fashion find it for you: friday woes and market madness ROUND SHE GOES again!

Yesterday, did not begin well. Apart from the fact it was raining when I woke up from a terrible sleep that was primarily disturbed by the kelpie stretched out over the middle of the bed and thus I did not want to get out of bed; my horrible morning was mostly due to Citroen cracking it. 'Le that is it!' I can imagine it said in its fabulous french accent, as it decided not to start. 'I cannot go on vous'. The next twenty minutes or so was spent attempting to coax it into life, plus a frustrated call to the bf who was working in Melbourne who 'JUST HAD TO FIX IT' over the phone - but alas, it was in vain. It simply would not go. I think it has heard us talking talking replacing it (Hello Hyundai i30) one too many times.. and we have ruined its self confidence. WAH.

Apart from riding my bike to work (complete with computer, lunch and MJ Stam bag in 6 degree misty rain - bf's brilliant suggestion), walking, catching a cab (do they even have cabs in Ballarat?), my only other option was calling work and getting them to come and rescue me. THANKS K - legend xx

Anyway - made it to work. Eventually. Headed straight into an important meeting for the new role (still PUMPED) and was hard at it. Breaked at mid morning, headed to the bathroom and then finally did I look in the mirror. Shit. Seems I forgot to put eye makeup on this morning. WTF? Then I remembered - pooch was barking at something and I had gone to investigate, obviously forgetting the remaining steps in the face process. Damn - I looked like crap. Immediately raced over to the Plaza - Max Factor my saviour.

The day did get a little better - I had a TON of purchase deliveries to brighten up the bleakness:

OOOH these contained:

So there was the polka dot Topshop tee, Current Elliot distressed jeans, Country Road spliced leather tee and the printed Topshop sleeveless shirt. FAB. Weekend outfit sorted.

My outfit for the day. Here:

So - today was a little more cas, which was definitely not enhanced by the lack of eye makeup. God. Outfit included the blue and cream striped CR jumper I bought to keep warm over in Perth ($80 CR). Having not worn a chunky knit to work before wasn't sure if it would cut the 'smart business casual' mustard - but combining it with a nice 'blouse' and peep toes dressed it up just the right amount. Next was the Manning Cartell cream ruffle tunic worn underneath, then followed by the Neon Blonde wet look skinny zip jeans, and then the Trenery tan spliced peep toe wedges. Ta DA.

The remainder of the working day was fine. Thank GOD.

After work - bf and I went out for dinner. The 'as seen on Ricki-Lee on the Voice' gold sequin blazer from hot designer label Latopic that I hunted down got its first outing. Here:

Needless to say I was impressed. Teamed it with the exact same outfit I was wearing that day - minus the chunky striped jumper. Think I may have overdosed on cream - but hey. I was hungry and it was good enough. Think I would like to team it with some punchy cobalt pants and a plain white tee, or even a grey marle tee and hot patterned pants. Yes - that is what I will build towards.

After dinner - the fun simply didn't stop there. I have a recurring stall at the Round She Goes preloved fashion market; and turns out it was this coming weekend. UH - this had kind of slipped my mind. SUPER excited though - as there is nothing I love more than a good market, especially one where I actually get to make money. Bonus. Here:

It is simply fabulous - I have been going for the last couple of years and always come out with BAGFULLS of amazing dresses, tops, pants, shoes, bags OH and homemade jewellery and a fab selection of vintage wares. LOVE it. Make sure you pop down - get your spend on and find tons of amazing stuff. For more info visit their website HERE.

Now - getting stuff ready for a market is not a matter of simply chucking all the stuff you don't wear anymore in a bag and heading on down in the morning - oh no. It requires tons of pre-planning, effort, props, pricing and basically hard work to ensure you maximise your sales potential on the day. Last market, I did this informative post regarding the steps required to get the most bang for your buck. I have copied it and inserted it below.. making this post look quite substantial for little effort on my behalf. Fab.

Here are my top ten MUST DO market preparation steps to ensure your day is a money making cash bonanza:

1. Have a fab assortment on offer. The customer’s love a wide breadth and depth of range – so be RUTHLESS with your clothing selection. Haven’t worn it in six months? Gone. Still go the tags attached two months later? Done. This ruthlessness creates much needed free space in your wardrobe for all the new fab items you are going to purchase with the money you made at the market. Loving the ‘circle of clothing life’.

2. Have a bargain bin. This was a new strategy I adopted at my last market – I filled a wicker washing basket with items that may have been destined for vinnies; slapped a EVERYTHING $1 sign on it and literally had people sitting on the ground and burrowing like a beaver on steroids. May only make up a few extra bucks – but it is certainly a great way to move through dead stock. ADDED BONUS – creates customer interest. If it appears like there is a lot happening at your stall – customers gravitate to you like a magnet.

3. Take a mirror. VERY IMPORTANT – as everyone wants to try something on; but not everyone is a fan of stripping half naked in communal change rooms. Even if they pop it on over their clothes – as soon as the item touches their body the deal is done. And with you complementing them how could they refuse? ADDED BONUS – customers from other stalls also want to come and use your mirror – which not only creates traffic flow around your store, but also gives you a chance to upsell one of your items to that customer. Fab.

4. Have a change float. SOOOO annoying when you are at a market with no easy access to cash and you have found the Zimmermann ladder printed top of your dreams for $8 and the stall holder busts your bubble with those five horrible little words ‘I don’t have enough change’. What do you mean you can’t change my greenback? It may seem ridiculous; but the reality is that some people do head on in with wads of hundreds that they expect you to change. Annoying as it is – if you are prepared you don’t need to A. turn a paying customer away; B. scam off the stallholder next to you for change. Set.

5. Offer a plastic bag with each purchase. May seem small – but it is sometimes the little things that count. Tip – they don’t have to be fancy; supermarket plastics work just as well. Save them up from your weekly supermarket trips, or raids your grandma’s ‘plastic bag bag’ – guaranteed they all have one.

6. Do some VM-ing. There are around 100 stalls at the market – and to maximise your cash flow potential you need a stall that stands out from the rest. It doesn’t mean lugging in a dais with mannequins, installing raw wood shelving racks or taping up a pre-prepared backdrop; it can be small little touches which get you over the line. I use a vintage cowhide rug underfoot, a tiger-print Urban Outfitters bedspread turned tablecloth, outfitted front facings on my rack and of course Suzanne (my sewing dummy) comes along as the perfect outfit displayerer. I change her up every hour or so – and guaranteed her outfits are usually the first to sell.

7. Dress appropriately. This is not the Camberwell market, you haven’t been up since 3am and crawled out from under the doona. So no – ugg boots and track pants are not going to cut the mustard. MANTRA: you are what you sell – so dress like it. Selling reworked vintage dresses? Rock one out with coiffed hair, patterned tights and red lips. Selling your pre-loved designer fashion? Channel off-duty relaxed glam model style. As horrible as it may sound – your outfit sets the precedent for your stall. Plan ahead.

8. Last of all – SMILE! I think this is by far the most important step. For the five hours the market is open – you should be the most chatty, helpful, friendly and bubbly sales assistant you have ever met. Even if you fall in a heap at the end of the day, it is totally worth it. Customers just LOVE someone to talk to – especially if they are shopping alone. Be honest with your opinions, suggestive sell, outfit them, bargain up politely, crack jokes and say hello, goodbye, thank you and have a great day.

So I know that is only 8 things – but they are a VERY IMPORTANT 8 things. Follow them and your stall it guaranteed to go off.

Here are some pics of my hard work preparation wise: