shopping advice

Seven Days of Christmas Outfits: Day 1 Christmas Shopping

Can I hear a hallelujah here? In London, the streets are packed with seasonal street markets, Christmas trees and fairy lights from mid-November, transforming the place into a Charles Dickens book—or into a giddy version of the Christmas spirit on steroids, depending on who you ask to. Being the festive equivalent of the cookie monster though, I can’t feel anything but pleased about the prospect of all the merry-making coming my way. November was a dull, long, rainy month so anything making the city look its best is more than welcome.

This year, I started looking at all those wonderful bloggers out there mastering Blogmas and it occurred to me that I should plan something special as well. Although I love the concept and December is one of my favourite seasons in terms of content, unfortunately, Blogmas does require the sort of time commitment I am unable to adopt right now, so I came with an alternative idea.

To celebrate, I decided to share with you a little glimpse into my holiday this year, and some inspiration in the form of an entire week of festive outfits (or Christmas-inspired outfits as I understand them, anyway).

Starting today, I will be covering every possible season occasion: from presents shopping to a soiree at the ballet, and from a glorious morning at the London Winter Wonderland market to Christmas day.

Help yourself with some eggnog and let’s get started!

On day one, Sebastian and I went out for some mandatory festive shopping. As it turned out—spoiler ahead—we didn’t even remotely finish shopping and I am quite worried it’s seven days until Christmas Eve and I still need to get a few things sorted. (Don’t judge me too hard, I am perpetually multi-tasking to get everything done in time and at this point of the year I always feel the days should have at least 36 hours if you ask me.)

But back to the topic, we needed to have a look at seasonal decor and gifts and London is nothing but the perfect place for that. In all honesty, you can’t go wrong by visiting Mayfair shops when in search of presents for your significant others. New Bond Street area is well-known for being home to some of the most luxurious boutiques around: Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, CHANEL, Hermès…—you name it. Even if you are just window-shopping, the place does deserve a visit since the festive decoration is stunning.

After paying a visit or two to our favourite shops (and adding some little recommendations for Santa to our wish lists in the process—blink, blink, Mr. Klaus, those Manolos would do no harm. I use a 39 in case you need to know, thank you!) we moved to the closest place for a coffee break in order to shelter from the cold.

London temperatures, you see, can be freezing at this time of the year, so I was grateful to be wearing a Heatech thermal top underneath my turtleneck sweater, as well as thermal tights and over the knee suede boots. Winter style can be truly challenging unless you learn to use layering and weather-appropriate fabrics to cope with extreme conditions. My absolute essentials at this time are tweed (just look how festive is this little red and white miniskirt, folks) and cashmere. I am still learning new ways to dress stylishly during the coldest months but is a fun process I am truly enjoying.

And that’s it for today! I know this post is shorter than my average article but I trust you will excuse me since there is a new post coming your way tomorrow. In between, stay merry and jolly.

Have you finished your Christmas shopping?

Sweater: Zara / Skirt: Similar here / Coat: Zara

Suede Boots: Deichman (similar at Aldo) / Bag: CHANEL

Beret: Collectiff

December 18, 2019December 13, 2019

Allegra Caro7 Comments

What to do in Budapest: Designer shopping at Andrassy Avenue

In the many years we’ve been together, Sebastian and I have started a bunch of family traditions: there is the one about the Christmas Day pancakes extravaganza and the one with my youngest sister staying with us for holiday every Summer. Three years ago, we visited Budapest for my birthday and we enjoyed the experience so much, it became a tradition of its own automatically.

Usually, we take the chance to go for a long city break, spending about three-four days in Budapest. In case you are not familiar with the Hungarian capital and its many charms, let me tell you it is worth a visit — the food is delicious, with a plethora of high-end, Nouvelle cuisine, and traditional restaurants to choose from, and don’t even make me start about the beauty of the urban landscape.

But the thing is, you can already read about it all out there, since there is plenty of information online. Instead of telling you how much I love the sunset by the Danube or writing another endless post about visiting Budapest Castle, I thought it would be much more interesting letting you know about other not well-known activities. Let’s talk shopping, for instance.

In Budapest, one of the best kept secrets is the quality and variety of the local shops: from luxury to vintage, and from handcrafted to the high street, you name it. Every year, I pay a visit to my favourite boutiques religiously, in search of one seasonal bargain or two and the city never disappoints.

Of course, this year was no exception. On the second day of our trip, we had a late breakfast at Muvesz Kavehaz in the opera district, and then proceeded to go for some window shopping at Andrassy Avenue — hello, did someone say shopping awesomeness?

Unfortunately, the Gucci and Burberry shops close on Sundays but LV, Pinko, and Michael Kors open to the public on the weekends. By mid-August many of them were still holding seasonal sales (now, that’s what I call a birthday present), which was the perfect excuse to splurge on something nice. Who can say no to a beautiful designer bag on sale, after all?

At the time, I was looking for a good quality leather bag in burgundy or wine to complete my Autumn collection so, as soon as I entered Michel Kors and saw this beauty, I was sold to it (do not worry: there is a proper bag review coming your way). I asked to the very nice shop assistant to let me try it and then I knew it was the one. Sebastian, on the other hand, said it was quite obvious the bag was going home with me based on the way I was holding it and mumbling “My Precious!”, which totally sounds like me to be fair…

Once we left the store, we had a nice long walk all through the neighbourhood. Sadly, the Opera House was closed due to some renovation works on the façade, so we skipped the planned visit and enjoyed the rest of our morning wandering around. And let me tell you that, every single time, we are amazed on how gentle and warm are people around the luxury district, specially while comparing with more popular destinations like Paris: we can only say good things about the working staff in most shops, who are really helpful and welcoming. Definitely, Andrassy Avenue does deserve a visit while in Budapest.

Shortly afterwards, we left the district for our booked tea time appointment at the Four Seasons Hotel but that is another story and shall be told another time…

Have you ever visited Budapest?

If so, what are your favourite shopping locations?

Dress: Poema (sold out, skirt version here)

Shoes: Zara (old, similar at Gianvito Rossi)

Bobby pins: Anthropologie (sold out in their website, some stock here)

Other accesories: Off brand

September 11, 2019September 12, 2019

Allegra Caro10 Comments

Buy all the 2019 fall fashion trends for less

As we slowly approach to the end of August and evening air gets crisp, we have little option but to recognize that Autumn will be here soon. The associated post-holiday blues is almost knocking on the door; however, and at the risk of sounding like a BB (Basic Blogger, in case you wonder), I shall say that Fall is probably the best season of the year. Days might be shorter, sure, but it’s a small price to pay for all the gorgeous seasonal colours popping out, cozy evenings, and even for that infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte too.

One of my favourite Autumnal activities is seasonal shopping. If you are anything like me, there is a good chance you are already checking the upcoming 2019 Autumn/Winter trends.

Although this is quite rare, I must admit most of the runway proposals caught my eye this time: 2019 will be the year when we witness a punk revival, the rise of a Neo-Rococo style (with feathers and rhinestones shoes playing major roles in the stage), and the unexpected ascension of purple to the chromatic throne. Boring was scratched from the dictionary.

Nevertheless, — and as much as we love a good old trend hunting marathon — going for an early seasonal shopping spree can leave your bank account shaking. And I don’t know about you dear readers, but I don’t enjoy feeding on can soup.

What to do then? Should we all sacrifice style at the expense of budgeting and go home, hands empty, a modern Charles Dickens orphans parody? I have written this before, and I will again — I don’t like tragedies, other than Shakespeare’s. Instead of skipping shopping altogether, I took the time to make a budget-friendly selection for you.

Now, you can buy all the 2019 Autumn trends for less.

Hurry up before they are gone!

autumn-winter 2019 trends — The **skirt** and **blouse** are available at Chicwish, earrings are Vivienne Westwood, **bag** and **shoes** from River Island, **belt** by Asos.

The French bourgeois trend

I can say without hesitation this is one of my absolute favourites this season: the 70s lady-like vibe we have seen in most European runways is classy, timeless and flattering. If you don’t trust my word, check out the evocative Fall extravaganzas by Chloé, Burberry, Balenciaga or Valentino, bringing back Chic as good as it gets. This perfect day-to-day look can be easily integrated into our existing wardrobes, as most pieces match closet basics such as trench coats and neutral palettes. (Bonus: you will probably end up looking like a modern Stéphane Audran at The Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoise.)

2019 Punk trend — The dress is on sale at **Zara** at the moment, all **jewelry** is from **Vivienne Westwood**, **cardigan** and **ankle boots** from Zara as well.

Posh Punk

Combat boots, subtle tartan strokes, and the return of rich purples and blacks are the main evidence of Punk gaining momentum in 2019. Current politics might be related to this but, beyond deepest reasons, the truth is we will see a refined version of the original style coming back to the streets this Fall. Personally, I am the biggest Vivienne Westwood ever, so this is a trend I will definitely adopt myself — piercings, anyone?

Bold florals

Who said florals are cheesy? This season, we will see a good deal of unapologetic flower patterns on the high street, mainly in the form of dark tones. Although it might not be a revolutionary idea (we enjoyed a similar spirit back in the 90s, with big moody florals printed mostly everywhere for a couple of seasons), it certainly constitutes a refreshing approach to classic patterns. Take this Chicwish dress as an example: it can be paired with a maxi-headband (Zara, once again) for a trendy, urban look and the jewel-toned accessories provide a sophisticated vibe for those living in big cities. Forget about the involuntary prairie look and prepare to demonstrate that the floral trend is not as romantic as you would expect.

And this was my inexpensive shopping guide for the top fashion trends this Autumn. I would love to hear what are your favourite trends for the season.

August 26, 2019August 29, 2019

Allegra Caro15 Comments