What does one wear to go to a gig?

I may have mentioned that I love a bit of live music. I’m not exactly a muso but I do like going to a gig or two to have a bit of a sing and a bit of a dance. We have some lovely gig buddies who we go to see many different bands including the likes of Embrace, The Beach Boys and Noel Gallagher. They are the cool gigs, there are a few maybe not quite so cool like Steps, Hear’Say (cringe) and One Direction – it was the kids honest! For me, knowing what to wear for a gig is pretty tricky for a number of reasons.

1) I always need good footwear especially if I’m standing, I have to have something flat but being a bit on the short side, this can mean that I struggle to see. I’m happy to end the night with an elongated neck as I strain to see the stage but heels would be a nightmare for what I call my “gig jig”.
2) I need something I can leg it out to the car or the station so whether it’s from the Corn Exchange or the O2, I love an early dart to get out first – I’m such a nerd.

3) Jeans are a no brainer for a normal gig gig.

4) But then what top to wear? Well if it’s a bit of what I call a trendy gig like Take That (yes I know but that’s’ all I’ve got) I like something with a bit of a sparkle but if it’s a bit more folky like the mighty Bellowhead I like to be a bit more flowing (like the real ale!). I got a fab top from Scope which was ace when we went to Bellowhead.

5) I always look forward to a bit of Newmarket nights but it is a bit more posh. I love a frock and wedges so I don’t sink into the grass and look like a wobbling wino.

6) Coat or not? Like on big nights out in Oldham and Ashton in the early 90’s, coats just get in the way. At a push a denim to tie round my waist but otherwise no thank you.

So you can see this is something I massively overthink, its amazing I actually get out of the door to get to a gig after trying on everything I own.

God forbid if I ever went to a festival!!!

Off to a gig

On Tuesday night I went to a proper gig. An old school, take me back to my teens type gig. That could mean anything from Wet Wet Wet to Simply Red (ahem, blushes with embarrassment) but it was a little more credible as it was The Inspiral Carpets and Shed Seven.

I was all set with my jeans, trainers, floaty top (from Scope) and a big scarf (Salvation Army). No bag, which is unheard of for me, just my phone, a bit of cash and my car keys. I did leg it into the venue because I was freezing as I’m no longer a cold proof 18 year old.  Once in the venue I was transported back to the days of Worlds Colliding, a fella called Joe, Disco Down and of course I chased a few rainbows. This will mean nothing to some but plenty to others. We had gone all the way to Hatfield to go to the Forum, which was an actual Student Union! I hadn’t been in one of these for well about 20 years!

It was while Shed Seven were playing away, I turned to my left and saw a face I recognised. Not from real life but from the Twitterverse. Caroline Jones from @knickersmyown was standing right next to me! A friend of mine recommended her and I have followed Caroline for the last 6 months. Her idea is great, she has been raising money for Cancer Research by wearing a different outfit each day for a year all bought from her Cancer Research charity shop then sold on Ebay, she has raised a whopping £36k! A real achievement!

Well I must say I was a bit star struck. A proper bona fide Twitter celeb was just there having a bit of a dance and a bit of a sing. I had to say hello so I shuffled round and babbled away with good old Rick singing away in the background.  She was ace, we had a bit of a chat and I gushed about her being an inspiration. I suppose that to me, Caroline has made charity shop shopping more cool and well normal. I think I might have said that at the time, whether she could hear me over the singing I don’t know! My friends all thought I was accosting random stranger, lets hope she didn’t think the same……


xx

The Beaver Ball and other ramblings...

I’m sure you are all desperate to know what I wore to the Beaver Ball, well, I’m sorry to say that on this occasion charity shops failed me. Serves me right for not adhering to my own rule – don’t shop for anything specific (see post entitled The Dos and Don’t of Charity Shopping).

However, while searching in the Salvation Army shop I got my best haul yet from their sale rail. That is:

• two Next tops (one of which I’d seen in Next a couple of years ago, liked but not bought)
• pair of Esprit trousers
• sparkly dress
• Jane Norman shorts

Three pounds the lot! That is less than a pint. In fact, often when I go out my drink costs more than my dress.

Even though I really like the shorts I bought I am not sure that I’m brave enough to wear them, they’re not called shorts for nothing. My husband even hinted (actually, he wasn’t as subtle as to hint) that I am too old to wear them. The cheek! But am I?

I’m going out tonight and am tempted to give them a whirl. So if you are in the St Neots area and spot a middle aged, bushy haired woman in shorts, buy her a drink. Did I mention that they’re orange?

Talking of clothes that I may never wear, numerous people, some I didn’t even know read this blog, have asked whether I’ve worn the Jean Paul Gautier short/pants thing yet. In answer, I have not. But it is the party season so you never know. Though as yet I have not received an invitation to a “wear your weirdest item of clothing” party, but that gives me an idea…

I digress. So after trips to the charity shops and trying yet more of Ingrid’s dresses, she has some beauties, but I still couldn’t keep them up, I ended up wearing a dress that I bought new from TK Maxx. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before as it is a beautiful emerald green colour and when I tried it on in the shop my mum said “I hate that colour but it looks amazing on you”. I focussed on the amazing bit. I had been unsure about wearing it as it is very clingy but then I had the brainwave of putting a petticoat underneath it and that did the trick. If I’m the type to wear a petticoat perhaps my husband has a point about the shorts! I’m not even sure you can get them these days. This particular one I’ve had since I was a student twenty years ago. So my dress may not have been second hand but my undergarment was vintage!

Anyway we had a great time at the ball and everyone looked amazing. I’d definitely go again next year though I may start looking for my dress now.

The end of an era

I’m afraid I’m going to go all dramatic and a little sentimental this week as I say goodbye to one of the things that got me into charity shopping in the first place.

This time last year I wrote all about the joys of St Neots NCT Nearly New Sales. The wonders I found when I first went shopping in the madness and organised chaos of these bi-annual events. On my first visit I bought so much stuff for my son and for my daughter I think my husband thought I had gone mad! As much as I love shopping, I also enjoyed being a seller, the labelling and pricing was always a bind but to me it was a way of clearing out (hard to do as a resident hoarder) and to make a bit of money for the charity. This fun has lasted for years, well at least 7 as I started out when my daughter was a baby.

I therefore looked forward to the recent sale with great anticipation; I had sorted out the loft (no mean feat) and had plenty of stuff to sell. I got it all ready, washed, ironed, labelled and bagged ready to go. Now as an old hand at this, I obviously didn’t read through the sellers’ notes, even when it was stressed I should do so. So it came as a massive surprise when I read they had dropped to top age of clothing you can sell to 5 years old! I had bagged up so many clothes age 6,7&8 I was gutted that I didn’t read the notes! I also felt a bit silly that those people sorting and hanging my items would have wondered what on earth I was thinking! I think I got most of it back but anything else will hopefully have gone to a charity shop nearby.

So it was with some melancholy and a tinge of sadness that as I realised I was too old. Another nail in the ageing coffin. This age thing isn’t something particularly new for me, I’m never to wear hot pants (thank god I hear you cry), go clubbing “down Ashton” as I used to as a teen and sadly I will never be in a girl band or be a prima ballerina. So this is something else to add. Thank you NCT for all the fond years but you have now gone the way of the gold sparkly hot pants and pints of Snakebite and Black.

Maybe I should organise an over 5’s Nearly New Sale, any takers to help? xx

A quest for a dress

Next weekend Ingrid and I, along with friends, are going to a fundraising event to raise money for the refurbishment of the local scout hut – the Beaver Ball as I keep calling it. (My son is in the Beaver section of the scout movement by way of explanation.)

I’m very excited about this as I’ve not been to many black tie events, actually I’m not even sure I’ve been to any. Consequently I have nothing to wear. Ok, that’s not strictly true, you can’t have a wardrobe as bulging as mine without having a posh frock or two. However anything I have that is suitable seems to have shrunk in the wash; that can be the only plausible explanation!

Not to worry, it’s the perfect excuse to go charity shop shopping and I’m always seeing posh frocks that I love but have no occasion to wear them. It’s the right time of year for party dresses, the charity shops are full of them, and I tried on loads. However, I came home empty handed. There were dresses that would have certainly done but I didn’t want one that just did.

Ingrid very kindly lent me two dresses to try, one from Coast, the other Per Una, both charity shop bargains and both stunning. I would have been very happy to wear either and even rethink my “anything from Per Una makes you look a bit mental” policy. Unfortunately, they are both strapless, and I just don’t have the chest to hold them up, even straps wouldn’t help, I just can’t fill them. Very disappointing. Now, if it had been my bum that was too small I wouldn’t have minded in the least.

I’ve asked friends what they are wearing and they’ve all got charity shop dresses or borrowed one. I’d love to think that it was the influence of this blog, but I’m sure it’s not. They, like me, want to wear something “new” but don’t see the point in spending lots of money on something that they’re only likely to wear once. I’m hoping they will let me take photos, so watch this space!

But my quest for a dress continues. I’ve still got a few options and if all else fails I’ll wear my wedding dress. I’ve always wanted an excuse to wear it again and where better than a Beaver Ball!

Bubbles, bakes and wearing purple.

This month is Pancreatic Cancer awareness month and Friday 13th November is World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day. This is a cause close to two of my friends who have lost loved ones to this dreadful disease. To help with a bit of fundraising, these two friends are taking part in something called Host for Hope a great idea of hosting a night in and getting baking! What could be more fun! The night is called Bubbles and Bakes – happy days. Now the bubbles part I am more than happy with but the baking element has got me quaking. I’m not a natural baker but I’m going to have a go, always reliant on the fact that if what I bake looks terrible I will say the kids helped me!
As an extra little twist, we’ve all been asked to wear purple. A great idea, I had a little look in my wardrobe but couldn’t really find anything I could wear, well apart from my purple boots – hurrah a reason to wear them and look like a middle aged super hero! So with a purple challenge I headed to the charity shops.

Looking for a specific colour in charity shops does make the process a little trickier, it takes less time as you can quickly skim through the rails but it is hard not to get side tracked! The Salvation Army is perfect for this as everything is sorted by colour which in this case was more Bonne Marche floral lilac not really my thing. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t find anything in my favourite shop so I headed to my other fave Barnardos. This shop has a new manager and now has much less stock to rifle through, the layout is better but there it does feel like something is missing. I did however manage to stumble on a little turquoise coat for £2, what a steal! It was a size 14 but when I tried it on it felt a bit tight round my shoulder. Never mind, it’s a Butterfly by Matthew Williamson and its only £2 so I bought it. It wasn’t until I got home I realised it was actually not a size 15 but an age 14! On the one hand I’m quite pleased I can fit in a kids coat but on the other hand, I’m afraid I’ll be matching the local schoolgirls! Anyway, I digress.  Undeterred I nipped in to the British Heart Foundation shop and had a good old rummage, there is something about this shop which I find really homely. Maybe it’s the lovely lady who works there or maybe it’s the way it’s laid out, BHF does have a higher price point but it is a really nice shop. Happily I found a fabulous little purple and black skirt from M&S, it’s a 10, which is a bit snug, but so long as I don’t sit down (!) it should be fine! I’m going to finally wear my purple superhero boots and I’ve bought a lovely little necklace which should look ok so fingers crossed it will all work out! I must say I did feel a certain level of satisfaction as I legged it back to the car as my parking ticket had run out. I’d achieved a double result, buying from a charity shop to wear something for a charity do – hurrah!

Photos will be uploaded after our charity night; I’m really looking forward to it. Now for the small matter of baking a cake, step aside Nigella; the new finest baker is in town………

A family day out - to the charity shops.

Over half term, like Ingrid, I also went to Norfolk for a few days. We did absolutely nothing and it was lovely. We ate, sat around a bit, got the rowing boat out (we were on the Broads) then ate some more and had another sit down.

On the way home, seeing as we had done very little, we went to Norwich. We intended to be cultured and visit the castle and cathedral but we ended up just pottering around the shops. Now, you may find this hard to believe, seeing as this blog is essentially about shopping, but I don’t like shopping. A mooch around the charity shops for an hour, yes, I like but a full afternoon or day of shopping is not my idea of fun at all. So I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. Norwich is full of independent shops which are crafty or vintage or just a bit different. I kept thinking that I should come back without my men folk for a proper perusal. I particularly liked Loose’s Emporium on Magdalen Street which is full of antiques and collectables, the weird and the wonderful, and had the best toilets. Even they were retro.

On the same street were lots of charity shops and the whole family likes these, my husband and I because we like a bargain and the boys as they know they have more of a chance of us buying something for them than they would in a normal shop.

We were in the Norfolk Cancer Charity shop which was crazy, in a good way. There was people, furniture and stuff everywhere. Younger son was happy as we found him a rucksack; I was flicking through the rails trying to dodge the men carrying a three piece suite and absent minded-ly listening to my elder son. “What’s this, Mum?” he asked pointing at a wooden criss-cross wine rack. “It’s a wine rack” I said “you keep bottles of wine in it”. It was not until I heard the lady near us burst into laughter that I registered his reply – “There’s no point in us buying that, Daddy just gurgles it down”

He’s quite right.

Dress Agency – my new favourite thing?

With it being half term we have been away to sunny Norfolk and also headed to the frozen north. Spending lots of time with the family is ace but pretty full on in our house. It was therefore a nice surprise to find myself at a bit of a loose end on a Friday afternoon, what to do. Well obviously a bit of shopping was in order so the trainee shopper (nearly 7 year old daughter) and I headed to the small market town of Wetherby with a bit of a plan. I'd been told about a new ish dress agency run by the In-laws neighbour so I had to go and have a look - be rude not to.
The sun was out, we found a scooter to propel the young one into town and we were off. I wasn’t sure what to expect but a bit of a quiet shopping I was quite excited. We arrived at “Practically Perfect” and I immediately loved it. Not only was it small and quirky with a brilliant spiral staircase and there was a massive range of designer handbags that were just lovely and very tempting. The lady who was working there was so nice; she made a fuss of the trainee shopper and was v nice and chatty – such a lovely northern trait. I soon got carried away, the fur coats weren’t really my thing but the red Coast coat definitely was. There were plenty of good names from Whistles, to Hobbs and the odd bit of Burberry - all a bit swish but all pretty affordable.
The shop sells on behalf of individuals and takes a cut, EBay with a front door. The stock moves pretty quickly and anything that doesn’t sell immediately gets a second chance (or third?) upstairs. I could have stayed for hours and bought plenty but I was aware that the trainee shopper can only be kept quiet with so many sweets and time on You Tube. So I bought myself the Coast coat, which at £38 was a bit above my normal price point but it’s gorgeous and I felt frivolous. I also got a little black skirt from M&S for £6 so a nice little haul.
It did make me wonder whether I should try and sell some bits and bobs through such a dress agency but with my luck with EBay I’m not so sure.

I might just need another trip back to look at those lovely handbags again though.

Can clothes make you grumpy? Part 2

A couple of weeks ago Ingrid asked the question “can clothes make you grumpy?” She concluded that, yes they can and I completely agree. There’s nothing worse than being inappropriately dressed. Well, obviously there is, but who hasn’t had a perfectly nice walk ruined by shoes that rub or a day out spoiled by wearing their more flattering coat in favour of their kagoul. Not to mention the sheer embarrassment of turning up at a party in a cocktail frock when everyone else is in jeans. All of these things are sure to make you very grumpy.

And it’s not only being unsuitably dressed than can get you in a grump, some clothes are just plain uncomfortable. Skinny jeans may look great but they do dig in. Heels can look fantastic but can be crippling. I’ve not worn a shirt and tie since my school days but I don’t imagine they’ve got any more comfortable over the years. And then there are tights; if ever an item of clothing is going to make you grumpy it’s them. They are either twisted, wrinkling at the ankles or the gusset is round your knees – shudder.

So why do we put ourselves through all this? Why don’t we wear comfy tracksuits or onsies all the time? It’s only social convention that says that one outfit is smarter or more acceptable than another. If everyone turned up to work in tracky bottoms that would be fine. I was thinking about this in the playground at school drop off and the question baffled me for a bit. I was on the verge of rushing home to put on my leggings, but then I got it. Clothes can make you grumpy, true, but they can also make you feel amazing. And that’s why we put up with blisters and droopy gussets because people rarely feel amazing in a tracksuit.*

*Unless they’ve just won a gold medal at the Olympics or something similar.

A dress inspired by Corrie?

I don’t know about you but I am known to have a bit of a gawp at other peoples outfits and try to emulate them. As I write this I am wearing a pair of red skinny jean which make me look a bit like the posh one off Gogglebox but without the Gin. Yes I know, sad but true. I look to many places to get ideas on what to wear, I rarely read magazines so being super fashionable isn’t really my thing but I do look to the TV, high street shops and other people to find my inspiration.

Now those who know me will know I’m not exactly edgy in my style and I’m pretty mainstream but I do like to look at different things every now and then. For example, I own a fabulous green skirt (from Salvation Army) made by a designer in Turkey which I love but I lack the cool edge to really pull it off. I’ve not quite made it to a Jean Paul Gaultier like Sophie but I do own a rather spectacular pair of purple knee length boots which would look fab if they fastened and I didn’t look like a middle aged Super hero whilst wearing them.

I do watch a lot of telly so I have been known to try to wear something a bit sparkly on a Monday after a weekend marathon of Strictly Come Dancing. One staple watch in our house is Coronation Street, I’d even say it’s a family favourite. My husband and I have always been big fans and I do sometimes worry about the story lines and the characters (poor Tyrone and Fizz) but I never thought my going out outfit would be influenced by one of the characters. Now, who on earth do you think I mean? I’ve often think that I could pull off the Carla Connor look and I do look forward to ageing like Rita or Audrey but in this case it was the one and only Liz McDonald. I kid you not. I bought a dress from Banardos inspired by this very special Landlady who does have some somewhat unorthodox outfits. It was the way the arms were cut that attracted me, have a look and see what you think, I will hopefully be serving in the Rovers very soon. X

The weird and the wonderful.

One of the things I love about charity shops is that you can find some very odd items in them, some so hideous that you can’t imagine why anyone would have bought them in the first place and some so wonderful you wonder how anyone could ever part with them.

Last month I spotted some black culottes in the Salvation Army shop and thought they’d be useful for work. I’m often up and down ladders so skirts are not always practical or even decent. But I had the kids with me and they were a full £10 which is expensive for a charity shop so I left them. Another trip to the shop and they were still there. As I was alone, they had been reduced and the shop now has a changing room, I tried them on. It was then that I realised that they weren’t actually culottes but a skirt with a full split down the front and the back - and that it had built in pants!

Then I looked at the labels and had more of a surprise. They were brand new and had been £79.99 in TK Maxx but originally £320. Ten pounds, now seven, didn’t seem to be quite so bad now. Closer inspection revealed that they were John Paul Gaultier which might explain a lot. For some reason the thought of built in pants really amused me and I wondered if the person who bought them originally just didn’t realise what a odd item of clothing it was and that is how they ended up in the charity shop with the labels still on. Or does TK Maxx give any clothing they can’t shift to charity? Needless to say I didn’t buy them as I wanted culottes for modesty’s sake.

It may also be needless to say that when they were reduced again to a pound I did. Mainly for the novelty value; I can now say that I have a John Paul Gaultier skirt (if that is what it is) in my wardrobe and that I’ve saved £319 - though I know I haven’t.

But will I ever wear them? Yes, I think so, if I can decide whether I should wear pants with them or not.

Sophie

Can clothes make you grumpy?

A bit of a random question but one that dawned on me the other day whilst winding myself up into a proper mood. We are in the midst of a marvellous Indian summer, which I love and loathe at the same time. Every year I do the same thing (I really should learn), at the end of August I decide that summer is indeed over and all my summer clothes are going away back into the loft and the jumpers are coming out. I say goodbye to with a wistful sigh to my strappy tops, floaty skirts and summer dresses only to replace them with knitted jumpers, boots and a plethora of dresses – all v warm. The only thing that stays are my trusty flip flops of which I have a fair few pairs. I must admit that being able to keep them going for a few more days is ace! I wonder if I’m the only one who is struggling to fit my summer feet back into shoes and if I’m the only one in agony by the end of a day in ballerina flats?


So when the sun started shining and the temperature headed for the high teens I found myself in a proper old pickle, I can’t wear my autumn stuff, as I will be boiling and annoyed. But then all the summer stuff is away and lets face it, it’s a bit fresh for a maxi dress. What to do? So I head for tops and jeans, but here again is another problem I can’t quite fit into them – horror mc horror I nearly got the January jeans out! I did try to squeeze into a pair of black jeans that are a little snug to say the least. I’ve spent most of today (Tuesday) pulling them up, wriggling them around and basically trying to retain my muffin top inside the waistband – not a pretty thought. This, along with the fact I was hot and a bit sweaty made me rather irritable. I must admit I may have lapsed into “mardy mother mode” and wasn’t quite the patient, kind and thoughtful mother it is suggested we all should be. And all because I put on the wrong bloody jeans!!! Who would have thought an item of clothing could have such an impact?

I’m writing this in my trackies, hoody and I am happily shoeless. I couldn’t be in a better place (well apart from Sky Sports babbling away in the background) and feel like a different person. I might just make this my new every day wardrobe although I think my 6-year-old daughter may have an opinion or two on it…

Don't you just love it when..

Everyone loves a bargain, but it’s even better when the bargain turns out to be even more of a bargain than you originally thought. This happened to me just the other week.

We’d gone down to London for a family party and that packing gremlin had come with us*.  My carefully thought out party outfit was completely inappropriate. Never mind, I thought, perfect excuse for a trip to the shops. I left the children with their grandparents and went up the road to the High Street for a mooch round the shops. I had a lovely time; I really enjoyed being able to take my time in each shop and not having to look in the toy section. It’s always interesting going to charity shops in a different place and there were some great bargains to be found. One shop was selling Whistles and Jigsaw trousers for a pound a pair! Not my size sadly but I did pick up a pair of Gap trousers for £1.50. But I didn’t find anything suitable for the party. By this point the sun had come out and it was turning into a glorious afternoon, making my already inappropriate outfit even more so.

I popped into Sainsburys for some ground cumin and there in the clothes section on the sale rail, looking a bit sorry for itself as it was the only one of its kind left, was a dress. Not just any dress but a dress in a style I really like – that is, it had a collar and wasn’t too short – at half price, and amazingly, in my size. I grabbed it and went to search for the cumin. I then had a battle with myself. Even at half price it was still more than I’d normally pay for a dress and it wasn’t as if I really needed a new one. Shopping in charity shops really does give you a skewed view of the cost of things. I then told myself to stop being so stupid (still while looking for cumin) so by the time I got to the till I was ok with it again. So imagine my absolute delight when I put it through the self-service scanner and it had been reduced further – it was only £5.40! If you are thinking that “absolute delight” is a bit strong then this has never happened to you. It really is a great feeling. I carried on my way with a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

So my original party outfit was cast aside in favour of my new dress which looked even better on. (It’s good when it happens that way round.) Even my husband said it looked nice! It will come as no surprise that I just so happened to have a cardigan with me that went with it perfectly. Of course I did.

Sophie x

*If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about see my earlier post “I hate packing”

The dress. Admittedly it doesn't look great on the hanger, but it is lovely, honestly.

Refashionista!

Our little blog is now a whole year old! Where has that time gone? 
Well if you asked my husband the time has gone into me spending time buying lots and lots of clothes from charity shops and getting giddy about it. I would say it has gone into helping me be a better shopper and having some amazing clothes at the fraction of the shop price.

Both Sophie and I have also made a lot of mistakes, I have clothes in my wardrobe that I wonder what made me buy them. Was it the fabric, the cut, the name, the price who knows? I am often encouraged by my nearest and dearest to have a big old clear out but as you know I love to hoard. So it was with great delight I found I had another reason to hoard and potentially up cycle. For my birthday, my husband bought me a fantastic book called “The Refashion Handbook” by my new hero Beth Huntington. What a fabulous book full of ideas on how to make clothes fit better and brilliantly refashion and make look like a different item of clothing. 


A few weeks ago I mentioned in the blog about two dresses I had worn to death last year but didn’t really work this year. Well as I love the fabric on one of them I have big plans on making the dress into a maxi skirt for my holibobs. Watch this space.

It also got me thinking about a halter neck denim maxi dress, which I bought years ago from a charity shop and for some reason didn’t really get on with it. It might have been that it had an enormous amount of fabric and was a bit much for the early days of maxi dresses. Earlier this year I went all drastic and shortened it, well in my terms chopped the bottom off and hemmed it. It was a revelation! I loved my new summer dress until I started wearing it. It would seem the frock had a simple problem of it not really fitting on the top as I think the elastic was on its way out. I had to tie the halter neck so tight to keep it from sagging at the back I ended up walking with a stoop. So then, what to do? Well hello new book! Why not chop the halter off and make a mid length denim skirt? Hurrah, a challenge indeed especially when denim is everywhere at the moment (yes I’ve actually read Grazia and that’s what they say!).

Well its under way and I think it looks ok, I’m planning on buying some funky ribbon to sew along the bottom. Any ideas though would be much appreciated. The length is a bit of an odd one but I’m continuing to play around with it so hopefully I’ll have a nice A line denim skirt v soon.

I’ll keep you posted on my refashioning ups and downs as I’m sure there will be many! Now where are those frocks……

And the survey says......

Thank you to everyone who has completed our little survey. It has been great to get an idea of other peoples wardrobes and how many peeps like their heels and who prefers their trainers.

My favourite question was the one that asked “What is the most expensive item you have ever bought?” I can’t actually think what to answer for this one, I think it was probably a Hobbs dress for a very good friends wedding which was about £200. This was purchased in the heady days of working on Regent Street and going to lots of weddings!

I do wish though that the survey wasn’t completely anonymous as I would love to know who owns the Jimmy Choo’s, Laboutin and Prada shoes! (Are they size 5 and if so can I borrow them please?!).  Quite a few people mentioned that their most expensive items were bought for weddings. Just goes to show we like to splash out for those big occasions.

When we decided on the survey it was partly to justify our own buying but it would seem both Sophie and I have the similar amount of clothes compared to lots of others. This will be used in future conversations with peeps who suggest I need a clear out…..

I would say that many of you like your flats and trainers more than your heels, I wonder if I’d asked the question 10 years ago whether that would still have been to case. We all like a frock for going out which does go with your favourite heels (once the cobwebs have been blown off if you’re anything like me!). The one question which did surprise me was that 50% of respondents had 5 or less pairs of jeans. I think I mentioned I have about 12. Maybe it’s a sign I should get rid of the ones I’m unlikely to get in again, well maybe not….

It would seem that the skirt is not that popular these days, maybe all those tops you have are to go with your jeans? Who knows.

One thing we all agree on is that we don’t like to give things away, even if they are not being worn. A whopping 88% of peeps said they have clothes which they don’t wear but can’t bear to part with. As a big fan of charity shops I suppose I should be disappointed but I'm actually delighted to be surrounded by fellow hoarders!!

How many do you have?

Sophie has inspired me to write about a question that has been brewing with me for a few weeks. Sophie is now renowned for her love of the cardigan and her Imelda Marcos number of them. It made me think whether we are the norm and whether people (well women) have large number of their favourite things. With me, its jeans, white trainers (as my husband kindly documented on Facebook) and frocks – I have one for every occasion and some for no occasions at all.

It would be great if you could help me with this question by answering a few questions. None of them are particularly taxing but they may involve you heading to your wardrobe and having a sneaky peak.  

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TCTKH5M

My husband often says have too many of all of these and questions my purchases every time I get home from a bit of charity shopping. “Do you need another jacket?” “That’s nice is it new? haven’t you already got one like that?” are often the queries I get. I normally bat them off with “well it was only £4 and its John Rocha” or he heard this one a lot “Its an L K Bennett dress and it was only £9!!!” well I think everyone I know heard me say that about 400 times.

I did have a bit of a clear out when my skirt collection hit 13! I’ve decided I need to recycle a bit more and clear out my wardrobe a bit. Yes only a bit. I’m still hard pressed to release my hold on my 8 pairs of jeans, I have black ones for going out (too long unless I’m wearing heels) my gardening jeans (worn twice a year), my January jeans which are a bit big and v comfy for the heavier beginning of the year and my lovely skinny jeans which I never thought I would like but now love.

I also have countless pairs of feet munching heels, I don’t wear heels as much as I used to but I love having a choice when I do go out. This often depends how much standing up I will be doing, whether any dancing or walking will be involved. As for my trainers, well they are just ace. Oh and did I mention my ballet pumps too?

So how many is enough? I’ll let you know when the survey results come in. And yes, I will be saying “And the survey says!”

xx

While the kids are away....

Over the holidays the boys went to stay with their grandparents in London for nearly a week. This is by far the longest time they have been away from us and after I got over my initial apprehension I was quite excited about it. “It’ll be great” I said to my husband, “just think how much more time we’ll have. We can go out for dinner or just pop to the pub.” “No” he replied “we’re decorating the kitchen.

So my child free time was not as relaxing as I was hoping for but I was able to have an unaccompanied potter around the charity shops. Since starting work I’ve not had much opportunity to do this and I’ve found myself making excuses to go into town just so I can get my fix. “I just need to pop to the post office” I’ll say, and then “the queues were dreadful” when I return much later than expected. So I jumped at the opportunity to have a more leisurely trip to the shops.

If I don’t have much time I just do Barnardos and the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army shop has overtaken Barnardos as my favourite as it has a much better layout and a fabulous sale rail. On this trip I picked up a French Connection Bretton style top, an emerald green Top Shop top and an M&S cardi – all 50p each! So I’ve may have taken my cardigan tally up to 23, but as it is lovely periwinkle blue colour and (did I mention?) only fifty pence, how could I not?

I did ask in a previous post what was a normal amount of clothing for a woman. I heard on the radio yesterday that the average woman owns seven pairs of jeans, so at four pairs I am way below average. I’ll be sure to mention this the next time my husband complains about all the clothes I have. I will, of course, fail to point out that I rarely wear jeans and I certainly won’t be mentioning the cardigans.

The boys are home now and the kitchen is decorated. I also managed to have a bit of clear out while they were away and guess who’ll be volunteering to take the bag of discards to the charity shop…

Sophie x

Thank goodness for charity shop books

Yes, the summer holidays are well and truly underway and the kids are off, I’m sure I’m not the only mum thinking what on earth am I going to do to keep the little loves busy?

Our town is great for activities for kids, the library reading challenge is always a favourite, we often spend a day in town having a wander round the charity shops maybe a quick trip to Weightwatchers (depending on how much wine I’ve had to drink at the weekend) and then head to the library to borrow some books and take part in the reading challenge.

I love borrowing books, the library has a great range and there is something really nice about being part of a library. I do like to own books too, we have a great big bookcase full of favourites, mine are Patricia Cornwell and Gray’s are football autobiographies – never to be read again.Our two kids do like reading and this summer my son has really got into The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and loves a bit of Roald Dahl.  We went for a mooch around the charity shops to find some books to keep him occupied and low and behold in The British Heart Foundation there was loads to chose from all for £1.35 each,I was delighted! I also go some nice books for Amber to take on holiday so a total of 9 books for £17!

I often buy my holiday books from charity shops and the British Heart Foundation is perfect for this. They have such a great range of chick lit to keep me entertained for those long quiet days whilst the kids play nicely together and the sun shines (who am I kidding!).

So if you see me in town carrying a massive, heavy shopping bag you’ll know what I’ve been buying.

x