a printed top that could be worn as a peasant top or off the shoulder, for Esther. I found a striped tee for me.

We headed into the change rooms together and tried on our tops. And I noticed the big smile on Esther’s face as she was trying the tops on. In that moment, I got a glimpse of what it’s going to be like, shopping with my girls when they are a bit older. Both of the tops fit her and suited her. She commented on how well my top fit me.

We walked away with some new summer tops and big smiles on our faces at having bought clothes in the same store.

shopping with my girls stripe tee

Me, in my new tee

new striped tee

When we got into the car, Esther said, ‘Thank you mum. That was so cool we could shop in the same store together. I love you.’

Esther and bec

Gah. I had to put my sunglasses on to hide my wet eyes. I was thankful we could have that moment together and it made me excited for the future years with my girls.

While I love and cherish the ages they are now now, Saturday’s expedition showed me how much there is still to look forward to.

We got home and Esther proudly put on her tops to show her sisters and daddy.

It wasn’t until lunchtime I realised we forgot to get the tomato sauce!

How do you find shopping for clothes with your older kids? What stores do you go to get their clothes?

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