ASOS is one of my favourite online shopping destinations and today they advised that Australia will get an exclusive preview to the Spring Summer Collections – bravo to them for letting the Aussies in on what the rest of the world get to see (expecially since it will be Summer here and things are starting to cool down in the Northern Hemisphere).

Here is the super early sneak peak of the things to come. Coveting the white and orange sundress. Can’t wait to see the whole collection when it’s released next Monday!

I have always made it (well, since I was old enough to know better) a rule that tracksuit pants are not for wearing outside the house. Similar to the ‘leggings as pants’ rule, these fashion laws are in place to keep us all safe – especially our eyes and future ability to dress as functional human beings.

But this week I went to the launch of Sleep’n Round and feel I may have to reassess my rule book. Tracksuit pants good enough to wear out and printed leggings that have no place hiding in a bed adorned the custom fit out store and I had to admit – isn’t being comfortable all the time a big part of looking good?

Andrew Prowse, businessman and entrepeneur, and AFL superstar Michael Osborne – friends from way back (with each other, not with me) – came up with the idea for Sleep’n Round in 2009. Starting out with an online store, the boys wanted sleepwear that was casual enough to wear around the house (and pop down the street for an ice cream when needed) but was also comfy enough to sleep in. Oh, and it had to be sexy and stylish too.

Enter designers Sarah Gaunt and Jacqui Hunt, a look to streetwear labels they loved for inspiration and hey presto, a range of cool Tees, Henley style dresses, pants and shorts that customers wouldn’t mind being caught dead in, but which also made lounging around home stylish and sexy. And were super comfortable to sleep in.

This weekend, I watched Sex and the City (Season 5) at Mt Hotham, overlooking the most spectacular view of snow capped mountains. I slept late, read Vogue AND Who, and enjoyed endless cups of tea. As night fell, I switched to red wine, flicked on the footy (Go Hawks!) and as the temperate dropped, settled into one of the most relaxing weekends in ages.

Mt Hotham on a most glorious day

I realise that for a weekend away such as this (sans skiing), the basic requirements are for warmth and comfort, but we all know I am just a little bit more than crazy when it comes to packing for minibreaks. 

I took jeans and tracksuit pants, tee shirts and singlets, jumpers, jackets, scarves and boots. And not to wear all together either. There is no excuse for bad dressing, no matter where you are.

But when the sun is shining as bright as it was this weekend at Mt Hotham, the most important accessory is your sunglasses.

The classic struture of the Ray Ban Wayfarer suits a myriad of face shapes, is unisex and has the undeniable element of ‘cool’ about it.

My Wayfarers are black, with a savvy print lining the arms and inside of the frames – multicoloured words shouting PEACE, LOVE, FREEDOM, EQUAL and MAKE. The special series of Ray Bans is current season and they are made in Italy. Fabulous! They are also featured in this months Madison mag. 

Ray Bans and a tee shirt at the snow! The scarf is just for appearances – it was 17 degrees! 🙂

And just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, we decided to take a little trip over to the Big D and have a scenic chair lift ride (we totally look liked tourists!)

The sunset on a beautiful Hotham day was as spectacular as the sunrise – and just like that, the ski season is done for another year.

At Hotham, we stayed at the White Crystal Apartments where these amazing views can be seen. Sunshine not guaranteed.
Ray Bans can be found online at Vision Direct, where you can get up to 50% off and free shipping on designer sunglasses. They also eyeglasses and contact lens! 

There are some days where I cannot believe just how lucky I am. Today, for example, I am sitting in my favourite café, sipping a latte, writing. I didn’t get out of bed until after 8.30, I didn’t get dressed until after 11am and I am working on a shiny new MacBook Air that despite my initial apprehensions is actually pretty spectacular.

And so in the theme of luck, it seems only fitting that I was last week invited to celebrate the launch of the Emirates Marquee at the Spring Racing Carnival – Ireland – where the luck of the Irish was the clearly in abundance.

Held at the Melbourne Town Hall, the event not only launched the theme and the entertainment, but also the food and drinks to be served in the Marquee on the main race days.

The three cocktails – The Molly Malone, Limerick Lane and Golden Fizz – bring together Ciroc Vodka or Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve with a host of ingredients to tantalize the most disconcerting tastebuds. And you know I love a cocktail!

The food too was Irish inspired, and we were presented with just a taste of the delicacies that will be on offer during the Carnival.

There was oysters two ways, a classic Irish stew and a spring chicken salad, followed by shamrock pie (lemon meringue with a touch of green) and gooseberry and elderflower fool (meringue and jelly. YUM.)

As for the entertainment? Brian McFadden crooned U2’s “All I want is you’ and Irish dancers stomped away on the custom built dance floor, sending vibrations across the room and getting everyone tapping their well heeled feet.

For the ladies, Emirates have enlisted the help of Napoleon Perdis make up who will host make up stations in the Marquee for those quick touch ups, and South Yarra stylist Conrad Mace who will be on site to assist with hat hair and scents by Bvlgari.

But with all this amazing food, drink and entertainment at the launch, my favourite moment came when Emirates VP of Australasia, Barry Brown, spoke, declaring that all anyone wants at the end of the day at the races is a party pie and some hot chips.

I for one can’t wait for a bit of Irish action at the races.

Just last week, amidst the frivolity of fashion week, I visited Bella Inspirations in Elwood, a quirky little store with lot’s of bits and pieces to make you look and feel good.

Candles, soaps, perfumes, scarves and bags adorn the walls, from brands you know and love.

I started out testing perfumes, a favourite being Juliette Has a Gun, (crazy name, amazing scent!) created by Romano Ricci (great grandson of Nina!) in the ‘Romantina’ fragrance. I’m still sniffing the sample card nearly a week later.

Accompanying me to the Bella event was Yahav Ron from Paris 99 where I had just acquired my first Valentino. (Yes, THAT Valentino – more on this the first chance I have to wear it!).  Yahav had heard of Juliette Has a Gun and many of the other labels stocked at Bella, and given his worldly travels, you know they are brands of choice.  

But the main reason for attending the Bella store was to check out d-lux, a range of scarves and wraps made from the highest quality natural fibres including Australian merino wool, silk, linen, cotton and cashmere. The scarves are printed or plain in the most fabulous colours for the season, and are hand loomed and hand finished.

Director of d-lux, Sheena, was in store to show us the range and just how one can (or should!) tie a scarf properly. We looked at drape and style before she showed us the holy grail of scarf tying – the plait.

Now, a girl I used to work with had the plait scarf tie perfected. No matter how many times she used to show me, I never got it, but after a few minutes with Sheena, I think I have it nailed – and you can too.

Check out this video of Sheena and try it for yourself – perfect in a bright print for the Spring evenings when it’s a little cooler!

The charming Bella Inspirations is owned by Michelle, and her mother operates a sister store in Tasmania. Their aim is to provide new and interesting products to their customers; things that make you look and smell great!

Bella Inspirations Victoria
98 Ormond Road Elwood

Bella Inspirations Tasmania
Shop 10 Quadrant Mall Launceston

There are few things I like better in life than fashion and food. A few of you (or maybe just my mum) will remember that when I started this blog, the basic premise of my little patch of the web was that I was going to post a recipe and the outfit you should wear to cook it in every day. And as you can see, that didn’t last all that long.

You see, I like to eat. A lot. I’m just not that much of a cook. Well, when it comes to recipes anyway – I’m more of a throw ingredients together and hope for the best kinda girl. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

   
The amazing food we had at lunch at Virginia Plain for the lovetoshare launch

But the best ‘made up recipes’ are the ones where I have a well worn cookbook, or a print out from my high school home economics class, scribbled with notes and splattered with the stains of attempts gone by.

I like to imagine the day I have a daughter and we can bake my altered recipe cookies but given my aversion to pain and low tolerance for small children (I like shoes, okay?), I began to fear no one would ever see the ease with which one can make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

That was until lovetoshare was launched. lovetoshare is a website designed for all of us home chefs (the master chefs AND the try hards like me) where you can share your own recipes, and get wisdom from others. The website will support a new TV Show, lovetoshareFOOD, screening on Saturday 15 September at 4pm on Network Ten.

The TV show will be hosted by Aaron Harvie (from season 2 of MasterChef), and star resident Chef Darren Robertson, nutritionist Arabella Forge and foodie Rebecca Sullivan and will feature 3-4 recipes cooked per week, a celebrity guest and a member recipe from the website.

L-R Arabella, Aaron, Rebecca and Darren on the set of lovetoshareFOOD

The idea of lovetoshare comes from friends Kate Tiller, Georgina Damm and Carolynne Moore – all experts in their fields – who felt there was an audience for this service beyond SMSing or emailing each other recipes.

The site is a celebration of home cooking and heirloom recipes, hoping to bring together Australia’s far reaching community of food lovers and home cooks. The ultimate hub for cooks of all skill levels, lovetoshare will feature, in addition to recipes, food news; a seasonal diary of produce and a notice board. 

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that cooking shows are a particular weakness of mine – more so now that I am at home during the week. The launch event luncheon that I attended earlier this week showcased some amazing food and gave me the opportunity to chat to the team in person – I am very much looking forward to uploading my peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe!

When I was a kid, Mum used to refer to Target as ‘Tar-jay’. I grew up thinking how much cooler ‘Tar-jay’ sounded and continued referring to it as such until I was old enough to know how silly I sounded.

Nowadays, I have no problems saying I shop at Target – just two weeks ago I called into Urban by Target on Chapel Street and noted how fashion forward the current season was. The neon jeans I bought were only $30 or so – on trend AND on budget. And they have produced collaborations with Grazia and Dolly, and announced the next Designer for Target will be Roberto Cavalli. Pretty amazing.

But today I want to show you the shoes. Cause you know that’s where my heart really lies. The buyers at Target have really stepped up (see what I did there?) and this seasons’ footwear is as good as you will find in the ‘bigger’ department stores in terms of style and range of choice. There are over 260 to choose from!

There are flats in all shades of the rainbow, strappy shoes for those warmer days, wedges for picnics on grass and workwear to transition winter to spring. The colours are fun and bright, and there is sure to be a style that suits everyone.

My fave’s are pictured here and I want them all. I can see days by the beach in the flats, popping on the wedges when I head to the bar with a sundress and while I don’t go to the office anymore, those black pumps will suit for meetings. And the loafers? I might just wear them around the house for fun.

For your chance to win a $50 Target giftcard (I’d suggest you spend it on shoes!) simply comment on this post and tell me what you are most looking forward to this Summer. The prize will be drawn on Friday September 21 by random selection and sent to you via post (so please include your email address so I can get in touch if you are the winner!)

Good Luck and happy summer shoe shopping days!

PS Target have sent me these gorgeous Blue Wedges. Look out for me on the streets of Melbourne in these babies – or perhaps at Fashions on the Field at Flemington this November!

It’s all about lemon/yellow/sorbet this season.

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

MSFW 2012 – FCUK

The wonder that is Jayson Brunsdon.
Images thanks to Jennifer Estrada

Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch. Dress by Deception at Design A Space, Shoes by Carel Paris, Facinator by Morgan and Taylor, bracelet and belt by Forever New and vintage ring. Fabulous day! With thanks to Professional Public Relations Pty Ltd (PPR) and Emirates.