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

Is "Dressing For Your Body Type" No Longer A Thing?

This think piece will be quite controversial but I'm open to hearing your thoughts on the matter, however different they may be. 

Runway To Bathroom: Les Copains F/W 2016-17 Makeup Look

Hello my lovely people,

I am so excited to start - or rather follow up on - this new series of beauty blog posts. Last year I did another recreation of a runway inspired makeup look which you can find here with a detailed how-to guide on bronzing and strobing for an effortless, slightly 70s inspired sunkissed look.

Today I have for you one of my favorite, go-to makeup looks that looks polished yet unfussy at the same time. No need to have major makeup artist skills to master this. Just a couple of brushes, a cleansed moisturized face and a few handy products! This look requires a very small amount of makeup products which is no surprise since runway makeup is usually very minimal and lighthanded. No contouring, not a bazillion different eyeshadows, no crisp winged eyeliner, nada. Just easy, chic, glowing makeup.

Here how to achieve it:

Outfits Of The Week: 10/31 - 11/6

Hello hello,

Happy weekend!

That feeling when you come home on a Friday afternoon, take off your shoes and jump into bed is hard to beat. Right now I'm comfortable on my couch after a long day typing this post and I'm about to watch the new How To Get Away With Murder episode, all cozied up with my blanket and tea. Heaven.

Everyday Casual Fall Outfit Inspiration

Hello my friends,

It's been a hot minute since I did an outfit-centric post. With Fall in full swing, I think it's pretty much obligatory to do one now. I feel like most of us are in the process of building our fall/winter wardrobe at this time of year and a little bit of inspiration can always be appreciated.

When it comes to the colder months, it is that easy to get lazy and opt for jeans and a jumper everyday. I get it. But with a little help you will find that once you put some effort in, the results can go a long way. We've all felt that little bit of satisfaction when we come home after a long, exhausting yet fulfilling day and look at ourselves in the mirror and think: hey, I looked good today. It definitely gives you a fuzzy feeling of confidence and self-love.

Whenever I do these types of posts, I try to keep the outfits realistic for a woman who's in college or work. I also make the effort to address all ages, however I don't suggest that there's only one specific way to dress for each age. I'm simply trying to give options. Take from them whatever works for you.

Everyday Casual: Earthy by fashionistalooks featuring handbags purses

I think a button-up shirtdress is very versatile item to have since it can be taken from office to bar in a pinch. This particular military button-up style is very on-trend at the moment and flattering on all silhouettes. The over-the-knee boots give the otherwise conservative look some edge while keeping the legs warm, but if this kind of thing isn't appropriate for your workplace or school, short booties are just as fine.

Skopelos Day 5

Okay. I know I said that the previous post was my favorite from the Skopelos series but I've changed my mind. This is the one.

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..

2015 vs 2016: The it-items of the new year

Hello my lovelies,

Happy Saturday! I'm still in my PJs, it's almost 3pm and I haven't had lunch yet. Woo hoo. I love to sleep in on the weekends - although who am I kidding I love to sleep in anyday if I can. I just find it way too hard to part ways with my bed on days when I don't have that many commitments. 

We're already halfway into January and I'm starting to see the trends forming for this year. Fashion is moving so rapidly these days, sometimes it's hard to catch up and take notice in the small but constant changes. This is what I love the most about fashion though, that it changes and adjusts itself to whatever socioeconomic shifts we're going through at the time. It feels as though fashion is a living creature, constantly fed by the evolution of our way of thinking, our ideas and our wishes.  

How to: Spring Trends

Hello my lovely readers,

It's finally Spring! I've been looking forward to it because winter was very hectic and stressful for me. I'm definitely in need of some sunshine and fun. Time to get out more, be more productive, dress a little lighter and why not try a new trend?

November Of Style: A Series of OOTDs

Hello my festive readers,

How are you doing? I hope you enjoyed my last Holiday Makeup post, because I really loved writing it. Today's post is not gonna feature a lot of written content, just a few of my favorite looks that I wore during November. Back in August I decided to do these types of posts every once in a while because it's more interesting to feature a bunch of looks in one go, rather than dedicate a whole post to one outfit.

Shopping 101: The 9 Golden Rules

Hello lovely readers,

Hope you're having a happy Sunday!

Yesterday I went shopping and got myself quite a few goodies which I'm really excited to wear and show you in the future. Shopping is such a pleasure for me and doing it with my best friend only enhances the experience. I'm not that big of a spender but this is definitely not because I don't want things, trust me, I do. A lot. It is mostly due to the fact that I try to be wise and selective when I shop because I wanna make the best choices possible. There's nothing that bugs me more than having purchased an item I didn't end up enjoying. It's not so much the amount of money I spent on it but rather the frustration of not finding any good use for it and still feeling too sorry to let it go and admit it was a waste.

So to save you from future faux pas when shopping I will provide you with my holy grail pieces of advice that keep me from over-spending and cramming my closet with unnecessary, pointless items.

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

Trend breakdown: Mixed Prints

As I was looking through random Olivia Palermo outfits on pinterest (check out my pinterest account here) trying to break down what on earth this woman does to achieve this level of put-together-ness in such an effortless way, I noticed that she's the QUEEN of mixed prints. And then it occured to me that the most unique outfits are the ones that comprise of the most unlikely combos.

At first this trend kinda scared me and I was hesitant to go for it as I thought that you need to acquire some insane styling skills to get it right. But as it turns out, it's not rocket science. People can tell you a hundred different rules about styling and mixing and matching but to be honest success lies in experimentation. No one ever became a trendsetter by following the rules. Trendsetting is about setting the trend, right?

So instead of a do-this-not-that type of post, I'm just going to demonstrate a few different ways you can wear this trend but remember: just be creative - when it comes to it, no rules really apply! Go with your gut.

COLOR- COORDINATED

Kate Hudson

Mix Prints pt 1 by fashionistalooks on polyvore.com

My favorite way to wear this trend is by staying within the same palette. You pick out an item - either top or bottom piece - and see what other printed item you can pair it with that includes similar colors. Does that make sense? The blue palette is one of my favorites: perfect for summer, flattering on most skin tones and hard to go wrong with because the colors are wearable (let's say an outfit based on green mixed prints could go bananas quite easily - but hey don't let that dissuade you from trying it anyway!).

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!