Mango Versus Goliath

Mark my words: This spring will be all about scarves. Rolled up around your neck, worn as a belt, wrinkled up, in your hair, with the triangle draped over your shoulders, attached to your handbag, long, square, cotton, silk, you name it! There is only one rule. Prints!

On one of my recent shopping expeditions I wandered into a Mango store and was super excited to discover their large silk scarves with amazing bold prints. For 35 EUR a piece. Now, Mango has great style, but for me their flaw is that the materials they use in their designs are often synthetic, which can affect their quality. But these scarves simply enchanted me - they are 100% silk, original and affordable.



Pile of Mango Scarves for 35 EUR each



One shopping stop later I find myself at the most luxurious department store in Berlin - the world famous KaDeWe. It's Germany's Harrods or Galleries Lafayettes. There you will find anythng, including fantastic silk scarves from various high fashion labels, such as Etro, Versace, Kenzo, all with a long tradition of vibrant prints and silk shawls. Only issue: you'd have to tuck them into very deep pockets, as the prices start from 200 EUR! Great if you can afford it, otherwise there is a Mango store right down the street...

Gorgeous paisley print silk scarf
by Etro,
around 200 EUR

Signature bold print silk scarf
by Versace,
around 240 EUR

How about this one, an exotic fruit or a high-powered designer?

Vintage or Modern?

Real jewellery lasts for ever. The really beautiful pieces go beyond fashion. Don't you have a favourite that you wear time and time again? Or you let it rest for a few years and then rediscover it in your treasure chest? It happened to me recently when I pulled out a nice ivory cusp my dad brought back from India when I was 10! To be more specific (but not too specific!) that places it back to mid-eighties. A vintage piece so to speak and still looks great. The only difference is that back then I was able to spin it around my wrist despite its oval shape and now it just sits nice and snug on it.
I have always had a love affair with jewellery. Already as a kid I would dream of being a queen clad in huge saphires or rubies. Through the years I have accumulated an impressive collection of everything. Still the fashion has never been so much to my taste as this year. Bold, fifities, seventies, eighties styles suit me well. Only a few years back I would look ridiculous, but now I can pull off a Cleopatra, a Tzarina or a Jackie O without batting an eyelid.
In the last six months I have tapped into the world's richest resource - EBay. It's great for those unique vintage pieces that nobody has. You want a bib collar? Your wish be done. Just type in vintage bib collar, add color or metal of choice and happy shopping. You can get some really amazing bargains for nothing. I've bought chunky rings that everyone notices, even men! for less than 10 dollars. Things that used to belong to society ladies are now often up for grabs.

Another great forum and undiscovered source of great vintage jewellery is http://www.etsy.com/ It's not as popular as EBay yet, so the choice is smaller, but so are the prices. A great piece of vintage jewellery is unique, beautiful and well-made. Otherwise it's just old. The perfect fashion statement is when you wear a mix of vintage and modern, so as not to look like you've stepped out of a dusty magazine.

A great bib collar necklace will work best with sleek modern clothes. You can even wear it to spruce up a jeans and top outfit. You can choose between metals or plastic. Gold tones are especially cool this summer. The plastic of old used in vintage jewellery is lucite. It comes in different colors and shapes, it can simulate sparkly crystals or it can be found in popular ice-cream hues.

If you like being expressive with you jewellery then vintage is the way to go. The best thing about it, you won't break the bank. Although some pieces can be collector's items and if you have the misfortune of having excellent taste, so you might find yourself bidding against other fashionistas or jewelry dealers. Still the choice is so vast, you'll be damned if you don't find a steal.

http://www.anakit.etsy.com/