I'm absolutely in love with Melbourne. Arrived here in middle February 2012 (left on an aeroplane on Valentine's day! How sad !) and was instantly surrounded by such a vibrant city life. Diversity in culture, music, art, fashion, amazing food and of course, amazing friends. There is something about being there for each other when everyone lives away from home, in a way your friends are your family.
The challenge though was to budget my expenditure as the currency here is pretty high. How suffering for a shopaholic! Surprisingly, you can almost always get branded clothing here only, non branded clothing are so rare to get. Thus the habit of buying designer brands and the dilemma of spending money wisely on shopping. One thing Melbourne has thought me was to hunt for promotions and discounts, attaining designer brands for an affordable price. Slowly but surely, I found myself dressed in Melbourne stuff from head to toe. Its like a slow conversion into the local lifestyle.
One fine Sunday morning, I made a trip with some friends on a quest for some awesome budget shopping. On days where I really itch to get a new outfit but am almost broke, I go to le shopping gem of Melbourne; Camberwell market. This market/bazaar is an outdoor weekly event, where anyone can rent a spot to sell vintage items, handmade items or pre-loved clothing. It's only a 22 minute train ride from the CBD and a further 10 minute walk. If you come home empty handed, it'll be a miracle! The market operates every Sunday from 7.30am - 12.30pm.
You can find almost anything - from clothes (vintage, designer labels : Marcs, Guess, Diesel, Louis Vuitton, Bardot etc.) to flowers, vintage jewellery (sterling silver especially), shoes, musical instruments and what not. All for awesome prices! 80% of clothes are sold at a price range $1 - $10 with exception of some. Based on my experience, most clothes are in good condition and some are so new (1 season ago!) To find clothings of your style, hunt for stall owners that are around your age who love to hoard clothes, wear em once and get rid of them. Best part is, you get to bargain. Pretty happy with the stuff i got. Will post pictures of it in the upcoming posts. You would have never guessed I bought them at Camberwell market!
Nearing the 12.30 mark, stall owners try to get rid of their stuff by reducing the prices drastically. The crowd goes mad! After a budget shopping experience, its time for a budget eating experience. (hey, why not budget once a while?) Just a stone throw from the market, is the famous Sofia's restaurant. Service is uber friendly and flirtatious with a touch of humour from the Italian staff. They also serve massive portions of Italian food for such cheap price! Two medium sized dishes fed the four of us, and we even had to take away the remainder ;)... Look at how ginormous these are!
After a fulfilling morning, it was time to give back to the community through a heart warming gift-giving service in Planetshakers. Gifts were piled up high under a christmas tree to be given to current convicts, who will give it to their children! Christmas giving is ultimately putting a smile on everyone's faces =). My gift was for a girly girl. Hopefully she will love it. By the end of the day, the stage was flooded with thousands of gifts. So exciting to see!
December is pretty eventful. Looking forward to sharing with you the highlights of this month. Which reminds me, Christmas is just around the corner. How will you be spending yours?
outfit of the day : jacket - Bardot, dress - Dizingof, Leather ankle boots - Midas, clutch - Aldo
Sincerely,
Tracy Wish
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