BCBGeneration shoes

Remember this pair of shoes? I just found out its style name: Impulse. It also comes in nude but I prefer black.

From US$118.00 to $99.99 to $89.99 to $71.99 excl tax.

For a casual look, I'm going to pair it with this outfit of mine. 

Back from my US Trip Part II

After Georgia, we flew to Florida, less than an hour's flight away.

After cold Georgia, it was a relief to finally have the sun on my face and feel the heat on my skin. What I did notice in both states is that the places are just so far apart. Wide open spaces. You definitely need a car when you're in these states. They say New York is different with its subways and proximity to almost any place. But I wouldn't know.

It was hard not to be reminded that we were in Disney World. Everywhere we looked, Mickey Mouse was there. But I didn't care. I wasn't there to go to the theme parks (though I did go to one), I was there to check out the shopping outlets. =) I went to Prime Outlet at International Drive (it's called Premium Outlet but locals still refer to it as Prime as there's another Premium Outlet at Vineland Ave.) and had fun browsing and buying things at Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Fifth Ave Off Fifth, Coach Factory Outlet, Calvin Klein, Guess, etc.

Since I wasn't the type to worry over being on trend, these last season's merchandise at heavily discounted prices, were a sight for me. One of the items I bought was this

I love the way it just envelopes my body. It's made of thin polyester (I'm not a snob; I do wear polyester) but mimics the feel of silk. And it's blue!

Back from my US trip Part I

Despite the long and sleep-depriving travel (about 26 hours according to Zuji but felt like more due to the delays), I enjoyed the brief and my first trip to the US.

I was only able to stay for 2 days in Georgia but I have no complaints save for the fact that Alpharetta was so far from downtown Atlanta. Then again, I suppose it's a good thing. I had a fun time listening to people talk. Their southern accent was just so lovely to listen to especially the African Americans. I had a chat with my taxi driver and he told me about the rich blacks and other celebrities who were living in the expensive suburbs of Atlanta. And how ten years ago, there was nothing but farm lands owned by red necks. Now, Atlanta is growing. There are lots of shopping malls and restaurants and the only thing missing are theatres to complete the cultural vibe.

African-Americans really have a way of talking and communicating. They are frank but they know how to throw in compliments. For some reason, I like the men better than the women though. I find the men so slick. They know what to say to hook you in. They make great salespeople in my opinion.

Talking about sales, I had the most amazing time shopping at North Point Mall. I went directly there the day after I arrived and went straight to Macy's. I had a domestic pass which I printed out and was told to get an International Pass at the Executive Office. I did and got a pass which entitled me to a further 10% off merchandise even those on sale.

So I went around and found this BCBGMaxAzria dress and a BCBGeneration pair of shoes. I forgot how much the dress cost but the shoes! The shoes were originally priced at US$118.00 (before taxes). On sale, it was $ 89.99 but after my pass, I got it for $70.00+ (I forgot the exact amount) (Side note: I had to work my head around adding the sales tax on top of the price. Since each state had a different sales tax, I just added 10% to be on the safe side.)

I saw another pair of shoes, in suede. It had a ribbon at the back which you need to tie into a bow otherwise, it'll be dragging on the ground. After walking a bit in it, I decided not to get it even though they were telling me they'd give it to me for a further 20% on top of the 10%.

Then, I visited Dillards and was amazed at the 70% discount they were giving! Whoah! But I only managed to buy just one item since the sizes just didn't fit me. But a few doors down at Ann Taylor, I scored two dresses at $49.99 each! Can you believe that?

But it wasn't all just for me. I also got V a shirt which looked great on him. =))

Looking for Work

While having breakfast at Vue Monde to celebrate a friend's birthday, we got into a discussion of what each of us were up to.

R was finishing her collection to have them photographed and included in her folio. Next stop for her would be London to get work experience.

H has been sending out resumes and still waiting for calls. Funny enough, she got a message on her voice mailbox from one of the designers in Melbourne. =)

J and T would be going back to school to finish the remaining courses.

As for me, I'm still waiting from the companies I've applied to. Some have already rejected me. Sad. But I'm still hopeful. =)

R's coffee at Vue Monde

The pastries at Houpton Tearoom

Our very crowded tiny table

Window shopping at GPO Building

Retail land...

has been slow after the new year.

Had a 3-hour shift early this week and got called for a 5-hour shift tomorrow.

Speaking of retail land, Myer, Harvery Norman and the Greens have banded together to urge the government to impose GST on all imports. The two retailers have been calling for this measure before Christmas when the strong Aussie dollar made online shopping in other countries (i.e. USA) cheaper. Bernie Brooks claimed that should the trend continue, part-time and casual workers would suffer as retailers would have to cut hours.

Now I work for a big retailer but I think the reasoning is a bit off. Retailers should have already anticipated this move by consumers. Consumers are a savvy lot. They can a smell a bargain a mile away and they know how to use the most out of their money / credit cards. Why else would sites like Scoupon, Groupon and all those other coupon based companies proliferate? With internet sites like net-a-porter, bluefly, yoox, Luisa Via Roma offering products online and even delivering to Australia, consumers are given the opportunity to buy things they wouldn't normally buy in Australia.

While being nationalistic and supporting Australian made products shouldn't be pooh-poohed, the government had made it difficult for Australian made products to compete with relatively cheap imports. I say relative as you get a good, quality made product, same as it would have been made in Australia, but relatively cheaper in price even if you factor in the shipping. Most people I've spoken to during my work placement days and even news articles have lamented that the artisans in Australia were not supported enough. A lot of the talents by the Italian and Greek tailors and dressmakers were not passed on to the younger generation or if they were, the financial support wasn't there. When overseas manufacturing became the norm, a lot of the factories here closed down as they couldn't compete with the cheap prices of overseas manufacturing.

France and Paris are still the forerunners in quality made products but even some of their companies have taken to manufacturing overseas. That's how things work. You either adapt or you lose.

In the case of the retail giants here, they should've seen how online shopping have now become a part of the shopping habits of consumers. It's a bit strange that Myer and David Jones don't even have online shopping in their web sites. And while taxing people who shop online seems like a desperate move, it's more the big retailers fault for sitting on their laurels. Yes, Australia is far, far away from most shopping destinations but that doesn't give a lot of the retailers the right to charge so much for the products they're selling.

It is unfair to compare online shoppers with that of retail giants' importation of products. Retailers buy in bulk which is how they get a relatively cheap price per product. Add the GST and other customs taxes and they still can mark up their prices so high as to make profit. Then they pass on that GST to the consumer to pay. Online shoppers buy a product individually and don't get a discount unless it's on sale. They pay the cost of the good and for the shipping. They don't make a profit out of their shopping unlike retailers.

And on the issue of staff losing hours, shouldn't that be a challenge on the part of the retailer? Don't employ too many people if you're not going to be cutting back hours in the long run. Make your employees happy by giving them decent hours, acknowledge their work and take care of them. Happy workers make shopping a happy experience.

Students' Works

Some of the amazing clothes the students made, presented during Melbourne School of Fashion's graduation last December 15, 2010.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the names of the designers of some of the dresses.

Hayley Archibald

Probably a 2nd year student's work

Karen Jeffers

2nd year couture student's work

2nd year student's work

Happy New Year

First day of 2011. We heard the fireworks but didn't see it.

Today, I spent the day working. It was only for 6 hours and I wanted to extend but I suppose they didn't have enough hours to give so I left after my shift. Had to extend a bit due to some things that needed to be done.

Now, V is trying his best to convince me to go with him to the US. I think he doesn't want me to go on an adventure of my own. hehehehehehe