Hello, my name is Kat and I'm an Online Shopping-aholic.

I actually said that once, or along those lines, in an interview with Girlfriend magazine. But I meant it. Online shopping is the dogs bollocks, man. For a self-confessed and rather proud shopaholic, the 24/7 global shopping strip available at your fingertips is thrilling, to say the least. Of course, Frock You is my personal fave (!)- last night I picked up the GRAB Hunter vintage blue skinnies I've been eyeing off for ages (perfect for Spring, more flattering than pale denim but work back perfectly with lighter colours) which were conveniently marked down a few weeks ago to $99.95; the Little Potty Red Shoes Hollywood Smile Skirt in bold purple; the GRAB Pleat pocket vest which is soooo comfy and sooo cool, looks much better than the pic - cos it's black lightweight cotton knit it's hard to get the detailing in, but it will be perfect for layering over tees and tanks, with shorts and over frocks to gove a bit of balance betweeen girly/tough in the summer; and the cute Birds of a feather Venus s/s jacket, though I took the last one cos it's been one of my fave pieces ever since it landed instore. It felt like a nice big reward after a long week!

In more gratiuitous Frock news, you'll be pleased to know we've picked up a few more particularly awesome labels for high summer/winter 09: Motel is a UK label with loads of street cred, insanely popular in the motherland but just making its mark here and in the US. Favoured by cool songstresses like Duffy and the Ting Tings, I can't wait for the first range in Nov - it manages to walk that fine line between girly and rock chic, with an ample dash of quirkiness thrown in. Oh and it's priced from about $60-$120 so you won't need to take out a personal loan either. We've also taken on Mimosa, the brainchild of the smark chicky behind GRAB - basically, as she's gotten older she created a more grown up range aimed at the 25-35 market (roughly; neither me or my mum fall into this category but I've shown her the samples and she adores it, so it's honestly more of a classic, dressier range for everybody). They have been getting heaps of press lately and the winter range has SO many gorgeous coats you'll be hoping it's freezing for 6 months to get to wear them all; beautiful lacy party dresses with delicate ruffles and silks, soft angora knit cardis and tees, and a few uber-cool printed frocks which are totally trendy but also a classic shape. Priced from $89-$200, it'll be one of our more exxier lines, but once you see the items you'll know why. Investment dressing, baby!

Oh and speaking of babies, we'll be getting the funky Freshbaked in for Winter 09, following on from our new label foray into Sooki Baby, Yunginz, and Lucca P. Plus I've got my eye on a few independent, vintage inspired labels from Melbourne, a couple of baby and todler shoe ranges, and some more established labels you'll know and love.....all in the name of making your tot look as cool as you!

But enough of the Frock. If you've ever visited Net-a-Porter.com and whiled away a few hours drooling and lamenting over your chapmagne-on-a-lemondae budget lifestyle, you'll know why I often return there to gaze lovingly at sequinned frocks I'll never wear, handbags worth (or at least priced) more than my car, and luxurious knits gleaned from the hair of a rare Nepalse silky mountain goat calf (or something). The best thing is that 'cos it's based in the UK (with a US site as well, shop accorindg to the AU$ value), their seasons are literally the polar opposite of ours, so summer stuff is all on sale! There are a number of items sitting in my cart that I'm hanging out for, but even though they are all great buys, when the $55 shipping is added it makes me stop and wonder if it's worth it....one day soon I'll crack, I will (especially if they have another free shipping week, hint hint).

And ebay. It's a bit dodgy, there is so much awful crap on there, but occassionally you'll stumble upon the exact frock you've been looking for for months, but not wanting to shell out $500 for. Then it becomes a daily obession to chekc back and make sure you haven't been outbid; to search for a few other things just in case, and before you know it you've got 11 auctions "ending soon" and you're winning all of them, even though really the only one you want is the original dress. So much for clearing out one's wardrobe to compile a neatly edited, complementary, failsafe and flattering option. Clutter it with crap you "won" on ebay and revel in the glory of a bargain! Keep it interesting....

I should stop gleefully reliving my online shopping moments of late and actaully go and run my own online shop. There were new markdowns over the weekend and this week there'll be loads of new stuff from GRAB and French Kitty, as well as kid stuff from Itch and Monster Baby. I can see orders coming in as I type this, so at least I know I'm not the only one with a spending habit (and ps, if you're wanting a rundown on like, every online shop worth it's e-salt, check out NeverShoppedOut.com . Kellie the site owner has just been away on a shopping trip to Hong Kong so no doubt she'll have some shopping gems to share with you soon. And some interesting storeis about foregn toilets. Seriously, once you get going, it's a never ending topic. More on that later).