“”Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.””

Confucius

Midnight Saturday marked the end of my one month self imposed shopping strike and I’m pleased to say I made it through 31 days of not shopping, but not without a few iffy moments along the way.

All in all, I reckon I did really well. As much as sometimes it was easy to say ‘no one will know’, I would know and the guilt would probably force me to confess. The only thing I bought for me for the month was Madison magazine, which I felt was justified given I didn’t receive my Marie Claire magazine (to which I subscribe) and I do need to stay in touch with what is happening in the fashion world. You might argue this is a loophole – it probably it – however given that $8.50 was my big thrill for the month, I think I am pretty safe in saying I passed with flying colours.

So now the big test comes. Putting into practise the lessons I have learnt during Dry July. The urge to go out and max my credit card is quite strong, yet when shopping yesterday and spying a gorgeous jade green overcoat I considered the jacket and put it back. Do I need another coat? Even in a colour I don’t have? I walked away.

Similarly when looking at new seasons magazines this morning (September Issues!!), I choose one and returned the others to the shelf. It seems I have grown some self control over the past month!!

In other Dry July endeavours, I did manage to go for a walk/run at least 4 and sometimes 6 times a week. I didn’t open any wine at home, and the only time I did drink at home was a single glass of Pimms (and I was just using up the ginger ale that another friend had left in the fridge!).

Now it’s August and the new season fashion awaits. I attended the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week Media Launch today and the thrill of pastels and florals inspired me to head to the shops later this week, although I do believe that when venturing shopside these days I will be doing so with more caution.

Investment and statement pieces will be the order of the day, rather than throwaway fashion. This I have learnt I can do without. Buy now, love forever will be my new mantra, rather than the buy now, throw away tomorrow philosophy I have been living for such a long time.

It also astounded me how easy it was (when pushed) to reinvent things already in my wardrobe. A scarf and tights can update any summer look to winter, while adding accessories can transform a tired outfit. This is another lesson learnt and one that I will continue to play with.

I want to know how your Dry July went. Did you make it? Congratulations to all those who made it through the month!!

Image One: Dome-button coat $229.00 at Talbots

What did you miss?
Dry July – The beginning
Dry July – 10 days in
Dry July – 25 days in

On a chilly Friday night in Melbourne, I took to the streets of Melbourne singing Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious. I wasn’t the only one. Hoards of people leaving Her Majesty’s Theatre last week were in the same joyous mood as I after seeing the spectacular stage show, Mary Poppins, which opened in Melbourne on Thursday night.

From the opening bars to the standing ovation, everything about the Mary Poppins stage show enthrals and delights. It’s an all singing, all dancing, all happening spectacular that will make you want to go back and see it again and again. Verity Hunt-Ballard and Matt Lee are fabulous choices in the lead roles of Mary Poppins and Bert, while other seasoned performers such as Marina Prior and Debra Byrne excel as Mrs Banks and the Bird Woman.

You will watch in awe as Mary flies above you, wonder at the clever and elaborate sets and marvel at the little details which truly make the show what it is. You know the songs and you know the story, but the reason to see the stage production is for the energy and charm of this childhood tale.

Relive the magic as it was when you first experienced Mary Poppins and then sing all the way down Exhibition Street as you leave the theatre. Remember the carefree nature of your childhood and fly a kite this weekend. Always take life with a spoon full of sugar and a Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious attitude.

On a fashion note, the theatre is not your local cinema. When you pay in excess of $100 for a ticket, it is appropriate to dress in a manner that complies. Tracksuit pants are NOT theatre attire. If you are bringing your children, do not put them in tracksuit pants or their dressing gown. Jeans are only if you are REALLY dressing them up. The theatre is an experience and should be prepared for as such.

Image thanks to ABC

Everyone knows I am a big fan of the Stiletto. In fact, I think deep inside every girl there is a princess in strappy sandals trying to get out. Indulge in all your shoe fantasies at the Princess Chic Stilettos after dark event, to be held in Melbourne on August 26.

At this fabulous celebration of shoes, each fashionistas will receive a $25 gift card to Princess Chic, learn how to walk in high heels, grab a shoe bargain in the silent auction, drink Omni Sparkling and even design your own shoes!

The Fashion Lounge on Flinders Lane is an apt venue for an event such as this and you will need to be there by 6pm as to not miss out on any of the festivities.

At just $30, tickets will sell faster than you can say ‘shoes are my religion, so hop online as fast as your Stilettos will let you and book now. Email chic@princesschic.com.au.

I was always one of those children who watched movies over and over and over again. I could recite them word for word, sing all the songs and easily pick up the film from the middle when I was too impatient to wait for it to rewind all the way (ahh yes, the days before DVD!). Among my favourites were Grease, The Sound of Music and Bedknobs and Broomsticks – but Mary Poppins was another that always stole my heart.

My Dad taught me about supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and how to say it backwards. I’m sure I even wanted to jump into chalk drawings but at least I also learnt a fun way to clean my room and why you should always take your medicine.

This Friday I am going to see the stage show of Mary Poppins and I can’t wait to relive one of my childhood favourites. The evening will of course be accompanied by much more grown up pursuits – fancy dinner and fine wine – but I do look forward to singing along and remembering the innocence of a Disney childhood.

Book your tickets here
Images thanks to Disney/Mary Poppins

The Melbourne winter sun has come out for all of two minutes and I am already thinking about bathing suits. I saw this Cozi by Jennifer Hawkins number in the Herald Sun on Saturday, and again on the Sassi Sam blog today – does that mean I am totally meant to scout it out come November when it hits shelves?

If only I looked like Jen!!

Meanwhile, I am 26 days and counting into Dry July, where I decided to give up shopping for 31 days. The countdown is now on til Sunday – officially August 1 when I can again flash my cash and cards – but as the day draws nearer I can’t help but wonder what I have learnt this month. It was supposed to teach me something, wasn’t it?

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT
– Walking away to think about if you really need it only works if you are not actually allowed to buy it. I still thought about it for days, it just got replaced by something else I wasn’t allowed to buy.

– If you ban one thing, like shopping, you will no doubt end up spending extra income elsewhere – like at restaurants, movies and lunches.

– People will always try to tell you that you can’t do it. Sometimes it’s just about proving them wrong.

– I had so much more pleasure in buying things for other people this month – presents were allowed!!

– As soon as you can’t shop, EVERYTHING will go on sale.

6 more sleeps!!

Image Credit: Sassi Sam

At what point in your career, or indeed your life, do you decide you have made it? Is it a particular salary? An accolade? A feeling of personal achievement?

This week, I think I made it. Rather than sitting in a cafe interviewing someone over a latte, I was the one being interviewed. I was the one being photographed. I was the one who answered the funny questions and thought harder over the serious ones.

whattowear.com.au is a website covering fashion, beauty and lifestyle, and owner Catherine thought I was just the girl to encompass these things for the first of her new ‘Spotlight’ series on interviews.

You can read Catherines interview of me at whattowear.com.au, and while you are there, check out all the other fabulous bits and bobs on offer.

Catherine and I after our interview, image thanks to whattowear.com.au

Last night, in a rare moment of downtime, I started on the backlog of magazines piling up under my dining table. There were old issues of Harpers Bazaar, Shop Til You Drop, Marie Claire and Vogue, but it was the issues of InStyle I was most looking forward to. You see, I read all those other mags religiously. Then I obsessively keep them all, lined up in date order, on bookshelves and in nooks and crannies around my house. The beauty of the back issue is the ability to cut it up, to stick images on my inspiration wall and find nuggets of information I want to put in a folder for a later date. I can never cut up my original copies. Yes, I am that obsessive compulsive. I like them to be pristine. That is the Power of Print.

But back to In Style. Two issues, US May and Aus June. Of course I started with the US issue – it was chronologically logical – and so I settled in to read all about Scarlett Johannsen and the coming US Spring/Summer season. I thoroughly enjoyed it and once finished, moved onto the Aus June edition. Being far more relevant to me as an Australian and showcasing our current Autumn/Winter fashions, I had saved this mag for last.

As I opened the glossy pages and started flicking though, I was hit with a wave of déjà vu. Hadn’t I read this before? And not that long ago? I picked up the US copy and discovered recycling in its crudest form. The articles from the US edition had been inserted into the Aus edition, and with some new formatting, were presented to the public as fresh content.

I realise not everyone in Australia reads the overseas editions of their favourite magazines but for the die hard fashionistas, I feel like I am being ripped off. Why would I want to buy the Australian version of the magazine if I can get it a month earlier in the overseas edition? And why would I buy the overseas version that is twice the price if I can read the Australian one with the same content a few weeks later? I want to support the print industry but this is a cache 22 and I’m not happy about it.

It is ironic then, that I stumbled across this advert in the US edition of InStyle, basically shouting from the rooftops that print isn’t dead. Amusingly, I have also attended several forums of late where industry experts have supported the magazine industry, suggesting that while the business of newspapers might change (in the wake of the immediacy of the internet), niche magazines will continue to go from strength to strength.

Obviously I want to support Australian magazines and industry but I don’t understand why they can’t fill their pages with Australian articles, fashion spreads and content, when we have so many brilliant Australian designers, writers and celebrities. While I will continue to read magazines – they are after all my lifeblood and ‘research’ for my industry – it is imperative that the magazine publishers recognise that if they want people to continue buying their magazines, they have to use fresh content.

Image One: My inspiration wall
Image Two: Advert for The Power of Print, US InStyle, May 2010