That Dress is Divine! Fashion Shopping Blog

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Argh.
2008-04-25 23:25:00
It's OK, I haven't died.I haven't posted anything in more than a month because uni suddenly hotted up and I am completely swamped. I need every spare moment I can get for either study or hardcore relaxation, so unfortunately blogging has dropped off the radar for the moment. Unfortunately I can't promise any regular posting, or any posting at all for the next little while (I have two essays due two weeks from now, and a third due three weeks from now, and then a couple of weeks after that I have two exams), so sorry about that. But I'm sure I'll pipe up again soon.

Jacket love
2008-03-16 05:22:00
A few weeks ago I realised I don't have much autumn wear. I have my lovely, warm winter coat and a couple of light jumpers, but nothing in between. I'm the kind of person who gets very cold very easily, so this state of affairs didn't please me. As I'm on a limited budget, an op shop seemed to be a good place to start.There are two items that I rarely find in op shops -- good jackets, and good pants. I'm not sure why this is, maybe it's somehow a failing on my part, but I never come up with anything amazing. As such, I wasn't really expecting much, but I am determined to stick to my op shopping only rule, so I went for a hunt in the Brotherhood of St Laurence op shop in Hamilton Place, Mount Waverley. And there I found this little gem:I am a big fan of the waist it gives me, and the fact that it makes my bust look tiny. It'll be a great accessory for autumn and I can't wait to wear a cute scarf, hat and brooch with it. Unfortunately the colour isn't ideal, but hey, it was ...
More About: Love , Jacket

Hiatus...again.
2008-03-09 02:01:00
Blaaaaargh. I have second week of uni plague and a lot of work to do. Back next Sunday the 16th.
More About: Hiatus

Dressing for Uni
2008-03-03 03:16:00
Well. Man. After writing that very long post on personal style, I'm having my own personal style crisis. Namely, I've realised that the way I dress doesn't really work at uni.First impressions are always crucial, but at uni they're crucial on a whole new level. When you begin a new course, and you don't know anyone, and there are about 50 people in class with you, you don't have much time to make an impression. When people are choosing where to sit, ie deciding who is a potential friend, they need to be able to tell what kind of person you are at a glance. Simple, classic, elegant outfits, rather than saying "I am sophisticated, secure in myself, and I don't need my clothes to speak for me" as they do in other areas of life, say "If you sit next to me you will be bored".The other day I went to class in a simple tan/mushroom-coloured, 3/4-sleeved v-neck top, and dark blue, bronze and white striped trousers (very thin, muted stripes of colour). I felt fantastic when I left the ...
More About: Dressing

Hiatus
2008-02-25 23:06:00
On Friday I fell down the stairs. Nothing's broken, but I am battered and bruised and it was not fun. That, and starting classes this week, mean I'm going on a little hiatus. I'll be back on Sunday and will resume my normal posting schedule. Until then!
More About: Hiatus

An Outfit for Orientation
2008-02-21 00:33:00
This year I'm starting a new course -- a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy, at a small college called the Southern School of Natural Therapies. I haven't been a student for a year, and during that year my style has changed from op-shop student to smart young profesh (without having the smart job or lifestyle to go with it). As a result I spent some time fretting about what to wear to orientation.My thoughts were:- I didn't want to be too dressy, even though orientation took the form of a social gathering in the evening- I wanted to look approachable- I didn't want to wear what I would normally wear to class, therefore jeans were out.- I also ruled out wearing a skirt, as it was a rather chilly, rainy sort of day in Melbourne yesterday, and anyway wearing pants would make me feel more relaxed.At this point, only one pair of pants presented itself -- my tan man-style pants. These can look quite dressy, so I considered wearing one of my puffy-sleeved t-shirts with them. As ...
More About: Orientation , Outfit

Finding Your Style
2008-02-17 00:51:00
Dear GauriI'm still struggling to find my "style." My question is, how exactly DID you find your style? I've thought about signing up for MSP from flylady, because then it'll match my shape, but not my skin/hair/personal tastes. My apologies if you've answered this question in a previous entry, but where do I start?LeleDear Lele,Personal style is all about knowing yourself and what you love.There is a formula to dressing well -- if you know and wear the colours and shapes that suit you, you will always look good. Style is more elusive.Style encompasses dressing for your body shape and wearing colours that suit you, but it goes beyond that. Finding your personal style is all about discovering your sartorial self: what are your likes and dislikes, what do you enjoy wearing, what colours, textures, fabrics, and colour combinations make your heart sing.You could just dress according to the formula of your body shape and your colours, but if you don't get in touch with your personal...

Op-shopping To Suit Your Shape
2008-02-13 02:11:00
My op shopping motto: a thrifted item that doesn't suit you is still an item that doesn't suit you.Since I made the decision to return to the wonderful world of op shopping, I've been asking myself questions about my past op shopping practices. Why did I op shop, what kinds of things did I go for, and how should I update my attitude towards op shopping to suit the person I am now?I used to be a compulsive op shopper. During most uni breaks I would trundle off to Savers, comb through the masses of musty-smelling junk, to find the gems. Most days I would come back with over 20 gems; you see, at that time, my idea of a 'gem' was completely insane.A gem was anything that I could fit into that didn't look terrible (but it didn't need to look terribly good, either); anything that looked interesting, even if I could only just fit into it; anything to which I attached the words "It's so hideous I just have to have it"; anything costumey; anything below $10, and anything I liked rega...
More About: Shopping , Shape , Suit

That Dress is Divine Goes Thrifty
2008-02-11 02:56:00
Well. The money is gone. After I buy the bf-creature a necklace, there will be no more expensive shopping for me. Everything I had saved up for new things, including my birthday, Christmas and Divali money, has now been spent. As I'm about to go back to being a full-time student and it looks like I won't have the time or the energy to work for a fair while, That Dress is Divine will now go thrifty. That means you'll see lots of posts about op shopping, window shopping, expensive jewellery-coveting, and other such delights.Which brings me to a bit of a plug. I was recently invited to contribute to I op therefore I am, a marvellous collaborative effort by Melbourne bloggers to show off their op shop purchases, and post about other issues and musings on the subject of op shopping. There is also an unmissable list and map of all the op shops in Melbourne. I haven't contributed yet, but I will be making my presence felt there at some stage.Now, as I say goodbye to new clothes, I shal...

No Wednesday post!
2008-02-08 05:55:00
Yo. Yes, there was no Wednesday post. This is because we had the upstairs recarpeted on Thursday and this involved a lot of preparation, ie taking all my mum's hundreds of books off the shelves, as well as clearing the surfaces and floors in my room. Now we have to put it all back again.Sunday's post will be a bit late, as it's the long awaited second anniversary with the boyfriend and we are going up Eureka Tower to hang out and generally be lovey dovey. So if you come by on Monday there will be an update!
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A Necklace for the Bf
2008-02-04 00:10:00
Until last year, the boyfriend-creature always wore a black rubber necklace with three beads on it which was given to him by his first girlfriend. If I've got the story right, he told her he would never take it off, and he didn't, even after they had broken up. But last year (or was it the year before?) the rubber, hardened by his habit of never taking the necklace off, not even in the shower, snapped, and so he decided that it was about time he retired it. Since then he's missed having something around his neck, so he asked me if I could get him a new necklace, or at least help him to choose one. This has been in the back of our minds for at least a year, but we didn't get organised until the subject of anniversary presents, and buying each other jewellery, came up.That's all very well, but I'm really not that good with men's jewellery. I have never bought jewellery for a man as I've never really been in a serious relationship with a man, and I really have no idea. As such,...
More About: Necklace

More Outfits!
2008-01-30 00:11:00
This will be the most straight to the point post from That Dress is Divine, ever. This is because I'm horrifically tired. There will also only be 3 outfits, and here they are. And again, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this post. And also, you can click the photos to make them larger.Autumn --> Day --> SmartShirt: ReviewShrug: ChelseaPants: Some discount place in DFOFlats: ScarpeBag: Some discount accessories place on Bridge RoadI would probably wear this outfit to a nice restaurant. The man-style tailored pants scream 'dinner' to me, somehow.Autumn --> Night --> SmartTop: PortmansSkirt: MonsoonBoots: BettsBracelet: Button bracelet from StrawberryjamHeadband: Present from friendI would probably wear this outfit to a festive night out with the girls.I look sooo proud of myself in this one, for some reason!Spring --> Night --> SmartShrug: ChelseaDress: Op shopBoots: ZuBracelet: Button bracelet from Strawberryjam (see two posts ago for details)I would probably...

Rings and Pretty Things
2008-01-27 01:47:00
I've never really been a fan of Valentine's Day. As a teen I felt nothing but jealous scorn for February 14 and all its activities. This is because I wasn't allowed to date until I turned 16. I hated that I never had a Valentine, and I began to transfer that hatred onto Valentine's Day itself (though I was sheepishly chuffed when a 'secret admirer' sent me a dozen roses one year). Then, when I got together with my first love (at 16 on the nose), we used Valentine's Day as an excuse to go out for dinner and swap presents, but we never felt terribly sentimental about it. Now Valentine's Day is overshadowed by my anniversary with the boyfriend-creature, February 10, and pales into insignificance next to that landmark. But I do still think Valentine's Day is good for presents.I don't get many presents -- no-one in my group of close friends is organised enough at the end of July to give me a birthday present, and my parents (rightly) take the safe option of giving $50 each for...
More About: Rings , Things , Pretty

Outfit Porn!
2008-01-24 03:30:00
This post is all about outfits; in it I'll show you four more outfits from my catalogue. If you're wondering what on earth I'm on about, visit this post on the topic first.So, I've come to the conclusion that I have nothing to wear this coming winter, except one coat and one jumper over whatever autumn outfits I happen to be wearing underneath. I've also come to the conclusion that I have nothing to wear this summer; I've been cycling through the same two or three outfits all summer -- not that I've been out much because of being sick, but still! I've also got incredibly slim pickings for outfits this spring. I have plenty to wear in autumn, though I could use some more light knits. So, on my list of things to buy are coats, knits, and summer skirts. Phew. I am doing surprisingly OK for shoes, though my two pairs of boots are suede and not really waterproof, so that has to be addressed at some point. Lucky I love shopping, huh.There is a point to the above ramble, and that p...
More About: Outfit

Rubba Scrubba: The Miracle Brush
2008-01-21 02:02:00
I hate most things cutesy. The name 'rubba scrubba' makes me want to hurl. Yet I find myself making a post about this nauseatingly named brush. Why? Because it's amazing.I have a medium hair cat who sheds like nothing else. The rug in the upstairs lounge, where Killy and I spend most of our time, has turned almost a different colour since we moved back into the parental home. But a few lazy swipes with the rubba scrubba has changed all that.I first encountered this brush through Flylady.net, home of cutesy phrase-toting cleaning guru Marla Cilley, better known as FlyLady. Fed up of her clutter-filled and dirty home, FlyLady developed a system that, over 31 days, puts you into a regular cleaning routine without you even really noticing (except that your house is suddenly clean and shiny!).Each day you add a babystep, or small cleaning task, according to her instructions. Each task builds on the previous one, and by the end of the 31 days your house is decluttered, tidy and relativ...
More About: Miracle , Brush

Cataloguing Your Outfits: Say Goodbye to "I Have Nothing To Wear!"
2008-01-15 23:39:00
Cataloguing outfits isn't a new idea. Trinny and Susannah recommend this time- and sanity-saving measure as a technique you can use to smoothe out some of the wrinkles in your day. But I have my own twist on the technique.In their book "Trinny and Susannah: The Survival Guide" S & T suggest setting aside some time every couple of months to take Polaroids of yourself in outfits for different occasions; hair, accessories and all. You can then arrange these pictures on the inside of your cupboard door, and they become your quick and easy reference for choosing what to wear. It doesn't take a genius to work out that this guide is a lifesaver when you haven't got much time to dress.But I have a variation on the technique which I think will better suit the modern woman. Instead of Polaroids, why not take digital pictures? You needn't rely on anyone else to take the photos, and no expensive film is wasted if you make a mistake. And if, like me, your laptop (or other gadget) is alw...
More About: Goodbye , Wear

Shopping and false fulfillment
2008-01-15 02:41:00
Today it occurred to me, as I left Chadstone laden with shopping bags, that shopping gives me a false sense of fulfillment.I have a personal mission statement, healthy habits I'm trying to make stick, and a list of 101 things I want to accomplish over the next 1001 days (it's a thing: go here if you'd like to participate). But on a day when shopping is only one of the things on my agenda, it makes me feel so 'fulfilled' that I don't feel the need to do the other things I had planned. And the things that get left out just happen to be the important things.Shopping makes me feel happy and empty at the same time. I'm happy in the knowledge that I have shiny new things to play with, but sad because I realise that I'm expecting them to change my life, and they don't have that power. In fact, the other things on my agenda that get pushed aside, like reading the news, decluttering my room, updating this blog, and so on, are the things that actually do have that power.I've encoun...
More About: Fulfillment

Internet Shopping and Monsoon Skirts
2007-12-24 03:20:00
For a long time, I was totally against buying clothes online. I felt that it was essential to try before you buy, and since futuristic, holographic internet change rooms are yet to be invented, I resigned myself to only ever buying books, jewellery, and a few cosmetics online. Internet shopping always seemed too great a risk to regularly take, especially for someone like me whose shopping budget is usually quite small. As a result, I kept my internet purchases to a minimum.But when I got sick, my opinion suddenly changed. Essentially unable to leave the house, I decided to allay my shopping withdrawal pains, and my very real need for new clothes, by buying online. And I must say it turned out quite well.The biggest merit of internet shopping, specifically shopping on ebay, is that it's easy to find stunning pieces that you know you won't see on every second person on the street. Being a follower of Trinny and Susannah, I've heard that the UK's Mons oon has some very good stuff, a...
More About: Shopping , Skirts

Review: Lancome Juicy Tubes
2007-12-17 01:55:00
Juicy Tubes cost AU$23.50 on Strawberrynet. You can purchase some here.If you're running dial-up and can't watch the video, I basically say that Lancome Juicy Tubes are fab, subtle, sophisticated, and give a finished look to your face, though they are a tad sticky for a little while after you first put them on. They also smell great.
More About: Review

How to take a perfect passport photo.
2007-12-12 06:46:00
Ok I know I said I wasn't going to post until next Monday, but I am very excited right now. I'm excited because I've discovered the secret to avoiding those drained, depressing, drug dealer passport photos that are the bane of many women's existence. Honestly, who wants to flash an ID photo around when, if you looked like that in real life, you'd probably wander around with a bag over your head!Today I got the best passport photo that I have ever got, by a long shot. Here's why it's by a long shot.This photo was taken for my passport in July 2006:This is the photo I took today:I know, right? Check out the difference!I spent a bit of time thinking about why this photo blew all the others out of the water, and here's what I've come up with. Maybe you could apply a few of these ideas for your next photo, and see if you get good results too!- A big difference is that I took the 'after' photo in a digital photobooth, whereas the first one was taken with one of those polaroid c...
More About: Photo , Perfect , Passport

I'm back! And while I was gone I fell in love with Stila Eye Glaze.
2007-12-10 03:17:00
Well! I bet you never thought you'd hear from me again!Way back in August when I made my last post, I was beginning to wonder whether I'd ever come back to this blog. I was starting to think that I should probably do more virtuous and less materialistic things with my time. I also wondered: Was this blog unfeminist? Was I selling out in some way by writing it? Was this blog on the same level as those awful Good Housekeeping articles from the 1950's? (Yes, I am prone to over-analysing and catastrophising).It didn't take me long to realise that no-one could be unmaterialistic with a shopping addiction like mine, and that I loved this blog too much to give up on it. I was just at the stage of making up semi-virtuous reasons to keep going with this blog (you know, helping others by giving advice, preventing people from wasting their hard-earned money on dud products, etc), and getting ready to blog again, when I got sick.Yes, the reason for my prolonged absence from the blogging wor...
More About: Love , Back , Stila

A temporary pulling back.
2007-08-07 05:08:00
I'm going to be pulling back on this blog for a little while because it's feeling a little one-sided and strange. This means that I'll be posting randomly instead of twice a week as I have been. That Dress is Divine is not dead, just having some downtime.I'll be playing more regularly with my new blog over at http://everythingbook.blogspot.com where I'll be writing about various day-to-day adventures. So if you want to know a bit more about me during That Dress is Divine downtime, I'd love to see you there.
More About: Back , Pull , Temp

Reader Question: What should I wear on a picnic date?
2007-08-01 06:29:00
When the weather gets a little warmer and the sky gets bluer, as it has today, I start to think of picnics. And, apart from planning the menu and the location, my favourite thing to do is plan my picnic outfit. So this question came at the perfect time.The main thing to consider when planning a picnic outfit is comfort; you want to be free to lounge around, lie down, eat as much as you like, go barefoot and turn cartwheels. But, since it's a picnic date we're considering here, you probably don't want to do trackies and flip flops. Here are some ideas of what you can do instead:TopFor comfort and cuteness, I absolutely favour the lace camisole with cardigan look. It's slightly boho, very summery and super comfortable. It can also be adapted to suit every body.If you're a small-busted, skinny lady, lucky you. You can wear your cardigan open to show off the camisole in its entirety, and you can always take the cardigan off if you get hot. Go for a light coloured cami in cotton, or...
More About: Question , Reader , Wear , Picnic

Clothes by GF & Ma: Shopping for the boyfriend
2007-07-29 02:20:00
Who likes rolling out of bed at 7am on a Saturday morning? Not me. But yesterday I did it willingly. The occasion? A shopping trip, of course. What else could get me out of bed?I met the boyfriend-creature and his ma in the freezing cold wind tunnel that is the Collins Street end of Southern Cross station, home of DFO. As any shopping-inclined Melburnian will tell you, DFO stands for Direct Factory Outlets and is a mecca for bargain hunters; Cheap but not cheap-looking clothes are to be found here in abundance (though there is much of the cheap and nasty, too). As we were unsure what kind of budget we had to work with (the clothes were to be a gift from his ma) the bf-creature and I thought this would be an excellent place to begin our shopping extravaganza.To escape the cold, he, his ma and I settled ourselves in the chocolate cafe for a nice cup of something, while we discussed our shopping aims. These basically boiled down to one overarching goal: To get the bf-creature into some...
More About: Shopping , Clothes , Boyfriend , Cloth

Oh poo.
2007-07-27 10:38:00
Looks like I didn't get it together enough to make a Wednesday post. Poo on me.However, tomorrow I'm going shopping for interview/work clothes for the boyfriend-creature. This is the first time I've ever been shopping for men clothes, so for Sunday update day I should have some things to say. And some photos. So check back then. And this time I really, really promise there will be something to read.

Short Hiatus
2007-07-20 03:33:00
Wednesday came and went, yet not a peep from That Dress is Divine. Why is that.Two reasons: Number one, I've hurt my shoulder and typing is not the most fun thing right now, and number two it's my birthday tomorrow, as well as Harry Potter D-Day. These things combined have made me very lazy, unmotivated and brain-fuzzy. So please excuse me as I take a short hiatus. You'll hear from me next Wednesday, definitely.
More About: Hiatus , Short

Reader Question: Help me find a dress! Best dresses for your body shape
2007-07-15 03:49:00
Most of the searches that lead people to this blog have something to do with choosing a dress to suit a particular body shape. Time and time again the same questions get asked, and time and time again they seem to go unanswered. In fact, each time I see this kind of question posed, I imagine it coming from one woman, one composite Everywoman made up of all the women in the world who just want to know how to choose a dress for their body shape, damnit, why is it so hard. And every time She asks this kind of question, this Everywoman gets increasingly frustrated and desperate. Just help me find a dress, damnit! Go on!! Hurry it up!!!So I will go on. I will hurry it up.Let me start off by saying I totally sympathise. I find it nearly impossible to find dresses that suit me. In fact, I only own one dress. But, because I know what to look for and what will suit me, that one dress is totally divine.To all who come here needing help finding a dress, I say: Get a copy of Trinny and Susannah...
More About: Body , Question , Dresses , Reader , Dress

Tip #10: Try this revolutionary shopping technique
2007-07-11 22:50:00
This is possibly the most amazing shopping technique I've ever encountered, and it was introduced to me by the lovely Eliza, who possibly got it from her mum (but I may have made that up). If you are disciplined enough to follow it, it will save you from buying things you don't really want or need. It will save you from many of those bad shopping decisions you live to regret. It will also save you money. Unfortunately I am not disciplined enough to use this technique, I love to go into a frenzy of buying, but I would still recommend it to anyone. This is how it goes:You will need:your budget and shopping lista piece of papera pena measure of restraint1. Select your shopping strip. If your target is a long road, like Brunswick Street, break it down into small sections. Each section needs to be short enough that you can walk from the last shop back to the first without killing yourself.2. Once you have your first section, visit the first shop of interest. If you find anything you li...
More About: Shopping , Technique , Revolutionary , Nique

Goodbye Glueface
2007-07-09 02:36:00
Ah! My skin no longer feels like glue. This is a relief. I was never one of those kids who liked to paint their fingers with paste and then peel it off, so I really didn't want that kind of action on my face. Crisis averted.I tried to take a photo to show you the difference, but it looked exactly the same as the last one. Actually, that's not true, but it didn't look as dramatically different as it does in real life. According to the lovely Eliza, you really can't tell how bad it is in the photos. In fact when she saw me last, she said "Wow! Your skin!". Or was it "Oh my God! Your skin!"? Either way, it was very affirming, which is pretty amazing in itself -- I can't think of another context where I would feel good about that. Anyway, you'll just have to take my word for it that my face has largely fixed itself.Remaining on the topic of skin but segueing clumsily from my face to body moisturiser, picking up an award for Worst Segue Ever on the way, I am using this great body m...
More About: Goodbye

Tip #9: Be careful what you buy online
2007-07-04 02:34:00
I would never shop for clothes or shoes online. Apart from not being able to tell whether they fit, you can't work out if the colour will suit you or if the clothes will sit right. Why take a chance on something you can't try on? Why waste your money?There's only one situation where it's safe to buy clothes or shoes online -- if you're buying something that's currently in a store. That way you can try it on and make 100% sure it suits you.And please, please don't buy clothes and shoes online just because they're cheap. A cheap item that doesn't suit you is still an item that doesn't suit you. You are much better off saving that money for something more expensive that will look fab.That said, here are some items you can safely buy online:JewelleryMany independent designers have online shops, and you can find some wonderful, unique pieces without incurring the leg pain and frustration of hunting.I love Girls Made This, and have been coveting this pendant forever:Vintage Bird...
More About: Online , Careful