When we go to buy new clothes for ourselves, what do we want out of the experience?

It's fairly straightforward, isn't it? We want something lovely that suits us, fits us and is well-made. We want to love what we buy and wear it with confidence and comfort. We want great service and we want to get our money's worth. Simple!

Sadly, that is so rarely the case. More often, it seems to be a lengthy trawl around shop after shop, wondering what the heck is wrong with all the sizing these days, and why nothing ever seems to sit quite right. The clothes are often shoddily finished and too expensive for what we get, and the assistants frequently imply that it's our fault if our bodies don't confirm to the designer's idea of who ought to be wearing their clothes. When we do find the right size the fit is weird or the colour we want isn't available ... it can get very stressful.

But honestly, how difficult can it be to get it right?

Not at ALL according to our latest great fashion find! Nada is the lovely face behind Australian clothing label Something Else Clothing, and we are her biggest fans. Give her a try and we predict you will feel the same.

To start with, just look at her catalogue. Aren't those clothes gorgeous? Such adorable, wearable vintage/retro style! So many cute little details. Great shapes, fabulous colours.

Check out the shop - yes there is a nice easy online ordering facility. Now, independent Australian designers honestly can't keep every single size in stock for absolutely practical reasons, so you may or may not see your size available via the online shop. Never fear, just contact Nada and ask. She cheerfully does custom sizing - and she does not charge that much extra for it, it is definitely worth going for a custom order.

The Darlings both have custom garments by Something Else Clothing, and let us tell you about our experience (this was before Nada had seen our website or knew who we were, we were just another customer). We contacted her and asked for what we wanted. She contacted us back very quickly, was really lovely and approachable, got our measurements, and asked us if we wanted any modifications e.g. special fabrics, different types of buttons etc. We gave her our measurements and, with great excitement, our desired modifications. Nada made the garments very, very quickly and posted them off to us. They arrived wonderfully packed - honestly, it was like opening a lovely birthday present.

And the garments? Exactly what we wanted. Beautifully made - perfectly finished. Not a hint of a loose thread, not a single unfinished seam. Thoughtful little extras: for example there is a velvet bow on Blossom's skirt (a teeny perfect red velvet bow, couldn't you just die?) and it is actually fastened on with a nice sturdy brooch clasp, so that it can be removed for washing. We both have a real issue with nice clothes that come with cheap nasty zippers. No such problems here! It's all quality - the fabric, the fastenings, the trims. Fitted? Oh, but of course. Lovely fitting - it is abundantly clear that Nada is a lady who cares deeply about excellent fit. She is one of those wonderful people who believes that everybody deserves to look and feel wonderful, that clothing should fit bodies and not the other way around.

They are very wearable, really divine (we attract compliments like billy-o when we wear these garments), comfortable, sturdy ... have we raved enough yet? Probably not. Just to show how happy we are, we have promptly ordered more!

Now, the pricing. A custom-made garment of this quality is not going to cost what Target would charge. On the other hand Target won't make you clothes you will want to wear every day until they eventually fall off your body after years and years of faithful service (remember, these are classics that won't go out of fashion). If you go to a Big Name Designer you will pay much more, and once again you won't be getting the same quality or care in your garments. Something Else Clothing is somewhere in the middle range of pricing, and in terms of value for money it is really excellent - you get what you pay for plus a bit extra!

We all agree that it is important to build a capsule wardrobe of really, really good pieces that you adore and fit and you can always just fling on and know you are dressed right for the occasion. This is one place to go to get those crucial pieces. We are so lucky to have designers like Nada in Australia, and we need to support brave people like her who can turn the silly world of fashion on its head by providing what customers actually want, and need. Bravo Something Else Clothing!