Summer Must Haves

As a buyer I draw inspiration for what I buy from everywhere.  Customers, employees, the runway, celebrities, old movies, and even TV.

I could be sitting watching my favorite show and see the way a certain cut dress has been all over the airways, and I hope its something customers will want.

Now this past weekend I was in Phoenix on a mini vacation when I found I had some extra time to watch cable TV at my hotel.  It was late at night and I was flipping through the channels when I stumbled on some major inspiration.

If you have not heard yet, I present to you Pajama Jeans and Cami Secrets. This summer's fashion must haves!

You can learn from this infomercial that if you dress comfy,  you dress like a slob.

"Finally, comfort and style in a great looking pair of jeans."

No... those are sweatpants. SWEAT PANTS. With pockets and contrast stitching ya, but SWEATPANTS.  Those are not jeans

Honestly my real issue with these is that they cost like 40 bucks.  They do the whole infomercial thing were they are all like:

"Designer jeans can cost up to $80!! " - =^O

Ya, because they are jeans.  Not sweatpants.  That is why they cost more.  Also $80 for designer jeans isn't really that bad.  Now $40 for sweatpants?  That's a ripoff.


My other real issue is the free gift they offer is a friggin gray T-shirt.  Like is that what they think people want?  A gray T-shirt?  Just lounge around all day in a gray crew neck T and glorified sweatpants?  Lovely.

They offer a money back guarantee if you accidentally receive them after a late night session of Ambien and wine,  but if you return the jeans you get to keep the gray Tshirt as their gift to you!  How cool,  all you have to pay is the $16 for shipping and handling and you get a free(?) Tshirt.

Also the pants look terrible in the commercial, they get all bunchy behind the knees,  and did I mention they are actually just sweatpants?

Well that takes care of the bottom half of your body.  But what do you pair with your fancy sweatpantswannabejeans?

Cami Secrets, doy!

Ya so they look like thongs, but they are actually for people who cannot deal with the damn hassle that is wearing a cami under your shirt so your boobs don't show to the world.

The issues I have with this product, besides straight up laziness, is that the commercial is ridiculous:

Plus side: The video have one of the best screen shots from an infomercial in years:

"My eyes are up here jackass!"

What if you forgot about your little secret (psst, its actually just a triangle piece of fabric attached to my bra, don't tell anyone!) and take your deep V neck sweater off because its getting warm out?  Whoopsies, there is a lot of things you're not keeping a secret about at that point.

So there you have it ladies.  To get your summer fashion on, all you need is a remote control, a credit card, and zero self respect.

PS In Phoenix I also learned that heat is a terrible, terrible beast that knows no end.

Meet a Sway Manager: Danielle and Adrienne

Danielle

Where do you work?
Sway Berkeley

How long have you been with the company?
I've been with Sway for about nine months.

Why you love Sway (cuz you do, right??)
I love Sway because you can come into any of our locations and get the best shopping experience. With the personal styling and the affordable prices, you're always guaranteed to leave with an awesome outfit. 

What do you bring to the store?
I love being a personal shopper to all our customers! Building relationships with everyone that comes through the door is what I enjoy most about my job.

Five words to sum you up?
Creative. Determined. Organized. Energetic. Willing.

Astrological sign?
Gemini

Fave Movie of all time?
Goodfellas! Robert De Niro is the man.

If you could have dinner with any famous person dead or alive who would it be?
My grandmother. We'd pig out on a big Filipino home-cooked meal.

What is your favorite style from the website? 

The fashion turban.

Favorite trend for Summer 11?
The trend I'm looking forward to rocking this summer are the over-sized sheer blouses for keeping you cool in the heat. Just throw on with a pair of denim cut-offs and you're good to go!

Adrienne 

Where do you work?
Sway Santa Cruz

How long have you been with the company?
A few shakes more than a year!



Why you love Sway (cuz you do, right??)
We have styles that fall all over the spectrum.

I would venture to say that I could find something for anyone. 

And of course I love that we only get a few of each piece, 

so everyone's not walking around wearing the same thing.



What do you bring to the store? 

A healthy dose of sassy fun and a no pressure shopping atmosphere!



Five words to sum you up?
Easily excited sometimes unreasonably crazy



Astrological sign?
Gemini



Fave Movie of all time?
Oh, it's without a doubt Stand By Me. I never tire of it!



If you could have dinner with any famous person dead or alive who would it be? 

David Foster Wallace



What is your favorite style from the website?
Pocket Contrast Button-Up and Ankle Zip Trouser



Favorite trend for Summer 11?
High waisted shorts, chiffon tops, and cut-out oxfords for my feet!

Ground Control to Majorly Awesome Website

10...9..8...7...6...5....4...3..2....1.......We have lift off.

Check out swaychic.com  right now to see some great pieces we picked out and want to share with you.  Now you can shop from the comfort of your own chair, mattress, cement floor, or, oooh maybe one of those bean bag chairs?..  that’d be cool.  

So take a look at our wide selection of tops, dresses, shorts, jewelery, and bags.  Coming soon we have shoes and denim.

We did our first LA photo shoot last week with the very lovely Laena.  She is super sweet and has great style. Oh and she is in a sweeta** band too.  

She was nice enough to invite me to her show after the shoot and it was a blast.

Here are some photos from that shoot:

Laena shined in this Gold Dress from Many Belles Down

I styled her essentially like myself in this shot,
gives you a range of how tiny my styling abilities are..

My favorite top so far for this site is this
super thrifted looking lace crop tee

This was Laena's favorite.  Excellent choice

 

My favorite shot of the day

So take a look at the site to see the rest of the shoot.  And keep checking out the site, we will be adding new styles every week.  Make sure to sign up for our email list so you can be one of the first to know about great new styles and sales!  Have fun Swaying!

Meet a Sway Manager: Cheyanne and Andrea

Cheyanne

Where do you work?
Sway Santa Cruz

How long have you been with the company?

About 2 and a half years now. (It will be exactly 2 and a half on June 31st)

Why you love Sway (cuz you do, right??)

I love Sway because it's a place where girls can feel comfortable shopping, and know they won't be judged. Plus all the girls who work for Sway are so nice

What do you bring to the store?
I'm great with customers! I love getting to know anyone that comes to shop at my store just a little better than when they came in. Even if I never see them again, at least I got to know that little tiny part about them. It's great meeting so many people too.

Five words to sum you up?

Happy, Excited, Enthusiastic, Caring and Wild

Astrological sign?
Libra! Power to the Scales!

Fave Movie of all time?

That's tough, I enjoy so many movies. It's a toss up between Friday and What the Bleep Do We Know.

If you could have dinner with any famous person dead or alive who would it be?

Albert Einstein or Charles Darwin. They both have so many theories I'd like to chat with them first hand about.

What is your favorite style from the website?

The buckle backpack! I'm so down with little "leather" backpacks this season. They go with so much, and are practical for a biker like me.

Favorite trend for Summer 11?

I'm really digging the pastels this summer, but maxi dresses are a close second!

Cheyanne look familiar?

She was one of Sway's first models. 

Aside from being gorgeous, Chey makes an excellent model for her super power of being able to laugh at anything, even the photographer's (me) really, really stupid jokes.

Andrea 

Where do you work?

Sway San Francisco

How long have you been with the company?

About a year

Why you love Sway (cuz you do, right??)

I of course LOVE Sway for all the fabulous fashion forward pieces that just about anyone can afford, but what makes my job amazing are all the awesome people that I meet and work with on the daily.  The customers and all my co-workers; it's just awesome to be around so many cool women. All with different styles and swaggers. Gotta love this job.

What do you bring to the store?

What do I bring to the store? I am your personal shopper at your service. I love putting outfits together for our customers.  It's my favorite part of my job.  It's so cool knowing that you picked out an outfit for a girl's first date, or a mom's outfit for her daughters wedding.

Five words to sum you up?

Fun, creative, stubborn, friendly,and random

Astrological sign?
I'm an Aries but I don't think that means much... sorry I'm a non-believer.

Fave Movie of all time?

Wild Hearts Can't be Broken (editor's note::AMAZING choice)

If you could have dinner with any famous person dead or alive who would it be?

George Harrison  

What is your favorite style from the website?

I'm loving this look right now

Favorite trend for Summer 11?

The 90's are back and I love it.  I love the chunky heels the maxi skirts and all the lace.

Stay tuned for more "Meet a Sway Manager"

Bay Area Fashion Fo' Sho

Sway opened it's first store on Telegrpah Ave. in Berkeley, CA 8 years ago.  Since then we have opened up 4 other stores in the area and one is Santa Cruz.

During that time we have tried to stay true to Bay Area fashion: Fun, Easy, Daring, and Affordable (lots of students who want to look good without settling for just ramen every night.)

Folks around here like to stay on trend, ahead of trends and have a lot of fun getting dressed (they also like to stay warm when the fog rolls in!)

The Bay Area's main cities, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley are all chock full of creative fashionable people.  This air of originality is taken by the bay winds and brought pretty far back into the surrounding suburbs as well.

Everyday that I lived in the Bay I would constantly people watch and see amazing outfits thrown together.  Girls in the Bay love looking sassy-chic.  Whether they are going to the cafe for some organic coffee, heading to the park on a sunny day, or going out dancing with friends, Bay girls know how to have fun, fashionably.

Sway's own Toshiko, Bay Area Girl 4 LYFE

 

 

  

 So if you ever make it out here, check out our collection of awesome new and vintage shops which are scattered all around (We have 5 Sways so you're bound to bump into one!)  There are plenty to fill Bay girl's desire to look great all the time, which they do in Spades.

And if you live in the Bay and love fashion, kudos to you for making the area a little more fun and stylish.

"Would you like to be involved in a Goth photo shoot?"

My friend Sarah called and asked me that two weeks ago on a Sunday morning.  Heck ya I did.

As a teen I never got involved too much in goth lifestyle (eye makeup, dyed black hair, dark baggy cloths, perhaps a few too many trips to Hot Topic at the mall, etc.)  However as of early this year I have made up for lost time.

After seeing goths influence on Fall 11 runways I was on board with both dark lipstick and a morose look on my face.

With a wardrobe already bubbling over (like a witches cauldron) with black shaded garments I was excited to add more to my repertoire of dark fashion finds.

The best way I have seen this trend executed so far is adding more drama, this helps to really get the goth going.  Having a black silhouette is nice, but add some interest with sharp edges, long hemlines and theatrical sleeves.  Make sure to add a touch of lace as well.

Now unfortunately it is May, I was able to get my goth going for a few months before it got too hot, but now I am puzzled on how to pull off the deathly look with out actually dying of heat stroke.

After searching through my closet I was able to compile somethings and even got some looks together that you can purchase on swaychic.com.


Perfect goth day out outfit:

Perfect black hair Turban

Lace Bustier

Flowing Black Maxi Skirt

 Now you are ready to go out, cast spells, put hoaxes on people, or maybe go to the farmer's market.

Oh!  And if you are wondering how the photo shoot went, check the photos below (most outfits compliments of me buying tons of goth looks at Sway stores)

Ya that's right, I made our photos into a cool goth band CD cover

Oh and if you were wondering if I gave us all goth names....

This one was courtesy of a goth name generator i believe

BEST GOTH NAME EVER

 So get your goth on despite the heat and gear up for it come Fall.  Remember the world is a vampire, put on your Bauhaus records and enjoy it!