Guilty Pleasure

Hands up if you have ever hidden a purchase from your partner... or am I totally alone on this one?! It’s becoming a rather odd ritual of mine I must say. The same garments that only hours before were spread carefully across the bed whereupon I could lovingly gaze, are crammed into the deepest darkest corner of my wardrobe.... there they sit right now!! Hidden away. Sad isn’t it? What had before given me such great pleasure is now a guilty little secret.

Now as I fess up right here on my blog I realize that I am indeed spilling the beans to my lovely husband, who is, after all, one of the biggest supporters of my literary deluge – (sorry honey...what can I say but...oops I did it again). I always do come clean...and I have a few MOs for this – the ‘sidle up and smile for no reason’ tactic is a good one...seeing this uncalled for bout of girlish giggles will immediately prompt him to ask ‘what have you done now?’...then comes the admittance. Or, there’s the ‘wear it and pretend it’s old’ tactic, which sometimes prevails but mostly leads back to tactic number one, because, after all, he’s not a bloody fool. Or there’s the half-truth tactic... like ‘I got a great deal on this...50% off!!!’ (while quickly ripping off the $200 price tag)...best if there is no electronic record of your transaction with this one though...or, again, you will be right back to working tactic number one.

So what’s with the Machiavellian behavior? The sneaky stuff...what’s it all about...you ask? Well, because admitting my secret just brings it all home to me...and makes it hard to deny what I know in my heart of hearts....I AM A SHOP-A-HOLIC!! And hey, I know I’m not alone on THIS one!!

It’s a common topic of conversation amongst girlfriends the world over...laughing with nervous excitement over their Gloria Jeans as they recount the tales of their wanton credit card habits...hell, they even made a movie about it...Ms Becky Bloomwood was up there with the best of ‘em. And to top it all off – there is even a clinical term for it... Oniomania!! The act of Compulsive Shopping.

In fact, start to do some research on the subject and you quickly realize it is quite a serious, but perhaps underestimated, problem.

“Studies estimate that as many as 17 million Americans, better than one in 20 of us, can't control our urge to shop, even at the expense of our job, our marriage, our family and our finances.

In the land of conspicuous consumption, compulsive shopping is the smiled-upon addiction, the butt of countless sitcoms and Sunday comics, one of the few disorders that it's still OK to laugh at. Shop 'til you drop....Heck, President Bush even called it patriotic to splurge. Where's the harm?” Thanks Bankrate.com.

As I cast my mind back over the last 10 years and do a quick calculation on the grand total of my shopping habits I can’t help but wonder if I have crossed the fine line from being in control to slightly destructive behavior. No, I’m not in debt. No maxed out credit cards. But could I curb my spending habits if money was to become an issue? Hmmmm....jury’s out...but over at Queendom.com they thought they had the answers...A little survey...10 minutes and 40 questions later they had analyzed my shopping habits and arrived at the conclusion that I am erring slightly on the side of emotionally based spending.

So, I am tasking myself with a strict ‘no spend’ policy...FOR ONE WHOLE MONTH. Ugggghhh my skin is crawling at the very thought of it. While I can talk about fashion, write about fashion and of course, dream about fashion...I won’t be purchasing it. And hey, the upside of it all - I sure as hell won’t be hiding it!!

Will keep you posted on my journey through a fashion-fasting June.

Bri C

xxx

Still on the hot mama theme...check these ladies out!!!

http://whowhatwear.com/website/admin/uploads/wtw-stylish-moms.jpg

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Vintage Doll – a brief history

115 fans and climbing ...how exciting...and thank you all. Now would seem a really good time to tell you all a bit about Vintage Doll, where it has come from, who we are and where (we hope) we are going.

Pregnant and bored. A couple of words that would sum up my state-of-mind about 2 years ago when I first discovered the world of eBay. I have always had a thing for vintage clothing...I started buying second hand gear when I was just 12 years old...at the same op shop that is my favourite haunt to this day!!! My mum was horrified...a pair of worn man-style brogues gave her the most consternation...she just didn’t like the idea of me being in someone else’s old duds......the thought hadn’t even crossed my adolescent mind...I thought I looked great and that’s all I cared about. So fast-forward 20 odd years, with my passion for vintage still alive and well, and add eBay into the equation...match made in heaven. I started collecting pieces and revelled in the thrill of a new piece turning up in the mail...ahhh...I can’t describe it.

After a few months of this and a stack of PayPal receipts to give my husband pause I thought about turning my own hand to sourcing and selling great vintage. My daughter Indianna was born in March 09...Vintage Doll just 4 months later. Nuts?...Perhaps.

By the new year Vintage Doll was doing well...I was selling regularly and enjoying the process. But with 2 young kids it was proving a time-consuming, although thoroughly enjoyable, task. I had also amassed a vintage collection of over 500 pieces..he he he...what can I say...I love shopping!! So with no time and a burgeoning stock you could say that I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

Enter my sister-in-law...Bri Walker...and this is where it gets a little confusing as we have the SAME NAME!!! Yep, that’s right! My name is Bri (pronounced Bree) Cartlidge. With a common interest in all things fashion it seemed like a good marriage of minds. Bri W has a history in Makeup and Retail...I in Marketing and Journalism...some pretty great strengths to add to the necessary eye for sourcing and styling that I think we both possess. And that brings us up to date...it’s a very exciting time for both of us and we are hoping to build what will become one of the forerunners in vintage retailers. Baby steps...and with your support I’m sure we will get there.

So, now you know the history and who we are...feel free to drop us a line any time. We would love to hear from you and what you think...and we hope that from our collections you might find a favourite of your own.

Bri x

FIND US HERE:

VINTAGE DOLL ON FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/editnote.php?draft¬e_id=120036961349486&id=179820251622#!/pages/Vintage-Doll-Fashion-from-the-bygone/179820251622

VINTAGE DOLL ON EBAY http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Vintage-Doll-Clothing__W0QQ_armrsZ1

High fashion....on the Playground?

I am a little obsessed!. Ever since Posh donned it last season, a fur coat (of the fake variety of course) has been on my MUST HAVE list. Hunted around for a while and managed to pick up a nice little cream number from my trusty Salvos store...Happy Girl! So...this was around 2 months ago...since then that little baby has had pride of place in my wardrobe, sitting and waiting patiently for the big unveiling. It is such a statement piece that the occasion had to be juuuust right...RIGHT?

Let me take you back a week...Okay, so I am doing the mummy thing...the mad rush of a school morning where even though you were up at the crack of dawn you will not possibly get your little sweethearts to their scholarly destination at the appointed time...in other words, I was running late...again! (I can picture all you mummies nodding with me here...) I am dressed in the bare essentials, something that has required little or no thought and there is not a scrap of makeup on my face...I was going to apply some lippy, but that was before the rice bubble incident...another story!!

So, here I am, looking particularly uninspiring as I arrive at kindy when I see her ...a true vision...picture this with me...floral vintage dress, steel grey tights worked with a divine pair of granny ankle boots and yes...you know where I’m going here don’t you...a FUR COAT. This mamma looked HOT!! Here...at the kindy!! I resisted the temptation to run and hide, swallowed my pride (hey, that worked cos I actually forgot to have brekky that morning) and decided to go have a chat to “said” vision...she was immaculate from head to toe...perfume and makeup exquisite too.

Thinking back, I have seen some pretty fab outfits being worked at the kiddie hangouts...Million Dollar Mammas at Maccas, Kindy, Playground and Park...and why the hell not!!

Anyhoo, it was the kick-in-the-pants that I needed...why should our fave pieces sit around waiting for a special occasion...in the midst of early parenthood how often do we get out anyway. I am inspired by those ladies who MAKE the time to look good, who dare to take fashion into those places you wouldn’t normally expect...to stand out and to be proud of doing it.

Now...must run... school day tomorrow... I have an outfit to plan...and it will include my FUR!

Bri C x

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1145764/Posh-bulks-Victoria-Beckham-hides-tiny-frame-fur-jacket.html