Le Blog de Sushi

2012-02-18T08:12:00.005+11:00

Sometimes real life gets in the way.

True romantic

2012-02-11T20:00:00.006+11:00

This is the last set of photos I took for the Bett's 5 Ways to Wear project, where I styled the Dixie wedges in five different looks. This one's quite sweet and romantic, so perfect timing for Valentines day! Speaking of which, I've created a Valentines day special for my blog shop so you can get 20% off everything until the 18th February with the code 'mypresent'.

Forever New plaited headband | Boater hat via eBay | Lover 'Lula' lace bustier romper | French kitty angora blend cardi | Betts 'Dixie' wedges in bone

Romwe favourites

2012-02-08T20:52:00.004+11:00

I just wanted to share some of my favourite things that I've received from Romwe, one of the lovely sponsors of my blog. Unfortunately, most of these are no longer available on their site as things sell out super quickly, but you can still buy the peter pan collar dress in the first photo!

Also, a quick thank you to Tuolomee and Cocorosa for featuring me on their blogs recently as part of their 5 blogs that I love and Top 10 fashion blogger website designs posts. I follow both of these girls myself and their blogs are definitely worth adding to your list if you're looking for new reading material.

Romwe peter pan collar dress | Romwe striped sun dress | Romwe giftbox keyring in rose gold | Romwe bobble ring | Romwe knitted snood & matching mittens | Romwe pearl collar | Romwe boucle shorts

Also, I've added more items to my blogshop today, including jewellery starting at $10.00!

Backpacker

2012-02-05T20:25:00.004+11:00

Eeek I just checked my blog and realised I hadn't updated in five days, whereas I thought it had only been two or three! Today some of our old furniture which was left back in Adelaide for the past year was delivered to us in Melbourne. It's so nice to have my dressing table again!

As for this outfit, the cute romper was a gift from Club Couture a while ago but I've only just found the time to wear it. I've also been using my new mustard backpack in place of my regular bag this week. It's a pain to get into when you need something in a hurry, but the straps are convertible so I can just turn it into a satchel when I've had enough back-packing.

Houndstooth romper C/O Club Couture | Forever New shirt | Forever New Ollie mini backpack | YSL inspired ring via eBay | Rubi Seega wedge booties

January shopping list

2012-01-31T09:40:00.004+11:00

Since returning from my trip to Adelaide, I've been sticking to my new years resolution of buying a lot less. I've also had a good look at the things that end up in the to sell/donate pile and have realised that the bulk of it is from online purchases that end up being the wrong size, colour, fabric, shape, etc.

So I've decided to cut down on my online purchasing and, wherever possible, to try on or at least see the item in store/on someone else before making the decision to buy. I've also unsubscribed from a lot of newsletters from online stores and deal sites such as Brands Exclusive as these often lead to impulse purchases!

Asos hand knitted mini scarf | Forever New Ollie mini backpack | French Connection raindrop mittens | Seafolly Sophia boyleg maillot | Modcloth All A-boat You bag | Forever New Helena sweater | Forever New Alicia dress (shown as skirt) | Romwe peter pan collar dress | Small bunny night lamp | Romwe pearl collar | Eggling mini plant in Lavender

P.S. I've added some new items to my blog shop!

Current/Elliott Spring 2012

2012-01-26T13:15:00.002+11:00

Having a lazy day off today and getting a bit of blog post organising done as well as adding some new items to my blog shop (check back later tonight!). I've also tweaked my blog layout to make the content section wider, something I've been thinking about doing for a while now. Did you notice the difference? Yay for more space and larger photos of the adorable Current/Elliott Spring 2012 photoshoot! Now excuse me while I go and hunt down a pair of saddle shoes...

Images courtesy of refinery29.com

I ♥ your look: The Tragic Sense

2012-01-22T22:54:00.007+11:00

Hi lovelies, I'm now back from my holiday! I was looking forward to sharing my holiday snaps and some outfit photos with my sister with you, but when I went to transfer the images off of my camera the other night I found that they had somehow deleted themselves. Very disappointing, though on the bright side one set of photos on a different memory card survived so I'll post those ones soon.

Now as for the lovely girl featured in this I ♥ Your Look post, I first came across Jessica of The Tragic Sense on lookbook.nu and am now an avid reader of her blog. Her winter outfits and gorgeous, vintage-looking photography are really inspiring and make me look forward to autumn even more.

For a while now I've been meaning to introduce a little shop the look collage for each I ♥ Your Look post, so here's the first one. At $36.00 I'm thinking the cute dress would be a perfect addition to my winter dress collection (it's so hard to find a nice dress with sleeves!) and would be easy to match with what I already have in my wardrobe.

Romwe peter pan collar dress | Topshop 50 denier opaque tights | Modcloth 'On Willoughby Street' booties | Modcloth 'My name is Pearl' fingerless gloves | Romwe retro camera shaped satchel

A place to call my own

2012-01-16T19:38:00.000+11:00

I find it really difficult living in a small apartment at times. Things seem to be constantly piling up, spilling out and just taking up too much room. I find it therapeutic to de-clutter the rooms of my apartment, with most of the cast-offs going to the second hand shop and a few making it into my blog shop. I'm usually left feeling a bit guilty about all the things I buy that are never put to good use, so one of my resolutions this year is to buy less and give away more.

I love seeing how other people make the best of their living spaces and of course before and after photos are great inspiration when freshening up my own home. I was particularly impressed by how the owner of this not-so-glamorous hunting cabin turned it into dream Victorian-inspired cottage. She scoured garage sales and second hand stores to find all the furnishings and finishing touches needed to complete the $3000 project and now uses the cottage in the forest as her own personal little retreat.

Images courtesy of nytimes.com

Meghan Collison for Vogue Russia

2012-01-13T18:38:00.003+11:00

I love the styling and hair/makeup in this editorial, featuring the gorgeous Meghan Collison. Why have I not seen her in anything before? She has a stunning look. I'll be back in less than a week now! It'll be so nice to have the internet again...

Images courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

Subtle colour blocking

2012-01-11T19:21:00.002+11:00

Here's my fourth and second to last look featuring the Dixie wedges from the Betts 5 Ways to Wear project. I tried a bit of subtle colour blocking by pairing a pink blouse with this red flared skirt I received from Romwe a while ago... and added some hearts for good measure!

♥ Dotti ruffle front blouse
♥ Pleated swing skirt C/O Romwe | available here
♥ eBay double layer petticoat

♥ Forever New heart print tights

♥ 'Dixie' wedges in bone C/O Betts | available here

Goodbye, December

2012-01-08T19:34:00.000+11:00

Here's a little photo collage from my We Heart It account with a collection of photos inspired by December and Christmas. Goodbye December and hello 2012! Also, a big thank you to all you lovely readers for following my blog this past year ♥

Images courtesy of weheartit.com/leblogdesushi

Ashbury Skies review

2012-01-05T18:00:00.001+11:00

This giveaway is kindly sponsored by Ashbury Skies, an independent San Francisco-based online shoe store stocking a hand picked range of designers such as Dolce Vita, Madison Harding, Haus of Price and Jeffrey Campbell. When visiting their website I noticed it looks very professional and is easy to navigate, with each product page including useful information such as heel height, fit of shoe, materials and size chart, plus a quote from the shoe's designer about the style.

After some deliberation over which shoes to purchase, I settled on the Madison Harding 'Rita' ankle boots as a) I could probably walk in them without too much trouble, and b) they look quite versatile. I'm usually size AUS/US 7.5 in shoes, which can make it tricky when they don't come in half sizes. The Ashbury Skies site suggests that this shoes runs true to size so as I like to wear socks and tights a lot I purchased a size 8.

Checking out was very straight forward and there is the option to send your order to different addresses is needed, which is useful if you want to do a split order with friends. I could choose from regular shipping via USPS (4-10 working days) or priority shipping via Federal Express (1-4 business days). As I didn't need the shoes in a rush I chose free regular mail by using the code 'freeship11', which saved me $38.00 in postage. On the next page the payment methods to choose from were PayPal or credit card, and I received a confirmation email immediately after completing checkout. I was very pleased when I received an email the following afternoon with a tracking number notifying me that my order had been shipped already.

I received my order five days after it was posted and was required to sign for it. It arrived safely in a sturdy cardboard box sealed with Ashbury Skies tape. Inside the shoes were well wrapped and stuffed so that they were protected and kept their shape during transit. An invoice was also enclosed in a bright orange envelope, which added a nice touch as it tied in very nicely with the colours of the website.

The first thing I noticed when taking the boots out of the box was that they were quite a lot darker than in the photographs on the Ashbury Skies website. The boots are a dark chocolate brown in person, while in the stock photos they look more like a medium chestnut brown, as you can see below. The Madison Harding boots are gorgeous in person and look well-made. The suede is very soft, they fit true to size, and are actually very easy to walk in!

♥ High quality products

♥ Free regular shipping worldwide with excellent packaging

♥ Very fast order processing

♥ Choice of PayPal or credit card for payment method

♥ 40 day period to return/exchange items
♥ All orders come with tracking number

- May be some variation in product colours

All in all, my shopping experience with Ashbury Skies was a very positive one and I'd definitely be happy to order from them again. If you have any questions, please leave a comment on this post and I'll get back to you very soon.

Giveaway winners & blog shop!

2012-01-03T19:25:00.002+11:00

I'm going away for two weeks as of tomorrow (better start packing!) and before I go I'm very excited to announce the winners of the Christmas giveaway! The winners are:
♥ Forever New heart basket bag: The Lust Laboratory
♥ Flaunt silk pleated dress: Daria P.
♥ Club Couture signature tank top & $50.00 voucher: Harakun Bedivere
♥ Ashbury Skies $100.00 gift voucher: Tuolomee
♥ Romwe $80.00 gift voucher: Just Like a True Star
♥ Sunglasses Shop £50.00 gift voucher: Nichelle

Congratulations to all six of you! I've already emailed you with details on how to claim your prizes. Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and helped spread the word by tweeting.

I've been organised enough to schedule some blog posts to go live while I'm away. Also, I'm introducing a new feature to my blog this year, which is my very own blog shop! You can easily access it by clicking on the 'Shop my closet' link in the navigation bar.

Of course I ship worldwide and accept PayPal and Australian Bank Deposit as payment methods. There are about fifteen things listed at the moment (clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty products, etc) and I'll be adding more when I get back. My internet access will be quite limited for the next two weeks so please be patient if you're waiting on a reply to an email or message.

I'm giving my blog followers 15% off everything in my blog shop until the end of January just for being a Facebook fan! Just like my page and click on the 'Shop my closet' link in the Facebook sidebar to access the discount code. Well that's all for now so au revoir and see you in two weeks ♥

2011 in review

2012-01-01T15:46:00.002+11:00

So it's the start of another year. I always find that the beginning of a new year leaves me feeling anxious, like I'm leaving something important behind and running out of time to do the things I want to do. I worry so much about the things I thought I should have done by now that it's hard to be content with my life as it is. Yesterday I came across a quote which really stuck in my mind; it said the reason we find it so hard to be happy with our lives is the gap between our expectations and reality.

I've been thinking a lot about this and have come to the conclusion that one of the best things I can do this year is thoroughly sort through the ever-growing list of expectations set by myself and others and just let go of the ones that are making me unhappy. This, as well as making an effort every day to be thankful for what I have rather than wishing for what I don't, are part of my resolutions this year.

Now for those who came here to see some pretty pictures, I give you 2011 in review, starting from December and working back. It was actually really nice to go back through each month of the year and remember some of the happy times. I hope you all had a lovely new years eve and all the best for 2012!

I ♥ your look: Gary Pepper Vintage

2011-12-30T19:55:00.001+11:00

I've been inspired this week once again by the beautiful Nicole from Gary Pepper Vintage, this time looking gorgeous in a grey sweater, pleated white skirt, cute booties and amazing Sass & Bide metal waist belt. As the original belt costs a few hundred dollars, I sought out a more affordable version on eBay thanks to a helpful Voguette (thanks Pash!). Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Images courtesy of garypeppervintage.blogspot.com

Christmas for two

2011-12-26T21:37:00.001+11:00

I hope everyone had a really lovely Christmas this year! Here's a few photos from my little Christmas for two. I've never been very skilled in the kitchen so I was quite pleased with how well our lunch turned out as I made it myself this year.

Oh and very last reminder about the Christmas giveaway (I promise!): it's ending tonight in a matter of hours so this is your last chance to enter! Click here if you'd like to go into the draw to win one of the six lovely prizes.

My new diary for 2012! This year I chose the leather A5 weekly diary in pale pink from Kikki K. And I couldn't resist the icecream pen that went so well with it. Our families surprised us by sending a bunch of presents and cards in the mail since we couldn't be with them this year. Awww!

In typical Melbourne style, there was a huge storm in the skies most of the day, with plenty of lightening and thunder. In the evening I tuned on my little lanterns and saved the blog posts I was working on every few minutes because I was sure the power was going to go out any minute.

Christmas eve

2011-12-24T22:30:00.003+11:00

I'm a little bit excited that it's Christmas eve tonight, though it's strange being away from my family for the first time this Christmas. My boy and I are making the best of it by spoiling ourselves with a big lunch tomorrow. I'll leave you with my outfit from today! I also took a few close up photos to document how my braces are going. My teeth are the straightest they've ever been now and I can't wait til I get my braces off early next year!

♥ Forever New 'Leah' openback playsuit | available here
♥ Forever New bracelets
♥ Rubi 'Hallie' wedge in Marone | available here
♥ Le Specs 'Runaways' sunglasses in Black
♥ Sportsgirl 'All that glitters' nail polish (with glitter underneath)

xoxo

2011-12-23T20:50:00.002+11:00

Here's a work outfit I wore earlier this week. I snapped up these vintage-inspired tennis shorts as soon as I laid eyes on them and, paired with a preppy shirt and bow headband, spent the day feeling like a Gossip Girl extra. Two more sleeps til Christmas and only three more til the end of my Christmas giveaway!

♥ Alannah Hill 'I want it all' headband
♥ Forever New broderie tie front shirt | available here
♥ Forever New 'Sanchia' scalloped shorts
♥ Rubi 'Seega' wedge ankle boots | available here
♥ Forever New faux pearl set

Naty C. for LoveCat Magazine #3

2011-12-21T10:07:00.003+11:00

Only a few more days til Christmas! Here's a cute Christmas themed editorial I found from LoveCat Magazine featuring Naty Chabanenko. Also, there's still time to enter the Christmas giveaway and give yourself a chance to win gift vouchers from Romwe, Ashbury Skies, Club Couture and Sunglasses Shop, a Flaunt silk dress and a heart basket bag.

Images courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

December shopping

2011-12-17T22:50:00.003+11:00

With Topshop opening up across the street from my work I've been very tempted by all sorts of Topshop goodies and purchased a few things instore and online. The Australian prices are quite good but of course there is a bit of a mark up. For example, the green cableknit jumper I purchased instore was AUD $77.00, whereas if I had purchased it online it would have been AUD $63.00. Hence I settled on the tights and jumper instore and purchased the rest online, borrowing my fiance's student number for an extra 10% off!

I've also made one or two Romwe orders (love their abundant discount codes) and had a few lucky eBay finds this month. I noticed I may be getting a bit ahead of myself, with a definite autumn theme running through this shopping list... oh well, I do live in Melbourne after all.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Christmas giveaway for your chance to win a $80.00 Romwe voucher and five other great prizes!

♥ Romwe retro camera shaped satchel | available here
♥ Topshop angora blend knitted tee
♥ Topshop bow suspender tights
♥ Stolen Girlfriends cable knit shorts in Rust
♥ Romwe bauble cluster ring | available here
♥ Topshop Jancey mid ballerina's in Leopard
♥ Romwe twist knit overcoat in Cream | available here
♥ Dhalia tennis dress | available here
♥ Topshop thigh high cable knit socks in Oxblood
♥ Romwe pom pom wool blend scarf | available here
♥ Topshop Petite knitted tweedy jumper in Green
♥ Romwe retro wool beret | available here
♥ Topshop nude and chain bow belt

Candy-coloured

2011-12-14T20:20:00.003+11:00

This is my third look from the Betts 5 Ways to Wear project, where I tried my hand at styling these cute Dixie wedges into five outfits. This time I went with a full, candy-coloured skirt, a pop of orange and a lady-like trench.

I'm still loving my heart basket bag, though it does take some practice to open and close smoothly while it's hanging from your shoulder. Speaking of which, if you'd like to win a heart basket bag yourself, head on over and enter my Christmas giveaway. If you tweet about the giveaway as well you'll have twice the chance of winning one of the six lovely prizes!

♥ Forever New skirted mac
♥ Savers fine knit top
♥ Sretsis 'Lala' skirt in faded rose

♥ Betts 'Dixie' wedges in bone | available here

♥ Forever New heart basket bag | win it here!

Christmas giveaway 2011 (CLOSED)

2011-12-11T22:02:00.004+11:00

As promised, here's a little giveaway for my lovely readers to help you celebrate Christmas and the holidays! This year I've teamed up with five amazing sponsors to give you the chance to win five great prize packs plus a sixth prize pack donated by myself.

Thank you to Ashbury Skies, Club Couture, Flaunt, Romwe and Sunglasses Shop for sponsoring this giveaway and to everyone for reading and commenting on my posts this past year - let's see what 2012 brings. Now on to the prizes!

Ashbury Skies are a virtual dream shoe closet and they are giving one lucky winner a $100.00 voucher to spend on anything they like on the online store. As a special offer right now, Ashbury Skies are also offering free shipping world-wide on all orders. Avid shoe lovers can follow their Facebook or Twitter to be the first to know about new arrivals, sales and special offers.

This San Francisco company is a brand-spankin'-new online shop dedicated to towering pumps and sky-scraping wedges from the likes of indie designers Jeffrey Campbell, Haus of Price, Messeca, and Matiko and other hard to find brands. Besides Q&A’s with their designers, each shoe also has a quote with the inspiration behind each style, creating a really unique shoe shopping experience.

ClubCouture is offering a prize pack containing a $50.00 gift voucher to spend on their online store plus a signature tank top in the winner's choice of size and colour.

ClubCouture is an international online retailer of contemporary ladies wear and edgy fashion accessories for ladies in their teens through to thirties. ClubCouture's philosophy is to share the love for fashion, friendship and life with everyone. If you'd like to be the first to know about exclusive discount codes, sales and new arrivals, just like the ClubCouture Facebook page!

Flaunt are giving one winner this gorgeous pleated dress made from 100% silk with beaded detail neckline. The dress is exclusive to the Flaunt Luxe range and is available in size small and medium.

If you got it, flaunt it! That's what the Flaunt girl is all about - she has fun with fashion. She's quirky, cool, she's a little offbeat and has an impeccable, albeit eclectic, style. She's confident and she embraces life and all that comes along with it. You can follow Flaunt on Twitter or Facebook to keep up to date with the latest Flaunt news.

Romwe are offering a prize pack of a $80.00 gift voucher to spend on their online store. Romwe ship all orders worldwide for free and have a 365 days return policy in case you change your mind!

Romwe was established on Christmas Eve of 2010 and within half a year they have grown from a small, vintage specialty shop to a high-street fashion online store stocking thousands of products and the latest street styles. For updates on regular discount coupons (such as 30% off your order with code Xmas30% ) and new products just follow Romwe on Facebook or Twitter.

Sunglasses Shop brings you the very best of the very best in designer sunglasses and they are offering one lucky reader a £50.00 ($75.00) gift voucher to put toward a brand new pair of designer sunglasses from their online store.

If you’re looking for sunglasses news or just a little style inspiration find your favourite sunglasses, your favourite celebs and your favourite celebs in your favourite sunglasses at Sunglasses Shop. Sunglasses Shop also offer technical know-how and sunglasses expertise to help you make the right decision when buying new sunnies. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook to stay up to date with the latest trends in eyewear.

And last but not least, I'm also throwing in a prize this Christmas and giving one reader a cute Forever New heart basket bag. The bag has a hard straw finish on the outer and is lined with blue polkadot fabric. It also features a zippered inner pocked, leather-look handle and detachable shoulder strap, and double buckle closure. I love my one so much that I thought it would make a very nice Christmas gift for someone else too!

♥ Comment on this post and make sure I am able to contact you if you win. As this giveaway is for Le Blog de Sushi readers, make sure you are a follower via Google Friend Connect, Facebook or Twitter.

♥ BONUS ENTRY! To receive a second entry into the draw, follow me on Twitter and tweet this exact message:

Just entered the @leblogdesushi Christmas giveaway! You can also enter to win one of 6 prizes at http://www.leblogdesushi.com

Don't forget to leave a second comment on this post with a link to your tweet to receive a second entry.

♥ The giveaway is open to WORLDWIDE readers!
♥ Entry is limited to two entries per person and each entrant must follow the above steps to qualify.

♥ Giveaway closes Monday 26th December and the winner will be picked randomly. Good luck everyone!

Hello, Summer

2011-12-07T12:31:00.001+11:00

So I rediscovered We Heart It recently and thought I'd share some of the things that have been inspiring me this summer. Today I am preparing for a big day at work tomorrow as the first Topshop store in Australia is opening right across the road from us and it's going to be one crazy day!

Images courtesy of weheartit.com/leblogdesushi

Doutzen Kroes for Muse Fall 2011

2011-12-03T21:21:00.001+11:00

Happy December, lovelies! Just wanted to share this beautiful editorial with you. All this cold and windy Melbourne weather is making me daydream about spending all day on a sandy beach somewhere far away, frolicking in the sun, sun, sun. Have a great weekend!

Images courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

Christmas giveaway sponsor call

2011-12-01T09:40:00.006+11:00

I'm currently looking for sponsors to take part in this year's Christmas giveaway! Anyone is welcome to apply, and I would especially love to feature independent designers/handmade items. So if you own your own label or think your brand is a good fit for Le Blog de Sushi, please read the T&C's and email me at leblogdesushi@gmail.com.

Terms & conditions

♥ To be a part of the Christmas giveaway, each sponsor needs to cover a fee, cost of prize pack and the costs of shipping the prize to the winner (worldwide). Buy in fee will be waived if you have purchased a medium banner ad in the sidebar.

♥ I ask that each sponsor's prize pack has a minimum $50 retail value. Sponsor prize packs can comprise of one or more items and can contain clothing, accessories, other products, gift vouchers, etc.

♥ The sponsors of the giveaway may include an introduction to their brand 1-2 paragraphs long, links to their website, Facebook and Twitter, and images of the prizes.

♥ If you would like to see last year's multi sponsor Christmas giveaway, it can be viewed here, and current blog stats can be viewed here.

♥ Giveaway will run for two weeks from the 10th - 24th December. Sponsorship applications close 8th December.