Strapless maxi dress

This was the best $20 I spent on a dress all summer! Countless friends and strangers commented on it and not kidding, two guys (not sleazebags) asked where I’d bought it! One guy stopped me twice in the supermarket to find out exactly where the shop was. It’s the sort of gift that could potentially land them in the doghouse – ‘I bought this dress for you today honey after I saw it on a lady in the supermarket.’ Hmmmmm, hopefully they handled it well. I discovered it on sale at Supre in Southland. The blue and white stripes are so refreshingly summer and who can resist a strapless number on a hot day. Although I must admit, on a baking hot day I’d steer clear of longer lengths. Polish the look off with red lips and nails, and a perennially favourite up-do. Unfortunately, I’m no hairdresser, so I’m sure you can do a better job than me!

Minutes after purchasing this dress I located matching earrings at Diva for around $5. They have some terrific dress jewellery in their stores and if you can wait for their big sales (there’s always one post-Christmas) you can collect a stash of $5 and even $3 bargains to complement your wardrobe.

This white leather-look cuff with gold trim goes with so many things and was on sale at Forever New in Southland for around $7.

I’ve spotted almost identical cuffs in some of the high-end magazines for around $60. The quilted white bag was a steal at just $5 from the Chelsea pre-loved clothing shop – I mean we’d all prefer the $4000 Chanel wouldn’t we?

I adore these silver sandals and snapped them up for $17 from Target last year. Keep an eye out for their shoe sales, they really do have some on-trend goodies. Be prepared to try things on because they always come alive once you try them.