"Sale,sale,sale"

The sale season is upon us, well, it actually has been for quite a while. However the hysteria has for now escaped me since I have been working on my pink (and imaginary) tan on the Greek islands. And yes you might have guessed, I am not a big fan of the sale season.

It appears to me like the stores begin their sale earlier and earlier each year, and for the high street stores like H&M and Zara, it could be said that they seemingly have a sale going on all year round nowadays.

I am, as mentioned, not very fond of sale. There are several reasons for that. The shops tends to get too crowded, the clothes are just lying around in big piles (impossible to tell which garment is which) and you often end up buying a bunch of things “just because it was sooooo cheap!”. Things you will end up never wearing, things that already has gone off fashion and things you would never even consider if it was full price. So my mantra is: if you would not even consider buying it full price, why buy it at all? If the answer is yes, you have longed for this particular piece of fashion for the whole season, but found it just a little bit too expensive, and now you are lucky enough to find exactly your size at a reduced price – I say go for it. But if an outfit looked like something the dog dragged in when it costed a 1oo £, it will still look like crap at 50 £.

Some of my distaste for the sale season possibly has to do with my past, when I was working in fashion. I remember feeling somewhat sad when the clothes I had spent all winter and spring trying to sell, convincing people that they were worth every single cent, suddenly loose half its value. I remember the horrible feeling when my favourite garment in the store suddenly lost some of its spark, ended up in a pile with a whole bunch of other leftovers. Sale is in so many ways sad for a fashion lover. I felt sorry for the clothes that perhaps never would be appreciated in the same way as the clothes that were purchased at full price would.

Another reason is that I really loathe seeing my favourite items, which I bought at once when they came into store during the beginning of the season, hanging on the sales racks. Suddenly even my love for my own things devaluate and the things I have been so dependent on a whole season suddenly appears to me as cheap and mainstream. I do not like seeing things I have bought suddenly being sold to a reduced price. It is not because I regret that I bought it at full price, I just do not like the feeling I get when I see the things I have bought lose some of its value.

However, I do see that there is another side to the story as well. As a student I am painfully aware of the fact that there are times in life where you are dependent on sometimes getting a bargain or two. People do not always afford everything they want as a fashionista, and the sale can be a welcomed way to dress up in style.

So the conclusion must be, as long as you keep a clear head (be aware of next season do’s and don’ts) and shop items because they genuinely are nice quality items, and not just some junk you buy because it is cheap – a sale once in a while is ok.

The best things to buy on sale is as always anything in leather- shoes, bags, jackets (but especially shoes and bags). There is also a good idea to keep it simple and buy classic items such as jeans, cardigans and simple tops, things you know will last. Lingerie is actually a great thing shopping for on sale.

In the case of my own purchases at a reduced price this season, I bought the perfect peep toe shoes at Zara in London half price + a super short white and grey Ted Baker dress I will use with my new ubertrendy Carlings tights when the fall comes. But regrettably, I still do not have the Malene Birger shoes – well well, perhaps they were not meant for me after all…

Classic peep toe high heeled shoes from Zara (leather), was 49.99 £, now 29.99 £.

Ted Baker dress, was 120 £, now 60 £.

However, I do think that most girls are just like me; we see something we want in the store, and we are absolutely unable to wait to get our hands on that item a second longer than we have to. People tend to buy the items they want when they want them.

The sale purchases is just a little bonus to our closets..

That sounds greek to me..

I am island hopping in Greece the whole of July, and since the obligatory island outfit is bikini-nothing more(but perhaps less) I will not bother you too much with fashion know-how and must haves this month. It is indeed July,and the place to be is out in the sun. So while I am enjoying the Cyclades and probably are doubling my weight with Feta and Greek salad,put on the lightest outfit you have and hit the nearest beach or park...

However, if you do head south towards sandy beaches and 40 degrees celsius you need to keep one thing in mind: The pieces that looks great when it's hot and your brain is sizzling does not necessarily look as good when your body cool off. A day on the beach and a cooling Mojito can do horrendous damage to your fashion sense. I would know. I have returned home from various vacations with items so strange and odd looking that I still blushes in disgrace when I let my mind think about them.

So the morale is: save your shopping for the cooler days. The things found when your head has cooled off and your skin is no longer sunburnt will give you so much more happiness later..

Do you have any stories about vacation buys and fashions no-no's committed while the sun lead you astray? I would love to hear about the worst buys ever, and the stories behind them/something you have experienced in that outfit. Give me a fashionable vacation story, and I will reward the best story with a little goodie bag of fashionable items.

Send your story to stylebyelisabet@googlemail.com by 10.08, and I will read through them as soon as my head cool off after a month of sun and airconditioning.

And as for my shoppingspree in London in the beginning of July-I will fill you in on that trip and my views on the sale season when August arrives...

London Baby...

Once again I am heading for London, and even though my intentions are good, I am not sure that my bank account will be very happy with yet another weekend in the splendid metropol. Big Ben and Westminster Abbey aside, nothing beats a day at Harrods, House of Fraser and Selfridges. Maybe the oh so longed after Malene Birger shoes at last will be mine? Perhaps another lost and gorgeous dress will find its rightful owner? Or perhaps (cross my fingers etc.) I will choose the narrower path, and save my burning creditcard for the vacation to Greece I have planned for July?

So do you need a tip or two about London? I am hitting Soho at night and Chelsea while the sun is still up. Camden Market is a must on Sundays, and there are hidden gems of vintage shops on the narrow avenues surrounding Baker street. If you need to rest your feet, zip an Americano on the nearest Starbucks or Coffee Republic. They are indeed on every corner.

So until next time, cheers! :)