Style Musings: "Happening" by Melissa Shoes

It was fortunate timing when I checked my email one Sunday afternoon and received notice letting me know of some pairs of Melissa Shoes on sale.  I hurriedly went to the site and voila! A pair of oxfords named "Happening" were up for grabs for only AUD$39.99!  Found that my size were still available so I immediately bought it.

I'm a fan of Melissa Shoes because they are just so comfortable.  When I saw the pair of oxfords, I quickly thought, "Shoes for Autumn!"  It arrived a few weeks ago and I was literally jumping at the office when I put it on.  I swear, it's one of the best things that ever happened to my feet!!!

As mentioned in previous posts, Sydney has been having cool summer days and nights.  Most days we are still wearing jackets and boots.  Our weather is more on the Spring/Autumn temps these days so I get to wear my new pair of Melissa Shoes now.

It's easy to pair up with pants...

or skirts.

Check out their online store for sale items today.  They offer free shipping in Australia right NOW.

SYDNEYSIDERS:  Melissa Shoes will soon open in Sydney!  I will update you on when and where this will all happen.

Happy Friday!!! TGIF!

Style Musings: Jelly Sandals and Rainboots from Holster (Updated)

Sydney doesn't used to have as many rainy days as before and it is becoming worse. Now, it goes on and on for days.  It's not that I hate the rain, I do love rain.  But if it rains from morning til night, the whole week, it can be a hassle for everyone.

For quite sometime, I've been on the lookout for a pair of rainboots on sale.  I do a lot of walking everyday and it seems practical to just wear rainboots when it rains.


This week, I tweeted about my need for a pair of rainboots because it's been raining the whole week.  Two days ago, my dear friend Rache messaged me about pairs of wellies on sale and sent me a link to a website called Holster Australia. 


Went to the website and found a simple but stylish pair of rainboots for only AUD$25.00!  They were on sale!  Ordered them online and arrived this morning--that was quick. :)

BEJEWELLED WELLIE

Fleece lined natural rubber and a removable jewel belt

It's the kind of rainboots that I've been looking for for the longest time.  While I find printed colourful rainboots really cute, I feel that I need something more of a neutral shade so I can easily pair them up with my wardrobe.  Plus, I wanted a pair that doesn't look too rugged or too "rubber" in appearance.  The pair I got from Holster doesn't looked like rainboots.  It actually looks like a normal pair of boots with blings. 

And yes, the blings!!! Oh how I love that they give a little "oomph" to these pair of rainboots.  If you don't want blings on your rainboots, you can easily detach them.

Another good thing about these rainboots is that it has a fleece lining so you don't really feel like you are wearing rainboots.  It's very comfortable and keeps your feet and legs warm.  It's perfect for Winter too!

Edited (26/11/11, 1:39PM): Since it was raining the whole day on Friday and it so happened that we're going to our relatives' place for dinner, I wore my rainboots for the occassion.

I looked at other Holster products and found a pair of Jelly Sandals on sale too.  Now when I see Jelly Sandals, I think it's something I could wear during summer at the beach or at the park.

JEWEL GLADIATOR

The Jewel Gladiator jelly shoes has blings as well.  With the right wardrobe, these pair can also be worn in casual affairs.

Check out Holster Australia for more rainboots and jelly sandals at http://www.holsterfashion.com/ . Good news:  free shipping for Australia Wide orders.  They also ship internationally so check out where they deliver.

Enjoy your Friday, everyone!

Style Musings: Winter-like Spring and a Latin Festival

I'm getting tired of the cold weather.  I have this love and hate relationship with Winter since I've moved to Sydney.  I appreciate the cold weather and I like the change of seasons, but when where on the 2nd month of Spring and it's still too cold sometimes, I get tired of wearing heavy outfits.  I grew up in a tropical country and I think no matter how many years I live here, I will always love a sunny weather.

Last weekend, we were blessed to have warm weather during the day.  The sun was shining and it was the perfect time to be in the City.

We arrived at Darling Harbour before lunch and the mood was festive.

Street dancers

Spend a bit of time by the harbour.  I had to take off my jacket as it was sunny and warm.  I loved it!

It helps to check the weather forecast for the day.  I wore an outfit that won't let me sweat or get cold in because we will be out from lunch til dinnertime.  I usually bring a large tote bag that will safekeep my jacket and scarf for me.

Knowing that it will be cold from afternoon onwards, I wore my favourite boots from Muji (great for walking) and Kate Torralba's Leg Love stockings (keeps my legs warm). 

After lunch with friends, we went out the harbour again and it was a bit cold and windy.  Out came my jacket and scarf from my tote bag.

The Latin Festival was in full swing so we went around a bit and looked at the craft stalls.

Now in its 18th year, Fiesta continued its exciting tradition of presenting Australia's leading Latin music bands. This year's program across three outdoor stages includes Watussi, Club Havana Band, Mi Tierra, Son Veneno, Gonzalo Porta and the Sydney Salsa All-stars and the I Like It Like That Orchestra. In all, more than 70 top Latin bands and dance groups, dance classes and DJs appeared and the tastes of Latin American cuisine were served over three sensational days and nights.

Produced by Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, the Fiesta featured international, local and national Latin American bands, sexy salsa and tango dance experts, captivating Brazilian carnivale girls and flamenco dancers, incredible capoeira performers and much more!

Adding spice to Fiesta, there was a delicious range of Latin American and Spanish food stalls at Tumbalong Park that offered a variety of culinary treats such as traditional paella, tacos and enchiladas, empanadas, Colombian coffee, Spanish churros and Argentinean alfajore cookies.  There were craft stalls selling Inca jewellery, Andean music.

We loved the festive vibe at the Harbour last that day.  A lot of families had come out because it was the long weekend and the school kids were in Spring holiday.  We also saw a lot of tourists, a sign that there will be more as Sydney becomes a warmer place.

Playing by the fountain as the Husband played with different exposures.  Sometimes you can find a gold mine in over-exposed photographs...like this one below.

Ensemble:

Blue Knitted Shirt: H&M Seoul
A-line Denim Skirt: Topshop
Winter Jacket: SES
Boots: Muji
Stockings: Leg Love by Kate Torralba
Scarf: H&M Dubai
Tote Bag: Longchamp

Style Musings: Tips to Sales!

Thank God it's Friday!!!  I've received a lot of good feedback with my Style Musings entries so as a way of saying thank you to you (yes you, my dear reader) here are some tips on sales I found online.

Payless Shoes' Fresh in for Spring available via Westfield's Online Store.

Le Nord's 50% Sale via buyinvite.

Ugg Australia's sale via buyinvite.

Calvin Klein Underwear's sale via brandsExclusive.

Roxy's sale via Westfield's Online Store.

Designer Sunglasses (Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole) on sale via buyinvite.

Dolce & Gabbana and Moschino Timepieces' sale via buyinvite.

Osh Kosh B'gosh Sample Sale via brandsExclusive.

Noo on sale via brandsExclusive.

 Happy Friday and happy shopping!

Style Musings: Weekend in Stripes

The night before the Husband's Birthday Staycation in Sydney, I packed our stuff so late, I just grabbed whatever decent clothes I could find.  On Friday night when we unpacked at the hotel, I realized all clothes I brought for the weekend were stripes and all my clothes' dominant color were blue.  

Saturday morning trip to the Zumbo Lab

This orange tote bag is one of my favourite bags.  It's roomy and light.  I use this as an overnight bag and for when I'm wearing casual outfits.

Blue & Orange Knitted Shirt: H&M
Black Oversized Cardigan: Paper Scissors
Jeans: Overhauled Jeans by Bench
Black Sandals: Charles & Keith
Orange Tote Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Sunglasses: Dior

Saturday afternoon rendezvous in the City

My favourite shoulder bag right now is this black & grey LeSportsac which I bought from LeSportsac in Greenbelt 5 (Manila, Philippines).  It's roomy and has a lot of little compartments.  Compared with their other designs, this one is discreet with embroideries of little cats with gold bow tie.

Traveling light means bringing a pair of shoes that will go well with all of my outfits, hence, sandals that complimented a pair of jeans or skirt.

Blue Striped Knitted Shirt: Valleygirl
Skirt : HerBench
Black Sandals: Charles & Keith
Shoulder Bag: LeSportsac

Sunday morning on our way home

Same ensemble as the first photo only I wore a different shirt from Mango

Have a colourful weekend everyone!

Style Musings: My Great Finds From Kultura Filipino

One of my best retail find when I visited Manila a few months ago was Kultura Filipino.  It's one of the best shopping experiences for a balikbayan like me or travelers who explore the Philippines.  From crafts, accessories, apparel, bags, food and souvenir items, you can all find these in this lifestyle retail store.  You can conveniently find Kultura Filipino in all SM Malls.

Here are some my loots from Kultura Filipino:

The Jeepney shirt which has become one of my favourite shirts now.  I wore it once at the office and my workmates loved it!  I proudly told them about Jeepney being the national transportation of the Philippines.  I love the back of the shirt because of its detailed graphics.

Being a Rizal fan, I just had to buy myself some Rizal shirts.  The white shirt with "Rizal twins" (that's how I call it hehe, it's actually likened to a playing card) is made by My Philippines, while the green shirt with the sunglasses-wearing Rizal (he looks soooo cool in this graphic design) is by Team Manila.  

The merchandise at Kultura Filipino are also great gifts to balikbayans.  Our wedding ninang, Mama Jules, gifted the Husband and I shirts from Kultura Filipino!!!  We were so grateful for her thoughtfulness and oh how we loved her gifts to us.

Mama Jules gave me this cute shirt that had a heart made up of different symbols that relate to everything about the Philippines. 

The Husband's shirt on the other hand had Pinoy Jokes written all over.  Whenever he wears this I get mesmerized reading the jokes written on it.  

Other than shirts, I got myself some re-usable bags that had pop culture designs on them.
I like this Manila Street Life bag because it had the names of different cities in Metro Manila with icons of our Manila street life (click this to see enlarged photo).  And of course, I wouldn't leave the store without buying a Rizal bag to add to my Rizal collection.

The Buti Na Lang Sabado Bukas bag was designed by Team Manila is one bag that I can't help but add to my collection.  Love the humour!

The Common Filipino Mistakes bag is a gift from one of my aunts who vacationed in the Philippines last year.  Love the humour on this one too.

Whenever I'm at Megamall, I always drop by their Kultura Filipino store and in one of my visits, I found this rosary necklace in the accessories section.  It is made of a crystal called Citrine.  The crystals are actually light yellow in colour (I used a white filter when I took this photo that why it became white).  I bought this because I also have a collection of Rosaries and I'm very fond of crystals and precious stones.

And because in just a short span of time that I was in the Philippines and have been shopping there all the time, Kultura Filipino gave me a big, lovely Bayong before I left (you have to spend a minimum amount of which escapes me right now).

If in case you are visiting the Philippines or you plan to give travelers or balikbayans a gift that is truly made by Filipinos, visit Kultura Filipino.

For Kultura Filipino branches, please click this.