10 REASONS YOU SHOULD BE SHOPPING ONLINE

I have to admit that I am obsessed with online shopping, I might in fact appear to have a gigantic slight problem if one were to go and nitpick at my bank statements.

There is a certain excitement that only online shopping can provide – let me lead you through the process, backwards…

There you are, you gorgeous thing you, sitting at your desk, bored and agitated and continuously glancing at the big office clock with its roman numerals. The office doorbell buzzes and you are first off your seat, the sound of your heels running down the passage way to greet whoever or whatever waits at the door.

It’s FedEx, and you are smiling and swooning (your colleagues think you are one sandwich short of a picnic and the delivery guy thinks it’s his lucky day) you sign the delivery note, your signature barely resembling its true self and you greedily grab the box and make a bee line towards the kitchen to find something sharp.

With the agility of a surgeon and the speed of Kimi Raikonen, you deftly cut away all the tape that is securing the contents of the box and just before you open the box you draw a big breath and hold it while you undo the folds.

There it is, you have been waiting for two whole days, which felt like weeks and finally your gorgeous dress/shoes/bag/beautybox/iPad/book is here, sigh.

What happened before this moment may seem insignificant in light of the actually delivery, but as we all know (from Rocky Horror Picture show) it’s all about the an..tici…..Pation!

From the moment you start scouring your website of choice, you are searching for that one item, that one gift from you – to you! And even though you are the one choosing it, there is still a strange element of surprise: will it fit properly, will the size be right, and will the colour suit me? It’s all a bit of a gamble, but that is what makes it so much fun!

South African’s have been twice shy about shopping online, and who can blame us with all the banking fraud and other online money scams doing their rounds – But it’s time to put your fears aside, because there are excellent measures and payment options in place that will make online shopping safer than going to a store, and most shops have a free return policy, so there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

So I promised you 10 reasons to shop on line – here they are:

1. 36 boutiques

For rings and bags and gorgeous fashion, 36 is amazing, they deliver on average within 48 hours and the package that arrives is just a treat in itself, its smells beautiful and comes with a stunning carry bag.

2. Pretty Please

Pretty Please has gorgeous skirts, tops and dresses. Their packages arrive in a beautiful black box along with a very special hanger for the item you bought.

3. Shop Label

Shop Label is delish, however a bit on the expensive side. Great for jackets and scarves and gorgeous jeans.

4. GlossyBox

GlossyBox is the premier South African beauty box, you subscribe and presto – every month you receive a gorgeous box of beauty treats to try out at home.

5. I candy 

I Candy is a candy bowl of fun costume jewellery, the pieces make perfect gifts.

6. Zando

Zando is like an online fashion department store, they have everything from heels to jeans.

7. Woolworths

The comfort food of online shopping, you know it, you trust it, you buy it. You can even get your hands on some County Road online – and they currently have a sale on benefit items (Since Benefit is closing in South Africa)

8. Mr Price

The newest kid on the online shopping block, and we are already hearing positive reviews from satisfied customers.

9. 5 rooms

Home shopping porn, online.

10. Lingerie Letters

Another great idea, a surprise pair of knickers for every year of the month – I say why not!

BONUS:  Bloomingdales also ships to South Africa now, and there are a couple of items on my wish list

Shashi Rachel Rose Quartz Gemstone Bracelet

Boutique 9 Platform Pumps – Nosey Rhinestone

I fell in love with JAKLYN

I was wandering around in the V&A Waterfront yesterday afternoon, and I found a stunning pair of shoes… They are super comfortable and I am pretty sure you could run the two oceans in these – if you were so inclined. They price at ZAR 799.00 from Daniella Michelle at Zoom, not bad at all.

Welcome to the club…

Welcome to the club… So last night I was at a party, standing about with a glass of wine, as one does chatting about men and women, wrinkles and fillers, cycling and models. We were on to a chat about gentlemen’s clubs with separate entrances for women… One of the fellas involved in this conversation, noted that “women don’t really have that kind of thing, do they?” Just to clarify – I am not referring to a sleazy strip club vibe (Not that there isn’t a time and place for those – like my 26th birthday last year… for another time) I am talking about a gentlemen’s club as in an old boys club of sorts where men can go and be without women, talk about cigars and cars and playstation and women and horses.

The definition for this I stole from Wikipedia – “A gentlemen’s club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for English upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of members. Many countries outside the United Kingdom have prominent gentlemen’s clubs.” Supposedly we have some existing gentlemen’s clubs in Cape Town, which I have never even heard of (Probably because I’m not a man)… The Cape Town Club and the Owl Club, however as far as I know there are no such equivalents for ladies in Cape Town… The only thing that’s exclusive to us is f- ing ladies only gym memberships…

This brings me to the next best, closest thing I could find… and no it’s not a self arranged wine I mean, book – club. It is a shop, yes you could have guessed that women would place a membership on something like a clothing store. But this is not just any old shop, it’s not in a mall, and you can’t just go there and browse… Oh no friends… you need a golden ticket, well a plastic silver card actually, and to get a pretty silver card… you need to be invited – or you can beg by means of application. I was lucky enough to attend the first opening… but not the second, which was widely blogged about and everyone who went made a whole big thing about it and at the time, I had no idea that this whole story was by invitation only – the shopping bit I mean.

All right… I have been keeping you in suspense for long enough. This members-only fashion shrine is called “The only one” House of Fashion – The name is a little “Sally-Spectra/Foresters-Creations” sounding, but thankfully the atmosphere inside has nothing to do with soaps, drama yes but no soap. There are beautiful pieces, gorgeous dresses, and the best part about this whole private members only dress shop is that every outfit you pick, gets tailored to fit your body like a glove, and as if it couldn’t get any better – there is only one of every item.

So as per their website, this is what this card gets you:

 Private one on one pre booked shopping sessions with the Only One fashion stylist. However on the odd occasion when a member needs that emergency number the Only One fashion stylist is a call away.

 Each member receives a private pin code to log onto the Only One website for private reviews of the ranges.

 Members will also receive invitations on occasion to come in and view new ranges.

 The club also has a fashion stylist that will assist the member in the garment selections they make.

I have just completed my application form… Will let you know if it’s all it’s cracked up to be. http://houseoffashion.co.za/