Reading the Daily Tele (the Sydney Confidential pages to be precise) – a guilty pleasure I can’t give up as I waited for a coffee on Thursday.

www.businessoffashion.com

Victoria Beckham will be releasing a range with Target USA on April 9 2017.  Which isn’t terribly convenient for me because firstly Target USA have apparently stopped taking international orders and I’m not due stateside until around May.  I am sure this was an oversight on Victoria’s part.  I do have generous friends, though, and they have already volunteered to help a sister in her time of need.  Big up for the sisterhood!

Back to my reality and I’ll be straight with you, fashion and visionary aren’t two words that spring to mind.  Though, I did wear my necklace around my wrist at the play centre the other day.  None of the other mums were.  But then again, none of the other mums were naive enough to mix a statement necklace with the prospect of trying to squeeze into a child sized hidey hole or stair case.

I am getting old, though.  There was a time when the only thing I feared about play centre slides was that I’d get wedged in a turn because of my size.  Now I fear the slides because they all look too steep and fast and I worry for my bones should I land awkwardly.  Does anyone else feel the same?

Not shown – Preschooler SSG and the special Halloween pumpkins and skeleton decorations that also featured on the play gym.

The play gym at the centre  was 11/10.  It was three storeys high (they’re usually only two) and featured palm trees, cabins and space ships on the stop storey.  The only problem was that it was virtually impossible to find your child once they climbed beyond the ground floor of activities.  Just as well I’ve got my ears finely tuned to the pitch of  Preschooler SSG’s ‘muuuuummmm call’.

Not bad for a play centre lunch is it?  This was my turkey and Camembert baguette.

I could talk to you next about how my friends and I will be belatedly observing Global Champagne Day this weekend or I could tell you about Cotton On’s relatively new, premium fitness range for women called COAR (Cotton On Active Range).  Let’s go with the latter because the former is going to be one of those ‘you have to be there’ kind of things.

Cotton On initially launched COAR for men but it got so popular there is now a women’s range.  The points of difference to CO’s regular active wear range are cut and the quality of the fabrics.  My recent order was noticeably more pricey than my usual ones where I often have to scrabble around to get the value of shopping cart up to the free postage threshold.

These are two of the tops I ordered and they are still available online with good size and colour availability.

www.cottonon.com

The asymmetric performance T, $24.95.

www.cottonon.com

The power mesh T, $34.95.

Initial thoughts:

• Price wise, COAR is about twice the price of standard issue CO fitness gear.  But the price is still only around half of Lorna etc.
• I do like the cut of the tank and Ts I own.  They fit better across the bust and and aound the arms, straps and sleeves are a more generous fit.
• I like the designs – a bit of mesh, asymmetric hems.
• Colour range makes it easy to mix and match things with shorts and tights I already own.
• Discrete logos but they aren’t embroidered or sewn on, they’re the silvery sticky stuff that has been known to come off in the first wash for me.  Not that it’s all or mostly all about the logo but it is annoying to have new top with shadowy bits from where trims have come off its fabric.
• Fabrics are still quite thin though.  I’m not sure how they will stand up to repeated washing and whether things will fade or sag.  I did choose dark colours so it may not be as obvious if it does happen early.
• Comfortable to work out in, my top didn’t ride up my waist or fall off my shoulder this morning at the gym.  Next test situation will tomorrow when the weekend of sprint training begins again.

Don’t forget to celebrate Global Champagne Day at some point this weekend.

Have a good weekend.