Loafers!

Who said loafers are ugly college campus shoes? They can also be a pretty fashionable shoe for a casual and informal use. And who said they are men's shoes? Well, originally they were, but as bare legs and shorter skirts have become more acceptable for women, some styles of loafers have become fashionable as a sock free shoe for us girls (like I am wearing it). I personally fell in love with this pair from Calvin Klein Collection: 100% leather, made in Italy, absolutely versatile colour, and only 78,-€ from an original 248,-€ (170,-€ less)!!!! I wear them with chinos and a blouse, with a dress or even with a more formal "office look". Comfortable and chic, what else!? Oh yes, you probably want to know where I bought them: McArthur Glenn Outlet in Salzburg. 

Mission complete,

M

A look at the past

Have you noticed how vintage eyewear has made a come back? Wether big and round, squared or cat´s eye these spectacles typical of the 50s, 60s, and 70s have been the in thing of many designer´s autumn/winter collections and will be a must for this spring/summer. I really find these glasses cool, but why buy new-made-old ones when you can have real vintage ones? My mom and I bought two frames in a vintage shop, Boogaloo. Mine costed €40, my mother´s €20. Vintage spectacles can be easily found at any flea market (which is usually the cheapest option), in vintage shops and online: for example have a look at the following items 1950s, 1960s, 1970s on Ebay. Which decade is the right one for you? Which style do you prefer? Go on reading and find out.

In the 1950s the world recovered largely from World War II and clashes between communism and capitalism dominated the decade. The glamorous world of Hollywood had a boost and has been scenario to the rising of a star, of a diva, of a beauty icon: Marylin Monroe. All flashlights were on the shiny high society fusion of Hollywood and Monaco, without forgetting the ongoing Cold War. Women were still women and spectacles were very feminine; they resembled and emphasized the long eye lashes of the typical glossy 50s woman.

1960s: Twiggy was the icon of a fashion era; slim, young, and fresh, she was the absolute counterpart to the women of the time: curvy, elegant, and classy divas, such as Sofia Loren and Jackie Kennedy. Twiggy was edgy, but so were spectacles!

In the 1970s the movie Love Story with Ali MacGraw brought back a glimpse of romance into society at a time which is remembered for the rising of the hippie movement (end of the 60s, all throughout the 70s). With her round glasses and her psychedelic acid-rock music, Janis Joplin was one of the major attractions to the Woodstock festival. Spectacles were big and round both for hippies and for nerdy library girls, such as Jennifer Cavalleri, the role interpreted by MacGraw. By the way I love this movie, it always makes me cry...

Mission complete,

M

Wool & Chinos

Welcome to the first post of Save my Whallet!

I am still not sure wether I will take pictures of myself with the outfits (I am not that photogenic) or simply photograph what I bought, nevertheless I just had to start blogging and put aside these thoughts. Probably I will take some pictures and upload them, otherwise it doesn´t look personal and I don´t want that. Anyways I think learning by doing is way better than eternal procrastination. So here we are!

This outfit consist of four very simple garments and neutral colours. I chose the grey chinos from Stefanel because these trousers are really versatile: they look good with pumps for a serious but relaxed look, with flats for a casual look, and with UGG/EMU boots for a laid back and sporty look. Since I am a fan of flats I went for the second option and combined the chinos with these silver flats from Calvin Klein Collection, which match really good any other colour, especially black and gray. For the upper part of this outfit I picked a grey cashmere sweater from Calvin Klein Collection. There was no size S so I bought the L instead, because I don´t mind the oversize effect, plus it was so soft. Last but not least I simply could not resist to the knitted wool coat of Stefanel. It´s big, it´s warm, it´s fluffy, and it´s cool! Mine is a bit darker than this one (gray and black instead of black and white) but the cut is just the same. To the leaves I added two grey fur cuffs I bought at a flea market, which give the coat a special touch. The great thing about them is that you can take them on and off, accessorzing any other outfit.

So here is the receipt:

CK Collection flats - full price: €158 - paid: €45

CK Collection cashmere sweater - full price: €223 - paid: €87

Stefanel chino trousers - full price: €57 - paid €15,80

Stefanel knitted wool coat - full price: €259 - paid: €79

Fur cuffs from flea market €20

The total value of the outfit is €717 - Instead I spent a total of €246,80 which is less then the wool coat full price!!! So I saved a total of €470,20 on this outfit. Great! Apart from the fur cuffs everything else was bought at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Salzburg.

Mission complete,

M

Introductions

Save my whallet is a campaign to save my look.

Hi, my name is Martina and first of all I am NOT a fashion blogger. Well I am not a fashion blogger in the real meaning of the term, but yes this blog is about dressing up. I like fashion blogs, I follow some, I have friends who blog, but I have never ever wanted to blog about fashion. Why? Well because my passion is baking (see my main blog), I am not photogenic at all and feel embarrassed when taking pictures, I don´t usually follow the season´s trends, I don´t buy fashion magazines, I wear only what I feel confortable in and what I really like even if it´s from previous years. Apart from all this, what I really really like to wear is designer clothes. Yes H&M is fine for the basics, Zara is ok for simple denim pieces, but I have come to the conclusion that you always have to invest in quality; it stays and it pays back!

We are too poor not to have first quality stuff

The only problem is: designer clothes are expensive! That´s true but I have my own shopping philosophy. When I go shopping I never go looking for something specific, I always buy what I find. It´s actually fun: if had an outfit in my head and could not find all the pieces I need I would feel unsatisfied, but once I´m in the shop and see what there is, it is then that I start creating a look. It´s always kind of a surprise, I never know with which look I´ll go back home. For this reason my main and probably only source are outlet centres, factory stores, sales, online sample sales, flee markets, and vintage shops. I don´t usually buy full price and I am always so satisfied when I purchase something with 70% off the outlet price.

I truly believe one can always look good and wear quality clothes if one knows how and where to buy!

Bye, M

P.S.: I don´t mean to discard any low cost brands or glorify designers. I only want to share with you my way of buying and styling. Criticism is allowed!