May 31, 2025 • 27 mins
In this fashion drop, we're diving into the world of luxury fashion with Eva Galambos, the powerhouse behind Parlour X, Australia's iconic luxury fashion destination celebrating 25 years in business.
Eva shares her insider secrets on how to look luxe without breaking the bank, from investing in key quality pieces to clever styling tricks that instantly elevate any outfit. She reveals why a black blazer is her number one wardrobe essential and how to make it work for multiple occasions.
Plus, Eva debunks fabric myths, explains how to shop smartly at markets, and shares her philosophy on creating a wardrobe that stands the test of time.
PLUS How To Look Stylish On A Budget
THE END BITS
LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED:
BOUJEE & BUDGET
Leigh Boujie:
PARLOUR X The 'X' Tee in White
Leigh Budget:
Eva Boujie:
Alaïa Le Teckel Medium Shoulder Bag
Eva Budget:
Glebe Markets
GET IN TOUCH:
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Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au
CREDITS:
Host: Leigh Campbell
Guest: Eva Galambos
Producer: Cassie Merritt
Audio Producer: Lu Hill
Video Producer: Marlena Cacciotti
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
So much. You're listening to a MoMA Mia podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mama Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters
that this podcast is recorded.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
On Hey you bes lee here now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
For many of us, Sunday is for self care and
for me that includes planning my outfits for the week.
Nothing to Wear is dropping now in the U Beauty feed,
So if you need a little bit of outfit or
wardrobe inspo, have a listen.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Whoever said orange is the new pink with seriously disturb
laurels for spraying groundbreaking?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Oh my god, you have to do it. You live
for fashion.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hello and welcome to Nothing to Wear, the podcast that
solves stussion problems and levels up your wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
I'm a chamberlan.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Every week I chat to an expert who helps us
work out how to get more out of the clothes
we already own and tells us exactly what is and
isn't worth adding to our wardrobe. Today, I'm chatting with
fashion expert Eva Gaalambers. She's the powerhouse behind Parlor X,
which is an iconic luxury fashion destination here in Sydney,
and her business has survived twenty five years. It's not
(01:15):
just about retail she's a visionary, she's a style master,
and she's going to talk us through curating a wardrobe
that she polished and comfortable, but also not super expensive.
You're not going to have to get a credit card
or mortgage your house. We're going to talk about choosing
the right fabrics and some few very clever little styling
hacks that will instantly elevate your outfit. Eva, thank you
(01:39):
for joining me. I said to you off air, I'm
a little bit scared, and you said, people often say
that it's because you own such a fancy store and
a fancy brand. And I must say I was looking
for a fortieth thress a few years ago and I
went into Parlor X and I didn't find it there.
But this stuff was so welcoming, so friendly, so helpful.
So we don't need to be scared, right.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
No, definitely much.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It's a misconception. I understand where it may stem from,
but it is a misconception. And at the end of
the day, the most important thing for me within the
context of my business is to always provide exemporary service
because our repeat clients is the most important aspect of
our business.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well, I left feeling great.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Now we're here to talk a whole bunch of different things, luxury,
how to look polished, how to not have to mortgage
our houses. But first I want to start with you.
Can you describe your own personal style in three words?
Three words is difficult, but I will try. Creative, confident,
and polished, love creative. We've not had creative before, I
(02:37):
don't think. And that's such a good one because it
paints a picture, but could mean something different to everyone exactly. Okay,
The theory that rings pretty true for a lot of
people is that we have a whole wardrobe, but there's
ninety percent that we like and wear, but then there's
ten percent that we just rely on wash where love.
What's in your ten percent that's your most loved, most
you stuff. Okay, so I'm going to tone down the
(03:01):
answer to this because, as you can imagine, I probably
own a little bit more than what your average person
owns because it goes with the territory.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
It's the job.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
But for me, the number one on key piece is
a black blazer. I do own Motolpis, but my suggestion
to anybody would be to own one well made, beautifully
crafted black blazer because that could last in your wardrobe
for over twenty years, and why do you reach for
yours or one of yours all the time?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
What are you pairing it with?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well? To be honest, I use my blazer more often
than not when I want to polish an outfit or
make sure that it looks tailored. So sometimes I'll also
juxtaposition it. So if I'm wearing something particularly casual and
then I want to look smart, I'll add a black
blazer to it. So for me, the blazer is an
element of tailoring that is just completely necessary to make
(03:52):
any outfit look sophisticated. Love it, No, I'm thinking what
black blazers I've got before we jump into the rest
of the episode, anything else that you just love? Where
are you a jeans girl? I'm not the hugest jeans girl.
I sometimes wear jeans, but very very rarely. And when
I do wear jeans, they're tailored, they're high waist and
their wide leg. I don't wear them in a casual way,
(04:13):
and I will wear them when I'm feeling like I
want to tone a blue outfit together. So it's kind
of tied into more of a color theme than it is.
More the fabric, yeah, than the utilitarian like exactlyans for
a running that's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I like that. Gosh, I'll take any reason to wear jeans.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Now, many people in Sydney will know Parlor REX, but
for those who don't, you know, for our national international listeners,
what is parlor X? How did you get started? And
how has a retail offering like yours survived these years
and decades of so much change. Okay, it's a massive
question that start with the bit about Parlor X and
who we are and how we came into being. I
(04:52):
created Parlor X over twenty years ago, so in fact
we'll be, you know, celebrating our twenty five years not
too far away.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, and I have to say I am also marveling
at the fact that we're still in existence, given what's
gone on in the industry and the massive amount of changes.
But getting back to who we are and what we
stand for. Parlor X was created with the idea of
bringing to people a art gallery style appreciation of fashion
in the way that people normally appreciate art. So the
(05:24):
idea is that you will buy fashion that will appreciate
in value, stand the test of time, and have a
memory or a keynote story which could come from the
purchasing right through to the idea around purchasing. But it's
the idea that fashion and beautiful quality, beautifully made fashion
(05:45):
can be seen almost like art. And so the idea
was to present that to Sydney at a time when
the offering in Sydney was very limited. I mean this
is before online shopping, yes, or fast fashion, before social media.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah, it was well before amazing.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, so what influenced us back then was very different
to what influences us today obviously, but yeah, back then
the Sydney offering was limited, but it wasn't just that
everybody was bringing in designs a season behind and so
for those who travel frequently, they would then see what
is being passed off as new season as a season behind.
(06:19):
And a lot of that had to do with the
fact that it's Southern Hemisphere versus Northern Hemisphere climate. But
it was completely and totally doable and so that was
one of the most important aspects of starting Parlor X
and presenting current collections to the Australian clientele. Wow, that's amazing,
I know, because before we had the Internet. That sounds
like we're dinosaurs. We didn't have that transparency of what
(06:41):
was happening. We just things hit stores. We thought it
was new, and we bought it and you were like,
hang on, no, poor Australia, let's get them up to speed.
Now you have such a sharp eye for fashion, how
would you define your own style philosophy or shopping philosophy.
All of our wardrobes are only as big as they are,
so for me, when I acquire new pieces, it also
(07:02):
means I have to discard pieces, so I feel guilty
if I have too much or if I want to
take too my It makes me almost feel glutt in it.
So on the one hand, I want to celebrate my
word rewards with acquiring beautiful pieces because that's what we
do and it makes us feel good. But on the
other hand, there's a circular element to that, and that
is that I need to discard anything that I don't
(07:24):
wear often enough or that doesn't feel like it represents
who I am anymore. So I guess there's certain pieces
in my wardrobe that have been there, certain looks and
certain fields, and to be honest with you, certain brands.
And we go back to when I described my personal
style as creative. So there are certain brands that are
extremely creative that I consider it to be extremely creative.
(07:45):
And I still have pieces for thirty years, and some
of these brands even go into their archives and recreate,
and some of the pieces aren't even as good as
what they were at the very beginning. But I still
stuck a lot of those brands and a lot of
those collections. So it's a building block. So I see
my wardrobe as a constant building block, as a constant outlet,
so to speak, of just building from previous seasons and
(08:08):
previous collections.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh, I love that. I want to comply in your wardrobe.
Now you've built this incredible career in fashion. I also
wonder do you feel the pressure or is there a
pressure to always look good because you aren such an
incredible fashion brand. But from all of that, have you
learned any tips or tricks for dressing well no matter
the occasion. It's funny, I don't feel pressure from anybody
else other than myself. So I don't feel good about
(08:33):
myself unless I feel that I look good. So looking
good is important to me. And I understand that every
person has their priorities in life, and we're all extremely busy,
whether we're raising children, or we're juggling jobs, or you know,
just juggling life. In general, we're all very busy. So
we make sacrifices according to time, and we decide what's
a priority to us. And for me, looking good is
(08:56):
a priority because it's completely tied into how I feel
about myself and my sense of self worth and my
sense of fulfillment and my sense of success. So for me,
when I look in the mirror, if I'm not happy
with what I see, if I'm not happy with how
I'm prison denting myself, I will take that little bit
of extra time to make sure that whatever it is,
I spruce up so that when I walk out that door,
I feel presentable in the way that I want to
(09:18):
be presented. And when you say looking good, you mean
looking good for yourself, going I feel like for me,
I feel like this makes me feel powerful look, you know,
going back to the creative thing.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I don't dress for everybody.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
You know, my personal style is unique to me and
there are a lot of stars and also silhouettes that
I wear that people are often shocked at, you know,
or surprised.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
When I say shocked, I'm not wacky in any way.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
But for example, I have oversized and voluminous clothing is
very much part of my staple dressing. And I'm not
actually a very big person, but I regardless, I like
dressing in clothes that are quite voluminous. And on the
occasion when I am not wearing a voluminous outfit and
I'm dressed tailored or I'm wearing something quite so, yeah,
(10:03):
people around me are shocked and it's met with why
are you wearing more of that? Or why do you
not expose yourself more? And it's because I dress for
myself and my confidence comes from within. It doesn't matter
to me how people perceive me, whether I'm bigger or
smaller or what even that means?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Who cares? You know, I dress in a way that
I feel good for myself. It's so true.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
You know, closer can just be closed, but they make
you feel powerful or confident or happy, and you.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Know what, That's what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Now.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
People might presume or assume that you're only about high
end or luxury, but you have some great insights into
curating a wardrobe that can feel luxurious but without a
super high price tag. Slash selling our car slash, getting
another mortgage. So what's the secret to looking lux but
not going into thousands of credit card debt? Okay, So
(10:59):
I'm sure everybody's heard variations of what I'm going to
say time and time again, but I guess this is
my take on it. I think it is impossible to
look sooner relax without owning one or two key luxurious pieces.
How you acquire them is a different story, because obviously
now with the explosion on the circular economy of secondhand
(11:22):
and secondhand designer clothing and assignments, consignments, and it's not
necessarily about breaking the bank, and it's not necessarily about that.
But I also think there has to be a reality
check too, because I think there's a lot of people
constantly acquiring fast fashion, and if you add up in
the year what was spent on fast fashion, and if
you take that budget and you carefully buy one or
(11:44):
two key pieces and then a few pieces. I don't
endorse fast fashion, but you can certainly go to the markets.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
You can vert a glee market. No, you can get range,
of course, exactly.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
No.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
But that I'm happy, I mean, I love that I
want to endorse and support up and coming designers who
have their own unique design element.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I guess when I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Fast fast fashion, I'm talking about institutions that will emulate
other people's designs. I think if they're rapid land films,
it ends up.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
In that fool exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think the key is recognizing and acknowledging what is
a sophisticated, luxurious piece. But it doesn't necessarily mean it
has to be a brand that is associated with that.
It just means that the quality of the production, the
quality of the fabrications, the buttons, whether or not, the
seams even and perfectly symmetrical, you know, understanding what divines
(12:34):
what is perceived to be beautiful quality. Everybody's price range
is different according to them. And also just I think
a lot of the show this year so far is
about taking a beat and really considering purchases, Yes, making
sure it's not just an emotional purchase.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And really making it more considered. Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
I think also to that point, maybe if everybody took
an interest not everybody, but if some people took an
interest in fashion but also love the idea of styling
behind fashion, okay, and then that way you could still
have a limited wardrobe and if you knew how to
style yourself, or if you push the envelop and you
recreated looks, you probably would find so many more looks
(13:15):
in your wardrobe than you realize.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
We're even there.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yeah, the combinations exactly, rather than going, oh, no, I
need something for this weekend and get that's new and
cheap and you're probably.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Never wearing exactly. You've talked about the black blazer.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Do you have any other little tricks for making outfits
feel effortless but refined but cool?
Speaker 1 (13:32):
But shit, I've run out of time.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I mean, oh yeah, no, absolutely, I mean, so let's
just start with that black blazer again. So you can
wear that blazer closed, you can wear it open, you
can also belt it.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
That one blazer will.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Look completely different depending on what you're wearing with the
other thing is I mean, this might be a little
bit quirky for some people, but you can wear the
blazer back to front, you put the arms in, you
butt in it at the back, and you can also
belt it. So what I'm saying is recreating certain elements. Okay,
what else can you have in your wardrobe? So a belt,
so really good belt is really important. A beautiful shoe,
(14:06):
so it could be one boot and one sandal and
one trainer, but make sure that the quality is beautiful
and it will last. So what I do with my
shoes is I take my shoe to a cobbler, you know,
to one of the guys that where you can get
your keys cut, and they usually have machinery in there.
And again, you're creating a service for somebody else. You're
sort of you're buying into their service, and they're making
(14:29):
your products look brand new. And they do that with shoes,
they do that with bags.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I do that a lot. I do too.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
It's funny you say, that's just been my ten year
wedding anniversary. I wore Alexander McQueen heels that I've still got,
but they're in pretty bad shape. And I thought, oh,
buy new ones for you know, the anniversary. And I went, no,
you know what, And I took the old ones and
he made them look almost brand new for sixty bucks.
Brilliant and the sentimental value of wearing them ten years later,
you know, it was not as exciting as new shoes,
but then it felt so good to give them new
(14:55):
life and the memories.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, So imagine if you had.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
A court shoe and you added a brooch to the
front of it, and then suddenly you're taking a plane
shoe and you're adding an element that makes it look
completely different, and then you wear that all season and
then you've got your new shoe as well. I've seen
people do that with clip on earrings, which is actually
very clever.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
But you can also color shoes.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You can also have them painted, So there are different
ways of recreating things.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Same with bags.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
You can put a scarf around a handle, you can
dress a bag up like there's also at the moment,
you know, people putting trinkets and bags to their bag.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Absolutely, So there are different ways of being super creative
in reinventing your wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Oh, I know you maybe want to go home and
think I've got a lot of like beige and cream
leather shoes, and I'm like, they're dead, but I could
die them.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Work events, this is something.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
We get a lot because people either think work is boring, slash,
I'll just go by whatever, or they feel like they
have to look very professional but not cool. They get
confused about fashion and work because apparently they can't go together.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
You and I work in fashion, so that's different.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
But do you have any tips for people that might
be a bit more corporate than you and I to
look sharp, feel confident, but still get the most out
of their wardrobe so they're not just wearing it.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Absolutely, I mean, we have a lot of clients that
work in a corporate setting and it's about matching sets.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
So for those particularly corporate that need.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
To wear, a suit is one element, but you can
also look very corporate just in a matching set. So
matching blouse with a matching skirt, or a matching blous
with a matching pant, and then you put again your
black blazer or a blaser over the top of it.
But the thing is, you could have a black suit,
or you could have a blue suit. You could have
any colored suit, and as long as you had lovely
blouses and different colored blouses. And again you could have
(16:37):
a pussy blow blouse, which means you have the bow
that you tie in front, which again will make a
suit look really different. So you can reinvent a suit
by simply reinventing how you style it and what shirts
or what.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Blouses that you put with it.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
The other thing as well, is because oversized jackets and oversized.
Anything looks effortless and looks cool. There is a way
to also think about wearing items a little bit bigger
and just making it look like it falls and hangs
really comfortably on you as well. There's something very confident
about that. Yeah, it's not that we have to have
like our traditional ten year ago sort of fitted blazer
(17:13):
and then you wear you cool one on the weekend.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
You can make them work for both totally.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And you can also bring to work a pair of
heels if you're wearing flats all day, and if you're
going straight from work to an evening party, you can
easily just put on a fantastic shoe, change the bag
from a satchel or whatever to an evening bag, and
you can add some crystals, put on neck pieces, do
your hair up at the makeup, and maybe change the
(17:37):
top or not even change the top, you know, at
a belt, and then you know, you really can style
yourself up on the other end of the scale every
day where I mean, I'm guilty of this. I have
a big wardrobe, but then a couple of days a
week I'm literally in my daggiestliggings and my balled up
T shirts. And I'm like, no one see me today,
and then that's when I bump into people. So is
there a key to still feeling put together? And you know,
(17:59):
just running around? But like we said before, you put
in that little bit of extra effort even if you're
just running errands, and you feel better for the day.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
You know, you don't care if you run into people.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Well, I would never wear a T shirt and tracksuit
pants together. I'd wear a T shirt, but i'd wear
it with a dress bottom. Or I'd wear a tracksuit
pants but i'd wear it with a blouse, yeah, Or
blouse and a vase that yes, and a sandal. So
I think it's about how you coordinate the pieces together.
So if you're wearing a T shirt and leggings and trackies,
then yes, you're going to look super casual and there's
(18:30):
no way around it. But if you mix it up
with items that aren't as casual, then you can definitely
do that. I mean, let's face it, you're in trackies.
You don't want to change, but you can quickly within
thirty seconds, change your top, put on a shirt, put
on a cotton shirt, pull the color up. That's why
my trench is hanging by the front door because I'm
like I can pretty much tide anything under my waist.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
There's that trench. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Obviously having a retail offering, do you shop anywhere else?
Do you shop in real life? What's your personal like shopping?
Obviously all of my clothes are from palor Ex, and
my bags and my shoes and my bits and my pieces, sunglasses, everything. However,
I do have two daughters and they love shopping, and
I am in the process of teaching them the value
(19:11):
of shopping. They do not have my budget and they
do not have access. I will pass bits and pieces
down to them, but I'm not passing anything precious just
yet because I don't feel that they will look after
it well enough. So what we do is a family
little excursion. So after our Saturday netball, because both my
girls play, we at least once a month take a
little trip to leave markets. I started out exploring and
(19:35):
understanding fashion from the markets.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
So I am that old that.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I remember Saturday mornings, I'd go in exactly and it
was padding to markets. And that was back in the
day when Zimmermann started at the market. There were so
many different brands that started at the markets. And the
markets was a launching pad. It was also a place
where you could pick up inexpensive pieces, and you felt
that you were providing the vendors with their revenue for
(19:59):
items that they had potentially made themselves. And it didn't
feel that you were in this circular economy of fast fashion.
You feel you're contributing to something that was exactly shop
a lot.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
At the markets, we make jewelry together.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
There there's little jewelry stations sometimes as well, there are
a few secondhand designer places, and so when my kids
want something that I'm not quite prepared to pay that amount,
sometimes we'll find it there and we'll go home. We'll
wash it together, and we'll talk about the fabrication, we'll
talk about circular economy. For example, even brought in with
me today. Even though I have access to so many
(20:33):
pairs of sunglasses, I often buy sulass.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
On back actually often a lot, but.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I've always got four or ofs Yeah, so I've brought
in these sunglasses to show you.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
And it's quite funny.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
And because we do sell luxury sunglasses and I wear
them as well.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yes, I'm a bit of a sunglass box.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
So I will find styles in the market that you
can never ever find.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Oh there's a fabulous anywhere else particulars.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Oh they're so good on you, And everybody ask me
where I get them from.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
They all think I'm going to rattle off some.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Luxury rag and probably like, okay, I couldn't see those
in power. So they come out exactly and they don't
realize that I spent ten dollars and put them at
the mark. So when I was there for my children,
because I do like the experience of shopping, I kind
of kind of help myself and I start smelling people's
perfumes or you know, I bought a really lovely anklet
for myself from a guy that was importing product from India,
and you know, and then there's other people that have
(21:24):
chili oils. And so I like the markets because it
reminds me of my childhood and that's when I learned
how to shop and the value of shopping and the value.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
For a community too.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Doesn't it like what it was back in the marketplace,
back in the day, where exactly meet the people behind,
you know, and you can ask those questions. And sometimes
some of the brands have little sales, so you know,
my daughter was so excited because the swimwear brand that
she loves was having a sale and she was able
to buy that. So yeah, I love the markets and
I agree with you one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
The community.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
There's often music playing, and there's people there and they're
making food and often they've made it at home and
they're coming there. And also it feels quite multicultural because
the sine is from all different nationalities.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
I really enjoy the market. So that's my low that's
inspired me to go.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I haven't I do a lot of thrifting, but I
haven't been to a market in quite a while, and
that has inspired me to go to some local ones
soon now quickly, before we get onto bougie and budget.
You mentioned fabrication a little bit in teaching your daughters
about that. Can you give us some tips on fabrics
that feel luxurious but that might not be expensive, or
fabrics that we should avoid.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I mean, I know that's a whole.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Topic in anomena because I'm glad because no, because what
I might say now could defy what a lot of
other people think and feel. So I do not believe
that man made fibers are all terrible. I love you
and I do not believe that they all should or
will end up in landfilm. And I say that because
(22:49):
some of the brands that I represent and that I've
been stocking for almost twenty five years, they don't use
man made fibers. And these are very highly creative brands
that their pieces have held the value of time.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
If you they are man made, no, not made made.
So this is what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
So the thing is, some of these brands that have designs,
if they were one hundred percent cotton, if they were
being washed over this twenty year period, they would have
disintegrated by now. And so some of these pieces that
are man made fibers, they've stood the test of time,
and I can hand those down to my daughter and
they will cherish them and they'll understand the value of those.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
So don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
I'm not entirely endorsing all man made fibers, and I'm
not entirely putting down natural made fibers, not at all.
I see the merit on both sides, and I also
see the complexities around both sides. What I will say
is there are some rayons and some viscosses that are
completely breathable. So very, very different to the boom or
(23:50):
old fashions.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Emotion.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Yeah no, because rayons today and beautiful quality viscosses, your
skin breathes, there's you know, the perspiration doesn't necessarily go
hand in hand. And they're not creacible, So you can
put them in your suitcase, you can go traveling, you
can wear them at a meeting and then go out
at night and not worry that I'm sitting all day.
You're going to have creases on your pants or on
(24:13):
your blouse. So there's a lot of merit. And as
long as they don't end up in landfield, if they
are a beautiful quality, they shouldn't. They can be passed
down or they'll go into a circular economy's some sort.
I have to say that I have one blaze that
I just take for travel all the time. It's synthetic.
I don't know what it is, but it doesn't crush.
It still looks great. I can chuck it on the floor,
I can survive in the overhead locker and I get
(24:34):
off and it looks great. And I know I should
have a wall or whatever, but it depends. I think
the issue is when people feel that it's going to
end up in landfield. That's when it's a problem, if
it feels like it's something that's going to last you
a lifetime or something that will end up back in
the circular economy. I think people are okay with that.
I think I agree.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
No, I agree absolutely, it's very expensive.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
How wond are these percent?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
I'm going to go first because I chose my boogie
from the Parlor X website.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I did my homework. I'm so good. I love a
T shirt.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I live in T shirts. Not today, But I didn't
know that Parlor X. You do your own teas the
Parlor X the xt in why they're so faul so.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Did not expect you to say that? Did you not know?
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Honestly, I'm always a tea and a blazer one hundred
and twenty five dollars. So that's my boogie because obviously
you could go to uniclob but this is so cool.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
What's your bougie? It can be very bougie.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Well, I brought it with me today and that's my
bag about her.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Yeah, so I brought her because she's my bougie. Usually
it's a bag, okay.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
So you know it's because often the bags, even if
they're very, very discreeched. People can recognize that absolutely. So
the bag is often a bit of a bougie giveaway, so.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You stock a liar.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
We've had a liar since the beginning of Parlor X
almost so it's one of our most important partnerships and
we have it exclusively.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Do you know the style name. Yeah, this is called
the Teckle.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Oh wow, it's it's almost okay, I'm going to butcher this,
but it's almost like a pencil case. It's like a
baggette sort of shape, very wearable strap, not uncomfortable.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Well that was the whole point.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
It fits so much and it's quite smart, so you
can wear it in the evening if you're going from data.
It's actually very versatile and yes, the longest straps under layers.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Uh oh, you've sold me.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Okay, My budget are a pair of pants that I
found on the Iconic. Now, I love Mango or MNG
for some high street stuff. The Iconic gets a bit
of it here, but you can also shop online from overseas.
But these are just called the Grace Trousers one hundred
and fifty nine ninety five dollars and they're just a
really simple sort of tapelet at the ankle.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Not quite a barrel because it's not a gene.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
But I just feel like those could be a really
good classic pair of pants that people could wear with
a t shirt, with a tank, with a denim jacket,
with your trench. So they're my budget lovely, what about you?
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Are you?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Are they your market Sunny's? It is my market Sunny.
It's actually not just my market Sunny's. I also have
my market ankle, and I have some bracelets sometimes if
I want to have a bit of a bohemian feel,
I've got quite a few really cool bracelets that I
buy at the markets. And sometimes if I want to
buy the kids just a little treat, it'll be a
(27:23):
trinket from the markets along with my Those subclasses are fabulous.
I need the pink pear but with a darker frame.
But yeah, I'm going to head to the markets.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
EVA.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Congratulations on such a long standing career through all of
the ups and downs and long mate, continue, Thank you
for joining me, thank you to thank you for listening
to Nothing to Wear, and don't forget to sign up
to the Nothing to Wear news that i'n't there's a
link in the show notes. This episode was produced by
Cassie Merritt, with audio production by Lou Hill.
So much. You're listening to a MoMA Mia podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mama Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters
that this podcast is recorded.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
On Hey you bes lee here now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
For many of us, Sunday is for self care and
for me that includes planning my outfits for the week.
Nothing to Wear is dropping now in the U Beauty feed,
So if you need a little bit of outfit or
wardrobe inspo, have a listen.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Whoever said orange is the new pink with seriously disturb
laurels for spraying groundbreaking?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Oh my god, you have to do it. You live
for fashion.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hello and welcome to Nothing to Wear, the podcast that
solves stussion problems and levels up your wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
I'm a chamberlan.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Every week I chat to an expert who helps us
work out how to get more out of the clothes
we already own and tells us exactly what is and
isn't worth adding to our wardrobe. Today, I'm chatting with
fashion expert Eva Gaalambers. She's the powerhouse behind Parlor X,
which is an iconic luxury fashion destination here in Sydney,
and her business has survived twenty five years. It's not
(01:15):
just about retail she's a visionary, she's a style master,
and she's going to talk us through curating a wardrobe
that she polished and comfortable, but also not super expensive.
You're not going to have to get a credit card
or mortgage your house. We're going to talk about choosing
the right fabrics and some few very clever little styling
hacks that will instantly elevate your outfit. Eva, thank you
(01:39):
for joining me. I said to you off air, I'm
a little bit scared, and you said, people often say
that it's because you own such a fancy store and
a fancy brand. And I must say I was looking
for a fortieth thress a few years ago and I
went into Parlor X and I didn't find it there.
But this stuff was so welcoming, so friendly, so helpful.
So we don't need to be scared, right.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
No, definitely much.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It's a misconception. I understand where it may stem from,
but it is a misconception. And at the end of
the day, the most important thing for me within the
context of my business is to always provide exemporary service
because our repeat clients is the most important aspect of
our business.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well, I left feeling great.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Now we're here to talk a whole bunch of different things, luxury,
how to look polished, how to not have to mortgage
our houses. But first I want to start with you.
Can you describe your own personal style in three words?
Three words is difficult, but I will try. Creative, confident,
and polished, love creative. We've not had creative before, I
(02:37):
don't think. And that's such a good one because it
paints a picture, but could mean something different to everyone exactly. Okay,
The theory that rings pretty true for a lot of
people is that we have a whole wardrobe, but there's
ninety percent that we like and wear, but then there's
ten percent that we just rely on wash where love.
What's in your ten percent that's your most loved, most
you stuff. Okay, so I'm going to tone down the
(03:01):
answer to this because, as you can imagine, I probably
own a little bit more than what your average person
owns because it goes with the territory.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
It's the job.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
But for me, the number one on key piece is
a black blazer. I do own Motolpis, but my suggestion
to anybody would be to own one well made, beautifully
crafted black blazer because that could last in your wardrobe
for over twenty years, and why do you reach for
yours or one of yours all the time?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
What are you pairing it with?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well? To be honest, I use my blazer more often
than not when I want to polish an outfit or
make sure that it looks tailored. So sometimes I'll also
juxtaposition it. So if I'm wearing something particularly casual and
then I want to look smart, I'll add a black
blazer to it. So for me, the blazer is an
element of tailoring that is just completely necessary to make
(03:52):
any outfit look sophisticated. Love it, No, I'm thinking what
black blazers I've got before we jump into the rest
of the episode, anything else that you just love? Where
are you a jeans girl? I'm not the hugest jeans girl.
I sometimes wear jeans, but very very rarely. And when
I do wear jeans, they're tailored, they're high waist and
their wide leg. I don't wear them in a casual way,
(04:13):
and I will wear them when I'm feeling like I
want to tone a blue outfit together. So it's kind
of tied into more of a color theme than it is.
More the fabric, yeah, than the utilitarian like exactlyans for
a running that's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I like that. Gosh, I'll take any reason to wear jeans.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Now, many people in Sydney will know Parlor REX, but
for those who don't, you know, for our national international listeners,
what is parlor X? How did you get started? And
how has a retail offering like yours survived these years
and decades of so much change. Okay, it's a massive
question that start with the bit about Parlor X and
who we are and how we came into being. I
(04:52):
created Parlor X over twenty years ago, so in fact
we'll be, you know, celebrating our twenty five years not
too far away.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, and I have to say I am also marveling
at the fact that we're still in existence, given what's
gone on in the industry and the massive amount of changes.
But getting back to who we are and what we
stand for. Parlor X was created with the idea of
bringing to people a art gallery style appreciation of fashion
in the way that people normally appreciate art. So the
(05:24):
idea is that you will buy fashion that will appreciate
in value, stand the test of time, and have a
memory or a keynote story which could come from the
purchasing right through to the idea around purchasing. But it's
the idea that fashion and beautiful quality, beautifully made fashion
(05:45):
can be seen almost like art. And so the idea
was to present that to Sydney at a time when
the offering in Sydney was very limited. I mean this
is before online shopping, yes, or fast fashion, before social media.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah, it was well before amazing.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, so what influenced us back then was very different
to what influences us today obviously, but yeah, back then
the Sydney offering was limited, but it wasn't just that
everybody was bringing in designs a season behind and so
for those who travel frequently, they would then see what
is being passed off as new season as a season behind.
(06:19):
And a lot of that had to do with the
fact that it's Southern Hemisphere versus Northern Hemisphere climate. But
it was completely and totally doable and so that was
one of the most important aspects of starting Parlor X
and presenting current collections to the Australian clientele. Wow, that's amazing,
I know, because before we had the Internet. That sounds
like we're dinosaurs. We didn't have that transparency of what
(06:41):
was happening. We just things hit stores. We thought it
was new, and we bought it and you were like,
hang on, no, poor Australia, let's get them up to speed.
Now you have such a sharp eye for fashion, how
would you define your own style philosophy or shopping philosophy.
All of our wardrobes are only as big as they are,
so for me, when I acquire new pieces, it also
(07:02):
means I have to discard pieces, so I feel guilty
if I have too much or if I want to
take too my It makes me almost feel glutt in it.
So on the one hand, I want to celebrate my
word rewards with acquiring beautiful pieces because that's what we
do and it makes us feel good. But on the
other hand, there's a circular element to that, and that
is that I need to discard anything that I don't
(07:24):
wear often enough or that doesn't feel like it represents
who I am anymore. So I guess there's certain pieces
in my wardrobe that have been there, certain looks and
certain fields, and to be honest with you, certain brands.
And we go back to when I described my personal
style as creative. So there are certain brands that are
extremely creative that I consider it to be extremely creative.
(07:45):
And I still have pieces for thirty years, and some
of these brands even go into their archives and recreate,
and some of the pieces aren't even as good as
what they were at the very beginning. But I still
stuck a lot of those brands and a lot of
those collections. So it's a building block. So I see
my wardrobe as a constant building block, as a constant outlet,
so to speak, of just building from previous seasons and
(08:08):
previous collections.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh, I love that. I want to comply in your wardrobe.
Now you've built this incredible career in fashion. I also
wonder do you feel the pressure or is there a
pressure to always look good because you aren such an
incredible fashion brand. But from all of that, have you
learned any tips or tricks for dressing well no matter
the occasion. It's funny, I don't feel pressure from anybody
else other than myself. So I don't feel good about
(08:33):
myself unless I feel that I look good. So looking
good is important to me. And I understand that every
person has their priorities in life, and we're all extremely busy,
whether we're raising children, or we're juggling jobs, or you know,
just juggling life. In general, we're all very busy. So
we make sacrifices according to time, and we decide what's
a priority to us. And for me, looking good is
(08:56):
a priority because it's completely tied into how I feel
about myself and my sense of self worth and my
sense of fulfillment and my sense of success. So for me,
when I look in the mirror, if I'm not happy
with what I see, if I'm not happy with how
I'm prison denting myself, I will take that little bit
of extra time to make sure that whatever it is,
I spruce up so that when I walk out that door,
I feel presentable in the way that I want to
(09:18):
be presented. And when you say looking good, you mean
looking good for yourself, going I feel like for me,
I feel like this makes me feel powerful look, you know,
going back to the creative thing.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I don't dress for everybody.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
You know, my personal style is unique to me and
there are a lot of stars and also silhouettes that
I wear that people are often shocked at, you know,
or surprised.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
When I say shocked, I'm not wacky in any way.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
But for example, I have oversized and voluminous clothing is
very much part of my staple dressing. And I'm not
actually a very big person, but I regardless, I like
dressing in clothes that are quite voluminous. And on the
occasion when I am not wearing a voluminous outfit and
I'm dressed tailored or I'm wearing something quite so, yeah,
(10:03):
people around me are shocked and it's met with why
are you wearing more of that? Or why do you
not expose yourself more? And it's because I dress for
myself and my confidence comes from within. It doesn't matter
to me how people perceive me, whether I'm bigger or
smaller or what even that means?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Who cares? You know, I dress in a way that
I feel good for myself. It's so true.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
You know, closer can just be closed, but they make
you feel powerful or confident or happy, and you.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Know what, That's what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Now.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
People might presume or assume that you're only about high
end or luxury, but you have some great insights into
curating a wardrobe that can feel luxurious but without a
super high price tag. Slash selling our car slash, getting
another mortgage. So what's the secret to looking lux but
not going into thousands of credit card debt? Okay, So
(10:59):
I'm sure everybody's heard variations of what I'm going to
say time and time again, but I guess this is
my take on it. I think it is impossible to
look sooner relax without owning one or two key luxurious pieces.
How you acquire them is a different story, because obviously
now with the explosion on the circular economy of secondhand
(11:22):
and secondhand designer clothing and assignments, consignments, and it's not
necessarily about breaking the bank, and it's not necessarily about that.
But I also think there has to be a reality
check too, because I think there's a lot of people
constantly acquiring fast fashion, and if you add up in
the year what was spent on fast fashion, and if
you take that budget and you carefully buy one or
(11:44):
two key pieces and then a few pieces. I don't
endorse fast fashion, but you can certainly go to the markets.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
You can vert a glee market. No, you can get range,
of course, exactly.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
No.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
But that I'm happy, I mean, I love that I
want to endorse and support up and coming designers who
have their own unique design element.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I guess when I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Fast fast fashion, I'm talking about institutions that will emulate
other people's designs. I think if they're rapid land films,
it ends up.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
In that fool exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think the key is recognizing and acknowledging what is
a sophisticated, luxurious piece. But it doesn't necessarily mean it
has to be a brand that is associated with that.
It just means that the quality of the production, the
quality of the fabrications, the buttons, whether or not, the
seams even and perfectly symmetrical, you know, understanding what divines
(12:34):
what is perceived to be beautiful quality. Everybody's price range
is different according to them. And also just I think
a lot of the show this year so far is
about taking a beat and really considering purchases, Yes, making
sure it's not just an emotional purchase.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And really making it more considered. Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
I think also to that point, maybe if everybody took
an interest not everybody, but if some people took an
interest in fashion but also love the idea of styling
behind fashion, okay, and then that way you could still
have a limited wardrobe and if you knew how to
style yourself, or if you push the envelop and you
recreated looks, you probably would find so many more looks
(13:15):
in your wardrobe than you realize.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
We're even there.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yeah, the combinations exactly, rather than going, oh, no, I
need something for this weekend and get that's new and
cheap and you're probably.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Never wearing exactly. You've talked about the black blazer.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Do you have any other little tricks for making outfits
feel effortless but refined but cool?
Speaker 1 (13:32):
But shit, I've run out of time.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I mean, oh yeah, no, absolutely, I mean, so let's
just start with that black blazer again. So you can
wear that blazer closed, you can wear it open, you
can also belt it.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
That one blazer will.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Look completely different depending on what you're wearing with the
other thing is I mean, this might be a little
bit quirky for some people, but you can wear the
blazer back to front, you put the arms in, you
butt in it at the back, and you can also
belt it. So what I'm saying is recreating certain elements. Okay,
what else can you have in your wardrobe? So a belt,
so really good belt is really important. A beautiful shoe,
(14:06):
so it could be one boot and one sandal and
one trainer, but make sure that the quality is beautiful
and it will last. So what I do with my
shoes is I take my shoe to a cobbler, you know,
to one of the guys that where you can get
your keys cut, and they usually have machinery in there.
And again, you're creating a service for somebody else. You're
sort of you're buying into their service, and they're making
(14:29):
your products look brand new. And they do that with shoes,
they do that with bags.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I do that a lot. I do too.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
It's funny you say, that's just been my ten year
wedding anniversary. I wore Alexander McQueen heels that I've still got,
but they're in pretty bad shape. And I thought, oh,
buy new ones for you know, the anniversary. And I went, no,
you know what, And I took the old ones and
he made them look almost brand new for sixty bucks.
Brilliant and the sentimental value of wearing them ten years later,
you know, it was not as exciting as new shoes,
but then it felt so good to give them new
(14:55):
life and the memories.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, So imagine if you had.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
A court shoe and you added a brooch to the
front of it, and then suddenly you're taking a plane
shoe and you're adding an element that makes it look
completely different, and then you wear that all season and
then you've got your new shoe as well. I've seen
people do that with clip on earrings, which is actually
very clever.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
But you can also color shoes.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You can also have them painted, So there are different
ways of recreating things.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Same with bags.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
You can put a scarf around a handle, you can
dress a bag up like there's also at the moment,
you know, people putting trinkets and bags to their bag.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Absolutely, So there are different ways of being super creative
in reinventing your wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Oh, I know you maybe want to go home and
think I've got a lot of like beige and cream
leather shoes, and I'm like, they're dead, but I could
die them.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Work events, this is something.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
We get a lot because people either think work is boring, slash,
I'll just go by whatever, or they feel like they
have to look very professional but not cool. They get
confused about fashion and work because apparently they can't go together.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
You and I work in fashion, so that's different.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
But do you have any tips for people that might
be a bit more corporate than you and I to
look sharp, feel confident, but still get the most out
of their wardrobe so they're not just wearing it.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Absolutely, I mean, we have a lot of clients that
work in a corporate setting and it's about matching sets.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
So for those particularly corporate that need.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
To wear, a suit is one element, but you can
also look very corporate just in a matching set. So
matching blouse with a matching skirt, or a matching blous
with a matching pant, and then you put again your
black blazer or a blaser over the top of it.
But the thing is, you could have a black suit,
or you could have a blue suit. You could have
any colored suit, and as long as you had lovely
blouses and different colored blouses. And again you could have
(16:37):
a pussy blow blouse, which means you have the bow
that you tie in front, which again will make a
suit look really different. So you can reinvent a suit
by simply reinventing how you style it and what shirts
or what.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Blouses that you put with it.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
The other thing as well, is because oversized jackets and oversized.
Anything looks effortless and looks cool. There is a way
to also think about wearing items a little bit bigger
and just making it look like it falls and hangs
really comfortably on you as well. There's something very confident
about that. Yeah, it's not that we have to have
like our traditional ten year ago sort of fitted blazer
(17:13):
and then you wear you cool one on the weekend.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
You can make them work for both totally.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And you can also bring to work a pair of
heels if you're wearing flats all day, and if you're
going straight from work to an evening party, you can
easily just put on a fantastic shoe, change the bag
from a satchel or whatever to an evening bag, and
you can add some crystals, put on neck pieces, do
your hair up at the makeup, and maybe change the
(17:37):
top or not even change the top, you know, at
a belt, and then you know, you really can style
yourself up on the other end of the scale every
day where I mean, I'm guilty of this. I have
a big wardrobe, but then a couple of days a
week I'm literally in my daggiestliggings and my balled up
T shirts. And I'm like, no one see me today,
and then that's when I bump into people. So is
there a key to still feeling put together? And you know,
(17:59):
just running around? But like we said before, you put
in that little bit of extra effort even if you're
just running errands, and you feel better for the day.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
You know, you don't care if you run into people.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Well, I would never wear a T shirt and tracksuit
pants together. I'd wear a T shirt, but i'd wear
it with a dress bottom. Or I'd wear a tracksuit
pants but i'd wear it with a blouse, yeah, Or
blouse and a vase that yes, and a sandal. So
I think it's about how you coordinate the pieces together.
So if you're wearing a T shirt and leggings and trackies,
then yes, you're going to look super casual and there's
(18:30):
no way around it. But if you mix it up
with items that aren't as casual, then you can definitely
do that. I mean, let's face it, you're in trackies.
You don't want to change, but you can quickly within
thirty seconds, change your top, put on a shirt, put
on a cotton shirt, pull the color up. That's why
my trench is hanging by the front door because I'm
like I can pretty much tide anything under my waist.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
There's that trench. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Obviously having a retail offering, do you shop anywhere else?
Do you shop in real life? What's your personal like shopping?
Obviously all of my clothes are from palor Ex, and
my bags and my shoes and my bits and my pieces, sunglasses, everything. However,
I do have two daughters and they love shopping, and
I am in the process of teaching them the value
(19:11):
of shopping. They do not have my budget and they
do not have access. I will pass bits and pieces
down to them, but I'm not passing anything precious just
yet because I don't feel that they will look after
it well enough. So what we do is a family
little excursion. So after our Saturday netball, because both my
girls play, we at least once a month take a
little trip to leave markets. I started out exploring and
(19:35):
understanding fashion from the markets.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
So I am that old that.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I remember Saturday mornings, I'd go in exactly and it
was padding to markets. And that was back in the
day when Zimmermann started at the market. There were so
many different brands that started at the markets. And the
markets was a launching pad. It was also a place
where you could pick up inexpensive pieces, and you felt
that you were providing the vendors with their revenue for
(19:59):
items that they had potentially made themselves. And it didn't
feel that you were in this circular economy of fast fashion.
You feel you're contributing to something that was exactly shop
a lot.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
At the markets, we make jewelry together.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
There there's little jewelry stations sometimes as well, there are
a few secondhand designer places, and so when my kids
want something that I'm not quite prepared to pay that amount,
sometimes we'll find it there and we'll go home. We'll
wash it together, and we'll talk about the fabrication, we'll
talk about circular economy. For example, even brought in with
me today. Even though I have access to so many
(20:33):
pairs of sunglasses, I often buy sulass.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
On back actually often a lot, but.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I've always got four or ofs Yeah, so I've brought
in these sunglasses to show you.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
And it's quite funny.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
And because we do sell luxury sunglasses and I wear
them as well.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yes, I'm a bit of a sunglass box.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
So I will find styles in the market that you
can never ever find.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Oh there's a fabulous anywhere else particulars.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Oh they're so good on you, And everybody ask me
where I get them from.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
They all think I'm going to rattle off some.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Luxury rag and probably like, okay, I couldn't see those
in power. So they come out exactly and they don't
realize that I spent ten dollars and put them at
the mark. So when I was there for my children,
because I do like the experience of shopping, I kind
of kind of help myself and I start smelling people's
perfumes or you know, I bought a really lovely anklet
for myself from a guy that was importing product from India,
and you know, and then there's other people that have
(21:24):
chili oils. And so I like the markets because it
reminds me of my childhood and that's when I learned
how to shop and the value of shopping and the value.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
For a community too.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Doesn't it like what it was back in the marketplace,
back in the day, where exactly meet the people behind,
you know, and you can ask those questions. And sometimes
some of the brands have little sales, so you know,
my daughter was so excited because the swimwear brand that
she loves was having a sale and she was able
to buy that. So yeah, I love the markets and
I agree with you one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
The community.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
There's often music playing, and there's people there and they're
making food and often they've made it at home and
they're coming there. And also it feels quite multicultural because
the sine is from all different nationalities.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
I really enjoy the market. So that's my low that's
inspired me to go.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I haven't I do a lot of thrifting, but I
haven't been to a market in quite a while, and
that has inspired me to go to some local ones
soon now quickly, before we get onto bougie and budget.
You mentioned fabrication a little bit in teaching your daughters
about that. Can you give us some tips on fabrics
that feel luxurious but that might not be expensive, or
fabrics that we should avoid.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I mean, I know that's a whole.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Topic in anomena because I'm glad because no, because what
I might say now could defy what a lot of
other people think and feel. So I do not believe
that man made fibers are all terrible. I love you
and I do not believe that they all should or
will end up in landfilm. And I say that because
(22:49):
some of the brands that I represent and that I've
been stocking for almost twenty five years, they don't use
man made fibers. And these are very highly creative brands
that their pieces have held the value of time.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
If you they are man made, no, not made made.
So this is what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
So the thing is, some of these brands that have designs,
if they were one hundred percent cotton, if they were
being washed over this twenty year period, they would have
disintegrated by now. And so some of these pieces that
are man made fibers, they've stood the test of time,
and I can hand those down to my daughter and
they will cherish them and they'll understand the value of those.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
So don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
I'm not entirely endorsing all man made fibers, and I'm
not entirely putting down natural made fibers, not at all.
I see the merit on both sides, and I also
see the complexities around both sides. What I will say
is there are some rayons and some viscosses that are
completely breathable. So very, very different to the boom or
(23:50):
old fashions.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Emotion.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Yeah no, because rayons today and beautiful quality viscosses, your
skin breathes, there's you know, the perspiration doesn't necessarily go
hand in hand. And they're not creacible, So you can
put them in your suitcase, you can go traveling, you
can wear them at a meeting and then go out
at night and not worry that I'm sitting all day.
You're going to have creases on your pants or on
(24:13):
your blouse. So there's a lot of merit. And as
long as they don't end up in landfield, if they
are a beautiful quality, they shouldn't. They can be passed
down or they'll go into a circular economy's some sort.
I have to say that I have one blaze that
I just take for travel all the time. It's synthetic.
I don't know what it is, but it doesn't crush.
It still looks great. I can chuck it on the floor,
I can survive in the overhead locker and I get
(24:34):
off and it looks great. And I know I should
have a wall or whatever, but it depends. I think
the issue is when people feel that it's going to
end up in landfield. That's when it's a problem, if
it feels like it's something that's going to last you
a lifetime or something that will end up back in
the circular economy. I think people are okay with that.
I think I agree.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
No, I agree absolutely, it's very expensive.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
How wond are these percent?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
I'm going to go first because I chose my boogie
from the Parlor X website.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I did my homework. I'm so good. I love a
T shirt.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I live in T shirts. Not today, But I didn't
know that Parlor X. You do your own teas the
Parlor X the xt in why they're so faul so.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Did not expect you to say that? Did you not know?
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Honestly, I'm always a tea and a blazer one hundred
and twenty five dollars. So that's my boogie because obviously
you could go to uniclob but this is so cool.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
What's your bougie? It can be very bougie.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Well, I brought it with me today and that's my
bag about her.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Yeah, so I brought her because she's my bougie. Usually
it's a bag, okay.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
So you know it's because often the bags, even if
they're very, very discreeched. People can recognize that absolutely. So
the bag is often a bit of a bougie giveaway, so.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You stock a liar.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
We've had a liar since the beginning of Parlor X
almost so it's one of our most important partnerships and
we have it exclusively.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Do you know the style name. Yeah, this is called
the Teckle.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Oh wow, it's it's almost okay, I'm going to butcher this,
but it's almost like a pencil case. It's like a
baggette sort of shape, very wearable strap, not uncomfortable.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Well that was the whole point.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
It fits so much and it's quite smart, so you
can wear it in the evening if you're going from data.
It's actually very versatile and yes, the longest straps under layers.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Uh oh, you've sold me.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Okay, My budget are a pair of pants that I
found on the Iconic. Now, I love Mango or MNG
for some high street stuff. The Iconic gets a bit
of it here, but you can also shop online from overseas.
But these are just called the Grace Trousers one hundred
and fifty nine ninety five dollars and they're just a
really simple sort of tapelet at the ankle.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Not quite a barrel because it's not a gene.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
But I just feel like those could be a really
good classic pair of pants that people could wear with
a t shirt, with a tank, with a denim jacket,
with your trench. So they're my budget lovely, what about you?
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Are you?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Are they your market Sunny's? It is my market Sunny.
It's actually not just my market Sunny's. I also have
my market ankle, and I have some bracelets sometimes if
I want to have a bit of a bohemian feel,
I've got quite a few really cool bracelets that I
buy at the markets. And sometimes if I want to
buy the kids just a little treat, it'll be a
(27:23):
trinket from the markets along with my Those subclasses are fabulous.
I need the pink pear but with a darker frame.
But yeah, I'm going to head to the markets.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
EVA.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Congratulations on such a long standing career through all of
the ups and downs and long mate, continue, Thank you
for joining me, thank you to thank you for listening
to Nothing to Wear, and don't forget to sign up
to the Nothing to Wear news that i'n't there's a
link in the show notes. This episode was produced by
Cassie Merritt, with audio production by Lou Hill.
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