After an extremely serious (and dark) last post, I thought I should come up with something light for this post.  So, I’ve decided to write a series of posts to get you (my reader) more acquainted with me. The first and most important thing you should know about me is that ‘I am a shopaholic’. Shopping runs in my blood. I truly believe I was born to live in a mall. When I enter a mall, a different feeling comes over me, it is like falling in love all over again. Truly, I have only two loves in my life which are eating and shopping. For the major part of my life, my only love was my love for eating. Till before college, all my shopping was done in 1 hour during the sales from the men’s section. (PS: I was a tomboy. I’ll write more about that later.) I guess, college was an eye opener for me. The girlies I met over there were really girly and soon I became a girly girl too. There was a point of time when my parents used to beg me to go shopping. From there to point (now) where my parents beg me to NOT shop, from being an expert in studies (nerd alert) to being an expert in shopping, from being content with 1 pair of jeans and 3 tees to never ever having anything to wear, to not knowing what colours match to being a platinum member of Jabong, I have really come a looooooooong way. Enough of my awkward history, I have over the last few years become an ardent fan of a few brands that have great designs at great prices (on sale specifically). I have also become a hawk when it comes to sales. I feel like an investment banker when I am shopping sales online. The process is pretty similar actually. First, you narrow down your options. Second, you put them in your cart. Third, you wait like a bear for the best price (read as: lowest price) possible and then you order. Sometimes, if you wait too long the prices go up or the product gets sold out. You need to figure out the right time to press the ‘proceed to payment’ option. I’m sure half of you reading this are wondering if I have lost my mind but that is exactly what shopping does to me. I am born to shop. Here are a few of my favourite brands:

1. Dorothy Perkins: DP is UK based fashion retailer founded in 1909. Jabong started selling DP products about a year back in India. I have become a HUGE fan of all their products. I had been looking for ideal office wear for nearly a year before DP was launched in India. My definition of ideal office wear is not wearing boring shirts and trousers. I was looking for formal and semi formal tops, blouses, blazers, skirts, dresses, overcoats, trousers in colours other than the usual bland formal colours. DP met all my desires with amazing variety and Jabong helped me with amazing sales.
2. Mango: I heart Mango. I absolutely love their designs be it clothes or bags or shoes. It is a delight to shop here during the sales (especially when it is flat 70% off). The only issue I have with their products is that the quality isn’t too great. I wish they’d work a little on improving the quality of products offered, and then Mango would definitely be one of the best brands ever.
3. Zara: Okay, so who doesn’t love Zara? Their designs are, simply put, WOW! Every time I visit Zara, I feel like buying every third item which of course I can’t because they are so VERY expensive. And every time I see these women leave the store with multiple shopping bags and I wonder how in the world are they able to afford all that stuff??!!?? I haven’t bought a lot of things from Zara because it is sooo very expensive but the few things I have bought are amazing. Their winter wear and shoes are a must buy (during sales only!).
4. Marks & Spencer: M&S is an eternal brand. Their clothes NEVER go out of style. The colours they experiment with are amazing. (recently I saw a line of fluorescent yellow clothes there. Fluorescent yellow is a colour I’d NEVER think of buying but in their designs I felt like buying the entire line.) 80 percent of my formal wear is from M&S. Further, I love the fact that M&S has a variety of sizes. If you don’t, fit perfectly into one you have 2 other sizes (plus 2, minus 2) to choose from. Additionally, they even offer to alter it the way you like, for FREE. I have a weirdly lucky relationship with M&S. I usually make it a point to definitely visit them during the last few days of their sale and inevitably I end up getting something amazing at like 80-90 percent off. An example of this is when I got a blazer (only one piece was left in my size) for Rs.800 which was originally priced at Rs.4999. Needless to say, I LOOOOVE M&S.

5. Charles & Keith: Whenever I think of buying shoes, I think of Charles & Keith. Charles &Keith has amazing designs and colours and variety. Again, I can only afford the brand during sales, when I go crazy and pick up a few pairs of shoes from here. FYI, Charles & Keith is a Singapore based brand and hence, it is far cheaper over there. During sales one can buy shoes starting from Rs.800 onwards and bags starting from Rs. 2000 onwards.
6. Da Milano: My favourite bag brand as of now is Da Milano. I love their designs, their quality and the colours they use. Yet again, this brand is completely unaffordable without sale. During sale, on the contrary, I have been lucky enough to get purses at 50 percent off. A Da Milano purse is a must for every girl. (FYI:  I am against animal leather. So, I try to opt for vegetable leather as far as possible.)
7. Vero Moda & Only: Both these brands have nice clothes at extremely affordable prices. They are perfect for college goers as they offer fashionable, trendy clothes at reasonable prices. Anytime you want to buy either of the brands, log into any ecommerce website and you will definitely get them at good sale prices.

These are a few of my favourite brands. I am crazy about many high end designers such as Jimmy Choo, Prada, MK etc. but I am yet to buy anything from them (affordability issues 😦 ) . I am a shopaholic but being out of a job makes it a whole lot tougher to shop without feeling guilty. Though with the sales starting, I can’t wait to get to the malls and do what I am born to do: SHOP!!