I was casually browsing on designer fashion outlet The Outnet this morning, minding my own business, when I cam across this cute little number.

The Alice + Olivia Danny layered tank dress would be perfect for the upcoming spring/summer season (on which I am now focused with the kind of single-minded determination I usually reserve for any kind of salty snack and bottles of champagne).

The blue colour is gorgeous and I’m also loving the reduced price - it’s marked down to 85 UK pounds, which is 60% off the original price.

Now I find myself faced with something of a dilemma. On the one hand, my car registration is almost due. On the other hand… this dress might not be there next week, right?

By Caroline Warnes

Perhaps I have been living under a rock (this is entirely possible), but I only just discovered the existence of a wonderous thing called the ASOS Outlet.

Not to be confused with ASOS’s regular sale section, the Outlet offers hefty discounts on the site’s higher-end brands, including designer diffusion labels (Emporio Armani, Just Cavalli and CK by Calvin Klein) as well as the likes of Sass & Bide.

Just Cavalli is of course the diffusion label of Roberto Cavalli, and while some pieces can veer towards Eurotrash fabulous, this simple black maxi dress is definitely a winner. It’s marked down to US$294.75, which is significantly less than the original $650 price tag.

The good news is that ASOS’s shipping is cheap and fast, so you’ll have your new purchases within days.

By Caroline Warnes

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

Most items in the Christian Dior collection may beyond the financial reach of most people, but this Dior Cristal Boreal Crystal Gloss Jewel is a more affordable piece of luxury.

And best of all, it’s versatile - as well as being a glamorous necklace, the pendant also houses a Dior sparkle-effect lipgloss in one of two shades - Pink Crystal and Pure Crystal.

The piece is inspired by the Aurora Borealis crystal, which Swarovski originally made for Dior back in the 1950s as a homage to the famous Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. Each updated Cristal Boreal Crystal Gloss Jewel features four of the Aurora Borealis crystals plus a smattering of other Swarovski jewels.

The Dior Cristal Boreal Crystal Gloss Jewel is a limited-edition piece and as you can imagine at $130 it’s selling quickly. For stockists phone (02) 9695 4800.

By Caroline Warnes

My heart nearly stopped this morning when I was flicking through the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar this morning and I spied these Miu Miu glitter peep-toe pumps.

If you’re only into bargain buys, then check back later because this blog entry isn’t for you. But if you’re into droolworthy shoes in all shapes and forms then feast your eyes on these.

Sure, I can’t really afford them at the moment but I’m also feeling like I’ll die if I can’t have them. What to do?

The Miu Miu glitter peep-toe pumps are already sold out online at Net-A-Porter, but according to HB magazine they are available from Jean Brown Gallery in Australia for $950.

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

If the silhouettes coming out of the likes of fashion house Balmain in the recent collections are anything to go buy, it appears that shoulder pads are “back” for the approaching winter season. Check out some pictures from Style.com to see for yourself here.

And with the Balmain look we’re talking really sharp, exaggerated shoulders - almost pointy. While I think this looks pretty cool on the willowy model types on the catwalk, I’m unsure of my own ability to pull this look off. Having been a swimmer for much of my youth, I managed to develop massive shoulders and if I tried to wear exaggerated shoulder pads I would probably look like a front rower from the Canterbury Bulldogs who got lost on the way to a game.

Anyhow, even if I was certain of my ability to wear this look, at the moment it wouldn’t be possible as the Balmain jackets are a “touch” on the expensive side (check it out here if you don’t believe me).

However I’m fairly confident we’re going to start seeing the chain-store knockoffs in the next couple of months so keep your eyes peeled. At the moment I’ve only come across one lookalike style, from local label An Ode To No One - here. While it’s considerably cheaper, it will still set you back a couple of hundred dollars.

By Caroline Warnes

I can’t believe the Oscars have rolled around again for another year.

I love the Oscars. Well, not so much the ceremony itself, which just seems to be gratuitous industry backslapping. But I love the red carpet arrivals. It seems to be the one day of the year when I can legitimately sit at work looking at pictures of celebrities posing without appearing to be slacking off.

It’s also the day for which the best designer frocks are reserved. If you can’t look good at the Oscars, then you really have no hope.

I’ll update on the red carpet as new photos come through. My thoughts on the arrivals (click on the name to see a photo):

Miley Cyrus: Who?

Mario Lopez: What is AC Slater from “Saved by the Bell” doing at the Oscars? And did he fall into a vat of fake tan on the way there?

Freida Pinto: Loved her so much in “Slumdog Millionaire”, and love the colour of the gown, but the exectuion is a bit beauty pageant. It actually looks kind of cheap: picture

Vanessa Hudgens: I don’t know who this person is, but can I just say that I am so sick of fishtail gowns. Boring. I do like the lace detail though.

Lisa Rinna: Everything is too big. The earrings, the hair, the lips… holy hell, the lips. Ease off the Restylane.

Mickey Rooney: That’s weird. I could have sworn he was dead.

Heidi Klum: Am I the only one who gets the impression Heidi Klum is just a big dag in person. Her outfits always look slightly off.

Sarah-Jessica Parker: Has she had a boob job? Matthew Broderick is beginning to resemble a congenial butler.

Beyonce: I think she forgot to put on her jewellery and weave. I’m undecided on the dress. On one hand, it’s a fishtail. On the other, the gold detail is kind of cool. On the first hand again, get over yourself Beyonce.

Marion Cotillard: Last year’s winner for Best Actress. NOW THAT’S A FROCK! Why are the French so eternally stylish?

Jessica Biel: Good to see she tucked a napkin into the front of her potato sack before she left the house.

Penelope Cruz: Disappointing - she’s so beautiful but never takes risks.

Anne Hathaway: I’ll bet you a million dollars this dress is a Marchesa. The cut is flattering, although I’m a bit over sequins.

Kate Winslet: She’s hot. Love the dress. Hope she finally wins.

Sophia Loren: After the ceremony she’s heading to a wild wild west dress up party at the Last Chance Saloon.

Angelina Jolie: Oh come on. This is getting ridiculous. The woman doesn’t ever try. Well then again she probably has better things to do. Like adopt the population of a small country. Brad Pitt’s moustache looks stupid.
Photos from News.com.au and Getty Images

By Caroline Warnes

There are certain designs in the fashion world that can truly be described as iconic, and the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress is definitely one of them.

She designed her first knitted jersey wrap dress in 1973, and over the past 35 years, women around the world have come to love the design for its extremely flattering cut (not to mention that it is really comfortable to wear).

Unlike most high-end designer clothing, the DVF wrap dress flatters pretty much every female body shape. If you are curvy, it hugs you in all the right places and skims over the places that are probably best avoided. If you are slim, the dress gives the illusion of curves.

Of course, being such an iconic design, DVF wrap dresses also tend to carry an iconic price tag. And by “iconic”, I mean upwards of several hundred dollars.

Anyhow, I got an email the other day from luxury goods online shopping site Net-A-Porter advising that there is free shipping to Australia at the moment. That doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but when you factor in that NAP shipping is generally upwards of $60 or $70, it suddenly sounds more enticing. Plus, I tend to find that luxury goods bought overseas are cheaper than if you buy them locally, even after you factor in the exchange rate.

I love the DVF Nalia wrap dress, pictured above, which comes to a total of around AU$274 - and trust me, that is a bargain basement price for a dress from this designer. The dress is still available in sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8 (US), which is equivalent to sizes 6, 8, 10 and 12 respectively in local sizing. View it here.

I am currently trying to talk myself out of a purchase. Yes I probably should be doing some work instead. But you can view the rest of the NAP sale here.

The free shipping offer lasts until midnight on January 25 - use the code FREESHIP09 at the checkout to redeem the offer.

By Caroline Warnes

Hermes is one of those luxury design houses that I love to admire but have pretty much accepted I will never afford.

Sure, I could probably afford to spend a few hundred dollars on a Hermes silk scarf or fragrance, if I wanted to. But I don’t want to. The Hermes stuff I want is well and truly out of my price range, such as the classic Kelly bag (named after Grace Kelly herself). Unfortunately I don’t have $10,000 to spend on a handbag at the moment.

Then there is the Hermes Cape Cod wrap watch, as pictured here, which goes for a relatively more affordable $2300 (or thereabouts). Still not a realistic purchase for me, but I love the look of the leather wrap band.

At least there are some more affordable interpretations around… such as this one from La Mer.

It’s priced at US$88, but with the 25% off mypresent discount code through the site, and after converting to AUD… that works out to be around $98 by my calculations.

You can view the whole range of La Mer wrap watches here.

By Caroline Warnes