As easy as it sounds to wear what truly makes us happy there are plenty of factors that can influence someone's opinion. With the rise of social media and the constant visual stimulations, they offer we all find ourselves lost and confused about what we actually like -or need-. How much time do we spend trying to convince ourselves that a particular piece of clothing fits better than it looks or that we weren't actually influenced by someone else to like something we truly don't? No one can deny it, there is an overall mainstream idea of how a person should dress ( and look ) judging by their age, marital status, hobbies, and field of work. Maybe 2020 is the perfect time for us to focus on how fashion makes us feel rather than blindly following trends and "musts".

S/S 20 Rochester collection by Champion

The art of shopping less

As we change and grow we all have a different perspective on what fashion is and what it represents. All the things we once thought we needed may now make us cringe or be considered "out" of fashion. There are some basic but key questions to ask ourselves before hitting the order button. Will this specific item fill a gap in our closet? Will we get much use out of it? Does the brand follow ethical techniques to create this piece of clothing we are about to wear? No matter your personal style these questions should always be a priority.

Moreover avoiding impulse buys at all costs will have a positive impact on our finances and closet space. How many times have you found yourself looking at clothes on the hunger - with tags still on- only to second guess your prior decisions? Having high-quality basics that can be worn countless times for years and years does not automatically mean designer items. Not everyone has the means or the will to spend that much money on one style, nonetheless adding necessary-only fashion to our wardrobe will inevitably help us create an admirable capsule collection, very beneficial in the long run no matter the price point.

Comfy casual styles with statement colors

Take this pair of  Dockers white platform sneakers for example that I wear pretty much every week religiously since last November even though I have quite a few alternatives. Why? Because they make me feel great. You have seen me styling more than a few looks around them on my blog and Instagram, they are simple and easy to wear with each and every outfit.

As soon as I unboxed my Buffalo CHAI sneakers on the stories I received so many mixed reactions. People loved how comfy and statements they were while others hated the chunky look they had. I feel so good when I wear them and I find myself reaching for them many times a month. That's what it really means to buy something that makes your heart happy as soon as you put it on as opposed to ordering something because someone else's opinion - and influence - managed to change your perception.  that's how I feel fashion should be. A way to make us happy and more confident.

 

So why my style has changed so drastically over the last 5 years?

If you are an avid reader - and follower- of meets style and @konna.antoniadou you probably already know what I am referring to. For years I have been trying to convince myself that the clothes I was wearing were a reflection of my personality, false. Even though I really loved my midi dresses and white boho tops reality was my personal taste was heavily influenced by the society's opinion of what a 20-year-old should look and act like. I never actually felt comfortable squeezed into my tight dresses and over the knee boots but honestly, I didn't know any other way to be. I had a certain idea of how I should look all day every day. Even now, freshly turned 26, I get comments here and there from people who claim that I should be dressing more "age appropriately", meaning not athletic I suppose. Do we need to pay attention to what others have to say about our appearance and life choices? NO. That's why you should wear fashion that makes you happy.

One of the questions I get asked the most from 2015 is "how did you score this collaboration?". I have been working with brands like American Eagle, Buffalo London, and Sienna Jones on campaigns for the last five years. Even when I had around 3K followers I was able to have some pretty decent proposals (always within my niche). In 2018 I signed a contract with Savage x Fenty to be a part of their A/W 18 campaign and have been working with them ever since. Spartoo helps me create monthly content for my audience since 2019. Why? Because micro-influencers are really the future of influencer marketing and, more and more brands focus their marketing campaigns solely on them (well, us).

Who are the micro-influencers?

Micro-influencers are people with 1.000 - 100.000 followers with a passion for their specific niche. There are dozens of different types of social media influencers on Instagram, youtube, Facebook (and now Tik Tok) that are considered experts and tend to be trusted by thousands of people. Most of us are familiar with beauty, fashion, and travel influencers but you can find individuals in many more fields like gaming, food, fitness to name a few.

These smaller, more focused influencers are significantly more connected to their audience, mainly because they haven't obtained the "celebrity" status yet. In other words, people are more willing to trust the honest opinion of the boy/girl next door, the one they can relate to the most. Certainly smaller audiences mean much more personal, hands-on interactions.

Working closely with micro-influencers (from brands perspective) not only puts your products in front of the right audience but also saves you from the extra expenses of hiring a celebrity endorser.

What are the benefits of working with micro-influencers?

Number one and most important, higher engagement. Micro-influencers have the ability to interact with their audience daily by answering comments, exchange likes, and maybe create personal bonds via dms. Quick and easy interactions between micro-influencers and their audience mean that the connection is created a lot quicker compared to a celebrity influencer that overall seems more distant. This type of exposure can not only increase sales but also drive much-needed attention to your business.

Rather than investing 1.000$ on one collaboration with a content creator with around 100K followers brands nowadays mostly choose to work with many micro-influencers to ensure more exposure and better results.

From a consumer's point of view, it makes perfect sense. If I am looking to spend a few days in Paris the first thing I'll do is ask the people around me -the ones that I trust and value their opinion- for hotel and restaurant recommendations. I will double-check the recommendations on Yelp and Google to look for positive and negative reviews. Overall people's opinions do play a huge part in making a decision.

Micro-influencers have a very specific niche, they come in all shapes and sizes, that's what makes them relatable, approachable and at the end of the day a great marketing "tool " for one's business. Every brand has a target audience in mind. Maybe they are interested in promoting their F/W21 collection to women between the ages of 25-35 years of age who are interested in high-quality workwear and are mainly based in Europe. With micro-influencer marketing is easy to find the one who can cater to your exact needs.

Why micro-influencers are so popular today? 

To put it in a few words they are way more relatable and worthy of their following's trust than celebrities and mega influencers. Speaking from a personal perspective, having a small audience makes it easier to share your daily struggles, opinions, and thoughts outside the product promotions and daily outfit updates. Many people look for someone who faces the same difficulties, tries to overcome the same issues, and is considered overall as a "friend" rather than an unknown person online with a beautiful Instagram feed.

Most of us look at a celebrity endorsement and roll our eyes. We are more than certain that this celebrity isn't actually using this product, it's a quick way to make hundreds of dollars. When it comes to micro-influencers every mistake can be fatal to their image. If micro-influencers lose the trust of their audience by promoting a product that doesn't work the comeback will be severe.

What brands research before offering a collaboration contract? 

Most customers (and many influencers) think brands contact online creators based on their photography skills and the numbers of likes and followers. You might have the most skilled photographer in the business, have the perfect looks, and still won't be able to have the collabs of your dreams. Why? Because when it comes to micro-influencer marketing the age/ location/ demographics and hobbies of your followers are way more important than the likes and followers count ( we all know how easy it really is to purchase 10k followers ). 

The most effective thing an influencer can do while promoting a product is to tell a visual story through imagery. We should be staying true to our brand and personal aesthetic and provide our audience with what they are really interested in. Audiences can very easily notice if an individual is promoting a product they don't really believe in. In conclusion, brands are most interested in the quality of your followers rather than the quantity.

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Finding that instagram moment when you travel

How can you find your own personal style

We are currenly almost at the heart of December . Part of me wants to stay at home, wrapped in the coziest blanket while drinking a cup of hot cocoa but another side of me wants to go out and explore. Whatever the case may be one thing is for certain. I will always have my favorite knits with me. Maybe it's hard to understand it at fist but I included two almost identical looks in this post ,one from the day we arrived and one from the day of the departure. As you probably noticed the key elements did stayed the same (yes, I was feeling too comfy to change this up) .

This week's sales & promos you don't want to miss

As you probably noticed by now my number one destination for denim is American Eagle outfitters so it's no surprise that I packed two of my most favorite skinny jeans. In fact they are currently running a promotion for 40-50% off their Holiday collection and 25% off their new arrivals on their website.

You can also take advantage on Plexida's free shipping promo on Etsy if you want to treat yourself with a handmade turban .

Sienna Jones has a big sale on some items from their "Marina" collection like the Evening bag (originally for £399) and Executive bag (originally for £299).

Last but not least Na-kd has new offers every day till Christmas (!!). Visit their site daily to score your favorite items on a discounted price.




Are you done with your Chistmas shopping yet?

Outfit Details:

Femmeluxe  dress / Zaful bag / Pumps similar here

As we march towards the heart of autumn I find myself feeling very inspired . I don't know if the it's because of the "vibes" or the excitment of having a new, cozy piece of clothing but surely fall has a lot to offer. I know I haven't posted any formal or semi formal looks here for a while so today I thought it would be a great opportunity to share my new favorite knitted dress (also got it in another color, take a look at this instagram post) . This dress is curently on sale for UNDER $20 .You will definitely see me styling this dress with a pair of white sneakers and a denim jacket very soon.

In collaboration with FemmeLuxeFinary

Outfit Details:

Vans hoodie / Manikinn water bottle bag / American Eagle shorts

S easons pass by so fast, i can't keep up anymore. I find myself eyeing on all the new Fall trends even though I have a really hard time letting go of my denim shorts. As you probably know I never miss a great chace to get my hands on a new bag, especially it has a unique design. This time it's not solely the design that makes Manikinn bags so unique, it's the usage. This particular bag is the ultimate solution to hydration (I know, I should have told you that during summer but it is never too late). This water bottle - bag contains a 450ml water bottle along with 2 zip conpartments big enough to fit your smartphone, money, cards etc. The perfect solution for festivals, concerts and any other events that forces you to stay a long period of time under the sun with limited access to water.

SHOP MY FAVORITES

W ince i was a little girl I remember myself having the longest " Travel List " written in one of my journals. I have always dreamed of visiting Cannes, Saint Tropez , Monacco and even if I had the opportunity a few times in the past the circumstances dind't allowed a trip like this to happen. This year I was determined to finally do it. We packed our switcases on July 30, iger to arrive at the port and get on the long cruise to Italy and from there on France.  I should have started posting my travel experiences from the begining (aka Italy) but I couldn't wait to share this particular trip to Cannes since it was one of our most favorite highlights of the whole 11 days trip.

 SHOP THIS OUTFIT:

We arrived at Cannes and instatly started to take it all the beautiful sceneries around us. We took a long walk at the beach where all the beach bars stood , bought a few souvenirs , took more than 100 photos and decided to visit a local restaurant for launch 2 hours later. We had the most delicious pizza at La Brasserie at returned to the beach just in time for the summer festival.

When I think of summer ,comfort is the first thing that comes to my mind. The high temperature leaves no room for tight clothing and as much as I would like to wear my favorite fitted dress or lace turtleneck top I siply can't bring myself to do it. My summer shopping list mostly consists of light fabrics and easy to wear pieces like this super comfy, red tube top that turned out to be a true favorite of mine for this summer ( also got it in floral ). If I could, I would easily purchase every single color ever existed but for now, let's stick with this basic top with the cutest bow straps.

Outfit Details:

 
Since I am so obsessed with this type of clothing I looked everywhere for deals in order to get a few more of them while sticking on a budget. Bellow you can find the most affordable tube tops . This light blue bow tube top is by far my top choice for a warm, sunny day of if you are looking for the perfect cover up for your strapless bikini at the beach. Now that I think about it I am pretty surre I had a very similar one back in highschool, when I was really struggling to find my personal style.

7 tube tops under $25

What do you think about tube tops? Love them ? Hate them?

Comment bellow, I would really like to know your opinion

Outfit Details:

Sugarfree Bikini top Cup D /  Bet and Malfie "Ariel" silk scarf

While I was perfectly planning my summer holidays, eager to get away from the city, and all the constant noise that comes along with, the weather had different plans. The stormy, moody days seem like they will never end. If you someone looks closely he might spot a few rays of sunshine now and then but most of the time it feels like the middle of Autumn.  I keep organizing my suitcase hoping for warmer days now that July is almost here.

The cold weather took such a big toll on my mental health, it's unbelievable. Over the last few weeks, I felt extremely unmotivated in pretty much every single aspect of my daily life. I keep pushing myself to be a better, more organized person but sometimes everything feels like a burden. I want to go out, but I want to stay in. I want to work but I also want to stay in bed doing nothing. I want to make art but nothing seems to turn out the way It was meant to. These thoughts have been taking over my mind for many years and because of that, I keep finding new ways to battle these emotions and still be able to function daily.

1

I have a little folder on my phone's notepad with all the tasks than need to be done every single day. It can be as simple as "go for grocery shopping" or important, urgent projects like edit, deliver a project, etc. I set a goal of 7 tasks per day and at the end of each day, I check and mark the things I managed to do. Each time I try to add one more thing. The feeling of seeing my daily accomplishments motivates me for the next one.

2

I keep a list of all the things I accomplished within a month because most of the time I tend to jump off from goal to goal without taking the time to appreciate how far I have come.

3

I always take a few minutes out of my day to listen to some of my favorite podcasts. The Pursuit With Purpose by Melyssa Griffin helped me tremendously not only to overcome many of my daily life struggles but also shown me new ways to deal with stress, anxiety, and work overflow.

(Last update 2020)

 

Hello, lovelies! It's been a while since the last time I published a guide but here we are, ready to touch on yet another frequently asked question on my Instagram DMs. "What to wear in Greece during summer: is something that many of you seem to wonder. Maybe you are planning on traveling to Santorini, Athens, Mykonos or simply are curious. Today I am going to answer your questions the best way I can.

I have spent 24 years in Greece and the one thing I can definitely vouch for is the warm (somedays too hot) weather. The temperature will almost never fall under 28 degrees nor will rise above 35 but still if you are not used to the heat you have to mentally prepare yourself.

1. Go for loose, comfortable trousers.

Cotton, linen, silk, and jersey in light, neutral colors don't trap body heat and absorb contrary to other fabrics like wool and polyester. 

2. Choose tops and blouses that don't restrict your movements.

The feeling of being restricted by your own clothes is probably the worst during hot, summer days. I personally spend most of my days in Greece wearing off the shoulder tops, basic v-neck t-shirts, and loose button-up shirts. Any type of lace will most certainly give you the worst tanning lines due to constant sun exposure.

3. If you plan on visiting a Greek Island, avoid wearing heels.

Let's get one thing straight. It is literally impossible to wear heels all day on a Greek Island. You can always pack your favorite heels in order to wear them for a few hours in the nightclub or at the restaurant. but the streets are definitely not made for that kind of footwear. Sandals and sneakers are by far the comfiest choices.

4. Never go out under the sun without a hat.

From 1 pm-5 pm, the sun can be a danger to your health especially if you are not used to it. Pick a basic hat design that will look good with pretty much all your outfits and wear it religiously.

5. Nightout.

Evenings can be a little windy in the Greek Islands even during summer. Don't forget to pick up a jacket, blazer, or at least a scarf to wear around your shoulders. I wouldn't recommend short, loose dresses or tops especially if you are planning on taking a walk.

6. What's in your beach bag?

The one thing you should never forget to bring with you is your sunscreen. Sunbathing can be extremely damaging to your skin without the proper SPF. (I would recommend a 50+SPF protection). Always wear a pair of high-quality sunglasses even if you are sitting under a beach umbrella. Have a bottle of water in your bag at all times in order to avoid dehydration.