The Gucci Bargain

A quick little lesson and a post I have kept meaning to share since the start of the year!  Sales shopping is the ideal time to invest, especially in brands that are usually well out of your reach and don't be put off by the scraggly pieces as they are often the gems.  Cue this purple number from Gucci.  They had a very small rail with something like a 'special price' gold sign below - very discreet!  Some odd items left on Boxing Day (yes, I braved Bicester Village on Boxing Day!) and this top jumped out at me.  It clearly needed a good iron but the cut looked stunning - especially around the sleeves, it was made of cotton and silk, it was a beautiful colour and the price, well it was £400 down to £45!  I took a snap of the ticket just to remind me what a bargain it was!

Even pre an iron it was a no brainer and more so as my sister offered to buy it as an early birthday present for me.  

A tad naughty but I wore it before my birthday as we were off to our friends for New Years Eve and I just wanted a nice new top to wear.  I kept the rest of the outfit simple as once the bow was done up that really was the focal point.  I did add a tiny additional piece of fun with an animal print belt.  I love this top, I can see it staying in my wardrobe for years.  Don't be afraid to go into the big designer stores - you just never know what you may find!

Top; Gucci
Belt; J Crew
Trousers; Topshop

I am always rushing to get out the house, especially when my girls are also on a mission to get their outfit sorted...Hence the grainy shots and the only full half decent shot included them!

Shoes; Boden (Alice flats and my real life Alice to the right!)

It's All About The Footwear!

I'm just a little bit bored with clothes at the moment.  It happens to me at this time of year, I just want a cozy jumper and jeans (and my thermal vest of course) and be done with it all.  That being said, shoes are still floating my boat quite a bit and I do have a Christmas party coming up.  On the flip side, there really is only so many times a fancy pair of shoes can be worn and I do have a few - I know, I too have just fallen off the chair at that statement.  I'm reaching for the chocolate and G&T to bring me round, don't worry.  But really, how gorgeous are these from River Island?  Available in black as well and I don't think £65 is an unreasonable price tag.  I was a little slow on the uptake and missed out on the Grazia code of 25% off so I haven't purchased them - yet!  Oh and did I mention they are suede - my all time favourite for shoes!

River Island £65

While we are on the suede front, I may as well continue.  My obsession with suede footwear is perhaps getting worse.  I was in London last week for some press days.  Boden as always, didn't disappoint.  The only thing you have to bear in mind is that this is what is to come, they aren't yet available as this is their Spring/Summer drop.

I have their Alice flats which are super, these look like a updated version complete with some great studding detail

Tassels are still in for next season

Just throwing these in there as they were so stunning and stood out a mile.  They are by Giuseppe Zanotti, a truly premium brand.  These definitely had the 'wow' factor going on.

And yes - they were suede too!

Back down to earth with some every day footwear that also offers something a little different to the norm.  You may have heard off the brand Minnetonka and if not, then you'll probably have seen a certain Miss Moss wearing a pair of hers.  Flat, suede, fringing, they pretty much tick all the boxes. They have gone straight on my wish list after seeing a collection in the flesh.

Finishing with a boot I've got my eye on.  I'm not a huge Ugg wearer anymore, I have 4 pairs, all pretty old now but I find them very heavy on the end of my little legs.  My favourite are the short pair but I mainly wear these for ease when I go to Yoga.  Office sent me an email introducing their exclusive Ugg Petra boot and I was immediately transfixed.  They are in a nubuck leather so won't mark as easily as suede Ugg's but still have that sheepskin lining.  On top of that they are short, which I love with skinny jeans.  I'm yet to see these in the flesh and try them on but they may go on my sale shopping list!

Ugg Petra £130

Outfits Round Up

I did warn you in my last post that the Boden Alice shoes would feature heavily in my round up so there are no surprises here!  They really have been a great addition to my wardrobe.  I reach for them so much, I love that they don't fall off as easily as a ballet pump when I'm sitting.  I'm almost worried I may tire of them but that's not stopped me wearing them so far.  Needless to say, they've been worn with jeans - a lot!

School run attire!
Sweater; Marc Jacobs
Jeans; Zara
Shoes; Boden

Work mode with a client!
Cardi; Zara
Bag; Ugg
Jeans; Topshop
Shoes; Boden

I tend to forget about this Ugg bag in the Summer months as feel the sheepskin is just more Winter however the sun decided to shine brightly when I took it out to play!  It's a great hands free sized bag, just enough room for some essentials.  

Ugg sample bargain for £27 a few years back now. 

A denim on denim day!
Shirt & jeans; Topshop
Boots; Gap

Off out to a friends for the evening - with popcorn of course!
Jumpers; Cos
Jeans; Zara
Bag; Prada
Shoes; Boden

Park time after school!
Jeans; Topshop
Watch; Tag
Sunglasses; Chloe
Shoes; Boden

A monochrome day - love the back to this jumper!
Jumper; Rag & Bone
Jeans; Topshop
Trainers; Nike

My Favourite Boden Purchases & What A/W Has In Store

When Boden bought out their Alice heels I was desperate for a pair.  Not only were they gorgeous but my second daughter is called Alice and I'm a sucker for things like that!  However, the voice of reason struck and I really didn't need more heels.  So when they released the flat version I was over the moon.  Even more so when the email flashed up that they were heavily reduced, plus I had a voucher - result!  (They also do a mid heel - see here).  

Alice flats £49.50 (other colours from £29.70)

I absolutely love them.  They come up true to size and are so comfortable.  I am a huge suede fan so that was the icing on the cake, plus the tassels in the pewter colour work perfectly alongside the black and grey.  I have a few pairs of ballet pumps so these are a great addition, they are more structured than a pump and feel more like a shoe as they aren't slip on.

I was having a double tassel kind of day!
Jeans and bag Topshop

I am sure I've featured this cardigan before but as it's coming into Autumn I wanted to remind you about their cashmere.  I bought this a while back, again it was reduced to around the £50 mark.  It is probably the best piece of cashmere I own as far as quality goes (I'm talking High Street cashmere here, I'm sure there's some amazing designers pieces out there too!).  It's hard to describe but it's like it's been knitted together tighter, a really well made piece.  I have worn and worn it, it's a proper work horse in my wardrobe.  They have this ribbed jumper in currently which I'm wondering if it will be of similar texture to my cardigan, I will definitely be keeping an eye on it in the sales!

A few photos from their press day earlier this year to follow.  There were some stand out pieces which I'm sharing with you however their basics crew neck cashmere (available in a variety of colours) still drew me in.  

I loved this cashmere jumper - the colour was just as gorgeous in the flesh.  £99

They are launching their new British Icons very soon (sign up here to hear about it first).  The cardigan and coat below were some of my favourite from the collection - I love it when there's a real story behind what a brand is bringing to us.  Even more so when there is going to be less available!

Finishing with a few pairs of shoes and a handbag!

I can't find these shoes online so I don't think they have been launched yet.  The gold are my favourite - you can jazz up a pair of jeans so easily with them.

 These flats were being 'papped' a lot! They have have them in navy and plum satin also.  £99

This fur bag was so soft and totally beautiful.  The leather straps were well made, I could see this being used as an every day chuck it all in bag, glamming up any outfit!  £139, available in two other colours, due in 5 weeks.

My Alice flats have really been worn so much, I hugely recommend them.  Next post will be some recent outfits - apologies in advance - they feature in most of them!