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Friday 25 April 2014

The Melbourne Default Outfit

Just a few photos detailing my default outfit for around the town last week in Melbourne. I felt pulled together, yet comfy and not too hot or cold. My Wirth brogues that I bought last year in Wellington hardly left my feet all week. A great alternative to ballet flats. My feet were in great shape (I cover A LOT of ground in Melbourne)!

More practice at perfecting the down-body selfie for my Instagram feed. It's an art form!


And above is the outfit in full.


Selfie from our very comfy apartment in South Yarra. My TK Store tobacco linen jacket proved its versatility again and again. A light layer (temperatures were high teens to low 20s) and smartened up a casual look easily.


Saturday 19 April 2014

Melbourne Haul

Each time in Melbourne, I buy less but come away with so much more. My focus this trip was work wear and I also wanted to experiment with a different silhouette, whilst still retaining clean lines and polish in my corporate wardrobe. It certainly is tricky to balance elegance with modernism, corporate with edgy. But this time, I feel I have actually achieved that balance.

Being a size 12 - 14 certainly helps. The reality is, that most fashion-forward brands stop at a size 14 (or even a 12 in some cases). So, it was lovely going into boutiques showcasing their new season collections knowing that I was likely to fit most of it. On reflection, I fitted about 90% of what I tried on.

One thing that becomes more obvious with each visit to Melbourne is the gaping hole in the 35 - 50 corporate wear market for women here in New Zealand. Country Road and Trenery don't cut it for me these days. The tailoring is rarely crisp and the collections lean towards the casual. Don't get me wrong: I can still find things to purchase at Country Road, but more and more, items I buy are for the weekend or casual Fridays at the office.

My go-to brands for work wear in Melbourne are Saba, Zara, Nine West and Jo Mercer. For casual wear, Zara. I happened to be in Saba's new store at Emporium in central Melbourne the moment it opened (purely by accident!). I met the General Manager of Saba and mentioned to her how I wished Saba would open in New Zealand. Their database is full of New Zealand-based customers, so perhaps some time in the future they will come here. I learned that sister brand Sportscraft has just opened in Christchurch so that's promising. Sportscraft came and went quickly in the mid 1990s so they are trying again, 20 years on. New Zealand retail was very different back then so I am sure this time it will work out.

I tried to get into the newly-opened H&M but with queues around the block all week (and school holidays!), I decided to give it a miss.

Below is a list of my purchases and a few photos of the haul (excuse the amateurish pics; Sara I am NOT)! I'll blog about a few key pieces in coming days, and share some shopping tales with you!

Zara
Grey Short-sleeved Angora Mix Top with Jewelled Sleeves
Black Cigarette Pants
Grey/Black Zipped City Coat
2 x Soft, Billowy Tops with Painterly Pattern (Green and Blue Tones)
Skinny Mid-wash Blue Jeans

Country Road
Grey Wool Pleated-front Pants (a new shape for me!)

Sass & Bide

Saba
White Tuxedo Shirt (another new shape for me!)
Grey and Black Ankle-strap Heels (finally, ankles fine enough to wear a strap!)

Rhodes & Beckett

Jo Mercer


  









Thursday 10 April 2014

Designer Inspiration

Flipping through the pages of British Vogue today at the hairdressers, I started to look at the Spring/Summer collections of some of the world's luxe designers in terms of inspiration. Inspiration for Melbourne, and the pieces I want to add to my working wardrobe which is very low-inventory at the moment!

I'm loving the sophisticated monochrome and block colours at Escada...





And I think Alexander Wang pieces would challenge the workplace silhouette...


And I love the cuteness at Stella McCartney...





Tuesday 8 April 2014

Nautical



Jeans: Country Road | Top: Saint James Bracelets: Charlotte Penman | Brogues: Wirth | Sunglasses: Karen Walker 'Deep Freeze' in Black

All Images © Copyright Sara Mole


Thursday 3 April 2014

Melbourne Countdown

Ten sleeps to go! Although I am excited about being back in my beloved Melbourne, my mind is occupied with thoughts of finishing up at my current company and starting a new job. Sad times mixed with excitement about new possibilities! Also, Paul and I are bidding on another house next Wednesday so another big change might be in the air...

I have found some time to ponder the Autumn/Winter pieces I want to add to my now very small wardrobe. I've almost finished the final clear out of pre-weight-loss clothes. Here is my list so far...

Coat
An investment piece so I'm not afraid to spend a bit on this.

Winter Dress
For work. To team with opaques and my new Sezane boots.

Pencil Skirt
One that sits just below the knee (difficult when you're tall!) in an interesting print.

Black Ankle Boots
To team with grey skinny jeans and my (yet-to-purchase) grey boxy cashmere jumper.

Navy Scarf
An investment piece, so I'll be looking for cashmere or a cashmere blend.

Thin Gold Rings
One for each finger...

Tailored White Shirt
An elusive creature when you have a large bust. But I have sized down from a 14DD to a 10F so hopefully I can find something crisp and lovely that doesn't gape at the front!

Black Patent Peep-toe Heels
My last two pairs are getting very skanky and I haven't found any I like for about two years. If no joy in Melbourne then I have my eye on these from Ann Taylor. Got to get this style of shoe just right or they'll look tacky, not elegant.