Shoe Sales!

Right now is a brilliant time for sale shopping, particularly for shoes. And I am finding it incredibly hard to resist; having been away travelling for over 6 months and having just received my first pay check in a long time, for some reason the only thing I want to spend it on is shoes... House of Fraser shoe section is currently my favourite destination for bargain shoe hunting - their combination of the Kurt Geiger brands and the Shoe Studio brands is unbeatable and they tend to have a wide selection of styles and sizes included in the sale. Bertie just have sooo many gorgeous shoes; here is my sale shortlist:

(Stan, Oaklahoma, Gambia, Gold Coast all from Bertie at The Shoe Studio)

And here is the one pair I went with in the end. Gorgeous right? And really comfortable (so far), thanks to the elastic straps and platform heel.

(Santa Fe, also from Bertie at The Shoe Studio)

If you don't mind last season's styles in the bid for cheap shoes, Amazon has a pretty good and ever increasing selection of popular shoe brands on their site. This includes Carvela, Rocket Dog, etc etc. I couldn't resist this pair of Rocket Dog heels, as I figured they should be as comfortable as Rocket Dog tends to be and they are also a bit quirky to cheer up an office outfit.

(Rocket Dog Mariella from Amazon.co.uk)

Slight shopping guilt set in after my 2 shoes purchases - after all I have just returned from travelling with no money and plan to save up over the summer to go away again at the end of the year. So, to balance out the shopping, I have been selling old clothes and shoes on eBay. I have sold plenty of clothes on eBay in the past as I generally find myself with a lot of clothes I either don't really like / don't fit anymore / get bored of. I have never sold shoes before though, and I have the perfect pair to try and sell. It is a pair of Carvela "Agadoo" heels that I had my eye on for ages, but when I finally bought them found that they are just a bit too small and cut my feet open every time I wear them... So after keeping them in my wardrobe for 2 years, optimistically (and painfully) wearing them twice, I decided I could try and get some money for them to cancel out the new shoes. Fingers crossed with that one!!

The latest addition to my wardrobe...

This Matt & Nat Marais bag was my birthday present from my boyfriend :o) I had had my eye on it for aaages, and it does not disappoint in reality!

I then bought these Nine West boots in the never-ending House of Fraser sale. Was a bit of an impulse buy, but they are very lovely...

The latest addition to my wardrobe...

...is this gorgeous Antik Batik batwing cardigan from Net-a-Porter.com. It was one of those things that the first time I saw it I knew I had to have it - luckily I didn't see it until it was in the sale! So far I have worked out it goes perfectly with skinny jeans and heels, and looks fab with a black mini dress, tights and flat boots. Yum!

Vintage Virgin

I have always been intrigued by vintage clothes. So many times I see a photo and think "Wow that's a gorgeous jumper/dress/bag, I wonder where it's from?",and it turns out to be vintage. I also love the idea that vintage clothes are one of a kind and can really make an outfit look unique. However, I am a little bit wary of buying anything vintage except scarves and bags. Part of the reason is that I am unsure of the best places to buy vintage, and I also want to make sure I am buying quality pieces (without spending huge amounts of money!). When I have looked around popular vintage shops in London such as Rokit, all I seemed to find were cute flowery tea dresses, frumpy "old lady" dresses, and lots and lots of plaid shirts. All of which would be perfect for other people and look great on them, but are just not my style. I did come away from Rokit with a black denim skirt and a stripy scarf, but was nevertheless a bit disappointed that I hadn't found anything more. I think it's about time I get serious and overcome this fear of buying vintage clothes, so I have set myself a couple of challenges: Firstly, to buy something vintage from eBay. Secondly, I want to find something from a specific vintage shop, either online or in a "real" shop. The third challenge is to check out some of the various vintage markets in London and try and find something there. I'm sure that all of this is all old hat for a lot of people who regularly scour the markets, but I still need to work up to it! I'll let you know how I get on...

The latest addition to my wardrobe...

One of several purchases last weekend (making the most of the sales!). This cardigan from Urban Outfitters is turning out to be both comfortable and really versatile:

Photo from UrbanOutfitters.co.uk

The latest addition to my wardrobe...

Speaking of All Saints, I had some good finds in their sale this week, including this black bubble-hem shirt dress. Perfect for the awkward transition between winter and spring:

I also spotted this gorgeous asymmetric zip crinkle leather jacket. Unfortunately not in the sale :o( But it's definitely on my wish list now!

From http://www.allsaintsshop.co.uk/