Window Shopping – The “almost Christmas” edition

Having mostly done my Christmas shopping online, this year I am happily avoiding the crowds. However, I decided to treat myself to some festive retail spirit and discover the window displays at night, when the streets are empty and everyone is at home letting their feet – and wallets – rest.

I’m currently in Cordoba – southern Spain – as my parents still live here. Christmas here is not huge, but the high streets are buzzing. Due to the local government’s attempts at cutting costs, there are only lights and decorations in the centre of the city, which slightly ruins the atmosphere, as it all becomes more spend, spend, spend, and less “be merry and happy because it’s Christmas time”. There are also very few interesting shops, as – like with any other shopping area in Spain – the Inditex group is king, with very few other brands such as Mango, Desigual, Vero Moda, attempting to bring some variety into the game.

Having worked as a Visual Merchandiser may make me a tad hard to please when it comes to retail creativity. Nevertheless, here are some pictures I took. How about some Bjork when looking at these stills?

Zara – It’s oh so quiet shhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh

Pull & Bear – it’s all so still, shhhhhhh, shhhhhhh

Mango for Men – you are alone, shhhhh, shhhhh

Mango – and so peaceful until …

I hope you all take care on the run up to Christmas. Go easy on the drinking, avoid driving, spend money wisely and remember to call that special person you haven’t spoken to lately. Most of all, stay happy.

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

What I Bought – Cute accessories by Mockinghorse

Personally, I believe there’s a science to treating oneself. It should not be done too often as any “special” qualities will be lost and, when done, it must be for something pretty special. With this in mind, last week I bought a gift to me from me, with love: a necklace I had been coveting for a long while, a stunning magpie by Mockinghorse.

This necklace actually hangs lower, I had just shortened for the picture

This small yet talented company designs each piece by hand, and the end result is a gorgeous collection of acrylic accessories. They are currently based in London, but are relocating overseas. To celebrate such a huge event they are throwing a huge relocation sale that is worth checking out. I must confess I’m a long time fan of Mockinghorse, having received the cute dachshund design below last Christmas.

 To buy the cute dachshund brooch click here

Mockinghorse are holding the sale until the 10th of December. After that, the store will close for a while, to re-launch in 2012 with an exciting Spring collection. Personally I cannot wait to see what they come up with.

Christmas shopping anyone? Have a wonderful weekend xx

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

Style in Berlin

There is a reason for my silence these last days. One of them, the most pressing, is the existence of heavy duty building works occurring on top of me, quite literally. Just a few weeks back I also had a bushy jungle for an outside garden. It is now a building site. I wake up before 8am to the sound of power drills, excavators and men yelling just below my window. My nerves are coping more or… actually less OK. It’s the dog who is suffering the most – utterly terrified- and my writing. The loud noise doesn’t even allow me to think. It simply kills the most minuscule brain activity.

The second, results from the loud building works: I’m moving out. I am selling all of my stuff – eyes open as I will be selling some lovely clothes and shoes through this space – and with one of two future destinations in mind: London or Barcelona. Time, and job opportunities, will tell where me and my miniature dachshund end up. We’ll keep you posted through Twitter, if you’re curious enough.

So, taking the opportunity of a lovely quiet Sunday morning, I’m wondering about style. Why not take a look at this must-read feature on Luella Bartley via The Guardian, mostly about English style. Since the former designer has covered that subject, I’m going to stir the topic towards European style. More precisely, what four days in Berlin taught me about style the Berliner or Berlinerin way, or how anyone living in Berlin dresses.

Clothes stores in Berlin: Aplenty. Shopping in Berlin offers well-know international brands, but mostly there are indie stores galore. The other popular shops are vintage ones. However, in my honest opinion, vintage in the German capital is widely overpriced. I came across a popular one that was selling New Look shoes with a whopping €20-€30 price tag. Anything from an expensive brand or designer was simply outrageously priced – except for the huge shop that lets you buy clothing by the kilo, worth a visit, but with hardly any big names to be found and a lot of junk.

Berlin is however a great place to buy military inspired parkas, jackets and other similar accessories. I picked up an 80s jacket for only €15.

Boys in Berlin: Guys tend to favour well-fitted jackets and trousers. However, some urban tribes will choose hip hop inspired fashion. Whatever the preference, I came across very few males who hadn’t made a slight effort when selecting their clothes. I also encountered plenty pork pie hats, an extensive use of brogues, and as expected, a love for anything punk. Adidas shoes, unsurprisingly, everywhere. Additionally, Berlin men love a good haircut.

Not a great picture, but these guys we’re moving pretty fast and I was pretty useless at figuring out my new camera

Girls in Berlin: very understated, effortless cool. A love for discreet flower prints, feminine cuts, shirts worn as dresses or tunics paired with skinny jeans. Light make up, hair wrapped in a bun, or loose with no fuss. Shoes were mainly flat, either pretty ballerinas, trainers or more masculine styles.

Have you been to Berlin? What’s your take?

This is just a modest account on what I saw during a four day stay. I found the way of dressing there nicely uncomplicated, fast, practical and mostly, a young look. However, there is so much more to say about Berlin, like Stil in Berlin, an interesting blog on the subject, or just google “street style Berlin” for fun, there is so much documented on the European capital of cool.

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

Hello Autumn – An Outfit post

I don’t know how it’s been in your neck of the woods, but here, as soon as the 21st of September arrived, the days turned suddenly cooler, the nights are actually cold, and I even found myself shopping for a new coat. Before you know it, Halloween will have gone by, and the countdown to Christmas will be upon us… I am so not ready for all of that, are you? However, first things first, a lovely pair of blue suede boots.

Top: Topshop
Jeans: Karen Millen
Boots: Elite courtesy of Spartoo

Cuff: Thrifted somewhere in Granada

Many of you know Spartoo are one of my sponsors, and since I’ve been using them a lot I can clearly say that they are very, very good. The ordering process is quick and painless, the info on their sizing is very accurate, and their return policy is free, quick and brilliant. Their customer service is also pretty good, and their advisors very friendly, so I’ve been quite happy working with them. My reviews are always HONEST and objective, so I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart and my own experience. To shop with them click here.

Now, for the coat, and, let me just say, winter cannot come fast enough… and yes, of course it’s leopard print!!

Coat: Zara

Me trying to look … “zexy” – Kudos to my photographer,
who let me boss him around and managed to make me smile
… and laugh at myself 😉

So, what are your plans for the new season? Shopping? Studying? Chasing a promotion at work? Having a baby? Adopting a cat? Do tell, I’m quite the curious one xxxx

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

My Problem With Zara

Apparently, Abercrombie & Fitch have offered an “interesting” amount of money to one of the stars of MTV’s hit reality-TV show Jersey Shore. The point is not to endorse him with their clothing, but to request he doesn’t wear them. The “reality” the show portraits is quite similar to that of The Only Way Is Essex, showing a section of our society more worried about the size of their pecs and the strength of their tan than anything else. They seemed to be pretty obsessed with sex too, but I’ve never watched the show so can’t say much.

I can state, however, that I’m quite envious of Michael Sorrentino – the guy at the centre of this rumour – and wish Zara would pay me NOT to wear their clothes. Why? Because I fall into the same trap over and over again: I’m lured into spending my money on bad quality fashion.

I recently bought this leopard print tunic in the sales. And after one wash, see the second picture below to discover what happened.

It went through a cold wash, in the delicates programme. Result: after wearing this tunic twice, it’s ready to be used as a home-made duster.

Don’t get me wrong. I ADORE Zara, I walk into their stores and could easily walk out with absolutely everything, but time and time again I’m disappointed by the quality. Another failed purchase from them this year was my leopard print moccasins aka the most painful shoes in the world!!!! – maybe someone is trying to tell me to stay clear from said print?!

You could argue it’s what I deserve for buying cheap fashion, but Zara is far from cheap. Their designs are fabulous, their business model is very clever, but this over-priced low quality fashion is beginning to get to me. So yes, maybe they could pay me to stay away from their racks, and afford even pricier brands? Maybe a higher price tag does not mean I would own a more durable garment.

What do you think? Is good-quality fashion something of the past? Are there any resonably priced brands that don’t make you feel like you just wasted your money?

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

The Rant – The sad Zara girl

The Zara logo is sad too, you know?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Following the huge amounts of attention this post gets, I feel I need to clarify a few points.

This post was originally written for, and inspired by, customers’ experience mostly in Spain, more specifically, southern Spain. The version that appears in a publication for the region, can be seen here. It was written from the point of view of the customer, to entertain customers, and make them think about, why, in general, customer service in Spain is so poor. 

Personally, I have worked in fashion. I’ve had the horrid staff room with no heating in minus zero degrees in winter. I have been physically assaulted by customers that got angry because I didn’t let them return a dress that was stained and smelling of cigarettes. I developed a back injury from lifting boxes full of stock, up and down very unsafe stairs. I’ve been insulted, I’ve been threatened. I have seen with my own eyes the disgusting things some human beings do in changing rooms.

Now as a customer, and a ridiculously polite one, I have been, on most occasions, treated with a lot of arrogance by Zara staff, but – and I cannot stress this enough – mostly in Spain. It’s happened to friends of mine, family members, acquaintances, co-workers. I didn’t make this up. This is why this article was written in the first place, and also, after reading – as it’s stated in the article – reviews that can be found on newspapers and online magazines. However, I do know, and respect that, in Spain, there are wonderful Zara girls, who work their ass off, with a smile, even when customers behave like demanding little monsters.

Also, the intention was not to offend Zara workers all over the globe. The intention was not to offend anyone that is working stupidly long hours, with salaries that will never pay the rent, and working conditions that are disgusting. I’m pretty sure Zara is not the best place to work at. And I’m also sure the circumstances are VERY different for someone in Australia, in Colombia, Thailand, Korea etc. This is NOT reflected in this post. 

It is a scientifically proven fact that the girls working in Zara are always miserable. You walk up to the till, patiently wait your turn, finally reaching the sales assistant. You greet her with a smile and a hello, and she doesn’t even look you in the eye.

She folds your clothes to neat perfection, with a halo of sadness reminiscent of the unhappy housewife, re-living her misery every day, as she folds the laundry, her husband ignoring her scoring mistress after mistress.

She takes your credit card and scrutinises it closely, asking you to introduce your PIN number with a lifeless voice, returning it to you with no “thank you”. The Zara girl doesn’t know that word. She hands the bag of purchases to you, then looking into thin air, calls the next customer.

Have you ever experienced this sort of, sad, impersonal customer service at the Inditex brand? I have seen it happening in London, in Brussels, Antwerp and now I’m experiencing the full-on “I’m too miserable to even acknowledge your presence” attitude in their Spanish stores. Mary Portas went to the Oxford Street flagship store in London and compared the service to that of Burger King, even calling it “snooty”.

Why are they so sad? is the pay that bad? Are the working conditions so horrid? Why do they hate customers? Because, the truth is, they hate us all.

Maybe it’s the uniforms they have to wear: jacket, top and trousers, ugly shoes, all in black. Day in, day out. Maybe they see us happy customers smiling away with our colourful purchases. Their resentment must be at a mighty high after this Summer of vibrant colour blocking.

Maybe they are told not to smile? They might have been warned about Anna Wintour not including smiles in the upcoming September issue of Vogue, and we all know how good Zara is at replicating the latest trends.

I wonder whether they have motivational posters in the storage rooms, as in “make a customer feel as insignificant as an amoeba and get a 10% discount”.

We may never know the real reason. All we can be sure of, is that the girls in Zara are sad. Very, very sad.

Note: I have worked in retail, in some miserable conditions. I have worked in pubs, with minimum wage and drunks as customers. Still, I believe a smile goes a long way. I’m seriously curious about the lack of customer care in Zara, if anyone knows anything about their working conditions, please enlighten us. Until then I can only look at this misery with a pinch of salt 😉

Style and the City – Norwich

Looking for a city break to break the monotony of the Summer? Norwich is the place to go, and to tell us all about this town I have vintage queen Gemma Seager from Retro Chick and Vintage Norwich. There is more to Norwich than historical buildings… there’s shopping, bucket loads of style, and more importantly, there’s cocktails!

How would you define your personal style?

Generally I’d say classic with a vintage twist, but I occasionally like to go a bit crazy!

Style is …

Confidence in your own style and not being afraid to experiment. So many women dress how they think other people want them to dress, it’s such a shame.

Tell me about Norwich

It’s in the East of England. During the 11th Century it was the second largest city in England! Those days are long gone, but I think we now have a massive vintage community that’s possibly second only to London! I run a local website called Vintage Norwich (www.vintagenorwich.co.uk) that covers all our local events listings and venues.

Any particular reason why you live there?

No! I came on holiday and stayed! I loved the history of the place and the fact that it’s compact, but not too small. It has everything you need.

What are your favourite places to shop in Norwich?

I’m an avid bargain hunter so I love the Charity shops on Anglia Square and the Antique Markets on Tombland. Otherwise I love Poppy Valentine in the Royal Arcade for beautiful 50s style retro frocks. We have some good vintage shops that are always worth a look too. Lulu’s on Tombland, Antidote on Upper St Giles and Prim on St Benedicts are a few good ones.

Best things to do in Norwich over a weekend?

Have Afternoon Tea at Biddy’s Vintage Tea Room, explore the vintage shops (all listed on Vintage Norwich!) and have a sneaky cocktail at The Birdcage, a gorgeous Art Deco pub.

Gorgeous Gemma at Biddy’s Vintage Tea Room

If you could only eat in one restaurant in Norwich, which one would it be?

Only one! I’m not sure I could chose! The restaurant attached to the art cinema Cinema City does gorgeous food though, so maybe there!

Isn’t she lovely? Gemma Seager writes about vintage on Retro Chick. She also has a fantastic online store. For more information on events happening in Norwich go to www.vintagenorwich.co.uk

Pictures: Retro Chick

How To Save Money On the Sales – the aftermath

Remember my strategy for the upcoming summer sales? After a couple of shopping trips, my plans were squashed and left me with a bitter after-taste edging  towards deep disappointment. Having recently moved to Spain I was really looking forward to some decent bargain hunting at Zara, but I was obviously deluded.

At the store, it looked like a bomb had hit the place. Remember how I mentioned how some shops had the visual edge? This Zara branch clearly had none. The only reason why I didn’t make a U-turn as soon as I walked through the door, was because I was after certain items I had already eyed during the season. I’m guessing that’s what everyone does and Zara knows this, hence the lack of effort tiding up the shop floor.

Secondly, we all know their full prices are somewhat inflated, as the quality is never amazing, I have witnessed how a blouse that cost over €30 ended up ruined after one wash. I went to Zara at exactly 7 hours after they opened for sales, at 5pm on the first day. I found a gold knitwear jumper that was ruined in every single of the 7 pieces that were left. Maybe I’m looking for the wrong type of item during the sales (???), knitwear being a delicate thing and the rush of people makes these items really suffer. I also came across several blouses missing at least a button, a purse with a ripped zip, and skirts that looked like somebody had used them to sweep the floors. To top it, these items were still overpriced: in the case of the knitted jumper, €35 for a piece that was so badly manufactured – in Turkey, apparently – it was full of pulled threads and holes. The hangers they were on over-stretched their necklines to nasty extents.

Is that what I can expect from Zara’s sales? defective pieces at high prices? I could have gone up to the till – as that was were all sales attendants seemed to gather, none on the floor tiding up the rails or tables – and asked for a further reduction, but the queues were of +12 people each. I really didn’t have the heart to wait for so long, for maybe, an extra 10% reduction if anything.

Don’t get me wrong, I have worked in retail, during the sales, and the mayhem is such that it becomes near to impossible to keep an eye on the state of the store when a human tide is ravishing through it. However for the quality of mass-produced fashion, that we all know is very cheap to make, finding such hefty price tags seems like a cruel joke.

Did I managed to stick to my wish list? not really, as I hardly found any of the items I was after. I did manage to purchase a cute bikini, at another store, but it wasn’t even reduced so I only bought the top, then teaming it with some bottoms that were at half-price.

My sister did find a cute dress over at Zara, still overpriced, again for what it was, at €20, but we felt the colour and the cut were simply perfect for the summer, plus the fabric seemed so light I was really happy she went for it – I just really hope it doesn’t shrink in the laundry. What do you think?

Dress: Zara
Bag: Stradivarius
Sandals: Pull & Bear circa 2006
Shades: Topshop

This is probably the first time I feature my little sister here, Tina, apart from now and then on former logo’s and site headers. She’s one gorgeous kitty and I love her for letting me take pictures of her to publish on Fashion Limbo.

So, were the sales good to you?

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

Bread & Butter Shopping Nights

Love from Berlin! I arrived on Wednesday, managed to arrive to my hotel, safe and sound, with only half an hour to rest before hitting Berlin-Mitte for the Bread & Butter Shopping Nights. The centre of Berlin was full of fun events: fashion shows, special sales, DJs, live music. I hit a couple of parties, drank some bubbles and here are some pictures for you to have a nose-around, it’s almost like you are all here with me!

Buffalo window display

Colourful display at 14 OZ garden GARAGE sale

CLOSED opening party

Live music by The Mainstream at Gin Tonic Store, Berlin

My first impressions of Berlin? it is full of very cool people, and they know they are cool. Fashionably wise, not afraid to wear daring trends, the rule here is dress however you like, feel comfortable in your own skin, and if your hair is bright pink, so what? no big deal. Suddenly I feel so boring, so – dare I say – average (!!!).

Have a fantastic weekend!!!!

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

Berlin Bread & Butter – my personal report

I have just walked into my hotel room after a day at the Berlin Bread & Butter Supershow: I’m truly exhausted, my body aches, my feet are burning… this may be related to my choice of impractical footwear – leopard print wedges – but they lured me with their “we are wedges, we are comfortable!” cries, and as the silly fashionista I am, I put them on and spent the following 8 hours punishing my toes, walking up and down the 1,200 metres long Temelhof airport, the Bread & Butter venue..

Complaints aside, this is my report of the Berlin Bread & Butter exclusively for you.

Trends to come? In stores from February 2012: pastels are still heavily present, coloured jeans are everywhere, still straight and even skinny. I particularly loved some emerald blue ones from Calvin Klein Jeans. Retro designs à la 80s in trainers, and the surprise? The (in)famous smiley is making a comeback… how acid, how nineties.

Calvin Klein Jeans … right before I was told not to take pictures

I adored the bright lights… but then again I love anything shiny

Pretty girls everywhere… seriously, there was plenty bare flesh on display… see picture below

Tommy Hilfiger thought it would be interesting to show everyone what goes on under water

Butterflies everywhere: Fornarina with Alexander McQueen inspired mannequins, Miss Sixty too.

Pretty Ballerinas and a lot of girlie-girl style for… girls

Iron Fist were one of the few to “openly” show off their products, most brands were secluded by high walls

Iron Fist had some fantastic footwear

Scary performers … I admit I was a tad uncomfortable with them… ok I was scared, terrified alright?!!

Bread & Butter survival kit: Smartphone, water, and a vintage find 😉

Free popcorn by McGregor, one of many, MANY freebies

The best parts? 1) The press lounge and it’s lovely food, my stomach was kept happy. 2) Bumping into Avril Lavigne!!! I kid you not, she has her own fashion brand, Abbey Dawn. Before you ask, yes I was standing right next to her, no I didn’t dare say anything – I’m too bloody polite/British to bother celebrities, that’s my excuse – and she is gorgeously petite and prettier in person. 3) The wonderful vintage shop I came across with some very friendly and cute guys who sold me a fantastic vintage military jacket for only €15 – in the picture above.

Not so good: How you are not allowed to take pictures almost everywhere. Fashion bloggers are  hardly appreciated here. We may be given a chance to attend the show, but very few brands see the point of our existence: a great – and FREE -way of promoting their business. The ones that let you take pictures are the most open to talk, the friendlier, but also the ones that are still relatively small, which is what, actually, happily interests me, and hopefully you too.

Pictures: Fashion Limbo