Designers Mania

Sometimes, when we CairoScene girls are wandering through the vast expanse of a glossy, shiny mall, eyes furiously skimming the windows of stores all lined up after each other like little bits of heaven encapsulated in glass, we spot a SALE sign outside a designer store and our heart just about stops. Oh. My. God. That perfect Chloé bag we've had our eyes on since the day we were born is finally on sale. Sadly, we then proceed to discover that we still can't afford that beautiful gem of a bag because, even after the discount, it still costs the same as a brand new kidney, and we trudge right on back to Forever 21 where we can actually afford stuff. Sad times. So when we heard about the upcoming Designers Mania event, our designer-desiring hearts did a little skip and a hop. In fact, they did a whole hopscotch routine. The online boutique, which thus far has only taken orders via Facebook, is finally having their first event.

Let us give you the lowdown about Designers Mania. The magical thing about this little digital discovery of ours, is that they sell exact mirror replicas of all your favourite designer items. So essentially, you can buy that exact same Chanel bag that if you purchased from the actual store would cost you an entire semester's tuition, for a lower price, and no one will be the wiser because it looks exactly the same. Fake shmake. You don’t need to tell anyone those aren't real Louboutins (shhhh, what they don’t know won't hurt them!), and everybody will ooh and aah about your a-mah-zing new heels because they're so perfectly made they can't tell that they're replicas, and you'll just smile coyly. And now, the online store is bringing their goodies beyond the digital sphere and to a tangible place and having a whole EVENT!  

The brilliant boutique will be hosting a whole day of shopping on the 10^th of May at the Landmark Hotel on New Cairo's Road 90. We shall now bestow upon you the gift of knowing more about this awesome event, because it is literally the ultimate fantasy of every shopaholic in the city. Basically, there are numerous aspects to this event. For starters the day will showcase the obvious; a huge variety of perfectly replicated items from the fanciest shmanciest high end brands including Stella McCartney, Céline, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana. There will also be a jewellery corner boasting gorgeous gems from Cartier, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and loads more. We have had our eye on that epic Cartier nail bracelet for quite some time now… WE CALL DIBS!! And we're willing to physically assault anyone who gets between us and our jewellery. You've been warned.

There will be a bags and footwear section as well, and you know how the saying goes: "You can never have enough shoes or bags." Or we think that's how it goes. Or maybe we just made that up. Regardless, it's true. Whenever we catch a glimpse of endlessly high, trademark red-soled Louboutins heels, our eyes glaze over, our fingers ache to touch them, our feet start heading towards them in a movement that's beyond our control. Our head says "NO! NO! You can't afford them. You'll just get your heart broken again!" but our heart melts at the sight of them and we can't help ourselves. And every time, our heart is broken by that price tag. BUT NOT ANYMORE! At Designers Mania event, you can get your hands on the identical replica of those heels, at a price that will not cost you an arm and a leg – and three fingers and a toe. They’ve got all the heels and flats you need to fuel your footwear addiction. Disclaimer; they will have one size available at the event and if you want the pair in your size, you just need to order them. And they've got your bag lady side covered as well; from Tory Burch totes to beautiful Balenciaga bags, they've got it all (seriously, we've flipped through their page and there isn’t a brand they don’t stock).

Another special aspect to this event, that doesn’t exist on their page, is that it will also feature a home accessories section from some cool local brands like La Boheme, as well as self-care products. Think Mary Kay and MAC cosmetics. So if you need to stock up on that blood red Diva shade and you haven’t got anyone flying in from barra anytime soon, now's the time to do it!

Now, on top of all this they will also have a reselling corner, where people can resell their actual designer items, consignment store-style. So you can pick up a used, but in perfect condition, original Louis Vuitton bag from 1904 (ok maybe it'll be more like 2007) without paying the whole price. It's a win-win sitch, really. We're excited. We've also got it on good authority that Designers Mania will have loads of edible goodies present. We may just ditch all sartorial shopping and camp out at the popcorn stand. Just kidding.

Anyway to sum up, if you suffer from the same (wonderful) disease as many of us in this city known as shopoholism (we may or may not have just invented that word but trust us, it will make its way into the Oxford dictionary by 2015) then this event is definitely for you. It's got everything from clothes to bags to make up to home accessories. And May 9^th we'll definitely be stealing our dad's/husband's credit cards after we drug them into a heavy sleep so we can head out to New Cairo bright and early on May 10^th for Designers Mania… See you there. 

Check out Designers Mania's Facebook pager here.