Last Thursday I attended a blogger brunch at Uni Hill Factory Outlets, on Plenty road in Bundoora (Vic). There was yummy food, great company and some fun challenges. I also did a bit of shopping after the event.

I arrived at Uni Hill just before 11am, when I got there I wasn’t sure where to go…so I headed straight to centre management (where we were meant to meet, so that was lucky!)

Once all the bloggers had arrived, we were welcomed by the head of centre management, Marina and then told a little about current seasonal trends by two lovely ladies from Tony Bianco.

What’s big in Fashion for Autumn/Winter 2013

• Leather will feature a lot during the Autumn/Winter months. If you are not too sure about wearing full leather pieces like skirts, dresses or pants, there are styles that feature mixed fabrics. For example, if you are not into wearing leather jackets, you could opt for a blazer with Leather lapels or a bomber jacket with leather detailing.
• Boots will be popular over the coming months, particularly ankle boots. This season will see a lot of studs and buckles. There are many different style choices to meet different people’s preferences.
• While there will still be a lot jewel coloured hues around, more prominent shades for Autumn/Winter 2013 will be black, dark greys and browns.
• Metallics have also made a comeback this season, with lots of shiny fabrics, prints, sequins and blingy accessories. Don’t be afraid to wear metallic clothing during the day! I have seen a lot of great knitwear with metallic threads woven into them.

Then we all discussed the benefits of shopping at factory outlets. Here are some great points that were mentioned:

• Factory outlets sell more than one season’s fashion at a time. While some retailers do sell current trends, they also stock past seasons’ fashion that has left regular retail stores. Most stores stay ahead of the trends, so it can sometimes be hard to find transeasonal clothing (especially when Melbourne’s temperature is so unpredictable!)
• You can find one-of-a-kind pieces, like samples, designs that were removed from stores, or sizes that are hard to find at Factory Outlets. At Tony Bianco they create unique shoe designs you won’t find in a retail store, to use up any left over fabric they may have. These styles are often cheaper than regular prices.
• Outlets offer bargain buys, up to 70% the retail price!

Next we were off on some ‘shopping’ challenges. Each pair or group of bloggers were given a red envelope containing a list of retailers that we could borrow clothing from, a scavenger hunt and a theme. I was partnered with Sophia from  Every Day Like This, our theme was ‘A Day at the Beach’.

Unfortunately we had run out of time to do the scavenger hunt, but we had fun ‘shopping’ for our outfit. Here is what we picked out

– Kaftan and Beach bag from Jeanswest
– Hat and Bikini from Surf Dive ‘N’ Ski
– Sandals from Novo Shoes
– Sunglasses from Tony Bianco

As a thank you for attending the event, Uni Hill generously gave us all a bag full of goodies from different outlets and some gift vouchers.

One was a super generous voucher for a pair of Jeanswest jeans, which I (like others) redeemed after the event had wrapped up. It was the first day that Jeanswest was open, so it felt kind of special to be one of the first people to visit the new outlet store!

Before I headed back to my sister’s place, I took a walk around and did some shopping. I bought some magnetic Polaroid style photo frames from Typo, A burgundy/maroon blazer and Scarf from Cotton on (the Scarf was $5 when you spent $20 or over)

I surprised myself that I only bought a few things, especially that Uni Hill has so many great outlet stores! I will definitely be heading back soon!

Thank you to Uni Hill Factory Outlets and 360 Immerse Agency for inviting me along, I had a great morning and thank you for the generous gifts!

Have you ever been to a Factory Outlet? what was your best find? comment below

XO XO
Evelyn

PS. You can keep up to date with what’s going on at Uni Hill Factory Outlets, buy liking their Facebook page or by following them on Twitter.

PPS. Happy Good Friday! I hope you all have a great Easter long weekend!

This post was not sponsored by Uni Hill or 360 Immerse Agency. I was not obligated to write a post after the brunch, it was my choice to do so. All opinions expressed are my own.