Damn you Alexa

Confessions of a spendaholic

Clothes, accessories, shoes, knick knacks, homewares, books, dvds, cds, groceries.. you name it.. I want it, I NEED it.. desperately.. now, and not a moment later.

The truth is I am a spendaholic. It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, in fact it’s definitely more of a burden.. especially when I’m constantly receiving letters from Telstra, Westpac and GE demanding money off me that I can’t give them because I just bought a new pair of heels that I will never wear because they are a size too small for me, something I do way too often, refusing to admit that I am in fact a size 10!

I live for sales; seeing an item with red ticket is my signal to pull out my bank card, debit card, credit card.. which ever will work. In my head, a sale is guilt free spending, call me gullible, call me an idiot, call me whatever you want but I seriously believe I’m saving money by buying from a sale. Sale items don’t even count as purchases. Those pants were 50% off which is basically free, leaving me open to buy more.

Of course it doesn’t help that my career is fashion, or that I live dangerously close (5 minute walk) from one of Sydney’s hottest shopping spots; Bondi Junction. Sunday is my only day of rest; rest meaning SHOP!!!! I wake up.. get a coffee, mosey on over to the junction and just get lost for hours (literally.. it’s absolutely massive and hard to navigate around!!) I walk home under the cloak of darkness, which is always a little worrying as I got there at 11am, with more shopping bags than I ever dare to count. I lie out all my new purchases and stare at them adoringly, taking in that new smell, revelling in the fact that they are mine! All mine! And then... guilt. Utter utter guilt. What have I done? I can’t afford any of this.. I didn’t even get my groceries, nor did I put any money away for rent this week and it’s due tomorrow. Panic rushes through me and I feel sick.. I don’t even have anything to wear with my new skirt. Though that jumper that I saw today would look great with it.. I should go back tomorrow and get it? It came in black too.. I’ll get them both, the black would look great with that brooch I saw.. I should get that too. Then all at once my guilt has vanished and all I can think of is spending again.

The thing is; I’m making it sound like I love spending money on clothes and clothes alone and that’s just not the case.. I love things, just things, stuff. Stuff, stuff and more stuff. I’ve stopped carrying cash because it was way too risky.. you see cash the thing with cash is, it talks to me. No seriously it does!! I can hear it calling out to me “get me out of this cramped purse, I can barely breath. I want to be with the rest of my friends in the till.., are you listening to me?? I said SPEND ME YOU IDIOT!!” so I do.. I’d buy cauliflower (and I hate cauliflower) if I had to, just to get rid of my cash.

I don’t exactly know what adrenaline means but I do know how to use it in context and what I feel when I spend is exactly that.. an adrenaline rush, a feeling of elation, excitement, genuine happiness but just like a junkie looking for their next hit it’s never over., the feeling great, amazing but fleeting.

I suppose I could say I’m working on my addiction and I’d be telling the truth.. if telling the truth means lying through my teeth!! I’m not working on it.. I love it. I know it’s wrong and I recognise it as a problem, which I believe is step one on the path to recovery for an addict isn’t it? Admission? Well I admit it.. I’m very, very sick.. I got the bug for buying but I will stop.. one day.. maybe, no definitely, I will DEFINATELY stop spending excessively one day soon. OK my fingers were crossed then but they are uncrossed now and I swear I will seek help and start saving my money, OK my toes were crossed, I can’t do it, I mean really.. who am I to stop myself from doing things that make me truly happy? It would be wrong, only I can help me.. wait, that was a conflicting statement wasn’t it? I’m sorry I’m just feeling really confused at the moment, I can’t concentrate.

Let’s just say, for now.. My name is Stevie and I am a spendaholic.

Anyway, must dash.. There’s a sale on at David Jones!

Young Republic

Ahh the fashion and design industry; she's a fickle fickle thing. Many have tried and failed to conquer her, but all that is about to change; Young Republic is here to help; Dedicated to showcasing up and coming designers online, it's the perfect platform to launch your career and begin to earn money for doing what you love.

Now.. we all know that starting up a business is expensive (and at the risk of sounding like a cheesy infomercial) Young Republic are all over it.. there's NO joining charge and it's just a 10% fee only on items that you sell!! There's literally nothing to lose, except stock, which wouldn't strictly be lost.. it would be sold, confirming my initial statement.. there's literally NOTHING to lose!!

As an avid shopper with limited spare time I find great comfort in knowing that I can curl up on the couch in my snuggie (don't judge - Sydney is cold in the winter!) with a cup of tea; turn on my laptop and at the click of a button, I can do what I do best... shop, shop and SHOP!!!

My favourite thing about shopping Young Republic, is the feeling of exclusivity. Some of the things featured are one of a kind and there's nothing cooler than knowing that you're the only person in the world that's rocking your look.

With my next birthday looming, I'm preparing myself for that inevitable birthday time question "what do you want??" by creating an online wishlist through Young Republic - yep you can do that! so when I'm confronted by panic stricken friends and family, I can swiftly direct them to my handy little online list, happy in the knowledge, that I have not only made my loved ones lives easier but guaranteed myself the best presents!

From womens, mens and vintage clothing, to accessories, kidswear and even homewares there is literally something for everyone and here's just a small selection of some of my favourite things:

Little Gracie
'Nettle Dress'
$410 - 100% silk

Montanita
'Asymetric poncho'
$220

Pine Lime
'Firebird'
$189

Accompany by Imagery
'Bomber Jacket'
$202

Off The Peg
'Red ruffle shoulde dress'
$64

Sylph Designs
'Sterling silver and black onyx ring'
$260

Snowfawn
'Pink flamingo cuckoo clock'
$169

These are the designers of the future and if you love their stuff as much as I do, you'll want to make sure they're still around in years to come, so stop reading and click on this link to start investing in these unique, innovative and oh so talented designers now.

www.youngrepublic.com.au

Fashion To Aid

As a lover of fashion who doesn't have a massive amount of disposable income to put towards buying new clothes, I am always looking for new ways to find great clothes at bargain prices.
Ebay is a great way of expanding your closet without breaking the bank and it just got better;

Thanks to ebays 'Fashion.To.Aid' we can now shop for our favourite fashions and help those affected by the flooding in Queensland, something very close to home for me and something all Australians should be keen to help out with.

Fashion.To.Aid is a fundraising initiative featuring many of Australia's leading fashion designers and retailers to support the Queensland Flood Appeal. Over 500 amazing garments, shoes, bags, accessories etc could be yours to own! This is your opportunity to snap up coveted items from your favourite designers and help those affected by the recent disaster at the same time.

To get involved in this great initiative visit;
http://stores.ebay.com.au/inDemand-Causes/Fashion-to-Aid.html

An extremely generous 100% of proceeds and sales go to help victims of the Queensland floods and if that wasn't good enough, there is ZERO dollar postage! so please dig deep and get involved to help make a difference today.

Golden Globes

This may be a week late but this years golden globes were a hotbed of activity for anyone with a fashion opinion, so here is a run down with who I thought were the best and the worst dressed celebs this year:

What can I say about Helena Bonham Carter?
She's way too fabulous for me to say what everybody is thinking!!

She copped a lot of criticism for this but I think she looks unreal, the bag is amazing!

Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you have to dress in your bedsheets nat port.. the necklace doesn't go at all with the dress, the bag and shoes are too matchy matchy and the hair is tragic!!

Feedback on this look says that the shoes should be silver.. I disagree 100%. The hair could've been better though.

The suit is great, shame that all you see is the national forest he is growing north of his neck!

Rachael Zoe excelled herself on this one.. so far from the perfect, prissy look Anne ususally goes for.. amaaaaaaazing!!

King of cool.. not a bad word to say about Johnny Depp!

Oh Michelle, I think you're great but I can't possibly understand what went on here.. not good, not good!

WORST

She looks like she got off the beach and didn't bother to shower or run a comb through her hair, the dress is completely inappropriate for the globes, she's way over accessorised and the shoes hurt my eyes!

BEST

This may be a controversial best but January Jones looks un-friggin'-believable.. the hair is amazing, the colour perfection, the skin flawless and the dress stunning.

These are a few of my favourite things..

My new favourite thing.. shopping for homewares, though most of the things that I love are waaay overpriced so I've been forced to admire from a distance and let them go.. my favourite place to obsess.. Greenhouse at ferry road markets it's packed full of ah-mazing, unusual, wacky and wonderful things. Here's a small selection of such items;

Retro weighing scales. Not a baker? Display as a fab ornament!

Oh Alessi you clever clever fools!

I'm a sucker for a stove top kettle

Who wouldn't want to eat an egg out of a fishs mouth?!

If this was mine It'd be smashed the day I bought it!

Genius.. they look like they are going to roll away, I'm no scotch drinker but for these I may be converted!

Silver gnome.. nuff said!!

My boys would love eating out of this fab doggy bowl!!

Babushka measuring cups.. I'm obsessed!!

Can't say that I often have a need for a mortar and pestle but I would if I had this!!

Undoubtadely the best way to store sweets!

Comes as part of a set as well as other designs to mix and match.. fab!

Matchstick lamp.. I want!!!

To see more shop online at; http://www.greenhouseonline.com.au/shop/index.php

Who will you be this year??

Don't you love the new year? It's almost like you can trick yourself into believing that you are a new person, a clean slate if you will. It's not uncommon at this time of year, to hear people saying things like "I'm going to get fit this year" "I'm going to get out of my awful job this year" "I'm not going to put up with my boyfriend/girlfriends crap this year"

It shows great optimism but lets be completely honest with ourselves for a second.. If you really wanted to change your lives wouldn't/shouldn't you have done something about it sooner? Why wait till 12.00am Jan 1st every year to do something about your tight boss?

I'm no life coach, so I won't delve too deep into the psychology of why people choose to act and react in the way that they do but what I do know is, the new year is the best time ever to clean out your wardrobe and start over again and the best part is that it's completely realistic because it only takes a few hours!

Cleaning out your closet doesn't have to be sad and miserable, you may be saying goodbye to some memories but you're also saying hello to new ones. I make a day of it!

I pop on some music, anything upbeat like Spice Girls will do, grab a few bags, I am a hoarder of all shopping bags and this is when they best come in handy. There's something depressing about putting what were once your beloved clothes in a bin bag so I avoid it, this way it doesn't feel like your throwing them out.

But what do you throw away? anything grey that should be black, anything grey that should be white, anything with holes, rips, bobbles, frays. Anything that doesn't fit you and be honest with yourself, are you really going to loose 3 dress sizes to fit into a dress? my guess is probably not.. give it to a better home, perhaps a farm with a big field that it can run around in!

Sometimes it hard to know what to keep for your kids, how many of you get mad at your mum when they say "oh I used to have a great pair of flares in the 70s.. if only I had kept them for you" errrmmmm.. yeah you should!! My advice is if it's in good quality and you really believe it will come back into fashion put it in a box in a cupboard, safe to pull out again in 2030.

The big question is; once we've stripped our wardrobes what should we be refilling it with?

Here's a quick rundown of the trends coming up in 2011:

Well what most excites me is that the 70s are back!!! That's right the 70s, not the 80s.. it's the year where women wore high waisted flares with clogs and oversized sunnies and men wore platforms.. I do think that's one trend that can stay in 1975 though.. eeek!

Chloe AW 10/11

Ferragamo AW 10/11

The 60s remain.. thank god! a bit of sophistication never hurt anyone and god knows women these days could do with a bit of modesty when it comes to dressing.

Lwren Scott

Jayson Brunsdon

Textures will play a big part in clothing these days, lace, crochet and macrame have been spotted all over the runways in many different styles.

Olivia Palermo looking amazing (Quelle Surprise!) in lace.

Gucci does macrame.

Bell bottoms, wide leg pants, capri pants, jumpsuits, playsuits and stripes will play a key part in 2011 fashion.

On a personal level I believe that denim is here to stay for the new year. Did you just say duh? because if you did maybe wait till I finish!! denim as jeans is an all time classic, it's going nowhere, however denim dresses, playsuits, jackets, waistcoats and shirts is where it is at in 2011. Please take note that I did not mention denim skirts.. they are just simply horrendous, steer clear!

Another roll over from 2010 is pastels, especially in our hot Australian summer a pastel colour will keep you feeling (and looking) cool.

Statement jewelry and lots of it, will be essential.

And finally.. I am extremely happy to announce (to the dismay of many) the clog will be sticking around to see out summer.. woohoo! if you haven't got any, get some quick before they disappear again for another 40 years.. now there's something to keep for your kids!

So if you haven't already, get to those summer sales and fill your lives with beautiful, fashionable, on trend pieces.. it makes it so much easier and fun to dress yourself everyday when your wardrobe is fresh, new and exciting.

All I want for xmas is..

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me;

Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

I'm not being funny but that is the worst xmas list ever.. I would hate to receive ten lords a leaping.. they would just get in the way, it's not exactly something you can stick in the back of the cupboard then throw away the following year is it?.. and why do they always have to be leaping? they'd be exhausted!!

If you're struggling to know what to buy your 'true love' don't use this list as a contingency plan.. you're best off buying nothing at all.. they say it's the thought that counts and in many ways it is.. as long as the thought is something amazing!!

If you want to avoid that awkward moment when you realise that someone you love, that claims to love you too, has bought you twelve drummers drumming! TWELVE!!!!! you'd have a headache in minutes! then follow my new (and might I say.. brilliant!) twelve days of christmas carol.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me..

twelve pairs of sunnies