Shop It To Me

A little plug for an email newsletter I've subscribed to called Shop It To Me. It's a free service where you:

• sign up


• select your clothes sizes


• select the brands (200+) and online retailers you like


• choose the types of clothing and accessories you are interested in (dresses, shoes, pants)


• specify the level of discount you want (20-70% off)

and they email you when clothing that matches your preferences goes on sale.

Once a week I get an email telling me all the items that are on sale in my size, with photos, original and sale prices and links through to online shops where I can purchase then and there.

You can control how often you get the emails and pause them if you're all shopped out. And you can set it up so only retailers who ship to Australia are included!

With the Aussie dollar so strong you can snap up a Diane von Furstenburg dress for $200, Michael Kors shoes for $150 etc. The list of brands is exhaustive. Enjoy.

I'm loving the clothes shopping here. So much choice. And so cheap. And the sales are frequent and serious. I never thought I was that deeply into fashion but I think my previous reticence was just a function of not being willing to spend heaps of money on the things I liked. Here, where items are way more affordable, I have become a veritable shopaholic.

I've started clothes shopping in stores in a new way in an attempt to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. And because I usually shop alone its sometimes hard to tell whether something is flattering.

So I grab everything that takes my fancy. Everything. The whim items. The 'not sure if I can carry that off' items. The 'this is ridiculosuly expensive but what the hell' items. I get in the change room and try everything on. And I take photos of myself with my camera phone. And then I look at the photos and a strange thing happens: I get more of an objective view of myself and it becomes immediately apparent that certain colours wash me out, or the cut of the dress really does nothing for me, or that the top sits much better than I thought it would.

And for things that I'm a bit iffy about, or should wait for the next paycheck for, I carry around the photo to refer to later. I show Jus when I get home and get his opinion. And sometimes I go poke around in my wardrobe and see if the item will go with anything else. If in a week I still think its awesome and looks good then so be it, but often I go off it and save myself the regretted purchase. Or sometimes its handy to just have it there and then remember to check when it goes on sale.

Taking ohotos has made me buy things that don't look like things I already have. And its made me more aware of what suits me. Try it!