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Archive for April, 2007

Wear it now or save it for best?

[ question mark image ]A question:

Do you save things for ‘best’? Or wear everything now?

As a child, I was taught that some garments were only for ‘best’… but as an adult, the only clothes I own that I don’t wear regularly are formal dresses.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether nice clothes should be saved for special occasions.

No such thing as a ‘must-have’

[ magazine image ]In almost every issue, fashion magazines run ‘must have‘ lists.

While I love a lot of things about fash mags, the ‘must have’ list is certainly not one of them — I absolutely detest them.

Here’s why.

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Meet The Bargain Queen

[ computer networking image ]Mr Bargain Queen and I will be at the Sydney Blogger Meetup this Thursday, and we’d like to personally invite any Sydney readers (or fellow bloggers) who’d like to attend.

It’s your chance to meet some really interesting people — not only us, but many of Australia’s top bloggers will also be there, including:

Plus, some very stylish Sydney bloggers have said they’re be there too, namely:

Hope to see you there!

How to manage your wardrobe

[ wardrobe image ]There are two secrets to having a great wardrobe, and neither of them involve buying huge piles of new clothing.

The first secret: clear out things you no longer need.

The second secret: make the most of the things you have.

College Fashion has a great article on How to Manage Your Wardrobe, which shows you exactly how to make the most of the things you already have.

Their tips:

  1. Spend time coming up with new looks
  2. Get a second opinion
  3. Take photos of the looks that work
  4. Write it all down
  5. Digitalise it

Read the rest of the article on How To Manage Your Wardrobe at College Fashion

Glamorous maternity wear for less $$

[ chic maternity dress image ]Sometimes, readers ask me questions that I just can’t answer — the latest being how to save money on maternity wear. I’m yet to have kids myself so I really don’t know… so I turned to an expert.

Chrissie writes Fashion on a Shoestring, has adorable children, lives on a normal person’s budget (AFAIK… I’ve never really grilled her on the details), and looks fantastic. Quite an achievement!

Here are her tips for looking glamorous when you’re pregnant, without busting your budget.

You can definitely look glamorous in maternity wear, even if you’re on a tight budget! The key is to plan your maternity wardrobe, just like you’d plan your regular wardrobe.

Here’s what worked for me:

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Australia’s top blogs

[ web page image ]Looking for some interesting reading?

In the last couple of days, two new listings of the top blogs in Australia have been published.

The first is on Craig Harper’s blog (in the right-hand column, about three screen lengths down) and ranks everyone by their Technorati rank.

The second top 100 Australian blogs list, at BlogPond, ranks the top Australian blogs by the size of their Australian audience (according to Alexa).

Interesting, The Bargain Queen is in the top 30 in both — we’re #27 by Craig’s calculations, and #29 on the BlogPond list. Yay for us!

6 ways to wear a white shirt

[ white shirt image ]If you’re looking for some new and interesting ways to wear things you probably already have, try some of I Am Fashion’s ideas of 6 Ways to Wear the White Blouse, SS07.

My favourites:

  1. Wear a loose white shirt un-tucked over long, tailored shorts, with the sleeves rolled up.
  2. Wear a close-fitting shirt tucked into a pretty, feminine skirt.
  3. Wear it under a dress to create a pinafore-type look.

See all six white shirt ideas, with pictures, at I Am Fashion.

The most stylish Australian blogs

[ trophy image ]Rebecca from The Space Between My Peers gave me a Thinking Blogger Award, which is a pretty cute idea: an award meme, where each recipient gives out 5 more awards. Thank you Rebecca!

I thought I’d take this opportunity to share the love with some of my favourite stylish Australians in the blogosphere.

When you’re next thinking “I’m bored. I wish I could find a fantastic, stylish new blog to read”, take a look at these guys. You won’t be disappointed!

I award a Thinking Blogger Award to:

Mark Cutler

Mark Cutler is an exceptionally talented Australian-born interior designer, now working in L.A. for clients like Jennifer Lopez. On his blog, he shares insider info on how to do a really fabulous job of decorating your house.

I love blogs written by people whose professional skills are really different from mine — I feel like if I read them enough, some of their talent and expertise will rub off on me!

Office Hair

Another blog that I read to learn a little of the writer’s skills…

Dean Heaton is a mobile hairdresser who shares insider tips on his blog, Office Hair. This is the only hairdressing blog I’ve found so far, and is a great read.

The more tips I can pick up for keeping my hair looking fantastic, the better!

Bend to Squares

Have you ever known someone in passing for years, then suddenly found out they have talents you never knew about?

Bend to Squares is written by Vic, whose sister Katie is a friend of mine from Adelaide. We all went to school together, but I never really knew anything about Vic.

Ten years later, she’s in Manchester, UK working as a copywriter, and her blog’s one of my ‘must reads’. She has a fantastic eye and always finds the prettiest things from around the web.

Gala Darling

I love people who have a very distinct voice, and Gala Darling’s a Melbourne chick who certainly does. A tattooed Miss Manners with pink hair, she writes an astounding output of fashion and lifestyle advice.

Technically, she’s a Kiwi, but I’m following a fine Aussie tradition of adopting talented New Zealanders as our own, whether they like it or not!

SJ & Hat

This is a really new blog that I think will be amazing, because I’ve met the writers at the Sydney blogger meetups and they’re extremely stylish ladies! SJ is just back from a few years working in New York for Ralph Lauren; Hat is an art dealer turned blogger.

They’ve already written a few interesting posts and I hope there’ll be a whole lot more.

How to be a Bargain Queen

[ star image ]I might be The Bargain Queen, but I’m not the only bargain queen — there are lots of people who are, or have the potential to be, a bargain queen.

To me, anyone who manages to look good, eat well and live comfortably on a tight budget, can call themselves a bargain queen… although it helps if you know how to find great deals as well!

If you’d like to be a bargain queen, here’s the four steps you need to take to become one.

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Bargain shopping 101

[ sale tag image ] Bargain shopping is about exercising your intelligence and creativity to meet your material needs, rather than spending a stack of money.

Here’s the basic tips you need to know to get the best bargains.

Click here to continue »

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