Just returned from a short vacation in Rome, Italy. What an amazing place, you can feel the history of the Roman Empire everywhere you go. Devotion was palpable when walking on St Peter’s square.

Of course you are not visiting fashiontweet to read about history and the catholic church… so lets get back to what matters, fall fashion!

What I noticed most was the eighties trend and plaid…

This green colour combined with the plaid reminds me what I use to wear when I was teenager in the late eighties, with the gold chains and everything.  The colours are very warm, perfect for fall.

If you were not aware of the platform shoe trend than you have probably been living under a rock… I have been trying to pretend I could get away with another fall without platform pumps but I’m afraid my time has come. I shall probably purchase a pair in the next two months, it will take me a while to find a pair I can walk on. What I did purchase, shoe wise, is a pair of fantastic men’s shoe for girls, see below.

As any recessionista will tell you, quality trumps quantity. In the past I have always bought quality over quantity. As my shopaholic behaviour escalated however, quantity suddenly became more important.

Over the past year I have become increasingly aware of this shopping compulsion and have been confronted with my behaviour in many ways, one of which was finding out I own two pairs of black trousers that are exactly the same. . . That wouldn’t be such a problem if that was the plan, but I had no clue.

I’ve been reading more and more about the capsule wardrobe trend and have heard from my girlfriends they have been scrutinizing their wardrobe.  For me, it’s such a challenge not to succumb to the high street offerings. That said, what I am interested in now is a mixed wardrobe, mixing and matching designer labels with high street labels. Not all high street stuff is of lesser quality and it takes a true fashionista to spot the good stuff.

So a part of the challenge of going to New York City next week, shopping walhalla, is to be critical. Does the quality meet my requirements and do I really need this to add to my wardrobe?

Finally! now we are all able to shop like an American. .. what is Fashiontweet babbling about? well Linda van Hemerik, a dutch lady living in the US has created US Unlocked. It’s a web based service that allows you to purchase items online on US based websites and have them shipped to you outside the US.

A couple of other websites have already tried this service but US Unlocked is different on two levels. Firstly, you can pay the online store directly, even if only US creditcards are accepted. Secondly, when you want to make a purchase on a website through US Unlocked, you can first get a quote on US Unlocked than includes shipping/handling/custom charges. These two unique features makes US Unlocked unique and safe.  As an American living in Europe I am very happy to be able to shop like I was living in the US.

Click here to go to US Unlocked.