The Whistles Order

Well, I ordered, I tried, I'm returning!  When I saw the dress I had 'Christmas party' in mind and thought I'd give it a try.  Be rude not to top the order up for free delivery and as I loved the cream jumper I added that in my basket as well.  As soon as I saw the jumper I knew it would be to short on me and I was right.  Another inch and it would have been ok but I wasn't in love with it either.  Nor was it on my shopping list this month - yes I know, when has that ever stopped me but my big holiday coming up has this time!

I would however still recommend it if you don't have as long a body as me!  The quality was outstanding, thick and soft and you could tell it was made to last.  At £95 originally I should think so too but for £30 I would say it is well worth it.  There are still some size 12's left if you fancy it, see here.  

The dress was larger than I expected and a lot more formal so I knew it wouldn't work. I love the shape of it and the bottle green colour (although in my haste ordering it, I thought it was black).  It was a long shot to be able to get a Christmas dress now but it was worth a try.  John Lewis I must say were super quick with their free delivery.  I ordered Saturday afternoon and it was with me by Monday.  Hassle free returns, will just drop it off at my post office and get proof of postage.  Anyone else started thinking 'Christmas party frock yet?  (Thank you to my lovely client who is far ahead of me and booked me for middle of October to be party frock ready in time - you've put the 'C' word in my head now!).

Whistles Sale At John Lewis - Hurry!

I came across a gorgeous top whilst browsing for a client the other day by Whistles but via John Lewis.  It was heavily discounted.  I popped back on today to have a look and they have some real gems on there.  Frustrating as it is, they still have items listed that aren't in stock so you have to sift through but I think it is worth it based on the reductions alone.  Here are a few of my top picks.  I am so tempted by the first two but they aren't on my shopping list....... 

PS I've added links to the ones shown but if you just type Whistles in the search box everything will come up, including non-sale items).

£115 down to £55 Jenna jumper (wool) (updated after published, it's £35 at House of Fraser and in black also!)

£95 down to £30 Adora jumper 

£75 down to £30 Skater skirt

£125 down to £35 - now gone online I'm afraid, teasing I know by sharing but you may be lucky in store

£115 down to £35 Gracie Short (Michelle, I was thinking of you!)

£185 down to £60 Fee Sandals

£165 down to £45 Mystic mountain dress

I've caved.  But on what?!?  There is a method behind my madness, honest.  I promise to fill you in if it's a successful purchase!

PS I've just seen House of Fraser also have some pieces online so check there is your size is out of stock.  Most prices are matched however as now noted above, the first jumper is £20 cheaper with them!)

The September Shopping List

My monthly update on trying to stick to what I actually need in my wardrobe continues.  On working it all out, I feel I have been fairly successful this last month so maybe I should ensure this is a definite  regular post (even if it is purely just for my own benefit...!).

So the 'ticks' are as follows;

• Beige ankle boots: after mixed views from my Insta buddies, I ended up keeping this style in the biege/sand/nude (call them what you want).  When I returned the black to store, I had to look away, I still love them!  But I don't need them, nor do I need doubles of the same style.  Vairety is the spice of life!  I have sprayed mine so they are protected and worn them several times already (blog to follow on those outfits).  At £30, they were cheaper than the ones I returned in my August list here, they are flatter and more sand in colour than taupe which was my original criteria. 

Now don't anyone else tell me they preferred the black...

The keepers!  Worn, no going back now! Topshop £30

• Casual skirts/dresses: I wasn't properly on the look out as my focus was mainly on sorting a wedding outfit but I grabbed this grey dress in Dublin's Topshop when I was visiting my sister.  It worked out at under £20 and was so comfortable, ideal for my hot holiday in October. 

• Trophy jacket: not a proper tick but I got this Gap number from the outlet and is light and casual, a little bit thicker than a cardi.  

Gap £30

• Denim shorts: well no, I didn't find any but I did find some in the Zara sale for £9.99 so I bought those in stead - that's a tick right?!?!   

Zara £9.99

The usual with denim shorts.  These were from Zara.

Topshop's wall of denim shorts couldn't even help me

• Shirts/blouses: I found this Zara one in store for a ridiculous £5.99 and this Whistles silk one from the outlets for £35 (was £125) so a proper tick for these two.  My wardrobe is very casual so they have been a welcome addition.  Both have already been worn, will share pictures soon. 

Zara

Whistles

• Swimming costume: now this I thought was a definite unrealistic addition to my shopping list,  but I found not one but two!  I'm yet to christen them so I can't comment on how they wear but I was surprised at how easy I found them.  The black strapless was in TK Maxx in Dublin and the navy M&S was whilst I was down in Cornwall.  Both heavily reduced so that made me even more happy.  

TK MAxx $109 originally, €13 to me

M&S £17, I love that it has adjustable straps.

• Wedding outfit: another item ticked that was easier than I thought.  I did a lot of online shopping for this, I was not successful when I was looking around shops, I just found nothing.  In the end I had 3 to choose from and luckily for me and my bank balance, the cheapest was the winner.  I'm on a role with Topshop this month.  Am I the only one who seems to find this with them, I buy nothing for a while then find loads in there? 

Light and easy to wear.  It will be jazzed up don't you worry!

I just need one of those straps to pinch my bra in as the back is cut out, which I love.

The rejections; 

This was second in line and was from Miss Selfridge, £60 (I found a code as always and got it for £50).  It fitted beautifully and if it wasn't a beach wedding, this would have won.

This was originally my favourite reduced to £27 in Topshop but after several people said the colour did nothing for me, there was no chance it was staying put.

I loved the back though.  Damn it. 

Additional purchases; oops.  Slipped off the 'shopping list' wagon.  Apologies, but pretty self explanatory why (will write it out though just in case someone questions my motives...)

It's cotton and cashmere, Antoni & Alison at TK Maxx and was £8 odd.  Quirky, natural fabric, cheaper than Primark!

My sisters fault.  I introduced her to the black trainer, she purchased then, I then wanted them even more.  I've worn my Onitsuka navy suede ones loads, I needed black.  But I did wait until I got back into the UK and got these for £50 with a voucher (they were over £100 in Dublin). 

Ok, ok, epic fail on the breton front.  But it was a good quality, well fitting black breton which I don't have and again, I waited until I got back to the UK and bought from Topshop for £16.

I missed out on the J Crew camo sweater that went into the sale so when I saw this for £4.99 in Gap, it didn't take much to part with my cash.  Love it.

So that leaves me with what I am looking for this month.  I'm saving now and on count down until my holiday so the list needs to be teeny tiny.

• Diamante sandals for wedding (but I have a back up that may have to work as I'm been on the look out and seen nothing glam enough so far).

Carried over August's list:

• Black jeans
• Denim shorts - but on the verge of giving up!

I'm not thinking too far ahead to Winter yet, I'm still in Summer mode whilst my holiday is on the horizon.  I may not be saying that in a few weeks though....!

The Outnet Loss & Skater Shoes - Yay or Nay?

I'm blaming the weather for my utter lack of enthusiasm for dressing right now - how dull and pants is it and is anyone else bored and lacking motivation to put anything else on other than the trusty jeans and jumper combo?  I even called halt to a shopping trip to Westfield as after 3 hours there was nothing I liked nor fancied, nothing was 'doing it for me'.  Ok so maybe the children weren't helping my shopping mojo but that aside I did feel at a loss with what's out there right now.  So I did what I thought was best, came home and did three online orders.......Gap, J Crew and Zara.  All free delivery and returns so watch this space, I may feel inspired sometime soon.  Note to self, this however is my last random online ordering for a while (purely to get my mojo back...).  Back to shopping with my trusted list of 'needs' based on what is missing.  Shopping list coming soon.

On a different note, I have been keeping an eye out in the footwear departments of late.  A client I am working with was after some new pumps and I found her these from Zara.  She loves them and says they are so comfortable.  Ideally these were for her boyfriend styled jeans but I can see them working equally as well with a big turn up on a more fitted pair.

Zara £69.99

So it started me thinking about my own footwear and of course, whether I could benefit from such a style in my wardrobe.  I am a loyal ballet pump wearer, only last year did I branch out to Converse which were animal print of course.  More recently I have been wearing my Onitsuka Tiger trainers, pretty much daily for the school run.  Is there a hole in my wardrobe for an in betweener - something that sits between a ballet pump and a trainer?  Well there's always holes I say but finding one that works for my slender foot may be another issue altogether.

I saw these on The Outnet last week, but by the time I came to check out they had sold out.  They were half price, £110 down to £55 by Michael Kors and looked fairly narrow from the images.  You snooze you loose!  What a price as well.

One of the only shops that had some items I loved at Westfield was Whistles.  I tried on a few pairs of shoes but felt they looked like boats on me.  I also thought the price tag was a bit steep on the skater style but none the less, they had a nice selection. 

Espadrilles £85 

Skaters £135

So over to you.  Have you brought into the skater trend?  Any narrow ones you recommend that don't appear clumpy?  Or do you think it is it too short a trend for you to invest?  

Some Reiss in my Life!

After my month long shopping ban in May I struggled to find anything that excited me in the shops.  I thought the ban did me good to re-evaluate what I had, take stock of what was worn and what was needed.  Then the sales started and I lost all self control.  Always led by a discount, coupled with a fabulous staff discount, there really is only one Harrods sale!  Ouch to the purse and so starts another ban commences (when contract finishes next week obviously!).

I've started to move away from some of the more obvious choices on the high street, mainly due to quality and sometimes certain shops being a little to 'high fashion' for me.  On a normal week I need a smart/casual wardrobe that stands the test of time fabric and style wise.  I've turned to Reiss, Whistles, Zara and the likes of small independent boutiques such as Coco Marie (competition coming soon, watch this space!) who stock great key brands under one roof.

'More cardigans' I hear you roar! But they are so versatile I shout back! Both are from Reiss and worked out at under £30 each with my discount. I love how the striped one is elasticated at the back to fit into the waist.

Classic stripe, it's fitted and well designed

This mint green cardi is a little more casual due to the 'Grandad' style cut and textured cotton knit. It's a great seasonal piece as the colour is Spring/Summer yet the thickness works for our cooler climates.

I wore it with simple blue Topshop jeans (blue and green shouldn't be seen - rules are meant to be broken...), white M&S vest, gold Topshop belt and mint Office ballet pumps (all old, and I'm talking 2 years + for the rest of the outfit)

I'm not gong to bore you in one long blog post about my recent finds/purchases as 1) It highlights the fact I've been naughty recently with my budget and 2) I can drone on with over excitement! So for your sake I will group together. Enjoy!

Sale (well mainly TK Maxx!) Finds

I'm not sure what made me trail through the TK Maxx clearance sale on line, however I'm glad I did.  With free delivery for an over £50 spend (easy!) and free returns to store, I doubled up on shoe sizes so as not to miss out!  

Dune (TK Maxx) £96, down to £44.99, price to me £18!

Real suede, I love the nude colour for Summer

After seeing this close up and my little toe cleavage I am now slightly unsure - or am I being to picky?

French Connection (TK Maxx) £140, down to £39.99 price to me £18!

Such a classic cut LBD, I've been looking to update my faded one for a while now

Love the detail on it, just add's something else to it instead of it being a 'plain Jane'

Love love love!  Worn the day after arrival, real suede £18!  Honestly! (no idea of brand,  it didn't matter in this instance!)

Oh dear.....Bertie, can't remember the original prices but I paid £26

They just didn't work for me, but it's all about trying!

Whilst returning the brogues (Victoria Beckham inspired me!) I walked away from the till and straight into this Whistles number - honestly, it was right in front of me!  £150 down to £29.99, 100% silk (lover of all good materials, silk and cashmere being my favourites) I headed straight to the changing room.  It had a slight fault on the back with a faint line across the print, however this is hardly noticeable and as I wouldn't pay the full £150 I am in love!  Having a design on my upper body is perfect for me as I have little in the breast department so can get away with a print and high neckline.  Similarly, the bottom half is a dark colour (more flattering on me as my widest part is my hip area) and plain, therefore overall balancing my petite frame out.   I threw in my trusty All Saints heels to give lots of height, but I feel this dress would work just as well with a court.  I can not wait to wear it.

Whistles (TK Maxx) £150, TK Price £29.99 (not in Clearance)

Trying to strike a pose (just don't zoom in on the un-shaven legs...)

Original label still in tact and a close up of the amazing colours

And finally my M&S vests......boring I know, but an essential for me and my wardrobe.  I always stock up in the sale, they work out at £2.50-£3 each so at that price they are worth buying in bulk.

I'll be back with more bargains soon (nearly finished spending my birthday and Christmas money, then I'm on a self inflicted ban......)