Summer Holiday Shopping - France

It's that time of year again. We're all packing our bags and heading to cooler - or sunnier - climes. It's time for hols! And what better way to remember the awesome times we had on vacay than to bring a little bit of the country back with us. Souvenirs are all well and good, they sit in a showcase and we rarely take them out again. Clothes and items like that are used daily, meaning that it's a perfect way to remind ourselves of the lovely times we had.

With that in mind, here's my guide to international shopping. Please note, I'm sticking to mid-range, high street type stores. Aka the equivalent of Zara, Forever 21 and the like. Although I will include a few high end and some discount ones if they're really awesome.

Let's begin with the centre of fashion - France.


1. 

It's a store that caters to those wanting a more youthful kind of style. It's girly - well, as girly as the French will go - and simple. The dress that headlines this post is from there. Just look at how cute the back is!

I love Naf-Naf for their tees. They have the best details on them. Their t-shirts elevate a simple jeans and tee look into something a little more dressy and elegant. These tees illustrate what I mean perfectly.

The lace detail and the fluttery sleeves on this tee are just so feminine without being saccharine.

Jeans and your not so basic white tee. The lace panel on the sleeves is a nice twist on a classic. The ruffles and the lace panel running down the front mean that this is something you could even wear to work.

Even though I'm completely over the whole Bardot - off the shoulder style, how adorable is this tee? You could wear it out with friends, or on a date. It would absolutely work as party wear too. With something glittery on the bottom and high heels, you can take this tee to the clubs. 

2. 

Camaieu is trendy but a little more grown up. If you like bright colours, this is the store for you. Most of their clothes are colourful enough for the gloomiest monsoon days.

This clashing colour outfit is a perfect example of what Camaieu has to offer. I'd wear the top and the shorts separately - and probably with more neutral colours. However, this does look awesome, even I have to admit.

This outfit is more along the lines of something I'd wear. It's all perfectly on trend, and perfectly summery.

And as this outfit and the next illustrate, Camaieu also has stuff for the bright-phobics (aka me) among us. Btw, can we just pause to take in how French this outfit is? It's perfect!

I love this dress. It's the thing to wear on a casual summer night. I envision it with flat, scrappy sandals, or ballet flats and one of those straw bags that are doing the rounds. Date night outfit done!

3. 

Even though it's on the pricier side, I thought I'd throw Kookai in simply because most people tend to think of it as an Australian brand. I think because it retails heavily in Oz, and most Indians have family and friends there, we lump it in with Australian wear. But it's actually French. The quality is worth the higher prices for the most part. Their fits are great as well. However, I'd stop by here for the trousers, shorts and jumpsuits and rompers. Because, to be honest, you can get the equivalent (or nearly so) of their other clothing items at much cheaper prices elsewhere.

This flowy pair of shorts just screams summer. The bight colour means that we Indians can take it into the monsoon as well. And think of how good this will look in the October heat! I'm a fan.

This strapless jumpsuit is exactly the reason why you should stop by Kookai. Where else will you find something so elegant and effortless? You could wear this to a formal occasion and dress it down for daily wear. Heck, chuck on a blazer, and you can take this to the office too. It's versatile and beautifully made. And the blush pink colour is such a lovely neutral too.

If you're more on the tomboyish side, a pair of olive green shorts like these are a must have. With a tee and trainers, they're your go-on for summer. Throw on a formal blouse and heels, and you've got a movie/date/dining out look. They'll match most tops you currently have too. 

4. 

This, my pretties, is my go-to French brand. Morgan, originally Morgan de Toi. I love it so much, I even have a loyalty card! So you know just how much I've shopped there. Morgan is the sexier version of Zara. They're trendy but adult. Classy, but in a knock their socks off way. Their sizes run through to a UK 18 and 20 in most items. So you can shop there even if you're on the curvier side. I usually buy my sis - who could rival Beyoncé for bootylicious - stuff from here. 

Although this is a darker colour, I love the style of this skirt. It's like the frilled, gingham ones Topshop did last summer, only far more grown up. With a white tee and sandals, I feel this could be a summer look.

This skirt is so flippy, it says 'summer'. Yes, it is back and white, but honestly, most of Morgan's stuff is in that colour range. Like I said, adult and sexy. Once again, this would work beautifully with flats and a casual tee. Of course, you can dress this up as well. It depends on your style.

Also, this jumpsuit! While not as summery as the Kookai one, how lovely is this! This is a date night outfit in one go. Given the lace detail on both the front and back, this is up to the most formal occasion as well. Gold strappy heels, gold bangles and your hair up in one of those messy, oh so French ballet buns. It's a look for sure!

5. 

Cache-cache is kinda like the Primark of France. It's clothes range from dirt cheap to mid-range, and they have everything from nightwear to slippers too. 

Speaking of, don't you want these red fuzzy slippers on your feet? Even though the weather's impossible right now, I can't help but wish they were mine.

Paired with this night set, I think they'd look adorable. 

Should you need something to block out the light, this fuzzy eye mask is just the ticket. I think it's just three Euros too.

If you're in the market for actual clothes, you might prefer something typically French like this. All you need is some red lippy, and a fake French accent and you're set.

I also like this polka dot dress. Once again, very French.

Of course, France is the home of several major designers. If you want to head to Chanel, Chloe, Vetements and the like, it's all here. You'll get them in any Au Printemps store, or in the infamous Galaries Lafayette, or in their Parisian flagship stores. If you're a mum or want to buy something for kiddies you know, Bon Point and Petit Bateau are the shops you want to check out.

If you're headed elsewhere, keep on eye out. I plan on covering several other countries as well. 

Till next time,

MumbaiGirl.

IG: @maryannecp

Photos: All clothing items are taken from the Brands' own websites. All are from collections currently in stores.  

My Summer Clothing (& Accessory) Wishlist

I'll be the first to admit that I have a lot of clothes. (Three closets full at one point!) But there are still a few things I'd like to get my hands on. (Whether my bank account would like me to, is a whole other story.) What are they? Well, here's the shortlist:



The perfect pair of boyfriend jeans:

I wish Topshop retailed in India. I would have bought these jeans last summer. Unfortunately they don't. Neither did I travel to the UK last year. Which means, I'm still searching for that elusive pair of boyfriend jeans.

Oh, I've been on the hunt for the last three years. I've found skinny ones that fit perfectly - but I don't want another pair of skinny jeans. And the regular styles seem to fit me either on the waist or the thighs. 

Hysterical fitting room moment one: A pair of jeans in Mango that were so tight on my thighs I could barely get them on. However the waist was so loose, you could fit two of me in there! Apparently there's a denim designer out there who labours under the mistaken impression that women have large waists and very slender thighs. I beg to correct him - and it could only be a him. No woman would ever make such a mistake!

Denim shorts:

As hard as it is to find jeans, try to find denim shorts!! Now that's an impossible feat. All I'd like are some that cover my behind, have a bit of embroidery or appliqué or something and are a faded, well-worn blue. I've been looking for the last five years and I'm still no closer to finding anything like that. 

Stores like Zara and Forever 21 appear to be under the impression that women want to show off their as much of their naked behinds to the world as possible. Most of the actual denim stores - Levis, Wrangler, etc - appear to think that Indian women are slimmer than Chinese. Or that we like shorts so tight they cut off the blood supply to the rest of our legs.

I mean, most of the shorts I've seen are usually shorter than these! And while I love the tie detail down the side of these from Zulily, I'd like a little more of my legs and butt to be covered frankly!

My ideal length would be these from Lazada. Unfortunately, they're not my ideal style. At the rate I'm progressing on the 'find a pair of denim shorts' front, I'm considering giving up the whole process for good. 

Brown Sandals:

Summer is sandal season. I do have many pairs. However they're mostly black, with a red espadrille or two in there. So I'd like a pair of brown ones. Brown is just such a summery colour. But once again, I can't find any that I like. 

I'll admit that the Steve Madden ones in this picture are cute. But I really don't like the fact that they look like tie-up chappals, more or less.

This pair that I saw on Etsy is far more my style. But I hate the shade of brown. To be honest, I'm very picky about my browns. It's a very tricky colour with me. The right shade makes me look like a movie star. The wrong shades - and there are many, many wrong shades of brown for me - make me look like something that's fallen out of the rubbish bin! 

Well, at least my Zara pearl slides are still going strong. They make up for the lack of every other summer shoe!

The Black Shopper:

I'll be the first person to admit that I have a lot of bags. A lot, lot of bags to be precise. However, one kind I don't have is a large black shopper. What's a shopper, you ask? It's the bag - Balenciaga - that the model is carrying in the pic. It's basically a large bag - think LV's Never Full - into which you can stuff your life. I don't use large bags as a general rule in my daily life. But I do use them extensively when I travel. My brown shopper from Furla has been my carry-on for more years than I can remember. (Five or six maybe) And I love it. However, they are occasions when brown simply doesn't go with my outfit. My puffy, down coat is actually black, so my Furla bag looks rather odd when I travel in the dead of winter. (A frequent occurrence with me.)

But I've never been able to find the perfect black bag! This one from Pickett is truly almost exactly what I'd want - only, it's navy blue and suede. 

The Balenciaga one in the previous pic has that horrible patent leather finish I love on shoes but loathe on bags.

My ideal bag would have a finish like this moc-croc one I saw on Ali Express, but everything else would be the Pickett bag. And it would be from a designer. I'm a bit picky like that with bags that I want - and expect - to last for years. I honestly expect my travel gear to last at least seven years, if not more, which is why I don't mind paying a lot for my stuff. No matter the amount of cash I'm willing to drop on the bag though, I can't find one to suit me! Maybe I should quit this high-end stuff and go look in Mango or Zara instead??

Pale pink polish:

No matter what I put on my toes, when it comes to my hands, I'm a very neutral type of person. I wear a mauvey-pink shade (like the one I bought from Innisfree) from September to April, a red one (Save The Date from Sephora) during the gloomy, grey monsoon days, and I always, always, always hunt for a light pink shade to see me through summer. I love a light pink then. It feels so girly, so fresh and so, so summery. But no matter how many I've tried, none seem to be the one for me.

Essie's famous Ballet Slippers shade make my hands look six shades darker than the rest of me. I haven't tried out this Fiji one yet. But somehow I don't think it'll be quite right either.

I've gone through a zillion OPI shades at my salon, even my manicurist suggests something else when I ask if this or that light pink shade will suit me.

I quite like the look of this shade, it seems like it might do well on tanned skins. But I have no idea where Megan Miller polishes retail. If anyone does, this shade is Pink Lily. Maybe it's the US. In which case - given that I do NOT ever want to travel there - I'll never get a chance to try it out.

But all is not lost. I just bought another shade of pink today. Fingers crossed that this will be the one!!

What are you looking for this summer (and maybe the previous ones as well)?? What's on your 'To Buy' wishlist?? I'd love to know.

Till next time,

MumbaiGirl.

IG: @maryannecp

Photos:

Jeans - Topshop and The Woolly Lion

Shorts - Frenzy Market, Zulily and Lazada

Brown Sandals - Steve Madden and Easy

Black Shopper - Balenciaga, Pickett and Ali Express

Pale Pink Polish - OPI, Essie and Christine Iverson.

How I Could Have Saved Money Last Summer...aka My Worst Purchases of Summer 2017

What, my pretties, is wrong with the outfit in this picture? It fits well; it looks good; the colour suits me. So why didn't I buy it? I felt it was too short to wear in Mumbai without some kind of cover up. And I've learned from bitter - and costly - experience if your summer outfit needs a cover up, don't waste your money. You'll never wear it.

One of the most important lessons to learn when shopping for clothes is: if it needs something - whether it's alterations, a slip underneath, something over the outfit - leave it. Usually we almost never get around to doing the necessary, and the clothes lie untouched in our wardrobes. A complete waste of good money that could have been used elsewhere.

These are my expensive mistakes of last summer.

Rule One when buying anything is to note just how much ironing is needed, and if you're the sort to spend that kind of time ironing it. This chambray blouse from Zara is gorgeous. It's cropped, the sleeves are amazing and it's airy. However, it needs a ton of steaming - yes, steaming, NOT ironing (another thing to check) - after each wash. And did I mention that I do not possess a steamer?

As you can tell from this photo, it's so crumpled and crushed, it's only fit for a house blouse. I do plan on buying a steamer in the near future, so hopefully this blouse will get worn. But honestly given that it's spent the better part of last year in my closet, that's not good use of my clothes budget.

Rule Two would be, check the fabrics. For goodness' sake, check the fabrics!! Some fabrics shrink in the wash. All good clothing stores will have this noted on the label. In that case, size up. I didn't bother to read the labels for this green blouse. It's why I have only one picture of it. I put in in the wash and it shrunk. So this cost me Rs 1200 for just one wear. A real waste of my precious cash. Sadly, that's totally prejudiced me against Cover/Story (the brand I bought the blouse from) as well. And they really have such pretty things at great prices. However I can't bring myself to step into their stores any more.

Rule Three would be: check the transparency of the fabric. Is it something you can live with or not? I love these white Zara trousers. And they're surprisingly not so transparent as most whites are - but they're not opaque either. It means I have to be sure that I'm wearing nude knickers if I plan on wearing them. And without giving too much away, I buy most of my knickers from La Senza. Step into the store and you'll see just how colourful their stuff is! In short, they aren't something I can just throw on, which means that the occasions I wear them are few and far between. And that's a shame, cos they really are lovely trousers. Fortunately they weren't too expensive - they were less than Rs 2000. And equally fortunately, they still look brand new, despite having been worn over ten times. It wasn't a total loss. But I'm not going to be purchasing white trousers again, unless I fill my lingerie drawer with neutrals.

Rule Four: When checking fabric and transparency, also check this - can you actually wear anything beneath it?? The short answer in the case of this H&M dress is - NO! I actually used this dress a lot. I definitely got my money's worth from the Rs 799 that I spent on it. Which is why I'm not complaining hugely about the fact that I eventually had to chuck it away. But despite the thickness of this fabric - and it was thick - if you stood straight in the sunlight, you'd have a Diana moment. (Re: When she wore a white dress and posed against the light. Look it up!)

Now this wouldn't have been a problem, but the cut of the dress prevented you from wearing a slip underneath. Which meant that I could either wear something on top - an option I chose very often. Or I could chuck a longline jacket over it - not that easy, cos the skirt is flared. It meant that I had limited occasions to wear this. I managed quite well, let me tell you. So this wasn't a waste of my money. But I include this because it could have gone horribly wrong and left me with a dress I couldn't wear. So definitely make sure that if you want the item and it needs something underneath, that something will fit and not show.

Rule Five: Will the clothing piece be suitable for the purpose??

There's nothing actually wrong with these shorts - except, I haven't really worn them as shorts outside the house. I usually wear them under my shorter dresses and skirts to avoid Marilyn Monroe moments. Given that I already have Spanx and the like for such purposes, these are rendered a little pointless. A good question to ask would be, why don't I wear them out of the house? To which I have no answer. They just somehow never seem right.

Which is why they usually get worn in this fashion - slouching under very bad lighting with messy hair and slippers. And really, who wants to spend Rs 990 on home clothes??

Rule Six: Remember your fashion foibles! Which is what I didn't do when I bought this pair of black, high waisted, wide-leg trousers from Zara. Oh, they're fabulous. They look like they're seven times the price they were - Rs 1800 or thereabouts, I think. They wash beautifully. They don't crease. They're just the right length for a shorty like me. There's only one problem - they're high waisted, and I hate stuff on my waist when I'm eating and just after. Having any kind of band around my waist - no matter how loose, makes me feel nauseous. Meaning, I can't wear these if I plan on eating anything. It kind of limits my options. Movies? Nope, there's the popcorn. Parties? Not really, there's the food. To class? Only if I'm not going to be ordering coffee. And dinners or suppers are simply out of the question. Even shopping is questionable, cos I usually get a coffee or a juice when I'm out. In short, had I remembered my issues, I would have waited for the low-waist version of this - or bought a much larger size and given it to a tailor to alter.

No matter how trendy, don't let yourself get carried away. "Can I actually wear this without any issues?" is a good question to ask yourself - or have your shopping companion ask you. I do love these trousers. I do wear them often. But like the white ones, they require a certain amount of forward planning. So I don't use them as often as I'd like to.

Rule Seven: Will it wear well? Will the material fray? Can it be washed with ease? And how will it look if I gain or lose weight? I wish I'd asked myself that question when I bought this Vero Moda blouse. I loved it. I used it through last summer, autumn and winter. Then I lost some weight - and instead of fitting better, or loosely, it got weird.

As you can tell from the pic, it's pulling all around the chest area, despite hanging everywhere else. I had hoped to wear it this summer as well. But I've had to give it away. I'll admit that you can't really predict how an outfit will look if you lose or gain weight. But pay attention to the seams and the cut. At least you'll know whether it can be taken in or let out, if necessary.

Rule Eight: Whatever you do, don't buy for occasions you're not sure of!! 

I fell in love with these Aldo ankle boots and bought them last spring. Boots are not the most practical things for our weather. But I do travel often, and told myself that I'd take them with me whenever I went to the UK. Long story short, work got in the way and I didn't wind up going abroad last year - at all. It meant that I've worn these boots a grand total of four times. And I've had them since March 2017.

They're Aldo, so they'll last. And I'm sure that I'll take them with me eventually. However, my travel plans are still very vague - with two books coming out this year, I don't have too much spare time. Meanwhile these boots are taking up space in my shoe stand, which could have been used for some fab summer sandals. Buying in advance is only useful if your advance plans are definite. If not, save your money.

Hope you learn from my many - and costly - mistakes. May your wardrobe be filled with things you use constantly and love to bits!

Till next time,

MumbaiGirl.

IG: @maryannecp