Hello everyone!

Hope you're having a great start to 2021. 

2020 had been a difficult year for many of us, and with moving to a new country, I also took a seemingly long break from the blog as I tried to settle down in this new culture and environment.

However, I am hoping that this year would be a lot better and decided to finally start writing again on the blog. While I do have a lot of content to share about my life in Japan and my fashion diaries; I decided to start with this blog where I am going to talk about one of my recent purchases which also happens to be a popular New Year tradition in Japan.

I am talking about 'Fukubukuro' or lucky bags that are available in the first week of January every year in Japan. Lucky bags are surprise bags that are offered by many supermarkets, brands, and department stores in Japan and consist of mostly last-season goods at amazing discounts.

I talk more about lucky bags and how this tradition started in my post for Tokyo Weekender that you can check here.

So, this year I purchased three lucky bags - the first being from the designer brand Kate Spade. 

Here are some pictures, an unboxing video, and more details about the Kate Spade lucky bag 2021 :

Kate Spade had launched this lucky bag on their website in December in five versions, but they didn't disclose the contents of each bag. The only detail that I knew about the lucky bag was that it will have 5 items in total comprising handbags, wallets, and/or accessories. Each lucky bag was priced at 30,000 yen plus taxes and each customer could only purchase one lucky bag at a time.

The lucky bags were finally shipped on the 31st of December and I finally received mine a few days back. 
Here are the contents of the lucky bag that I purchased :

1. Crossbody Bag: A cute red crossbody bag that has one external pocket and one internal pocket with a small interior that can fit a wallet, keys, and phone. 

2. Satchel Bag: A black structured satchel bag that comes with an additional long strap and can be carried in two ways. The interior is quite roomy and can even fit an iPad or a small laptop with ease.

3. Canvas Tote Bag: A canvas bag with leather handles that can be styled in two shapes and also comes with an additional long strap. 

4. Cosmetic Pouch: A transparent small pouch that can mostly carry a few lipsticks or can actually be used as a case to store your mask. 

5. Bracelet: A leather bracelet in a lovely olive green shade that has the cute Kate Spade logo charm lock. 

While the items didn't have their original tags present, they did come with the original dust covers (except for the crossbody bag) and care tags. I was pleased to find the bags in amazing condition and excellent quality, as I had often heard that the brands tend to give away old or unwanted stock in these lucky bags. But the contents I received were in perfect condition, and a couple of bags are from the latest collection and are still being sold on their website. 

As per the brand, the overall cost of the lucky bag is 170,000 yen which seems legit since the satchel bag alone comes up to be around 60-70k yen. The only item from the lucky bag with which I wasn't very satisfied is the green tote bag as that's a color I usually don't prefer in my closet.

However, I think this was a great way to pick some new bags from the brand without having to spend a huge amount. And since you can't see the contents of the lucky bag beforehand, it's actually fun to try your luck and wait to see if you've grabbed some nice items.

What do you think about this new year trend? Did you also purchase a Lucky bag this new year?
Let me know in the comments below!

Love
Nitika

• Prepare a Basic Shopping List 

• Wait Overnight before selecting 'CHECKOUT' on your online shopping cart

• Shopping with a clear head

Source : Etsy

• Wait for the Sales

• Invest in Capsule Wardrobe Essentials

Source : Pinterest

Hey lovelies!
You all know how much I love online shopping and discovering deals and discounts that are available exclusively online. However, residing in India, purchasing some of my favorite international brands in US online becomes rather difficult, as either they don’t ship to India or the shipping fee is too costly.

While making one of my online purchases recently, I came across the services of 1GrandTrunk which turned out to be a blessing for me. While looking to purchase the latest Gucci bag I spotted on Nordstrom, I was saddened to know that the particular bag cant be shipped to India. That’s when a friend recommended me to try 1GrandTrunk and I visited their website to get more information.

• Meena Bazaar : I have been visiting Meena Bazaar (both the chains) since more than 5-6 years now, especially every time I needed to buy ethnic wear for a family function or wedding.

• Nalli : I don't wear sarees usually, but my mom thought that I definitely needed a couple of classy silk sarees for formal occasions post wedding. 

• Aza Fashions : The multi-designer online portal also has a store in South Ex and if you're lucky, you will find a lot of designer apparel on sale here. 

• Soni Sapphire : While I wore real jewellery for my rota and engagement functions, I didn't want to invest in heavy gold jewellery for the wedding functions as I knew I won't be able to wear them later.

• W for Woman : I didn't invest money in a lot of heavy outfits as I know I will wear them only a few times. Instead, I picked casual Kurtis and palazzos from W for Woman, which are perfect for work as well as for casual outings with your family or friends. 

• La Senza : Now I know La Senza is not a budget brand, but, if you follow their Facebook page - they regularly update their mid-season and season-end sale.

If you stay updated with their sale period, you can end up picking lingerie for as low as Rs 900 from their beautiful range that includes bikinis, bras, baby dolls and even cute pyjamas. 

• Nykaa : If online shopping is not your thing and you are looking at visiting one store to complete your vanity kit, I would recommend visiting the Nykaa store so that you can try all the cosmetics that you want in person and pick up the best offers.

Pic c/o : Hauterfly

• ASOS : One brand that I truly admire and love shopping from regularly is ASOS. They have a Curve line and includes many styles as an extension to their regular line. If you are looking for trendy dresses, tops or even swimwear - you can trust to find the best designs at ASOS. 

So, have you shopped from these fashion labels before? Which is one your favourite, let me know in the comments below!
Love
Nitika

( PS : A lot of plus size brands start from UK Size 16 or 2XL (like Asos Curve, Amydus etc), while others start at UK Size 12 or L .)

Kundan and Pearl Earrings by Label Amara

Label Amara Potli Bag

The parrot motif potli bag featuring an intricate zardosi and sequin work

My other favourites from the website are the classy jewels by Shilpa Purii,  printed juttis by Vanshika Ahuja and casual kurties by IDAR :





So, if you are also looking forward to buy some ethnic wear and accessories online, whether for your trousseau or for your ethnic wardrobe - try Jivaana where you can find them all at one place. Happy Shopping!
Love
Nitika