My fashion trap

Hi lovelies,

Today, I world like to talk about my style journey, where did I started and where am I at the moment?

Back in my childhood my parents bought my clothes and shoes- usually before school year, for Christmas, namedays or birthdays we have received some clothes as well. With my siblings we have had a lot of local made items from the market or from small boutiques (there were such a great quality), then some from Chinese stores and later on from Shopping Mall brands. I did remember when the mall opened in my hometown it was full with local businesses back in 2002, but by 2010 most of the stores where Fast fashion brands there.

Being in high school I did not really spent my time at the mall, it was bare that I did shopping without my parents. So I was not such a huge shopper addict back then or I just had so many other things to do: studying, training and volunteering.

As I went to college and moved to Budapest with my friends we loved English secondhand shops and the sales at shopping mall. Thanksfully we did not had so much money to afford so many things from H&M or Zara and I was too proud to ask some extra money from my parents… Even in this case we consumed a lot of fast fashion :english secondhand stores was full of Primark clothes with tag, it was rare to find something real bargain and of course the sales at Mango, Zara and H&M. Honestly I am not assamed of myself, because we were just uneducated in this fashion trap.

Then I went for my Erasmus semester in Portugal, for that of course me with my friends bought quite a few new pieces at Zara- lots of these items are so memorable to me due to Portugal and still have them- before to go, but I had to pack my life into a 35 kg suitcase, so I was not aware of but that was my first capsule wardobe ever. During this 5 months in Portugal we went to Primark a few times, that was the point when I realized all of the English Secondhand shops are so over priced in Hungary, as most of the items were even pricier than new at Primark. As I had to be careful not to overweight my luggage I bought maybe 10-12 items.

Returning back to Hungary, I decided not to go to these girl sessions of secondhand stores and fast fashion sales, slowly these bit toxic relationships ended. After college I have strated to work at a hotel as a receptionist, which took me back from wanting to go to crowded places after work such as shopping malls and honestly I had a uniform so my clothes lasted longer, even if they were fast fashion.

Then I started to shop with my boyfriend (then husband) who were always had the same local stores such as Heavy Tools for his Polo T-shirts and shirts, Tisza for shoes, Levi’s for jeans and Mountex/Dockyard stores for anything else (they do sell Patagonia, The North Face etc.). He barely shops any fast fashion stores – might be if only needed something to use for bare occassions- I remember he was shocked how cheap is Zara and H&M and how fastly wore out everything from fast fashion stores. His mother used to work Mustang when he was young, so might be he was not aware but he often told me by touching a garment how cheap it is. I do remember how he was convincing me buying my first ever pair of Levi’s (which I accually still have).

As I was not educated in this field, I was still shopping fast fashion. As I did not wanted to spent all of my salary on clothes I must not be a such addict, for example I did not had any unused tag on clothes, but I still had quite a few wore onces.

So 2 years ago I have decided to educate myself and creating a wardrobe that reflectmy lifestyle, which contains 100% I love and carefully curated- it is like a strategy. So 2021 was my second year of low buy. I learn a lot along this journey: sometimes it is hard but I have never thought about thinking about my style can be that liberating.

Come and enjoy how I do build my wardrobe in the next year as well.

Fast fashion issue

Hi lovelies,

For a while I am trying to upgrade my wardrobe in a more concious way, I am working on to select the best pieces to have and to build a funtional closet for myself. Recently I have started to track it by registation all the items into an excel file and also by creating it in this virtual place too.

I had to realize, that like most of you I do have a lot of fast fashion items which made of polyester and other not so great materials. Earlier this year, I have take quite a few to the selective textile bin and sold some never or rarely used of them:

So since April I have sold 9 items, their original value together was arround 200 EUR, now I can made out of these ca. 90 EUR, which is pretty good, but I have to admit that the Rouje bag (which was a gift next to a purchase) and my husband’s Oneill short were the only ones, which worst more than 10 EUR on the resale market- all the other fast fashion items has no resale values.

Fast fashion is like fast food. After the sugar rush it just leave a bad taste in you mounth.

Livia Firth

If you want to read more about what is fast fashion I do suggest to read my favourite source: Good on you.

Will I buy fast fashion in the future?

YES, I want to be honest with this topic. I am not is a position to be able to buy every single thing from eco friendly brands, but I try to make better choices, like Vivienne Westwood said:

By the way here you can find my Vestiaire, where I have put many items used only once or twice, even my favourites which I am not wearing so much. Recently I have so many changes in my life, which is indicated to change my wrdrobe too.

Xoxo,

How to have a great wardrobe?

Hi lovelies,

Today post I want to talk about how to update your wardrobe, how to achieve to have a cohesive style on a budget. I was always jealous to a lot of women how chic, femine and beautiful they are and I always looked at myself as a grey mouse: I can not afford it, I cannot do it.

Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

I was totally wrong…

I was stuggled to dress up, when I saw myself in the mirror in my 50 EUR Zara dresses I was pissed off . So I have started to read, to watch and to search for a solution: I have read Anushka Reiss The curated closet book and she teach a lot to me:

  1. LESS IS MORE: I do ot need a lot a clothes,they have to be carefully selected and quality.
  2. IDENTIFY YOUR OWN STYLE: I do not need to follow trends to look stylish, know what I feel good in is a way more important.
  3. DRESS TO MY LIFESTYLE: have several capsule wardrobes according to the daily activities and spend the most on, which I am doing the most.
  4. KNOW YOUR COLORS: select a few, which fits to your own personality, you can not look good in everything.
  5. ACCESSORIES: having a great bag or jellews can elevate your style.
  6. TAILOR: fit your clothes.

So I have started to write my closet inventory and I figure out a few things so far:

  1. I hate polyester close to my skin, so I want to get ride off any polyester tops and dresses.
  2. My favourite materials are the naturals like silk, linen or wool, but I also love viscose.
  3. Oversized cut is cheap looking, do not really flatters me, so I will get ride of most of them.
  4. I need to invest in silk scarves, fine jewels and quality leather bags
  5. I would love to declutter most of my fast fashion items as I can not make a use of.
  6. Upgrading my wardrobe will take a long time so I have to be patient and do not get into the fast fashion trap again.
  7. Secondhand is pretty cool, I can find gems on Facebook market place and Vestiaire for a fraction of price.

I might need to start from scratch….

Photo by Max Vakhtbovych on Pexels.com

My closet inventory is coming soon…

xoxo,

Spring cleaning and organizing challenge

Hi lovelies,

I can not belive that 3 months has been already passed… We are in the middle of a lock down like last year, but I am hoping the best for all of us and courage you to be positive (not your PCR) and look ahead, try to appriciate small things, for example I am sitting at our balcony, sun is shinning.

So tomorrow is April, officialy spring so it calls for a home cleaning and organizing challenge! If you work like me, you might not have a whole day for deep cleaning or just it is too much or just you are not in a mood of… this challenge going to work for you. We are going to do by-by day activities, so download it to your mobile and have a look everyday.

Start with your “frames”: windows, doors and do it like a pro from the ceiling to down, then clean your bedrooms and personal area, bathroom, kitchen, living room etc. Take care of your plants and have fun.

February update

Hi lovelies,

I have not posted for a while, now I am here to explain why…

The short answer is I was sick and also I was thinking and learning a lot in the past month.

Yeah, I have got Covid, so I was weak as can not walking more than 20 minutes despite the fact that I was regulary trained before of it. I am still not feeling tastes and smells so well, but I am really greatful for my body to be able to cure it.

I feel myself motivated more than ever.

So what are the news:

  • I am nearly finished my budgeting sheet, so it will be available to download in March.
  • I am also started to work on my wardrobe program, which I am going to share in a few weeks too.
  • I am going to start YouTube, to have better content for you.
  • I have establisted my newsletter, which I promise I will only send ones in a month. So if you interested join below.
  • I hope you are interested in my Better style from less project.

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Hello 2021

Hi lovelies,

I hope you all had nice holidays. I do not want to say “Thanks God 2020 is over” as I know 2021 will not be easy too, specially the upcoming 3 months. I do not want to be in the competition of who’s year was harder as 2020 was so hard for all of us in different manners. I rather wish to write down what I have learnt of this year:

  • Health is the number 1 priority! You have to take care of that, otherwise you cannot live a life you wish. In 2020, I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance, so I have to take a serious diet forever. I am so proud of my result, as I took the diet and the exercises so gravely that after being on a 160g CH diet, my results dramatically improved so I do not need to take any medicines only keeping this lifestyle with vitamins.
  • Life matters! I know tons of healthcare workers fight against Covid around the World and they are real heroes. I am so thankful for them.
  • Money matters! I had the unsavoury opportunity to experience the life with a lot less money, it is depressing and sucks. Even thought my budgeting, which I am enjoying so much, I would see a much higher savings account, which would give us less worrying. I am still thanks for to have an underpaid job, because at least I have some income.
  • Less is more! It is reflecting to my low buy year, which I am so proud of becoming a better consumer. I have learnt what is spark of joy, who I can live with less and better quality items and I can afford much things (from less money) which I have just dreamt of.
  • Lifetime learning! I am so thankful, that finally I had the time to learn something new: the tour guide school, my low buy journey were all great experiences and now I want to know even more.

I am so thankful to had the opportunity for a great summer holiday in 2020.

Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

What are my plans for 2021?

  • Keeping my heathy lifestyle and focusing on things that are matters.
  • I know I do have to change my career to be able to get paid better: I might start some freelancer projects or get another job- I do like my current one, but it does not pay me well at the moment and it is nether challenging for me, due to the pandemic I cannot even see the opportunities for manager jobs inside the company:(.
  • Study something new.
  • Go on a holiday.
  • Continue budgeting and simplifying my lifestyle would be really great.

Well the rests are let me kept in secret. In my next post I am going to introduce my 2021 closet challenge, which I hope you will enjoy.

Xoxo,

Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

Tide up your home- Bedroom

Hi lovelies,

This is my final one of the tide up serie, I hope you had did the same while you should stay home to be safe. It did not took me a full day, but I still think I have to work on it so much: I would need some boxes that fits, new velvet hangers and of course the rest of the home decoration like plants, curtains and a rug. So home wishlist coming soon.

Firstly -I did my husband side: chest of drawers and the wardrobe and shift his clothes to Spring, but I did not decluttered anything – only a half pair of socks – as it is his own responsibility, so just asked him to do so 8-10 items.

Than I was worked on my own belongings: I have made my intentory I own 93 items without nighties, swimwear, underwear and loungewear, which can be much for a minimalist… I have figuered out my year arround basics and the seasonal items and for the first time I only decluttered a few, but I think I will have much more specially for the summer… but that can be a whole seperate post. I think I should check my clothes more frequentely an update according to the weather, so May again.

Then I made the other storages in the bedroom: under the bed and on the side of the bed and of course the window.

Xoxo,

 

Tide up your home- Outside

Hi lovelies,

The weather is still pretty bad, so I still have to skip the bedroom… I neither have a Spring feeling at all to be honest, even it is nearly April, by the time it will be posted it is.

So last week I did the entryway and our outside storage, as we most not really go out of the flat I did not have the opportunity to buy what we really need to the balconies or to the outside storage…

Our balcony opens from our bedroom, so I washed it all: the floor, window and the fence. We do have only a tiny pine tree on now so later on we should plant some flowers there.

In our entryway there are not some many things, as it is an L shape I just started the most inner side the built-in wardrobe. On the top we do store our luggages and some decoration stuffs, middle are the coats and suits, bottom shoes in their boxes, tools and the hoover. So check my outwear and some shoe collection coming soon… stay turned.

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Before and my beautiful wedding dress below

 

Then I have cleaned our shoe cupboard, mirror and the other small built-in storage too. I know we would need a bit more plants to decorate a bit, just yet we did not had time to. So I was washed the entry door too and tomorrow is the turn of the outsidestorage.

That was a big fail as it shelves have to be replaced and also to do a new door and lock, in addition most of the stuffs are belongs to my hubby, so I was unable to do it alone…

Finally bedroom coming up, so stay turned.

Xoxo,

 

 

 

 

Tide up your home- Living room

Hi lovelies,

Yeah I know it should be bedroom tide up time, but I had to change it due to the weather, so I was continue my serie with our teeny-tiny living room, which is not an actual serate room- it liks to our kitchen. If there is a more bigger event – which will not be soon– we do take our dinning table here to have some space.

Here, nearly everthing is temporary we tend to buy a new tv sideboard, now the one is an IKEA Billy underneath is a way to short. Our sofa will stay as the last to change, but I really want to find a nice velvet blue or green one, which can be opened as a bed too. We would definetely need a rug, preferebly a Beni Ourain and a coffee table, maybe a small working desk too. Of course, we would have some book shelves above the sofa and a mini gallery wall behind the TV.

We are both plant addicts, so we would have more plants arround us, that is why I have already started to make macrame holder for them and we also purchased a Humidfication as our air is so-so dry here.

Stay turned for the bedroom tide up!

Xoxo,

 

How Covid19 effect our life

Hi lovelies,

You might think you are young and strong it will not effect on you, but I think if you live in Europe or in America now it is time to stay home (if you can). Before you read, you ought to know that I am not a virologist, neither working in healthcare just an economist, who works as a Hotel Concierge. Since January it is our everyday life: meeting, smiling and greeting people from all over the World, while we are so anxious and worry about our health and work. We must not wear gloves, neither masks, write or post about it…

So what you can do?

  1. Please follow the suggestions of WHO and your own government!
  2. Take care of your personal hygienic
  3. Do not understate or joke on other people’s fear.
  4. If you are the one of those lucky ones, try to work from home. Even if I used to work from home last year a lot, now we cannot. In the last year in tourism we had lack of employees, so we tried to focus on the in-house guests and the last minute email requests, so I had to take home the rest and answer them during my free time, now we do not have anything to do…
  5. Avoid contact with other people as much as you can, only go to grocery if it is really needed, do not use public transportation.
  6. Help the elders around you, but in the meanwhile try to contact them less.
  7. Try to consume less.
  8. Plan your life at home- you have plenty of to do…
  9. To save millions of jobs and the economy, please do not cancel, rather postpone, modify or accept gift cards for your future holidays.
  10. Try to think of yourself, your lifestyle and change. You might be going to be a better person when it ends.

About Hospitality

Yeah we are again in a big crisis: in the end of the 2000s we had a similar issue that no one had the money to travel, then everything changed even people, who have never ever been a part of the global tourism started to travel and without experiences they had totally changed this industry. Their style and demand was totally different which we used to had, so we have adapted. We have adapted to a strange, self-focused world, where people (especially younger generations) did not evaluate others, where most of people wanted everything (nearly) free and went through on everyone else to aim their goals without thinking the emotional part.

So what I really want to ask:

Learn to appreciate the luxury of personal services. We are not human robots, also human beings, try to complaint less for trifles. Learn to smile, be kind and say thank you for a shop assistant, waiters, call centres etc.

Please appreciate what you already have and be more sustainable, try to buy less.

Discover you close family: talk, play games and if you have kids study together.

In the future think before you write review, it might hurt someone and they would had been solve it without the public. Do you leave a negative review, just because you wish to kicks? Let me explain what I mean: most of the service related negative comments are coming from offended humans, who do not write the whole story. This is an example: he was smoking in the room, while the hotel is strictly non-smoking and had several alarms from the room, so firstly he got a message „please avoid smoking in the room, next time we will charge 250 EUR penalty” next time reception calls him, he did not understand, furthermore he menaces the receptionist. At check-out he has to pay, of course he complaint, manager agree with the staff, he pas the penalty. Next morning, he writes on TripAdvisor saying the staff and the manager was rude, unprofessional and overcharged me…

Restudy skills: reading to the able to understand the terms and conditions, some finance: what is an authorization, what is advanced purchase etc. But you can study new things as well, learn languages or just read anything, handwork or just follow my cleaning routine.

For „influencers” please do not ask for free stays, you are totally degrading the service of other people. You might do not understand it, but I have never ever meet any influencer paying for an extra service of the hotel, where they stay for free: upgrade, extra meal or concierge services, but you do constantly asking for the Marketing Managers, who will ask the rest of the staff do the things for free: no commissions, no service charge and of course no tip. I know you do not understand what I mean, because you think you know everything from Google, you do not have the social background to know who is who in a hotel, that is why you do not even know that the real influencers just the locals right behind the desks, who suggests the personalised restaurants and programs for the tourists.

I do pray for a better World and so thankful for anyone works in healthcare or police  nowadays. I wish I could say at home for a few weeks too.

xoxo,