Thanks to Cheryl Shops for featuring serafina as a Website of the Week. Cheryl is based in NYC and features tons of practical shopping advice on her blog, as well as what the Hollywood crowd is wearing, and SALES. All the sales your heart desires.
If you are in NYC you shouldn’t shop without reading her blog.
How do I love shopping at Pink Mascara? Let me count the ways…
One, when I’m looking for a generous selection of Theory and Rachel Pally threads in size 0, my first stop is here. Two, they have a five-star selection of magnificent purses including Kooba, Goldenbleu, and Alexis Hudson. Three, the site is incredibly well photographed; most of the lines have multiple views and the pictures are big, clean, and crisp. Four, the brief designer introductions makes it informative and gives you a leg up on who’s doing what. And five, the whole shopping experience is a breeze: shop by category, designers, trends, and popular site searches. What are New York gals aching for? They let you know.
And what’s best are the sales. Currently there’s a huge sale at Pink Mascara. Save up to 70% off the original price of selected merchandise.
Aside form wanting almost everything on the site (sigh) I limited myself to my top sale item picks:
Gaines Cliffside Skirt | 0 | $131
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Theory Hammish Shorts | 0 | $104
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Theory Polka Dot Dress | P | $260
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I’ve recently had the opportunity to chat with Peaquah, editor of the blog Kyushyu Chronicles, about her shopping experiences in Japan. Here you’ll find a wealth of information for your future Japanese shopping extravaganza.
What size are you? What is your height?
I am 4′11′’ and weigh in the upper 80’s, pound-wise. I used to be a size 0, but with all the size changes that have been happening I’ve been cast off to a petite 00. In Japan, most stores stock only mediums and larges, and I fit the medium.
Tell me where you are located and a bit about your blog.
I am located on Kyushu Island, the third largest island in Japan. My blog, Kyushu Chronicles, is primarily about my experiences working as a foreign language teacher in a Japanese high school. I also talk about strange everyday experiences, like the 16-category recycling system and the surgical masks people wear all winter. Perhaps the oddest thing for me so far has been that I “fit” (size-wise) in Japan, and can shop anywhere I want, but as a Westerner I still stick out like a sore thumb.
Hanjiro Second Hand Store
A fantasy of many petite gals is to go shopping in Asia where everything fits. Where do you like to shop?
I love shopping in Asia, and the cheaper countries — China, Thailand — are on my list of travel destinations in the next two years. I mainly shop in Fukuoka City, the largest city on the island and a half-hour train ride from my apartment. The city has all the traditional Japanese brands, plus an area with hundreds of boutique stores that sell everything from $1,000 vintage dresses to $3 Superman t-shirts. This area is also famous for its second hand stores. And while the prices aren’t as competitive as their USA counterparts, I’ve still found all kinds of goodies.
My next big shopping extravaganza will probably be Korea. It’s a short 3-hour ferry ride from Fukuoka City. I’m excited to check out the gigantic fabric stores in Seoul, funky Korean designers, and high-end fashion discount markets.
Muji
strong>Please give us the skinny about your favorite Japanese lines.
Hands-down, Uniqlo and Muji are the two stores in Japan that should export their petite (Japanese-sizing) lines. Uniqlo stands for “unique clothing” but they mainly cater to fashion trends in neutral colors. Right now the rage is shorts with suspenders and you can find them at Uniqlo in varying shades of tan, black, and cream. They also stock jeans, well-priced cashmere, button-down shirts, lingerie, and run a t-shirt contest in the summer. If you’re shopping at Muji you will find Gap-style pieces in navy, black, and white. Muji is great for basics — leggings, shirts, skirts — and everything purchased goes well with everything else. Both stored are well-priced (shirts for $25 and under) and, literally, on every street corner. It’s much cheaper than buying Gap in Japan (although they are sized down over here).
My Mare Mare Sandals
Any favorite articles of clothing?
I have a few cute dresses that I’ve picked up at second hand stores. Hanjiro, Super Spinns and WeGo are the most popular second-hand chains, and they’re found in most of the major cities. My favorite recent purchase is a dress I bought from Hanjiro that has giraffes and flowers in a graphic pattern. I also bought a pair of sandals from Mare Mare Global Market, a Japanese shoe store that sells funky well-priced sandals (mine cost around $45).
What’s your most recent purchase? Or, what is on your wish list?
My most recent purchase was a shirt from Uniqlo with a comic book-style store of Cinderella as a Japanese princess. Some of my favorite shopping in Japan is looking for “Engrish” t-shirts. These are shirts that have either badly translated Japanese, or are just meant to be funny. I nabbed this one with the elephant and ladybugs last Saturday. They’re always on my wish list.
Second Hand Shop Dress
Any words of petite shopping wisdom for shoppers on their way to Japan for a shopping spree?
Stock up on the basics in places like Uniqlo and Muji (who’s excited about coming to Japan to buy navy shirts for work?) and then have fun buying wild stuff in a second-hand area of town. Tokyo’s Harajuku springs to mind as well as Osaka’s Namba area. In Asia’s second hand stores, you don’t have to sort and sort to no avail, or come away with a single pair of ugly size five shoes you feel you HAVE to buy to make the trip worth it. Petite American shoppers are “Japan-sized,” and the second hand-stores are your mecca.
What brands are in your closet?
I’ve bought a few Gap items in Japan for work, but the rest is mostly Muji and Uniqlo for the basics. My fun stuff is from all over the place, but mostly places like Super Spins, Hanjiro, Lowry’s Farm, or a chain called B.L.U.E. that hand-sews their clothes.
Uniqlo Tokyo
Do you have any favorite online shops? Or, are there any great Japanese online retailers we should know about?
Shopping online in Japan is not without its own challenges — namely the language. Many of them won’t ship internationally, although the Japanese are famously kind so it’s worth sending an e-mail just to ask. Both Muji and Uniqlo have sites online, but I honestly don’t know if they ship Japanese sizes to the States.
Anything specific you would like to see on serafina in the future?
I think serafina does a great job of getting all levels of petite shoppers interested. I’d personally like to see more small businesses or individual people trying to start a petite line. Living in Japan has made me seriously consider starting my own petite clothing business, so I like to look for people who are already doing it to give them a leg up.
Misamu is an Irish online shopping destination rich in petite offerings. The site carries the latest fashions from London, Europe, New York, even L.A., and offers plenty of designers that cater to petites: Development, Velvet, Nanette Lapore, and U.K-based designers Pyrus and Milly Moy.
Development Shift Dress | XS | $210
Replete with currency provider, sizing chart, free shipping with a 100-Euro purchase ($136 USD), and merchandise updates weekly (including adding Antik Batik and new designers this fall) Misamu is an international petite shopping delight. Don’t forget to check out their blog too.
And to make shopping even sweeter: they’re having a huge sale and serafina readers get a 15% discount upon purchase. Remember to enter ’serafina’ at check out.
After I posted a wedding entry about JCrew’s bridal offerings last month, my dear friend, Makiko, gave me a call and informed me that she had purchased her wedding dress from JCrew. Makiko was more than happy to oblige to an interview about her wedding, and her experience buying a wedding gown and accessories online.
Where and when were you married?
I was married in October of 2005. We had our wedding at Shoshone Point, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona.
Where did you find your wedding dress and what size are you?
I purchased my 2P wedding dress from JCrew.com. Its the petite Sophia short silk dress.
What was it like to purchase your wedding dress online?
Easy. I loved the convenience of looking at all the gowns from JCrew. I was moving across country at the time and had very little time for gown shopping. It was hard to find a gown that was my picky size (petite!) but also gorgeous and affordable.
My JCrew dress was $195 — a perfect price! I also found my veil online for $35 at Claire Veils. And to top it all off, I got very lucky and found my shoes on sale at David’s Bridal for a mere $25! I was very fortunate to find all of my wedding apparel in a very short amount of time.
So, shopping online with JCrew was a good experience?
Yes, it was fantastic.
Because JCrew only offers petite sizes online (which means I couldn’t try them on in the store), I choose several dresses to be shipped to my home. I purchased a half-dozen dresses in different sizes and styles, and returned the ones I didn’t want — without any question or issues. JCrew’s customer service was excellent and if you needed to reach the customer service reps by phone it was easy, you didn’t have to hold for hours.
Tell me about your dress. Which dress did you choose?
I chose the Sophia dress because it was elegant and classic, and also because it was not a full floor-length dress. Because I was getting married outside — and at the Grand Canyon — I wanted something that was elegantly casual and something that wouldn’t drag on the ground. JCrew afforded me this. I can’t tell you how difficult it was to find a shorter dress in my petite size.
The dress was a beautiful ivory, which I loved, and the material was exceptionally comfortable. I do think, however, that because of the simplicity of the dress you need to choose something to compliment it, like a stunning bouquet or lovely jewelry.
If you choose to purchase a dress online, I recommend purchasing all of the dresses you like and have them shipped. Send the no-goes back; you’ll get a full refund. I also strongly recommend choosing the ones that you are unsure of, too. I didn’t like the dress I wore when I saw it online. But I went ahead and ordered it anyhow just to be safe. When I received the dress it was perfect and exactly what I needed. You just never know.
Did you need any alterations to your gown?
Nope. None.
So did you choose to store it or sell it?
It’s hanging in my closet. I didn’t store it professionally. The dress is a style that is simple enough that I can wear it again.
Any words of wisdom you would like to share with my readers about buying a petite wedding gown or ordering one online?
If you are in a pinch for time — as I was — ordering from JCrew is a great choice, they have a solid selection of classic gowns and offer a wide selection of matching shoes and accessories. Also, pick a variety of dresses and order one size up and one size down to ensure you get the best fit.
Another thing (which I loved): JCrew provides a box and a return-shipping label with every order. All you need to do is drop it off at your local shipping location, the post office, or at any JCrew store. If you return in store, credit is immediate on your card.
It’s spring sale time and this month there are a few sales that are worth your fabulous attention.
Catherine Malandrino Shirred Dress | 0 | $375
Catherine Malandrino’s Spring / Summer Sample Sale
Thursday June 21st 8am-8pm
Friday June 22nd, 10am-8pm
Saturday June 23rd, 10am-6pm
Metropolitan Pavilion, The Level
123 West 18th Street, 5th Floor
NY, NY 10011
212-840-0106
RSVP: http//www.catherinemalandrino.com/sale
Ella Moss Spring Dress | XS | $228
If you are in sunny La La Land check out the Lisa Kline Blow Out Sale. Everything must go! Find a great selection from designers Ella Moss, Rachel Pally, Rebecca Taylor and more.
Lisa Kline Blow Out Sale
June 21-24th Thursday-Sunday
Huge selection of items 30-75% Off
$10, $20, $25 & $30 Racks and Bins!
RSVP to be a VIP shopper Thursday from 9am-12pm at lisakline@sirenpr.com.
Lisa Kline
136 Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 246-0947
Milly Solange Dress | 0 | $144
Prefer to shop online? Net-a-Porter is having their spring sale extravaganza. There’s oodles of clothing, shoes, accessories and bag choices on sale to spruce up any summer wardrobe.
Looking to spruce up your extravagant summer shoe collection? You’re in luck!
All shoes and handbags are 50% off –- with the exception of Gigi Favela shoes which are 20% off the original price. Exclusively for serafina readers, Marky is offering FREE shipping. Remember to enter ’serafina’ at check out.
If you aren’t in the Windy City you can peruse her online boutique. Please note, that prices on the website are not updated for this big sale.
Missoni Flora Pump | 36 | $325
Don’t miss out! This is a great opportunity to stock up on beautiful designer shoes and other fashion items just before summer is in full swing.
Marky
Exclusive European Shoe Boutique
3919 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 248.1500
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