Gap opens in Sydney

Will be checking this out next time I'm in Sydney!

Proof love conquers all

This video is adorable! I apologise as it gets a bit what I'd call overly American in spots, but do persevere. This is a love story the like of which you've seen - it's between an elephant and a dog. Love really does conquer all.

Designer sheepskin has arrived

A while ago you might remember I posted about a new partnership between Jimmy Choo and Ugg. Well the day has finally come and they are available now and here the are with prices starting from 417 pound a pair.

So if you ever had a hankering for spending an exorbitant amount of money on some designer sheepskin, now's your chance. You can order them from net-a-porter.com. Personally? I think I'd pass on this one.

Racing style from Mimco

We had a low week for fashion coverage last week so will try to make it up this week! I am loving Mimco's 'form guide' for racing-season accessories. Make sure you also check out Grazia this week as Mimco are giving readers are $30 gift card!

The world's coolest toaster

How much do you love this toaster? I think I’d waltz it down the aisle and marry it if bigamy wasn’t illegal in this country.

OK, I actually don’t have one and I have never even seen it in the flesh (so to speak) but I think this is the coolest product pic I have seen for a while. Can you imagine impressing all your friends by whipping this out and cooking them the most uber-stylish breakfast they've ever had?

How would you ever burn your toast again if you can see it AS IT COOKS? I wasn't sure if it would actually just let all the heat out through the sides, but apparently they're a special clear double insulated glass to stop the heat escaping.

This nifty little idea was voted GQ magazine “One of the 50 Best Things on the World Right Now” and won the Grand Innovation Prize at the Foire De Paris trade show.

The only downside for me is it is also a tad more expensive than your usual generic brand toaster. The Magimix Vision toaster has a recommended retail price of $499. Totally worth it.

If you'd like other pearls of wisdom as well as updates on new blog posts and a raft of other cool toasters (OK, just kidding on the last one) follow me now on Twitter! twitter.com/aleciahancock 

Support Pink during October

With one in nine women diagnosed with breast cancer before they turn 85, remember to think pink this October and help beat breast cancer.

If you walk into any HBF Service Centre today and purchase any of the pink merchandise, you’ll be helping the Cancer Council fund research into new and better treatments and support services for women touched by breast cancer. There's not much of October left, so time to get cracking!

To find out more about Pink Ribbon Day visit the website here.

Are your horses all lined up?

Melbourne Cup, like Christmas, rolls around every single year. So why is it every year I find myself surprised it is ‘that time again’ and completely clueless about what I am doing?

Perhaps this year it is also because I no longer have a workplace full of people to celebrate it with (a sweepstake of one isn’t quite the same). So what I want to know is what are you wonderful WA Style readers doing for Melbourne Cup? Will there be funny hats and fancy dresses all round?

If like me you’re stuck for somewhere to go, I like the sound of The Luxe Bar’s Top Hat function. $65plus booking fee gets you a glass of Veuve on arrival and lots of other great goodies. In their words:

“Top Hat is a day at the races for the dukes and dames of Beaufort Street, boasting a cocktail luncheon of royal proportions. Hand made for those with a taste for detail, Dish Catering deliver a menu fit for any aristocrat. 

“Hosted by Anths and Simon from RTRFM with Shifty Translation providing your soundtrack for the day. See the freshest fashion brought to you by Varga Girl complemented with this summers hottest footwear from Betts with ladies from Vivien's, hair by Scissor Sister and makeup from Napoleon Perdis.” 

Oh, and you you can watch the race as well. Call 9228 9680 or visit www.bamBOObamBOObamBOO.com for more info. 

So where are you planning to go? If you know of any other great events scheduled for November 2, let me know and we can share them here.

iPhone Proposal in Movie Theater

I just saw this video on Mia Freedman's blog Mama Mia (check it out, it's a great blog) and I had to share it with all my WA Style readers as well. It is incredible and made me cry like a little girl. It's basically a proposal in the form of an iPhone ad as part of movie trailers.

Proposing via a movie trailer actually isn't as unusual as it sounds. A friend went to a screening of Twilight New Moon when it first opened her in Perth and one of the trailers was a proposal!

Last Night at Chateau Marmont

I just finished reading Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger of The Devil Wears Prada fame. This book was a birthday present and I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a light-hearted fun read but interesting enough that I didn't want to put it down.

For me the story felt a bit like The Devil Wears Prada (only the movie not the book) in reverse. Instead of Andrea becoming a workaholic to build her career and destroying her relationship with Nate in the process, 'Last Night' is the story of married nutritionist Brooke who after years of supporting her husband as he pursues a musical career, struggles to cope with his new found fame.

Definitely worth a read. I enjoyed it a lot more than Chasing Harry Winston and as much as Everyone Worth Knowing.

You can check out what Lauren is up to on her blog http://laurenweisberger.com/blog/ and read a great Q&A with her about this book here.

New iPad app for net-a-porter

Meet 'Pascal' the chameleon

This video shows clips from the upcoming movie Tangled, releasing on January 6. How cute is this little guy?

Use your eye-magination!

There’s nothing quite like a smoky eye for that big night out on the town, but some people struggle to achieve the look. 

If you’re one of those people this new Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow Quad in Starlet is worth checking out. It will give you an easy way to pull off this key look, with a metallic twist.

This new release from Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics contains four colours to give you all the highlights you need including moonstone (ivory-pearl), storm (grey with silver shimmer), black opal (black) and platinum (metallic silver).

It’s also mineral makeup, which your skin will thank you for. The Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow Quad is free from perfumes and chemical dies, is non-comodogenic and cruelty fee.

RRP is $69.95, available from www.youngbloodmineralcosmetics.com.au

The 'me' challenge

There are sometimes I think I am a little big strange. I have no problems standing up in front of hundreds of people and talking about magazines, media, online marketing and a host of other topics but as soon as I need to talk about me, I get a bit weak at the knees.

Sometimes I like to think it is because in today’s society it can be dangerous to share too much personal information with the masses, particularly online, but other times I realise I am just not good at being the centre of attention on a personal rather than professional level. 

So when Jennifer Birkhead from www.jenniferbirkheaddesign.blogspot.com challenged me to take part in a blog game of ‘10 things you didn’t know about me’, I considered running for the hills. However, I decided as a writer I am sure I could dig up some facts from my past that would be suitably entertained, so threw caution to the wind. 

I hope you find these facts interesting and enlightening and nobody will use this information to steal my identity and convince my nearest and dearest I am actually a Moroccan hooker. 

1. Although I have lived in WA now most of my life, I was born in Tasmania. Don’t hold it against me. 
2. My husband I were together for more than 14 years before we finally married earlier this year. 
3.  I have funky elbows. If I straighten my arms too far they start to bend back the wrong way. It’s a great party trick and way to freak out my personal trainer while doing push ups. 
4. I have been a vegetarian since I was 13. I blame school holidays on my aunt and uncles farm, I could never get my head around patting a cow called Daisy and then going home and tucking into a nice steak. 
5. I am terrified of heights. I can be paralysed by fear even by the thought of using a step ladder. Funnily enough I have no problems flying. 
6. I would like to claim I speak Japanese but after completing a Certificate 3 in Japanese, I still can only read, write and speak the language very badly. I can understand others only it if they speak very slowly and at a level suitable for a three year old. If you need to ask someone where are they going – I am the right woman for the job – just don’t expect me to understand the answer. 
7. I am not a morning person. Just ask my husband. 
8. I don’t like Dom Perignon and I feel guilty about it. When you are in the envious position of being offered expensive champagne at functions, I feel like I should drink it and enjoy it! I keep thinking it might just be me and one day I will finally get it. 
9. You couldn’t pay me enough to go back and relive my high school years. Sorry people, they are not the best years of your life – now is always the best time! 
10. I have a blue belt in freestyle martial arts. I once made onlookers laugh when in a state-level competition when I stopped mid-fight to apologise to my opponent for punching her in the nose (no face contact allowed, so it wasn’t intentional – she stepped forward as I threw the punch). 

So what about you? Do you find talking about yourself as scary as I do?

I hope some of my regular WA Style readers will share some fun facts about themselves or share links to other similar lists. Click on comment below!

New campaign from Louis

Check out this great new picture of Bono and Ali Hewson in Africa for the new Louis Vuitton campaign. What a great shot. Makes me want to buy a new handbag, or maybe a small plane...

The cutest pictures ever

I know that babies of any kind are usually adorable, but this little critter has to be the cutest thing I have ever seen! In case you are wondering, it is a baby hedgehog.

I am not sure who these pictures belong to so if you are the copyright owner or know who it is, please pass the info on.  In the meanwhile I hope this post helps you take a moment to smile.

Even bigger discounts at Mimco

If you haven't already checked out the big sales at Mimco now's your chance. They've just announced a further 20% off already reduced items until Monday. Check it out and let us know what bargains you pick up!

Run don't walk! It's a Costarella sale!

Alright Perth ladies, I know you are going to be excited about this one. Our own local legendary designer Aurelio Costarella is holding his first ever evening wear sale to make some room for his new collections!

Dresses will be priced between $80 and $500 and will include everything from ball gowns to cocktail and party dresses. How great is the timing? This is your chance to snap up a designer bargain just before the ball and racing season kicks off. 

This momentous event is happening this Friday October 8 (which just happens to be my birthday, what a happy coincidence) from midday until 7pm. So make sure you have your credit card firmly in hand and hit the Costarella warehouse on 32 Wickham Street, East Perth. Happy shopping ladies, I may just see you there!

Stella is back

Remember when women were all but clawing each others eyes out in Target stores? I know it made the front page of the paper over here! This auspicious show of female competitiveness occurred when they launched the Stella McCartney range at Target and they are about to do it again.

I am not sure if it going to cause quite the same controversy this time around, but there are definitely some nice pieces well worth checking out. Personally I am going to be looking at the tulip shaped trench, the jacket with the collar worn up (yup that's the garment name) and the rouched panel top.

There are definitely some great looks in here for this season's trends. Plenty of lace, nautical stripes and nudes to keep the most on-trend fashionista happy. Even better the sizes in the range go from 6-16 so there is really something for everyone.

The website - www.designersfortarget.com.au - is well worth a look see. If you actually click through on a particular garment you can see a static photo of it and a video of the model moving around in the outfit. I think this idea is genius even though a few of the models choices of pose made me giggle.

So what do you guys think? Do you still have a favourite item in your wardrobe from the last time around or are you over the whole designer going budget thing? Share your thoughts by clicking comment at the bottom of this post.

An Oroton farewell

First off, apologies for being all quite on the western front late last week. It has been a very big few weeks for me, I made the difficult decision to leave my full-time position to launch my own business. It is one of the scariest things I have done, but I am very excited and I think the business has the potential to be a great challenge for me.

Anyway, that's not the sole purpose for this post. I also wanted to show off the absolutely lovely farewell gift I was given! I couldn't believe it when they pulled out an Oroton bag and was touched by the appropriateness of this gift - an Oroton portfolio accompanied by an engraved Parker pen so I can enter my new career as a business owner in style. 

This folio is the epitome of stylish business. You can secure one for yourself here.