I have been seriously digging online consignment boutique ThredUp. ThredUP is an awesome online consignment boutique based in San Francisco, CA that offers a large selection of womens, juniors and kids(!) clothing. What makes ThredUP so awesome (and differentiates them from other online consignment boutiques) is their streamlined consignment process. You do not pay for shipping! You request a ThredUP bag, fill it with "like new" items and you can either schedule a USPS residential pickup (free); drop it off at USPS, or at FedEX. All for free! Furthermore, ThredUP allows groups to consign clothes to raise money for charities and/or events, they pay in cash and donate any unaccepted pieces to charity. Furthermore, for items they choose from your nifty polka dot ThredUp bag you can choose to consign or get cash up front!
I haven't consigned yet, but I have shopped! ThredUP offers a variety of different brands, ranging from mall brands like Express to Tory Burch to Valentino (yes I saw a Valentino piece on there). Since this is a consignment boutique you get up to 90% off retail price!
For my first shopping expedition this is what I bought:
I did not make this graphic, they did! When my order was ready to ship I got a confirmation with this graphic and it was way better than pictures I took with my camera phone!
My little black dress plunges in the back (it's oh so sexy), and I am going to rock the hell out of that leopard dress (watch me do it, naysayers, watch me). The items I purchased looked new, not like new, but brand new! The t-shirt was supposed to have a flaw (which was disclosed while looking at the item) and I have yet to find it! ThredUp promises to inspect thoroughly each and every piece and judging from the items in my order you can absolutely trust their guarantee. The items smelled fresh and looked new with absolutely no signs of wear despite the flaw my tee was supposed to have (which again, I have yet to find). Better yet, with a discount code, I got all of these items for...(drum roll)...$6! Yes, $6! With shipping my total came to $12 and some change. I got 4 pieces for $1.50 each. How's that for shopping on a budget?! The discount code I used is expired, however that doesn't mean you can not save on your own order! For every person you refer you split $20 in credit; $10 for them and $10 for you! Click here (www.thredup.com) to start referring and earning! Right now, Refinery29 and ThredUp are sponsoring a contest to win a styling session with a Refinery29 editor and a $1,000 shopping spree! At ThredUp, that would be like 3-4 new wardrobes! Click below to enter: Last but definitely not least...I recently got my own ThredUp Style Shop! I am finally sitting at the cool girls table!
My Style Shop is super eclectic and represents me totally. There is really no way to describe my style as I am a bit of a chameleon. One day, I'll be totally punk rock with studs, leather and ripped jeans; the next I might be über Tory Burch Hamptons crowd chic, and later that week my style will swing wildly from Nike Dunks and 10 Deep tees to long bohemian skirts and peasant blouses...it all depends on how I am feeling that day. My Style Shop definitely reflects that! Here are some of my favorites:
7 for all Mankind
BCBG Max Azaria
BCBG Max Azaria
Elie Tahari
J. Brand
L.A.M.B
Ryu
Thread Social
I told you my style was all over the place! It's a little something for everyone and styles are being updated constantly! So click here (http://bit.ly/1e5SfAm) to shop "my closet"!
My grandmother passed away last month, so I am dedicating this post to her.
It is very hard to capture the essence of my grandmother. She was truly an original...I can not think of another person who is/was anything like her. Born and raised in a rural town in North Carolina, she was the embodiment of a Southern Belle. However, this Belle traveled the world! Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Spain were some of the stamps in her passport. While she was always true to her southern roots, she could entertain with the Queen of England!
I was always in awe of her...how she could be so down to earth, but yet she knew where all the forks, knives and spoons should go on a table setting. When she cooked, she would arrange everything on your plate as if you were at a five star restaurant. She had so much class and grace, yet she could tell a dirty joke with the best of 'em.
With her class and grace, she had style. Even her 80's, she dressed her age, yet always looked modern and fashionable. Matter of fact, while my mother was going through her belongings after she passed, my mom found a brand new pair of Gucci sunglasses grandma ordered from Saks! So here's my ode to Rose Marie...may she rest in peace!
If we could all be so lucky to have a shape like this!
I believe this was taken in Nassau, Bahamas~cute dress!
Her home, which she adored
Taken in Accra, Ghana. I wish I could find the skirt!
She always kept a nice pair of shades
Me, giving her hell as a baby...but we both look cute!
LONDON — A bereaved Alexander McQueen left a note, then hanged himself in his apartment on the eve of his mother's funeral, a coroner's inquest said Wednesday, giving the cause of the fashion designer's death as asphyxiation and hanging.
The inquest has yet to formally deliver a ruling of suicide, but police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Coroner's official Lynda Martindill told the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court that the body of 40-year-old McQueen was found in an armoire at his London apartment on Thursday. In the dispassionate language of the inquest, she referred to him as "a single man, a fashion designer."
Days before he died, McQueen had left several messages on the social networking site Twitter revealing his grief at his mother's recent death.
Police detective inspector Paul Armstrong told the inquest there were no suspicious circumstances. He gave the note found at the scene to coroner Paul Knapman but did not disclose its contents.
After a five-minute hearing, the coroner adjourned the inquest until April 28. Full details of the autopsy also will be available in a few months.
McQueen's family, who are now free to hold the designer's funeral, issued a statement through their lawyers appealing to the media to respect their privacy following their "grievous double loss."
They have not released details of the funeral.
In Britain, inquests are held whenever someone dies violently or in unexplained circumstances.
McQueen's death has cast a shadow over London Fashion Week, which opens on Friday. A spokeswoman said the event would feature a tribute to the designer, whose attention-grabbing designs helped re-energize British fashion after a fallow period following the punk explosion in the 1970s.
"There will be something simple and tasteful," she said. "The time for memorials will be later in the year."
She spoke on condition of anonymity because organizers are waiting for McQueen's family to approve the tribute.
Known for his dramatic statement pieces and impeccable tailoring, McQueen dressed celebrities from Cameron Diaz to Lady Gaga and influenced a generation of designers.
He was named British Designer of the Year four times and awarded the title of CBE — Commander of the Order of the British Empire — by Queen Elizabeth II.
Unlike many fashionistas, he came from a working-class background. The son of a cab driver, McQueen grew up on a public housing estate in London's East End, left school at 16 and entered the fashion world the old-fashioned way, as a teenage apprentice to a Saville Row tailor. He later studied at Central St. Martin's art college in London and was discovered by fashion guru Isabella Blow, who bought his entire graduation collection. She became a friend and mentor; her suicide three years ago shook the designer, who wept openly at her funeral.
McQueen was a private man who avoided the limelight, but his Twitter postings show emotional turmoil after his mother's death on Feb. 2. McQueen had posted messages four days before his death about his "awful week," and said he had to "somehow pull myself together and finish."
His mother's funeral was held the day after McQueen died.
Friends also said he might have felt under pressure to outdo himself at the unveiling of his new collection in Paris next month.
"I don't think success was easy for him," friend Plum Sykes wrote in the Sunday Telegraph this week. "He told me he was driven by his insecurities, and he believed that all successful people were."
McQueen became chief designer at the Givenchy house in 1996, but was best known for his own label, in which Gucci bought a majority stake in 2001. McQueen retained creative control, and became famous for his dramatic and often uncategorizable creations: sculptural cocktail dresses in psychedelic patterns; headwear made of trash; 10-inch (25 centimeter) heels shaped like lobster claws.
His shows were highly theatrical events, incorporating film and historical references and innovative technology — including, at one memorable 2006 show, an appearance by Kate Moss in hologram form.
His outrageous pieces never sold in great numbers, but he became one of fashion's best-known brands. He designed the outfit Janet Jackson was wearing when she had her breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl.
Outrageous chanteuse Lady Gaga — dressed in a lacy white ensemble and towering Marie Antoinette-esque wig — paid tribute to McQueen at the Brit music awards on Tuesday. "Thank you to Lee McQueen," she said after winning one of three prizes, using the designer's given name.
Onstage she performed a somber tribute song beside a mannequin wearing those signature lobster-claw shoes.
