Life in Colour - 23: The Overlooked Stores Worth Revisiting

Episode Date: November 20, 2025

When was the last time you wandered into Sussan, Suzanne Grae, Sportsgirl or Blue Illusion? 👀 In this episode, I’m talking about the stores you might have stopped shopping at — but shouldn’t have. These often-overlooked spots are full of hidden gems once you know what to look for (and how to shop them for your colour palette and shape). We chat about: 🛍 Why these stores deserve a second look 👗 What they’re getting right with colour, fit and fabrics 🎨 How to shop them with fresh eyes — and spot pieces that actually work for you 💫 The key to finding style in places you might have written off If you’ve ever thought “there’s nothing for me in there,” this episode might just change your mind. 🎧 Listen now on Life in Colour — available on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. ✨ Want to work with me? If you’re ready to make your wardrobe feel effortless and truly you, here’s how we can work together: Colour Analysis – we’ll find the shades that suit you best so getting dressed is easy and fun. The Colour Collective – my monthly membership where I share weekly tips, colour inspiration, and guidance to help you use your palette in your wardrobe. 1:1 5-Week Style Reset – a personalised program to reset your wardrobe, refine your style, and feel confident in your clothes without the overwhelm. If any of this sounds like what you need, head over to www.lovingcolour.au to find out more or book a session.

Welcome to Life in Color, the podcast where we dive into the real, raw and wonderfully colorful aspects of life. I'm your host, Ashley, and I'm here to explore the ins and outs of seasonal color analysis, navigating motherhood, thriving in your 40s and beyond, and embracing health and wellness with a healthy dose of humor. Join me as we uncover the secrets behind finding your perfect palate, share stories of the joys and challenges of being a mom, and from practical tips to heartfelt conversations, life in color is your space to laugh, learn, and live life unapologetically in all of its colourful hues. So grab your favourite drink, settle in and let's add some colour to this adventure that we call

life. Welcome to Life in Color. Hello, welcome back. I hope everyone has been doing really well. Sorry, I saw something out the window just then it kind of got my attention. As you do, when you're recording in front of a window and listening to a garbage truck coming down the hill. I don't know why I always tend to record or Tuesdays that that happens. Anyway, I digress, generally as I always do. This week, we're going to talk about stores that might surprise you. Now, I'm on a little bit of a, what's the word, quest? Yes, let's use the word quest because I've been talking a lot to my members recently and encouraging them. So

that's members within my colour collective community for anyone interested. It is a fabulous community of women where we talk all things color style and makeup and I do live masterclasses and I do live Q&As and I put things that are in stores in their color palette by season or that kind of thing. On a recent call, I've really been pushing them a little bit for want of a better word to try new brands and it can be quite hard because here in Australia I've talked about it before, you know, we don't have a huge population so therefore it can be quite easy, which is understandable, to go down to your local mall and then you're ending up at the same stores all the time. Now, some of the stores I'm going to talk about today are actually

at those moles. However, they are classified as a different demographic. And so therefore, I think people are discounting them because they feel that it's more of a store that people who are either much older or a different demographic would shop at or when they go in, and I have been in one of these stores where I was the youngest person in there by about 25 years, but it didn't matter to me because the item that I bought, I would have to say it's probably one of the most favorite things that I have bought in ages. Like, I just love it. And if you follow me on Instagram, you probably know what I'm talking about already. So let's get into it. I've got, I think, about six stores that I want to talk about. And then I might add in just a couple

of honourable extras that are overseas because, and I know that if you're in the US, shopping overseas has become much harder. I totally understand that because of obviously that you're having to pay extra with tariffs. But if you're not in the US, then shopping sort of overseas, you should really be looking at it for a number of reasons, A, because you're going to get much more variety. Secondly, you're not going to be always wearing the same thing that everyone else in your area is wearing, like, I live on the northern beaches. I am sure I've said this before.

You could literally not throw a stone without hitting someone that is wearing. wearing a Navy and White Stripe. It is a known thing in my area. And yes, I have Navy and White Stripe in my wardrobe as well. But yes, it's definitely a thing. So it's nice to be able to wear things that come from other countries too, as long as obviously they're within your budget, because then you're not, you're wearing something that's a little bit more. What's the word unique is what I'm looking for. You can tell I haven't taken my estrogen for a common day. Because I'm forgetting things, which has just reminded me that I didn't take it today. So yeah, Fantastic, Ashley. Need to take that. Anyway, let's get into it. The first store is Suzanne's.

Now, Suzanne, when I was a kid in the 90s, I remember, so I grew up in, well, I grew up all over the place, but the main place we'll go for today is I grew up in Brisbane. And in the Queen Street Mall, I remember going into Suzanne's, and it was huge. It was a massive store, like massive, almost three times the size of some of the stores that you have today. And when you went in it, it just kept going on and on and on. And at the very back, they had their PJs section. And in the 90s, when I was about between 9 and 15, their PJs were the thing.

And I remember they used to do them in a beautiful gift box. Like how Peter Alexander is today with pajamas, Suzanne's was like that in the mid-90s. So I even remember buying clothes in Suzanne's. I'm pretty sure like I had a skirt and some roll neck jumpers that I bought from Suzanne's. Totally in the wrong colors, by the way. Totally not my colors. Anyway, I digress.

There has been a bit of a, I want to say Suzanne's died off a bit. Like I did move overseas for a while. And then when I came back, I probably haven't really been into a Suzanne store, apart from maybe looking at these because I used to buy 90s. I found them the most comfortable cotton ones when I was pregnant and feeding. So obviously that's a while ago because obviously I've got teenagers now. So that's probably as long as it's been. And in recent years, working with clients, I've done more and more looking into different brands.

And if they're looking for certain things, I've gone outside of the cookie custer of what I would normally do. So for me, for a number of years, that would be seed heritage, target, buying some stuff at Kmart, Country Road and witchery. Witchery was my number one, as it was many people's number one for a really long time. I haven't actually bought anything from witchery for a gosh, it must be coming up about a year and a half, years now because I don't for me personally I don't like the way that the style has changed but I still love the brand but I just haven't seen I have looked but I haven't seen anything in there that I actually like to wear anyway I've started looking obviously I take clients shopping

and I do personal shopping and then I look for my members because I do a big roundup of what's in stores and sometimes that literally is going and taking loads of photos of what's in stores to show them so they actually get to see the color of what actually looks like to. And then other times I'm looking online. And Suzanne started to pop up more and more when I was looking for particular colors or a particular cut. And I started going in store and seeing things that I really liked. Now they have made a shift. When you look at their social media, they're definitely targeting more of a younger audience. But where they differ to witchery is I feel like they haven't forgotten the audience that shops with them already now.

They are definitely staying with that audience, but trying to bring in that younger, newer audience too. And they do colour really well. Whereas I just recorded an episode that's all about the colours that are going to be coming in for like spring, summer this year. Whereas some brands are going to really stick in those colours, and I would have to say Country Road is definitely one of them.

They stay in those kinds of colours. and they don't really veer too much out of them. Other brands are a bit more playful with it and they do what they want to do. They might incorporate some of those colours that are coming in for the season, absolutely, but they're not bound by it. And when you go in, for example,

and you look at the rack of linen shirts that Suzanne's has, there are so many different colours. They do brights, they do softs, they do muted, they do your neutrals, and they don't just do neutrals in cool colours. They do neutrals in warm colours too.

They've got a real variety. Their fabrics are really nicely done. The cut is really nicely done. Now, they are quite generous in their sizing. I find with them, I really have to go down one or two sizes. But I really like the direction that they're going in. And I feel like it's a really underrated store. So if you're wanting to look, especially they do a lot of linens.

They do rations as well. They do a lot of cottons. But basic teas, they do a lot of pants. they're starting to do quite a bit of tensile denim I've started seeing come out in the last couple of weeks and they do a different take like they had this fabulous denim jacket that came out a couple of months ago or maybe it was three months ago and I posted it to my members because I wanted to show it to them because it was like a tie waist denim jacket and I was like this is awesome they also do quite a bit of warm colored denim not all stores do that and it's quite

rare sometimes to find it and warm color denim is an absolute thing there is a different between warm denim and cool tone denim. Warm denim has more yellow in it and cool tone denim is more icy, has more purple blue in it. And they do a lot of it and it's just fantastic. Now, majority of the time I would say that the customer service has been good. They may seem sometimes, because I'd say the customer service in the stores I've been in of that older demographic, they may be a bit surprised that I'm in there. I have been asked a couple of times if I'm shopping for my mom. I've actually even bought my daughter, who's 17, a handbag from there.

They are fantastic with accessories. They do scarves. They do jewelry. They do bags. They do so many different things. So yeah, make sure you go and take a look at it. Suzanne's are definitely making a comeback. I think I even saw an article.

I didn't manage to read it, but I definitely saw an article in like a magazineish newspapery thing online that they are reinventing themselves. So watch this space with Suzanne's because I think you're going to see them more and more and it will become more of a destination to shop. The next one has a similar name and I know some of you are going to laugh at me and be like, my goodness, I cannot believe she just recommended that brand because it does have a reputation for being an older ladies store. Suzanne Gray. I have been recommended sending Suzanne Gray ever since I started working with clients, ever since, and there's a number of reasons. And yes, I do have some clients that are in the older demographic that like shopping

there. But I recommend it to all age groups that I work with because they have great price point. They have fabulous colour. They are so not afraid to try new colours and you get a variation, like they'll do one top and they'll do it in so many different colors. Like they do the bright colors really nicely. There's quite a few brights in there the other day. And when I was in there the other day, this is where I got the blouse from. They've got a number of blouses, which blouses are really hard to find, like really hard to find.

But they do them so beautifully. I, my DMs blew up more than they ever have for this blouse. And I did a poll. A lot of people thought that it came from Target because it, I could understand why it looks like something that Target would sell. It's stunning. And it was 59.95 and it is the lightest 100% cotton. It's beautiful.

I was in a size six. I would say it's true to size. They do a great size range. They do six to 22 on most things, I want to say. But they don't shy away from colour, which I love. When you go in stores, is it like shopping in a country road? No, because it's not a country road. It doesn't have the same aesthetics in the stores.

and you do have to go hunting a little bit more on the racks. But they have some great finds in there, some great pieces. If you don't want to go in store, look online. Everything is online. They have great returns. And I spoke to the lady when I bought my blouse. And she was like, we're definitely, we are starting to see a few more people sort of, you know, in their 40s, 50s shopping in here because we have such a great range.

So don't discount it. it's fantastic if you don't want to go in store which i have to say because i had my kids with me and it was on my birthday and i was walking past and i saw it and i was like oh i love it and i was like should i try it on they're like yeah mom just try it on so i did and i came out actually one of the ladies who then saw me and it was like oh i love that top so she then went to get it but there was another lady in the store she was almost frowning that i'd brought kids into the store which made us giggle a bit because like i've got teenagers Like they're not small, but you could see she didn't necessarily like us being in there,

which I can understand. But, A, my teens were fantastic and they weren't doing anything wrong. They were just trying to help me. But also there is that, I guess, I think she thought that that store maybe was for her. I don't know. There's obviously so many reasons for it. The shop assistant was lovely. But if you're not wanting to go in store, definitely check it out online.

And like I say, like when you're shopping at stores where it's for younger, people. Yes, they may look like a gazelle and beautiful gazelle and be really, really tall. Don't let it put you off because if the model is much, much older than you, like, that's fantastic because I love that so many age ranges are now being shown. But if a store has a particular demographic that they're trying to sell to, they're going to use models that age, as you would. But look at the clothing. They do patterns, they do prints, they do so many different things. in their stores. So make sure you take a look at it. I know you're probably laughing at me, but don't because you're missing out on some great fines in there. The next one is Sports Girl.

Again, Sports Girl was a fantastic brand in the 90s. Like everybody, I think, had one of those sports girl, like tote bags or the bags. I think I had the Country Road barrel bag, actually, and then I had one of the Sports Gold tote bags. Everyone had the T-shirts with sports girl written on it in different colors, which are making a comeback. Now, again, People seem to think that sports girl is a young brand. Now, you will find younger people in there, like my daughter's age and into their 20s. It's more for people, I would say, when I'm in there, it's more women in there these 50s that I see shopping in there more often than not. Again, they do great linen, but they do a number of other different ranges as well. They do their

core pieces that they bring out in a variety of different colours. I've got quite a few of their tanks. They do great graphic teas. If graphic teas are your thing, sports girl is fantastic. If you like wearing shorter things, like, yes, I might be 44, but I like wearing short things. So I like that sports girl do still do short skirts because you don't always find them in some of the other stores, like you wouldn't necessarily see that much of a short skirt really in Country Road.

So I like that. They do bright spring and bright winter colours very, very well. well, but they also do a great mix of colors. They do accessories. They're just a fantastic one. So again, don't think that it's a young store. It was young when we shopped it when we were young. But it's kind of aged with us. But it definitely, it's still there. It's still a great one to look at. Again, if you're not wanting to go in line, look on store. Sorry, if you're not wanting to go in store, look online. But I find them fantastic. It's just brilliant and they're, again, they're at a really great price point. So take a look at them.

Next one on the list is Princess Highway. Now, this might not be one that you're overly familiar with. Princess Highway, it's in the Dangerfield Group. They used to be in Myers, and I feel like they're not necessarily in Myers anymore. I think maybe they're more standalone stores or they're in, they might be in the city stores, but otherwise I don't think they're in the suburb ones anymore. So they have more of a vibe of retro. So think 50s, 60s, 70s. If that is your kind of vibe and your style personality, they have like the retro kind of cardigans and jumpers and cord trousers. But they also have really, especially in the warmer months coming up, they have really pretty dresses. Like you know that word frock that

was always around like oh that's a very pretty frock that's what i think of when i think of danger field and princess highway they're really lovely uh the fit is very very nice they wash beautifully i've got two in my wardrobe that i have worn again and again and again and they are they're like a pretty frock they're they're so nice to wear but if that's your kind of vibe they can almost you could almost be a little bit boho with them but they're retro they're a hundred percent retro. So that's a store I want you to have a look at if that's your kind of jam and that you really enjoy it. The next one on the list that I've got is Billabong, the surf shops. A lot of people think surf shops are obviously just for the surf boys or for teenagers. They are not. They have

fabulous variety of colours. Again, they use natural fibres really well. They're just fantastic. Like Billabong, Rip Curl, Surf Dive and Ski. All of those stores, they have a fantastic range. Now, City Beach, I've bought a few things from my daughter from there. I've got a fantastic jumper that I bought for like 49.95 a few years ago, do you know what? Compared to my trenery one that bubbled within three wares, this one hasn't bubbled at all. It's brilliant. I love it. Some of the dresses from there, the summer ones, we've washed them and they've shrunk. That's the only thing I would say, I think it's the Malulabar range, potentially in the dresses. They're lovely, but yes, they can shrink when you wash them. And I did do

them on cold as well. We've had two that that's happened to. But I have a lot of Billabong, rip curl, Roxy dresses in my own wardrobe. They're comfortable, they're floaty, they're pretty, they're very feminine. I have quite a few of those in my own personal wardrobe. They do colour really well. Again, they're at a really good price point. Don't discount them. If you're looking for something a bit different, definitely check out the surf shops. Don't avoid them. I'm obviously not saying that you're going to wear these things to work if you work in a corporate job, but they're fabulous casual pieces and they're great quality and I love them. Next on the list we have Gorman. Now, Gorman, I feel, can be a little bit polarising for some

people because of the prints and the patterns. If you are a bright winter though and a bright spring or even just winters and springs in general, they do highly saturated colors. They do them so well. That is their jam. That is what they do. And they are so good at it. Now, they do have block colour things in there as well. So if prints and patterns aren't your thing, especially I know that they can be quite loud in some of their prints and patterns, they have, sometimes they had a navy top, but then they had like some edging on this navy top. It was like a jumper. And it was in really bold colors. It was beautiful. And I recommend them to clients again all the time. In particular, it's clients who are winters or springs.

they're fantastic. I know sometimes they can be a little bit high in price point. So if you wait for them when they're on sale, if they're out of your budget, but if you are a bright, Gorman is absolutely a place to go. And when you go in there, it's just like, it makes you happy because it's just like a sea of color. And it's just really, really nice. So Gorman for my brights, go and check it out. Go and take a look because I think you might find some hidden gems in there that you weren't expecting. Last but not least on the list is blue illusion. Blue Illusion, again, they do lovely blouses, they have beautiful fabrics, they do some really lovely colours, they do go outside that colour box of what is, you know, on trend for the season.

And their shoes are so comfortable. I've actually got some, I've got two pairs of their boots and I just bought a pair of the pink, if you saw it on Instagram, my pink tassel loafers that I got from Blue Illusion, they've got like that squishy insert. So even though I normally wear Frankie Fours, I don't need my Frankie-4 inserts in these shoes because they just are so comfortable to wear anyway. I don't need them and they're fantastic. Like I just went on a second ago and they had some really beautiful like mint coloured clothing that's just come in. They've got some lovely spring colours. I've got some beautiful patterns and prints. They've got really comfortable pants as well. So if you're not wanting to wear denim but you're wanting to wear pants, they've got

wide leg, they've got straight leg. They've got sort of you're more not capriced. but like your skinny kind of pant. They've got some really lovely basics. They do lots of different prints and patterns. And they do colour really well. But like I mentioned, they don't just stick to the colours that society has said that are the colours for the coming season. But like they've got linens and they've got rayons and they've got cottons.

And then also they have your basics as well. So they're a fabulous one to look at. I don't know quite if there are stores all over Australia for them. I'd have to look into that for you. I know where they are for me. Like I know there's one in Bowerl purely because that's where my mum and dad leave. I know that there is one at my local shopping centre. I know there's other ones on the beaches in Sydney. But they are a really fantastic option to look at that's outside of those ones that you would sort of technically go for. I think there are people who would shop at Country Road that would shop at Blue Illusion really well

because of the kinds of styles that are there or that they'd shop at Trennery. Not saying there's anything wrong. I love Trennery. I love Country Road, but they just, like, they do some, they've got a beautiful ombray blue scarf and like a lavender scarf. And they're not the, you know, the scarfs that you'd wear in winter. They're like a silk kind of scarf. So they're, they're really soft and light for the coming season for the warmer weather. And they do like coloured handbags and they just, they just go out of the box a little bit, which is really nice to see. And they've got fabulous earrings. Like they've got some flower earrings, like in corals. And they're just lovely. I'm literally scrolling through all I'm talking to you thinking, oh, that's pretty,

that's pretty. I like that. They've got a whole selection of things where you can add color in a different way through accessories and I just love them. Honorable mentions, because I've talked about them before, Marks and Spencers in the UK, love them. They are fantastic. I don't, I wouldn't say they're underrated. It's more that people don't know about them here or just aren't sure whether to shop them or not. Marks and Spencers has fabulous quality, fabulous cut you can return them here really really love them another one to mention here would be nude lucy now i love nude lucy the only thing about nude lucy because they do color really well they've got beautiful cuts of their clothing is the fact that their size range only goes to a 14 so i know

that obviously that's an issue but they do have some really beautiful clothes and then glasses i actually this is one that for me i used to go in there for my daughter and it's recently i've started to see things in there I liked for me. Like, I just brought a holterneck top and a pair of linen shorts in there. And I love them. So it's taking away those preconceptions that you have. You're looking for clothes that suit you, that suit your body shape, that suit your personality, suit the style that you want to wear and suit your colors.

And because of that, you need to sometimes shop outside the box. Like, you need to go to different places. And that's okay. You know, don't feel that you only can shop at Country Road or Trennery or commonery or the ones, the usual ones that you do, have a look in other places because you're going to be really pleasantly surprised. If there are stores that I have missed that you think that I should be taking a look at, send me a message to Ashley atlovingcolor.au. You can also put a comment on my website or you can send me a DM on Instagram to Loving Color

double underscore. Now, if you're wanting to know more about color and style and have a great community of women that you can be a part of, then go to have a look at Lovingcolor.au forward slash the color collective. The color collective is a monthly membership that I have. It's a fabulous group of women who love to support each other on their color and style journey. We have so much fun on our chats. And there's just, I'm there to help you as your color stylist in your pocket to take away that frustration that when you are shopping online, and you're not quite sure what to do or what styles suit you or you just need a bit of advice. That's where I come in and can help you.

So make sure to take a look at that. If not, send me a DM. We can have a chat to see if it might be for you. Otherwise, take care. Have a great week and I will catch you on next week's episode. Bye. I'm going to be able to be. Thank you.