THE ART OF ONLINE SHOPPING

As the culture of online shopping begins to move to the sofa, looking online for the latest trends and styles, it is important to know how to use your online shopping time as effectively as possible, after all shopping is an art and needs to be treated as such. Of course, finding the best price for your purchases is extremely important so you will know when you have truly mastered your art when you are as able to go out and buy dinner after your shopping spree!

Although it’s a constant source of temptation because of all the shiny and exciting things it introduces us to, the internet can actually help you master the art of shopping and allow you to stretch your budget as far as possible. We all develop our own online shopping strategies to save cash and create fashion envy among our friends. Here are a few tried-and-tested methods to employ when shopping online.

1) Explore large ranges. For general items such as tops and blouses, retailers such as La Redoute are perfect. However always use a tactical approach; browsing websites can lead to making impulse purchases that empty your purse faster. Before you head online, make a list of the items on your current wish-list and use the sites’ own search toolbars to narrow by size and colour so that you don’t get distracted on your personal shopping mission.

2) Take advice from those in the know. Check in with blogs like Freak Deluxe and Let Me See Your Wears to find the latest fashion must-haves and for inspiration on how to maximise use of your current wardrobe; an alternative perspective can prove bountiful. Blogs and social media work both ways too, so if you are unsure about how to complete an outfit or are looking for a specific item, why not task your Facebook friends or Twitter followers with helping you out?

3) Checking the web for discount codes and offers before you checkout should be a shopping strategy you put into practice without thinking, but there’s more you can do. If you can’t find a discount yourself, again, why not ask for help from your online shopping friends? They might be able to share one with your or know of a similar item that can be purchased elsewhere for less.

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NEW ADDITIONS TO BEETLEJUICE COLLECTION!

After the phenomenal sell-out success of the Models Own BEETLEJUICE range, growing demands for a Spring Summer update have been answered with three brand-new beautiful shades!! The new Beetlejuice polishes are inspired by the colours of a hot summer haze, mimicking a mirage of complex colour-shifting shades to produce these shimmering duo chrome colours.

Each bottle contains four pearlescent colours mixed into one gleaming polish for an optimum high finish. Launching online and in Boots from this month and also in a unique box set available only at Models Own’s new Westfield Bottleshop opening in April, the collection consists of three brand new shades – Copper Pot, a deep olive tan; Tropical Sun, a glistening sunset and Indian Ocean, a calming iridescent blue with soft pink undertones.  Designed to compliment any outfit, Models Own’s latest collection is the perfect accessory for the spring/summer wardrobe, offering unique colour combinations that are all ultra wearable. Available from 19th March at £5 each from Boots and www.modelsownit.com

ALDO SS12 CAMPAIGN ‘STAY COOL’

High street fave ALDO have released their SS12 campaign films this week, directed by the established Barnaby Roper who’s previous works have included Nike, Show Studio and Aldo’s innovative “A is for ALDO” fragrance launch.

The ‘Stay Cool’ campaign featuring international models Anais Pouliot (ACNE) and Mat Gordon (GUCCI) captures the summer ‘state of mind’ allowing you to play it cool or embrace the heat, utilising slow motion capture techniques and ironic styling. For the print campaign Terry Richardson returns to the helm for SS12 capturing the collection alongside iconic summer imagery, props and character.

NEW DISCOVERY: ANTICA FARMACISTA

Those of you that read Freak Deluxe regularly will know that I’m absolutely obsessed with fragrance, so you can imagine my delight when I came across Antica Farmacista in the Star Lounge at Mercedes Benz Fashion week in New York.

Antica Farmacista create signature scents for both the home and body,each fragrance is formulated with essential oils and natural ingredients; making them 100% natural!  Duo Shelly and Susannah know how to strike a chord within you when it comes to fragrance, all it took was one spray of Green Fig in the air and I was hooked! Think of the cliché cartoon pie on the window sil with the visible scent wafting over and hooking whoever it catches; that was me, I could not contain myself it literally made me do a little dance! The wonderful thing about this brand is that the scents seem so familiar, they literally take you somewhere on first whiff; its a different place for everyone.

They have something for everyone and it’s all perfectly mapped out, whether its a treat for you or a gift for a loved one they have it covered for The Romantic, The Classic, The Naturalist*, The Modernist, The Fashionista*, and The Man*. Green Fig, my new signature scent crosses over three of those categories. I of course loved more than one of the amazing scents, other favourites are No11; Peonia, Gardenia, & Rosa; and Orange Blossom, Lilac, & Jasmine.

It is now my mission to bring this brand to the UK and have them perfectly placed in iconic department store Liberty. Then I want them to have a scent smelling party/event where we all smell each scent and discuss where it takes us and what it reminds us of, and then we all choose our signature Antica Farmacista fragrance.

Antica Farmacista is currently available in the following places: Nordstrom; Neiman Marcus; Bergdorf Goodman; Isetan; Henri Bendel; Nicholson-Hardie; Lane Crawford. For more information go to anticafarmacista.com

KARL LAGERFELD POP-UP SHOP

One of the things I didn’t get round to when in NYC was the Karl Lagerfeld experience! I’m bummed, alas, there is still time it’s there til August. The KARL pop-up opened in Manhattan’s West Village, 375 Bleeker St on Jan 27th. The store launched it’s first month with online luxury retailer NET-A-PORTER, who offered 70 different items from the collection through their website that were showcased on mannequins, there are multiple iPads in-store linked directly to the NET-A-PORTER site that visitors can shop from.

The KARL collection channels Karl Lagerfeld’s distinct aesthetic, the colour palette is predominantly black and white with metallic accents and a downtown edge. Prices range from $69 to $900 (roughly ÂŁ45 – ÂŁ600).

“We are working on a lot of amazing ideas which are all about making luxury fashion affordable and accessible to a larger audience.” Karl Lagerfeld said “I am very excited about bringing this vision to life with the new KARL brand.”

As of tomorrow the launch expands where a large amount of the apparel will be available to buy in-store.