Tuesday, 28 June 2011

A Saintly Selection

photo from who-needs-words tumblr


AllSaints Archive is a cleverly branded sale / discount / clever ruse to get rid of the stuff they have lying out back. It seduces us with its promise of 50% off, but I'm more than willing to be drawn in by £100 leather jackets and £30 statement jewellery pieces. (no bags though).

AllSaints are a bit of a law unto themselves in the fact that their designs and main construction materials don't fluctuate much from season to season so AllSaints Archive is definitely worth a browse. It also means you can avoid elbows at sunrise when the AllSaints sales are on in-store.

Check it out here

Friday, 24 June 2011

fashionable ebay tips - selling



Selling


Having seen a lot of clothes and accessories listed on eBay, I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in terms of eBay listings. Here are a few tips which only require an ounce of common sense and a little bit of time.

1. Title
It may seem very obvious, state exactly what you're selling in the title as this will increase the likelihood of your listing coming up in searches by the sort of buyer that you're targeting. I've seen some terrible titles for some pretty decent items. Don't forget to include:
:: The name of the brand/designer
:: The size (if it's a 12 you might also want to include 'Medium' too to get more hits)
:: Whether it's brand new
:: Anything particularly interesting about the item e.g. 'Real leather' or 'This season' are good options to attract attention

2. Photos



Rumi from fashiontoast started her super successful blog as a result of all of the interest she got from her (now defunct) eBay shop, Treasure Chest Vintage. A lot of her success can be attributed to her eye for key pieces but also to her styling and Colin (the bf)'s photography skills. Which brings me to my point about photos on eBay listings: make the item look appealing!

As we're becoming increasingly exposed to and accustomed to slick styling and graphics from the likes of Net-A-Porter, ASOS, The Outnet, Topshop, and popular blogs, a dark photo of a bag laid flat on a stained carpet just doesn't quite cut the mustard.

You don't have to have an amazing camera, just a good amount of light, I prefer shooting my items on a sunny day rather than using the flash which changes the colour of items.


3. Description
Keep it simple. There are so many listings chock full of colour, different fonts, links, pictures, tables, stars you name it. When eBayers are searching/browsing all they want to know is what condition the item is in, whether there are any imperfections, the dimensions and perhaps some inspiration/ideas on how to wear it/style it.

Sometimes I like to insert photo inspiration which includes the item or demonstrates the particular trend. I usually get the images from the internet or magazines. eBay don't charge for uploading photos for clothing listings so whyever not!



Wednesday, 22 June 2011

A topshop leopard never changes its spots


Bought these Topshop beauts at 25% off thanks to my friend's 'relative of an employee of arcadia' discount. Can't wait for the weather to improve to bust them out. What do you think??

You can find them on the Topshop web site here, and they're in the sale!

Monday, 20 June 2011

just cos...

Gratuitous close ups of my high street sales treasures from COS and asos, as mentioned in my top of the shops post. I love the semi-roughness of the waffle knit and the stiff circle hem on the shift dress. yum.




if you're braving the high street sales, try these top of the shops first...


I indulged in some lunchtime and post work shopping, but without the guilt thanks to the prolific high street sales going on at the moment.

Here are my recommendations for those looking for a few bits for holiday, while saving some money for cocktails, a second third pair of sunglasses, sandals, wedges... or the overweight luggage charge.

The COS sale



30% and 50% off some of their past season items, nonetheless the old stuff's still got it!. If clean lines, quality fabric and cut, and the odd detail here and there make your heart quicken then head on down.

I bought a gorgeous white chunky knit for £28.50 (was £59) and a classic white tee with zip detail breast pockets for £17 (was £34). Will post photos soon!

Find your nearest store here

The Dorothy Perkins sale


Dotty Ps are offering 20-50% off online and in-store. I find that Dorothy Perkins used to be the place of choice when you wanted something reasonably on-trend but cheaper than forking out at Topshop prices, however, the prices seem to have risen lately but the quality of the fabric and design haven't really risen correspondingly.

Nevertheless, the 'third party' labels they have in-store are also included in the sale, which makes a browse more worthwhile. In fact, I bought a leopard print jersey dress there at lunchtime, was £40, now £17. Will post a photo later!

The Urban Outfitters sale (Accessories)





In addition to the various discount codes that you can use at Urban Outfitters (see my previous post here), their online accessories sale is pretty decent.

30-50% discounts off a good range of accessories means you're definitely spoilt for choice, perhaps ignore the headbands... I like the look of the knuckle ring (£8), the beaded skinny belt (£12), and the rhinestone cat's eyes sunglasses (£10).


The ASOS sale


I was so pleased as punch with my jumpsuit sale find on asos, as featured in my previous post that I also bought this dress (£30), which I'd been pining for at Christmas time when it was featured in Vogue and totally sold out.

I'm particularly impressed with the shorts selection (109 items at around 30-50% off) and the sandals selection, flat and heeled (231 items at around 30-70% off).

Like these from All Saints at asos (£58 from £145)

And these from Diesel at asos (£45 was £90)




I hope you enjoy and feel free to share your sale stories with me! 





Wednesday, 15 June 2011

save money.Urban Outfitters 20% discount until midnight. uh oh.

Get 20% off at Urban Outfitters online, by using promo code 'WELCOMEBACK'


x

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

my asos life.




My most recent sales purchase. I wasn't sure what the jumpsuit would be like when it arrived (sometimes things aren't quite what they appear with asos), however I was delighted with the result.

I layered a cream lace top with exposed zip over the PU top and wore some block-heeled boots to lengthen the legs, they need all the help that they can get.





jumpsuit (asos) 
jacket (topshop)
lace top (topshop)
block heels (asos)