I'm Organised!

Who knew?! Don't you just love it when you're more organised than you give yourself credit for? A few weeks back I posted about a 20% discount voucher in the October issue of Company magazine that is valid this weekend. And promptly forgot about it. Turns out I pre-empted my own forgetfulness though as yesterday afternoon a reminder popped up in my Outlook calendar telling me to find said coupon and take it shopping this very afternoon! Don't you just love when that happens?

Online Sale at Faith

Faith are having a 'mid-season sale' (funny, I thought the Autumn season had only just started) with up to 50% off selected current styles. www.faith.co.uk

My Outfit Today

Today I am wearing my black dress from George with a red belt from Next, black shrug from New Look (from about 8 years ago, when they were fashionable the first time round!) fishnet tights from George and the favourite red shoes from Next. My bag is the large red one purchased recently from Dorothy Perkins.

Stockings

I have decided I really like stockings. It might just be me, but I feel really glam wearing them under a skirt, even if it’s for work. And they are so much nicer than tights – no elastic mark round your waist, no seam mark up your tummy, no visible waistband above your skirt, less risk of laddering as once they’re on, they’re on, you’re not taking them down every time you use the bathroom. So I was all set to be a stocking girl this winter, until yesterday. I wore my usual brand of stockings for work, took them off in the evening and noticed I had a red rash, slightly swollen, around the top of my legs where the rubbery hold-up bit had been. Weird. I have no idea what caused this – I have worn this brand of stockings for a while now and this wasn’t even a new pair. My first thought was that the rubber bit contains latex which I am allergic to, but on checking the packet it doesn’t say anything about latex and that is the kind of thing a responsible company like this one would print on their goods. And besides, I don’t get why I didn’t have a reaction before. Has anyone else experienced anything similar, or do I just have weird skin?!

Charity Shopping

I went to my local Oxfam shop on Saturday and found a Tommy Hilfiger jacket for £9.99. It’s denim with a sheep skin style lining so will be perfect for when it’s too cold to wear a thin denim jacket any more. I never find designer bargains in charity shops; I must live in the wrong area or something, so I was really pleased to bag this one. It’s now hanging on a hook waiting for the cold weather to arrive. I just realised yesterday that it will be October on Monday (I’ve been a bit lost with dates since going on holiday) so I’m sure the cold weather is not too far away.

Loving the Red Shoes

Yes, I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about the red shoes by now, but I just have to say that I’m so pleased I bought them! Before I went away I was practically living in them, and that is unusual for me as I am a great believer in the ‘don’t wear the same pair of shoes 2 days running’ rule. Right, I’ll shut up about the shoes now.

Crete

Hi there, I’m back! I had a fantastic time in Crete but with only a week there and my young man in tow, the shopping opportunities were limited. In fact the only thing I bought were 2 leather belts – tooled leather. One is brown and says Calvin Klein Jeans on it, and the other is black and says Jeans Couture Versace. Now, obviously, these are fakes but I like them and I think belts with writing on are way cool (what I really want is one of those that says Jesus Loves You) and they were so cheap for real leather I don’t really care that they are not the genuine article.

Two Week Break

Well, I'm off on my holidays for the next two weeks so there's unlikely to be any new posts in that time. Check back in two weeks when it'll really be time to bring out the Fall wardrobe!

Note To Self…

…it’s autumn now. Yep, it’s here, the new season. It’s September 8th and it was cold outside this morning. I could see my breath and everything! Looking out of the window at the sunshine and the clear blue sky I thought, ‘do I need a jacket? No, it’s really sunny’ then stepped out of the building and it was absolutely freezing! So now I must remember I need a coat in the mornings. I love crisp autumn mornings like this, especially when you know it’s going to warm up later in the day. Autumn is my favourite season, apart from the clothes. In the words of the awesome Chely Wright “I love September when leaves turn gold” (‘Unknown’). Then it gets really cold and there’s bonfire night, then Christmas to look forward to and, if you’re really lucky, it might just snow! When I was at school they used to brush all the fallen leaves into and big pile at the side of the drive – perfect for scrunching though in the big chunky heels that were so popular then. I still have a pair of chunky heeled, lace up shoes, very similar to the ones I wore in the 6th form and as chunky heels are making a comeback, it could be time to go scrunching again.

20% Discount At Faith

Yes, you heard me right! And in various other stores too, for the weekend of 29th September – 1st October. It’s part of the ‘Company’ magazine shopping weekend and the October issue, offering these very discounts, is out now. For the bargain price of £2. Now, is this the excuse I need to buy those blue glitter shoes I've been lusting after? Or the black patent leather ones? Decisions, decisions...

My Next Shoe Purchase?

Guess what? I’m considering my next shoe purchase already!! I think I need help! I was in Marks & Spencer the other day and they have a new line of shoes featuring something called ‘Insolia Technology’ which, according to the M&S website, ‘work[s] by moving weight back to your heel for better body alignment and balance; your legs and back feel less tired; there’s less pressure on the front of your feet; your feet stay comfy, all day’. The ‘more information’ box reveals the following:

‘New Insolia Technology
A contoured insert under the heel and arch of the insole cradles the foot increasing stability and spreading the wearer's weight over a larger area of the insole reducing the tendency for the foot to move forward and therefore reducing forefoot pressure, increasing ankle stability, improving posture and helping the shoe to remain comfortable throughout the day.
Insolia technology doesn't rely on foam padding to give comfort and will therefore last the lifetime of the shoe.
The benefits of the technology are applicable to all heights of heel above 4cm but will be more apparent to the wearer on shoes with higher heel heights.’

Now, I did try a pair on in the store (some lovely brown lace ups with a 3-3½” stacked heel, I’d show you but guess what? They’re not on the website!) and it did feel as though I was standing more on my heels than usual. So I’m thinking this has to be a good thing, right? I mean, Scholl Party Feet are fantastic but they can only do so much. And if these shoes are going to be good for my feet, legs, posture, I can’t see a reason not to buy them. And did I mention they were a mere £39.50?

New Look Doing Tall Clothing?

Well yes, according to their website they have Tall clothing. This is good news as the once bargainous Topshop seems to have substantially increased its prices in recent years and Dorothy Perkins seem to think that their tall customers will only want black trousers or bootcut blue jeans. And if we are offered anything else in the trouser line, it is assumed we will not want a suit jacket to match as these are hardly ever offered. But quite how you get hold of the New Look Tall collection remains a mystery to me. Is it in anyone’s local store? I was in my local New Look 2 weeks ago and I didn’t see anything (OK, admittedly I wasn’t actually looking for it but when you’re tall, you develop a radar for these things!). And although there’s a Tall section on the website, you can’t buy online and the entire collection on there consists of one yellow coat/jacket and a black shift dress. Big choice. And as you can’t buy online, what are we tall girls to do?

Hats

I firmly believe that you are either a hat person or you or not. By that I mean you can either wear hats and look great in them, or you can’t wear them, there’s no middle ground. It may have something to do with face shape, I don’t know. Take my sister and me for example. I love hats, they really suit me and my face is long. My sister on the other hand, just looks ridiculous in them! (Yes, that is harsh; but ask her, she’ll tell you the same thing.) Her face is smaller, more rounded, and hats just don’t suit her. So why all the hat talk? I bought 2 new ones last night. Most winters I stick with my bakerboy-style caps but this year I thought I’d give the beret a go. And at £4 in George, can I really go wrong? The other purchase last night was a large, wide brimmed sun hat in preparation for my impending trip to Crete, reduced in Marks & Spencer to the bargain price of £5. I decided baseball caps just won’t cut it. It is made of coils of blue fabric and what looks like beige raffia but I don’t think it actually is raffia. All the same, being a hat person it looks rather fabulous on!

Clothing Sizes

I have previously had a bit of a rant about sizing, particular in shoes, but now it’s clothing sizes that are bugging me. On Thursday last week I went to Next and tried on 2 skirts both in a size 12. Neither would do up. I hate when this happens, you feel fat, disheartened with shopping, etc, especially as I used to wear size 12 in Next. However, I’m beginning to suspect that the problem isn’t me, it’s them! No, that’s not me trying to make myself feel better about any weight I may have gained: today I am wearing a skirt from Next in a size 12 that I bought about a year ago, and it’s so loose it spins round! Is that me gaining weight? I don’t think so! Last night I was reading the September issue of Elle (UK edition) and there was an article on the very subject of sizing. The author mentions that Topshop and M&S do regular size surveys and change things accordingly, meaning you could be a 12 one month and a 14 the next month (is it just me, or is that not going to give you an incentive to shop there, knowing that your size could increase from one month to the next even though your own clothes still fit you?!). Cosmopolitan (I think it was) did something similar and provided a handy ‘cut out & keep’ guide to the relative sizes in various stores, which I of course have lost! So where does that leave all of us? Well, it seems the only way is to try before you buy, unless you have shops handy enough to make returns all the time.

Packing Light

So, I have finally booked a holiday (I go a week on Friday so it’s just as well it’s booked now!). I am off to Crete and I am really going to try to do the ‘capsule wardrobe’ thing but this never goes according to plan! I intend to stick to basics – neutral colours of shorts & trousers, denim skirts and white or black t-shits (with maybe a little blue thrown in for good measure as that’s my colour). I will only take what I know I will wear and I will make the effort to wear everything I take. I intend to take plenty of jewellery for accessorising, and will try to minimise my shoes but with so many options to choose from, I fear this area will be my down fall! Also I am one of those girls for whom matching underwear is something of a necessity, but that does rather increase the number of bras you have to pack. Perhaps I shall forgo that luxury for a week, or at least minimise by taking only the bras that have multiple matching pants.
Does anyone have any tips for packing light, or compiling a capsule wardrobe – I am pretty rubbish at it! I will report back on my success/failure on my return.

Thursday Night Shopping

I may have to add something to my annoyances list from yesterday: websites that don’t match the contents of the stores! So, here I was, all set to tell you about my purchases last night but can I find the pictures online? Can I chuff!! I got a lovely red mock croc belt at Next which is not on the website – it was a bargain at £4.50 too. I bought the big red bag I’ve been coveting to go with my new red shoes (which I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about). Also in Dorothy Perkins I got a black sweater (pictured) from the Tall range. Then I went to Gap and got 3 cotton rib sweaters in black, blue and navy (the V is not as deep as the one pictured at the top). However, I think that was a little excessive and I may have to return one. The black one is to replace a very similar one I have from several years ago but has faded with repeated wearing & washing. The navy one is to go with my navy suit and shoes, and the blue one is a lovely colour and seems to have longer sleeves than the other two. How do I decide which to return?!!