The moment we've all been waiting for...

Something huge happened to online shopping two weeks ago. Zara is now (finally) online in Australia. Capturing Australian shoppers with the #DearAustralia campaign, they certainly made a mysterious yet elegant entry to the online marketplace with a lot of social media presence. I’m not sure why the Australian site didn’t happen earlier but I’m happy it’s here and so are thousands of others. 

About the site

The site is a little contemporary. With odd sized product images on the product listing pages and some items listed twice with different images. Although it’s refreshing to see an interesting product layout, you do end up seeing the same product twice or three times in some cases. The collections on the left hand side seem to be nicely curated and I can’t wait to see where they go.

Pricing

Zara is always a bit hit and miss with the pricing, although people will purchase no matter what the price tag is anyway. There are some very affordable pieces and others are much more expensive than I would expect. This is where my question of quality comes in and I would prefer to see the more expensive items in the store to touch, try on and read the care labels and materials used. 

Pre-launch VIP preview and What I Bought

I was kindly sent a $150 voucher to shop the sale before the launch, I was so thankful! There are so many things on the Zara website that I had 20 tabs open at once, all the time. Selecting just a few things was a huge task! 

I ended up selecting two pairs of shoes, one strappy black heel and the other a zip up boot, along with a beautiful checkered coat with red stitching and plaid rolled cuffs.

The shoes are both so comfortable and the jacket is really good quality. I’ve already worn it twice and had so many compliments on it already. 

My Order:

Checked Blazer - 139.00 AUD

• Lapel collar
• Long sleeves with red tartan contrasting turn-up cuffs. Shoulders are oversized and hang lower than shoulder width.
• Button fastening on the front and front pockets.

Slingback Court Shoes - 59.95 AUD

• Black block mid-heel - 5.5 cm high
• Gold round buckled ankle strap closure. 
• Pointed (my favourite)
• Also available in floral

High-Heel Ankle Boots - 69.95 AUD

• Black with 5.5 cm curved angle block heel.
• Silver zip fastening on the front with round zipper detail.
• Front and top of the boot concaves towards end of the zip.
• Boot is rectangular shaped and slimming for wider feet 

Thoughts on Zara:

I love seeing the latest styles in store and now online, the ‘runway look’ for a lot less and great workwear clothes too. There are some things I’m not so sure about with Zara though. I’m extremely uncomfortable with copycat designs of hardworking small Australian labels, it really upsets me. I wish that Zara would collaborate with the designers to create a few pieces instead, same goes for other rip-off items there. Another thing is the quality. The jacket and shoes I received were amazing quality and I’m really impressed but in the past I have had items fall apart and shoes feel cheap. I hope this has improved and I can’t wait to see what new items come out each week.

*Gift card sent by PR. All views and opinions on Zara are my own.