Zara Finally Comes to Australia

This news has gone under the radar, but I feel it should be given more recognition than it currently deserves.

After a gazillion years, Spanish clothing company Zara, is finally going to open its store in Australia! In the land of Down Under, chain-stores such as Bardot and Sportsgirl are well-known for producing the latest clothing and accessories from runway to real-life in the space of two weeks. With Zara entering the market soon, this will force all Australian chain stores, including Country Road and Kookai to pull up their socks . You would too if you're going to be competing with the largest fashion retailer in the world.

Zara is petite friendly-yes, that means for all you petites out there, you're going to find items of clothing that require little or no alteration.

I can hear everyone thinking, "Why did it take so long for Zara to come down under?"

The answer my friends, is the joint venture agreement (JVA) between Inditex and Australia's retail mogul, Peter Lew. What's a joint venture agreement you ask? In everyday terms, it's a business enterprise where two or more companies share the outlay, risk and profit. This discussion went for two years before both parties decided to open up the store in Australia.

You see, Zara founder, Amancio Ortega and its parent company Inditex were contemplating on whether to open up a store in Australia, as issues such as logistics and the different seasons in the southern hemisphere are playing havoc at the moment.

If you're scratching your head as to why Peter Lew sounds familiar, his father Solomon Lew use to be Chairman of Coles Myer (now Coles Group) and invested in retail companies such as Greshams Private Equity (owns stores such as Mimco and Witchery) and Just Group. I find Ortega giving the exclusive rights to Lew rather interesting. Why, you may ask? Lew copied techniques from Zara-where clothing was updated on a daily basis, rather than a seasonal basis. He used these technique to transform Witchery from a struggling store to a popular women's fashion chain-store.

Nevertheless, what's been decided right now they'll open up the first store in Bondi Junction Westfields between 2009 and 2010. My dreams have finally come true.

Now, if I only could say the same thing for Top Shop and H&M.

Loving the Markets

There are many reasons why Sydney-siders all flock down to the Glebe markets on a Saturday. You'll find many unique items at this particular market-from spoon wind chimes to 70s style satchel bags.

At one of the stores, they were selling Erana & Daska jewellery from $10-$30. This is a huge bargain, considering many department and boutique stores will sell this between $25-$90. The trick with market shopping is patience-you have to be willing to go through all the 'junk' in order to find a gem. Anyway, I found these two items from the Glebe markets:

Leather bound journal-$10

I was patting myself on the shoulder for buying this. Stores such as Kikki-K, Smiggle and stationery stores will sell these journals for at least $40. If it was an A4 or bigger, it'll be $80.

Vintage metal gold belt with diamantes, $30

You don't see belts made like this anymore. Usually, $30 will get you a belt made of vinyl material. If you want to spend money on a good belt, expect to pay at least $50 for one made of leather-if you're lucky. At high fashion chain store Cue, some of the belts retail around $100 or more. They are beautiful belts, but the average person won't spend folk $100 on a belt.

The Glebe Markets are opened every Saturday from 10 a.m-4 p.m. It's in Glebe Public School, at the corner of Derby Road and Glebe Point Road.

For fashionistas, you'll find many vintage clothes and accessories. It's also home to vinyl records, spoon wind chimes and Ned Kelly armoury.

Here at 5ft0, it's party season.

It's a little early, but I've got staff Christmas parties to attend. With many workplaces, it consists of copious amounts of alcohol, cocktails and finger food. At one of the places I work for, it's already crazy because we're dressed to a particular theme. A few weeks ago, we all received the invitation to the annual Christmas party and dress to a particular theme.

This is our chance to let our hair down and play dress ups. I feel like a kid eating candy. Now I want to dress up in this occasion. Whatever it is, it's my first year at the job and I don't want to be a party pooper.

At my other workplace, it's traditional and it'll be at the Soho Bar and Lounge at Potts Point. I feel like a cocktail dress is needed and Alice McCall stocks some great dresses. For instance, this dress:

'If these walls could talk' shift dress-$360

I love this dress as it features a defined waist and a pretty print. It's demure and sexy at the same time. Great for petite girls!

Dress-$380

The zipper dress is in season. I really like how it shows-off one's curve, instead of hiding it. However, If you feel $380 is a lot of money to splurge on a dress, here are some cheaper alternatives!

Mink Pink Donna Bustier Dress-$60

Mink Pink Kansas Dress-$35

All of these dresses are available on "About A Girl". To see more of their dresses, click here. I love "About A Girl" as they are stock great dresses that suit petite girls at an affordable price. Happy shopping!

More Warehouse Sales

Hey my fellow petites! There are more sales coming up at the end of this year. Here they are:

Camilla and Marc 50%-75% Relocation Sale:
Friday 28th-Saturday 29th November, 2008

Paul and Joe Sale- up to 75% off RRP:
Thursday 27th-Sunday 30th November, 2008
Suite 2, Level 2, 50 Holt Street Surry Hills 2010

Happy shopping!

Rumours Anna Wintour is leaving Vogue

US Vogue editor, Anna Wintour is rumoured to retire soon. Her contract with Conde Nast is almost up and sources from the New York Post, Contorture and Racked are spreading this news like wildfire.

Wintour's been the editor of US Vogue since 1988, do you think it's time for her to go, or she still has more to offer?

Bec & Bridge

Bec & Bridge produces great clothes for women, especially for petites. They're affordable, with the average pieces costing around $160-$180 range. There's something to suit everyone. These are my favourite dresses that'll flatter a petite figure:

Dress-$150

Dress-$199

For more details about Bec & Bridge, click here .

Warehouse Sale!

Rodeo Show is having a 3 day sale, up to 90% off cute short, tops and gorgeous dresses!

Here are the dates:

Thursday 27th November, 5 pm - 9 pm
Friday 28th November, 8 am- 5 pm
Saturday 29th November 10 am- 5 pm

The sale will be located at Unit 12, 13 Bowden Street, Alexandria NSW 2015.

Hope to see you there!

The Classic Blazer

Blazers were popular this year and there are so many of them-oversized, cropped, tuxedo, you name it. However, I find many women won't wear one because it looks way too formal. Others find it difficult to find a blazer that fits them. If you're big busted and petite like myself, you have trouble finding blazers that aren't tight around the chest. Then you have the issue of the sleeves being way too long. The best solution is to find a tailor that makes great blazers. If you'll rather buy ready-made blazers, then I've found some that suit petite people in a range of prices:

Economy class: Sheike, Get Smart Jacket, $159.95

I find Sheike make fashionable business clothes for women. They are suitable for petite people as their clothes are of a smaller make than Witchery or Cue for instance. If you go visit Sheike stores, ask the shop assistant for their classic 'Black Vertigo' jacket. It has three buttons and retails the same price as the Get Smart jacket.

Rodeo Show-Rabbit Tuxedo Jacket, $299

Rodeo Show make great clothes for petite people and this cropped jacket is another reason why I'm a devotee to this boutique shop.

First Class: Oxford pinstripe wool blazer in Navy, $395

Oxford is another reputable brand which creates great blazers. What I love about this is the pockets and how much detail is placed into every piece of their clothing. Oxford Shop has recently opened a new store at Chatswood Westfield and they're having an opening sale with 40% off most items. This promotion only lasts until Friday 21st November, so get there quickly to nab great bargains.

These are some of the few I wouldn't hesitate to buy and it fits perfectly for petite girls. Happy shopping!

It's at Rodeo Show, babe.

Hello my fellow petites! I am sorry to have neglected this blog for five days, which is a lifetime in the World Wide Web. I have been busy with uni work-finishing up my assignments and exams and now, I'm done!

Today, I walked into one of my favourite shops of all times-Rodeo Show. The owner/designer of Rodeo Show, Lisa Thai creates pretty, summery dresses, tops and shorts that suit petite people. Most of the clothes are around the $99-$250 range. What I love about Rodeo Show dresses in particular, is that you can throw it on without fiddling with zippers and what not, and still look pretty. Also, what I find with Rodeo dresses, they are made for petite girls with hourglass figures as they are nipped at the waist to show-off your pocket size curves. This is the dress I ended up buying:

Sierra Dress in red, $149. (Also available in cream and yellow)

I love the lace around the collar of the dress and if you closely at the hem of the dress, it is pleated as well. It's something I would wear to have coffee with the girls.

With Rodeo Drive, there are a limited amount of dresses, tops and shorts available, to ensure exclusivity-so you won't be faced with a girl wearing the same outfit as you! The store also stocks Erana & Daska jewellery, with the range costing from $25-$90.

Some of the Erana & Daska jewellery on display.

Dresses, jackets, shorts and tops available at the store.

Rodeo Show is located at 56 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021. However, another store stocking these products is Luxe Boutique located at 20G, Sydney Central Plaza at Sydney NSW 2000. However, they only stock a small amount of Rodeo Show products in store-but nevertheless, it is worth a look.

Anyway, take care my fellow petites and I'll sign in soon.

Basic Summer Shorts and Skirts

I finished uni yesterday, I decided to go into the city in search of a good pair of shorts and skirt. Five hours of shopping and I managed to purchase two items of clothing from a store called Marcs. Here are the two items:

Straight Cotton Tulip Skirt in Light Grey, $159 (also available in black)

Button Detailed Shorts in Black, $129.

With the tulip skirt, you either wear it casually or dress it up for work or dinners. Personally, I'd wear either a fitted top, or a ruffle collared shirt with it. Same with the shorts. These fitted me perfectly, I bought them immediately!

I'm making a mission to find these basics pieces of clothing at a wide range of prices. Not everyone will buy a $129 pair of shorts, so I'm hunting down a pair of shorts for under $80 by the end of the week.

The Awkward First Post...

I'll keep the introductions short. I'm starting this blog, "Five Foot Nothing" for petite women who have trouble finding clothes that suit their figure. Sure, you could go to the kids' section of a department store, but they're suited for kids (Doh! That's why they call it the Kids' Section!) and the majority of women have curves-not a string bean figure.

I can hear some fellow readers saying, "Why don't you go to Hong Kong or Japan? They have heaps of clothes for small people there!" Yes, I know that. However, I don't have a million dollars in my bank account to purchase a return ticket from Asia on a daily basis. So here I am, dedicating myself to shopping full time, finding clothes which suit us petite women.

So sit back and let someone else do the hard work for you!