Comic strip by swapzaar- war of the roses no1

War of the roses is a comic strip based on the archetypal rivalry between two very different type of young girls in college.Think Jenny Humphrey VS Blair, there is a bit of envy, friendship and rivalry involved.

Ultimately who wins in life depends on talent, determination and a pinch of luck.
We are going to chart the course of these two girls- Ritu and Gurleen, through their college years to see how they fare.

If swapzaar were betting on one of these girls, guess who it would be?

And, who would you bet on?


 Made using bitstrips.

War of roses no 1 comic strip by swapzaar from veena srinath


swapzaar.com is India's first dedicated online marketplace for pre-owned fashion.
So if you have fabulous gently used fashion items sitting unused in your wardrobe right now, register on swapzaar and list it there.
We will help you find fashion lovers who will pay a good price and really value your pre-loved stuff.
We already have brands like Coach, CK, Aldo, Mango, Guess, Zara, Forever Newm, Vero Moda, Accessorize and more being uploaded by our early members! 

Vintage fashion: What, Who, Why and Where!!

What it is- Generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 20 years before the present day is considered vintage.Most vintage clothing has been previously worn, but a small percentage of pieces have not. These are often old warehouse stock, and more valuable than those that have been worn, especially if they have their original tags.
(Source- Wikipedia)
And while we are at it, it might make sense to explain what it isn't!
Vintage is not the same as retro, pre-owned/consignment or thrifting.
The difference between Vintage and Retro clothing: Retro, short for retrospective, or "vintage style" usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era and doesn't actually belong to it!
Now, we already told you Vintage could be pre-owned/consignment and vice-versa, but Vintage always belongs to a certain fashion-era.
Thrift- you could find vintage items in a thrift store, or thrift at a vintage store, but thrifting essentially refers to bargain hunting.

Who wears Vintage?: Well, let's just say the "who's who" of A-list celebrities...
Alexa Chung, Rachel Zoe (!!), Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts ,Kirsten Dunst, Kate Moss, Mila Jovovich, Nicole Kidman...convinced yet?
Please note- the fans are a mix of some really young as well as mature ladies of style!

Why?: It's obvious isn't it? Most genuinely stylish women hate to look like everyone else, even if they are wearing a $3K top, so they seek out unique cuts and styles from a certain era and mix it up with their modern buys to create unique looks.So- the answer is "for the uniqueness factor".
It's also a way to show off your knowledge of fashion history, your eclectic and irreverent taste and your
 " sharp eye" for classic Chanel,Givenchy and Dior.

Where do they get Vintage?: It's true that celebrities can afford extremely knowledgeable and connected stylists who are always on the hunt for them, across a network of Online and Offline vintage boutiques spread around US and Europe, but online Vintage is accessible to all.

Here is a list of some the top online Vintage destinations (to suit all pockets ) that style gurus swear by, but unfortunately they aren't in India yet!!
Maybe the market needs to mature a little, after all we still have plenty of people who turn up their noses at Vintage and think it's just a euphemism for old and cheap...
 :-(
But fret not, some of them do ship to India, in case you are really desperate!

Ritual Vintage: http://www.ritualvintage.com/

eBay store - Maki Maki Vintage: http://stores.ebay.com/MakiMaki-Vintage

Farfetch.com Vintage Section:
 http://www.farfetch.com/in/shopping/women/vintage-archive-1/items.aspx
PS- They ship to India

ASOS Vintage: https://marketplace.asos.com/boutiques/vintage
Note- We would classify these as "Vintage inspired" more than actual Vintage...or maybe they are lesser/unknown brands and that is why we feel so!

Etsy Shop- TanakaVintage : http://www.etsy.com/in-en/shop/TanakaVintage
Same here- More Retro and Vintage inspired than vintage, but again that may not be the case and it might just be that these are relatively less known brands of clothing.











So, here's hoping that some really good online vintage boutiques make an appearance in India!

A few more resources to discover some great vintage stores (online and  brick & mortar) are shared below, hope you enjoy them. Don't forget to check out http://colletteconsignment.com/ though they don't sell online their merchandise is simple amazing.

Do write and let us know if you shop vintage and what styles you buy.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2012/11/23/consignment-shop-treasures-where-to-go-and-what-to-buy/

http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/where-to-buy-vintage-online

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/541102/the-eight-best-online-vintage-stores.html

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/activities/shopping/specialist-shop/vintage-fashions

http://www.theurbanlist.com/melbourne/a-list/melbournes-best-vintage-fashion-stores

http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2013/03/vintage-shopping-guide-paris-france

A Royal Treat? Don’t know for sure… maybe one in the making?

Let me start by hoping that The Golden Chariot makes many memorable journeys for those who travel on it to see ‘The Southern Splendour’ or experience ‘Pride of the South’. Anyway, since I may still have while to go before I take the 1.5L trip, I was glad to be invited for the Blender’s Pride – Reserve Experience - preview of Michelle Salins fashion showcase on board the luxury train last week. (so, what if the train is being used for more shows than journeys!)

So, lucky me, on board decadence of the 'Raj Era' and luxury made for the royals.  Checking out the super small yet super luxury room with lovely attached bathrooms, light and dark wood interiors, peach and green décor, spa, gym, business centre – everything. Pretty Cool. Tourism in India is really making tracks! (Pun intended)

Well, we were there for The Reserve Experience – so let me quickly walk past the many coaches to the lounge and dining car where we can grab a seat to catch the action on the aisle alias ramp. The collection was by Michelle Salins (not heard of her before – but that’s not important). The collection was – well not bad – had a mix and match of good and average. Some stuff was interesting no doubt – like using ‘music’ as the inspiration for some ensembles but perhaps a bit too much if you put a whole sequined tanpura across the dress. I did like the unique clutches that were boxy and made to be like old cassettes and tape players – very 80’s pop culture style – nice but couldn’t get a clear shot ‘coz obviously, the models didn’t think they were all that cool and hid them in the dresses!! Too Bad.

 

Fashion in the Aisle

Liked the pockets

Missed - the clutch

Too musical to marry?

Inspired but Overdone

Now, this I like

Mind Your Head, Lady

I've seen better

Nice evening, nice concept, good music, even very good company, some nice styles - so what was missing? 

Hmmm… mostly the little things, as always – luxury is after all in the detail. So why were the hairdos so high that the models hit their heads when they entered the coach? No rehearsals? Or no mid-course correction perhaps? Why in a cultural heritage of fine art were the interiors of the train so coarse? Why were carvings so plain and the curtains missing the silk and extravagance of the south? What about the platform you use to get on the train? And couldn't we do just a short shuttle between stations to make it a truly exclusive experience?

Sometimes on the journey to luxury we suffer the bumps of mediocrity. Don’t settle for it.

About Beluxed Fashion

Conceptualised by 3 batch-mates in 2011, Beluxed Fashion is an online luxury fashion rental service that aims to bring an extended wardrobe to its members through leased access to the world’s most iconic luxury fashion brands.

Beluxed believes that luxury is not about ownership and flaunting expensive labels but about refinement and appreciating perfection in design and quality. Therefore, our philosophy is inclusive luxury for the practical fashionista.

Coming soon to India, Beluxed Fashion services will be available on a pan India basis through online subscription.

To stay updated and enter exciting contests please join our community on facebook/beluxedfashion

Dream Job for a Fashion Lover

Beluxed is looking for a fashion intern (paid) for a community manager role for about 3-4 months, extendable into a long term contract for the perfect fit.

This girl needs to be young, digitally savvy and fashionable, must love fashion because honestly the pay isn’t going to be insanely high.

Here is what is expected:

• Stylish, good eye for style (as worn by other people), great writing skills and good eye for clicking pictures, a little bit of Photoshop knowledge wouldn’t hurt, either!

• Work-experience not required but attitude and aptitude (for communicating to groups) are BIG essentials…as is a laptop with an internet connection!!

• Good awareness of and genuine interest in following international fashion trends, fashion shows, celebrity fashion etc

• Great at creating original content for blog, twitter, linkedin-in, facebook, pinterest and polyvore (at least) and also good at growing the community.

• Ideally a mass-com, journalism or fashion student looking for great work experience in the fashion & related fields.

• Ideally this person is based in Bangalore, but we would consider other cities too if we like the profile.

NOTE- This role can be managed from home but absolutely no “copy-paste work” will be tolerated- the work has to be smart, interesting and original!

So if you are interested (or know anyone who might be) please send your profiles to beluxed dot fashion at gmail.com, also spread the love by posting a link wherever you think people might be interested!

Make it soon ‘cause we hope to fill the position by end of march!

This fun job has some milestones and deliverables too...

Like -

250+ followers on Twitter at the end of 3 months

30+ conversations happening at on FB any point and 500 Likes at the end of 3 months

Running contests, polls and other interactive stuff on Social Media

Weekly 3 content rich Blog posts and increased activity with the Fashion Blogger community

And other stuff like that - easy for a good community developer and fashion lover. Write to us for more details.

Xo

BLXD team

Conceptualised by 3 batch-mates in 2011, Beluxed Fashion is an online luxury fashion rental service that aims to bring an extended wardrobe to its members through leased access to the world’s most iconic luxury fashion brands.

Beluxed believes that luxury is not about ownership and flaunting expensive labels but about refinement and appreciating perfection in design and quality. Therefore, our philosophy is inclusive luxury for the practical fashionista.

Coming soon to India, Beluxed Fashion services will be available on a pan India basis through online subscription.

To stay updated and enter exciting contests please join our community on facebook/beluxedfashion

Sample styling picture collage- Brunch with the girls !

Sample styling picture collage- Brunch with the girls ! by beluxedfashion featuring yellow shoes

Chanel bag
£2,200 - farfetch.com

A Kiss of Glam Lipstick in Carmine
$22 - modcloth.com

Hermes Elixir des Merveilles - Eau de parfum natural spray No Color...
$149 - nordstrom.com