  Twice a year, I search for a day bag to complement the key seasonal looks in my wardrobe. Aiming for the latest style and the most versatile colour, I can usually find the best value for money right now. If you feel it's time for a new bag (Kimberly always feels it's time for a new bag!), there are some great new styles and textures available. This season, shape is more structured, size is dramatic (either oversized or smaller and very neat) and colours are richer, in grey, black, cream and metallic. For some stylish, inexpensive options, try Fiorelli, Fashion Statement, Guess, Jag, Olga Berg and Strandbags in a variety of key looks:  I just love the mock croc which is big this year in bags and clutches. Enjoy looking! Note: For Guess in Australia, go to Guess outlets, Department Stores or Strandbags.
 On Thursday evening I met some Sydney Webloggers at a Meetup organised by the very stylish (and now famous) Sara, The Bargain Queen. There were bloggers from all over Sydney who write on a variety of topics, including; political statistics, marketing, science fiction, etc, etc and of course the ever colourful life of fashion. I met some amazing folk including: Icy from Individual ChicDean from OfficeHair, and Gavin from Servant of Chaos. Thank you Sara for organising another great Meet-up event!
 Last week I read a very funny article by fashion writer Maggie Alderson; who has a column in the Good Weekend. She addressed the real truth of a current fashion moment ... the smock top/dress. I want to thank Ms Alderson, as it's often hard to separate the tricky- but - stylish trend, from one that really should be avoided. Her comment was ... that even if you are slender, younger and incredibly hip, putting on a smock or empire line top/dress is likely to make you look pregnant! My reaction was - very sadly - that she is mostly right! I think what looks exciting in a showroom or on a catwalk, or on a photo shoot, surrounded by impossibly thin and definitely non-pregnant young women, might not always translate well. (My husband immediately felt free to enthusiastically agree and said that he'd always thought so, and why hadn't I listened to him? )  So if your wardrobe is full of this cute, but sometimes unflattering trend, here are some ideas for making it work: - Wear a belt, sash or even a ribbon feature, just under the yoke as this can give the illusion of a high waist (as opposed to an empire line) and will flatten your torso out. (The dresses shown here are the same, but with the photo to the right, a belt has been added. Wow, what an instant slimming effect!)
- Layer a a cropped jacket or long-line cardi to give some definition, or try a belted trench shape, or longer belted vest.
With this new realisation, I'm looking forward to finding my waist again!
I had the opportunity to write a guest post for The Bargain Queen on shopping for maternity wear.
You may have seen The Bargain Queen recently on A Current Affair. She has a great website dedicated to sharing all sorts of ideas on how to save money. Like all good wardrobes, your maternity wardrobe needs great fitting basics to form a foundation on which to build. A good quality black or navy skirt, slacks, dress or top, and a great pair of current style jeans are essential. You can then add fashionable separates to compliment these pieces with your personal style. Sometimes it's worth paying for some good quality basics. For example, with my first pregnancy, I bought a very fashionable pair of Monica Monkhouse jeans and a classically styled pair of Materna Moda black pants. I got a lot of wear out of them during and immediately after both of my pregnancies. However like bridal wear, maternity wear can often be expensive, but there are ways to cut down on unnecessary expense. There's a great store in Mosman, Sydney called Wear it Again Sam, a recycled clothing store for kids that also offers a wide range of recycled maternity wear. A friend recently picked up some bargains; a lovely pair of Monica Monkhouse 3/4 length pants for just $10, a pair of Belly Basics jeans for only $18 and a grey Mimi Maternity short sleeve knitted top for just $22! If you're dressing for the office, it's best to steer clear of too many prints as they can look out of place. Also, you can still wear your jackets (classic or cropped styles) and coats (trenches, etc) for as long as they're comfortable, as usually they don't need to be buttoned up anyway. Wherever possible, favour stylish accessories such as good quality shoes and bags.( wear comfortable shoes while commuting and change into your dressier pair at the office on arrival.)  For more casual needs, Belly Basics make an excellent Pregnancy Survival Kit which includes a baby doll dress, a t-shirt, a skirt and either leggings or bike pants, all in a comfortable jersey fabric. The kit is available at department and maternity stores for around $165, but if you buy direct from Belly Basics you can pick one up for just $45!  Another handy item is the Belly Belt. It's a great way to keep wearing your regular jeans and pants, if they feature a button at the top. They retail for around $29.99, however if you buy them on eBay you can get them at a bargain price. Also, don't forget to experiment with leggings (or footless tights) to give a longer, slimline look. They tend to look best if they extend to no more than 2-3 inches below the hemline or knee, as opposed to being pulled down almost towards the ankle. You can pick up an inexpensive pair at your local supermarket in basic black. Finally, if you know your size in a specific maternity label, be sure to check out eBay. A girlfriend bought a brand new Ripe Maternity skirt in her size, for a third of the original price, through a maternity store which was clearing some of it's stock.  However, I would say that the best savings are made when clothing is borrowed, which happens a lot with maternity wear. I remember giving a girlfriend some clothes...in the collection was a striped football-style jersey which I had hardly worn. Afterwards, she told me she liked it so much that she wore it to the delivery! For some inspiration on gorgeous maternity clothes, take a look at; Pea in a Pod (both pictures), Maternity World and Szabo Maternity. Personally, I think you can definitely look stunning in maternity wear!
 As we've mentioned, Chrissy and I had a wonderful time being "styled" courtesy of Westfield's Style Sessions. We thought that it was one of the best time-saving and personally helpful fashion marketing ideas we've seen especially for busy girls. We especially liked the smart trench coats, available at such reasonable prices. They included; - black evening trench coat from Rodney Clark $250,
- vanilla trench coat, with black piping/trim from Katies $119.95
- cream classic trench coat from Sussan $129.95
- black short trench coat from City Beach $149.95
 Sussan's also have a very stylish charcoal and cream check coat, $149.95 (pictured) which follows the current A-line shape favoured this season. Check out this gorgeous little black and silver shift dress $99.95 (pictured left), to incorporate some metallic into the wardrobe. It looks great right now with opaques or in the lead-up to Spring 2007 with silver accessories. Also on show were a variety of excellent budget accessory options such as berets/caps, scarves and belts to name a few. We saw platform and ankle boots from Payless (excellent budget option for this season), quilted ballet flats from Katies, some gorgeous scarves from Ojay, Jacqui E and Sussan, and a range of groovy handbags from Strandbags. (Our favourite being the Navarro Leather Tab Ziptop ) Bring on the cooler weather!
 Kimberly and I had a fantastic morning yesterday, attending Hornsby Westfield's What's What Style Session. We sipped champagne and enjoyed a scrumptious hot brunch, while experienced stylist Sue talked us through 33 gorgeous outfits. Just like Westfield's stylist Fiona Milne does with the Westfield ad, Sue took eight key winter themes and demonstrated how to put them together. She covered the sweater dress, textures and fabrics, knits and layering, trench coats, swing and crop jackets, tailored chic, metallics and the 24hr dress, a look from am to pm. Wow! All the work was done for us and there was such a lot of great information. Well done Hornsby Westfield!  We were also treated to a great Fashion Assassin tote/carry-all with some lovely goodies including a full-size Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy cream, a Kikki.K pen and sample-sized Model Co Shimmer for face and body and an Armand Basi in Red fragrance. Be sure to contact your local Westfield and get along to one of these sessions. They really are great value and lots of fun!
 I didn't see myself wearing ballet-style shoes until recently. My legs are more like Mischa Barton than Kate Moss, and as this style sits low on the toes and leaves a large, sometimes wide-looking, area on top of the foot, I felt they were unflattering. However, with all the lovely embellished variations available this year, I can see that with opaques, Capri pants, footless tights etc, almost anyone can wear this comfortable and versatile shoe. Key features making their debut this season are; the bow (scroll down to see Zu Footwear's Zara shoe featured in purple), the open toe ( Tommy Hilfiger shown below) and metallic (such as Witchery's Katie Ballet shown above). The very flattering open toe draws the eye towards the tip of the shoe, as opposed to the ankle, and allows for some creativity with nail polish. Esprit have a great style which retails for $79.95. This year, metallics are a great way to brighten up an outfit. I think silver makes the biggest fashion statement, and will feature in the winter palette as well as the coming summer one. Last summer, I lived in my metallic sandals, wearing them almost every day, as they suited everything!  For some additional sources of the ballet flat, Lipstick have an array of colours retailing for $49.99 and Pierre Fontaine and Miss Shop (both available at Myer) have a great selection retailing for $39.95. Of course, Target and Payless Shoes offer the lowest budget buys. So if you haven't already added the ballet flat to your collection of shoes, be sure to give them a try as they are definitely here to stay!
 I love scarves! They keep you warm, and will give even the most basic pieces a bit of a fashionable edge. They replace a necklace as accessory and - I love this - can hide any flaws in regard to neck shape, etc. So ... what do I like this season? (I fancy writing "this fall "but given we don't use this term in Sydney I will hold back!) A black, red or grey in a chunky knit, textured, stripe or metallic, lurex and delicate weave ... can all add style to an outfit. We love the texture and volume of a knit scarf, with 'frill" effect (pictured) or extra width .  Scarves retail from around $15 in Sportsgirl or Just Jeans to $60 plus in Witchery, Sportscraft, Saba, Ojay or David Jones. The Sportscraft Elastic Scarf pictured above is absolutely gorgeous and retails for $69.95. The David Jones scarf pictured left, is fabulous too and retails for just $34.95. The best idea is to keep a constant look out ... build a collection, and they might just "zoosh" up a skivvy, jeans or a winter coat when you need them. When you're shopping for a scarf think French chic ... it's a well known fact that those gorgeous Parisians are never without a scarf or wrap! As we've noticed on Style.com, those chic front row fashionistas are bulking up with knits worn with their trench, cardi or parka, which is a great contrast to leggings and solid heels or boots.
 Kimberly and I love to talk about our budget shopping experiences. However, we're sure you have successful shopping endeavours too. Whether it be online, at the markets or mall, or anywhere, we would love to hear about your best bargain shopping tips.
 Savings of 30% off are available in a range of women's fashion, shoes and accessories at David Jones. There's some great labels participating, with each one clearing excess stock. For example, David Lawrence has mainly summer stock, with some knits on their sales racks, Veronika Mayne has more recent and current items due to oversupply and having a few sizes left in certain styles. This offer is valid until 8 April 2007, but try and get in asap as pieces are selling fast, particularly in the Elizabeth Street store. Also, as David Jones in closed on Good Friday, you only have 3 1/2 days left to shop! 
 For a stylish and modern way to add extra warmth to your wardrobe for winter, look no further than the Cue knitwear sale! For two days only (Wednesday, 4 and Thursday, 5 April 2007), Cue Club members will be treated to 30% off all knitwear. If you're not a Cue Club member, just log onto the Cue Clothing website, fill in a Club member form and you'll get a confirmation email straight away. Then, print the confirmation email and take it shopping with you. It's as easy as that!
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Twice a year, I search for a day bag to complement the key seasonal looks in my wardrobe. Aiming for the latest style and the most versatile colour, I can usually find the best value for money right now.
