Qucik Boden Bargain

 
This gorgeous stretch frock has a subtle-as-sequins-can-be sequin neckline, flattering empire-line seaming, and that arm-coverage so many of you love.  The Schiaperelli pink shade isn't for the shy and retiring, and would be hard for blondes or others with fair colouring to wear - but it looks fabulous on everyone else.  It's £35 (reduced from £90) in the sale, available from sizes 12-20.

In other news, the new Boden line goes up to a size 22, where before it stopped at a 20.  It's rather pricey for me, but I do love their use of colour and pattern.

Smart Dressed Man

So, you may be a dapper chap with a wardrobe full of fine tailoring, or you may have a partner who fits that description. I, however, don't. My fabulous fiance is actually really stylish in his own way, but suits are not his thing. Recently, he bought a rather lovely suit in the Moss Bros sale for around £200 - but I shouldn't imagine he'll be repeating that experience very soon.

However, it won't do for my sister's wedding next month, because that's black tie. So we assumed he'd hire a dinner suit - maybe from the hire section of the very retailer who sold him the other one. But then my sister discovered that Marks and Sparks are doing dinner jackets and matching trousers for just £49.50 for the set! We're waiting for the suit to come, and of course - for that price you have low expectations in terms of cut, fit and fabric. But how low? This is still Marks and Spencers, after all: sensible quality is practically their brand identity, and while this suit may be the sartorial equivalent to a supermarket's no frills brand of beans - it's still going to be better than if, say, it had been bought from Primark. We shall see. Certainly I expect the cut and fit to be no worse than one would reasonably expect when hiring a suit.

Also available is a dress shirt for £15 (polycotton, but with those all-important swoonsome french cuffs), and a silk bow tie for £9.50. Incidentally, M&S have 14 different bow ties or bow tie and cummerbund sets, but only one of them is 'self tie'. Now quite apart from bow ties not being much harder to tie than your own shoelaces, if you get a ready made one, what are you going to do after dinner when you open your top buttons (always two, lads - one button looks like you've burst out). If you have a proper bow tie you can undo it for that dishevelled James Bond look. Yum.

Assuming you'd have bought the shirt and tie anyway, the suit costs around the same as hiring would do - so if he wears it once more, it's completely paid for itself. And this way, if he tears it or some other mishap befalls the thing, there's no deposit to lose either.

If I were a bloke I'd be tempted to get one anyway, just for a rainy day. But maybe that's the kind of attitude that's left me up to my eyeballs in clothes...

My sister's search for shoes.

My eldest sister is (also) getting married soon - her dress is a subtle shade of silver, and she's been looking for the right shoes. Firstly she found these, which at the time were only £26 in the January sale. (Now £60). They are gorgeous - very red carpet glamour, which is just right for her dress - but when they arrived:

"they were 1) a lot more mink than the photo (not silver at all) and 2) the 5" heel was a bit optimistic so thought I would get some lower shoes for later".

So she bought pair number two:

"cheap and cheerful and not so stylish lower shoes from BHS - a bargain at £20"

Well, it's a long dress - I suppose they don't have to be completely gorgeous, but then things changed:

"finally saw dress last week and knew minky shoes would not go so found the Lulus on ebay and thought I'd see if they fitted. Bought for opening price £39.99, unworn and much more glittery and vintag-ey than the picture. Also leather soles etc :-)"

and well she might smile - Lulu Guinness, she of the most covetable handbag fame, has produced some beautiful shoe collections, with a retail price in the hundreds for each pair. A bit of canny ebay research, and my sister has found the most perfect designer shoes for her wedding for less than you'd pair for a pair of bog-standard high-street heels. And as she says:

"Total spend £85 with just a couple of shopping errors on the way! Still cheaper than a pair of Choos!"

Although I say that she'd be well advised to get the first two pairs on ebay post haste. Even if they sell for no more than £20 between them, that's still one more bottle of champagne on the hen night!

Balancing your account.

I have no idea what I actually own, by way of clothes. I hang everything on the floor (or thereabouts) because I have too many things to put away, but then I can't find anything, so I only wear a small fraction of my gear.

I plan to make a list of what I do own. Every day I shall record what I'm wearing, for a start. I shall also purge my drawers and wardrobe of anything I don't wear.

• If I absolutely love it with all my heart, but it doesn't fit at the moment - it's going in the cellar.

• If I don't love it, but it's made by Monsoon, or another desireable brand, or is vintage - it's going on ebay.

• If I don't love it and it isn't worth the faff of ebaying, I'm taking it to the clothes swap* on Thursday.

Then, every night before I go to bed, I have to put away more items of clothing from the 'clean' pile than I'm adding to the 'dirty' one.

You never know - it might work.

*The clothes swap. On thursday a fantastically kind mate is inviting a bunch of girls around to hers. We each bring our wardrobe surplus - and people try things on and go home with new stuff. It's brilliant. Of course most people bring a handful of items - the first one I went to, I brought an absolutely massive suitcase full. But I have a lot of stuff. It barely made a dent. Anyway, it works best if the guests have someone else of a similar size, or who has been a similar size, to swap with - but you can bring accessories, jewellery and shoes - and anyway, my clingy top might be just the thing for my size 10 friend to wear as a beach coverup. The more guests the host can accomodate, the better it works. Afterwards, the leftovers are taken to a charity shop.

I'll let you know how it goes.

My sisters and Mum and I have been threatening to do one of these with cosmetics and body potions, which I think is an excellent idea too.

So listen - plan a swapping party. It's completely environmentally fabulous, credit-crunch sensitive, and makes room in your wardrobe to see the wood for the trees.

Vintage Wedding Challenge - The Shoes

Ok - remember Cerian of the Peach Wedding Undies? Oh, come on - it was only a few days ago! Anyway, part two of her quest was the perfect pair of shoes. Let's have a reminder of her dilemma:

...I've got my wedding dress - a gorgeous 1930's art deco gown. Ankle length, halter necked and backless, it's peach silk and cotton with black deco detailing on the bust. ...I'd ... like some shoes that would fit the period and are elegant and pretty but have a not-too-high heel as I will be walking on grass for most of the day!

Well, the good news is that thirties-style heels should be chunky, and for the most part they were what would now be termed mid-height; they will be suitable for walking on grass. I've had a look at some vintage shoes (top), but they don't age terribly well, compared to vintage frocks and the like. Also, choice is limited one size at a time, and shoes were available in a comparatively narrow colour palette except for the very wealthy. The pair on the left are circa 1930, and the other around 1940 - not much changes across the decade, and apart from the heel we're looking at some form of strap, and some deco-influenced structuring over the front of the foot.

Both of the shoes above were wedding shoes - everyday shoes in the 1930s were a deal more substantial, and it is this slightly heavy look, echoing tap shoes, which seems to be in fashion at the moment. Of this type, I did find two contenders, which I feel have enough elegance to suit the occasion.

The colour of these shoes is apparently 'coral', but surely they only call it that to make life harder for shopping bloggers - for anyone can see these are peach. It's a striking combination with the black - and the jet button on the front is a gorgeous period-inspired touch, which must echo the black Deco detailing on the dress. They are heavier than one might imagine a July bride to wear, but they recall the right era, and are smart and slender shoes. I also think Cerian would get a lot of wear from them after the wedding. They're £35 from Faith.

These dolly shoes are more 1920s, to be honest, but they wouldn't look out of place, and the very delicate peach will suit Cerian's palest of pale skin. They're brand new - but I found them on ebay, as they're past season. £32.99.

More along the lines of the vintage wedding shoes at the top are these Velvet Bee stack-heel sandal: £20 from £75. They're not peach, and perhaps the gold is a little glitzy, but shape-wise they're pretty good, and the pale gold is flattering to the skin. However - I've found some shoes that excited me so much, that I've already emailed Cerian, for fear that she'll miss out.

Oh my! look at those suede straps - they have a vintage look and are absolutely right for the era and instead of making a horizontal across the ankle, they encase the heel in long sweeping undulations. Very flattering. They are lightweight and open for a summer wedding, but with a wide enough heel to walk on grass. And they have sequins, godammit. (OK - this might be my thing, but come on - shoes with sequins versus shoes without?). But - and this is killing me here, they only have one pair left. And it's Cerian's size (if I remember rightly). And it's an absolute bargain. Cerian can't get online until tomorrow morning, and I'm so stressed about them being sold that I'm not even going to post the link, or the price - in case you track them down and snaffle them up before her! In fact, even my boyfriend has just been encouraging me to buy them for her 'just in case', which should give you a sense of my agitation. But I can't do it. It would be a bit pushy - and she might not think them as perfect as I do (it'll be those sequins - or the silver heel...), and she might feel obliged. Alternatively, the website might be lying, and they might have two pairs, either of those scenarios and I'll have a pair of shoes which are too big for me. Or I might have remembered her shoe size wrong. Hmm. On balance, I shall wait and see what happens. Que sera, sera - as dear old Dozza Day used to sing.

Cheap and Cheaper

Simply Be. Internet and mail order company stocking lines for sizes 14-32. Win points for having a generally bolder sense of design than High Street competitors Evans - lose points for being of massively variable quality, and having large amounts of just really ugly clothes. I always feel like Simply Be should be cheaper than it is, to compensate for the last two points. When they have significant reductions, however, it becomes much more interesting to me.

Party season may be over, but this little black dress is a great wardrobe standby. I know most of you will love the sleeves - designed to flatter even the largest arms. The sash is interchangeable with a black one, apparently - but if you have a significant tummy you might want to leave the bow off altogether. It comes in two lengths: the shorter is now only £22.50 - reduced from £75 (it's from the Caryn Franklin range and therefore attracted a bigger price tag). The longer version is better for more formal events, but costs £40 (reduced from £80). Terrible choice of shoes with bare legs, by the way: they make her ankles look thick.

Also by Caryn Franklin is this rather splendid red blouse - great for brunettes, and wearable for all shapes because of the flattering V neck. Bigger boobed reader should probably err on the larger side to avoid button strain. It's £10 - reduced from £40. The cropped jeans come in black or indigo, and the split at the calf helps them to flare, and hence visually balance out your thighs - very curvy. It also means that the line between your leg and your hem is less defined, which is also very flattering. £10.50.

These leather boots are available in a massive variety of calf widths, and cost £26. The link takes you to the page for the largest width, drop me an email if you can't find the page for the size you want. I love the plum colour, but the tan has a real retro, 'Cagney and Lacey' feel to it, if you know what I mean.

Lastly, some bras. The size range is limited beyond my use, but most of you should be able to take advantage of these offers. The first is by Freya at Fantasie, and comes in blush (shown) and black - £17. It's a truly fab bra - great shape and uplift. I own it in 6 different colours (it's stocked in more sizes elsewhere). Available up to an F cup. Long term SSS readers will recognise the next bra. It's by Panache who are a great brand. It's a steal at £14, available up to a G cup, and doesn't the size 14 underwear model look refreshingly curvy? The last of this trio is by a brand I've never heard of and only available up to an E cup - but I've included it because it's fabulous fun, and would look amazing on show beneath a deep V neck or wrap dress / top. £12. Follow the links on the pages top the matching knickers etc.

...something bargainous, something blue

You'll have to be quick with this one, but Collectif are offering 30% off everything for orders placed before midnight saturday (14th). Coupon code is 'LOVE'. They've some new dress styles and a new print, but I'm rather peeved because all their new designs only go up to a size 16. Half the point of Collectif was that it stocked to a size 20/22. I've a good mind to write and express my frustration. What do you think?

Secondly, my gorgeous friend and colleague writes:

Does such a thing as a bright blue dress wrap dress exist anywhere? And would it suit my gingeryness? I have a real hankering. It haunts my dreams but I have searched and searched and can't find one.

To fill in the uninitiated, she is a tall, molten-copper-haired, hourglass-figured goddess. She'd turn heads in a potato sack, but yes indeed - a bright blue wrap frock will look amazing on her. Blue is a great colour for redheads - remember learning your complimentary colours at school? Orange and blue set each other off powerfully. For maximum impact, a deeper auburn should choose greenier blues, while a strawberry blonde should opt for iris-like shades. But that's a bit pernickerty, and at any rate, my friend's hair fits squarely into the middle of the spectrum.

(The other benefit of light, bright blues is that they flatter pale complexions. Remember this when choosing a swimsuit.)

I suspect that what appeals about the wrap dress is its slinky, figure-hugging qualities - as seen in DVF's archetypal jersey wrap dresses. Unfortunately, unless you want to spend DVF prices there aren't any bright blue wrap dresses around. The one I have found is more like a wrap version of a tea dress (you'll be seeing a lot of those this summer). It's by Jasmine Guinness at Oli. £46 reduced from £85 and available up to a size 20. This may not look much in the photo, but on my friend's dangerous curves it would look sensational - and I adore the stars. It's silk - so perhaps not for everyday (although - why not?) and the slightly darker blue is fabulous even for the end of winter.

But I'm fairly sure our girl had a different shade in mind. And it seems a shame not to go for really bright blues simply because there doesn't seem to be a wrap dress of that hue. Dotty P's have a couple of contenders. I like the wrap-influenced empire-line dress (£25), while I suspect my friend will be drawn to the cleaner lines of their pencil dress (£35).

A couple of quickies.

I've been asked to track down a red, fluffy bakerboy hat. A Bakerboy (aka newsboy) is like a full beret with a wide peak at the front, and they help to balance out a larger figure, particularly if, like me you don't have much volume in your hair.

I've had a really good scour, and pickings are a little slim, no doubt due to the preponderance of berets around this season, so I've had to go to ebay - but these are my best options:


Burgundy angora - £4.49

or


Scarlet fur - bidding starts at £1.49

Secondly, there's 15% off all orders over £50 at Dorothy Perkins until Saturday 14th Feb. Enter the promo code DPVALENTINE. Worth a special look for their insanely flattering 'flutter dress' - recommended a couple of months ago on these pages, and now available in Coral (for darker colouring) and Iris (for paler skins, blondes and especially redheads), as well as the black I mentioned yesterday - £25.

My right to Choos

My, my. Longstanding fans of SSS will know my method for owning the tippety-toppermost quality shoes. (If you missed it, read "The Only Way to Buy Shoes" and prepare to get excited). Well this time, I've come up trumps.

My big sister is getting married in May, and I've bought a gorgeous aqua satin dress to wear. But I was somewhat saddened to observe that I already own a pair of Kurt Geiger peep toe mary-janes which match almost perfectly. There was no way I could be considered to 'need' new shoes. Hmm. Unless...

Unless I found a pair of shoes that embodied absolute perfection.

Let me tell you why these shoes are so special.

• The colour is perfect. The photos look a little pallid, but that doesn't matter because it's the colour compared to my skintone that is important, and that looks a bit pasty in these pics too (below). They are a cream colour with a subtle old-gold shimmer. It warms up the cream to skintone levels, which makes my legs look longer, since there's no horizontal colour-change to break up the line. If you want bare legs and you want them to look longer and slimmer, go for a warm version of your skin colour.

• Most shoes of this colour are sandals, or open-toed. Which is fine, except that it can be tricky wearing tights with them. I might not always want to wear tights, but I'd like to have the option.

• The heel is high, but realistic. They are going to hurt, but I can at least walk in them. Why wear a high heel? I was trying to explain this to my boyfriend, but he didn't get it. Essentially, the dress for this occasion is old Hollywood glam. Flat shoes would just look a bit weird. But also high heels make you look thinner. Or your legs, at least.
  

• There's something a bit 1960 about the design. At any rate I wear retro clothes quite often, and these won't look out of place - but then again, they're not so specific to a period that they'll look out of place with a modern outfit.

• Bit of a personal one, this, but I adore the elongated toe. My feet are stupidly stunted. These shoes make them look more elegant.

• Oh, come on... they're Jimmy Choos.

Anyway, these ended up costing me £77 on ebay - about £8 below my maximum bid. They're in mint condition - worn by a bride in 2004 and kept in their dustbag and box ever since. They cost her £400 at the time, which is fair enough if you're the bride. I'm a bride's sister, and having spent only £30 on my frock, I think £77 on the perfect shoes is completely fair enough too.

Back with boots

So I hope you've all missed your dose of Swelegance the last week or so. My birthday celebrations ran into a hellish week at work and a night at the theatre; with one thing and another, I've been too busy or exhausted to blog.

But shopping marches on, the sales are ending, and we still need to dress, and as this weather is making obvious, end of season bargain boots will get plenty of wear before summer.

I've mentioned Duo before, and their sale has taken an even bigger turn for the bargainous. Sale prices start at only £32 (and go up to £90) for winter boots in calf sizes up to 50cm. Each of the work-smart boots above costs less than £40, but there are also biker, Victorian lace-up, even cowboy styles and pretty colours to be had. If you are concerned about having large calves, though, you'll want to avoid the two styles below. The first is a pretty shade of pink, but hard to wear on dirty winter streets, and besides which, pale shades make everything look bigger. The other is a gorgeous, wearable bottle green, but that Romanov-esque frogging draws far too much attention to the horizontal line. Horizontal lines make you look wider. Avoid, avoid.

The good thing about the Duo site is that you can search by size - in this case foot and calf size. It's distressing in the shops when you find a style you like but your size isn't in stock. Internet shopping should be able to easily avoid that disappointment, and it's particularly important in the case of retailers who stock a myriad of size combinations - like a bra supplier, or indeed a calf-fit boot store. Infuriating, then, when Plus in Boots - an e-retailer also specialising in calf-fit boots, fails to do so.

Plus in Boots is a much smaller concern than Duo, with a much more limited line. But they too have a sale on, and so it's worth navigating their slightly irritating site, where knee boots are unnecessarily separated from calf boots and you must click into every style to see the colours available and if it still comes in your size. Sale boots here are all at either £50 or £60, so priced in the middle of Duo's sale. I like the black riding style boot above, and the gorgeous teal suede calf boots - both £50, and well worth dealing with the awkward site.

Bargain Slap.

I'd never heard of Wet and Wild, but when I was pointed in the direction of a sale on their website I decided to have punt.  Absolutely everything is 99p in the sale.  There's a full range of makeup, which appears to be Rimmel-like quality.  I bought A lipliner and eyebrow pencil, a concealer and some glitter pots.

Perhaps better value, though, are 'hardware' items, such as a perfectly serviceable powder brush, a nail buffer and false eyelashes.  I stocked up with four pairs, since they generally cost a fair bit, and - when all's said and done: eyelashes is eyelashes.  These ones are self adhesive - though I expect to use a little eyelash glue anyway.  Oh, and because the website doesn't tell you, "Vivacious" lashes are more subtle than "Flirtatious" ones.

Delivery is taking a fair while, but every one I know who has ordered, has got their goodies in the end.  It took about two weeks for me.  

Oh my! I could actually weep.

Yesterday I bought the above frock to wear while celebrating my impending birthday.

Today I got an email from Collectif (retailers of said frock), announcing their one week, 50% off everything sale - from 17th - 24th January.  Poo.  

Anyway, you presumably haven't just paid full price for a frock from Collectif, and so really should consider paying half price for one.  The frock I bought is called sugar, and I chose it because, unlike many retro frocks, not only is it not a halterneck, the straps aren't the thin 'spaghetti' type, so beloved of prom dresses.  The problem then is not that they show your bra (no big deal), but that a thin strap can look lost in all that expanse of arm, shoulder and cleavage -  making your flesh look swampingly huge by comparison.  The sugar dress avoids this problem by borrowing from the Mouret Galaxy dress in it's lines.  I bought it in pink with black flocked animal print (rarr) for £45.  In the sale it comes in at a much more modest £22.50. Find dresses here.

Collectif is also the home of the 321 skirt (£30 before discount): a modern take on the circle skirt witha built-in net underskirt, and more pencil skirts than you can shake a stick at, including the ultra high-waisted Heidi style (also £30 before discount). Find skirts on this page.

There are trousers, cardies and bags - plus some items already heavily discounted in the sale - and it's 50% off the lot from from 17th -24th.  Use the coupon code 'shocking' and click submit to view the reduction before paying.  Please don't do this before 17th!

The internet is a trove of individual retailers selling all kinds of things – much of it dross, but sometimes you happen upon a diamond in the rough.

The other day I was idly looking for an evening dress. My sister is getting married in May – not six months after she was proposed to on Xmas eve: she doesn’t hang around. Her dress, naturally, is a secret – but it gives nothing away to tell you that it’s an evening wedding – black tie – and so I was looking for something long and gorgeous.

I stumbled across Roman Originals where I immediately saw and fell in love with this beautiful bias cut gown for a truly amazing £30. I have to confess I waited with baited breath for it to arrive – half expecting it to be made of lining fabric and held together with pritt stick, but no – it’s a good quality item. Pleasingly, it’s a deeper teal colour in the flesh, and not quite so shiny. Bias cut (where the grain of the fabric goes diagonally across the garment) is flattering because it skims across lumps and bumps – but only to a certain extent. I ordered the 18, and while I can get it on and done up, it will look infinitely better with a stone less ballast and some very supportive undies.

I also like it because of the sensible wide straps – perfectly placed to cover a balconette-style bra – where the straps are wide set. The structured cups are showstopping, but capacious enough to make me feel secure. My next task is to find a matching bolero.

But that’s not all. Tantalisingly, the site offers free delivery if you spend £40 so I set off on a little browse to see what else took my fancy. I don’t think I’ve ever experience such sartorial highs and lows in one place: there is some truly, astonishingly awful stock – but some good wardrobe staples too: very much worth a look. At any rate, I threw caution and taste to the winds and bought this truly tacky leopard print jacket for £23. Oh my. It’s even more trashy now it’s here. The fabric is shiny and textured in serpentine trails of gloss; the lace and glitz on the collar is beacon-bright. I don’t honestly know if I’m woman enough for it – but I do like a challenge.

Handbag-o-rama.

I'm not a handbag obsessive, but I do like a good quality, leather bag . I tend to only have one at a time, and I had been musing on finding a new one lately. Today I recieved an email from Secret Sales. Think TK Maxx but online. Their shtick is that you are a 'member', and that there can only be a limited number of members who are invited to their sales of 'designer' lines.

Like TKMaxx, the 'designery-ness' of these 'designer labels' is variable - and somewhat disappointingly in the many, many months since I've been a member, there's been precious little above a size 14. Today, though, that doesn't matter. For today they have a sale on Dents Handbags.

Dents are a brand with a longstanding reputation for quality in leather goods - particularly gloves - and this sale is choc full of well-sized, detail-designed leather bags. I bought the very retro red croc-effect bag at the top of this post for £46 - down from £125. Several others caught my eye, too - there's some serious retro fun, including a spot-the-difference homage to Hermes' Kelly Bag (above, £46 each from £125), and some funkier styles such as the Snake Leather Shoulder Tote below in 'Metallic Steel' (£56 from £135) - very Nu Eighties, as I imagine the fashionistas call it.

I'm fairly sure you can just show up at the Secret Sales main page and register yourself - but if not, and/or if you have time - use the contact form at the bottom of this blog to let me know you want to sign up and I can, as a member, invite you - for which they'll give me a £5 voucher if you do buy anything. Then when you're a member you can invite your friends with the same deal. You know how these things work.