Mill Park Savers Store Opening...

On Wednesday 16th February, I headed to Stables Shopping Centre for the opening of Savers 8th Australian store. Being a local in the area, I was eagerly awaiting the store doors to open and was thrilled to be invited along! Upon arrival, my mum and I collected our name tags and were told we could browse the aisles until the fashion parade begun. We were also told, much to my delight, that we had the opportunity to shop at the end of the night! We headed off to explore the new store and hopefully earmark some treasures for later on.

First stop were the books! Rows and rows of beautiful books, in all shapes and sizes. I spotted what I like to call the “token” second hand books – The Devil Wears Prada, The DiVinci Code, anything by Jodi Piccoult, Marian Keyes and Cathy Kelly, as well as a teen section with dedicated Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley shelves. My 13 year old self would have been very happy! On we went to the kitchenware and were met with shelves and shelves of meticulously arranged glasses, crystal knick knacks, ceramic statues and so much more! I couldn’t believe how hard the staff would have worked to get everything so organised and neat! Next we wandered over to the wall of handbags, all colour coordinated and then browsed the huge selection of shoes. I was itching to get to the clothes, so left mum trying on shoes to start at the coats....

Now if you have never been to a Savers store, all items are grouped by type, then into size and then again into colour, which makes it super easy if you are looking for a particular item! I flipped through the camel coats, making a note to come right back to this section at the end of the night! While I oooh-ed over blazers, Mum ahhh-ed over blouses. A quick stop at the pants and then it was time to take our seats for the parade!

Donna McMaster, MD of Savers Australia and Greg Johnson, CEO of Diabetes Australia both spoke about the partnership between the two companies and how they hope the new store opening will strengthen their relationship as well as providing support to local businesses in the area. After they thanked everyone for coming, they announced the fashion parade and let us know that all items worn were things that could be found at a Savers store!
I managed to snag a front row seat so was eager to see what was to come... The male models definitely had a great time up on the runway, strutting their stuff in rolled up chinos and great jackets, paired with cool sunglasses and even a trendy looking briefcase! The girls looks ranged from lazy weekends in pretty tops and skirts to sexy nights out in amazing dresses, pearls and gloves! My favourite pieces included some awesome gold boots, fabulous cuffed cream pants and a divine vintage white lace dress. The models made their final walk to a round of applause and then it was time to hit the racks!

I was lucky enough to snag the gorgeous camel coat I had my eye on earlier, as well as a burnt orange blazer, a vintage-style cream telephone and a Vogue mirror for my room. As our purchases were put through, we were asked what we thought of the store. I thought that it was wonderfully set out, very neat and tidy and offered a huge selection of goods. I will definitely be heading back there next time the shopping urge hits!


This article was first published over at Onya Magazine on Tuesday Feb 22nd 2011

on the lookout...

Every now and then, I see something online so fabulous that before I know it, i'm clicking that magic "add to cart" button.

Then I stop and realise that I could probably find a similar item on one of my op-shopping trips!

And it would most likely be a little more quirky and cool and most definitely cheaper!

Here are a few pieces I am on the lookout for at the moment...

Cute, 50's style dresses...especially with pleated skirts!

Cropped pants, either wide or slim legged...

As well as anything in this camel-y, mustard-y hue...

Printed blouses and shirts...

Printed pleated skirts... either knee length, mid length or maxi...

Slouchy, comfy tees... preferably in any shade of grey!

So there you have it! My op shop-shopping list! Will definitely have you let you know how I go and if I get to tick anything off this list!

xx

All pictures thanks to Asos.com

**EDIT**

I managed to pick up a printed pleated skirt and a pair of dark camel-y cropped men's pants...!!

Success! Now for the other things on my list...

xx

...camel skirt...

...so this skirt is pretty much identical to the one I picked up last week at Savers, for about $6...

Except mine has a few buttons down the front...

Oh, and I won't look like Kate Bosworth when I wear it...

xx

Pic thanks to They All Hate Us

LOVE...

Sportsgirl - Chloe Pleat Maxi Skirt in Camel - $89.95

And my obsession with Maxi Skirts continues...

Best news is I picked up THE most perfect black pleated one from an op-shop in Ballarat for $3.50.

Yup. Three dollars and fifty cents.

Take that Sportsgirl.

xx

Pic thanks to Sportsgirl

Beauty Wish List..

I am a girl who loves her shoes. And her bags. And her clothes... And surprise surprise, I am a girl who loves her cosmetics!

Now I would like to think I am quite restrained when it comes to buying new cosmetics... I have lost count of the times I have bought yet another pair of black heels, but I think twice before buying a new grey eyeshadow... (nail polishes excluded!)

I love reading about all the new beauty trends, and limited edition releases and pretty packages, but alot of the prices scare me and I am never quite sure on some of the products are to be used...

I admit I have become better with chatting to the lovely girls working in the stores and on the counters, and reading beauty blogs has also given me more confidence to try new products and spend a bit more when a product really has great reviews...

Here are a few products I would like to try out...

Yves Saint Laurent, Touche Eclat, $55, Mecca Cosmetics.com.au

Stila One Step Makeup Prime Colour, $48, Mecca Cosmetics.com.au
Napolean Perdis Camera Finish Compact Foundation, $59, AdoreBeauty.com.au
Becca Mineral SFP Primer, $68, Becca Cosmetics.com

I actually received a sample of the Becca Primer in a goody bag and I LOVE it! I have tried a couple of different primers, but this one is my favourite... Thinking about treating myself soon...

What is on your beauty wish list?

xx

...just quietly...

Today I am wearing a shirt that cost me $1.

Yup. $1.

It was on the sale rack at a delightful op shop in Essendon.

They don't come much cheaper than that, do they kids...

xx

Happy Friday...!

some pretty pics...

Australian Style and Air Kisses - purchased online from Borders. Both totally awesome!

My beautiful collection of decanters... All from random op shops... The pink one at the front is my fav!

New mags from Magnation - Industrie and Frankie!

My pastel shirts, all waiting to be ironed... All thrifted and all mens, 'cept for the grey one at the end!

(mint, blush, mauve, chambray, cornflower, coral, grey)

Today's outfit is bought to you by....

Ummm, not sure really! Possibly the weather!
I think its about 11 degrees in Melbourne at the moment, hoping to reach a top of 14... The next few days aren't looking any better, so I ironed my fav shirt and hoped for the best!

Shoes: Grey lace up booties, Laurent Shoes, birthday present plus grey socks from K-Mart.
Bottoms: Navy high-waisted pants from my favourit-ist op shop! (Well, one of my mum's favourite's really, I have just adopted it!)
Tops: Peachy coloured men's shirt, another awesome find from my favourite-ist op shop plus a long grey cardi from Supre.
Jewellery: Assorted pearls from assorted chain stores.

Icing on the cake would have to be my bright, glossy Tutti-Fruitti nails, courtesy of Sportsgirl!

xx

p.s I don't have a totally awesome camera, so apologies for not posting actually pics! I may dig out my digital camera and start using that and there is always my iphone if I am desperate to show you something fabulous!