Brand Names - Not my usual Purchase

I am not the type of girl who usually has lots of money to spend on myself, but that never stops me "window shopping". Looking at the exclusive brand websites is a great way to keep in touch with what the fashion world has to offer so I can reproduce the look at a price I am more willing to pay.
Next month I will be graduating and as this is an event 5 years in the making I thought it would be a good reason to splash out and treat myself to a dress a bit outside of my normal budget.

Too start with I needed a place to look, I found myself at theiconic.com. I found this a great website, I had heard adds for it on the radio so I knew it was a legit site and it has a pretty good mobile interface so shopping on the go was no problem.
As always I found that not actually having a look in mind it was easier for me to find something I liked

Exotic Blooms Dress - Model

At $299 the LUCETTE dress was a lot more expensive than what I would normally buy, with this in mind I was not going to make a purchase without making sure the dress was right. First things first the size, they had sizes 6 and 8 in stock and I am normally an 8 or 10, so I had to make sure that there was a good returns policy so that if the dress did not fit I would not be stuck with it. Secondly was this the best price? A simple Google search found me the same dress for $250 a 16% saving (from Missradar). Thirdly shipping, often I have found that although an item may be cheapest on one site the shipping will actually end up costing you more so make sure you add up all the costs before you make the final payment, it may only save you $10 or $20 but with my budget that all adds up.

Purchasing!! The site was reputable, the size was correct, the returns policy was good and the shipping was free.

Me 

My dress arrived in three days, well packed and with the tags on. I am very glad to say it fits (although I could possibly have gotten the smaller one). I would recommend shopping from either of these websites especially if you live in Australia as they are Australian stores and will offer you free shipping. If you love the expensive brands but don't have a swimming pool of cash check out their sale pages you can find some great pieces at more affordable prices.

So all in all very happy - just need some shoes to wear with!!

Weekend Rituals

Being a working girl I love my weekends, which are normally jam packed so I never really feel like I get a break.

This weekend my blogger friend and I shall be visiting the famous Rocklea markets to hopefully find ourselves some treasures amongst others trash.

This will be the first of many event reviews that will (if our schedules permit) be weekly occurrences.

So if you are after a review on what the coffee tastes like, if you can buy a handbag for less than $5 or anything else just leave us a comment and we shall pound the pavement until we find the answer.

The Beginning

"This is the beginning of a blog where fashion is essential, shoes strings are the budget and design is the reason."

If you can never decide what to wear, want to know which markets sell what, or just if that latest release was any good I may have the answers - or at least some thoughts.


As a designer and a shopaholic I am always looking for that perfect piece or look at a bargain price but can never make up my mind. A lot of my troubles come when shopping online. Is that price for real? Will it look anything like the picture? Or am I just being had? Even when it comes to deciding what to wear I have a hard time - possibly because I have enough clothes to last 3 months - but mostly because I always want the latest look.

The Dream

The Reality

Although I don't have all the answers what I do know could help you make up your mind. In this blog I will share my experiences with many different types of shopping, styling and my own designs.