Bloggers You Should Know: The Fashion Hub

As you probably already know, the number of fashion bloggers out there has reached an all-time high. Those who post pictures of their outfits, what they eat and where they get their nails done. Their skincare regimen, their pets and their shoes.

I often find myself feeling uninspired and craving for something fresh. In my humble opinion, donning designer clothes from top to bottom isn't considered style. 

That's why when I found The Fashion Hub, my faith in blogging was restored.

Parisa and Lydia Birgani, the British-Iranian sisters behind TFH, have such a unique and aesthetically-intriguing fashion sense that you can't help but visit their site on a daily basis. They have a very distinctive look and aren't afraid of taking risks (a rare attribute in this part of the world). 

Parisa is a fashion marketing student based in Dubai. Stylist, blogger, contributor and promoter. And Lydia, an Art & Media Student based in Abu Dhabi. Shecollects cameras, is a stylist and model.

Through out my interactions with them, I found that they are down-to-earth, smart and very creative. 

And it seems that I'm not the only one: Dubai is starting to take notice as they've been featured in Grazia Magazine, Diva Magazine, Emirates Women and a slew of other publications and websites.

Check them out on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and Instagram and let us know what you think in the comments section below.  

More People Scammed by PurseValley and it's Owner, Eva Knox

Purse Valley changes URLs to escape designer lawsuits 

I wrote a post exposing Eva Knox and her blog Spot Bags last year and got a overwhelming response from her victims. Online shoppers have trusted her as a great source of online shopping reviews and unfortunately, she's a scam!

The posts are mainly user reviews of replica handbag sites. I am sure she has a huge following as detailed images and first-hand accounts are hard to find. Especially for shoddy Chinese websites.

Even though she has a myriad of posts, she seems to give only one an A+ rating: Purse Valley (aka PV). But lawsuits against replica sites like PV show that she is, in fact, the owner! Also, her blog URL is .cn, which is the country code top-level domain for mainland China.

And although several readers have discredited her, she still gets questions from unsuspecting fans on what is the best place to shop for replica purses. Which, of course, is always PV.

The fundemental aspect of a review blog is it's impartiality and objectiveness. The information should be based on real information, not profit. 

That's why here on LavalierDubai, I always review online merchants. I have done several so far like Mytheresa.com, Yesstyle.com and Asos.com to ensure the website's legitimacy.

There are also a lot of way to shop safely and securely. I've been shopping online for almost 8 years and never once was scammed or my identity stolen. (knock on wood!)

If you have used any replica bag sites, or any other sites for that matter, let me know how it went.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lavalierdubai
Email: Sales@lavalierdubai.com 

Bloggers You Should Know: Nadya Hassan

As a blogger, I know first-hand how hard it is to maintain and entertain an audience. That's why I love writing about bloggers who have become a success in their field. One of the best examples is Nadya Hassan. She's a petite fashionista with style and panache that keeps you coming back for more.

She launched The Fierce Diaries in 2010 as a school project and quickly found success as a leading Emirati fashion blogger and trend-setter. Her blog is so popular that it's rated as one of the Top 10 Blogs in the Middle East! She also recently won the 2013 Grazia Award for the Best Style Blogger, an honor only enjoyed by a select few.

The most prominent characteristic of her style is her ability to mix high-end fashion with vintage pieces and products from lesser-known designers. This makes her a lot more relatable than other fashionistas who simply showcase the most expensive clothes, shoes and accessories.

We at Lavalier Dubai are proud to be featured in one of her more recent photo-shoots and we must confess that she is seriously rocking one of our best sellers: The Gold Spike Tribal Necklace.

The Fierce Nay Wearing Lavalier... Shop the Trend

The Fierce Nay Wearing Lavalier... Shop the Trend

The Fierce Nay Wearing Lavalier... Shop the Trend

The Fierce Nay Wearing Lavalier... Shop the Trend

Is Eva Knox a Fraud?

When it comes to reviewing websites, Eva Knox's blog, Spotbagz.co is where you want to be. She knows all there is to know about buying designer bags online. She's tried them all, judging from her vast collection of purses on her Facebook page.

From the comments on her website, it seems that Ms. Knox has thousands of readers and fans (me included) because she gives us all what we really need: good first hand advice about shopping online.

Her site, although extremely helpful, reviews buying REPLICA designer bags online. Some might not condone this behavior as it is illegal. But in her defense, I believe she's providing an invaluable service because I would like to know if any retailer, whether replica or not, is going to rip me off.Or if a website is going to send me sub-par products.

She has about 90 replica website reviews, which is quite impressive. Some are written by her from her own experiences, while others are emailed in by her readers. Out of all these reviews, one thing is pretty obvious: the only site that gets an A+ in Eva's books is PurseValley (P.V).

She has written countless times that P.V is by far the best in customer service, quality and reliability. Check out this article as one of the many examples of her constant adulation of the site.

During the time when I was thinking of buying a knock-off bag, I was so convinced that my first purchase will be from there because of her rave reviews. But I wanted to make sure that the conclusion of P.V as a reliable website was unanimous.

Defendant 155: Eva Knox!

And turns out, it's not! According to this blog post, Eva Knox, or Sofia Nolan, OWNS PurseValley. Initially, I didn't believe it at all since it seemed so genuine. But I dug a little deeper and found that on page 17 of this serving notice, Spotbags is also known as PurseValley.

(Just FYI - serving notices come up when a brand, like Chanel or Vuitton, sues a replica website and forces it to shut down.)

There are many reviews of women who have been cheated by P.V and Nolan. I am just glad I wasn't duped like the rest of her readers who aren't aware of her ulterior motives. I don't want to call her a scam artist, but the serving notice doesn't lie.

Since then I decided that the replica handbag business is extremely shady and, of course, illegal. Not to mention that it's a bit embarrassing because people can spot a replicas a mile away.

Where do you stand on the replica debate? Let me know in the comments section!