The colours of the city. Portmans is chanelling Chanel. I try to be Visionary in the Gok Wan sense of the word.


The morning started out much like any other.  Did my share of the housework and then took a bus into the city to shop, window shop and do some errands.  Grabbed a coffee at Gloria Jeans, here is a photo of the reassuring tidiness of the cake cabinet.  I think the cakes are exactly the same each time I visit. 

And there were all the usual buildings. and renovations going on.  I am not sure what Mid City is but I do appreciate the tinted perspex panelling going on out the front.

So I carried on my usual circuit, heading of to DJs to pick up the Second Last jar of Kiehl’s lycopene cream in New South Wales.  Where I got yet more samples because the ladies casually asked if I wanted more samples and couldn’t seem to accept no as an answer.

I walked to the QVB, skim white chocolate mocha in hand (now what the point is of having skim milk in a beverage containing white chocolate is unclear to me but at least I said no to the whipped cream) and found that the dear Queen had visitors.

A film crew.  As my alter ego of Japanese Tourist, I let rip with the D5000 and got as close as I could to the action. 

One of the advantages of Japanese Tourist mode is that the security guys hassled the taller and more solid Real Tourists who were snapping away and told them to stay behind the line (which none of us could see but didn’t want to cause any trouble by pointing this out).

I have no idea who was starring in the film but there were lots of extras having coffees on the set but sadly no trailers housing the starts to give us any clues.  Might find out in the papers this weekend.

Well, luckily I was sufficiently caffeinated by this point because there was much more excitement to be had.  I had a Retrospective of shops I haven’t been into for years.  It was all very affirming – my size hasn’t changed.  I like to attribute this to years of sensible exercise and diet.  However, I have heard of that nasty thing called vanity sizing.  I choose to believe in myself.

In news just at hand, Portmans is chanelling Chanel in a big way.  Exhibit one is this jacket, cut rather high above the waist and with bangle length sleeves, in FF speak.  $250 – my, Portmans is getting steep these days.  In fact, everything is getting pricy.  I am clearly out of touch, having relied on South East Asian binges of Zara and Top Shop for so long.  Dear readers, I said no.  Who knows where my waist will be by the end of winter?  Not that there’s any indication as yet that it will be going anywhere, but I am trying to be a responsible shopper.

Which is why I then found myself at Jigsaw.  If there are three things that say ‘buy’ to me it is these: 55% off, a single digit size and black.  So I walked out of Jigsaw with a new black dress to wear to the Mr & Mrs SSG Second Wedding Anniversary dinner.  It will appear in this blog around the end of the month, I am trying to style it.

And there’s still more.  Cotton On was my next stop.  Another haunt of my younger years.  The mission was to find an outfit for Taste Sydney.  Everyone else in the store was shopping for a big night out or a music festival,  SSG was there for clothes that would stretch yet flatter for tomorrow’s food fest.

Somewhere in that storm of grey and black is my outift for taste tomorrow.  I closed my eyes and summoned Gok to tell me what to do with my hips and bust.  I hope I heard him correctly.  I have options for any direction the weather may take and yes, the clothes will still work with closed toe shoes.

The best find of the day however, were these.  I think Gok was would have high fived me on these and called me girlfriend.  I am so happy with these that I will list price details too.  I think this is Visionary In The Fashion Of Faux Fuchsia.  They are as close to her Red Phoenix Emporium necklace that I could find.  They are also very Chanel. 

Both of the necklaces were from Cotton On, the rubi range of accessories.  We have multinational pricing on both – so go for broke my Australian / NZ / Singaporean / Malaysian and US readers. 

The necklace on the left has one large white rose and then strands of fake pearls.  One half is a single strand and the other half is a multi strand of smaller pearls.  Are you ready for the price……  Aus $16.95, Sing $16.95.  The necklace on the right is roses and pearls on a chain.  Aus $12.95, NZ $12.95, Sing $12.95, HK $59.00, MYR $34.00, USD &7.90.  I love shopping in USD – everything is so much cheaper, honestly.

No, I didn’t make it to Supre.  That would have been overkill.  I was distracted by the Hare Krishna motorcade.  I love the contrasts – Hare Krishna float, police cars and police, the back drop of the QVB.

For the curious, the people in front of the float are pulling it along.  The figure on the float in yellow is a mannequin.  The man to its left is a real human being.

I am now off to yoga.   Hope you’ve all had a lovely day.


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