My Deja Vu at Toronto Fogal Hosiery Boutique

Posted on August 28, 2014 by admin

Fogal is one of my favourite brands for hosiery. They have an amazing reputation and quality. So far my customer service experiences varied, so I choose to only go to the location where I know it’s excellent – Toronto Fogal Boutique.

Last time I’ve been to the Fogal store was 2 years ago, so I was really looking forward to another visit. One of my fans, David from Toronto, who helped me get more Fogal pantyhose before, invited me to go shopping there.

As we approached the store, I was wondering if the same person, Melanie, who helped me last time was still there. To my delight, as I opened the door, there she was! Melanie even remembered that I was from Vancouver. Can you imagine that level of dedication to the clients?
Fogal boutique in Toronto - store front - hosiery shop on Bay Street, Downtown I told Melanie about my trip to Cuba and how I managed to wear Fogal Cuban heel pantyhose there. It was so much fun, I wanted to get something similar since Cuban heel is so rare to find these days. She told me about a style of pantyhose that is similar to the stockings used for the Great Gatsby movie with a fancy design on the heel.

So I grabbed a few pairs, including an ultra sheer 6 den, and tried on the samples available in the store. Actually, I even had a look at the stay ups, but since fall is almost here, I decided to stick with pantyhose. Just for the record though, they are of very good quality.

Melanie, another female associate, and David gave their feedback as I was putting on all the samples in the change room. The 2nd associate there (sorry, didn’t get her name) even gave me some tips on how to put on the backseam to make it straight.

I would like to express my gratitude to David from Toronto for taking me out to the boutique and for buying these wonderful pantyhose for me. I ended up with new 3 pairs of Fogal (Brooke, Clelia, and 6 den) to take back to Vancouver and lots of good memories from the store.

My visit to Fogal pantyhose store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Love for shoe shopping – online & offline

Posted on August 26, 2014 by admin

Somehow every time I go on vacation, I seem to stock up on shoes. With all the great deals that I see in American malls, I just can’t resist. On my recent trip I acquired four new pairs. I got two new pairs of flats and two pairs of heels. In Canada our prices are not nearly as attractive.

Recently I’ve been considering to buy shoes online. If it’s a sexy type of shoe that I use for mostly photoshoots, then I am willing to take the risk if it’s not a perfect fit. One of my friends actually signs up to all the newsletters that send out deals on online shopping.

To my surprise I see that some sales online are actually better than what I can get in stores. Perhaps one big advantage to shop online is that items are quick to find. On my trip I stopped at Ross to look at some deals and I found the shoe I wanted, but only one shoe! Even after I asked for help to find the second one, nobody could figure out where it was. I walked out empty-handed.

Another advantage is that people who wear larger sizes like 9, 10, and 11 get amazing deals online since these sizes are usually left over. Crossdressers, for example, are often shy to buy shoes for themselves in public. Claiming that their wife has size 11 feet would probably get the sales person suspicious, even though in theory they actually don’t care since they just want to make that sale.

Just recently I also discovered a helpful way to make a decision on which shoe to buy. Since online you always have a photo available, putting it up on social media and asking people to vote / comment may reveal some points that you haven’t considered. These cork shoes, for example, were bought after I did a bit of a survey on social media and saw that lots of people voted for these.

Wolford pantyhose and my new shoes!

My Holiday Shopping Frenzie Has Begun

Posted on December 10, 2013 by admin

Just a few hours ago I returned from United States. Maybe it sounds far, but it’s only about 45 minutes away from Vancouver. Partially the purpose of my trip was to send some packages that were ordered over the weekend sale though this blog, and partially to have a look at some nice outfits that I could wear for New Year’s and Christmas holidays.

pink dress and black stockings Shopping for that perfect party dress is just overwhelming in my opinion. There are thousands of brands and models to choose from and so many different stores full of noisy shoppers. I was so confused that I just left empty-handed, declaring only $60 worth of chocolates at the border crossing, thus totally surprising the guard who somehow expected a woman like me to buy much more than that.

Sometimes I even think that instead of going from one store to another, I could buy a dress online in the comfort of my home to save time and money travelling back and forth. These days online fashion stores offer a huge selection of summer dresses, black evening dresses, prom dresses, casual dresses, sparkling dresses, and there is really no end to it.

I think that most people who are afraid of shopping online do so because they are not sure about their dress size. One of my good friends even once bought me a beautiful sequin dress that you see here on the photo from an online store. They had a detailed size chart with body measurements that made it easy for me to choose.

I think that the key to choosing the right dress is knowing your body type and what looks good with it. In addition to that I choose my hosiery as carefully as I choose my dress. Perfect nylon shade and proper shoes can add class and elegance to a simple style.

Here are some tips from stylists on choosing a nice dress that I found:

If you’re attending a formal event, stick with a more conventional cut.
For a night out or a birthday party, choose a cocktail dress.
Highlight your small waist with a thin belt.
Women with curves should avoid pleats and gathers. A knee-length dress will outline their figure and make them look slimmer.
Petite ladies can highlight their small frame with slim fitting dress.
Athletic women will look amazing in tight dresses with fun prints.
If you have dark skin, look for party dresses in light colors such as yellow, green, white, and pink.
Those with medium skin may wear gray, brown, or black.
Red and green will look wonderful on dark-haired ladies with pale skin.
The right accessories can set apart even the simplest dress.

OK, so with my head spinning from all different styles, and especially after I looked at the photo of me in that sequin pink dress, I am determined that if I fail to find a new outfit, at least have a perfect option already present in my closet.

Special Event at Dolce Amore Lingerie in Vancouver

Posted on December 17, 2012 by admin

Sale – 20% OFF!

Saturday: February 2, 2013

12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

People keep on asking me where I buy my lingerie. Well, either in Europe or in places that import it from Europe. I would like to recommend one of my favourite lingerie stores in Vancouver that has a broad collection of swimwear, lingerie, hosiery, and accessories. The owner is a very sweet Polish lady. LGTB- friendly, in case some of you are wondering. Recently they added a whole vintage section there.

Dolce Amore Lingerie and Swimwear

772 Thurlow Street (in the courtyard behind the Starbucks on Robson)

Dolce Amore Facebook

www.dolceamoreboutique.com

Can you come? Please let me know.

My Facebook friend dedicates her hosiery purchase to me!

Posted on December 5, 2012 by admin

I am so excited that one of my Facebook friends, Liz Anne, dedicated her purchase of tights to me! No one has ever done that before. That’s an original thought.

Liz is a Toronto-based PR professional who helps musicians to gain maximum publicity.

http://www.lizpr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/lizpr

Liz is wearing Donna Karan pantyhose that she recently purchased.

For me, it nice to know that someone things about me when buying a fashion pair of hosiery!

Similar design by Chanel from my older article: http://www.fantasystockings.com/coco-chanel-and-suntan-stockings/

Indifferent service at San Francisco Wolford Boutique

Posted on September 7, 2012 by admin

Apathy – I feel that this is the best word to describe the attitudes of staff at Wolford in San Francisco.

I didn’t have much time in that city, but it was very important for me to see this Wolford boutique, partially because I am a blogger, but partially because this is my most exciting destination for shopping.

I walked in with my guy and at first I thought that they had another customer there already. But when I saw that person moving mannequins, I realized that she is actually one of the staff.

Well, my confusion came from her outfit – she was wearing jeans and some kind of casual flat white shoes. After she finished, she hopped behind the counter, thus hiding her bottom half and looking more like an employee.

The young lady who greeted me was wearing black textured fishnet pantyhose and a knee length skirt. She was polite, but somehow I didn’t feel any enthusiasm. Even though she answered my questions well, I could sense her lack of passion about the product. The product knowledge was there, yet somehow this experience didn’t feel personal at all. It felt as if this interaction was robotic and I couldn’t figure out how come it begun to bother me so much.

What could it be? I didn’t know if my expectations are too high after being welcomed so nicely in their Toronto location by a manager who sincerely loved the product even before she got hired. Could it be that these women are just there to work their shift, without actually having any interest in this kind of stuff outside of their work hours?

I don’t want to paint too bad of a picture here, the service wasn’t bad at all, just indifferent. I dream about visiting all the Wolford boutiques around the world, but somehow I am not excited about returning to this one.

*Friends, please be kind to the sponsor ads as this is the main source of funding for my blog*

What is Customer Service Like at Fogal Hosiery in Vancouver?

Posted on May 8, 2012 by admin

Yesterday was a bit of a frustrating experience for me. You see, I never actually owned a pair of Fogal hosiery. I decided to send my guy to buy me some from the local Fogal boutique that recently opened in Vancouver. He went there, but returned empty-handed.

What happened?

“I didn’t get any customer service”, he said. Turned out that when he came to the store, there was only one person working (the manager) and she was talking to a female customer. He picked out something that he liked from the sample display and asked the manager three times for that specific item in size Medium. All that needed to be done was to run the purchase through the cash register, that’s it! After being in that store for some time (15 minutes according to his estimation), he walked out.

I was surprised, last time I was there I got really good service. So I picked up the phone and called up the boutique. The explanation I got was that the staff is trained to stay with the customer that they started working with until the end. She explained that the other customer seemed to be very needy and required assistance. That’s why the manager could not interrupt her conversation with the other customer and go to the cash register to process a sale. I agree to an extent here, but if you are the only staff in the store, sometimes you need to multi-task. She was polite and of course she apoligized, but there was no offer extended to compensate for that unfortunate experience.

I wonder if his gender made any difference. Could it be different if it would be a woman coming in to make a purchase? I find that sometimes in high end stores staff only watch out for their “target market”. They may not even greet a customer if for some reason they don’t think that this person is going to buy much because of their youth or simple clothing. I really hope that’s not the case since my first experience with Fogal was quite positive.

I am sad that it didn’t work out. Maybe some day I’ll order it online or buy it in Toronto’s store. This time, instead of Fogal, I went to the Wolford boutique that is literally across the corner from them and purchased another pair of Neon 40 in Cosmetic shade (skin tone). You see, my guy was too upset to go back to the Fogal store.

I am still open-minded about the Fogal brand and I judge people favourable. At least for now I prefer to think that it was simply inexperience of the staff person to multi-task while working alone with multiple clients.

Note Added Later: I heard from some of my fans that they went to Fogal and got good customer service. So maybe it was just a day of bad luck. I would also like to say that I had AMAZING customer service at Fogal in Toronto. What is customer service like at Fogal for you? Would love to hear.

Fogal in Vancouver (I’ve been asked about the location – so far listed in Yellow pages only)

1012 Alberni Street

Vancouver, British Columbia

1 604 685 6722

(also goes under Fogal Legwear Canada Ltd)

*Friends, the only funding for this blog is from the shop section. Please indulge your pantyhose obsession and show some support for my work! Your purchases make this blog possible.*

for open-minded only: Novelty Stores

Posted on March 4, 2012 by admin

DVD - nylon dreams - movie

Sometimes I visit a local novelty store in Vancouver on Granville street from time to time to chat with the owner and I may buy an item or two for novelty entertainment.

It’s a taboo topic to some people to even talk about this kind of stuff. World’s famous sexologists recommend couples to visit this kind of places, so do I. Sexuality is a big part of your life, no matter whether you accept it or deny it.

It’s kind of funny, but whenever I am stuck with some kind of computer problems I call there because the owner is very-well skilled with all the tech stuff. Yes, I call the sex shop to get help with my computer homework!

Isn’t that a novelty already?

Pink Dreams – White Pantyhose Photoshoot

Posted on March 1, 2012 by admin

For those of you who may know me a little better, you may remember that I did some modeling when I was younger in Toronto. It’s been a while, maybe at least 3 years since then.

I must admit that I miss doing it. It was great to channel my energy towards creating new concepts, looks, and coming up with some modern non-trivial poses. A lot of times besides modeling I had to do styling as well, since it was a rare occasion to have a wardrobe stylist on set.

I got a few interesting accessories and decided to put together a stylish photoshoot to remember the old times. I wore 40 denier shiny white pantyhose (actually those are Raula by Fiore) and a pink sparkly dress to create a certain fantasy look. It was a lot of fun! Even simple accessories can add a lot of attitude and style to a simple look.

The feather whip that I used in this photoshoot was a gift from a novelty store that I frequently visit called Books Unlimited on Granville Street in Vancouver. I was so surprised with that gift that I came home and figured that I’ll do something to show it off.

This photoshoot was a perfect opportunity to try out this feather tickler. This pink dress I found for $17 at a second hand store also on Granville. The hat was bought from e-bay from a Hong-Kong supplier for just a couple of dollars. White pantyhose were by Fiore, that shiny type is called Raula.

Of course, I must admit this photoshoot didn’t go perfect. As soon as we began, I got a call from my friend that she’s coming over. I had to stop in the middle of the shoot, put a long mohair sweater over this dress, and then an hour later get back to work. In the process my body paint that I did on my arm with pink paint and sparkles of course came off – that’s why you can’t spot it here.

It feels good to keep up the old hobbies once in a while. Did you have any hobbies or interests in the pass that you miss having today? It’s never too late to start again.