Fashion Friday: The Road Not Taken

Me in Hyde Park rummaging through my Paloma clutch

I have been in love with Popbasic recently. Popbasic is a website that is aimed at building your wardrobe with affordable, luxurious pieces. They offer a new “micro collection” each month, consisting of three basic items. They can include clothing such as dresses, shirts, tees, or skirts, or accessories like bracelets, necklaces or scarves. All collections are under $100 but would normally retail for much more. Along with the micro collections, there are also some other products available like their famous Le Breton tees, and their Paloma Leather Clutch. The best part is that the items are Popbasic’s own. Not to mention free shipping worldwide.

While I have been following the website for a while, not many of the collections caught my eye or really wowed me. However, recently I have been picking up on the latest releases. I pounced on the Paloma Clutch as soon as it was available again. I’m in love with it! At first I didn’t like that it was a light grey colour instead of white, but now I like the muted colour – I know white would be too bright. I use the clutch every day now, and I know it’ll last a while because it’s real leather. It fits my wallet, phone, earphones, iPad, and anything else I need.

Tristan pointed out that it doesn’t look like a bag, it has no handles and looks like a pencil case. I’m a bit amused. Yeah, it does, but that’s the style, and I do love it.

Sitting on a bench.

The black and white striped tee is also from Popbasic. It was in a previous collection but I wasn’t too fond of the other items, so I passed. When owner of Popbasic, Maddy, posted on Instagram mentioning she had a few tees left, I picked one up right away. I already own a striped tee, but it’s a loose-fitting boat neck that has unfortunately been beaten by Popbasic’s Traveler tee. I think I have worn it at least five times in the past two weeks. It’s so comfortable and soft, and I like the small sleeve detail. I usually love folding up the sleeves of my t-shirts.

I encourage you to check out Popbasic and use my referral code for $15 – that means $15 off any purchase. The newest collection Amelie is still available, and I’ve purchased one for myself because I just love that stripy dress and the fact that it has pockets.

Some full body shots

The skirt I am wearing is a rather loose-fitting one, which sits on the waist. There is a bit of stitched detail on it, which matched the direction of the stripes on my tee. Interestingly enough, the hem of the skirt isn’t stitched, it’s just cut straight. Also speaking of pockets, this skirt has them too!

I’m wearing black boots I wore in a previous edition of Fashion Friday. I actually had them re-soled and fixed up because the heels and soles were pretty busted up. Not many people would bother, but these shoes are worth paying for repair, since they are real leather and it is exceptionally hard for me to find shoes that fit me.

I got the sunglasses from the new H&M store that recently opened here. We only have a couple of stores in Australia, and it looks like they will soon be popping up all over town, along with Forever 21. Uniqlo has already made an appearance in several towns. It’s nice to see these stores opening, because I always liked the look of their products when I looked at their websites or saw other people sharing their purchases on the internet. I wanted to buy some new sunglasses because my bold black ones were too big, and I wanted some aviator-style ones. These ones were only $9.95, polarised too. What a bargain. I am sure I will be visiting H&M some time again in the future.

Sunglasses from H&M

The necklace is one that James bought for me last Christmas. It was a bit of a random choice; I thought that it was a nice contrast to the outfit. I am also wearing the bracelet from my October shipment of my Helene Jewelry Box (it’s more visible in the photos above). I’m also wearing a stack of six rings that I bought a while back; I’m not such a fan of them now but I felt that they fit the outfit.

I don’t actually have any red lip gloss (and red is my favourite colour!) but this YSL Rouge Pour Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain in 21 Orange Fusion comes super close. :D

Overall I really love this outfit, I know there are bits and pieces I will be wearing time and time again. I encourage you to keep an eye on Popbasic (don’t forget you can grab $15 off), you’re bound to find something you like. It won’t just be a one-off piece either, it will be timeless. You can also join the referral program and you can get $15 for every $15 you give to someone. I know I’ll be buying a lot more products from Popbasic in the future. I should also mention that owner Maddy is a sweetheart and is super fast at responding to emails. If you ever have an issue, she’s keen to help out too – I should mention that she let me swap out the two accessories in the Amelie collection for a scarf from a previous collection instead.

FF-Travel-3

What are your favourite staples pieces in your wardrobe?

Comments on this post

Your highlights look ah-may-zing! Getting affordable and beautiful clothes for a discount is the best; especially with the free shipping ;). It saves you the trouble of having to go out to the actual store and everything! The clutch looks stylish and bonus that it’s real leather~

The striped shirt and skirt looks really well on you. I haven’t seen too many skirts with pockets these days!

With Forever 21 opening soon, I am sure you will love their jewelry! Especially when they have a sale on them! H&M has a lot of cute clothes for a really low price!

As for staple pieces……. Wearing layered tanks and shorts never do me wrong! :D

Thank you Nancy! My whole head was purple/red but it is really growing out now. Not to mention, it’s fading! But it’s doing so nicely.

I love skirts with pockets — to me that is like a bonus. I don’t like having my pockets full but they are nice for loose change, a transport card/ticket, or other things you need to grab easily and quickly.

I remember us having a Twitter conversation about jewellery! I will probably be broke when Forever 21 comes around. :D

I absolutely ADORE this idea. I’m often terrible at combining pieces of clothing to make something stylish, and even when I do I tend to go with varying shades of blacks and grey, so I like that you get multiple items for one price.

I love the striped shirt + loose skirt. I wish I could wear skirts like that (that come to about my waist) but my waist is very narrow and my hips are wider so they never look very flattering on me.

My staples pieces vary. I wear the same necklace everyday and I tend to pair my combat boots with everything, but other than that I try to offer some sort of variety. I do wear leggings a lot.

I love the idea too! I also hate buying large amounts of clothing for a cheap price, I would rather spend more money on a few pieces that I will wear for a long time to come.

I’m quite small. I used to dislike wearing waisted skirts because I loved to wear jeans and skirts on my hips. Now I realise they make me look even shorter and are unflattering for me. I also can’t wear skirts that are short and flare out too much because they make me look even shorter. I prefer slim-fitting skirts anyway. :P

Lovely outfit and frames! I have to admit, your bag looked like a case for your MacBook instead of a pencil case in the picture pf you sitting down, haha.

What are you looking forward to see at Forever 21? :)

Thank you Michelle! Ah, the clutch is exactly the same size as my MacBook Air (13 inch) but unfortunately doesn’t completely fit it. :P I am not about to buy an 11 inch one just so it can fit, as much as I looooove the bag.

I have no idea what I am looking forward to, but my friend says I will love the jewellery! I once bought a nice bolero from eBay that someone had bought from Forever 21. I love it — if they have anything pretty and affordable, I’m definitely interested.

I don’t like clutches myself. I don’t trust myself to use one–what if I leave it behind accidentally?! Hold on to something–with my hands?!?! Madness! :P but I do like the simplicity of the Paloma clutch, and the rose gold zip is gorgeous! Maybe I need to open myself up more to different styles of handbags and wallets.

Popbasic seems like an interesting concept and business. I love the idea of getting luxury pieces for much cheaper than retail price. I mean, who DOESN’T love a good deal?! I love the style of the Le Breton dress in the Amelie collection (I only feel comfortable wearing sleeved dresses) but not the stripes, and I am blown away by the collection’s Infinity Knot bracelet but I don’t wear bracelets because I feel impeded by them. I guess I’m a little too finicky and rigid in my fashion routine…? /wave

I feel the same way, don’t worry! I can be pretty picky. Fashion and style can be very personal, and you don’t like an item, you simply won’t wear it. I love stripes but I do wear them with caution, everyone knows that horizontal stripes aren’t always flattering. I love all dresses, and I like sleeveless ones, but not ones with very thin straps. I hate strapless clothing. :P

I didn’t really like the knot bracelet, I don’t think it’s my style and to be honest I didn’t think I was getting value for money with that particular piece of jewellery. I definitely go through phases of wearing a lot of jewellery (rings, bracelets, the lot!), and other times I wear very little.