Happy weekend! This post is a lil' different and is essentially me waxing lyrical on some of my favourite places to find clothes. The novelty of having a Zara about 15-20 minutes drive away is yet to wear off. Annoyingly, a lot of what I wanted to talk about is nightmarish to find online so I might generalise a bit. Apologies in advance. If in doubt, go peruse the shops in question. Anyway, fashion and fashion-y bits incoming...

Zara: Oh Zara, how I love thee. Ever since I discovered it in Melbourne six or so years back I have been smitten. Gorgeous pieces, fabulous tailoring, colours and on-trend without being too gimmicky. Zara is my go-to for blouses, basics and things that you won't really find elsewhere. For my birthday I was given some money and nabbed the dream skirt, it has pockets people, a shirt dress with dramatic sleeve detailing, I love me some sleeve drama and this oversized navy cardigan above. It has tortoiseshell style buttons and is so cosy. I literally feel like I'm walking in a blanket when I have this on. In a good way. This is why I'm not a fashion copywriter...

H&M: H&M can be a bit hit and miss sometimes, I'm not going to lie. If you're willing to tolerate the crowds and never ending racks, it can be a rewarding experience. I go here for basics like skirts and lightweight cardis but also blouses and tops. More recently I grabbed a burnt orange lace blouse with a slightly ruffled collar. It's not overly dramatic, period-actress looking, thank goodness but I love it. The stripes you see above are from a shirt I grabbed not too long ago, with flared sleeves. All about the shirts right now.

Alexa Chung: After watching Alexa's SS17 live stream in the early hours of the morning here in Auckland, I knew I wanted all many of the things. These star loafers are still calling out to me. Love Rays, her non-first date ready tee is in my wardrobe now. It mightn't quite be teeshirt weather yet but I have been wearing this underneath knits (see above) with skirts and tights+boots. I love it.

Pinch & Fold: The lovely folk at Pinch & Fold reached out to me recently and offered me some jewellery, which of course I couldn't turn down. I love their celestial themed pieces, in particular this* necklace, a star choker* (which I have a suspicion was part of the sale) and these earrings. Everything came beautifully packaged too, in a mini mason jar which I actually kept to stop these dainty pieces getting tangled/lost. 

Trade Aid: This is my go-to for ethically produced and sourced pieces from around the world. Whether it be their mugs, chocolate or their jewelry. Seriously their earrings are underrated and I love 'em. These were actually a gift from Emma and they've fast become my favourites to wear on an almost daily basis. Although they do have a tendency to get caught on my swipe-card's lanyard for work but that's redundant. They're a beaut. I've not linked their online store because the selection online is limited so I'd encourage you to head in to have a browse. 

-What are your fashion staples at the moment?

*I was sent these necklaces for review but all love of celestial motifs and dainty jewels are my own. 

I'm back, and while I did take a little bit of a blogging break, as per usual I ended up missing it too much so I returned here earlier than I expected. Maybe I will make like Anna and take the odd break or two from posting in 2016 but we shall see. On Saturday amid a humid haze I made my return to filming. For all you curious folk who like to know what people got for Christmas, this one's bound to keep you happy. Oh and apologies for my nearly naked face. I had a smidgen of makeup on but couldn't be bothered going the whole nine yards. More so when it was just going to disappear off my face. Anyway, the video is below. Enjoy! x