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Know first who you are and then adorn yourself accordingly - Epictetus

19 June 2011

Holiday Sport

Every year my mother and I used to go on a trip to Melbourne. It was a fun-filled shopping and eating orgy that unavoidably ended in my buying a load of crap from outlet stores for the simple reason that it was cheap. The sad part is that I always planned some purchases in amongst the crap and I was incredibly successful with some of my key purchases, the best two being my black trench and my black pea coat, both of which I still live in years later.


Last year we went to New York instead and I was incredibly self-restrained – despite having an awful lot of money to spend. I stuck to my list, I got pretty much exactly what I wanted and all of the things are still in my wardrobe on high rotation. What really bough home the quality vs. quantity thing for me was the number of times I wandered in and out of H&M trying desperately to buy something. The moment I walked into Zara I picked up, tried on and subsequently bought my favourite olive green blazer (it is still going strong despite constant use) but as hard as I looked, I didn’t even try anything on in H&M. The fabrics were wrong, the cut was odd or it was just not my style at all. And I found that in Europe again just this Christmas/New Year gone. Since dedicating myself to sticking to my personal style no matter what the price/fashionability I have found that cheap shops like H&M overseas and Sportsgirl (not that it’s that cheap anymore) just do not hold any appeal for me anymore. And I was previously a slave to the altar of fast fashion.


So this year I am off for a quick – girls only – jaunt to Melbourne again. But with a very tight list in hand. I only need black pants – fast becoming the bane of my existence – and maybe some leopard print heels. This is another item that has been on the list for a long time. I found a gorgeous pair but, by the time I ummed and erred, they were all sold out. *Sigh*. I’m not really fond of the trashy connotations of leopard print I love the idea of going out in a Le Smoking suit with a crisp white shirt and leopard heels. Like this:

source: Le Laid

I have found many other pairs but they just don’t match up… until now. I haven’t tried them on but I will do a gratuitous posing shot if I do buy them. Fingers crossed!
source: Tony Bianco

5 comments:

  1. Aww... This post makes me nostalgic for mother daughter shopping trips. Best of luck with your shopping trip.It sounds like you've got your list under control. Two very classic items that you'll get a lot of millege out of.

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  2. I love leopard shoes, it's probably the only leopard I will seriously wear. I'm quite underwhelmed by H&M on the whole as well, but I do have some items from there that I've been wearing since 2005. But agree that for the most part, the fabrics are terrible.

    I enjoy shopping with my mum very much as well, although she often refuses to buy anything because she insists it's too expensive. I just spent Saturday shopping with her the entire day for something to wear to a wedding dinner.

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  3. Oh man, I force myself not to even walk into H&M anymore. For me, the temptation to buy cheaply made, trendy clothes is just too strong to resist, so it's best to avoid the temptation all together.

    Finding a good leopard print is difficult, but these shoes are fantastic! They look really sophisticated. I hope they are as nice in person as they are in the photo!

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  4. Pret - I hate that! There is nothing worse than seeing something that looks great but just knowing it's a crappy brand and you'll live to regret it. Sigh.

    Lindsay - Thanks :) I am going to miss the mother daughter trips as I get older and am less able to get away, they really are a great escape.

    Lin - Wedding things are so hard to buy! There is nothing nice for women of our mothers' age at all. Trying to find a nice pair of tailored pants for my mum that cost under $500 was next to impossible. My mum always says things are too expensive too, I remember prying her credit card out of her hands to pay for the tan Bayswater she was trying out because she was so nervous... now she won't carry anything else becasue she loves it so much!

    Jennifer - I totally agree! Lucky for me there isn't any over here but I now have the same reaction to our local brand Sportsgirl. I just refuse to go in!

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  5. Really great for work! I'm still a student, but some occasions just ask for these kind of clothes.. and I

    really dont mind that :)

    Workwear Melbourne

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