My five favourite Etsy and Folksy sellers for fashion pieces

Published on the Yahoo! Contributor Network

When it comes to online shopping we're all surrounded by a variety of online stores and sites; it won't come as a surprise that we might feel overwhelmed and unable to decide on that final shopping cart that we can't seem to fill or on the contrary that takes us to unaffordable values of money in just a few seconds.


This is why we shop online though: the beauty of accessing "global" stores hoping to spot that little unique dress or ring that will make our best friends jealous and that will turn us into an enviable trendsetter.

If like me you are a passionate fashionista you will probably be familiar with two of my favourite online stores that sell amazing and unusual handcrafts: Etsy and Folksy.

The former, Etsy, takes you through a never ending bazaar: from Turkey to the United States, from Australia to Western Europe. All the inspiration you felt when you walked through that souk in Marrakech will be waiting here online for you. How to get started then?

My advice is to check the blog first: this is where you will generally find interviews and articles of all the recent and original designers who joined the site. This is when I spotted little gems such as Erstwhile Jewelry, the New York duo who sells rare Victorian, Edwardian and Art Nouveau jewellery that you would hardly spot in Portobello. Signing up for the daily email comes as a natural step if you want to take the perfect ride on the verge of fashion and it allows you not to miss new designers who join and be the first to discover them.

I am myself an inspirational shopper and I find it really useful to browse the Etsy's Treasury section. A great amount of themes are grouped together so that you can literally listen to your inspiration of the moment. From Spring Treasury to Tribe Native American and to Hawaiian holidays, all your answers seem to be somewhere out there. So if you know you need some trendy items these categories will be great to help you out and allow you to satisfy your needs.

As always the category section is designed to help you in selecting your favourite items, but sometimes shopping is not about needs, but about falling in love. So my advice would be to browse those categories that have made Etsy and Folksy so popular: the Vintage, Needlecraft and Jewellery sections. You will discover some key designers that you will love and will then be able to browse their personal selection on the site.

Folksy on the other hand offers a UK customized website promoting handcrafts for this market. Again I love browsing their Frankly Magazine which features a very insightful "Meet the Makers" and "New Designers" section. I had the chance to discover Cecily Vessey and her original work inspired by London, mixing a clear architectural passion with an interior design orientation; not to miss are her lovely mugs that will make the perfect gift for any occasion. James Urge is another interior designer that I discovered on Folksy and who is worth following as he is just making the first steps on the local scene; a direct link to his website will allow you to stay tuned and own those furniture pieces before anyone else does.

Through the main navigation of the online store I always check the Folksy Highlights section first. This is where you will find the work of new designers as well as seasonal-oriented themes which are perfect to keep up with the latest trends and emerging talents.

Online shopping on Etsy and Folksy is nothing like shopping for something we need, but it is rather shopping to fall in love and to find that original piece of work to satisfy our passion for fashion. So always look for the latest news and articles on both sites and stay tuned; this is how you might spot THE next generation designer!

Rising sun: turning East

Big cities are like that, some neighborhoods suddenly become cool while others lose their popularity: it is a continuous rise and fall, a fashion and popularity game. I have always been intrigued by those areas depicted as "East" areas: the "East Village", "East London", "East Coast", "East side",...
They all seem to have something in common though, an element of coolness, trendiness and youth. They seem to be very popular with extravagant residents and artists. They are however pretty far from those neat and quiet residential areas where the buildings and square are immaculate, but they definitely carry something invaluable: life! Lively, unpretentious and affordable local attractions!

To inaugurate my new camera I have decided to capture a little bit of East London and I totally understand why it has become the place to be: the ideal "island" just off the city, surrounded by the Regent's canal where the old Shoreditch buildings and factories are now been revived into fabulous lofts!

Mediterranea...

Funnily enough I am always wearing black: black, the coulour that captures all the shades in the light spectrum as a black hole captures all the matter that dares rotating closely enough. Technically then, am I not wearing all the colors that exist in the world? Including those for which we still did not invent a name and which we will probably never be able to see under normal conditions?
However, for the 2012 Spring/Summer Collection designers have decided to revive those colors for us to wear them, to set them free. From Ferragamo to Cavalli and less surprisingly to a very bright Missoni we are struck with flashy yellows, pinks, blues and oranges. I cannot refrain myself from smiling because of the excitement; the same excitement that strikes you as a kid when you are staring at a bowl full of smarties or lollipops!

I am particularly fond of the Dolce & Gabbana "Bread, Love and Italian Beauty" collection that takes us directly to the smell and colors of those Riviera and Provence markets: onions, chillies, peppers..and pasta (the unmissable ingredient) are the perfect combinations for that Mediterranean style. We are just waiting for Sofia Loren to appear on the catwalk!

Charlotte: a non-conformist icon

She officially started her career at 13 and yet she seems to have reached the height of her fame at the age of 40: a complete artist who looked for herself, discreetly, to finally reach an enviable equilibrium.
I have always been fascinated by Charlotte; from the first time I saw her in "L'Effronté" and from when I first listened to "Lemon Incest". Despite her uncommon and imposing artistic heritage she seemed to me like a "natural-looking" and spontaneous girl: an unpretentious figure, obviously unconscious of her beauty and "allure".
This is probably what I like the most about the accomplished woman she has now become: looking at her on the big screen, watching her perform on the scene, listening to her on TV; there is always a coherence in her look, in her voice, in her moves. Just to show how her presence comes so naturally, effortlessly.
It is so refreshing to look at Charlotte in a world where the showbiz is dominated by extremely forced unconventional looks and unnatural perfect bodies. She is the embodiment of the little girl I used to be and the successful career woman and mother she has become: "La file d'à côté" as I would like to imagine her. A figure so authentic and genuine that has made her stand out within the artificiality of our society.
It doesn't come as a surprise that I discovered her in this month's Elle edition: even more beautiful and accomplished only five months after the birth of her third child.