fashionfinds

Seven Days of Christmas Outfits: Day 3 The Covent Garden Festive Extravaganza

Few things compare to the joy you experience on a festive street market.

To me, they are spaces where you can embrace your inner child, see things through candid eyes again, and recover a bit of your original capacity to marvel. In this sense, I must admit London delivers a full magical experience: from crazy building decorations to outdoors markets, the holiday season is breath-taking all the way.

As you may have deduced from the post title, for day three of my Christmas blog installment Sebastian and I visited Covent Garden. I knew the place has been always praised for the amazing effort they put into tuning the festive spirit but I wasn’t prepared for the magnificence of the street decor.

Every shop decors its own Christmas tree with a given topic: fashion, perfumes, jewels, etc. (Which, by the way, are far from fairly represented in these pictures since the place was crowded and it was pretty much impossible to take decent snaps and avoid people at the same time. Sorry, all you get are some photos of me posing in the most isolated corners and my sincere apologies. If you in London though, please pay a visit. I promise it’s totally worth it.)

My favourite spot was Tiffany’s decor extravaganza. It included a snow-covered area, an ice rink, and a lovely giant snow globe—all coloured in the famous Tiffany’s pastel blue, of course. Unfortunately and to Sebastian’s despair, I spent a considerable time amount at their sales booth, trying to figure out what to add to my Santa list. But hey, this girl cannot just pass by an eye-catching festive Tiffany’s stall and ignore it (or not to become Gollum, for the matter).

But speaking about my outfit, just a few days before gift-giving day was the perfect occasion to pulling out all of my favourites. Burgundy and cream are such timeless colours, they effortlessly create the perfect holiday chromatic combo. By choosing satin and some gold notes, I added some more festive notes and packed a classic Christmas look.

So far this season, this is one of my winter best-loved outfits. This glorious skirt is a great find from last autumn, while the bag is a Japanese design vintage piece I found in Tokyo a couple of years ago. To add a bit of texture and interest, I also put on some snowflakes-patterned tights from Calzedonia. All the pieces are quite different but still work together, creating a unique look. When it comes to style, I am all about mix and match and creating interesting outfits you can’t find anywhere else. To me, finding your style is deeply related to treasure one-of-a-kind pieces.

And this has been all for the third day of my Christmas outfits week.

Let me know about what is important for you when it comes to festive style and in between…

Skirt: Primark (pink version here) / Sweater: Zara

Bag: Axes Femme (vintage, similar here)

Scarf: Thrifted (similar here) / Hair clip: Versace

December 20, 2019December 19, 2019

Allegra Caro3 Comments

The best Satchel in all the land: Michael Kors Mercer Gallery Leather Satchel

Do you believe in soulmates? Personally, I don’t but I do believe in bag mates.

Bag love is totally a thing: when you find the one, you know it. In my opinion, it is pretty much a long-term commitment—if you are lucky enough to choose the right piece, the relationship may last a lifetime. And I am being quite literal here. This cutie is nothing but solidly made!

My love story with the Michael Kors Mercer Gallery Medium Leather Satchel began last August. During my annual birthday trip to Budapest, I went for a shopping spree at Andrassy Avenue. Once I entered the local Michael Kors boutique, I spotted the Mercer immediately. It was love at first sight. Do you know when your average romantic comedy girl sees her love interest for the first time, the time slows down and all of a sudden, she hears Tom Jones music playing in the background? (Ok. Maybe not Tom Jones. But it is MY romantic comedy, right? I shall have my sip of absurdity, thank you very much.) That’s how I felt, anyway.

Continuing with the burgundy theme I have adopted lately and which I don’t plan to put aside any time soon—if you were expecting me to stop this monochromatic madness once Fall is over, you’re going to feel very disappointed. Sorry about that…—I had to go for the oxblood colour option, obviously. It is classy, it is timeless, and it elevates any Autumn outfit instantly.

The Mercer Gallery Medium Leather Satchel is a luxury handbag specifically designed for the twenty-first century cosmopolitan busy girl. As a matter of fact, it’s one of my go-to choices for mostly every occasion: from long weekend plans to hectic working days packed with endless business meetings. In these pictures, I am wearing the middle size and let me tell you that I feel like I found the Mary Poppins bag. For a satchel of its size range, its capacity defies physics. It is THAT good. Generally, I’d never expect something this stylish to be also functional, but Michael Kors cracked the code with the Mercer bag.

The interior is divided in three sections: a zipped compartment with pockets for your more sensitive personal belongings (wallet, phone, keys and the such), and two more for the rest of your stuff. Believe it or now, I usually carry a cardigan and an emergency scarf since the extra room is so generous. The zipped space includes a key leash. No more digging through your bag to find your keys! Genius.

Being the kind of person who will carry everything but the kitchen sink with her, I am truly amazed about how much you can fit in this bag. On a regular day out, I can easily fit my wallet, ebook, phone, keys, transport card, makeup pouch, emergency manicure set, flats, cardigan, umbrella, headphones and snacks in the Mercer satchel. Not bad for medium size, right?

Oh, and did I mention you can monogram it too? I learned about this option too late, but will definitely go for it when I get my next Michael Kors. (Hello, Nouveau Hamilton! I am looking at you, gorgeous thing…)

Definitely, this is one of the best additions to my bag collection so far, and I am sure more Michael Kors goodness will arrive to my closet soon. (But I can’t promise it won’t be bugundy too…)

What is the latest addition to your own bag collection?

Blazer: Axes Femme (sold out, alternative here) / Bag: Michael Kors

Skirt: Zara (old, alternative here) / Shoes: Primark

Cashmere scarf: Thrifted (similar at Burberry)

October 21, 2019October 21, 2019

Allegra Caro10 Comments

Fashion Find Alert: This Must-Have Fall Skirt Is More Affordable Than You Think

The very moment September hits, I start hoarding all things burgundy.

There’s no denying my Autumn closet is mostly monochromatic: from the deepest shade of mahogany to the richest currant tone, every single burgundy hue is represented there. And while I am always happy to test other tones in the seasonal palette—mustard, forest green, and gingerbread are some of my favourites—I owe my loyalty to burgundy.

For some reason, I find this colour to be universally flattering: It looks great on almost everyone, but also looks great with mostly everything. It is the ace in the matching-outfits card game. Think a second about it—burgundy pairs well with forest greens, navy blues, rich browns, jet blacks, and even some shades of pink! To be frank, it never stops to amaze me how much wear I get out of it.

Hence, it is no shocker I fell in love instantly with this must-have Fall midi skirt.

But let me tell you the story from the beginning.

When we first landed in London four weeks ago, my luggage was packed with sundresses, perky shorts, and sandals. Unfortunately, I didn’t consider that the weather here in London was “slightly” cooler than the 35 ‎°C we were experiencing in Timișoara at the time. (And by that I mean my legs turned blue on the first attempt to leave the house in shorts. You can call me Smurfette from now on.) As a consequence and until our belongings arrived seven days afterwards, I found myself with nothing to wear. Fun times, right?

Obviously, I did the only sensible thing: Shopping!

After a couple of hours at the closest mall, a nice pair of leather trousers and some decent knitwear made it to my shopping cart. Then, I went to Primark looking for inexpensive velvet hangers and was absolutely amazed when I spotted this glorious satin skirt (I know! Who could have guessed?). It was the perfect wine shade and the fabric felt surprisingly nice to the touch.

I have always been an advocate for stocking up on the items you know you’ll wear on repeat. Once you know your style inside and out, you can easily recognize those items you’ll wear to death. In the past, for instance, I have told you about my personal obsession for slip dresses and this totally extends to satin skirts too (I am a total sucker for delicate fabrics). In my experience, the price range for decent quality pieces goes from 30 to 60£ or more. This beauty was less than 15£ though! C-R-A-Z-Y. Since I could already predict I would restyle it countless ways (for cool Autumn evenings, I love to layer satin and silk with a good chunky sweater and ankle boots, while a nice blouse and blazer is my to-go choice for office), I didn’t give it a second thought.

Because let’s be honest here: there’s nothing that gets me more excited than finding a luxury vibe item with an affordable price tag. This perfect satin midi skirt not only delivers that decadent expensive look, but it’s also burgundy. Win-win situation here!

After a few weeks of anticipation, I finally decided to wear the skirt and guys, I am so glad I bought it. For our first visit to Notting Hill (the first of many to come, surely) I went a bit over the top by pairing the skirt with a lovely high-neck sheer top, and the most comfortable Mary Janes on Earth. To finish things off, I am wearing Dior Rouge in Fifth Avenue, my beloved Gucci belt, and the newest addition to my bags collection: the Michael Kors Mercer bag!

Once we took some pictures in the neighbourhood, we moved to Portobello market for brunch and I couldn’t believe the number of compliments I received on my skirt. In all honesty? I felt like a million dollars.

I am a firm believer in the Anna Wintour philosophy of mixing-up designer and inexpensive pieces. It gives your outfit some flavour and you prevent the risk of looking like a living brand advertisement. So now you know: when looking for a versatile skirt to add your Autumn closet a bit of glamour, pay a visit to the closest Primark shop. It will only cost the price of a Costa latte and muffin. You’re welcome!

What is the last amazing fashion find you have made?

Skirt: Primark (available in stores only, pink version here)

Sheer Blouse: Asos (sold out, similar at Nordstrom) / Belt: Gucci / Bag: Michael Kors

Mary janes: Deichman (sold out)

September 30, 2019November 12, 2019

Allegra Caro11 Comments