A little High Street Shopping for Spring.
Here I am jumping for joy because it felt like Spring........and then the snow came! Those of you who've known me for a while know that for the last few winters I have been able to escape to Byron Bay to avoid the worst of the English weather. This year, sod's law, I stayed here, apart from three amazing weeks in India, and realized that I may have the best vintage coats in the world but absolutely no warm clothes to wear underneath, apart from my Luxe Arctic pants from Sweaty Betty and my M&S thermal vests underneath various colourful tops.
(The vintage coats below were found at various Vintage Fairs & Shops. From Left to Right: To Be Worn Again, Brighton, St. Wilfrids Hospice Charity Shop, Vintage & Retro, in Chichester, and the faux fur leopard was found at an annual Vintage Fair in Chichester)
So I went on a shopping spree and bought a retro looking pair of jeans and a dress from Hobbs. That's all, for the whole of the rest of the winter and spring, so far! I fell in love with this Lula dress from Hobbs because it looks so 60s and it's warm and covers me up. I'm not at all sure of my favourite, now worn out sneakers worn with this dress, but am loving the orange tights, orange vintage headscarf, 60s sunglasses and the beautiful Pudding Lane, Hobo bag gifted to me by Radley, the perfect bag for spring/summer. Click here to see the rest of their range.
Believe it or not (I am a fanatical de-clutterer) I only have 2 pairs of jeans, one for the summer full of rips which are far too big now to wear in the summer or, indeed, over tights in the winter, not a good look at my age. The other pair of jeans are tight, 50s style and just look better with bare ankles. (Oh and some comfy, scruffy ones for dog walking!) I found some amazingly retro-looking ones in French Connection but, again, have to be really careful what shoes I wear with them. Why do all my jeans look better with bare ankles? However, with leggings underneath for the really cold snap, and this vintage shirt I bought years ago for about £20 I think these jeans look stunning and 'cause they're high waisted are really comfortable. The Radley bag and the vintage glasses just finish it off nicely, I am sure you agree. Just can't wait for it to be warm enough to wear this look with a leather jacket!
I have to say a couple of thank yous here. Both in Hobbs and French Connection, the sales staff went that extra mile. I was shopping on a cold, quiet weekday in Brighton so they totally had time to get me and realize what my style is and how much I prefer the vintage look so enthusiastically went to search things out for me. It was like having personal shopping!
Top tip: have a firm idea of what it is you actually need rather than want, it's got to save you time and money. I went to a few shops looking for a warm dress and other shops for a pair of jeans that didn't look like dog-walking jeans. And I went home with both and nothing else!
And a big thank you to my friend Dalia who is just a natural photographer and always seems to capture me at my best. You can see more of her lovely photography and photos of her here: when we went to Rye for the day.
See you soon, and let me know what you think of my latest purchases. Have you managed to go spring shopping and not come home with mistakes or things you just don't need?
