Going somewhere? Frock Fest!

I love getting dressed up and putting on a gorgeous frock just puts a smile on my face if you know what I mean. I have a lot of love for super girly styles, prints and floor sweeping numbers too. Here's a few lust-worthy dresses that caught my eye this week, from Bank friendly budgets to Bank Manager horror budgets.

STRAPLESS

From left:

• Coast 'Lexi' strapless dress - £125
• Lipsy print embroidered dress at House of Fraser - £65
• Matthew Williamson Neo Baroque dress at Outnet - now €507

ONE-SHOULDERED

From left:

• Emanuel Ungaro floral print silk dress at Outnet - now €546
• Emanuel Ungaro layered Organza dress at Outnet - now €719
• Karen Millen Signature 1 shoulder dress (Available in other cols) - £180

MAXI STYLE DRESSES

From left:

• Asos heavy draped maxi dress - £65
• All Saints 'Calvary' premium dress - £295
• FANTASTIC ebay find - $27.96 (plus $11 delivery) This maxi dress is made from cotton spandex based in Melbourne, Aus but deliver world wide! The direct link is here!

RACHEL GILBERT, SYDNEY

Awesome dresses and going out girly!
Check it out here!

Unveiling a Rare Gem: Vintage Mavens

I'm not usually a vintage magpie, but something pretty special caught my eye the other day after a sweet comment was left on my blog. I just knew I had to share this amazing lady with all of you and of course make a few investments along the way...


Fashion bunnies, let me introduce you to Shareen of Vintage Mavens (VM) for she is one of the cool new breeds of Vintage Mavericks on the block.
After one click, I discovered that not only does she have her own online Vintage Boutique, but she also, models (she's bloody gorgeous this one) and styles the shoots for her brand, Vintage Mavens... what a talented gal?
I must admit, before I could skim the rest of the blog, I checked out the shop first, which had me clicking on 'Sign Up with PayPal' faster than you can say future heirlooms.


No rummaging here, the blog is chock full of beautifully presented lust-worthy one-offs (- so wish I hadn't told you now, as i'll have to fight you for the goodness!), hand-picked by Shareen and her mega awesome Dream Team to ensure they're of the highest quality.

Moving on, A Brit Greek had the opportunity to catch up with this busy young lady...

When did you launch VM and why did you start an online business?
I launched VM back in 2009, but the concept was totally different. I re-launched it in May with a completely different, more professional look. The biggest difference was that I became the model. That was probably the hardest transition to make. I started VM to share the amazing vintage that can be found in Miami with girls from all over the world. I also wanted to create an ebay store without the tedious bidding process. All the items are buy-it-now. If you like it, you can just buy it.


Have you given up Styling/Visual Merchandising to work F/T on Vintage Maven? Or are you part of today’s modern woman, who juggles everything & multi-tasks?
I totally over-stretch myself!! I'm a part time freelance visual merchandiser and stylist while doing Vintage Mavens. Out of everything I do, Vintage Mavens is my absolute favorite & what I'm mostly devoted to. Hopefully, as VM gets more attention, I can give up some of my other side jobs and give it all my attention!


What's a typical day in the life of Shareen Sarwar?
Sleep through my alarm, spend at least an hour eating breakfast and reading the newspaper with my husband (this is the only guaranteed time we actually see each other!), walk the dogs, go to my jobs, grab a cafe con leche on the way, go vintage hunting (I do it every day), try to squeeze in a VM photo shoot, and have my evening tea while watching Magnum P.I.


Where do you source your gorgeous vintage pieces?
I scope out garage sales and estate sales for most of my pieces. Miami has TONS of phenomenal vintage - there is never a shortage of amazing pieces.


What’s been the most amazing find ever?
It's something I just found last week. It's a brocade lace mini dress with five layers of tulle that make the skirt. It's phenomenal. I'll be posting it soon!

Don’t you ever just want to keep all the stunning finds for yourself? Have you ever ended up keeping something that you intended to sell?
Rule Number One: never keep the vintage you get on buying trips! It's not for me - it's for everyone else. If I really can't seem to stop thinking about a piece, I'll do a photo shoot with it for the blog and get it out of my system.


What do you love most about vintage clothing?
I love the fact that it represents a piece of history. I also love the idea of recycling clothing. It's a huge part of why I started Vintage Mavens.

Is your wardrobe chock full of vintage? If not, where do you shop, high-street/designer shops/brands etc?
I'd say a majority of my closet is vintage clothing I've collected over the years. I also love shopping online at Nasty Gal - they have great items at extremely affordable prices. Plus, I like to support the local designers here in Miami, so I visit the small boutiques here often.

Fave dress?
This one gorgeous cotton mini dress my mom got for me while in Bangladesh (that's where I'm from). It's vibrant blue and yellow with a lovely tribal print.

Fave bling?
An oversized coral and gold cocktail ring I got on a trip to Burma three years ago. My grandmother got it for me.

Fave shoes?
My Jeffrey Campbell Mary Rocks wedges. I wear them a bit too much.


Fave jacket?
A vintage mustard yellow pleated trench coat. Though, I don't have much reason to wear jackets in Miami.

Your bling is simply one of a kind, are they for sale? If not, where can the girls go to get something similar?
I don't really wear earrings or necklaces very often, but I ADORE rings... and the bigger, the better! My rings are a combination of vintage, gifts from my family, and store bought. I don't sell the rings, but have hopes to launch a small accessory line in the future. You can be sure it'll have tons of oversized cocktail rings!


The photography for some of the shoots on your blog are just stunning, who comes up with the concept, finds the location, does hair & make-up etc?
My husband photographs all of my photo shoots. He is just the most amazing photographer with the most complex eye. We usually sit down on a weekly basis and come up with the concept and location together. We recently did a series of photographs at the Gold Coast Train Museum here in Miami. That one was so much fun to do. My good friend Sheenon Olson does my hair and make-up. He's pretty fantastic at it, too.


Originally from NY, but residing in Miami, would you say you’re a New Yorker or Miami girl at heart?
If you asked me this question three years ago, I would have screamed "NEW YORKER!" at the top of my lungs while flashing my NY driver's license in your face. But nowadays, it's hard for me to deny my Miami pride.


Fave shops in Miami:
AE District, Alchemist, and All-Saints.

Style is….? 90% confidence and 10% fierce dresses

p.s Kate Moss, if you're reading & are a true vintage aficionados, you know you want a piece of VM so grab that plastic before the best bits get taken.

If you snooze, you lose, click here to start shopping!
NB: Some of the items in the shots used in this post may have sold out, please check on VM's online store for more information.

ref: all images via Vintage Mavens

Cheap thrills! Delicious Rings under £20/€20/$20!

I've been digging through my ring collection of late only to find that some of the rings I have either lack lustre, are scratched, or have lost a gem...

It's clearly high-time I picked up some new fabulous pieces. for all you recessionista fashionista's, these precious babies are all under $20, £20, €20!!! Bargain!




From top, left to right:

• All rings by New Look, UK - delivery Worldwide is £5 only! Plus they have a sale on too!
• Giant Flower ring-£6 available in blush too
• Shell flower ring - £5 available in an assortment of bold colours
• Resin Rose ring - £1!!! available in other colours
• Chainmail Bow ring - £10

• Forever 21 (F21) Burst filigree ring - $3.80
• Asos Bonjour double finger ring - €10
• Topshop heart and wings ring - £5
• Topshop Heart & arrow ring -€7.50

• F21 - Boysen beaded ring - $6.80
• F21 - Gaia stone ring - $5.80
• F21 - Luxe Gem ring - $3.80
• F21 - Bold vintage ring - $5.80

So, which ones will you be buying?

NEWSFLASH! I have a really exciting post to share with you all this Friday, so keep your eyes peeled...All i can say now is that if you love Vintage you will love this gal! She's simply beyond amazing!

As usual, tomorrow's post will reveal a talented individual in the fashion industry for "I want this Job" feature!

All images via Forever 21, Topshop, Asos.com, New Look

Eco chic: Going green with style

I think this bag just called out to me, isn't it just one of a kind? Net-a-Porter have done a fantastic magazine style spread on eco chic and i just had to share some snippets with y'all. Especially the bag, by my fave eco-fashionista, Stella McCartney and shoe love below by Herve Leger (left) and Stella (right).

Lots of eco & ethical fashion brands can now be bought at Net-a-Porter, from Edun, Rockstar Bono & his wife Ali Hewson, John Hardy (Beautiful Bling), Chinti & Parker & Bassike (both Jersey guru's). Net-a-Porter have a fantastic little 'Green Glossary' - I couldn't have summarised it better!

These earring are actually made form recycled CD jewel cases!
via Ecouterre

Recycled necklace by Every Cloud has a silver lining
via Ecouterre

I love this little Basket woven bag I have (old Primark number)- it definitely takes you back to nature and reminds me of summer big style!
When I took these piccies, i had a major surprise...

I was going to put more paper stuffing inside when i discovered my lost Corsages! I had completely forgotten where i'd stashed them in my big fat move here (thought they were lost for good), clearly they were good for keeping my bag in shape!

Yay!

Kate Moss launches Topshop SS10 collection

The legendary supermodel revealed her new collection for Topshop last night with these stunning summery, soft images taken by Nick Knight (ps. I've loved his work since I bought my first copy of Elle). It looks like she's radiating from a big dollop of sunlight...(To recreate this look you'll need a mega massive Softbox - very bright back lighting and stand v. close against it - the closer you are, the softer the lighting plus glow effect, oh and of course the genius that is Photoshop).

I particularly like this leaf print dress, no doubt it'll be a bestseller, like most of Moss' dresses. The collection really epitomizes Kate's style, with silk boyfriend blazers, cute playsuits (some with a sexy edge), playful floral tea dresses, silk embroidered capes, a feather cape, delicate beading,lots of focus on floaty maxi dresses (Phillip Greene knows this is where the money's at, esp. with prices starting from £120), cute blouses, lace, velvet, suede and of course, denim.



From top left:
Silk Embroidered Cape £120
Tiered Ruffle Maxi Dress £150
Grey silk open back playsuit £80

images via: Topshop - to see the whole collection click here
Daily Mail

Return of the Crop!

Hello Crop tops! London's high-street has been consumed by all kinds of crop tops, be it sweat style (think 'Fame' & 'Flashdance' stylee), lace cami's or pretty floral cup corsets, they're everywhere!


Unless i have a washboard stomach like Cameron Diaz, I don't think i'll be venturing down this road, although one way to wear this without looking like you've hot stepped it out of Pineapple Dance Studios is rocking the pretty lace mesh cami crops over a plain top/pretty crop over dress - a la images above.

Here are just a few crops that topped the list

images: Taylor Momsen for New Look & Cropped top by Miss Selfridge (Now Magazine)& Topshop

Wardrobe wish list

I seriously need some newness in my wardrobe - I could so easily take to my sewing machine, but other things are keeping me busy... maybe i'll experiment with some DIY fashion another time... For now, these are looking a bit lush for those super sunny days, especially this one shoulder dress from Oasis (£100) below...


The other thing I was thinking was how certain fashion trends have once again come around - military chic just never gets boring does it? There's an insane amount of khaki on the high street, best dig out those khaki peg leg turn ups from Gap circa 2002 then...
Must say that i do love how Zara has managed to make this trend look good though and Topshop's khaki jacket... yum.

Zara goes all Khaki

Topshops Cropped denim jacket - perfect for chilly-ish evenings

Topshops abstract floral smock dress a bargain at £35 and looks uber hot
with crop denim jacket above - £40

Topshops nude broderie cup dress - £35

Topshops super cool styling as usual

Shopping list: Beauty

I love all things to do with fashion & beauty. With beauty, the stuffs gotta work and be at a reasonable price. That said I don't and paying for something that produces effective end results and is simply amazing, than opting out for something cheaper and not so great. Given a comparison, beauty in Greece comes with a whopping price tag. I haven't quite gotten used to and neither found the ideal equivalent to Rimmel or should I say 'high street' beauty & make up. My supplies are running low ladies, which inevitably suggests a flying trip to the UK soon. Yippee!!! I've already started drafting up my initial list of beauty goodies I want & need. I don't know about you, but these products have never failed me and depending on budgets these are some of the most amazing, really works wonders beauty products. This one sensational product doesn't really fit into any particular category purely because it does everything - my best friend & I used to carry a tube everywhere!!! Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour cream - great for chapped Lips, glossy cheeks, soothes scrapes (& burns) and you can mix with powder eye shadow and create a oil slick kinda look.

Face/skincare:

Simple Vital Vitamins Night cream - in the morning my skin feels soft, what a delight. I also love the Clarins Multi-active Night/Day cream, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm (£26.50) for those emergency days and the Olay range of day creams with SPF. My mum used to use the Olay Classic care beauty fluid - 100ml religiously and has great skin (but i might put that down to genes). After they changed the brand name from 'Oil of Ulay' to 'Olay' the scent and the actual lotion seems to have changed too. I'm not loving it so much now. Have used Lancôme and also Estée Lauder too, they're ok for me but why pay more when you can get something that works just as well? I've got some Dr. Nick Lowe anti ageing creams I bought before to use next, so will report on that another time. I don't really buy into the anti-ageing cream stuff but I am reaching the age where lines are showing. Right now I just make sure I slap on the SPF everyday & try (being the operative word) to eat well to prevent further damage. Greece is getting sunnier by the day now and getting a sun tan just isn't a priority anymore. Not when you know that 10/20/50 years down the line you'll end up looking leathery - think the lady from 'There's Something about Mary' (shudder).

Make-Up: I love to play so much and experiment on my girls.

Lips:

Cheap & expensive glossies in tubes are great as long as they don't have an overly sticky consistency, which i find that this is the case with Lancomes Juicy Tubes (but I just so love the smell and yummy colours). You do get super shiny lips though.

I love Pout's Lip plump - in clear, i have no idea why they've shut down but i miss their gorgeous girly products - they absolutely rocked the lips department. Equally good in the plumping department is 'Sexy Mother Pucker' which you can buy at Boots for around £8.
Other amazing Lip glosses i adore are: L'Oreal Glam Shine Lip Gloss - £8
Benefit Lip gloss in 'Kiss' - it's a very soft shade of pink - £14
Also love the Dior lip gloss sticks too. Very delicious.
Mac lipstick in 'Girl about town' - i love this hot pink colour - £12.50
Love Mac for their vibrant variety of Lipstick colours and also YSL lipsticks.

Eyes:

I could go on forever on this section but maybe another time. I have short eyelashes, and as a kid growing up I wanted so badly to have my friends eyelashes which were like 12mm long. What's a girl to do but try every kinda lash extending mascara?

What's working for me are:

Max Factor's Master Piece Max Mascara - £10 - This rocks! Clinique High impact Mascara - £14.50 - This is really good and the wand doesn't clog up to much too. Rimmel Extra super lash mascara w/curled brush - £5 - I also wanted to have curled/upwards lashes too, so i bought this in hope. It's a good all round mascara for everyday use but there are better mascara's. Bourjois Volume Glamour - £8 - Have used this over and over again - tis pretty good.
Someone's just bought me the Dior Showcase Extase mascara - will report back on this another time and also Maybelline Colossal mascara - £7 with it's rubber wand.

Eye shadows

Love YSL, Bobbi Browns Shimmer wash range, Mac for colour and staying power, Shu Uemera - Iridescent colour crayon set - my lovely friend bought this gift from the states and they can be crushed and blended using the finger and has great staying power. I love that you can use the sticks as a high lighter, eye-liner and eye shadow too.
Benefit's Show Offs - £12 Super shimmery product for eyes, lips and cheeks.

Rimmel soft Kohl Eye Pencil - £3 - I cannot live without this product, it's inexpensive and incredibly effective. Easy blending too.

Foundation:

I don't really use foundation anymore, living in a hot climate just doesn't do any good whatsoever, either that or the fact that I'm much more comfortable in my own skin now. In the past I've used L'Oreal's True Match Foundation - £10 or Bobbi Brown - where the colours were matched perfectly to my skin tone.

Concealer

It's worth splurging here mainly because you want to cover up big time and have good staying power! Mac - Moisture cover concealer - £12.50 - doesn't dry out the spot in question. Rimmel Stay matt concealer - £5 - provides a much thicker cover but colours available are not so great which is where Bobbi Brown comes in. Her Creamy Concealer is amazing as is the Corrector (for under the eyes/uneven skin tone) both £16.50. Talk about saving the day...

Bronzer/Blushers

Hmmm, I love bronzers, they transform me from scary, pasty ghost into a glowing human being. I was also bought a gorgeous hot pink cream blush from Milan years ago and all I can say is that it changed my life. Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out girl! An orange or hot pink cream blush added (by finger tips) in a sweeping upwards motion on your cheekbones/upper apples of your cheek area - mind you only need a little can just give you that healthy, rosy look. Most of my cream blushers and hot coloured powder blushers are from Hong Kong from either Sa-Sa or Bonjour.

I love and religiously use Rimmel's Natural Bronzer - £5.50 but am currently using one by Marbert (at Harrods - i bought this on sale for a fiver-bargain!!) There are a great range of iridescent, shimmery bronzers/blushers out there with varying shade in one set, so as you sweep along you get a highlighter and a deeper colour-depending on what you look you're going for. Bobbi Brown, Dior, Givenchy amongst a few others have excelled in this department.

Highlighters:

Benefits High Beam - £17.50 - I luuuurve this product for adding a swift bit of shine to your cheekbones, under the brow and a few other places... There are more inexpensive versions out there, this is just one 'splurge' product i love to use. I also love H & M (yes as in the fashion chain) for their Shimmer Powder in Gold which I use on the eyes and cheeks sometimes - it's really shimmery! I bought it for around £3-4.

Face cleansers:

Clarins One step Cleanser - £17.50 - I always pick this up at the Duty Free for a lot less, this removes all the nastiness and make-up on your face leaving it soft and smelling wonderful. A cheaper version without the frills but also amazing? Simple Conditioning Eye Make-up Remover - £3 - mainly for the eyes note! Problem skin - I know breakouts are the worst thing that can possibly happen, especially around the time of the month amongst other things. Clean & Clear Deep Cleansing cream wash - £3 or Clean & Clear Blackhead scrub - £3-4. To be honest i can't remember which one rocked it, but it was the one that exfoliates well, leaving no shiny skin and also felt tingly.

Body moisturiser:

Palmers Cocoa Butter Body Lotion - £3.50 - Holy Bananas this is my can't live without product ever! It's cheap, smells so yummy you want to eat it, leaves the skin feeling properly soft and re-hydrated and is simply Wow. I've used this product for like 16 years and counting.

Also need to get more of The Sanctuary's Body Moisture Spray - £5.50 - this is also amazing, smells amazing and leaves the skin super soft. It's not too oily either.

Oh my god, this post is like an essay and i haven't even added images yet. I'm officially a beauty junkie, yikes!