captivating confetti

i think i would like to cover my apartment in these creations from confetti system.  i also think it would make every day feel like a celebration.  who needs an occasion for confetti??  not me!

via confettisystem.com

quirky sexy ladies

Below:  Inara George (of Bird & the Bee fame)

 AND Sia!!!  I think I just wet my pants a little 

bit

STELLA!!! STELLA!!

Hey there, so I've been a bit lazy (by 'lazy you should read: I had a migraine for 48 hours and have been working too much) and haven't updated in a while, but here you are!  I am back and have something exciting to share!

Being a lowly retail nerd, with not much dosh to satisfy her fashion obsession, I tend to ignore the big name designers because I just end up wanting their stuff and I get depressed.  I do sometimes turn to them for inspiration, and to get an idea of what might be hitting the streets in a few months time.  I have a few favourites who never disappoint me and top of that list is Stella McCartney. 

There are many reasons why I love her including; she didn't use fame to get where she is, she is ACTUALLY talented (unlike a lot of celebrity spawn); She is a vegan and is vehemently against the use of leather and fur; Her designs are consistently classic, timeless, feminine, sexy and understated.  They show the beauty of the wearer, you wear her clothes rather than the other way round.

So it was with much excitement that I clicked on this link this morning: Stella McCartney Designs for Target
EEEE!!!  I have to admit, the stock is nothing like her other collections in terms of wow-factor, and I would even go as far as to say I prefer her collections for adidas (& me & sport have an interesting relationship!).  But... in terms of beautiful classic and understated pieces for a reasonable price, this collection ticks all the boxes.  Here's a selection of my faves:

Lace Tee $129 in blue. black and cream 

Sequin Sweater Dress $149 in nude & black 

Tulip Trench Coat $249 in nude & black 

Gathered Silk Tulip Dress $199

(all images sourced from target website)

All the product goes on sale October 29 at selected Target stores.  I love the shapes of everything and feel it would work perfectly for my figure, but I'm not sure I'll join the crowds in Target on that day, it all gets a bit much for me!  I'll probably scour ebay for the stock later.

xoxo raimentlove

fascinatingly floral

hey there, just had to share a late night last minute find via ohjoy.blogs.com, one of my favourite web haunts.

they are the most stunning pieces by Nicolette Camille (you can view her portfolio here)  Maybe some alternative inspiration for race day?

xo raimentlove

90's hair love

So I have hair very short hair for a few years now, and for the past 6 months I have been trying to grow it out again.  It is a slow process that often results in do's a little too close to a mullet, and emergency trips to the hair salon to sort it out.

It's at a nice length where I don't have to worry about it looking awful anymore, long enough to tuck behind my ears.  But it no longer looks chic or 'styled' and is a difficult length to do anything to.  My hair won't curl, it's dead straight and refuses to bend to the will of a curling iron, and it is still too short to pin or tie back.

I was pleasantly surprised, when surfing my favourite fashion sites today, to find a great new way to wear my hair thanks to the fabulous Garance Dore'

Stunning!  So simple yet so chic!  And it's not too much of a stretch for my willfully straight hair either!

Hope you're all fabulous out there, stay tuned for a cheap chic' styling session over the next day or two, which the ever wonderful and talented boyf will be photographing for me.

xo raimentlove

luxe for less

Hey There!

So what's the best cure for the "I only have one day off this weekend" blues?  Retail therapy, that's what.  And yes, just because I work in a shop, doesn't mean I'm ever going to get sick of going shopping. So it was off to Bondi to kill two birds with one stone and make the most of a stunningly sunny day whilst also getting some serious shopping done.

I've been a little obsessed with jewellery lately, which is rare, because I'm normally all about the clothes and less about the trimmings.  A woman came in to my shop the other day with the most gorgeous ring on, it turned it is from a line called "luv low" by supermodel Erin Wasson.

Erin

I was hooked and decided I had to have it, but with a $129 price tag, I would have to wait until I was seriously cashed up.

I also stumbled across designer Laurel Wells gorgeous dip dye and feathered necklaces at www.laurelwells.com  they are stunning, but quite pricey.  I did think though that they would be the perfect pieces to liven up anything plain, tees, dresses etc.

Luckily I didn't have to wait or save to find these items because Sportsgirl had them both for a fraction of the price! (Well, look-a-likes anyway.)  Check out my awesome finds below:

Love raimentlove xoxo

Disastertunity!

DISASTER! So I've been trying to dye my hair red for a while now with varying success, and yesterday I stumbled across a red hair colourant for dark hair, that promised even and wonderful results!  LIES  I rinsed the flourescent orange mixture out of my hair (the colour it went on my head should have been my first warning) and looked in the mirror to see a monster.  My hair had fluro orange roots and black ends, needless to say there was lots of squealing and arm flaling. 

Once my lovely man calmed my down, we resolved that I would make an early morning trip to the supermarket below our apartment to get some black dye to cover it all up before I had to start work the next day.  But the disaster didn't end there, the opening hours were listed incorrectly and by the time I had figured that out, I had to be on a bus on my way to work.  So I took a deep breath and decided that I wouldn't let this be a total disaster.  It could be an opportunity to rock a look I've left on the shelf for a while. . .

So I went all Edie Beale (think grey gardens) and made it look new season/modern by wearing an entirely nuetral palette.  Here was my inspiration:

Edie Beal as a child

 Edie all grown up

Now having short hair, it means that wearing a head scarf in this fashion can make me look like I might be bald underneath, so rather than a scarf I went the turban route.  Because there was no hair to frame my face and I was dressed head to toe in neutrals I made a decision to go a bit heavier on the make-up than I normally would, with strong dark lippy, thick lashes, a lick of eyeliner and defined rosy cheeks.  I only had my iphone on me to take photos but I hope you get the idea from the images below:

Turban from Sportsgirl $24.95

Scarf and oversized tee from Pink Zebra $89.95, and $79.95 respectively

Jeans from J-Brand $249 and wedges from General Pants $99.95

So there you have it, a disaster turned into a disastertunity!!\

Love raimentlove xo



It's All In The Family

Hello Lovelies!

I was drifting off to sleep the other night and chuckling to myself thinking about a crazy facebook reunion I had with my family that resulted in this:

And then because my family is wonderful I got to thinking about how amazing they are and how freaking stylish they all are!!  It made me wonder, Is style innate?  Is it learnt?  Or could it be genetic!  There are a lot of stylish families out there.  Gwen Stefani's brood immediately springs to mind, and then there's my favourites, the Missoni family (do you think they ever get sick of wearing that same variation on a theme??)

The Missoni's En Masse

I live in a different state to my siblings and every time I see them after a long time, I think, "My god, I forgot how beautiful and cool you all are!"  Of course having grown up with each other, we've all had our fair share of fashion faux pas and terrible hair cuts, but overwhelmingly my family looks pretty damn fine.

Me and the fam at christmas lunch last year
(I was going through a rather unflattering Kaftan phase at the time)

My sister and I before a night on the town

It seems inevitable that those who come from fashion royalty will no doubt soak up some of the style, I mean it just hangs thick in the air around some people, you can't help but be inspired.  But sometimes it is also equally as refreshing when children of fashion don't get completely carried away with the insanity of it all and keep it cool, classy and classic, (Think Bee Schaffer of Anna Wintour's loins)

Anna Wintour and Bee Schaffer

Julia Restoin Roitfeld and Carine Roitfeld

I hope one day (far off in the future!) I can pass my fashion knowledge down to my own children and keep it "all in the family".

Love and kisses raimentlove xoxo

P.S - Don't be shy!  Please comment, questions, feedback, hate mail, I want it all!!

Where are they now?

Last night was my first foray into the blogosphere in four years, and I thought I would use this next post as a 'where are they now?'/'what the heck has she been up to in the last four years?' back-story.

Well I am no longer based in Canberra, and have been living in Sydney for nearly 3 years now.  My job at Sportsgirl in Canberra gave me the opportunity to move to the eastern suburbs of Sydney to become a full time visual merchandiser.  I worked in the Bondi store mainly and completed store visits to the Pitt Street and George Street stores as well.  It was incredibly hard work, but wonderfully creative.  The VM team was full of inspirational women who worked hard to get where they were. Unfortunately a paltry salary and a personality clash with one of the store managers meant I decided to look elsewhere for employment.

Three months after I first started as a VM with Sportsgirl I found myself leaving for a new unknown; Pink Zebra.  Those of you who know me well, know that prior to this job the words "casual" and "jeans" were not usually a part of my vocabulary, I mean I would dress up to go and get milk from the shops, and I literally did not own any track pants.  And I suddenly found myself in a world of denim and casual glamour.  Pink Zebra has done amazing things for me.  Being a small business I have been able to have my hands in many pots and actually see my influence and suggestions create change in the company, so I won't bore you with details now, but I'm sure I will fill you in on tid-bits here and there in future posts.

Me at the Pink Breakfast I hosted end of last year

What else have I been up to apart from work?  Well, in a nutshell: I graduated from UC with a bachelor of Graphic Design, lived in a gorgeous terrace house in Alexandria with friends, moved into a cozy apartment and fell in love.  Quite an eventful few years!  Let's see what the future holds!  I hope you will all share it with me.

love raimentlove xo

raimentlove returns!

I can't believe its been nearly 4 years since I last posted on a blog.  Blogging used to be a passion of mine, and somewhere along the way, life, love, work and study got in the way.  Well I'm back!  Ready to embrace the passion again.  This time I see it as a way to reconnect with a part of me that aspires to perfection and finds beauty everywhere.  I see this blog as a way to share what I find incredible, amazing and beautiful with anyone who might be interested out there in the blogosphere!

I thought I'd start with something simple, an outfit wish list for spring.

1. James Jeans, Twiggy cut in the Night Clean wash. $199 from Pink Zebra Mid City Mall.  The perfect cut, fits like a glove and made to work for girls with curves, celebrate that junk in your trunk!

2. Chrissy Clog Sandal, Sportsgirl, $109.95.  I love clogs, and the heels on these are comfortable enough to wear all day.

3.  Splendid Breton Stripe Tee, $54 at www.shopbop.com.  I love the modern twist on nautical with a nice deep v, and something interesting going on with the sleeves.

4.  Bop Basics Girlfriend Blazer in Navy, $189 on www.shopbop.com.  I'm actually waiting for a great piece by Bailey and Taylor to come in to www.pinkzebra.com.au ($149) but this substitutes fine for the picture.

5.  Kate Spade Lady Marmalade necklace $325 and
6.  Kate Spade No Sleep Till Brooklyn bangles $78.  Obviously lust items, and you need a friend in the US for these, Kate Spade hates everyone without a US credit card and postal address.

raimentlove loves you!  until next time! xoxo