No Buy July has come to an end – woo hoo! If you are being technical about it, I actually couldn’t wait until August 1st because on Friday July 29th I came home – hello Zara Melbourne.

My fashion home - Zara Melbourne

I was headed to Melbourne for blogging conference Blogopolis (it was SO much fun, but that is another post) so my friend and fellow blogger Rebecca from rebeccagrugan.com planned our trip so we could have the whole day Sunday shopping, but we arrived in Melbourne on Friday afternoon with a few spare hours so we dropped our bags at the hotel and asked “which way to Zara please?”

It. was. crazy! I think half of the excitement was the amount of people in the store – crowds create hype so I think people get caught up in the craziness of it all (I certainly did!). There were people everywhere! The line for the change-rooms was long, but at least there wasn’t a line to get in (there actually was a line to get in when Zara first opened in Sydney and Melbourne).

One of the things people love about Zara around the world is the high turn-over of the stock on the floor. Apparently they get two deliveries of NEW stock every week (Tuesday and Friday) so there is always something new when you go in. I think this also gets people into a panic because you HAVE to have it today, it will be gone tomorrow – “give me that last M in the blue biatch! I saw it first!”

But anyway, enough about that – So what did I buy?

Well here is what I bought on Friday night…

1. Red skinny pants RRP $69.95 (cotton elastane – lots of stretch, thicker than leggings but still will only wear with a longer top)

2. Pleated skirt RRP $59.95 (Saw one very similar in Cue from $175)

Zara shop number one (but wait, there's more)

And then because I just couldn’t get enough, we had to go back on Sunday too! Here is stash number 2….

1. The same skinny pants in black RRP $69.95 (because you can never have too many pairs of black pants and I loved the red ones – not pictured)

2. Striped blue and white top to wear with my new red skinny pants RRP $69.95

3. Mauve silk top RRP $69.95 (this will be great over the black skinny pants or over some skinny jeans, or belted with a black pencil skirt)

4. Black dress RRP $139.95 (not normally a neckline I would gravitate to, but I thought it would look pretty smick with opaques and ankle boots, then a big statement necklace to draw attention up to the face)

5. Business shirt for the boy $69.95 (I was a little worried about the sizing but I think I got it right  – not pictured)

Zara shop number two

So that is my first (I hope of many) from Zara Melbourne (I’m hoping to hit the Sydney one later this month too). And since my weekend was all about learning (I have NEVER tweeted so much in my life as I did at this conference!) here are the two biggest things I learnt about Zara.

1. Quality vs Quantity. I think stores like Dotti and Sportsgirl need to be worried. The quality of most of the things that I saw at Zara were well above the quality of those pieces from most chain stores – and the prices are MUCH more affordable. It’s all in the fabrics. Zara uses several different manufacturers around the world but all the pieces that I bought have a nice hand-feel to them, the quality of the fabric is noticeable. Like I mentioned before, I saw a very similar skirt in Cue and it was twice the price – so for value for money, Zara definitely gets two thumbs up!

2. The fit of some things in Zara are not for everyone – but it is definitely worth a look. Because of the speed and sheer volume of the production of Zara garments, many of them have quite a simple, un-tailored cut which is great if you have no boobs, no waist, and no hips – but wait, most of us do. This may just be a seasonal thing, but I saw quite a few shift dresses with not much shaping, and lots of lose-fitting tops that make you look the size of a house if you are larger than a B-cup. I probably tried on 3 pieces to every one that I bought (and even some of the pieces that I bought are not IDEAL for my body shape, but I still love them so what ev’s.

So next time you are in Sydney or Melbourne (or one of the thirty other countries that has a Zara or seven) make sure you check it out, I definitely think it is worth a look!

Do you have a store that you can always go and find something you love?

Where is your fashion home?