Cheer me up Chepstow!

What do you do when you want to cheer yourself up? I am sure that depending on who you posed the question to, a million different answers could be heard. One of my favourite things is to have a lovely bath, full of expensive over the top bubble bath and a glass of wine. But alas, in Merchant-Locke Towers, that is not to be. Not yet anyway.  The water tank cannot support my kind of baths. It barely fills it to cover your legs. This would normally be a massive issue for me as I also love baths when I am feeling particularly cold (which is all the time) but John has a list of priorities for the house and sumptuous bath time isn't on it.

So, I returned to another old fave in a bid to cheer myself up. Pop out for a little treat (and not of the posh cake kind). I took myself off on a whim this morning to the next town along from us here in Caldicot which is Chepstow. A lovely little place steeped in history, housing a lovely castle and a fabulous array of charity shops and second-hand emporiums. I went with a budget of £30, justified by the fact it has been pay day recently, a carrier bag (they aren't freely given in Wales) and set off in search of vintage delights. I have to say in terms of cheering myself up, it was very successful.  

Between the Oxfam shop, the British Red Cross and some more local, independent second-hand shops, I came out with a bevy of beauties and all still under budget.

This gorgeous dress from Jaeger has to be the find of the day. Being a lover of second-hand clothing, I don't often get to feel true luxury because most of the things I love have already been loved by someone before me. But occasionally you are lucky enough to find a new item, still with tags and that lovely, crisp, virgin feeling the minute you slide it on. That was the case with this dress. It was £12 but the original tag said £165. I often remain dumbfounded as to who these people are that give away items like this to worthy causes. And also, why the shop wasn't charging more for it or at least not trying to sell it on-line to get the maximum they could for their charity. Anyway, it was obviously my lucky day. Everything about it is beautiful. The feel, the colour, the style. Perfect. 

Still in the same colour story but a very different style, I couldn't pass on this Chanel style cardigan. Black and cream would have been amazing but this is still a winner. I am not a lover of cardigans unless  there is something a bit different about them.  Chanel style copies.....yes. Audrey Hepburn style twinsets..... yes. Heavily beaded numbers a la Joan Collins....yes. Standard cardi's....NO. So in a bid to not look too much like a member of the "blue rinse set", I plan to pair this with my red high heel ankle boots and skinny jeans. Wide leg classic black trousers or even cigarette pants would also look great for a slightly classier look. And a heavy string of pearls if I am feeling very daring.

I have written before of my love of all things cobalt blue and although this top is a tad smock-like, it 

looks lovely on. Originally from Zara, it was priced at £3.25 and is in great condition. 

Despite my endless wardrobe options, tops always seem to vex me somewhat. I don't know why, I am just not good at finding ones I like or ones that suit. I went through years of just throwing  a smart suit jacket over a vest top for a quick down how pub outfit rather than try and find a top I was happy with. They still cause me problems now but I am starting to favour a few key pieces that I love and feel confident in and I hope this will be one of them. I think a nice, silver, statement brooch will set it off perfectly. 

And finally.....

This won't be everyone's cup of earl grey and it was definitely one of those impulse buys you know you will question later BUT......I am a big fan of the Wilma Deering look (lovers of Buck Rogers unite) and when not wearing her spray-painted cat suits, she was occasionally seen in dresses like this one. Quilted collar, cuffs and belt, finely pleated throughout and in gorgeous jewel tones. Here comes that sentence again......."it's a little tight", but I shall be tackling my weight (again) in the new year and until then I shall not give up on the idea of this dress.  

No matter how much John mocks me.