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A bloke is a bloke is an UrbanBloke

A bloke, as defined by Wikipedia, is a British slang term for a man, also commonly used in Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. So, as one of my blokes tells me I haven’t written about something for guys in awhile, I decided to do just that.

Attention all men looking for great clothes, great prices and readily available sales just like all the women get! Here is a website that is targeted to…yup you got it… MEN!

UrbanBloke, which has only been around for the last 2.5 months since their launch on March 16, is an online flash sale site geared towards men. With over 40 vendors on board in less than 3 months, you gotta give these guys credit. With names like Ralph Lauren, Joseph Abboud and Calvin Klein you might as well check it out. (and let us know what you think)

Granted, they are still small with limited amount of product but with the help of my readers there is no reason why this cant be the next Gilt or Ideeli!

Use this link to login in and shop!

UrbanBloke Invite Code

No hostile aquisition at this Fourth Crusade

While browsing through one of my new regular websites, Wikifashion, I stumbled across an online store called Fourth Crusade.

No hostile acquisition at this Fourth Crusade, only unique avant-garde jewelry from small designers straight from Italy.  Founded by Diana Taranto, she uses her experience from working with an assortment of designers as well as her year spent living in Italy to spot these immaculate  jewels.

Take a look at some of them! Too rich for my blood but the Shakespeare rings, by Loepp & Nagai, are a personal favorite.

Shop by artist or by product but either way definitely stay in the know by signing up for their Friday afternoon email blast; nothing extensive, just a quick note with the latest news on websites, product and brands to hit the streets.

In a World Going Green… Go Shumaq!

Everywhere I turn everyone is talking about going green and as many of you know I do just that. In addition to recycling, I am trying to use little electricity and buy more organic and locally grown produce.

So after hearing from my friend, Little Miss Judgemental, about a clothing label that is doing just that, I knew I had to share! Shumaq, a women’s clothing line, was founded by two sisters from Lima, Peru and is taking every step to be a socially conscious line. Shumaq, which means beautiful in their native tongue, tries to use eco-friendly materials as much as possible but is really focusing on the workers that make the clothes.

Shumaq only employs women from small factories in their native land of Peru and when they say small they mean it. Most of the factories only have 3-4 workers, most of who are struggling to work independently and make a living.  By dividing the production among many of these small factories they are able to offer fair wages to many local businesses.

I am seriously impressed! Not only do I love Shumaq’s business model and all that they are doing for the women and economy of Lima but just look at their clothes… BEAUTIFUL!




The two sisters, Vanessa and Jacqueline, get most of their inspiration from their travels, their music and vintage pieces they find along the way. For their Fall 2010 collection their inspiration was Imperial Russia and the Romanovs royal architecture and jewels.

Reasonably priced and easy to find! Starting this fall they can be found here in New York City at Anthropolgie, Plum, A Tempo, Montmartre and online at BlueFly, just to name a few.

Put your money towards a good cause!

Wikifashion-the new authority in fashion news!

Share the knowledge and share the wealth! Everyone of you by now, should have heard of and/or used Wikipedia. It’s basically the first thing that pops up when you google something.

Well, while perusing the Internet yesterday I found a new site still in its infancy stage and very similar to Wikipedia. Its called Wikifashion! Just like Wikipedia, it is created by and used by us but unlike it, it focuses only on the fashion community.

Based out of Brisbane, Australia, it was started back in 2009 by two young individuals: one the fashion lover and one the techie.

Granted it is very new so the information is very limited right now but with contributions from all of you, I know we can make this site a force to be recon with in the fashion industry. It’s already been making headway with the press. Check out all that’s being said here.

I’ve got my Wikifashion badge! Who will be next?

 

MyNines: My Bloglines for Sample Sales

Every morning I wake up, get the coffee pot going and sit down in front of my laptop to start reading all the bloggers and websites that I follow. Luckily, I use Bloglines to help roll everything into one so I don't have to type in each website individually to see who's posted.

But that hasn't been the case for my online shopping until NOW! A new website that JUST launched does just that. MyNines brings together all the online sample sales in one place. Just like Kayak does for flights, it gathers, sorts and organizes. What a great idea!

With 50-90% of all things ranging from jewelry and handbags to wine and travel, this site is good for the whole family, maybe even the dog. With phones that bring everything together in one, why not have MyNines do the same for you?

Look what TechCrunch is saying here.

Business Insider called it one of "The 20 Hot New Startup Website to Watch"

Udorse…. And then you get the discounts.

As you can clearly see I blog about companies in the fashion industry and you might also know that I work in fashion. However, I don’t consider myself to be an Uberfashionista who knows and wears all the top designers. I buy what I can afford at whatever department store or boutique that I happen to shop in that day.

So when I heard about this website where you upload and tag pictures of yourself and what you are wearing I wasn’t sure what to think.

Udorse is a web-based picture game company that allows you to upload pictures, tag what you are wearing, earn points and win coupons.  Basically marrying up 3 things people like – games, photos and discounts.

Much like Facebook and Twitter, Udorse allows you to collect friends and share your status updates with them. The biggest difference here is when you tag your photos with what you are wearing or where you are at you are no only earning points and rewards for yourself but your friends as well.

Could this be a new platform for young designers to get noticed or just a place for clothes hounds to show off their latest duds?

Vintage On the Rise- Market Publique

Not into the traditional mass-produced H&M/ Forever 21 stuff? Love online shopping? Then look no further because I have something that offers just that.  Market Publique is an online marketplace for vintage fashion.

Similar to Ebay, they allow their carefully screened sellers to sell merchandise at a price point or through auction.  Each seller is able to set up a shop to house their collections, just as sellers on Ebay and Etsy are able to do. The difference though is that this merchandise is vintage, NOT second-hand.  In order to be classified as vintage the item must be greater than 20 years old but under 100 years old. Anything older than 100 years would then fall into the “antique” category. Some vintage pieces may be used but many are new and have never been used.

Now that much of shopping has moved to the Internet, it is hard for the traditional brick & mortar shops to reach consumers like the Internet can. That is why Market Publique has paired up with some traditional brick & mortar vintage shops to help them do just that. Just look at some of the cool things you can find:

Patch Work Bag $42

Pink embroidered mini dress $40

But with everything, be sure to watch out for the dogs.

80's Teal Taffeta Dress $68

Blue 70's Floral Dress $45

Even fellow bloggers like Jessica, from What I Wore, and Jennine, from The Coveted, buy and sell on Market Publique. I personally am not that big into vintage but see that many people are and that it is indeed a growing community. If vintage is something that interests you then this is definitely one site to check out.

                                   

Paula Bianco- On My Wish List!

I love scarves! Love to wear them and love to give them as gifts for my winter enduring-friends. And right now my favorite scarf is this Infinity Scarf by Paula Bianco, which were all deconstructed down from sweaters. 

Her scarves run in the area of $75 which is pretty reasonable compared to my other favorite, the well-know Love Quotes starting at $85.

Paula Bianco is actually an Israeli designer who goes by the name of Smadar-Pala Azriel. The creative name of her line was inspired by her grandmother. She started her career in interior designer where from there she branched out into accessories and jewelry.

The softness and functionality of her scarves along with the sophisticated boldness of her jewelry make for a very intriguing collection, one which I plan to follow. 


Her distribution is extremely limited. Maybe by creating more demand for it we can get more here in the states. For now though, check out her store listings here.

New Year, New Companies!

Its time to get ready for our annual celebrations tonight and reflect on the year that has past. As I begin to do the same I want to reach out to all my fellow readers, bloggers, twitters and friends for some new ideas!

There are many great companies out there trying to make a mark and with a little help they can do it. I am always on the look out for new companies that are offering something unique. If you know of such a company then please reach out to me so that together we can give them a voice.

Be Safe and have a very happy new year!

Giddi- where products find you!

If you are anything like me, then you love online shopping and check out prices on almost everything before you actually buy. Giddi helps do just that! It provides online reviews and price comparisons for just about anything you can find on the internet. 

Get the best product at the best price. Check it out! It could probably help with the last minute holiday shopping.