Michelle Merdzan fashion and lifestyle writer for the fantastic website Pushing Fifty tells us about her exciting styling career and her latest TV debut on ‘The Couch’, a segment dedicated to inspiring over 50’s to look fabulous and how not to spend a fortune.

Left to right: Carolyn & Michelle of Pushing Fifty.

The segment on ‘The Couch’ came along as I was introduced to the host Fred Mafrica back in December. We chatted about my website and I explained to him how I was trying to inspire more women to feel good about themselves. I really wanted to highlight how you don't have to be spending a fortune to look fabulous. Also I know a lot of women approaching 50 struggle with what to wear and what’s appropriate. I just wanted to reassure women to make their own unique style, experiment with different looks and most of all just have fun.

Fred thought this would be a great segment to have on his show and offered me to be part of it from June to November talking about styling and fashion. I have always been a bargain hunter and a lot of my friends are always asking me where I find all these great clothes. To be honest they were really surprised when I mentioned I shopped at Millers as they said they thought Millers was for more mature ladies and they never would have thought to shop there.

After seeing what I have been purchasing I have definitely changed their minds as some said they will be looking in Millers in the future. Too many people worry about what others are thinking of them this is why I suggested on the couch episode that everyone should go to http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com.au to see what this guy from NY is doing, it's very inspiring.

I'm loving doing ‘The Couch’ at the moment and I have had such great support and feedback from friends about what I'm sharing and talking about on the show. It's very relaxed and fun and it helps people get to know my personality as they see the real person behind all the photos.

Carolyn: Work wear

We just loved the leopard print blouse as these are always on trend. It looked fabulous with the black jacket and pants. This work look was simple and stylish but not over the top. Also a comfortable choice for around the office. Again the jacket could be worn with a skirt to give a different look or with a dress.

Michelle: Work wear 

I love anything black and white so I chose the patterned shirt and pants which I dressed up with the red accessories. This gave the look a bit of colour and it looked really smart. I think at work your appearance says a lot about you so I always go for a bit more effort than not enough.

Carolyn: Casual

Carolyn just loved the beige leather look jacket. It is very versatile and can be worn with pants, jeans or even over a dress depending on what type of look you’re going for. The top that Carolyn chose with the heart motive had some gold in it which really picked up the colours of the jacket. This just looked really fab for a casual look.

Michelle: casual

I was so happy to find the black quilted jacket that zipped up. I really feel the cold in winter so this was perfect. Not only was it super warm but it looked great, I teamed it up with the denim leggings which again are just great. These are the best ones I have found yet. They are really comfortable, warm and they are a good quality fabric. I also chose the Turtle neck jumper which was gorgeous in the off white colour. It really went well with my jacket and leggings and I still felt dressed up even though it was pretty casual.

Carolyn: evening

This gorgeous dress just stood out with its pop of colour. At first Carolyn was not sure about it with her blonde hair and fair skin but it was absolutely stunning. We have had so much feedback about this dress and jacket already. It would be great as an evening out for dinner or dressy enough to wear to a wedding. Overall this was our pick of the bunch we both loved it.

Michelle: evening

I chose the striped throw because I absolutely love these. I have a couple of others from Millers too. I couldn't resist in dressing this up to give it a real glamorous feel. It looks super stylish with the black and gold clutch and the beautiful accessories. It just goes to show you can dress most things up or down.

To find out more about Michelle and Carolyn’s styling adventures head to http://www.pushingfifty.net and for fashion inspirations head to our ‘Inspire me’ page
To keep up to date with the couch head to their website http://thecouch.com.au/

Millers x

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney NSW

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Hobart TAS

Royal Botanical Garden, Cranbourne VIC

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt. Coot-tha QLD

Kings Park and Botanic Garden, WA

Shop left to right: Necklace, Shirt & Pant.

Did you know the Blue Mountains is blue because of all the Eucalyptus trees? The atmosphere is so rich in eucalyptus that it turns the particles in the air blue!

Last week, in the spirit of our Everyday Blues collection, we visited the Blue Mountains!
The Blue Mountains is only a 2 hour train trip from Sydney and is popular for sightseeing. Around this time of year, it is cold! So, if you are thinking about a visit, make sure you rug up in a big warm jacket, and have plenty of layers underneath.
Sight-seeing, tea and coffee, shopping were high on our list of things to do. After a 2 hour commute, tea and coffee was our biggest priority!

Afternoon tea and shopping in Leura

We had a wonderful time there! We walked up and down the street and popped in and out of cute little antique shops. We also had the most scrumptious hot chocolate at a place called Josephine’s. After we had our fill of tea and coffee, it was time to go sight-seeing!

Three Sisters, Katoomba

You really can’t go to the Blue Mountains without visiting The Three Sisters! But be warned it can be incredibly windy this time of the year. Make sure you rug up! I wore my micro-fleece jacket and layered on a puffer vest to break the wind.  I was zipped all the way up to keep my neck protected from the cold winds.

Jurassic Rainforest, Katoomba

To visit this famous rainforest, we were posed with two options; a laborious and very steep walk south or a thrilling 52 degree incline train ride that would get us there in 10 minutes. We chose the latter! The train ride took us through a cliff-side tunnel and we got off at the ancient rainforest. The air was unbelievable fresh, the flora and fauna flourished. It was fantastically peaceful and when you listened carefully you could hear the birds whistling.

Charles Darwin walk, Wentworth Falls

The Charles Darwin walk is an easy stroll that’s roughly a 3.5km loop. The main attraction is its magical waterfalls. Knowing that I was about to get my heart rate up, I decided to peel back the layers and leave my micro-fleece jacket in the car and wear my vest in its place. A vest is great for going on light walks because it keeps your core warm and your arms free to move.

From left to right: Vest, Top, Parka, Jacket & Pant.

Meet Annika & Mel

Artisan

Everyday Blues

Zest Floral