They didn't even need any money, they had magic cards. - Rebecca Bloomwood.
For my sake and my parents sake I'm really really glad I don't have a credit card. If I did, I would have been broke already. Can you imagine. In debt before working. You know what ... I won't get a credit card even when I work or else people will have to come and move me out of my own home and I won't be able to take the furniture because I have to sell it. These are Confessions of a Shopaholic.



I love the idea of shopping so much, I look in magazines and websites for clothes. Then I pretend like I have them in my wardrobe. Then when it comes time to compiling an outfit, I compile with clothes I don't even have. And to make it worse, I have joined Boutiques.com and Polyvore. These are online shopping sites.

Now with Polyvore and Boutiques.com I can buy clothes with one click of a button. But remember I have no credit card or job so I can't buy the clothes. "Okay, it's alright" I tell myself.

Polyvore is a chance to create looks and display them on your blog, website and share with your friends. I started my page in December but never ever created a look until January. My sister introduced it to me. It's too much fun. We once spent the whole afternoon buying clothes that will never get delivered and creating outfits that will never get worn.
Boutiques.com, created by Google follows a similar concept however this has a stronger emphasis on actually buying the clothes. You create your own boutique according to the colours and styles you like. Then fellow shoppers can decide whether or not they like your boutique. If they do, they like it (same applies to Polyvore). I've already found a wedding dress on Boutiques.com

If your credit card has more than R40 000 on it buying designer labels is as easy as clicking BUY!


Look at Rebecca Bloomwood's face. She has fallen in love. At least what she has fallen in love with is tangible. When I fall in love with clothes they are usually over priced or on the internet.

Not to fear because one day you'll walk into my walk-in closet and to die at the site of my wardrobe.

But do all these websites mean that the day of walking into a shop and feeling the fabric of the item you about to buy run through your fingers is over? Hopefully not.
Yes it is so much easier to sit on your laptop and browse through several websites and have items delivered to your door. But there's something about customer service and the idea of a store.

A man will never love you or treat you as well as a store. If a man doesn't fit, you can't exchange him seven days later for a gorgeous cashmere sweater. And a store always smells good. A store can awaken a lust for things you never even knew you needed. And when your fingers first grasp those shiny, new bags... oh yes... oh yes. - Rebecca Bloomwood
You walk into a store and the world stops for you. And no I'm not talking about tom-dick-and-harry shops. I speak of boutiques and small little shops. You've been in these shops so many times that you even know that they play Rihanna's Loud album all day. Then someone walks up to you and asks;

-"Can I help you with anything".
That's when you supposed to say ...
"Yes, I saw a beige Moroccan inspired dress in Vogue. Do you have it?"
-"Yes Ms. Mputa. It just came in yesterday, I kept it for you as I knew you would love it. Please make yourself comfortable. I'll bring out the champagne."

Bring out the champagne? What is this. Do stores even have liquor licenses. Let me not lie I once went to a boutique at the V&A Waterfront, tried on a dress for the Matric Dance and they served us ... water! Great. Let me just go to Woolworths and replace the water I had.

Anyway as females we always dream about that in-store shopping experience so I think the idea of online shopping should be reserved for males who wish to buy Apple's latest gadgets which have not yet arrived in South Africa. (I'd also buy these gadgets online)

The idea of all these websites and the web development behind it is brilliant however it's not an idea that will run smoothly in South Africa.
South African's will do anything to leave work for a day. I would leave and go pretend shop. Even though in that moment I won't be buying a R4 000 pair of shoes at least I can feel the red leather in my hands and realise why I'm paying R4 000 for a pair of shoes. With online shopping the only satisfaction you have is a photograph which could be photoshop-ped.

Here are some of my Polyvore looks that I have been creating over the past month and a bit.

Look One by mputa.zovuyo featuring a fold over handbag

Look Two by mputa.zovuyo featuring platform shoes

Look Three by mputa.zovuyo featuring vintage leather bags

Because Fashion plays such a big role in my blog I have decided to have a section where I will post Polyvore looks. I can't promise that this will be regularly updated as time isn't always on my side and I do have other priorities. If you have a polyvore account and want me to follow it. Drop me a facebook or an email.

I understand that technology is here to change our lives for the better and make it all easier but nothing will ever compare to walking into a store and saying to yourself "One day I will own all these items of clothing".
I understand that my obsession with retail therapy and clothes may seem artificial and plastic but to tell you the honest truth, I'm working towards being able to buy what ever I want without worrying to save enough money to buy bread.

You might love your Christian Louboutin High Heels but at the end of the night they don't love you. They hurt you. Love over material any day.