Winter has Arrived!

The laundries throughout Canberra were looking a little bare on Friday night, as the washing baskets of Canberra took their rostered day off and headed down to the Material Pleasures Winter launch, bringing with them some fabulous people!

As 5pm fast approached, everyone at MP were eagerly watching the skies, wishing and hoping that the rain would hold off long enough to allow everyone to get into Fyshwick on time and in one piece. And as Mel and Jo were handing out glasses of champagne and everyone was nibbling on the yummy sandwiches made by our talented Christine, the rain stopped spitting on us and we were to have a rain free night – how lucky were we?!

Like athletes taking their position on the starting line, with 2 minutes to five, the crowd started etching forward, their minds already set on the must have piece that they had spied through the front window. Then, as the clock struck 5, Rebekah opened the door and winter had arrived!

For the seasoned shoppers, this launch was the perfect opportunity to show off their talents and well practiced finesse at manoeuvring the racks, champagne in hand and clothing collection growing by the minute. For our new shoppers, it is these people that teach the best lessons, and for this makeshift bar tender come Smartphone/Facebook techie, it provided a wonderful opportunity to come up with the definitive list of skills that are needed to survive a MP launch, with sanity and new clothing items well in grasp:

1.  Get here early. While you may not be let in until 5pm, those large windows are perfect for getting a sneak   peak of what we have on offer.

2. Eat, eat, eat. Now let me take a moment to dispel some myths for those people who think that shopping  isn’t a sport – it is. Therefore, you need energy and what better way to build up your strength than sample  some of Christine’s delicacies?

3.  Have a drink – alcoholic or not. For the same reason as above.

4. Have the ability to multitask. Trying on a coat while grabbing that red dress off the wall and claiming the boots in the corner is a perfect example of how to gain three things at once.

5. Like us on Facebook. MP has gone technological and we are loving our facebook site. A huge congratulations goes to Julie Nichols who was the winner of our $100 gift certificate! And a huge thank you to our younger girls, Ruby and Mia, for helping draw the winner. One of the fabulous things about the launch is getting the whole MP team together – big and little ones!

But the most important point, is to bring a sense of humour and be prepared to laugh. As the evening rolled on, friendships were formed over cries of ‘that looks amazing!’ and rum balls were consumed a plenty. For those who missed our Winter Launch, the next one will be in September when we change to summer, but you can still get your winter MP fix from Tuesday – Saturday at Fyshwick and on Sunday’s at the Old Bus Depot Markets.

Want? Need? or Both!

What can you say about heels? Whether they’re your best friend or your first class ticket to an orthopaedic surgeon, there is something wondrous about those dressed up, glorified stilts.

Do you love those Dorothy shoes – the red ones with sparkles that glimmer in the sunshine? The ones so fabulous that you decided that you couldn’t live without them the moment you set eyes on them as they sat upon the shelf.

Or is it those black court shoes? The ones with the slightly lower heel and gel cushions squished onto the sole. You bought them the day you got that medical degree and purchased that first suit of what would become many in your wardrobe. You wanted something professional, serious, to show that you knew what you were doing.

Could it be the pair of black and pink cowboy boots – hand crafted leather, Cuban heel. Those ones that you wore to your first rodeo with the shirt you borrowed from your father and your boyfriend’s hat that was too big it fell over your eyes. By the end of the night they were brown not pink and the heels were scratched, but nothing a polish couldn’t fix.

There’s those strappy silver sandals, slight heel, little bow. The ones you wore to your best friend’s engagement party, then her wedding by the sea. By her third daughters christening, you fear touching them in case the last speck of silver separates from the leather by the buckle. You really need to replace them.

Just like every coat, dress, skirt, hat, every pair of heels tells a story. They are a part of who you are. Like the smell of sweat coffee on a misty winter morning, that pair of heels evokes a memory that you can’t suppress.

So if you need to create that new memory, or you just need a new pair of heels because, well, just because, make sure you are first in line with your glass of bubbly at 5pm March 2^nd. While your physio may get angry and your other half may moan in annoyance, and while they may be impractical and utterly irresponsible when you have that electricity bill to pay, just remember that Ginger Rogers did everything backwards and in heels!

The Six Commandments

We all know how boring washing is. In fact to many, the humble washing basket is nothing more than a chunk of plastic to throw your washing into, for children to use as a row boat and on occasion to be used upturned as a foot rest, when it’s not breaking into a million pieces of course.

But here at MP, we think that the washing basket deserves another chance to transform itself from a common household object into an integral piece of shopping equipment – right up there with the credit card and environmentally friendly shopping bag, especially at the Winter Change of Season Sale!

While new shoppers may think we are all strange when recounting the tales of harsh words over green and white pieces of plastic, the regulars amongst you will know how important it is to come to our change over events prepared.

So here are a few important points to remember when preparing for March 2:

1.  Make sure you bring a washing basket. A spare is also recommended.

2.  Co-ordinating your washing basket with your outfit will gain you brownie points, but unless you have a multi coloured basket, make sure you don’t wear your latest finds home, otherwise you will potentially be  severely mismatched.

3.  The construction of your washing basket is important. We suggest a good quality, thickened plastic as   

opposed to a flimsy $2 contraption. You don’t want your basket falling apart and dropping your precious finds all over the floor.

4.  So you don’t get washing basket fatigue from grabbing all those amazing coats, an ergonomical, hip-hugging design is suggested. Alternatively, bring along your other half to carry it. 

5.  Baskets on wheels or that fold down are very welcome. 

6.  There is to be no fighting on the night. If you forget to bring a washing basket there are a small selection available on the night, but remember first in best dressed.

If you follow these few simple points, you are sure to secure one or more items that you can’t live without!

Thank you to the gorgeous Ethan and his washing basket, who looked like he was having a great time!

What's Lurking Behind the Doors?

Have you ever wondered what’s behind those wooden doors that lead from the shop into the workroom at MP? If you leave the confines of the air-conditioned shop during the day, there is a large chance that you will be accosted for ironing duty, especially as we prepare for our winter change of season event, on March 2, 2012. But as the team are madly ironing, washing and pricing, this front of shop makeshift reporter, armed only with a camera and the knowledge that she can’t iron, ventured out the back to bring you this sneak peak of our preparations for March 2.

By March 2, the work room will be transformed into a hub of excitement with change rooms lining almost every wall. While this may seem a tad excessive, seasoned shoppers will note that come 6 or 7 o’clock, there will not be enough change rooms, with queues often stretching the length of the work room and back into the shop. That’s where the communal change rooms come in – if you aren’t shy and don’t mind not having an individual curtain, these change rooms are great fun. Plus, you get to try on everyone else’s finds without leaving the change rooms!

Hidden under the multitude of coloured fabric is a selection of the 2012 winter collection. In less than a week, the empty racks will be full, with in excess of 5000 items of clothing anticipated to be tried on and hopefully loved both that evening and the following weekend. Somehow I don’t think it’s all going to fit!

Before the collection is unveiled, every piece is cleaned and ironed. Thankfully, there is an amazing team who have been preparing for months to have each piece looking it’s best for the launch. While many of you only know the front of shop staff, there would be no Material Pleasures without the wonderful ladies who work tirelessly behind the scenes. So next time you pop into the shop and find that treasure you can’t live without, spare a thought for the wonderful people who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

Don’t miss Material Pleasures Winter Collection Preview Evening on March 2, 2012 from 5-9pm. Come by, find a treasure and share a glass of champagne and some nibbles with the Material Pleasures team. It should be a great night and certainly one not to be missed!