An Easter spend up on wardrobe staples for a Recessionista!

I was reading over at Frugal Trenches about how the author of that Blog hasn't bought herself anything for a whole year, since she started the Blog and the thought of being in a similar situation made me feel utterly depressed. I haven't had anything new all winter apart from some Uggs which were a birthday present and to be honest it is really getting me down. I had a trip to Bluewater last July where I bought a pair of seven for all mankind jeans in the Joseph sale but that is a distant memory now. I have still been searching online for a dress for the wedding I have coming up at the end of May, I never made a definite decision on the M&S one I showed you previously, then the Wallis one I had seen in a mag, did appear online, but still I couldn't make a decision. I must have trawled every website known to man (or woman) this weekend and eventually found a lovely one on the Hobbs website and it was in the Sale, but alas not in my size.

Hobbs is not usually a shop I go into to, I feel it is all a bit officey and old and expensive! but hey I am over 40 so perhaps I should be shopping in places like this and John Lewis instead of dribbling over "See by Chloe" dresses on Net-a-porter which would be far too short for me and I wouldn't wear anyway! You see I am a bit funny about length on ladies over a certain age. I saw an aquaintance in town last week, she is about 40, but quite weather beaten of face, although she was attractive when younger, anyway, she was pushing a buggy as she has a toddler as well as older children, and she had a mini skirt on which was about the length my girls would wear! Although she was also sporting "opaques", I was horrified to say the least! Just on the knee is the limit for me, over forties in Minis's brings the words "mutton" and "lamb" to mind, no matter how slim you are - avoid like the plague otherwise everyone will just think you are trying to look younger, but every face will tell a story!

So back to the dress search. As the Hobbs dress was a no no, I checked out some other bits on the site and just couldn't resist a couple of items in the Sale, just plain summer tops, but much needed summer essentials to fill gaps in my capsule wardrobe (a capsule wardrobe so small at present, it should read "cup"sule - as that is what it would probably all fit into!) No seriously, luckily I do seem to have more summer clothes than winter, but do like to replace t-shirts each season if possible, as nothing looks worse than a white t-shirt that is off colour or a black one with wash fade! Gap and M&S are usually best for these basic items and they see you through summer and winter as they can be used for layering in colder weather.

So this was the first top, a bit more than a plain t-shirt with a draping Grecian feature which will disguise a tummy nicely. I am planning on wearing this with jeans of course, sandals and a nice long necklace and sunnies. Was £39.00 now £25.

Now you may think yellow is a funny colour, but I have my eye on some yellow shoes and if that doesn't come off, I love yellow with blue anyway and at only £9 down from £19, it won't be too much of a dissapointment if it ends up going under a jumper!

Now my next purchase is a dress from House of Fraser, not to wear to the wedding but purely as a wardrobe staple. Most women have or should have, a little black dress lurking in their closet, but I don't (well I do really, it is from Karen Millen, is 8 years old and no longer fits!), so opted for a grey one instead! This can be worn for the Hen Night evening when we have dinner. The problem for me is because I don't go out much I never have anything to wear when I do! Sometimes us Mums from school go out for a meal, or I go with the girls from work, so this would be ideal for those occassions and at £29.50 down from £59, it is a steal! It has all the elements I am looking for in a dress, short sleeves to cover "Bingo Wings" and gathers over tummy area to disguise lumps and bumps. It also covers this seasons draping trend which can be found everywhere at the moment. Not everyone goes for draping jersey type fabrics but I find them flattering.


And just for the hell of it I am going to show you the dress I really want which is in the sale at £69, so if anyone sees this at their local Hobbs, can you email me please?


Although I wanted to steer away from monochrome and get a dress that was brightly coloured, I couldn't help but fall in love with this one, again from Hobbs, but not in the sale, so the princely sum of £199 would be required to purchase this little beauty. I am loving the shape and don't forget it would be much longer on me than the model, but I would need a little black cardi or shrug to accomodate the "Russian Shot Putters" arms, oh well I can dream.... but if you want to check out the sale at www.hobbs.co.uk, there is up to 50% off certain lines.


So I have had a bit of an Easter spend up and yes I do feel guilty, which was why I did the dirty deed of online shopping, whilst my husband was still in bed, but I am consoling myself that in my spending diary where I am totalling up what I have saved this year by taking advantage of sales, discount codes, cashback sites etc, I can write for todays entry that I have saved a total of £54! So whether we are fat or thin, rich or poor, on a budget or just have a husband who is as tight as a@@@holes, we are girls and we need clothes - FACT.