Last minute Easter shopping at McArthurGlen Athens

So, you really are a last-minute kind gal?

Worry not, there is a magical place on earth called McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Athens that is the ultimate destination for gift shopping. That's where we found ourselves earlier this week along with fellow blogger Elena, in an attempt to get our Easter holiday shopping under wraps.

If you've already read the previous post, first two stops at Moschino and Carlo Pazolini were centered around getting myself a little something.

Next up was Staff Jeans & Co:

Great for all those basics that teenage boys & girls (e.g. your godchildren) can never have enough of: jeans, t-shirts, check button-downs, sneakers, the whole deal.

Last stop of the day was VS, which stands for View in Style and is yet another Greek company, this time just for us girls. 

Too bad I haven't discovered it earlier, because it has great little somethings like dresses, cute stamped t-shirts and scarves.

And before you know it, I found myself inside a fitting room with an armful of dresses. Now, how did this happen?

Here are the four I tried on:

Simple maxi with black-and-grey thin stripes. Way too long.

A-line floral with lilac and pale yellow hem. Way too girlie.

Simple beige shift dress. Way too proper.

Full skirt navy stripes on white. Just right.

So this one, plus a pair of loose viscose pants, came home with me.

And hey, seems like will be going back for more the following days. There's a promo going on up until April 26th, that gives you gift cards, extra 10% discount, designer brand gifts and a chance to win a Smart Fortwo car if you spend €50 or more in any of the McArthurGlen Athens shops.

Like I needed an excuse.

Easter outfit nailed at McArthurGlen Athens

Well, you all pretty much already know by now that McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Athens is the ultimate destination for gift shopping, so Easter time is no exception! I originally headed there to do some gift shopping (I have two god-daughters in their teen years) but I couldn't not look for something to spoil myself too.

First stop was the Moschino boutique.

Second stop, the Carlo Pazolini store.

T-shirt and skirt, MOSCHINO. Bag and shoes, CARLO PAZOLINI. All found at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Athens.

Holiday shopping at McArthurGlen

Well, you didn't think holiday shopping was over after Christmas, did you? First of all, the tradition here in Greece is that we exchange presents on New Year's Day instead of Christmas. Second of all, we have all these days - or should I say nights - of festive outfits still left to take care of, so keep scrolling for the lovely shoes, accessories and dresses I found during my latest visit at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, and some very helpful tips at the end.

First stop: Kalogirou

For the foreign readers out there (hi folks) let me enlighten you: Kalogirou is like the Neiman Marcus of Greece, but for shoes only. And they also make their own brand high-quality shoes! Now imagine all that, but also in greatly discounted prices. Sweet!

So here's what tickled my fancy:

Kalogirou green suede classic pumps. I am so in need of such a pair of sensible but lady-like heels.

Glamourness my gawd! Feng Shoe maroon peep-toes, 100€ down from 199€ and in my size.

For those of you complaining there is never anything good available in the most popular sizes, I found this simple black wedge by Jimmy Choo in 38. However, I cannot guarantee for how long it will be there.

And also for those of you who liked my "pony skin" animal print pumps, this is a great look-alike! Again by Kalogirou, 119€ down from 329€

Second stop: Accessorize

Accessorize always bring out my playful side, and their McArthurGlen branch allows me to endulge in this urge without breaking the bank. However, I'm still banging my head on the wall for not getting this white feather headband above.

Or this royal blue one. Blue compliments any red perfectly.

When I say playful, I'm not kidding. Cute panda bear ring anyone?

And of course, a slightly more demure choice, bacuase we are grown-up after all. I think.

Third stop: Toi&moi

Ok, Toi&moi is slowly and stealthily gaining the title of my favourite McArthurGlen shop ever. It has great choice of stuff every single time I go in, carries most sizes and always offers big discounts on the original retail prices. A win-win-win situation, if I might say so.

The pumps above were less than 20 euros. Small price to pay for such chic footwear.

Excuse the face, mind the jacket. Looks like high fashion, but for a fraction of the price.

Another pair of super high and super affordable heels, in one of my favourite colours ever and with great snakeskin-print and lace detailing.

This is definitely on the short side of my hem repertoire, but I loved the colour so much I had to give it a go.

Fake black-and-white leopard fur. All you need is red lipstick.

Another pair of amazing heels in bright blue. Seriously, I went in craving dresses and the heels ended up stealing my heart!

This red shift dress was the thing I couldn't leave behind! Expect to see it in an outfit post anytime soon.

And this was an experiment on super-short gingham and over-the-knee boots. Not for me, but good I got it out of my system.

So, now that I've showed you my finds, let me also share my three valuable McArthurGlen shopping tips:

1. Arrive early. Shops open at 10:00am, so if you hate lines and not finding your size, be beat the other shoppers and be there at around that time.

2. Keep an eye for offers. Many shops give you extra discounts or gifts when you spend over a certain amount. For example, last time I was there, Oxford Company was running a "get an extra 20% off your buys when you spend over 100€" and Toi&moi gave away one free accessory when you spent over 50€. I got this amazing black perspex double ring seen above. Keep an eye for stickers or posters on the window displays and next to the registries advertising such offers.

3. Get the free map. Seriously, it's not just for first-timers there. There are so many shops in McArthurGlen, I guarantee you will forget to visit a couple you planned to and will regret it as you leave.

Happy holiday shopping!

Christmas shopping, done early and for less

Do you always leave your X-mas gift shopping right to the last possible minute? Me too. Been there, done that, paid the price. Because, if you do leave it up untill the last few days, not only you're gonna have a bad time with all the holiday crowd buzzing around, you're also going to pay way more than you should, just because you have no choices left and you just freak out. You know you will.

So, I decided to dedicate somes afternoons after work this month, to hop into my car and head over to McArthurGlen Designer Outlet. 

By the way, don't you prefer weekdays to shop there? I've tried Saturdays, but they were way too crowded for my taste. Good thing is that I always find great things from the brands I love, that make great presents too. Since I only had a couple of hours left till closure, I only managed to visit three shops (I also had a frozen yogurt, but I refuse to consider that as time wasted). Without further ado, below are some of my choices for easy, early X-mas gift shopping in bargain prices at 3 of my favourite shops at McArthurGlen:

First stop at Notos Galleries.

I find men the most hard group of people to buy gifts for. Good thing is they usually hate shopping for clothes, so that means they usually welcome clothes as gifts. 

McNeal merino-cashmere men's sweater

49,90  32,44 - Notos Galleries at McArthurGlen

The most classic and safe gift for women is perfume. It is a good idea to have a clue of what the gift receiver prefers - like flowery scents - and even more important to know what she absolutely hates. After you have those down, it's just a matter of connecting the person to the scent.

Flora by Gucci Eau Fraîche 75ml

89,90  44,95 - Notos Galleries at McArthurGlen

Bellissima by Blumarine 30ml

49,24 29,00 - Notos Galleries at McArthurGlen

Of course, the fail-safest pressie of all is this:

Happy Socks in both women's and men's sizes

8,00 4,00 - Notos Galleries at McArthurGlen

Second stop, at House&Travel.

People forget that a suitcase is part of their outfit whenever they are travelling. If you have a friend who loves to travel (or is always nagging you that they would love to travel more) a pretty suicase is the way to go. Keep in mind that you don't have to go big, a cabin-sized suitcase will get used way more.

Delsey hard-shell suitcase with 70's inspired print

199,00 129,00 - House&Travel at McArthurGlen

You may also have a friend that is always bringing home-made pastries at work? Enable them to feed you more delicious things! That's what they love to do after all, right?

Tescoma Delicia cookie cutters

12,95 7,90 - House&Travel at McArthurGlen

Last stop at Papasotiriou Moreforless.

I always leave it for the end, beacause I want to have my time there. It's amazing how many new books I want to add to my collection each time I pay a visit, and how much self-restraint it takes not to bring them all home - my bookcase will leave me if I keep pushing its limits. The ingenious solution I found in order to keep my sanity and books below hoarding levels, was to find great books for people I love and gift them! Take a look:

This is a book everyone is going to relate to. Definite winner.

The Monday Morning Feeling by Joep P. M. Schrijvers

12,80 5,00 - Papasotiriou Moreforless at McArthurGlen

If you have one of those friends who is into avant-garde fashion and is always talking about going to Saint Martins and making her way into the fashion world, this is a great gift to help her build a more serious fashion bookself.

Unlimited: Comme Des Garçons, edited by Sanae Shimizu

71,50 25,00 - Papasotiriou Moreforless at McArthurGlen

Ok, most architecture students already own that, but it's a great gift for anyone who just strated studying architecture or was always interested about it.

101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (greek)

12,00 9,00 - Papasotiriou Moreforless at McArthurGlen

I love historic photos and I love photo books. I also believe many of my friends do to.

The World in 1900: A Colour Portrait

19,80 6,00 - Papasotiriou Moreforless at McArthurGlen

Shoes. A whole book full of shoes and the life of a man who loved them. Need I say more?

Jan Jansen "I live, sleep and breathe shoes"

 31,90 10,00 - Papasotiriou Moreforless at McArhturGlen

Also, if you can't live without your Moleskine planner and have friends with the same quirk, you should know that Papasotiriou Moreforless stocks 2014 planners in discounted prices.

Moleskine 2014 Daily Diary

21,90 19,60 - Papasotiriou Moreforless at McArthurGlen

So, to wrap this post up, I'm gonna be blunt: 

Don't fool yourselves. Christmas is coming up quicker than you'd like to think. For example, McArthurGlen will be lighting their Xmas tree this Friday, November 15th all with a big event and a live music concert. Will you be going? And more importantly, are you gonna do your giftshopping early this year?