Black tie with a hint of sparkle

Tonight is the glamorous Night of Lights gala ball for the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation. The dress code is 'Black tie with a hint of sparkle'. At the moment I don't like to do things by halves. I saw the word sparkle and I've run with it.

I'll be wearing a blue Sherri Hill gown with jewelled bodice from After Dark boutique on Fullarton Road, and I have some amazing Rodrigo Otazu Swarovski statement jewellery to accompany it. Rodrigo Otazu has designed for Kylie Minogue, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and the Sex & The City film (to name a few) and luckily for us Adelaide girls, there are now some statement pieces stocked at Liza Emanuele Boutique on King William Road.

I've just spent ten minutes trying to figure out what shade of blue the dress is, but it's beyond me, so here's a sneak peak.

Oh, I can't forgot the shoes. Gary Castles Sydney silver stilettos from their boutique on King William Road. A very simple design to counteract the over-the-top, top half of my outfit. The perfect must-have pair of shoes, that have proven to be a very worthwhile purchase.

The next step? Hair & make up. Time to hit Andrew Elsegood Hairdresser on Goodwood Road for some pampering. I'd love to wear my hair down with some loose curls, but the necklace demands my hair to be up. Let's see who wins this battle.
I'll post some photos of the finished look later on.

Hope to see some of you at this amazing event!

Chasing Nel Fashion Parade

Come along to this fabulous fashion parade that I'll be hosting in late June. We'll be raising funds for the Salvation Army and enjoy the great designer gear from Chasing Nel. Always hard to decide what to wear when attending an event like this though. Don't want to be too drab when surrounded by fashionistas and models. Hmmmm.

Next Gen Update - Great News for Members

You may be familiar with some issues I had with suspending my membership at Next Generation Memorial Drive. Although it did take some time, they did agree to suspend my membership whilst I was away in the States. I have met with them since I have been back to share my frustrations and they have now told me that having reviewed their policies, members will be able to suspend their membership for any reason, for a minimum of three months from June onwards.

It’s good that Adelaide’s best gym has now listened to their members and made the changes they needed and I’m pleased to be able to go back to using the gym (especially now that my 30th is right around the corner!). I’ve even found myself a new gym buddy (the inspirational Ania) so wish me luck, it’s time for me to get back on the wagon.

Things I love about Chicago...

After spending a decent amount of time in Chicago - both a month in 2008 and now 6 weeks in 09, there are some things I have come to love about Chicago. Here is what comes to mind.

• I love that a vast majority of the men here have wonderful manners. They open doors for ladies and allow us to go first.
• I love that even in a building of 30 floors, people in my apartment say "have a nice day" when you get out of a shared elevator.
• I love that pickles are served as a side dish to pretty much everything. I'll thank my Canadian mother for giving me a taste for those treats growing up!
• I love that as soon as the temperature rises above freezing, people celebrate by wearing thongs (flip flops) and t-shirts. It's still only a couple of degrees above zero but hey, who am I to judge? Hahaha.
• I love that I have seen women in floor length mink coats riding the public buses alongside girls wearing slippers and dressing gowns.
• I love that my gym has ipod devices on the treatmills, so that you can not only listen to music but watch movies or TV shows that you've brought, plus you can save your workout details to a USB stick to map your progress. Let's hope this technology comes to Australia soon!
• I love that anyone medical wears those blue cotton tops and pants made famous by shows like ER. Gives me confidence in them somehow.
• Finally, despite the struggle for some people to understand me, I love the fact that once someone realises I'm from Australia, they always have nice things to say about our country. It's great to be from a place that everyone loves.