The day I was shocked in Primark

I promise I don't only shop in Primark. Far from it. I have returned again today after my visit on Sunday only to return the shoddy dress I purchased. I had a leadership course day and finished at 3 so took advantage of the spare time and dropped into town. Well. I managed to pick up a black and white vest in my size (miracles do exist) and in the process, spotted a dark purple dress that I thought would be good for work. Much of a muchness, simple dress, easy to change the look with cardigans, scarves, different footwear etc. I tried it on and just glimpsed the label as I was taking it off, and was shocked to see it cost £17.

£17. A small sum of money indeed, but for Primark? For a very simple, not-much-to-it dress? No siree. I will happily pay large sums of money for good quality, higher end items but £17 for a Primark dress? I must be getting tight in my advancing years, or else the effect of the husband is finally rubbing off after 9 years of togetherness. (Thank you S, I really do appreciate your financial management lessons...)

I might have also purchased a new scarf from Marks and Spencer as well as an advent calendar for me and the husband and some praline chocolate stars. I did manage to avoid the Christmas decorations that looked so inviting though <polishes halo>. Restraint is my middle name...

Finishing with outfits for the last couple of days, both work days, Monday normal work day, today more casual due to the course:

White long line vest top : Primark
Cream angora mix boxy knit: H & M
Plain jersey scarf: Cos
Dark leopard print skirt: F and F @ Tesco
Black tights: Marks and Spencers
Flat riding boots: Primark

Beige long line vest top: Primark
Cream thin long sleeve top: Cos
Silver open back thin knit: Zara
Tassel Piaf Scarf: By Malene Birger
Dark denim jeans: River Island
Biker boots: Dune

Black leather jacket: Zara
Grey wrist warmers: H & M
Bag: Mulberry postman's lock hobo

As seen above, my Dune boots arrived! And they fit, miracle of miracles! I swear I saw the husband visibly exhale when I excitedly relayed to him that they fit and I like them... I think he was having visions/nightmares of a trip to Westfield this coming weekend so that I could continue my search. Although I'm pretty sure I still need to do some Christmas shopping, and haven't we got some birthdays (including mine) coming up...

Only kidding S ; )

Mulberry part deux

Happy Easter weekend Cadbury's mini eggs! I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend, resting and eating lots of chocolate!!

I am having a great weekend, particularly as today is my first wedding Anniversary! We are taking it easy today in readiness for our trip to London tomorrow for afternoon tea and Jersey Boys! So excited!

I need to backtrack though as today's post is about a very exciting purchase hubby made for me yesterday... you may remember that I blogged recently about my Anniversary present from hubby, and how I was trying to decide what I wanted. Well, I eventually decided that I wanted another Mulberry as I love my first one so much, and felt a great need to add to my collection!

So yesterday, hubby drove me to Bicester outlet village where my first Mulberry came from (which was quite a journey with a few detours as we had a blown tyre, traffic avoidance etc etc!). We eventually arrived and went straight to Mulberry! I rapidly dashed round the shop grabbing up any bags that I liked the look of, which hubby then lined up on one arm for me to try on! I had quite a good idea of the type of bag I wanted this time - another classic colour, larger and slouchier than my first Mulberry for a more casual type occasion. I was greatly relieved to find a classic postman's lock hobo bag that I had previously spotted on the Selfridges' website, reduced from £795 to £556 (on account of a tiny 1cm scratch on the base of the bag!). So I decided quite quickly that this was the one, and hubby liked it too, so the deal was done! Best Anniversary pressie ever, v. happy indeed! : )

Ding Dong indeed! The bag alone was hu-uge!

My beautiful new bag! Postman's lock hobo in glossy buffalo deer brown. I love the classic satchel style and understated glamour synonymous with Mulberry!

One of my favourite features of the bag is the gold postman's lock that hangs down so beautifully!

Classic Mulberry front fastening

Inside lining

Mulberry siblings! 

What do you think of it dolls? I simply adore it, the smell of the leather alone is divine! So happy to have another Mulberry to keep the East West company! I need to think now about hubby's gift, he is still making up his mind, more indecisive than I am! : )Well that's about everything for now, more soon angels XOXO

Shiny Happy Sunday

Hello chocolate crispy cakes, I hope everyone is well and has enjoyed the weekend! How amazing was the weather today! I love being able to walk around with no coat, Spring is awesome!

Another thing that is awesome is the fact that the Easter holidays have arrived! I could not be any more thrilled to have a whole 2 weeks off work! Hubby has a week off too which is great, and we have some amazing things coming up! Firstly, it is our first Wedding anniversary (have no idea where the last year went, it flew by!). We are travelling to London the day after our anniversary for afternoon Pret-a-Portea at the Berkeley in London, then onwards to see the show The Jersey Boys, and then a night in a hotel, and who know what the next day! I am so excited, I have a new dress to wear, and hubby is treating me to a designer gift (still undecided right now, although erring towards another Mulberry!). So that will be fab, plus I am looking forward to a lot of chilling in the hols, some baking and maybe a little home project or too!

Anyways, back to today. Hubby and I took a trip to Lakeside for a browse and lunch. We are looking for a coffee table but still cannot find one we like. Nonetheless, we purchased two new sets of plates and bowls from Next which I found quite exciting... think I am seriously getting old! I also bought a couple of dresses which hopefully I will have opportunity to wear and photograph soon!

Just a little OOTD for you all...

I wore my new Vero Moda sleeveless shirt and Zara sandals from my Westfield trip last Sunday, my River Island jeans and a brown River Island belt.

Well that's everything for now, I am off to make a pizza (slightly addicted to making Pizzas now and trying new ingredients, I bought some Pepperdew peppers in Waitrose today to try!) More soon XOXO

A weekend of all sorts

Hello angels, happy Sunday and hope everyone has had a great weekend! I always feel like weekends fly by, although time is pretty much flying by at the speed of light in general at the moment- can't believe its March already!

I have had a great weekend! I had a gorgeous meal at Prezzo with hubby Friday night, some home shopping and lunch with Clare on Saturday and an antiques fair and spot of lunch and shopping at Bluewater after. I am looking for an antique mirror for above my new shoe cupboard but have had no luck yet - I am looking for something quite specific though so may be searching for a while yet! Hubby treated himself to a huuuge Superdry kit bag today - he ordered one before but it was out of stock so we decided to just buy one in the shop. I bought a couple of bits of make up today which makes a change, I have bought so many clothes recently!

Chanel pressed powder, £29.50 and Clinique eyebrow stick with illumnator, £14.50.

Today's post is a bit of a mash-up of OOTN, and some exciting things I've got coming up soon! Onto OOTN, the outfit I wore to Prezzo Friday night.

Another new H & M jacket - I loved the classic boucle style of this jacket and at £29.99 I couldn't resist! I also wore a white H & M vest top, new black layered skirt from H  & M, my black Faith boots and a silver necklace which was a present from a friend.

So, this week, hubby and I booked a 4 day city break to Budapest! We wanted a trip away before our main holiday in August, and booked for the first week of June. I set an evening aside to research and managed to find an amazing 4 star hotel with brilliant reviews!

Hotel Castle Garden is a 4 star boutique hotel a few steps from the famous Buda castle. This hotel is number 25 out of  334 in Budapest on tripadvisor and has some brilliant reviews. I am so excited, I have already ordered a travel guide and started researching boat trips on the Danube and the thermal baths we can visit!

Second piece of exciting news came from my amazing hubby this week. We were talking about our first wedding anniversary which is rapidly approaching, and he offered to buy me a new designer bag, shoes or perhaps as Burberry trench! I am so excited, and now just need to decided if I want another Mulberry or some Louboutins... not going to be an easy decision! I am not sure what hubby wants as a gift in return, he suggested a rowing machine or perhaps a sound system for our living room... mens toys are nowhere near as exciting as girls ones!!

Well that's everything for today, have a great week everyone XOXO

Mulberry Day : )

Today I purchased my first Mulberry bag. I say first, as I have a sneaking suspicion it will not be my last. So today dear readers, my best friend Clare and myself took a little road trip to Bicester outlet village in Bicester, Oxford. We were excited about the designer shopping experience but had a very clear goal in mind: head to Mulberry, seek out and purchase a classic bag. And boy did we succeed!!

I have wanted a Mulberry for a fair few years now. For me, Mulberry symbolise quintessential British style, and the bags never date. There have been a fair few opportunities in my past where I could have snapped one up, however I have always declined, putting the greater good (purchasing our house quicker, having an even more fabulous wedding) ahead of my desire for this bag. I decided recently however that the time had finally come for me to indulge; the house is bought and filled with furniture and style, the Wedding was fabulous, the time had finally arrived! This tied in well with Clare's birthday, and we set the date a few months ago now for our trip to Bicester.

So, this morning, I filled up hubby's car, picked Clare up en route and set out, filled with hope and excitement. Upon arrival, we were shocked at how busy the car parks were, and spent a good 20 minutes searching for a space. We struck lucky though and dashed straight to Mulberry.

Now picture the scene. We enter the shop. 'Right or left shelf?' Left. Our eyes scan quickly and then we see them . Two perfect East West Bayswater bags, one in black and one in chocolate brown. I reach for the chocolate brown, Clare reaches for the black. Women huddle behind us, pushing to see if there are any more. Clare and I hold on firmly and grin inanely at each other. I couldn't have planned it better myself.

You see, Clare and I have always wanted these bags. We love the classic Bayswater style, the way you look at the bag and instantly know its a Mulberry. Still clutching our bags, Clare and I scan the rest of the shop, just to be sure. We look at the lesser known bags, styles in shops for a few months in seasons past, and decide they are not for us. No, we have got what we came for. Purposefully, we march to the tills, I can still hardly believe it as I hand over my card. The bags are beautifully wrapped and handed over to us. Done.

So beautiful

My bag is the chocolate brown crocodile East West Bayswater, and Clare has the identical bag in black. It is current season (A/W 11) and has absolutely no defects. The saving on the store price was good, obviously not as good as if it had a defect, but still a pleasing saving. I am absolutely in love with it, the fact it is a classic, a beautiful colour (I would only ever consider a black, tan or chocolate brown Mulberry), 100% perfect and current season. It is the perfect size for weekends and I imagine will last me a good many years.

My beautiful new bag is now sleeping soundly in its dust bag, and I imagine tonight I will be sleeping soundly too, knowing I have such an amazing and iconic new bag in my life! : )

A tribute to Miss Bradshaw

Hello dolls, hope you are all having a lovely week so far and the sun is shining where you are! I am on day 3 of the holidays and having a blast, relaxing, doing a few household tasks and catching up on some reading. Today I had planned to go shopping but I awoke with a horrible migraine coupled with nausea so decided a sofa day was best all round! I decided on a sex and the city marathon, and watched both of the movies back to back : ) I adore the films as much as the television series and all these years later, I am still in awe of Carrie and her amazing outfits!

The films got me thinking about my favourite Carrie dresses over the years, and the way her style evolved as each series passed. There are many things I love about Carrie's dress sense: the individuality she displays, the way she teams items that would not be normally thought of as a perfect match, and the fantastic mix of vintage and new. I love the way she is not driven by the top designers, yes these feature in her day to day wardrobe, but she is equally as comfortable in thrifted and vintage items. The way she incorporates such a mix into her wardrobe is eclectic and exactly what makes her the style icon she is.

I cannot post every single dress/outfit that I ever loved here as this post would go on all day! However, after much thought, I have singled out some of my favourite Carrie outfits:

From top to bottom:

1) Vintage John Galliano for Christian Dior dress and Christian Louboutin booties - Carrie wore this dress in the TV series and I love how they bought it back for the second film. This is one of my all time favourite dresses.

2) Carrie's classic tulle tutu - I think this item epitomises Carrie's style - laidback, care-free and luxe.

3) Vintage Halston Heritage mini dress, sparkly Christian Louboutin pumps and Chanel clutch - a great casual summer day look and I love the shades!

4) Vintage dress and a Fendi clutch - The print on this dress is gorgeous, this is the kind of thing I can imagine wearing to a wedding or christening. Love the sleek style of her hair too.

5) Vivienne Westwood dress, Manolo Blahnik shoes and a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch. I love the pink prom style of this dress. Carrie often upped the volume in the skirts she wore, creating a look of drama and opulence.

6) Vintage coat, dress and belt, Timmy Woods bag and Dior sandals. I adored this Tour Eiffel shaped bag when Carrie showcased it in the first SATC film. Love th tough black gladiator style sandals with the pretty dress too.

7) Halston Heritage maxi dress. Being a huge fan of the colour orange (view my own orange dress here, I adore the colour and style of this dress from the second SATC film. Perfect for a hot summer's day i'd say ; )

8) And last, but by no means least, how could I leave out Carrie's Vivienne Westwood wedding dress? Alas, she did not make it down the aisle in this gorgeous gown, but she looked stunning nonetheless. I love the fact that the dress was from a British designer too ; )

So there you have it, what do you think of Carrie's style, and do you have any particular favourite outfits or looks that have inspired you?? xoxo