If you’re into your designer fashion, shoes, bags and accessories, you should definitely check out the Net-A-Porter sale.

I’m not going to lie to you, the prices still aren’t dirt cheap. But they’re still a whole lot cheaper than what you’d usually pay for items from these designers, including Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs and more.

I’m not usually a belt person per se (I find them too restrictive on days when I have a big lunch), but I’m quite taken with this Miu Miu belt, which is reduced to 69.57 British pounds (I think that’s around $120). It doesn’t sound cheap, but believe me, it’s cheap for Miu Miu, which is the Prada diffusion label.

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’m always a sucker for a flashy trend so I was one of many who instantly fell in love with the trademark Christian Louboutin red sole on first sight.

Although Louboutin started painting the soles of his shoes red back in 1992, it wasn’t until earlier this decade that his designs really caught on in the entertainment world. And then, of course, the imitations started appearing a couple of years ago.

After all, it’s not like you can copyright the colour of a shoe sole so everyone from his fellow high-end designers (Miu Miu) to local label Peeptoe Shoes to cheap and nasty chain-store knock offs were all suddenly sporting red soles.

Apparently Louboutin himself was pretty pissed about the whole thing but there wasn’t a whole lot he could do.

Now Peeptoe Shoes has announced they are changing the colour of their soles to purple, as pictured here in the Miss Bloomingdale style. I guess it was only a matter of time until this happened and while I guess it’s great that they’re trying something different, I’m not sold on the whole idea.

For one thing, I would have chosen blue. And secondly, the Louboutin red sole was a moment in fashion history that arose accidentally (read the story here) and should be left at that.

The other point is that red just works for this whole sole-painting thing. Red is the colour of sex appeal and passion and seeing a glimpse of it as you walk away is what the Louboutin heel is all about. Purple is the colour of… what exactly? Royalty, I guess. And these days royalty isn’t exactly synonymous with sex appeal.

By Caroline Warnes

If there’s one thing master shoe designer Christian Louboutin specialises in, it’s classic black pumps.

Any time you see a celebrity wearing a spiky black heel these days, it’s likely to be a Louboutin. See fashion victim Victoria Beckham here, Nicole Richie here and the three skanks here for some examples.

Those vertiginous numbers Nicole Richie is sporting are a style called Alti and while it’s sold out pretty much everywhere except second-hand on eBay, I’ve found a more affordable version at Wittner. Thankfully, they’re nowhere near as high, too - if you want to get an idea of how high the originals are, check out the pictures here.

The Wittner interpretation is a style called Yvette and will set you back just $169.95 - less than a quarter of the price of the originals. Check them out here.

The Yvette pumps also come in fire-engine red if you’re feeling particularly bold.

By Caroline Warnes

It may be an unpopular point of view, but I really don’t get all the hate for Victoria Beckham, AKA Posh Spice.

In fact I get endless enjoyment out of her whole lifestyle, not because I think she is a suitable role model for anybody, but because she has a few things down pat:

1. The posing

Victoria Beckham’s compulsive posing is out of control, and I love it. How does anyone do that in public and not feel like Zoolander? Check out the photo above from a recent Marc Jacobs show. She’s even posing with her hand on her hip WHILE SHE’S SITTING DOWN. Even Jennifer Lopez - who isn’t really known for her unwillingness to pose - looks embarrassed and bemused, and that’s really saying something. I giggled like a schoolgirl when I saw this photo.

2. Everything is an event

In Posh’s world, everything is an event-cum-photo opportunity. There is no such thing as nipping out to the shops to get some bread and milk in your trackies. She recently turned up to a kid’s birthday party at some sort of family restaurant in a designer dress and four-inch Christian Louboutin heels. On anyone else, it would be a vulgar display of wealth. On Victoria Beckham, it’s… well, still a vulgar display of wealth. But funnier, somehow.

You just know that she lives her life to upstage everyone else. She’s the girl who you could never invite along to your birthday drinks or wedding because she would go all-out to be better dressed and attract more attention than you.

3. She shops indiscriminately

There isn’t a trend that Posh hasn’t tried and ruined for everyone else. All that money spent on designer items, and yet still she manages to pull off cheap and nasty so effectively. There was a rumour going around some years ago that a top designer was trying to ban Posh from buying and wearing his clothes because he felt it would damage his high-class image. I hold her up as a shining example of the fact that money can’t buy style.

4. She snared a hot guy

Posh has admitted in the past that she is not naturally the best looking woman around, and yet she still managed to grab one of the most wanted men in the world - David Beckham.

Although Becks is not my cup of tea (what the hell is going on with that voice), many women love him and hate Posh for having him. And she knows it.

5. She doesn’t care what you think of her

Well, actually, anyone who has had that much surgery probably DOES care what you think, but at the end of the day, she has big piles of money she can go home and cry herself to sleep on.

What’s not to love?

Photo courtesy of WireImage.com

By Caroline Warnes

When it comes to designer footwear, the hottest designer at the moment is unarguably Christian Louboutin.

The brand is best known for its trademark red sole and sky-high stilletos, having been seen on just about every celeb you can poke a stick at over the past few years.

Whenever I wander into David Jones, my eyes seriously tear up at the sight of these gorgeous creations (Louboutin himself describes them as “wearable art”) as well as their price tags (which run into four figures).

Oprah recently aired a fascinating segment on Christian Louboutin - you can watch it below - which explains his creative process (it involves a swing), his motivation and even the reason for the red soles (hint: it was a total accident).

There is also a showcase of some of his latest designs, which are, as always, absolutely breathtaking.

By Caroline Warnes