SHOPPING
THE EXPERT
Melissa Penfold, known as the “one-woman style Bible”, who is a guide to all of Australia’s best shops and services
THE QUOTE
“Holiday shopping can be a fantastic way to get the beautiful and unusual, but it’s easy to get wrong-footed in a city that isn’t your own,” she says. “There’s always the risk you’ll come back from Aspen looking like a cowgirl, or from Paris encased in high octane haute. At home you’ll look out of place at best, ridiculous at worst.”
THE ADVICE
1. Window shop in the best parts of town – it’s free and you’ll pick up the latest looks and display ideas to steal. You may not be able to afford the designers, but you’ll be able to imitate them at home. Get to know what colours look good together, and note little things, how a scarf is tied, or the way a leather border gives a throw rug instant chic.
2. Dress like a diva. It keeps your confidence up, and gets you good service every time. And keep moving. Walk fast. Don’t linger in any shop too long. If it doesn’t work for you, or you don’t like the feel of a strip, move on.
3. Get into chains. There are a lot of great reliable standards at the big international chain stores when it comes to fashion and homewares. Look for good, plain basics in fashion-forward looks – you’ll be surprised at the great styles and the difference in price.
4. Don’t buy anything you don’t love just because it has a famous label, and don’t miss brilliant no-name buys. Absorb the ideas, but never buy more than one piece in the same look.
5. Listen to your friends. If you admire their taste, find out where they get their real treasures while shopping overseas.
