Step 1, I bought Pepper the cat a tray for his food and water bowl to replace the Ikea one I had. Given I have to look at it every day I thought something pretty would be easier on the eye. Do you like it? It's French and it makes me think of Missoni a bit. Or Paul Smith.
Step 2, I took the plunge and did something I have only ever done for my wedding. I had a piece of clothing tailored for me. And what better than a black pencil skirt? As a lawyer, one's professional life is paved with black skirts. I cannot count how many I have bought over the last 20 years. Now, I want one which lasts more than a year or two.
So these fantastic people came and sized me and produced a beautiful, classic, wonderfully fitting black skirt. Barring massive weight gain or loss, I hope it will last many many years. And it cost only a little bit more than a skirt from a shop.
The fabric is by Dormeuil which was established by three French brothers of the same name in 1842. They hit on the idea of importing English fabric to France. Jules Dormeuil had a truly global vision it seems. He opened their first store in New York in 1880. When the company celebrated 150 years in business in 1992 the lights of the Eiffel Tower were dimmed in their honour.
Dormeuil manufactures amazing soft wool. They also say that they invented the 'Pashmina'. They were and are the fabric of choice for many Savile Row tailors, and I can see why. The fabric breathes and at the end of the day, any creases just fall out.
They made some cracking ads in the 1970s. Are you offended by this ad? I love it. And her sunnies. And his red shirt and tie combo. And the light planes and Aston Martin in the background.
And what about this one? That's a snake on his lapel.
I was going pretty well this month until the global economy interfered. Here's the thing, when I was backpacking around Europe in the 1990's the exchange rate of the Aussie dollar was pretty forlorn. I could get 1 British pound for 3 AUD. And the US currency was not much better (1 AUD would buy US 0.60 cents). This made travelling very expensive, and is one of the reasons I put off travelling to the US for so long. Of course it also made travelling fun and challenging but many Australians can remember the power of the mighty US$ in Eastern Europe and what it could buy. And how many Australian dollars we had to exchange to get that currency.
Today, things are different. Over the weekend the Australian dollar hit parity with the US. Now I know that this is bad for the farmers and other exporters. And perhaps for local retailers because the stronger dollar has meant a huge boost in online overseas sales, and I have been one of the statistics. An added bonus is the reversed seasons. Shop online in the UK and US and you can pick up their summer season's clothes on sale just as we are going into summer ourselves.
(Side note: quality clothes in Australia are expensive. I do actually try to support Australian designers and manufacturing especially original good quality designers like Scanlon & Theodore. Whilst I am a bit sad that the Internet is maybe making it harder for them to be competitive, I think there will always be room for great High street retailers. But at the end of the day a top is a top, and $450 is too much Lisa Ho. And don't start me on denim. Why would I pay $400 for a pair of J Brand jeans from the shop up the road when I can buy the same jeans for half the price online?)
I bought these summer sandals from Revolve (on sale and very cheap):
And this necklace (not sure where I will wear it) from J Crew (on sale and very cheap):
And I end on this note - compare prices always. This beautiful J Crew shearling trimmed jacket:
Is $380 AUD on the J Crew website (converted from 378) and $415 on Net a Porter (converted from 255 UK pounds). The difference is simply that between the two currencies.
Do you shop online? Surely I am not the only one?
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