I was just loitering around the sale section of the Alice McCall site, gazing whimsically at all the things I can’t afford to buy and generally making this yet another fabulous Monday.

The prices are pretty amazing for Alice McCall, and coming into summer we can all once again think about squeezing ourselves into inappropriately short outfits and other frippery.

I REALLY love the Messin’ Around Town dress pictured here, which won’t last long at $165.

The They’re All Dreaming dress is also cute, and slightly more affordable at $135.

By Caroline Warnes

While it’s technically not dirt cheap, this Alice McCall Comet Moth dress is still a bit of a bargain when you consider it’s reduced by 50% to $120.

Yes, apparently the “party season” is imminent, which is kind of scary when you consider many of us are only just getting over our hangovers from last party season (or last weekend. Whichever). Just this morning I was frightened to realise I have already received two Christmas party invitations for this year.

The Alice McCall Comet Moth dress would be a great addition to your party wardrobe over the summer months - the yellow and white colour combination is really fresh, and if you have the legs to pull off the hemline, why not?

I think black shoes would be too heavy with the dress, but I can see nude, bronze or gold heels working.

By Caroline Warnes

You may or may not be aware that you no longer need to be a gazillionaire or a dedicated vintage shopper in order to carry a designer handbag or wear designer shoes.

In the last few years a number of online services have popped up that let you hire designer goods for a moderate fee, usually by the month but sometimes also by the week.

The Australian version of this is Love Me and Leave Me, which rents out bags, shoes, jewellery and other accessories from international designers including Chanel, Balenciaga and Christian Louboutin, as well as local designers like Alice McCall and Nicola Finetti.

While I can see the appeal in being able to get the look of a Miu Miu handbag for much less than the $1500+ asking price (how hot is the Miu Miu tote pictured here), I am not entirely sure it’s worth the $100 per week or $200 per month rental fee.

Luxury goods are called luxury goods for a reason: they are a LUXURY. In other words, if you can’t afford it, don’t carry it. There are plenty of decent and affordable handbags around that are a better option for the majority of us.

Having owned a grand total of three designer handbags in my life - a Fendi baguette, Christian Dior saddlebag and Balenciaga city bag - back in the days when I thought such things mattered, I can tell you the real satisfaction in the whole process lies in saving up for weeks then going into the store and walking out knowing that this stupidly overpriced item is now yours forever. Where is the fun in having to return it after a week?

All that being said, I have to say that the thrill of a designer handbag gets old very quickly, and soon it’s just another piece of junk in your wardrobe. I actually gave two of mine away, and now I carry a perfectly nice bag I found for $85 at a generic handbag shop.

While I can see this being a great idea for certain situations - for example, renting a pair of shoes for your wedding - for the most part I think renting a luxury bag online for a week is a little bit bogan.

By Caroline Warnes

I am yet to join social networking site MySpace as I find the whole thing utterly cringeworthy, however the MySpace Fashion Channel has piqued my interest.

According to the press release, the Fashion Channel is a “tight-knit community of 18,000 Australians which provides direct connection with designers such as (Chanel’s) Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Miuccia Prada, Viktor & Rolf as well as Australians Alice McCall, Lover and Ksubi”.

From what I can tell, these direct connections are links through to the designers’ MySpace profiles, however what is more newsworthy is Oyster Vision, a new faeture that provides you with Australian fashion-related video content, including artist interviews, runway coverage and more.

Trender Bender is another a great feature - you can see photos of what everyday people on the streets around the world are wearing (great for providing fashion inspiration). Users can also upload their own photos.

There are also forums and blogs where the community meets to discuss everything fashion-related.

By Caroline Warnes