Spring Cleaning

It has (again) been a while since I last updated the blog, and I really have no excuses other than the fact that I haven’t taken any worthwhile photos lately, and I’d rather not post something mediocre. Only the best for my readers! ;)

While I try to keep this blog mostly fun, I did want to take this opportunity to talk about something a bit more serious. God knows I enjoy shopping on a regular basis, and I like my wardrobe to be updated and have a variety of outfits. However, I can’t ignore the fact that frequent shopping (be it clothes or whatever it is you like) is not the most environmentally conscious thing to do. This is why I wanted to say a few words about clothes recycling/donating.

The onset of spring is actually a perfect time to do a little spring cleaning on your closet – out with the old and in with the new. Even if you’re not a frequent shopper like I am, freshening up your closet once in every 3-6 months is a good idea anyway – It gives you a chance to see if your wardrobe really reflects who you are and who you wish to be. Sometimes narrowing down your wardrobe options can also be a good thing, if you wish to have few items but of high quality. I know I often change my mind about items I once thought were perfect, and even if I don’t, sometimes my body changes it for me (going up a size and what not…).

This is NOT a bag of new clothes…

In Israel, there are many organizations that would be happy to accept your clothing items, as long as they are in good condition of course (Wizo and Pitchon Lev, just to name a couple). There are also some cities that have recycling bins for used clothing. Whatever country you live in, I’m sure you can find a place that will happily take clothes to pass them on to less fortunate people.

If you’re having a hard time parting with your old clothing, I believe these two rules of thumb will help you decide which items are keepers and which you should get rid of:

• If you haven’t worn something in over a year – it’s time to let it go. (pregnancy is the only exception I’m willing to accept here)
• If you bought something and haven’t worn it even once, and it’s been a while, you’re probably not going to wear it. Goodbye!

There are many other tips and pointers, but I think these two are the ones that are true in almost any situation. I strongly encourage to give away clothing at least once a year. It will make you feel better for doing a good deed, and also help you refresh your wardrobe.

I’d be happy to hear your tips for cleaning out your closet.
Good luck and happy spring cleaning!

 

Sailor Stripes

I haven’t updated the blog in a week, which is outrageous I know, but for a good reason (which is actually bad) – I was sick. :(

But now I’m all better! Actually started feeling better last week, which is also when I took these pictures. It was a really hot day (the weather lately is just crazy) so it was the perfect excuse to put on a wavy skirt and a light-weight top.

The black & white trend is hitting hard right now, so I think blue & white is a good way to relate to this trend without overdoing it, plus it’s a great combination within itself. I really love sailor stripes, they always have that casual yet elegant look that compliments almost every outfit. The blue pleated skirt which I got on e-bay is also a winner, it’s super comfy and I love its shape and fit. To complete the look, I chose camel with gold accent flats, a gold necklace and a purple satchel from a local shop called Liligrace. This satchel always gets a lot of compliments, it’s a great accessory that can make any look a little more interesting.

Overall it created a sort of a preppy look, but I still think it’s pretty cute. :) What do you think?

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I’ve also just shared this look on IFB – check it out!

Feeling Feminine

The previous weekend, the BF and I had the entire day to ourselves which, believe it or not, doesn’t happen very often. He let me sleep in, and after I got up we went to have a late breakfast by the beach. For this casual, but nevertheless fun, occasion I chose an outfit that is comfortable and flattering, plus – I haven’t had a chance to wear that top yet so it was the perfect excuse. I don’t know why this outfit in particular made me feel so feminine, it could be the bright colors or the ballerina – esque oxfords (I think it already shows that I’m wearing them to death :) ), anyway I really loved it  and wanted to share it with you.

Outfit Details
Top – H&M
Pants – Mango
Ballerina oxfords by Betsey Johnson for Steve Madden
Romwe mint backpack
Armani Exchange sunglasses

Hope you had a lovely weekend and thanks for reading!

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Faux Leather Skirt

Outfit details

Faux leather skirt – Love Lola (Israeli shop)
Black suede and gold necklace
Jeffrey Campbell ankle boots
Two-tone angora sleeves sweater – H&M

It’s amazing how one item can change the way you feel. I’ve been craving for a a faux leather skirt since the beginning of winter, but haven’t found one that was quite right. I purchased this skirt about a month ago but didn’t wear it until very recently. You can say it was love at first sight :) wearing it instantly makes me feel sexy and sophisticated. Apart from the figure which is very flattering and the perfect length, I really love the big zipper detail in the front. The reason I didn’t wear it for so long was because it was quite hard to style! Harder than expected, anyway. I didn’t want to wear it with a button down shirt, because it was too much of a “secretary” look in my opinion; on the other hand, it looks too elegant for just any plain shirt. Eventually I decided to go with a simple fitting black top that I’ve had forever, but always saves the day. :) I paired it with complimenting accessories – a black suede and gold necklace, ankle boots , dark grey opaque tights and a two-tone sweater.

I still have to think about more options for this gorgeous skirt, but I think it’s a good combination between simple and sexy.

What do you think? How would you wear it?

A Guide for Fashion Shopping Online – part 2

In this post, I’ll talk about what to do after you’ve made all the preliminary checks discussed in the previous post, or in other words – start shopping!

Size and Fit

As you probably already know from your experience of shopping in “regular” shops, sizes differ from one shop to another, even if they’re officially the same. I usually prefer shopping on sites that either provide a sizing chart with detailed measurements for each size (in CM or inches) or provide specific measurements for each item separately.

Obviously, in order to know your own measures, you’ll need to measure yourself. The areas I suggest measuring are your bust, your waist, your hips and your arms (for sleeve length). A garment that doesn’t fit in any of these areas will probably not look good on you. All you need is a measuring tape, which can be purchased at any local store that offers sewing supplies or a sewing kit.

I suggest measuring yourself with your bra on, assuming you usually wear one, as it might change your bust size. ASOS, for example, offers a really nice size guide on every product page that explains how to measure yourself properly.

However, even after you’ve measured yourself and compared with the item’s measurements, there are some inaccuracies and this is one of the inevitable disadvantages of shopping online. The bright side is that most sites will allow you to return the item, under certain conditions. This will be discussed later in this post.

Delivery time

If you opted for express delivery, this will probably not be an issue for you. However, if you’re like me and prefer free shipping, the best advice I can give you here is to be patient. I know that once you’ve made the order, you’re just dying to get those new clothes (as you should :) ), but you still have to be realistic. I’ve seen some comments on shopping sites from frustrated customers, and I think you’ll save yourself a lot of frustration if you read the site’s shipping & delivery information and know what to expect. 5 business days usually means a week at best, and can take up to 10 days, so, at the risk of being redundant – be patient!

It goes without saying that if the delivery is delayed beyond a reasonable period (check the shipping and delivery info before deciding what’s reasonable…), you should definitely contact the site and ask for compensation.

Returns

I hope you won’t need this part and that the item(s) you ordered will be exactly as you expected and fit perfectly (I really do!). However, if you find that the item doesn’t fit, looks totally different or even worse – is damaged, most shopping sites will allow you to return the item, under their specific terms and conditions. It is important to check if this option exists, because not all sites allow returns.

It should be noted, that the seller will not compensate you for the shipping cost of sending the item(s) back, at least as far as I know, so this should also be taken into account. If the shipping cost is higher than the item’s cost, it might not be worth it.

To conclude, I hope this small guide has helped make some sense of online shopping. It might sound complicated, but I believe that if you’ll follow these guidelines, you’ll have a much more positive shopping experience.

Have anything to add?  Questions? Drop me a line. :)

A Guide for Fashion Shopping Online – part 1

Hi all, hope you had a great weekend!

This time I decided to dedicate my post to something a little more handy, and contribute from my experience of online shopping. One of my readers asked me about shopping for clothes on E bay, and I’ve also come across some questions on forums, so I wanted to make a list of tips I believe will be helpful for someone who is considering online shopping.

However, I found out in the process of writing there are a lot of things that need to be considered! So I decided to make this into a small guide and divide it into two separate posts. I hope you’ll find this guide helpful and that it will assist you in enjoying your online shopping experience!

payment method

This is  usually the last step in shopping , but I think it’s one of the most important things when you’re shopping online. I would highly recommend using PayPal or similar payment methods, and not credit cards for the simple reason that it’s more secured. I don’t know any respectable e-commerce site that doesn’t allow to pay through Paypal and setting up an account is really easy!

Shipping and delivery options

This is mainly relevant if you’re making an international order. In this matter there are three things that need to be considered:

A – Does the site offer international shipping?  There’s no bigger disappointment than browsing through the site, choosing your favorite items, adding them to your virtual cart and… finding out that this particular site doesn’t ship to your country. If you live in the US or Europe, most well-known and established sites will ship there, but if you live in a small country in the middle east, like me, it’s not that obvious at all. Also, if you found an online boutique that you really love, but it happens to be based in Australia for example, it might not ship to all countries.

B- What are the shipping costs? If you’re ordering a 20$ skirt and the site charges 30$ for delivery, it might not be worth it for you. This is also worth checking in advance. Costs are dependent on two things –  (obviously) how much you’re willing to spend and how fast do you want it. Usually faster means more expensive. I usually prefer sites that offer free delivery options such as ASOS, SheInside, Romwe and Chicwish.

C- Customs and taxes. Different countries have different laws and regulations regarding international deliveries, and it’s worth finding out with your local customs office before you order. After all, you don’t want to have your parcel stuck in customs or to have to pay a high amount in order to release it. Most, if not all, sites I know will not take responsibility for any delay or failure of delivery due to custom policy.

Prioritize or How to choose the best shopping site?

There are many fashion shopping sites available, and choosing between them can be quite confusing. You don’t have to choose just one, but if you’re like me, you’ll prefer shopping on a few that are the best for your needs, than going through a million sites. It’s all a question of what’s the most important to you – unique designs, famous brands, affordable prices, fast shipping, free shipping and so on.
Each site usually has a few advantages, but not all of them. I suggest taking a little time to explore the different sites and see what each of them has to offer, and then decide based on what’s the most important feature(s) for you. You can also use relevant forums or Facebook groups to ask for recommendations. You’ll get better answers if you point out what’s particularly important to you.

If you have any comments or questions, I would love to hear them!

Stay tuned for part 2…

Shine On

Hi all and happy weekend! It’s always nice when the weekend comes along, especially if you know you don’t have anything that needs to be done, but to rest and relax.

Earlier this week, I got a beautiful jumper (ordered from ASOS) and I wanted to share it with you. It has metal fibers (Lurex) in it, so it has a sort of glitter to it, which is why I liked it in the first place. I’m not really into outfits or jewelry that are too glittery, but I do like metallic items, and if it’s in the right proportions I think it looks great. This jumper also has a great shape, it’s a relaxed fit but not oversize and the color is also beautiful – it’s called rose dust :) The name alone makes you want to wear it, right?

I wore it with a simple black dress underneath, a long necklace with a pendant, opaque tights and of course my currently favorite boots.

What I’m wearing:

Metallic knit jumper by Vero Moda from Asos
Black skater dress from Dorothy Perkins
Pendant necklace from Accessorize
Jeffrey Campbell ankle boots

Do you like metallic items? Let me know what you think!