My new favorite online U.K. stores – ASOS, Reemclothing (for men) and UkTights
My quest for smooth sheer stockings meets success from a UK shop!
I have been searching for years for jet black sheer-to-waist pantyhose. I don’t want shiny – which makes legs look fatter, I don’t want scratchy or those that appear to have a prominent striped knit as is the case with cheap brands like No Nonsense, I don’t want uncomfortable and unnecessary control-top hose. I don’t want off-black, smoky black, kinda sorta black. I don’t need luxury. Years ago in Philadelphia I bought very comfortable hose for 99 cents a pair! They would stay on well but not squeeze me at the waist, making a sleek look under tight clothing and had a sexy narrow black stripe for the girl parts.
It was easy to get them years ago, but not anymore since many are going bare-legged. But there are looks where an opaque tight just makes you look thicker, bulkier, and the sheer is sexy.
I finally found some from two countries, The U.K. and Australia and ultimately purchased several different kinds, some no-run, to test them out. Only 4.50£ (roughly $7 U.S.) to ship any-sized order from uktights.com. Oh, and they have snazzy colored tights as well, so check them out!
Gorgeous, huge variety of affordable, well-made dresses including in smaller sizes!
Asos.com, I love you! Until the end of September 2010, they’re offering fabulous free shipping to and from the U.S. (the free return label has an Atlanta address). And normally, it’s only $6 U.S. anyway! Cheaper than many U.S.-based online stores. Standard delivery takes about two weeks. My last search for dresses in my size resulted in over 1000 styles. Oh, my God! Ecstasy! I bought three dresses a month ago, and I was skittish about the sizing, as I wear a 2 in designer U.S. styles, and ordering a 10 just seemed wrong and the number made me feel huge, but I bit the bullet and they fit as I hoped, no returns for me, thank you!
Then I placed another order for a girl in my household. She has trouble finding cool clothes in her size as she’s just a little too thin for juniors sizes. No problem! She’s a U.K. sized 6, I ordered her four dresses and an awesome skirt and they all fit like a glove! I also bought shirts for my man, and though sizing was more difficult, as he likes a snug fit but we like the ability to dry clothing in the dryer as well, still, nice styles. Note: ASOS isn’t a treasure trove for dudes, just allows you to pad your order with a few things for your man, making you seem less vain.
Sexy, sporty men’s styles
Even better for men, Reemclothing.com. Sporty, sexy, fitted, or just urban and cool, love them. Though the jacket ordered had a few minor stitching issues, it’s ultra cool, and the short-sleeved shirts are comfy, fitted, well-made and distinctive. The only bad thing I have to say is that the 18£ ($28 U.S.) flat shipping cost is steep (though it arrives pretty quickly, a week I believe). From a sheer sales perspective, reducing that to encourage overseas purchases is just smart. Do you hear me, reem, eh? I’d purchase much more often if you made it easy for me.
Sexy new corset from China
The heading tells half the story. The photos do the rest. BTW, in the close-up, that’s my bra sticking up on your right, not a defect. And yeah, that’s fur trim from some poor animal that died so I could look hot.
It fits wonderfully, has a luxe, multi-dimensional shine, and if I wanted to take a couple of inches off my girth, I could, in a few months. Also, I look hot. Yes, my legs are short, except they’d actually look better in regular heels. The boots hide my great calves and little ankles. But enough about me.
BTW, I got this corset from the ebay seller: bestlingerieline.
Roma, you suck, but you coulda been cool
So I neglected to rant about my April trip to Rome. This is probably because I’d returned to Barcelona and successfully washed Rome off of me in the Catalan city I call “where my heart is.” Pardon the euphemism.
After I arrive in the slut I call Rome, I take a loudly-squeaking, graffiti-covered train – think of an old lady in metal form – and then get ripped off by a seemingly warm-hearted taxi driver. “Oh, your first time in Rome, eh?” – which in Italian means “I am going to rape your wallet, but with a huge smile on my face.” He even asked what I was doing so far on the other side of the city, when in actuality the train station and my hostel were on the same side and it was a mere five-minute drive from the station. The meter he was using was very odd – no decimals – and was completely different from any other meter I saw for the rest of my trip.
I pay the damned 20 euros – though it should have been about 8 – because I just want to get to my hotel, dammit. So, bye, a-hole. Hello, f-ing Rome.
My hotel, Hotel Lodi, is an oasis in the grime-ridden, tourist-ridden, old-crap-ridden, noodle-ridden hole I call Rome. The hosts are friendly, it has a lovely courtyard, one of the staff just out of the blue cooks lunch for a few of us, and it is outside of the touristy areas.
The rest of my Roman experience is pretty much crap. The spirit that I thought was the core of the Italian existence is missing. It is as if the tourists have sucked the life out of the city. The city is in ruins, not just its old buildings. Because my guy in Barcelona requested it, I take various pictures of famous sights, but I am unimpressed. I had gone there to live like a Roman, but Romans are no fun anymore. Clubs are small – bars are more the norm – and other than the weekend and a few random clubs on a Monday – namely, an American-filled, hip-hop meat market – I’d say the nightlife, not so great. Roman guys are weird-looking in general – kind of Neanderthal or nondescript, and there’s very little variety in food. And guess what? Carbonara is not good for you. Oh, how it hurts!
I had only booked 4.5 days there, but 3 is enough. I frantically Skype–> fail – -> internet –> fail –> call, to get my flight changed so that I can get back to my beloved Barcelona 1.5 days earlier. I pay 100 euros for the favor – more than my original ticket – and escape!
Of course, my experience could have been a lot better had I remembered to contact people via couchsurfing.org, before my laptop started spazzing. After the fact, I saw that there were an impressive % of good-looking Roman couchsurfers who could have made the trip bearable.
ACTUAL GOOD THINGS ABOUT ROME:
1) A drink called a Spritz, which is Campari, sparkling white wine and sparkling mineral water and twist of orange. My first I had at the Caffe Ducati, which on a late Saturday night was sadly one-tenth full. But the drink was nice. Note: Campari by itself is disgusting!
2) Shopping - not the best I’ve seen but I bought a unique leather purse for 40 euros and a comfy, pretty tiered top. Rome had a Fornarina and Stuary Weitzman shop, plus a lovely billboard of Marion Cotillard, one of my top three fave actresses in the world. She’s a mix of gutsy and vulnerable.
3) Amazing starving artists - do you see this dude doing a masterpiece in chalk? Crazy, eh? Here’s a link to him and his fellow artists: http://madonnaripugliesi.blogspot.com/
Brighten up your winter
Avoid being sucked into the muted colors of cool weather. Christmas brings red and green, but don’t forget about violet, blue, and combinations thereof. Go to the growing international clothing directory. I’ve bought a few things online in the last few weeks. Christmas sales are off the chain. What I bought: men’s underwear (I do wear them from time to time as shorts, but this time it was a gift), sparkly salsa shoes, stretch silk items, and a rock-n-roll mini-dress. Guess what. I bought a few in multiple sizes, which means I had to return some. No problem. In fact, I had to return all three stretch silk items (two dresses and one top) because they all fit very oddly. I returned one of the pair of shoes (ordered in two sizes so inevitable but a good idea), and a few of the undies for store credit.
