Give as You Live

The week before last I was kindly invited by the lovely Rhamnousia to an awareness event, which turned out to be for a thought-provoking and interesting project. Give As You Live is a way to give to charity simply by shopping online. Click-through advertising has been used for a while to benefit charitable causes, but with Give As You Live, the amounts donated by companies are linked to what you spend, and as a result are much more substantial. The company has raised over £2million for charitable causes to date, though Polly Gowers and her team are aiming for £120million - the amount it is predicted that will be spent online in the UK this Christmas alone.

What's really impressive is the wide range of retailers the Give As You Live team have got on board. Pretty much everyone from Amazon to Topshop and so many more, are participating and will donate to the cause of your choice if you spend money with them online. It works on the same principle as some other online points or rewards systems, but there's a neat addition in the shape of a downloadable Everyclick app that syncs with your browser, collecting money for the cause of your choice as you spend online without you having to even click through anything (I don't know about you, but I often forget to go on rewards sites before ordering stuff, only to kick myself afterwards!)

I'm just about to place a mammoth order with Amazon including the Kindle I've agonised over for so long, as well as most of my Christmas shopping, and I'm hoping it will raise a good sum for my charity of choice, which is Marie Curie Cancer Care, who offered my dad and my whole family so much support during his illness. But you can choose from any one of the many, many charities registered with the Charity Commission in the UK - including lots of smaller charities who do amazing work and would be really benefited by donations.

It's really a fantastic social business model that's really making a difference, and at this time of year, when we're all much spending so much anyway, I'd urge you to have a look, register, and pick a charity to support. The URL:

http://www.giveasyoulive.com/

The Rabbit Shopping Directory: "A"

Accessorise

Accessorize now has its own website, as opposed to being tacked onto Monsoon's, and has a lot more stock on it (including all the new makeup range, which has so far eluded me in every Superdrug I’ve been into!) 

Anthropologie

Oh Anthropologie, Anthropologie, Anthropologie, how I love thee. (I did just type that out three times by the way, when I could've copied and pasted...) Before it reached our shores last year, I loved it so much I was moved to poetry:

Oh dear Anthropologie, Your delightful femininity Does entrap my imagination And sets it ablaze With thoughts of outfits Of incomparable beauty. I gaze at your loveliness from afar. And my heart yearns for a UK store, As I do not dare order online For fear of custom charges.

(Kids will be studying this in A Level English in years to come.) Now it has arrived, I still gaze at the pretty dresses, accessories, shoes, bags and homeware from afar because the hefty price hike (practically dollar price to sterling). But it is a haven of sheer, beautiful wonderment nevertheless, and quite possibly would be the Rabbit Mothership, if  that wasn't already Liberty (they have cake, ya see.) I'm a little scared of the cult-like US blogger following it has, (they even watch TV to see who's wearing "Anthro", shiver) but the website and the Regent's Street shop are loveliness indeed, and give me ample inspiration to "Anthro" up my outfits (and they have very good reductions, every Tuesday). 

Asda

What, you might ask, is a supermarket doing in the Rabbit Directory? But Asda do some great basics and turn up quirky, charming pieces quite regular. I still kick myself that I didn't get my hands on this dress modelled by the gorgeous Passion for Fashion... (love her styling of it, sigh). And currently there's a collection by Barbara Hulanicki of Biba fame, featuring a cute purple butterfly print dress, so there's some fashion cred for you should you require it.

ASOS

If you're online and reading this, the chance is you've already bought something from ASOS. However, the reason it's in my directory is that I want to praise it for continually updating stock (every day, you can get a bit obsessive about checking if you're like me) and stocking lesser known brands as well as the more ubiquitous. Add to that an awesome beauty section, an outlet runs all the time (a bit like a permanent Brandalley - coming up) and recently introduced free delivery (and now returns too) on all orders (well, if you're prepared to wait a bit), and it's a demonstration on how online selling should be done.

A-Wear 

There are some very cute, girly dresses on this Irish site, and the prices are very reasonable too.

The Rabbit Shopping Directory

Once upon a time, the Rabbit used to be part of a well known women's website's fashion forum. She made some dear dear friends on there, who helped her through some very difficult times (and some of whom are "real-life" friends to this day). Then the evil Powers At Be decided everyone was having too much fun and decided to change  - i.e. ruin - things, and she left, (but that's another matter). Anyway during her time there, a member and friend called Curlsaloud built a shopping directory of her favourite shops. Her directory is still up - and fairly up to date. And it's a brilliant resource.

But I wanted to a Rabbit version, of the online shops I browse most, which are all havens for things quirky and feminine. I hope to enable much purchasing! Over the coming weeks, I'll be doing an A-Z of my favourites, with a little mini review and link to each. When I'm done I'll put up a post with all the links. How's that sound? (If it sucks, sorry, because I've already written the entry for "A"!) I'm sure there are many lovely (especially independent) shops I've overlooked, so please do comment so I can add them to the final list!

Etsy

Etsy is fairly well known now - but those of you who aren't familiar with it, it is an electronic marketplace for sellers and buyers of handmade and vintage goods, and truly addictive for those who are looking for items beyond the ubiquity of the high street. There are thousands of sellers from all around the world who post their crafting magic on this site, and there are some beautiful, original pieces to be found. However, the sheer number of sellers can make it tricky to find things if you're not looking for something very very particular! It can be quite overwhelming to navigate, but slowly becomes engrossing - and then costly!

Over the last two years of trawling I have accumulated some favourite shops, so I thought I'd share them with you. I've had custom pieces made (particularly wonderful for gifts that are truly unique and personal). It's not quite as good value as it was when sterling was stronger (those were the days, sigh) but if you consider that a lot of the items still retail at Accessorize-level prices but are beautifully handcrafted, and often feature genuine gemstones and precious metals, it is still very reasonable indeed.

BINAGEYER

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5012898

Bina is my favourite jewellery seller on Etsy. I love her pretty, dainty designs and own several pairs of earrings in this style, which I've worn and worn (I like a little drop on an earring in daytime, it's very flattering but not too OTT, but it seems you can only get studs or Pat Butchers on the high street!) Bina made me some custom versions with colour combinations I dreamed up whilst doing my PhD, and she was so helpful and patient with my fussiness. I've given several of her pieces to dear friends as gifts. She often has discount codes and always has free shipping so can't be beaten on prices either.

babastudioPrague

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5006746

Last summer, I desperately hankered after the Prada SS08 collection (it still tugs at my heartstrings now). As well as the beautiful dresses, I adored and coveted the Fairy print tote. In my quest for alternatives, and following a tip-off from a friend, I stumbled upon this magical seller, who transforms gorgeous storybook illustrations into even-more gorgeous bags. Now, it saddens me to admit I don't own one of these bags, but I did buy one of the silk Alice pouches for a friend who did as I recommended and wore it to a wedding. Smug Rabbit. I love the Alice bags in particular, but the botanical and Japanese fairy images are stunning too.



Madewithlovebyhannah

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=2945

This was another post-Prada find, again on the fairytale theme (though it's also theorist Barthes' fault though - I remember reading about his idea of fashion-as-text on my Greek tragedy course as an undergrad, and it has stayed with me - but a longer post on that to come). I love Madewithlovebyhannah's skirts, which she sews and screenprints herself. The fairytale, apple and winter woodland skirts are all favourites, but I only own the green fairytale forest one so far.




itsthelittlethingsut

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6897463

I've not bought from this seller yet (I've got a strict spending ban on at the moment!) but aren't these fascinators just stunning? They beat any of the high street offerings hands down in terms of quality, detailing and colours. It's going to be my first stop the next time I've got a wedding to go to!






So, there you are. I have many, many more sellers in my favourites folder, but I think I'll leave those for another day. In the mean time, happy Etsy shopping!