Long time, no see!

There's been a bit of hibernation around these parts in typical winter style, and speaking of winter style (how's that for a segue), I am pleased to be working with PrettyLittleThing again to bring you this fashion haul. (You can see my previous post here.)

Firstly, let's talk jumpers, or sweaters if you prefer. These are both actually sold as dresses but I am wearing them as oversized tops with jeans because I am not 19. This was for Casual Friday at my new work (which I am completely loving by the way):

• Stone Soft Knitted Off the Shoulder Mini Dress

I described this one on Instagram as "late 80s / early 90s off-duty cheerleader realness" . . . I wore it to be a dance mum.

• Monochrome Striped Oversized Jumper Dress 

Next up is what is actually a wrap blouse, but I have worn it loose as more of a short kimono / unstructured blazer type arrangement. I need the sleeves slightly shorter but otherwise I'm quite happy with this look.

• Grey Leopard Tie Waist Wrap Blouse

And while we're talking oversized animal print . . . check out this dramatic hi-lo number I'm calling "Sleeve-y Nicks" . . .

• Rust Oversized Animal Print Ruffle Sleeve Wrap Midi Dress

Finally, this on-trend pleated number in black floral is begging for a spring wedding guest spot.

• Black Floral Pleated Midi Dress

Just having bare legs has got me excited for spring . . . how are you preparing for SS19/20?

********************************************************
Items kindly gifted by PrettyLittleThing. All images, opinions and sick modelling poses my own. For more information, please see my PR & Media policy. 

People often (sometimes) ask me where I find my various bits and pieces that I wear and when I toss out the name of whatever retailer it is, they often (sometimes) say “Oh, I never think to look there!”, bringing me to today’s lesson, which is “don’t judge a book by its cover” or “don’t judge an online store by their models”.

Admittedly, this happened to me recently, when PrettyLittleThing got in touch for a collaboration on one of my all-time favourite wardrobe pieces: dresses. My first thought was “oh man, I am about 20 years older and 10 kilos heavier than their target demographic, I don’t know if this is going to work . . .” but I was pleasantly surprised to find not one, not two but THREE really nice and age-appropes dresses, which I present below.

As the cooler weather starts creeping in, I start looking for transeasonal pieces that can be warmed up with jackets and boots or worn as-is for those random still-warm days.

Double-duty always works for me, so this wrap dress is a winner, as a conventional dress:



And as a kimono (no wind fan required on this day!)



Shop it here

Is zebra the new leopard? Discuss.





Shop it here

Or is leopard leopard still the favourite?



Shop it here

I hadn't worn anything from PLT before so it was a great opportunity to experience their clothing. I found the quality to be pretty reasonable for fast fashion and the site often has sales, so you could definitely pick up some great pieces for donuts if you were so inclined.

Sure, most retailers have a fairly obvious target market but if you can dodge the generational messaging, then you might find yourself well-dressed for a bargain in something none of your peers will be wearing and looking great while doing so.

In closing, if you have the time, it pays to sift through the offerings of online stores you haven’t considered before - as a bonus, you don’t have to contend with aggressively loud beats or perky teens in-store. As I always say, make sure you check the size guides and returns policy before you buy, sign up for their welcome bonus and keep an eye out for those regular sale events.


Where have you shopped outside the box recently?
********************************************************
Dresses kindly gifted by PrettyLittleThing. All images, opinions and windswept personages my own. Photography by @rvmp. For more information, please see my PR & Media policy. 

Occasionally people ask me how I manage to score such bargains, which is nice as I do consider it a life skill and I'm quite proud of it.

Apart from "years of practice", there are a few key things you can do to avoid paying the RRP at some of your favourite shops. This does not mean shoplifting, using counterfeit coin or changing tags. Almost Posh does not condone thievery, fraudulent behaviour or any other shonky dealings and comes by all savings honestly.

First, it makes it easier to focus on a few key stores so you can give adequate attention to their goings-on, and the more high street the better, if you ask me. Big chains means big sales, it's just how they roll. Here's a tip to avoid being fleeced by tempting emails; high end luxury designers like your Louis Vuitton, your Tiffany & Co etc. do not have 50% off sales or official outlet stores. Save yourself the hassle of having to change your card details when you find out you've been fleeced.

• Join up to all the loyalty programs. You don't even need to carry around a purse full of cards anymore, just scan them into your phone. Some offer voucher rewards after a certain dollar value spent. Some will send you arbitrary vouchers just to keep you keen; these could be percentage off or dollar value. Some send you birthday offers. They all add up. Read the fine print though. The discounts may be in-store only, on full-priced items only or have a short expiry time. 
• Keep an eye on their emails and learn how often they discount store-wide or on certain items. 
• Some sales only happen online. This is a great way to score big so make sure you open those emails to see what's happening. Flash sales are a great way to save but don't get caught up in the hype!
• Visit the store in person wherever possible and try things on. Then go and add them to your online wishlist so when they go on sale, you can pounce with confidence.
• Department stores have big seasonal sales that last a few weeks. If you see something you like at the start of the sale (and you can live with the risk of possibly missing out), hold off and see if it becomes further reduced. I'm not about to condone hiding items in the store but I'm not about to judge on it either.
• Browse the websites and wishlist often. Sometimes you'll see items available online that aren't in-store.
• Choose "click and collect" if available as a delivery option, so your parcel goes to the nearest store. You save on delivery and if you try on then and there, you can return right away if it doesn't suit without being out of pocket and the hassle of organising returns.
• Also keep an eye on free delivery offers. A good way to get a lower-cost item without having to meet a free shipping cap. I know I am not the only one who has spent $12 to make up a $2 shortfall on a free shipping cap.
• Go to VIP sale events if available but don't get too sucked in, make sure the price is still right. There may be a percentage off for that night only or attendees may be given bonus vouchers. These events come with the added benefit of drinks, nibbles and possible goodie bags.
• Subscribe for notifications of major online shopping events like Click Frenzy (16 May 7pm AEST) and Vogue Online Shopping Night (24 May midday to midnight).  If you really want a ridiculously cheap item, be prepared to strike the instant they go live. I'm not above setting a calendar reminder and roping in helpers with multiple browser windows.
• You can even take this approach to your grocery shopping by visiting your store at certain times and picking up specials. I know my local Coles discounts perfectly fresh bread in the afternoons and where to find the clearance / short-dated items. I am not above buying a slightly battered box of crackers if they are 75% off. Again, only buy what you would actually use. There is no use having a fridge full of cheap nearly expired food if you're not going to eat it.

Well, here we are at the end of March, the Easter bunny has been and gone and taken daylight savings with him and now we're starting to think layers and sleeves for our sartorial spends.

March has been reasonably light on in terms of purchases so this won't take very long at all. Still stuck in the same weird limbo of non-full-time job having, which is most tedious.

I had been eyeing off Blue Bungalow for some time now as my girl Stace McGregs is a proper model for them and they have some nice layery looking pieces and whatnot. I also like how they have a Shop The Look outfit inspo section so you can look at a picture of the outfit and then buy everything in it at once, which is how I came by this very affordable look:


Just $19.95 each for both top and skirt, how good is that?!

Later in the month, I took advantage of the free express shipping deal and got the same top in pink marle - seen here with new Kmart scarf, a pair of accidentally-bought pants and $5 shoes I got back in January in Melbs. Don't you love it when you land an item that brings all these other random wardrobe pieces together?


I was browsing in the kid's section of Target with my daughter when I saw this jumper and grabbed the biggest size on the off-chance I could squeeze into it and was very pleased indeed when I could. We are both mad keen for a flippy sequin. At $20, I'll be keeping more of an eye on the bigger kid's clothes from here on in as it also turns out I can fit into big kid's shoes at Kmart! YES!


I needed to refresh my scarf collection after a big cleanout and, as foreshadowed above, got these two at Kmart for $7 each. Sadly one of my favourite tassel scarfs last year from Kmizzle bit the dust after going through the wash so I'll also want to add a tasselled number back into the mix soon.


My friend Judy took me to the Holy Trinity of amazing op shops towards the end of the month, whereupon I found these quilted high-top sneakers for $5:


These unworn Lavish (Harris Scarf) ankle boots for $7 (they look better in real life than the photo indicates)


And a still-current BNWT Betty Basics striped cardi for $8, RRP $34.95. Me not pictured.


Monthly totals

Items acquired: 9
Total RRP ticket "value" - $190.80
Total paid - $113.85
YTD spend - $464.30
YTD "value" - $1,193.40

Apologies for the radio silence of late on both the blog and the socials. Here's what's going on; as some of you know I started a new full-time job end June and it is fully, full-on, full-time. I start a lot earlier so I don't have either light or time to get an outfit snap in the mornings and evenings and weekends have been trying to cram the rest of my life in. It's been challenging. But people have been nice, I can do the work and the dress code means I can continue to wear the same style of thing. I'm at another engineering firm which is super similar to my old place of work so it's just a matter of same stuff, different logo and trying to find that work/life balance.

I've combined June and July's purchases for the Style Cost round-up which is on the lean side. Another side effect is not having the time or inclination to wander around the shops, coupled with not enjoying a lot of what's on offer at the moment. I'm ready to call it, I'm done with the statement sleeve. It's great for cocktails or brunch but not so much for trying to take meeting notes.

On with the purchases. In June, I hit up Savers to great effect with this excellent buy, a pair of Jo Mercer leather riding boots which would normally be about $350 for a mere $20.


I have already worn these A LOT and they are fantastic, now if only I could find a similar pair in brown.

Also at Savers, this surprisingly hefty knit tunic which came from Supre of all places (seen with boots as described above):


On the same shopping trip, I got a couple of dresses from Kmart. This one was a bit steep at $25:


And also this one for $15:


I also got a navy beaded necklace for $4, seen here with my Styling Curvy x Adrift Lifestyle Basics shirt, which I ADORE. My girl Jenni really nailed this collection and it sold like hot cakes, understandably so.


I also picked up a multi-layered necklace from Forever New for $12.95 down from $22-odd bucks which was nice. No pic though, soz.

Moving into July - as some of you may remember I have attempted No-Buy July in the past and failed spectacularly and here I am nearly doing it without even trying. My only purchases amounted to a selection of earrings pictured below (5 for $20 at Lovisa valued at over $70 plus another $7.95 for the Sportsgirl sunbursts)


Finally, right towards the end of the month, I picked up a grey marle foil print top from Katies at 40% off which I have worn but didn't get a picture of and it doesn't appear to be online but there were heaps in store so go check it out.

Monthly totals

Items acquired (June): 7
Items acquired (July): 7 (but 6 of them are pairs of earrings, so . . .)Total RRP ticket "value" (June) - $524.99
Total paid (June) - $164.95
Total RRP ticket "value" (July) - $88.90
Total paid (July) - $27.95
YTD spend - $1,194.68
YTD "value" - $3,016.44

Did you have a go at No Buy July this year?

Recently, I was contacted by South Australian start-up company DreamPigeon, to see if I was interested in reviewing some of their beautiful lava diffuser bracelets. Obviously, I said yes. But what actually is a lava diffuser bracelet and what do they do?


Well, basically, they are for diffusing essential oils in a more portable form, while also being a pretty piece of jewellery as a bonus. Not knowing much about essential oils, except that a lot of people are all about them lately, I set about learning more.

Essential oils are said to have beneficial properties when diffused and used in aromatherapy among other applications. This can be anything from calming to energising, sleeping to invigorating.


The porous black beads are the lava ones which absorb the oil. Said to have grounding properties (because it comes from said ground) and good for calming the emotions, it’s also considered to be a stone of rebirth and shedding unneeded layers of emotional attachment. So that's nice.



As I have child-like wrists, DreamPigeon were kind enough to make me custom sized bracelets that fit nicely without hanging off my hands. I also chose an actual child-size one for Miss L.


I acquired some oils of the essential variety and applied a few drops to the black lava beads and let them soak it all up before I put them on for the day. I didn't know what to expect but I was pleased to find that throughout the day, I had pleasing wafts of scent which tells me these bracelets do actually work in terms of transporting scent in a portable format, if nothing else, which makes me think they would also work if dabbed with perfume or similar.


Have you tried lava diffuser bracelets before? Where do you stand on the use of essential oils?

***********************************************
Bracelets kindly provided for review by DreamPigeon. All images, opinions and slight scratches on hands are mine and genuine. For more information, please see my PR & Media policy.

I think we can safely call it, the cold weather is properly here so it's all about layers, layers and more layers.

May is a fun month - it includes Mothers Day and our wedding anniversary. So here's a bonus pic of me and Miss L in our coordinating knits from the Target kid's section. We had a lovely lunch with my parents at Paracombe Premium Perry - a pear orchard not far from us in the Adelaide Hills - who open their shed door for woodfired pizzas, cider and other delicious drinks on Sundays. It was a great day!


Being warm is totally my jam and if I don't have to sacrifice style, even better. I was pleased to be sent this super cozy aviator jacket from Suzanne Grae as a limited edition Mothers Day release and I can see myself getting this out whenever I'm forced outside in inclement weather.


I got an invitation to attend the Katies VIP Shopping Event in Rundle Mall, hosted by Sonia Styling, and thought it would be a good opportunity to boost my stocks for AW18 with 40% off everything and that I certainly did!

First, this long sleeved dress, from $59 down to $22.50. It's super dark navy, not black as I originally thought but I'm not mad. It's also no longer available online. Soz.


Also from the sale rack and no longer available online, I grabbed a grey marle foil print split back tee. I love grey marle AND foil print and to get a good quality one with a little bit of jazzy detail that elevates it from your average dag-around-the-house tee for a mere $14.50 is most pleasing.


I also got a black shirt but I have neither a photo or a link to show you so you'll just have to take my word for it. Oh, and these cute earrings:


Speaking of cute, the hero piece of the shopping haul, this biker jacket is a gorgeous colour - "powder primrose" since you ask - and I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot of it this season. I've had a good run with my black Katies moto jacket bought at the last event I went to but it's great to get something in a new season colour. This was one of my favourite outfits of the month.


Also pictured, the tan I Love Billy boots I got at Williams for 25% off, bringing them down to about $62. I had been looking for a good pair of tan ankle boots for a while so that was a satisfying get.

I went back to Harris Scarf after the wine knit jumper I got last month and found the same style in a grey and white stripe, still at the reduced price of $16.25 which was, again, jolly pleasing.


Also pictured, the Sophie light wash distressed jeans that I went to three different Targets in search of before finally capitulating and getting them via click and collect. The ankle grazer length is the perfect one for me and they have just the right amount of distress.

Finally, in terms of accessories, I was sent these lava diffuser bracelets by South Australian start-up business, DreamPigeon. A review will follow shortly.


Well, I say "finally" and I had all but wrapped up this post and spending for the month until I saw this dress from Katies was half price and I had a $5 reward voucher, bringing it down to $24 so I'd have been a fool not to. It's not online anymore either but you might snag it in store.


Monthly totals

Items acquired: 11
Total RRP ticket "value" - $645.65
Total paid - $297.67
YTD spend - $1,001.78
YTD "value" - $2,402.55

Got anything nice and new in your wardrobe lately?

**********************************
This post includes affiliate links and items that were gifted for review. Please see my PR & Media policy for more information.