Alvina's purchase #7,#8,#9

Wow this challenge of only 25 purchases throughout the year has really helped me save some dough, i'm only up to my 9th purchase! It's been such a change because i use to be a retail therapy, needy and impulsive shopper, so last year many clothes of mine went to waste.

Forest Green Woollen knit is easy on the eyes for the rest of this chilly weather. I initially bought this to DIY a poncho with sleeves but was became devastated realising that it was near impossible to do without unravelling the whole jumper =(. If anyone can find a way i will FOREVER be grateful!

As a fan of WHERE'S WALLY or WHERE'S WALDO, i spotted this knit top and grabbed it straight away. Yes i am going to walk the streets being Wally's girlfriend =D

This picture makes this shirt dress seem ugly but it's actually quite lovely, it's feminine and chic which makes it perfect to wear to impress a mother in law/tutoring student's parents. I love it how it can be casual too if i wear it with long socks/vest. Flexible clothes are the best!!

Monkey-ing around

After dinner we headed to a dessert place that had just opened up, but then didn't really feel like any of the options, so headed to a bar instead for some cocktails. We were greeted by this cosy space!

The interior was gorgeous, there was definitely a mystical and oriental element in the air, and we loved the fact that it was empty. I strongly recommend going to a bar on a Sunday night, because if you are not stinking rich already (as most of you are) it is quite a bit of fun speculating…As Anna and I entered, I chicly uttered "Yeah, I hired the whole place tonight.."

Didn’t even know Alvina took this photo! And there’s our “personal” bartender working his magic. "Personal", because, well..he was only serving us (ignore the fact that there was no one else there for a good 20 minutes!).

Cosmopolitan; a style conscious mix of Smirnoff No. 21 and triple sec fused with the fresh flavours of cranberry juice and lime $12

It was quite pleasant but personally, compared to other cosmos i’ve had, this one lacked the refreshing kick down the throat. But it did the job of creating some atmosphere.

The Kremlin; an imperial combination of Smirnoff No. 21, the original Russian vodka, shaken with vanilla, pineapple juice and fresh lime… delectable! $12

I went with the bartender’s recommendation on this one…and as Alvina puts it, you can never trust a guy’s opinion on drinks. It was okay, definitely drinkable, but there were a few other options that I was leaning towards, but his suggestion coupled with the “delectable” (none of the other drinks had it!!), I caved. Also, when it came out I was a little disappointed because it wasn’t very visually stimulating… especially after seeing Alvina’s beautiful corally-red one come out.

Chatswood Monkey Bar

53 Orchard Rd

Chatswood

Phone: (02) 9413 1755

Trading hours

Mon-Sat 10am-3am

Sun 10am-Midnight

@gpk

Bacon & Mushroom; penne with bacon, mushrooms & fresh herbs in a garlic and parmesan cream sauce, topped with shaved parmesan & fresh chives 17.50

This sounds rather delicious on paper (in fact it looks it too!), but if you take away the appetizing description, you’re left with a bland, almost tasteless pasta dish. Sounds pretty harsh but you either have to cover it with pepper or salt for it to have some sort of flavour. For me the mushrooms were the highlight (and that’s saying something as i’m not usually a fan), so I just started picking out the mushrooms. Another let down was the spaghetti. Not because it’s spaghetti, but because the original dish comes with penne, however they had run out so we had to settle for this.

Correct me if i’m wrong, but I did hear that in Italy, the pasta is enjoyed bland. However, from a Korean background of spice, kimchi and choc blocked flavoured foods, i instantly sprayed the spaghetti in cracked pepper. There was no fault in the texture or the combination of ingredients, just needed that extra saucy flavour in my opinion.

Broome; finely sliced chicken breast fillet, Australian mozzarella & GPK’s tomato sauce 16.90

I can’t be as harsh about the pizza as I was for the pasta. Main reason being, this goes waaaaay back for me. Like 10 years back. I remember every time I visited my grandma’s house I would get this to eat. So I guess it kinda just stuck. Even now it’s the default choice everytime I go to GPK, and because of this Alvina has had to eat it one too many times haha. Anyway, this too is slightly bland, but nothing cracked pepper can’t fix!

As i said above, perhaps the Italians, prefer their pizza with no overwhelming flavour, but i agree with Anna when she says nothing cracked pepper can’t fix.. The chicken breast complemented the cheese perfectly, and the doughy flavour was not too overpowering. Just a little flavour again is all i ask for =)

Thought the pink lemonade matched the ring perfectly!

Soft drinks; 3.80
Peach iced tea; 4.20

Pretty negative review on my part, but i’ve tried a couple of other options on the menu and they’re actually really nice. I love the taste of wood fired pizza so for a decent range with affordable prices, you can’t really pass up GPK.

Not the best Italian i have had in terms of flavours, but it did fill the tummy and was affordable.

Gourmet Pizza Kitchen (GPK)

60 Archer St

Chatswood NSW 2067

Phone: (02) 9411 8000

Shades of blue

Jay Jays blue top
Vintage fur vest
Ruffle top given by mother
Forcast highwaist skirt
De Lourve heels 

Dotti playsuit
Marcs jacket
Zu boots
French Connection hat
Alannah Hill necklace

So originally i preferred to take off the gold layer of skirt but it would of just been WAY too short. If you saw my previous outfit, this is quite a turnover in terms of maturity level. But WHO CARES? I believe there is no such thing as “dressing your age” (disclaimer: tweens in g-strings, grannys/grandpas in g-strings…you get the gist..)

Fashion is a freedom of expression & freedom itself. One day i’m a short asian chick, next day i’m a hippy…There is nothing wrong with being different every time, despite the hatred against people who don’t have a “backbone”. Just have some fun while we are on this earth… 

I have suddenly developed a new desire for hats. In all shapes and sizes. But mainly in the form of a fedora lol. When I saw this hat I wasn’t sure what kind it was, but it appealed to me. Plus the navy colour gives off a somewhat vintage feel. This might be a passing phase I’m going through, but for the moment I really want to enjoy my love for hats and wear them as much as possible.

I always admired the soft hues of the clothing of certain dolls. Obviously i was not a very bright child, attempting to force myself into dolly clothing =D 

Here’s my little red playsuit in action. Still felt slightly uncomfortable wearing it, but I’m sure I just need a little getting used to. It came with the belt so automatically I thought of pairing it with my brown ankle boots rather than my black suede ones, to add extra visual appeal. Although suede would probably go better with the outfit. For some reason that’s my mentality these days. Suede = perfection. It can do no wrong. All Most suede shoes immediately get my approval. I’m sure this little phase will pass too.

@jb'sbar

Crispy tempura fish and chips; with salad, tartare sauce and grilled lemon 19.95

I was hungry…again, so I’m not sure if I’m being biased, but it was very tasty. The tartare sauce was just right, the salad was zesty, and the chips were plain crispy goodness. In general I’m a lover of seafood, so in my eyes fish & chips can do no wrong, well hardly ever anyway.

Mixed mushroom risotto; with parmesan cheese 18.95

I had a little taste of Alvina’s risotto, and I have to say it was also quite delicious. A bit salty, but nonetheless tasty.

The risotto at it’s first bite bursted with a tangy mushroom flavour. As the sauce accumulated in my mouth however, it started getting a little salty. I did hear that consuming too much salty food induces people to become aggressive & impatient. I was worried as i am a lover of overly flavoured food… I will try to stop from now… Overall it was a tad salty but i was glad the mushroom was not too overpowering as i experienced from other places. 

Our delicious squashed cupcakes lol

Bright and earthy tones

Dotti mustard knit
Marcs navy frill skirt
Alannah Hill necklace
Marc Jacobs bag
Urge flats
YSL arty ovale ring
OPI Let Me Entertain You nail polish

Stellino cardigan
Vintage floral scarf
Blouse from who knows where..
Forcast high waist skirt
Burberry handbag
Vintage necklace & bracelet
De Lourve heels 

I had been wanting this ring for almost a year, so I believe its arrival was long overdue. After unwrapping the packaging with so much excitement, I was a bit let down because it didn’t fit on most of my fingers :( I got the 5 but really should have gone with the 6. When they advise you to go up a size, it’s probably wise to listen! The ring only fits on my fourth (ring) finger so that’s just how i’m going to have to wear it I suppose. It’s not too bad because that’s most likely where I was planning to wear it most (although even there it is a little snug).

Lately the weather has appeared very warm but chilly winds have been lurking around. I rebelled against the weather and dressed thinly for fashion’s sake. Moving on from my attractions to red, blue and white outfits, earthly tones have struck my eye. Okay so you’ve probably heard this a million times but what you wear defines who you are, so funnily enough my desire to be mature is subconsciously reflected in this outfit.

To welcome spring I was going for colour, colour, colour! I know colour blocking is such a big trend right now, but i’ve always had a love for brights so I guess it’s not really anything new. Still, it’s comforting to know I won’t be standing out too much if I ever decide to go out in head to toe colour!

Normally i detest carrying obviously in your face luxury brands, however this bag is actually quite distinct from it’s versatile range of fakes & compliment many preppy outfits. Yes, this is the perfect outfit to meet a mother in law (perhaps a longer skirt haha!)

Anna's purchases 13, 14 & 15

I've been buying a fair bit lately, but then again there's only a few months left of the year so it seems somewhat justified, since I still have a lot left to reach 25. Maybe 25 items in one year isn't a difficult target... The restriction, however, has definitely made me think twice before buying each item, so overall I can't say this little challenge we gave ourselves was all in vain.



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A clean silk shirt. Perfect for pairing with...just about anything! I originally wanted to buy the orange one for more of a bold statement, but found it washed me out since I'm quite pale :( I envy girls with beautiful tan skin who can pull off bright, shocking colours with ease. Anyway for now I'll just have to mainly stick to neutrals and not-so-bright colours. Also the shirt is darker in real life, so more of a camel colour, rather than the almost ivory tone in the photo.



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A handy dandy navy blazer (emphasis on the navy, as the photo looks black). It's good for the transitional stage going into spring, because it's cropped and has shorter sleeves, making it just right for the in between temperatures that we've been having lately - warm (almost hot!) during the day but so cold at night. The downside to this up-and-down weather is the higher chance of catching a cold, which means....I too have fallen victim because I didn't want to feel all sweaty during the day so just endured the colder evenings by not dressing warmly enough.



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I'm so glad I came across this playsuit. I've always been a bit on the fence with playsuits because, although they look really good when worn right, I just somehow felt I wouldn't be able to pull it off. Same goes for maxi dresses (which is also something I'm trying to break into). But after seeing it I didn't hesitate to try it on, and after trying it on, I didn't hesitate to buy it. I realised it's just so easy to wear, and has a different charm to dresses. Plus I love how it's plain and simple so it's more versatile and I can wear it with different things in different ways. Now just need to find a maxi I feel the same way about!

Layers

Although these photo's don't really reflect the start of spring, it was raining pretty heavily this day and we couldn't help but layer up. Thankfully we could brave the cold, wind and rain without too much trouble, but we could still feel the strong presence of winter before it said its last goodbye.

MUSE bow band
Chica booti top
Everlast hoodie
GAP jumper
Shorts from Korea
Hunter gumboots

Dotti knit

Lee hoodie

Subtitled jacket

Miu Miu bracelet

Zu boots

Marcs pants

Mimco bag

After giving up on my search for the perfect mustard knit cardigan, I came across this jumper from Dotti. It didn't really strike me as something I had to have, and I questioned whether I should use up one of my purchases on it, but to satisfy my craving for something of a mustard colour, I caved. I didn't even try it on before I bought it and when I put it on, it was a bit longer than I thought (in between a top and a dress - more of a tunic length), but i'll probably keep wearing it into spring, so time to get some inspiration on what to pair it with. Oh, and to make it clear, it's my 12th purchase so I have 13 left!

Once again, red & blue are part of my outfit. I think i have not entirely grown up yet, with hefty jealousy for Alice and her adventures, the kids from “The faraway tree”, my desire for a fairy tale adventure still lies within me today.