Place your orders, girls

I was just visiting Economy of Style, one of the greatest blogs out there for stylish women on a budget. The lovely Psyche, the literal soul of the blog, as her name Ψυχή means soul in greek, always posts the most well-thought and perfect outfits out there. So, I spotted this picture. This girl is really something. Not only she found this dress on sale for just $25, she also googled for discount codes and found one for 20% off AND one for free shipping, and managed to use both. The final cost of the dress was a mere $21.95. You go girl! But, dear non-american readers who are jealous like me, because you can't order from most US-based online shops, bear with me, because this is not the only reason I'm posting this. As I was deeply mesmerized by how good this dress looked, I clicked on the link and was instantly transferred to the Newport News website. My small online shopping experience has taught me to check out first the international-shipping policy and then everything else. So I can know from the start if my daydreaming will stay just that, or it could translate to actual purchases. So, I did just that and stumbled upon this:

Newport News has partnered with Access USA to help facilitate shipping to our international customers. Access USA is an international mail forwarder that provides customers with a private U.S. street address to receive mail and merchandise. Access USA consolidates your Newport News order and ensures proper delivery to your international address.

Follow these two steps for international delivery:
1. Sign up with Access USA at www.myus.com
2. Use your new U.S. address, provided by Access USA, when placing your order.

So, finally someone saw the gap in the market for a middle ground between american-based online boutiques and eager-to-shop non-american-residents. I will be registering ASAP and as Access USA also offers mail forwarding services, maybe I will also get that Vogue US subscription I have been contemplating for the last 8 years. After I check their rates. Shop shop hurray!

They were on sale, ok?

White leather flip flops with silver insoles, from Bershka, 8 euros.



Low-heeled pumps with multicolored spots, from Zara, 8 euros.



Leather peep-toe wedges, from Marks & Spencer, 15 euros reduced from 75.

I shouldn't feel guilty, should I?
Have to count how many shoes I have, though.

A day on the island

I thought I was ready to do my super-ambitious summer sales extravaganza megapost, but as I started photographing my new stuff to post, I realized that they looked all wrinkly and awful. You see, they came straight out of the suitcase because I was too lazy to unpack since I arrived on the island two days ago. So, until they are unwrinkled - on their own by hanging, too lazy to press, I'm on holidays people - I give you a glimpse of what I threw on myself this morning, 5 minutes after I woke up, hurrying to make it to the stores before they closed.I love the way my hair gets natural blond highlights by the strong summer sun. And orange looks great with a tan, doesn't it? And... please don't hate me because I live on a greek island!

Back to business!

For most bloggers the start of their summer vacation means less blogging. Well, for this blogger it means more blogging and a whole lot of summer sales shopping. Here in Greece, the sales started officially exactly 10 days ago, and I managed to get so many stuff I could build an entirely new wardrobe! And I plan to blog about them all. So, for starters, my new Clarks shoes:
Yes, I know Clarks are considered a bit safe and boring, something your mum approves of. I know my mum loves Clarks shoes! But look at them:I think there is a little something about them that goes the distance. That, and also being damn comfortable, add to the fact that I bought them reduced to 55 euros from 79 in a local shop in Volos, when the official Clarks boutique, in The Mall shopping center in Athens, had them reduced only to 71 euros. Thieves! Anyway, I wore them today for the first time, to dinner with my parents. So, summer has started, and even if my happy days here in Samos island won't last as much as I would like them to, I intend to use them wisely and blog intensively. Please visit and comment!

Hey, these are mine!

This picture came in the mail advertising Revolve Clothing's last days of summer sales. And the model is wearing my Chie Mihara shoes, bought from them a few weeks ago. I love it when things like that happen!

Summertime

Finally, some rest. The last week was hell, with the festival and all. My feet are still swollen. But, as the festival ended on Monday, the summer sales started here in Greece, and now my feet are even more swollen. I got soooooo many stuff! Expect photos next week, as I'm now going to have a nice long camping weekend with my boyfriend and some friends at someone else's graffiti festival for a change. I'll be there, lying on the beach, wearing my new bikinis (yes MORE new bikinis), reading stupid british chick-lit and watching others do graffiti. Until then, here's an example of what I wanted to wear for the festival, but didn't quite manage, because of the fact that I was constantly wearing bikinis so I could jump into the sea for a quick dip as frequently as possible, but also because my boyfriend vetoed the shorts. They were short.

Popped my cherry!

I would like to announce everyone that I finally lost my internet-shopping virginity! Ok, maybe it doesn't really count, because in the past I have successfully ordered several books from amazon.com, mostly fashion and illustration ones. But this is the first time that I ordered a fashion item: a pair of wonderful cognac-colored leather Chie Mihara maryjanes!




I bought them from american site Revolve Clothing one week ago and they arrived today, much faster than what I was used to by amazon. Let me tell you, I was so anxious I tried not to think about it at all this whole week. You see, although I already own another lovely pair of Chie Miharas and I knew that I wanted a 38,5 european size, the size-conversion charts I found around the net freaked me out! Every one said a different thing. I finally ordered the 8,5 and hoped it meant a 38,5. It also happened to be the last size left. Fate maybe?Well, they fit perfectly and I couldn't be happier. And I love their round shape and beautiful color and heel shape and, well actually EVERYTHING about them! I think I'm going to wear them to death when the weather gets a bit cooler, because right now I live in sandals and open-toe platforms. And a fact: they are the most expensive pair of my collection, but no regrets there because I really see Chie Mihara designs as investments.

Fashion is everywhere...

... even at graffiti festivals in the middle of nowhere.

Interesting shoes photographed in Alexandria graffiti festival, held on the 27th of June, near Veroia in northern Greece.

Bikini fever

With less than a week till Color Your Life graffiti festival starts, I have to think forward and prepare. My boyfriend coming back from the stores with the most amazing Quicksilver green surf shorts didn't help either. Got jealous. HAD TO SHOP. Problem there: I'm rather "gifted" on the boobs department and most stores think all women either are a 34B or don't care if their boobs look like sacks. So, I walked, and asked and walked some more. No luck at Calzedonia or Undercolors and numerous other small shops. And then it hit me. Good old Marks and Spencer! They always have bigger sizes and only half of their styles are too mumsy. I got in there, browsed for five minutes and took a whole lot of bikini tops in the dressing room. I always try on just the tops for starters, and the 10% that make it through the test get to go to the next phase: the bottoms. So, these are the ones I tried on, but didn't quite make it:And these are the ones I finally bought:
Beautiful double print combining zebra and polka dots, great colors and very supporting top... ...surprisingly well-fitting, with yummy white and yellow print.

Now, repeat after me: Don't snob the shops your mum shops

Day and night

Same ridiculously cheap gray dress from ZARA, two ways to do it.

I have blogger’s guilt…

…but not the usual kind. You know, the “gosh, I’m so sorry I haven’t been blogging for so long, but my boyfriend left me/my dog died/been too lazy to bother” kind of guilt. No, mine is due to a completely different reason. I feel guilty because I blog in English. You see, I am Greek, born and raised in Greece and still living in Greece. And I chose to blog in English for completely vain reasons, meaning I didn’t think anyone - except maybe a handful of female friends - would read my blog if it was written in Greek. And probably I am right. But now that I’ve been blogging for almost three months and I have found out that Greek fashion bloggers – writing in Greek – aren’t unicorns, meaning they actually exist, I feel kinda guilty for my choice. It's like I’m betraying someone here! Silly, isn’t it? I also suspect that most of my aforementioned real-life Greek friends that always assure me they read my blog, actually only look at the pictures. Many have already admitted it. I’m just waiting for the rest to come out.

Want want want!

Jill Stuart Morning Mist Isabelle dress and Miu Miu T-bar leather sandals

Even with a 60% discount for the dress and 30% for the shoes, they're still a whooping € 353.07. I just can't bring myself to press "proceed to purchase".

Obsessive compulsive, moi?

This in NOT my closet. These last days I have been searching the net for articles and pictures on hoarding, to use on my final thesis for my architecture degree. Here's the 3-part definition of clinical hoarding from here :

1. The acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value (Frost and Gross, 1993).
2. Living spaces are cluttered enough that they can't be used for the activities for which they were designed (Frost and Hartl, 1996).
3. Significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding.

Also from the same article, the three components of hoarding:

1. Acquiring possessions compulsively - compulsive buying, or collecting free things.
2. Saving all these possessions and never discarding.
3. Not organizing and maintaining all the saved possessions.

A total of 1 to 2 percent of the general population are considered hoarders, though only 25 percent of hoarders have an obsessive compulsive disorder, says here. And some extracts from the aforementioned scientific article on hoarding as a psychological disorder:

Part of the problem for hoarders is that they find it hard to make decisions about what to do with their possessions. A hoarder may feel that something bad will happen if they discard an item or it may feel like a part of their identity will be lost. (...) To avoid these uncomfortable feelings, or distress, a hoarder is likely to choose the "safe" option - postponing the decision, or saving everything.

I think many of the fashion crowd have a tendency to hoard, including yours truly, though not in the level of a disorder. Hard for you to let go of old clothes? Never get around to throwing aw... errh, recycling your fashion magazines? Can't bear to bin those battered beyond repair and *smelly* shoes? HOARDER! Well, I'm not suggesting that your closet should always look like this: (NOT mine either)

That also has an obsessive compulsive feel, in an "American Psycho" control freak way. No, I'm suggesting some level of throwing away or recycling when possible and a lot more organizing. And even - please don't get upset - less shopping? Just a suggestion...

Eco fabulus

I just spent a good couple of hours - that will be inevitably subtracted from my sleep allowance - going through the archives of Haute Nature blog. It's both about crafting ideas and tips on being "green" as well as fashion, or "trashion" as the eco-aware crowd like to call it. Suits me just fine. Look what I found:

bag made from recycled leather

bench/coffee table made from old (fashion?) magazines

bangles and coin purse made from crocheted plastic bags, for those of us who still haven't started using reusable bags and still bring that $h!t home from the supermarket

Celebrities are my guilty pleasure

I've never done a celebrity post before, but given the time I spend daily browsing sites like popsugar, dlisted, egotastic and idontlikeyouinthatway, it was a matter of time until I did. Both pictures have a link to the original post.
I never was a fan of the Olsens. They always looked too, I don't know, minuscule and children-like. They made great efforts fashion-wise, but to me they always looked like they were playing dress-up with their mum's clothes. But seeing this photo, I changed my mind. Ashley looks perfect. Simple but polished and grown up at last. And Keira. Since I saw "Love, actually" I can't get over how beautiful and cool she is at the same time. I think only she and The Moss could look so stylish wearing this dress.