Tag Archives: accessories

Mixed feelings about my first online purchase from Zando

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Over the past 3 months I’ve become totally addicted to online clothing shopping.  It’s just soooooo much easier than missioning for parking, schlepping around a busy shopping centre and standing in painful “kill-me-now” queues.  The small risk of getting the size or fit wrong has been 100% worth it for me personally.

So far I’ve made quite a few successful purchases from US website Forever21.com (I told you guys about it here and here).  But recently I decided I would give some local sites a bash too.

The first was relatively new venture, Zando.  I was lucky enough to be the proud new owner of a R100 Zando voucher, thanks to a lucky draw on total sweetheart, Saturday Girl SA‘s blog.  So it just made sense that I should give their online shopping experience a little test drive.

I had my heart set on a pair of simple Zoom pumps for only R229.  You see I’ve been on a mission to refresh my wardrobe basics, and a good pair of pumps that matches everything is a winter must have in my book.  But to use my R100 voucher, I had to spend a minimum of R300.  So to make up the difference I also added a pair of drop earrings and a pair of gym secret socks (yes yes I know… super boring… but mine’s forever going missing OK).

Things I liked about the site:

  • The product categories are well organised.
  • The site search option works like a charm.
  • You can filter by brand, shoe size, colour and price.
  • They have multiple images for each item so you can see it from every angle and then you can also zoom in to make sure you are happy with the quality.
  • The cart, checkout and payment process is quick & simple.
  • FREE delivery & FREE returns (only for exchanges/replacements) within SA for orders over R150.  Just read all the terms & conditions.

Things I did not like:

  • Once an item is in your cart, you can’t see what size you had selected.  This irritated me as I like checking, double checking & triple checking before I click on confirm.
  • The order confirmation email also doesn’t state your selected size.  Again, more worrying about whether you got it right…
  • The clothing section is a bit of a snooze fest.

I placed my order just after 7pm on Tue, 27 Mar.  By the next day, I got a call asking whether they could deliver between 2pm and 4pm.  I was really surprised & impressed, I mean that was less than 24hrs.  That’s pretty damn good for online purchases of any kind.

The box arrived looking like so:

The problem was that the box only contained my shoes.  There was no sign of the earrings & gym socks. Hmmmm…

I called their call centre.  The guy who assisted me promised that he would find out what happened and call me back immediately.  The aftenoon passed, but nobody got back to me.   So I decided to also email them that evening, explaining the problem.

The next day (Wed), someone got back to me via email.  The lady stated that the socks were actually out of stock and that they would be giving me a R50 voucher to make up for it.  The earrings were apparently due to arrive that afternoon.  I told her that I did not want yet another voucher, because then you’re just locked into making another purchase you don’t actually need or want.  So she said she would therefore submit a request to refund me for the socks.  I also informed them that the shoes actually seemed to be a very small fit and that I’d need to swap the size 5′s I ordered for a size 6.

Wed passed without receiving the earrings and I also did not get any further feedback on the refund.  On Thu though, they did come to collect my size 5 shoes.

On Fri morning I sent off another email to follow up.  Nobody got back to me.  But then later on that day reception called and said that there was another Zando package for me.  This time the box contained the size 6 shoes, the earrings and the socks.  Finally we had everything sorted.

My goodies - the earrings turned out to be much bigger than I anticipated. But I've done a DIY job on them, taking off 3 of the pieces on each and now it works.

In the end I didn’t need the refund and everything was finally sorted, but I must admit that the multiple deliveries were really annoying.  Especially because the delivery guy would just rock up without giving you a heads up.  That first shoe delivery was the only one where they actually called me beforehand.  Also I though the swapping of the shoes could have been done in one step – ie. pick up & give me the other pair at the same time. Seems pretty simple to me…

Obviously the free delivery & returns helped a lot.  If I was footing the bill for it, I would have been seriously p’d off.  But if their deliveries come through in drips & drabs in general, I’m sure they are losing money.

Will I buy from them again?  Well also in my box was yet another R100 voucher (on a minimum R300 spend), so I might be tempted again…  But I’m hoping that they are working on fine-tuning their processes, otherwise I’ll just avoid multiple item purchases. ;)

xxx

Check out Lovisa for some cool accessories

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Australian jewellery & hair accessories brand Lovisa has opened a store in Canal Walk (lower lever, shop 144A).

A while back I was on a mission to find some bronze or dirty gold toned accessories.  I first stopped off at Accessorize, then Sass Diva – my two “go to” stores when it comes to accessorising. But I weirdly didn’t have any luck.  Slightly depressed with my unsuccessful shopping mission, I decided to quickly get a fast food fix at Steers to cheer me up (I loooooove their chips, it’s my shameful little secret – I usually end up scoffing them down in my car!).  Anyhoo, as I was heading towards the food court, I walked past this new Lovisa store and decided to give it a bash.

The store is very organised.  Everything is coordinated according to their specific colour scheme, which I love – makes things so much easier.  They also have everything from very casual to super smart accessories to suit your every need.  I would have loved to show you some piccies, but they have a rule against allowing pictures to be taken of the store.  So instead, I’ve stolen some images from their website to give you an idea of their goodies:

Cool right?  I ended up finding exactly what I was looking for.  I got a leaf design bracelet for only R130 and a spiral ring for only R100:

I’m very glad that I now have a 3rd option for fun, modern accessories.  I’m not really a long term investment piece kinda girl.  I like to constantly change things up and take some risks.  So it’s better for me to buy things I won’t mind tossing away in a few months time if the trend dies or if I just happen to lose interest.  So girls, if you’re like me, go check this spot out.  I’m sure you’ll love it too.

xxx

The two new men in my life: Charles & Keith!

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There is a new major player in town when it comes to fabulous shoes & bags – Charles & Keith.

The Charles & Keith brand originated in Singapore back in 1996 and has since taken the fashion world by storm. It’s been brought to our South African shores by the Foschini Group, which means you can use your Foschini group store card here ladies!

The first store in Cape Town was opened last week on the 25th of Aug in the Canal Walk shopping centre.  Actually, I’m not sure if this is the first store in the country?  I couldn’t find much info on it on the web…  Anyhoo…

Yes... come on in ladies, and bring those credit cards!

It’s a truly beautiful store.  Great lighting, great displays… all conducive to total shoe & bag indulgence.

Oooooh, look at all the pretty things...

I especially loved the super sexy in-store campaign posters:

How gorgeous is that?

I was so lucky, because while cleaning out my “every day” handbag – which had turned into a scary abyss where things go to die or disappear forever – I discovered R550 in Foschini Group vouchers!  I think I got them for my bday last year and had totally forgotten about them.  Score!

This meant I could go crazy without really worrying about the price tag. Woohoo!  Turns out thought that I really didn’t have to worry about the price tag, these shoes & bags are really well priced.  I would say Charles & Keith would be competing in the Zoom Footwear category…  Ooooh, some competition there guys…

I walked outta there with 2 new pairs of shoes – a pair of black gladiator style sandals (R349) and a sexy pair of dark purple heels (R449):

I just can't wait to show these babies off...

With my awesome vouchers, that meant I only had to pay in R248!   Just plain faaaaabulous…

I got so excited about all of the shoes, that I didn’t really pay enough attention to the bags.  So I’m gonna have to go back for a follow up visit… soon!   You guys better get your asses over there before I clean shop. ;)

xxx

Exploring the Hope St market

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It’s official name is the City Bowl Market and it’s situated at nr 14 on Hope St in Gardens.  Actually, just a 2min walk away from my apartment!  Sweet… :)

As you enter the market, you’re greeted by fresh flowers, fruits & veggies:

Even fresher than Woolies!

The market is split into two areas:  Downstairs you’ll find plenty of yummy food stands and upstairs there’s a small bar and then clothing, decor & jewellery stands.

Bring on all the good stuff...

You’ll find anything from freshly baked breads, homemade jams & pestos to ready-to-eat quiches, gourmet sandwiches and build-you-own omelettes (also check out the omelette hottie):

Hmmm... So many yummy options... and the food options were pretty good too... ;)

But we totally lost our brains when we discovered Saszali Chocolates!

Hold me back people...

Carefully handcrafted, beatifully packaged, 15 delicious flavours… I was in heaven.  We decided to splurge out on a box of 4 for R50.  I went for the following flavours:

  • Citrus Blossom: natural orange flavour, encased in the rich dark 70%
  • Twilight: a fusion of white chocolate, Malibu and pineapple
  • Noisette: filled with a hazelnut praline
  • Golden Thyme: a centre infused with fresh thyme and drizzled with plenty of honey

Just check out how absolutely beautiful their packaging is!  This is the little box your choccies come in:

They also have wooden boxes for larger selections as well. And also a super cute singlet box and gift bags.

And then once you open it up, you find your amazing little treats, individually wrapped each with it’s own little flavour story included:

To pretty to eat! OK, that's a lie... they didn't last very long...

And trust me, they taste just as good as they look!  It’s the perfect gift idea for any sugar lover out there.   I’m certainly going to be getting myself a couple of “gifts from me, to me”. ;)

The one thing I really liked about this market was that it’s not as crowded as the Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill.  But then again, I guess it’s just a matter of time before it becomes just as “hip” and popular.

Lots of seating place to sit enjoy your goodies

I was totally in awe of the cheese & cured meats on offer…  I love cheese & parma ham!   Mmmmm…. Just look at these amazing blocks of “boere kaas”:

If I got them all, would that be too much? Nah...

Oooh, and look at these lovely looking salads – which you could have “on a plate” for R45 or “in a pita” for R35:

Yum, yum, yum!

But as fresh, healthy and tasty as that looked… I was on a serious mission to indulge in all the “evil stuffs”…  One option was these delicious looking cupcakes:

Come to mama...

But then… the ultimate treat… pancakes! Mr Pancake Perfect himself, Siegfried Kitching, was there serving up fluffy & sweet perfection:

Took me back to my childhood... I used to loooove those "kerk bazaar" pancakes the church ladies used to serve up...

Next we headed upstairs. Now I’m not a vintage clothing person (it just slightly creeps me out that someone else has worn the clothes), but if that is your thing, then you’ll find lots of treasures here.

Just make sure you have enough time to 'hunt' for that perfect item

I was excited to see the Jam stand – they sell “beautiful things with love”. I’ve seen some of their things in little decor shops and I especially love their heart shaped wooden cutting boards.

I'm a total sucker for anything with a ♥ on it

As for the jewellery options – I was fascinated by Zoe Designs.  Designer Helen du Toit makes beautiful, unique rings with antique teaspoons and cake forks:

Such a cool idea!

These next ones have been hand cut with pretty designs.  The bowl of the teaspoon forms the accent part of the ring:

Absolutely gorgeous...

Some other fun things were the oh-so-pretty brooches from Bow Peep:

Loved the mix of fabrics. They do hair accessories & buttons as well.

But after all those creative vibes, our brains needed a break, so we checked out the little bar area:

Take some time out to do a wine tasting, or sample on of the beers from several interesting microbreweries.

Here you get a nice view of the ground floor, you can see at this point it was really buzzing:

I'm watching you market goers... mwhahahahaha...

For me, it was a bit too early for wine or beer.  So I rather opted for a flavour packed cappuccino:

Coffee that packs a punch! It was brilliant.

I have to say though, they do need more than just one coffee stand.  That queue was loooooong and there’s nothing worse than cranky caffeine freaks. haha

But that’s it people.  Go check it out.  It really is quite charming, and seeing as it’s pretty much right on my doorstep, I will be visiting it frequently I’m sure.

xxx

So excited!!!

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Ooooh, I got an invitation to the Diligo Summer Launch Fashion show on 1 September!  Can’t wait, just check out the cool stuff the invite promises:


Did you see that, gift bags for guests!!!  The email also promised free snacks & drinks. Woohoo! And it’s “invite only” bitches.  I feel so special now. ;)

Diligo is an online fashion boutique.  They have lovely ladies dresses, skirts, tops, jumpsuits, shorts and accessories like belts & bags.  And I see they recently added mens shirts to their collection.  Nice.   I have been oogling their stuff online for a while now, but haven’t yet made a purchase.  Not because I haven’t found lots of things that I’d love to own, but I just personally am a bit nervous about ordering clothing online.   So this will be a great opportunitiy to check out their clothing in person.   They do seem to have a great returns policy available on their website though if you’re not happy with your purchase.

Yay! OK, I have to start planning what I’m going to wear… Hmmm…

xxx