Thursday, September 30, 2010

Zimmermann Melbourne Warehouse Sale!


For all those in Melbourne who love this fantastic label, it is a dream come true! The Zimmermann Melbourne Warehouse sale will be open for TWO DAYS ONLY and will feature items from Zimmermann Winter 10, First Swim 09 and Second Swim 09 collections and are up to 80% off. 

When:
October 8: 8am-8pm
October 9: 9am-4pm

Where:
Level 1, 66 Toorak Road South Yarra

Make sure you are not the one who misses out!

Queen of Diamonds
xxx

Milan Fashion Week: Giorgio Armani

I know that Paris Fashion Week has already started. And I promise to get you updated on that front. But let's not forget that I started this blog a mere few days ago and that unfortunately it means I have a lot to do on the Fashion Week update front. Some might say that what I am about to give you is simply old news. But I am going to up the stakes. The current viewing at Fashion Week are the Spring/Summer 2011 collections. Aussies are now just beginning to get the warm weather for their own Spring. So I guess despite all that we like to complain about it, there are some advantages to being in the same season as the fashion week viewings...if we are well informed fashion souls, we can steal the looks early. That is why, thanks to my big, big shopping trip yesterday, I am going to tell you how to channel the Armani runway collection right now. And for less.

The Giorgio Armani Spring 2011 collection this year was decked out completely in midnight blue. I was a little sceptical at first, even though I admired the risk he had taken-for the collection's success depended completely on the designs, and of course, whether or not people liked the colour. I was soon won over, however, for the designs, as expected, were simply fabulous. They were inspired by the clothing of the Saharan desert, the colour a reflection of the night sky. Each model wore a head scarf done up in a kind of turban. The accessories were also fantastic, such as a large scorpian sapphire-studded brooch that is TO DIE FOR. There were so many wonderful designs that I had trouble picking a few favoutites to post here. But don't panic! I'll be adding a link below so that you can watch the full slideshow, thanks to Elle Magazine.

 Some of my favourites (so hard to choose!):












            
View full collection via slideshow thanks to Elle Magazine:    



HOW TO GET THIS LOOK NOW!
Here are some suggestions where you can find some pieces to add to your wardrobe to channel this collection! This is by no means complete, but it will get you started....
To prevent this post from being abysmally long I will only post up the pictures for a few of them. The rest I will simply list along with a link. If any of you find some more pieces that you would like to share with us, feel free to send me an email!
Many of these items are from Karen Millen, a designer I discovered yesterday on my very long shopping trip to the city. The store I discovered was in the Melbourne GPO.




Karen Millen Structured Satin Sandal

Here is a list of further links on products from Karen Millen, who has some wonderful items that reflect the Armani's collection in colour and style as you saw above, and you will be happy to hear that many of the Karen Millen items are on SALE. If a particular item isn't availiable in your size because of the sale, you may be able to find them elsewhere...
Also some products from Net-a-porter.com

Demaris lace bra          and      Demaris lace panties

Best Wishes,
Queen of Diamonds
xxx

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Spotted: By Malene Birger Jacket

I was just browsing through mywardrobe.com when I came across this beautiful jacket By Malene Birger. 50% off and only 90 GB pounds. I was just about to pull my credit card out, but unfortunately, there was only one left...and it wasn't in my size. However, I would be a mean and selfish persn if I denied someone else the unspeakable pleasure of owning this little beauty (see below).
So if you are a typical M (Australian sizing 11-12), rush to get this fabuous item and add it to your wardrobe!
Here is the link!

By Malene Birger Jacket on mywardrobe.com

Now I can only hope there's one out there in my size,
Queen of Diamonds
xxx

Milan Fashion Week: Emilio Pucci

There were mixed reviews when Emilio Pucci's Spring 2011 Collection hit the runway at MFW last Saturday. Some expressed their disappointment, while others, myself included, hailed the new line the way one naturally does for any one pair of Christian Louboutins. This collection, which channels the hippie/boho look with such elegance and sophistication that we arn't left thinking that it was a look best left back at Woodstock. Which is unusual, in my opinion. Hence the partial reason for why I loved these looks so much.

The collection started off with delicate summer fabric with lovely white and pale blue patterns, ruffled up so beautifully that I couldn't believe it was possible, and the trailing-behind structure of the dress flaunted the tan coloured knee-hight lace-up boots which tied the look together perfectly. Was I just gushing? I think I was.
There was a strong range of styles in this collection but they fitted together so well that it was a smooth transition from one piece to another. I can barely talk anymore, which is why I might as well just show you.


The 1st design...just a sneak peak ;)


Click the link below to view the slideshow of the Emilio Pucci Spring 2011 collection thanks to VOGUE.
Vogue Gallery: Emilio Pucci Spring 2011 Collection

Feel free to comment and express your thoughts for this collection!


More soon I promise! Hold in there!
Queen of Diamonds
xxx

Stonnington Spring Fashion Runway Gala

I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't have loved to jetset off to all the international fashion weeks that are currently going on. Namely those I listed in my last little post. I'm sure all of us have been fed the "you can't have everything" lecture, but it sure doesn't seem to stop us from trying anyway...or crying.
However, as the saying goes (I think), "when life gives you roses, don't just feel the thorns". In other words, looking at the sunny side or the glass half full.

So I am happy to anounce that I will be attending the Stonnington Spring Fashion Runway Gala in Melbourne this Thursday 30th September, where I will get the opportunity to see some of Melbourne's best emerging designers along with a host of already established and loved designers including the likes of Alannah Hill, Joe Saba, Kirrily Johnson, John Cavill and Arabella Ramsey. I'm so excited!



For more information and the chance to buy your own ticket (hurry!) visit the StyleMelbourne website (link below).
StyleMelbourne OnlineMag - Stonnington fashion gala info

I'll be sure to feed you all the inside scoop, so keep following me here on this blog and on twitter!

Keep smiling,
Queen of Diamonds
xxx

Fashion Weeks

Sadly I have to admit that I don't have the pleasure of attending Milan Fashion Week this year, and am resigned to receiving the infomation second-hand through the office. The Milan fashion frenzy ended yesterday, and because of some holiday rearrangements, instead of running from 23rd-30th September, it was squashed into a mere four days. So far I have seen some amazing collections for spring 2011, including Giorgio Armani, Emilio Pucci, Guici, Dolce and Gabbanna and Versace to name a few.
It's a full on onslaught of fashion work at the moment, seeing as we have just finished with New York and London fashion weeks respectively prior to Milan. I should warn you though that it has not yet reached boiling point. It is now time for the event that EVERYONE knows about...PARIS FASHION WEEK!

I'll put up all the best collections from New York, London and Milan fashion weeks and keep you updated on the Paris front as well....Can't wait to see the Chloe collection!

Keep a keen eye on the fashion horizon,
Queen of Diamonds
xxx

OOhhhh! Nothing like a Peter Alexander sale!!

Went into work today and couldn't resist a little peek in Bourke St Mall, Melbourne. Not surprisingly, the little peek turned into a bigger peek in the David Jones department store. Then of course I was overwhelmed by shopping-love. But very best of all, I found that the entire section in of Peter Alexander in David Jones was on sale! Up to 50% off!
I don't know about you guys, but I have been putting off pajama buying for ages, but I think that it is prettty damn obvious that the best sleepwear is from Peter Alexander. Wasted no time rubbing my hands together...I just plucked things of the racks and piled them up on the counter. That covers me in the sleepwear department for at least the next two years....or until the next Peter Alexander sale anyway.


The site it pretty cute too... :)
Peter Alexander Online

Until next time,
Queen of Diamonds
xxx

Sass and Bide Warehouse Sale in Melbourne!

So I woke up this morning fresh from a rare good-nights sleep. I gazed out my bedroom window and was greeted by the lovely sunny, clear blue day that Melbourne has long been promised. My BlackBerry was tap dancing non-stop across my bedside table, flashing and vibrating. Lots of messages from a certain someone. While most of them  brought out groans (work to be done), I hit jackpot with one.

I am proud to announce that if you live in Melbourne, there is a small window of opportunity from which you can aquire original SASS AND BIDE items at 50-70% off!

Introducing the SASS & BIDE WAREHOUSE SALE

Location:
 Collingwood Town Hall
140 Hoddle Street Abbotsford VIC

Days and Times:
Thursday 30th September: 2pm - 9pm
Friday 1st October: 10am – 9pm
Saturday 2nd October: 10am – 5pm
Sunday 3rd October: 10am – 3pm

Cash, EFTPOS and most major credit cards accepted

DON'T MISS OUT!!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Designer Spotlight: Alice McCALL

As I mentioned earlier I'm a Melbourne girl. For the moment anyway. This morning I took a little gander down to Bridge Rd, Richmond and browsed the shops there. Richmond is a godsend. It's about 4km from the Melbourne CBD, with direct transport routes to the city (the most convenient in my opinion is the tram). And it's the shop 'til you drop area, simply bursting with fashion boutiques and all the best factory outlets. There is little that it doesn't have or isn't close by to.

Anyway, while enjoying a flick through the rack at Green with Envy, a glamourous fashion boutique that stocks a great range of the best Australian designers, I came across several items that hit my radar like a fly on a UV light buzzer. My mouth began to water with the sheer desire to take it all home, but it was love at first sight with an Alice McCALL skirt from her first S/S 2010 Collection. Needless to say that after I tried it on and realised it flattered my shape perfectly, I promtly pulled out my Hermes purse to buy it.

It's just what I needed for this season, and it's versatile so I can easily where it any time of the year-beautiful bear legs in summer and black tights in winter. A cherry on the top is how easy it is to dress up or down. We really need more items such as this, for I have a tendancy to splurge on beautiful dresses and orgasmic heels which, unfortunately, are simply not appropriate for venturing out of my house to walk my dog. It seems these days like we actually need an excuse to really dress up. I guess it's a good thing I am almost always happy in a good pair of comfortable, flattering and well-fitting jeans.

Alice McCALL "Little light of mine" skirt
1st S/S 2010 Collection
AU$239.00

Alice McCALL is a truly inspiring Australian fashion designer and I tell you now that I'm a big fan. Unfortunately, and I have found this to be the case with many other designers as well; department stores such as David Jones and Myer only stock a small part of the range. However, the Alice McCALL website has a delightfully easy-to-use online boutique so you have the full range at your disposal to view and purchase as you please. I particularly like this site because it has a section of ON SALE items from previous or current collections that you can purchase online, so it is definately worth the look.
This skirt is part of  "The Gilded Garden" Collection, but recently, I think in the last week or so, a 2nd S/S Collection, "The Accordion Girls" has made it's debut on the site. It only took a second for me to realise that there was so many fantastic pieces that I might be about to go into an Alice McCCALL overload-but something tells me that will only bother me if I splurge my entire paycheck for the next few months...

Here are some previews of "The Accordion Girls" Collection:




 


Alice McCALL:
Green with Envy Boutiques:

Until next time,
xxx
Queen of Diamonds

Where to begin....

I never was good at diary writing. It doesn't matter whether you take that comment and decide it must be awful handwriting or my inability to regard a A5 spirax notebook as living person, because the unfortunate reality is that both are to blame. Well that and my inconsistent entries that span perhaps three months apart. One month if 'Dear Diary' is lucky. So you can take you pick.

It was then that someone suggested I begin a blog. "Nah," I said at first. "Who would follow it? I'd probably just end up forgetting it as I get on with my busy life." But then I thought about it. What harm could it do? It is so much easier to write when the person or people who may or may not read said writing actually posesses a mind of their own, unlike the little black spirax. Then I get all these nifty advantages that come with internet browsing. I can put up pictures and well let's just say I did a mental hands in the air. So here I am.

But before you jump to conclusions and begin to think that this blog will be naught but a medium to which I will confess life secrets and express personal angst under the guise of annoymity, give me a minute here.

Fashion:
First and foremost the reason for beginning this blog was to share my experieces in fashion and to keep everyone updated. Which is hard work because there's so much out there at any one time and it's always changing. Even if you are part of the fashion industry, it can be so hard to keep up. The work involved is seriously underrated by the public. Despite being a proud member of Generation Y, being spoilt rotten with almost a lifetime of the blessed internet, I have only recently ventured out into the wonderful but incredibly frustrating world of online fashion shopping, in hopes that there may be some good steals out there. Oh I found some steals all right, all from the comfort of my chair and ugg boots. Call me old-fashioned, but I crave shopping sprees and buying things in shops in exciting cities around the world. I'm an avid traveller, but at the moment, Australia's fashion and art capital, Melbourne, is the place called home. So fashion is a big thing here on this blog.

Food:
Food is a seriously misunderstood aspect of life. It goes back to the very root of survival in organisms (my biology lecturer should be so proud), but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be enjoyed. These days it's either pizza and take out chinese or a particularly interesting diet of lettuce leaves and perfectly peeled carrot sticks (without the dressing of course). While I can be a particularly vain person, I have never been able to deny myself the pleasure of a good meal, but the key is balance. I'm sure you are rolling your eyes at this overly-worn advice, but it's actually true. There's no reason not to enjoy a bit of everything, as long as it's in the right proportions. My mother and her family are responsible for my affection for good food, for she is a cooking goddess incarnate, but I should warn you that my father can't cook a damn. Remind me to tell you about the Dogfood Bolognaise. But I also have a love for dining out-beautiful atomospheres, different cultural experiences and the chance to have your pick of the menu...So here I will also review the places to eat....and of course, let's not forget the food.

Books, Films and Music:
Who can resist a good book, awsome film or great music? Not me. I'll tip you off when I find something good....


That's the beginning of a long list, but fortunately I have never been a compulsive listmaker. Curious about what comes next? Guess you'll have to follow me, wait and see!

xxx
Queen of Diamonds