Online Shopping Aussie Style

Since arriving in Australia almost 18 months ago, I've really embraced online shopping. Perhaps it's my loyalty to the Dundrum Town Centre that keeps me out of the Westfield Malls, but I think it has more to do with not wanting to miss the glorious sunshine at the weekends, and the fact that there's only one evening of late night shopping a week in Sydney. I've been a fan of SaboSkirt since before I made the move to the other side of the world; but I've discovered a few more gems over the past year. Here are my picks for fantastic online shopping in Oz - with casual & night out outfits covered.

www.saboskirt.com

Bright colours, gorgeous prints, cute dresses & shorts, as well as nice tailored blazers, SaboSkirt is the perfect place to update your Summer wardrobe. They deliver internationally too.

www.shilla.com.au

Cool seperates in great fabrics, minimalistic shift dresses & a brilliant sale every few months, the majority of dresses in my wardrobe are from Shilla. I'll more than likely be wearing one out in Dublin town this weekend! They also ship internationally.

www.mintymeetsmunt.com

Minty Meets Munt is a like a combination of the above two online stores. I love their prints & simple shapes; with jackets & playsuits being their forté. My favourite shoes are also from MMM - their footwear selection is funky yet glam. They only ship within Australia at present.

www.zeitgeistsydney.com

Lovely seperates that can be combined as suits, and statement items such as jackets & smart trousers, Zeitgeist provides stand out wardrobe staples with a twist. Love their selection of skirts too. They deliver worldwide.

Of course, there will always be a huge place in my heart (and bank account) for ASOS, but I'm a big fan of unique, boutique buys, as I'm sure you will be too.

Enjoy the online shops, ladies!

Rachel x

Making my Room my Own

When moving to a new city, country, or even house, it can feel a bit lonely and strange for the first while. One of the things that I've focussed on doing since I've moved into a (wonderful) new house is picking up a few bits and pieces to make my room feel more cosy and more like my own. Some items were purchased from a market and some from different shops in Sydney. The best part is that none of them were above $25, and even a few simple additions such as some candles or a unique notebook can make you feel very much at home or make your room feel more like you. Take a look at some of the things I've put in my room recently and let me know if you'd like to find out where to get them (or something similar).

 

 

Rachel x

The Cup of Truth

I bought a few things in the coolest stationary/gift shop called Typo yesterday, and as I'd spent over $25, I got a free cup! So of course... I had to pick this one :)

Check out Typo's website to see the cute and funky items that they have: http://shop.cottonon.com/shop/typo/

Rachel x

YSL Got It In One...

Rachel xxx

Terrific Tokyo!

I'm just back from a conference in Kyoto, which was excellent. Japan is a beautiful country, we were lucky enough to visit both Kyoto & Tokyo, with Kyoto being brilliant for culture & sight seeing, and Tokyo amazing for shopping & just buzzing with activity. Every single woman in Japan was so stylish, whether we saw them on the subway, in Starbucks or just walking down the street, they had the most beautiful, trendy outfits, and gave me a lot of inspiration!

On our first day in Tokyo, we ventured down to Harajuku in the Shinjuku district (the entrance to one of the streets is shown above - so cool!). It was a shopaholics dream! So many shops with gorgeous things, my favourite was a tiny place called Culture Medium which stocked mostly dresses & tops that can be worn both for work & nights out. Some items were really cheap, others worked out at a little less than what you'd pay for them on the Irish High Street, but they were worth it; brilliant quality & super flattering shapes. Now if only I could find a stockist for them in Dublin!

Where's the most exotic place that you've bought clothes?

Rachel xxx

Summer Conferences, an excuse for a Whole New Wardrobe?!

I recently attended a conference in the South of Italy, which is such a beautiful place & obviously has a warmer climate than dreary old Dublin! And I'm going to Japan soon, which is going to be significantly warmer than Ireland too. So this posed a bit of a wardrobe problem for me...all of my conference type clothes are wintery & dark, as I can get away with them all year round in Ireland. But for a warm climate, these heavy, lined trousers & long sleeve black/grey caridgans I have just won't cut it. So I decided to invest in some key pieces that will translate from conference to night out, and also to recycle some of the clothes I already have in my wardrobe, that I once would never have considered to be suitable to wear to work or work based events!

Zara have the most amazing work wear tops & skirts that can also be worn out at the weekend. Similarly, Topshop, ASOS and FCUK all have minimal pieces that aren't too revealing or eye catching, and so can double up as dressy/casual Sunday best, or office/meeting attire. Just change smart, skinny leg trousers for skinny jeans, or a blouse/shirt for a sheer loose vest, and you have a recycled work outfit that is suitable for many occasions! Rachel Bilson looks gorgeous in a white shirt & navy trousers that can be worn both at meetings, and also while shopping (right).

Now if only my feet didn't hurt so much, I'd so wear my 5 inch Aldo heels in the lab... ;)

Rachel xxx

My New Favourite High Street Store...Zara!

The Spanish giant, Zara, had never really been on my fashion radar, until a few weeks ago. I'm not really sure why that is; I guess I was comfortable in the Topshop/River Island/ASOS bubble I'd become used to, but when I couldn't find anything nice to wear in any of those shops for weeks on end, I decided to try something different. And I'm so glad that I did!

Zara have the most amazing tops in at the minute, simple shapes in cool, soft fabrics, with block colours, stripes & just the right amount of ruffles to look sexy. Either long or short sleeved, each of these beauties can be worn with jeans, trousers or skirts, making them perfect for work wear, meeting the girls for a drink, or date nights. Plus, they're very reasonably priced; with the average cost of most things about €30. I've attached a selection from their website below.



Happy shopping girls!

Rachel xxx

Who Wears The Trousers?

Recently, I've had such a thing for trousers. I can't get enough of them, especially on nights out! They're stylish, versatile, comfortable, keep you warm, and are quite sexy yet also understated. Trousers can double up as work wear too, which eliminates some of the guilt from purchasing! There are plenty of versions on the high street in all colours & cuts; my favourite are silky/satin pairs with skinny or straight legs in neutral colours (greys, browns, nudes, black). Teamed with a tucked in loose sheer top & a classic blazer, this look will never get old! Abstract prints are huge at the minute, with palazzo pants also being a top trend, I prefer a sleeker finish but floral patterns & wide legs are perfect for the summer. I've attached a few of my favourites from the high street below (left to right: River Island, Topshop, ASOS). Happy shopping!

Rachel xxx

eBay Bargains-What You Give Is What You Receive...

I've purchased several things from eBay over the past few years including phones, handbags, books - mostly functional stuff. I've never bought clothes as I prefer new items rather than used, plus trying to search through the thousands of items up for sale can be a little overwhelming! Recently my wardrobe has been fit to burst - I keep buying new clothes but there's no where to put them, as I'm quite reluctant to throw anything out. Usually most of my old/unwanted clothes will go to charity shops, unfortunately I've no younger sisters to donate them to. Then I saw a friends post on FaceBook, she'd decided to sell a few of her unwanted items online & I said I'd give it a go too!

It's not too expensive to list items on eBay, with insertion fees of usually around 25c per item. You can post 3 or 4 pictures which is handy, plus you can set a price that has to be paid for postage, on top of the cost of the item. It's a slow business though; I've listed 10 things over the past 2 weeks & only one has sold, a pair of Diesel jeans that I held onto in the hope that one day I'd fit into them...sadly my bum is never going to shrink to the required proportions ever again. I made a small profit & this weekend listing was free, so I posted a few purses & handbags that I no longer use. It's great to think someone else might enjoy them, instead of them sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe, plus the extra cash is handy these days!

If you've any tips or stories about eBay selling, let me know.

Rachel xxx

My no shopping vow...can I do it?!

It's a new year & we have new tax rates. Which means everyone is pretty much broke. If I'm to continue seeing my friends & going out as much as I'd like to, while still paying all of my bills, then something has to change. I don't wanna live in overdraft land anymore!

So I've set myself a challenge...no shopping for 3 months. Whatsoever.

That means outfit recycling on every night out for the next while. Which actually shouldn't be a tough thing to do as I have plenty of dresses that I've only worn once. But...how will I resist temptation?! Will I have to avoid shopping centres altogether? Go out, but not bring my laser card with me? Become a hermit? Time will tell if I can make it, but with the hottest trends of this season being florals, 70's, bold colour blocking, blue & tan...hopefully there's enough in my wardrobe to carry me through.

So, can I challenge you to a no shopping resolution? Are you woman enough? ;)

Rachel xxx

Stella McCartney Blazer

Blazers are perfect cover ups for any time of year, smart, sexy & sophisticated, they can dress up an outfit or play down a party dress. The most amazing designer blazers have to be Stella McCartney's, they're impeccably tailored & cut, plus the colours are fabulous; nudes, whites, blacks & greys. Every stylish celeb has one, see the photos below.

As Stella McCartney is out of my price range, I've had my eye on a nice blazer that looks similar on the high street. And this weekend I was in luck, I snapped up this fabulous jacket from H&M.

http://shop.hm.com/gb/shoppingwindow?dept=DAM_YTT_KAV&shoptype=S

Designer style on a high street budget, now that's my kind of shopping!

Rachel xxx

Boots Glorious Boots!

Boots are THE daytime footwear of the season (and always an option for those really miserable nights out), they keep your feet dry & warm, plus they look stylish with jeans & dresses alike. There are so many amazing pairs of boots available on the high street this season, I've yet to get my Winter/Xmas boots this year but it'll be a close call between the following:

1. Topshop Damask Over The Knee Boots in camel:

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=2038193&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208544&parent_categoryId=208492&sort_field=Relevance&pageSize=200

2. Office Blowfish Jasper Buckle Knee Boot Taupe

http://www.office.co.uk/womens/blowfish/jasper_buckle_knee_boot/17/9722/25432/1?fs=9722

3. Aldo Voller Knee High Boots in Taupe

http://www.aldoshoes.com/uk/women/boots/knee-high-boots/81475867-voller/37

4. Barratts Ravel Leather High Leg Boot

http://www.barratts.co.uk/en/ravel-leather-high-leg-boot-170778

5. Aldo Doiley Knee High Boots in Medium Brown

http://www.aldoshoes.com/uk/women/boots/knee-high-boots/80710685-doiley/26

Let me know if you've picked up some fabulous boots in the past while, especially if they were a bargain! And help me to pick my favourite out of these boots too...I just can't decide!

Rachel xxx

Urban Outfitters Sale

I'm not a huge fan of sale shopping as it's usually too crowded & manic, but I absolutely love a bargain!
The Urban Outfitters sale is fantastic-so many fabulous things reduced to at least half price, if not further.
I got 2 cardigans today-both draped and lose; one a pale grey & the other a black leopard print. I also got a beautiful blue/purple/grey long chiffon blouse for €24.99 which I can't wait to wear out this weekend-I'm thinking of teaming it with dark denim shorts & huge tan chunky heels (weather permitting of course)!
My best find of the day, however, was a gorgeous navy waist belt with a lovely big gold clasp on the front...for €7! Waist belts are my absolute favourite accessory, they can totally change an outfit and are super flattering.
Let me know if you've gotten any great deals in the sales, and get yourself down to Urban Outfitters pronto, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Rachel xxx

My first post...

Hi!

So I was watching The City this morning and it got me thinking...I love to shop, and I love clothes, so why not write about both! Except...I know what I like to wear...but that's about it.

What I do know a lot about is science (specifically haemostasis with a dash of biochemistry)...but I don't think I fancy writing much about that, when we can all go onto pubmed and various other websites to do our reading and research!

I'd love to create a community where girls in science can chat about clothes and fashion, plus the ups and downs of day-to-day lab life. Perhaps these two things don't really go hand in hand, but for me they do; so I'd love to find other like minded ladies who feel the same way.

Not all scientists are nerds, although it helps to have a nerdy side. Science is amazing...but so is shopping! ;)

Please feel free to comment or write anything at all that you feel is relevant.

Rachel xxx