Valentines Day. Your stepdaughter is with you for the weekend (glued to her phone and the sofa) and your husband is plastering walls. You've done all the housework, the only potential change in the status quo is that the current husband in question may stop the DIY for the England rugby match in an hour. So with no exciting prospects on the horizon, what's a girl to do?
Ditch them both and go shopping.
With a precious (and rare) Saturday afternoon off, I high-tailed it to Chepstow, the nearest town with charity shops a plenty. I, myself, was getting over a cold and as tempting as my step-daughters attitude towards a lazy afternoon on the sofa was, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity of an hour or two to rummage around the shops.
Yet again I struck gold (or black in this case) with my purchases. Funds are particularly tight at the moment due to said plastering. We have started on the hallway as our next project but it seems a never-ending toil of dust, stripping (not in the 50 Shades sense unfortunately) and plastering before we can get down to any of the creative niceties that I like to get involved in. Therefore, available cash was minuscule but as it turns out, I didn't need much.
In between the five main charity shops that I normally like to peruse, I came away with this little Karen Millen number (pictured above) for £8.99 on the "buy one get one free" rail so I became the proud owner of another black number for free. And ironically, the second item in question is in fact an vintage Wallis dress (where I work). The minute I saw it I was instantly transported back a few years ago remembering a film that I once watched called The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Jude Law. In one scene towards the end of the film, Kate's character escorts an elderly Gent to an awards gala and the dress is pretty much a carbon copy of the one she wore. Simple and understated with classic lines and in a fabric that just seems to glide over whatever lumps and bumps you are trying (I am trying) to conceal.
The picture above doesn't do it justice but I am struggling to find any place in the house that's not covered in dirt, dust and building materials. I will post another one when I get chance to wear it.
I am not normally attracted to black, I know its a wardrobe staple but I usually go for bright colours. These two just spoke to me for some reason. Karen Millen clothes are made so beautifully and the first dress was flawless (apart from a missing belt) so I couldn't pass up the chance. There is often some kind of unusual detailing and with this dress, it was the cuffs on the short sleeves, they require cuff links to go through the holes which I just loved. Cuff links for a lady! Despite loving the idea however, due to my slightly "larger" frame, neither cuff will be done up anytime soon. My elbows are free for now.
The second dress was not what you would call an instant hit until I tried it on and received a compliment from the elderly volunteer that worked in the shop. If he thought it looked nice with his poor eyesight (judging from how long it took him to work the till), and my hair being reminiscent of Edward Scissor hands thanks to the wind, then who am I to argue.
To top off an already successful shopping trip, the last shop I went into appeared to have a lonely pair of petrol blue leather shoes that also wanted to come home with me. Nothing fancy, in fact they are Clarks Shoes, usually synonymous with moaning school children that beg their parents to go anywhere but Clarks for their school shoes but for comfort they are unrivaled. The brand seems to have shed that once banal image associated with black lace-up monstrosities to produce a much wider range of styles (and some quite high prices). So when I found this pair for £5 with new stickers still attached to the sole (£45!), my feet were over the moon. I am somewhat lacking in the comfortable work-shoe department (god knows how) so these will go a little way to seeing that my feet get some kind of a reprieve at least.
Oh and I almost forgot......I found a (possibly authentic) Louis Vuitton tote bag. It was hiding on a back shelf in the same shop and I almost didn't spot it. It was wedged behind a pile of forgotten bags that looked like they'd all spent far too much time in the bottom of a very old wardrobe. But there she was. All £3 of her.
Happy, happy days.
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