The leopard wedge – spice up your life?

Shimmy to the left if you’re having a good time, shake it to the right if you know that you feel fine…..

Sorry, Sleuth has just been reminiscing aka 15 years ago when Spice Girls fever was at an all-time high. While our favourite lassies from the English ‘burbs have moved on from their five alter egos to the more subdued lives of motherhood, fashion designing, soccer wife, reality tv floozies and international stardom – there are still some fashion trends that crop back up from their time in the Spicy limelight as a fashion force du jour. 

Take the recent batch of leopard wedges that have flooded in for this season’s winter-wear. Part Scary Spice, part Scary Snooki (Jersey Shore fashion, a whole other post!), and part new-season glam, these wedge booties will be a personal wardrobe preference. 

Some Shopistas may feel they are auditioning for Jerseylicious, but paired back with black skinny denims, a tailored blazer and some fierce neck bling, Sleuth can see Shopistas having fun with this look without needing their claws out for a catfight or wearing their hair in pigtails. Check out Kim K working her leopard-clad footwear (albeit them being lovely Louboutins) and be inspired to shimmy to the left and shake it to the right with these prowlicious heel statements. 

Kim Kardashian working this season's leopard look

TONY BIANCO'S 'Brixton' $199.95 - BUY HERE

Sassy ZARA wedges with a point - exclusive to Sydney & in-store now - $159.95

WITTNER'S gone spotty, and has reduced their wedge from $189.95 to $99.95 - Sleuth loves a saving!

Right on TARGET - pick these fierce wedges up for $50

ROC 'Leost' wedge available at Wanted Shoes $149.95 - BUY HERE

Zara be thy name! Hot buys from Sydney's hottest new store

Well Shopistas... this Sleuth queued, she saw, and she shopped!

The Zara experience starts with a crowd of like-minded Shopistas in Pitt St Mall, all vying for a piece of the big Z action. The front entrance is set up similarly to a rock concert, with crowd control barriers, security and police. Luckily this was one well-behaved crowd, but Sleuth could tell come lunchtime, the chaos levels would heighten considerably!

Kudos to the Zara folk for their foresight, not only were they handing out bottles of water and espressos to waiting customers in the queue, there were ample staff on hand once in-store, and while many of them were buzzing around the place re-stocking and the like, it was fairly easy to track one down with any price or size queries. 


Shopista HOT TIP - If you're planning to hit Zara in the coming days (even weeks!), try queuing on either the lower ground floor (accessible via escalator in Westfield) or top floor (again via Westfield) as queues were much quicker on both levels. 


Set over three levels (lower ground is youth, ground is women's fashion and first floor is menswear), Sleuth suspects most Shopistas will find their joy on the ground level, where coats for the coming chilly months are ample, leopard print is abound and affordable fashion is plentiful. 
Sleuth is happy to report that Sydney Zara measures up to international standards on all fronts. The designs are exciting and bang on-trend, the prices are hopefully not too-good-to-be-true, because at the moment you can pick up some serious fashion for seriously credit-friendly prices. 
And of course, the quality and selection is mind boggling, making Sleuth wonder how a sector of Aussie labels are going to react in the coming months, with this new kid on the block that EVERYONE wants to be friends with now in the playground!
So without further ado, find below some of the hot finds Sleuth came across on today's Zara venture, and SWLS hopes you too have a fabulous Zara experience. Write in and let me know!


Happy Shopping! x

Let the queuing begin!

Fortunately these lines are worth it once you get inside!

Handing out espresso to waiting customers - smart!

And now for the really exciting part....INSIDE!!

Hot fuchsia jacket - Sleuth is just imagining this with denim and drooling - $89.95

Be a fashionable caped crusader in this tweed number - $219

What's more fabulous than this faux-fur coat? The price! $159

Great with a pencil skirt for work, and even better with black denim for the weekend. Animal-esque print blouse $69.95

For those who dare to bare their winter pins, this leather mini skirt is a hottie! $139

PROW! There's nothing Jersey about this classic coat! $219

High-heel hottness with these exclusive-to-Sydney heels $199

Feeling Chanel-fabulousness with this must-have jacket - $199

The perfect tailored jacket - channeling Jackie O (aka Kennedy) in this divine number - $239

A Sleuth favourite, can't wait to swing this puppy (or should I say cheetah?) around town! $219

 

 Sleuth even loved the soles of these hot heels - too cute! $69.95

Every wardrobe needs to have a trench - this is a great start! $119

Classic leather two-tone bag- in love! $99

This soft-look tangerine blazer paired back with the below blouse and clutch? A citrus match made in heaven - just add denim! $89.95


One part Parisian, one part uber cool - the recipe for this season's citrus punch look - $59.95

Complete your look with a hot tangerine envelope clutch - $199.95 

Camel leather with shearling lining, need Sleuth say more? $359

Twinkle twinkle - add some bling to your day-to-night look with this lightweight jacket $89.95

Game, set, match! Putting sexy in tennis, this is a sassy trans-seasonal wardrobe must - $119

This faux-fur vest will have you purring, another Sleuth fave for the coming chilly months! $89.95

Only for the brave, these leatherette short shorts are not for the faint-hearted, and should not be worn around anyone with a heart condition $45.95

A little more tame, this Paddington coat is cosy and stylish, add gumboots for the sophisticated english look (minus the velvet scrunchie) $139

Stand tall with this fabulous two-tone giraffe print cotton scarf - versatile colours in one of THE prints of the season $25.95

Zara vs Witchery? Game On! Stay tuned for today’s Zara coverage

Sleuth loves a bit of healthy retail competition, and with Zara flinging their doors open to the public for the first time this morning, it's likely that high-street Sydney retailers are going to feel the pinch in the coming months as we all bee-line to Zara with our life savings ready to roll. 

Portmans Mid City is offering $50 off for every $200 spent from today (20th) until Sunday 24th April for e-port members (sign up at portmans.com.au). A nice sentiment if you're looking for your yearly coat investment, but not sassy enough to draw Sleuth's attention away from the big Z across the mall....

Witchery in particular has come out swinging, offering 30% off all full price merchandise (currently not available online). Witchery's customers are going to be a prime target for Zara, so W have a hefty battle ahead of them, competing not only with Zara's fabulous straight-from-the-runway designs, but also their amazing prices and exceptional quality. 
Of late Sleuth has noted rather high prices in Witchery, so it will be interesting to see W's battle strategy in the coming months.


Ahead of Sleuth's Zara coverage today, below are some hot pieces currently in-store at Witchery that could be worth a peek, but Sleuth suspects your Shopista hearts & minds are in one place, so stay tuned for all-things-Zara coming soon!


Happy Shopping! x

Witchery Flutter Sleeve Dress, perfectly trans-seasonal with tights and booties - $169.95

Witchery Striped Sequin Tunic - adding some night into daywear - $169.95

Retro cool with Witchery's Leni sunnies - $69.95

Witchery's 30% off in-store will really come in handy purchasing the Shearling Jacket - $999.95

Khaki cool with the Tassel Cotton Scarf - $39.95

Reaching new heights in Witchery's Jessica Heel - $169.95

Marching to the military beat in Witchery's Skinny Cargo - $129.95

A Sleuth favourite - Metal & Stone Multi-Strand Necklace - $89.95

So THIS is why we love strawberries - they mean discounted designer fragrances & cosmetics!

Nothing is quite as personal & individual as the fragrance you wear. Whether you're feeling sexy, happy, sultry, high-fashion or anything in between, there is a scent that will reflect your mood, and project a certain 'aura' to those that bask in your ambiance. 
However the days of owning just one fragrance and wearing it day in and day out are all but over. With fashion houses, celebrities, sports stars and even the Titanic (no joke, see below) bringing out their own signature scents, it's hard enough to commit to one fragrance for each day of the week, let alone one for the rest of your life!
Sleuth loves a new scent like a new pair of boots - something refreshing for the new season that will heighten your senses and give your day a real lift.
With so many fabulous scents now available, what could make your collection of fragrances even sweeter? Getting them at well-below recommended retail price, that's what!
Strawberrynet.com.au has emerged as a serious player in the luxury fragrance & cosmetics game, offering a HUGE range of designer scents, skin-care and make-up at prices up to 50% less than the Recommended Retail Price (RRP). 
While Sleuth encourages Shopistas to still shop the brick-and-mortar stores to keep our local retail economy chugging along, if like me you have a penchant for the latest and greatest perfumes from around the globe - this website is the answer to your sweet-smelling dreams!
And with no shipping charges on make-up or skin-care, and very minimal shipping for perfumes, this is one website that needs to be tagged in 'favourites' STAT!
Below are some of the latest scents to hit the market, so it makes sense to jump online and check out the fab designer savings available now! 
Strawberrynet.com.au


Happy Shopping! x

GUCCI GUILTY - one of Sleuth's personal favourites - BUY HERE

30ml RRP - $89 - SN PRICE = $67.50
50ml RRP - $114 - SN PRICE = $83.50
75ml RRP - $149 - SN PRICE = $107

CHLOE LOVE - Sleuth loves this new fragrance too! BUY HERE
50ml RRP - $130 - SN PRICE = $103
75ml RRP - $170 - SN PRICE = $125.50

Oooh pretty flowers! The new spritz in the MARC JACOBS 'DAISY' range - love the light, fresh feeling! BUY HERE
75ml RRP - $115 - SN PRICE = $78
125ml RRP - $145 - SN PRICE = $93.50

Blissful Balenciaga - BUY HERE
30ml RRP - $95 - SN PRICE = $71
50ml RRP - $145 - SN PRICE = $90.50
75ml RRP - $175 - SN PRICE = $123

Put some prep in your step with Vera's sassy new scent - BUY HERE

100ml RRP - $79 - SN PRICE = $76

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On a side note - below is a recent find on a trip to NZ - 'Titanic' eau de toilette.

For those special moments when you want to smell like a sinking ship.....

The countdown is on...Zara opening in 5,4,3,2.....

Ladies, start revving those credit card engines!
We've waited with baited breath, been teased over the years with promises of a local Zara opening, and delved into the OS Zara chains like hungry fash-pack hounds, a purchase from the big Z often deemed more important than the business meeting one was sent overseas for in the first place.
And now here we are, in the very final stages of claiming a slice of this delectable fashion pie as our own, with Zara Westfield Sydney dues to open in FIVE DAYS! 

SWLS Sleuth can hardly believe the big day is nearly here, with sleeps being counted down like Christmas and the purchasing strategy come 9am Wednesday 20th April well under way.
Having just had a peek at the site, SWLS Sleuth can excitedly inform you that some hoarding has come down, the Zara logo is up, and there are BOXES BEING UNPACKED (the use of  CAPS often alludes to the writer yelling, and in this case, I can hardly contain it!)
That's right, the mannequins are being lined up, there are garments already on racks, and there are ladies swishing about inside, helping to turn what is still a (good-looking) construction site into the mecca of our dreams (AND MORE!)

One of the things SWLS Sleuth is most curious to see is the product selection as a whole, compared with our European fashionista sistas. Having been to Zara Hong Kong, Sleuth was a little disappointed, not only for the fact that they were all itty-bitty sizes (understandable with the local clientele, somewhat annoying though for the blood-hound tourists!) as well as the selection not being up to speed with the Northern end of the globe. 
There will always be seasonal difficulties for those of us downunder and surrounds, but hopefully we'll still be able to access the true Zara product that has made this brand such a global phenomenon - hot fashion looks inspired by runway & couture, modified for high-street wear and available at an affordable price.

With next Wednesday the official open day, Sleuth recommends if you're going to hit the store, try and get in as early as possible and miss the lunch-time crowd (which is sure to be manic and desperate for a fashion hit) and with Thursday night late-night shopping, Sleuth predicts this to be another hectic time to go, but hey, it's likely that this is one store that will never be sleepy!
SWLS will be bringing you an on-scene report Wednesday - so be ready to crash-tackle for your size and enjoy the experience that is ZaaaaaaRaaaaaaa (insert heavenly music HERE!)

Happy Shopping! x

Gimme a Z, gimme an A, gimme a Z, another A....what's that spell? MAXED CREDIT CARD!

Sleuth spies....RACKS!! and BOXES!

More boxes, more excitement - what's inside!? The countdown is on for Wednesday when we'll all find out!