Fashion Dupes: Fall/Winter '17-'18 Edition

Hello my lovely fashionable people,

It's been a hot minute since my previous post but I've been working on something that  required a lot of my energy and time and I wanted to present you something complete and well-rounded.

Fashion "dupes" are a rather controversial topic among the fashion community. Some claim that it's essentially theft of intellectual/industrial property and disrespectful to the original creators. Others say that they're democratizing fashion. Note that we're not talking about "fakes" here and illegal products that pretend to be of a certain brand in order to make money off the label. This is about high street brands namely Zara and Mango that draw their inspiration from designer items with much heftier price tags.

The key difference is that while wildly similar, the much more affordable versions of these high end goods are usually not quite the same. The design is "inspired by" the original not a downright copy. And naturally, the quality and craftsmanship are nowhere near the same. But sometimes when an item is too trendy to be considered an investment, is it worth it to dish out hundreds if not thousands of euros for what's gonna be a one-season affair? That's up for discussion. While there's no doubt that a camel coat or a Chanel bag never lose their value, there's plenty in the market now that might as well be a fashion fad and nothing more.

For the most of us however, it's not even a case of "investing" or not. For a college student, "investing" in the real Miu Miu pair of flats isn't even an option. So if Bershka offers a somewhat similar cute version, this uni student will take it.

So to cut this short, here is my round-up of the best fashion dupes on the market right now.

Luxury vs High Street I by fashionistalooks featuring kitten heel slingback shoes

F/W 2017-'18 Trend Report Part I

For many, the end of summer is the most depressing time of the year.

Not for fashion enthusiasts though. Because the end of summer coincides with the most exciting month for fashion, September. New collections flood the stores, September issues and blogs are filled to the brim with trend reports and fresh editorials and of course, Fashion Month kicks off, so it's safe to say that ispiration isn't running thin.

This is probably one of my favorite posts to make, because trend reports have this old-school feel to them that takes me back to my childhood, when I was skimming through my mother's magazines, marvelling at all the runway shots, memorizing designer and model names, absorbing it all in. There was a time in fashion where trend reports, especially the September ones were everything, the most important piece of the year. So, in respect of this tradition, I present you with all my favorite trends from my favorite collections with a short analysis for each one.

Throughout the collections, I think there's one element that jumps out the most: power. The new styles exude confidence, authority and self determination. Boxy shoulders, sexy boots, maxi coats, suits and bold color are defining a new fashion era with plenty of retro references that range from the 60s to the 90s and the early 00s.

Now let's examinate each trend one-by-one:

Altuzarra / Monse / Tibi / Bottega Veneta / Calvin Klein

Fall 2017 Trends: Power Suit by fashionistalooks on Polyvore

Outfits Of The Week: 11/7 - 11/13

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a follow-up on my weekly outfit series (you can find the previous installment here). I love doing these casual lookbook type of posts, so you can see what I'm actually wearing on a day to day basis. That way you can draw inspiration and find ways to update your current style in a realistic way.

So let me guide you through my weekly wardrobe for mid-November:

On The Go Beauty

Hello my lovely people,

As I was doing my makeup the other day I was thinking of which products can see me through from school to bar and which do I prefer for makeup on the go. Which ones do I run to whenever I'm in a rush and just want to get the job done? Which ones can I just pop in my purse and use at school for a quick touch up before I go to dinner? 

Luxury vs. Value: Fashion Dupes

Hello everyone,

Most of us are well aware of beauty "dupes". Sure you must have seen beauty blog posts and videos of side-to-side comparisons of luxury products and their lower-priced counterparts. But we rarely see a showdown between the season's hottest fashion items and their high street alternatives. If anything, it's somewhat of a taboo among the fashion industry. We all know that Zara basically copies all the popular designs you see at Net-A-Porter and the like, but nobody talks about it that openly, even if the "inspiration" is more than blatant.

In May I did a similar post which you can find here. The process of making it was so much fun I decided to try it again this season. Hopefully my findings will save you the trouble of having to look for a cheaper version of that hella-expensive item you've been coveting.

Luxury vs Value: Cat print + minimalistic pumps by fashionistalooks featuring leather shoes

While the Dolce Gabbana meowy prints are super adorable and covet-worthy, if you're shopping this trend simply for the quirk of it and let's say you're not exactly interested in the particular cut and quality of the garment then there's no reason why you should fork out nearly 2k when the job could be done for 20 euros. Same goes for the minimalistic, block heel pumps: if the cool design is your main reason for buying this shoe the Mango one should work just fine at a tenth of the price.

Quickie: My Fall 2016 Wishlist

 If there's one cure for post-summer nostalgia, it's this one: shopping for the hot new Fall styles.

Fall 2016 Wishlist by fashionistalooks on polyvore.com

Country Strong

Honestly, there's no medicine for the soul quite like nature. 

Lazy Summer Days In The City

As August approaches the city becomes emptier and emptier. Buses get signifantly less crowded and downtown you're more likely to find foreigners than anything else.

Skopelos Day 4

Well hello again,

I've been so appreciative of the positive feedback my last couple of posts have received and I thank you all for your kind words. During the last month I had almost forgotten how good it feels to blog.
I'm feeling very inspired at the moment and I'm hoping to expand my content and try out new things.
This has always been primarily a fashion blog, but a little change never hurt no one. How many outfits can one post till it gets repetitive and stale?

So on to day four of my Skopelos wanderings..

Get Them For Less: The Season's Hottest Items

Well hello there,

I know it's been freaking ages since I last posted. I went to Vienna to see my best friend, then I came back and then there was the (Orthodox) Easter holidays and after that I just felt uninspired. There's literally no excuse other than the latter. I just wasn't feeling piped or excited enough for something in order to write about it.

However as summer approaches day by day (not today though - it's gloomy and gray and gross), I'm starting to regain my enthusiasm and inspiration for all things fashion and beauty so brace yourselves for what's to come!

For today's post I came up with what I deem to be a pretty original idea: I present you the high-street dupes (as in Zara, Mango, H&M) of the season's hottest items. Because let's be honest, trends are fleeting and if money isn't exactly oozing out of your pockets, there's no reason why you should spend 500 on the shoe du moment (unless you just want to - which is an entirely different deal). However I'd never encourage someone to purchase a cheap imitation from an illegal source. We're not talking about knock-offs here, just affordable items that make for great alternatives to their net-a-porter counterparts.

Get It For Less: Stripes & Mules by fashionistalooks featuring yellow shoes

ZARA SS 2016 Campaign

16 Trendy + Affordable Dresses for Spring

image source: weheartit.com

My August Of Style

Hello everyone,

Fall has officially begun. I don't know about you, but as soon as September starts, even if the weather is so good it can fool you that it's still summer, something in the air whispers "autumn". I can't quite put my finger on it, but as soon as I come home from my summer vacation around the end of August I can already sense the difference in the things around me. 

I decided to do a monthly post (or a weekly one, it will depend) with all or most of the outfits I wore during that month or week. Instead of doing posts every couple of days with only one outfit in each, which, in my humble opinion, can become quite boring, I thought it'd be best to gather many looks and feature them into one long post. I don't have the time to take HQ shots and edit them, therefore all the pictures are taken from my phone. I found that's the beauty of it. Nothing's photoshopped. In my photos it is just me wearing what I was actually wearing that day not what I chose to put on just for the sake of taking a few photos for the blog. It's authentic and realistic.

All these pictures are taken in Ermioni, in my summer house or outside. 

Top: Forever 21 /Skirt: Stradivarius /Necklace: Promod /Shoes: Zara /Bag: Accessorize

Spring 2014: 3 Day-to-night outfits

Hello my gorgeous readers!

Last week I mentioned about my youtube channel launching and it is finally up and running! Our first video is up right now and I just couldn't wait to share it with you.








The theme we decided to go with at first was "Spring nights" but it became more of like a "Spring day-to-night" kind of theme, because I felt that the outfits and the makeup look (which we will upload soon) we ended up putting together could work for daytime as well as for a night out.

The video basically says everything but I wanted to dedicate a post to it so you can get a full view.

The 1st outfit is a casual, laid-back outfit that works during any hour of the day. It has a somewhat boho feel because of the printed shirt and the woven beaded statement necklace which makes a lovely addition to this simple effortless look.

The 2nd look is definitely more on the girly, preppy side. Imagine Blair Waldorf, Taylor Swift and the like. The flats make it super wearable and casual, so if someone wants to dress it up can easily do so by combining the outfit with a pair of heels.

The 3rd look, consists mainly of pink and burgundy colors which are lovely and very sophisticated and it is worn under a semi trench which provides just enough cover up for those chilly evenings. Such a good outfit for those tough transitional seasons like Fall and Spring.

Overall I tried to make sure that each style has a different vibe to it, so (almost) everyone can be pleased. None of these outfits are super daring or bold but they're universally flattering. The point of these outfits is that they're no-brainers. You can wear these or outfits similar to these and  feel comfortable and look put together without having to think about it too much. And frankly, for a 21st century gal, this is what you ask for. Sometimes you just don't have the time to put a lot of effort in one outfit.

 I need your feedback more than ever!

 Let me know what you thought of the video and if you liked it please share it on any platform, I'd really appreciate that!

Brunch

Hello there fellow fashionistas,

I recently went to brunch with my bestie and took a couple of pictures as I found the food and place there to be super cute (it was actually a tea room in downtown Athens). For the occasion I went for a girly, casual but not-too-casual outfit in my favorite Fall colors. I got the dress from Zara and it's become a favorite already. I can totally picture myself wearing it in winter with opaque black tights and booties. I'm definitely looking out for wearable fall/winter dresses these days, I've scoured every website trying to find those perfect, versatile, casual but still pretty items that will get me through the winter months. Speaking of which, if you don't know it already there is a huge sale happening right now at Asos, you must check it out!

Btw, if you have any questions regarding online shopping feel free to ask. Maybe I'll do a post about it.