I love shopping for clothes however with life becoming forever busier and my free time even more precious, that I choose to spend with the people I love and a very large glass of wine LOL. I now mainly choose to shop online, but wisely. I feel quite awful saying so as the retail market is struggling, and it would be horrible to have the luxury of popping to the shops, to feel the fabrics and try on pretty clothes taken away. However my reasons why are not only to save time, I prefer the way an item comes packaged when it’s been ordered online, receiving a gorgeous parcel, filled with layers of tissue paper is always joyous, as well the item appearing fresher and not tried on by the 5,000. Although my main reason is – so many brands offer online discounts or better sales online to in store. Everyone hates in store sale shopping, the store is usually a mess, people are stressed and nothing looks quite as appealing. With online sale shopping you can still grab the bargains and the fancy packaging stress free, but you have to be on the mailing lists and buy when you see a good deal! I’m not joking when I say I never pay full price for anything unless I know it will go out of stock and I really want it, this isn’t because I’m a cheap skate lol, but because clothes are so disposable now we tend to only wear things a few times before wanting new! I also just bought a gorgeous AQAQ dress for a family wedding without having to leave my house, which was £175 down to £20 on the AQAQ archive online sale = happy shopper! I really do recommend if you see something beautiful in store, play detective and see if you can source it online at a better price, more often than not you can, most sites offer at least 10% to new customers. Many brands also offer discounts when there is a holiday, like many brands and shops have offered 20% off for Easter, Black Friday (the last Friday in November after thanks giving, and yes it’s always marked in my diary :D) is huge for sale shopping it really is worth shopping around in my opinion or waiting it out for the sales! So here are my recommendations… Enjoy!
Jeans
Back in the day I would only wear 7 mankind, true religion, citizens of humanity Jeans but they were always so stiff and uncomfortable, plus they’re always made for people 6ft tall, meaning on top of the hefty price tag you also have to pay for the alterations. When the skinny jean became so popular and my jeans were less fashionable, someone told me Topshop did a petite range and actually went down to a waist 24 leg 30/32, I couldn’t believe they were so light weight, comfortable and stretchy, so I’ve never looked back ever since, and better yet they fit perfectly even the length, for £36 a pair I buy all colours and styles. My mum actually laughs at me as I actually buy some of my favourite styles in a couple of different sizes, as sometimes I want a tight or loose fit depending on the occasion. No one wants triple tight jeans when your going for a roast on a Sunday with the family! I do also like pull and bear jeans but I have found the quality to be not as good.
Faux leather trousers – £36 Topshop the fit and style could not be more perfect.
Real leather trousers – All Saints usually bring them out gorgeous ones every winter for around £300 I am yet to invest.
Leggings
See through leggings are just tragic so make sure you buy decent quality ones, my favourite are from Topshop, I love that they do a variation of styles too, and cater to all heights and sizes.
Trousers
Zara do a great tapered trouser especially for work to wear with a knit or blouse.
I just adore the AQAQ high waisted & wide leg trousers, the fabric is beautiful and so flattering. (AQAQ do archive and sample sales online and in Shoreditch fairly regularly, if you sign up to their mailing list, you will get the emails about them. They had one just recently where they had some lovely trousers for sale from £120 down to £20 – amazing!)
Tracksuits
I really love a tracksuit for sheer comfort, and I wouldn’t travel on holiday in anything else. My favourite brands for tracksuits are:
H&M (standard in terms of style but cheap), Zara, Wildfox (pricey but amazingly soft material), Jayde (a smarter looking lounge suit) and Victoria Secrets – the more subtle styles.
Jumpers
Last year I decided I really wanted all new jumpers as the chunky knit is so fashionable, with over the knee boots, or a low back jumper with a pair of skinny jeans looks great for a smart casual look. A friend of mine really recommended And Other Stories. They do such gorgeous knits in all types thin / thick / colourful / neutral / classic / trendy / oversized / fitted etc and they tend to retail at around £60-£90. As per usual my style of shopping is go hard or go home and I try not to pay full price. I knew I wanted a variety, so I waited for the after Christmas sale, watching my favourite items online that to my dismay didn’t seem to go in sale. One day I happened to be walking past the store on Argyll Street and saw all my favourite jumpers on the sale rail. I couldn’t believe the sale online is so different to the one in store – so for future reference it’s certainly worth a trip, plus all stores have different styles as I also made the trip to the store on Oxford Street too, 12 jumpers and £380 later it’s safe to say I’ve stocked up and was able to say I got an absolute bargain, making each jumper on average £32 each instead of £80 each – WINNING!
I then went on to the H&M app and browsed their jumpers in which they had a lovely selection, I put lots in my basket and then forgot about them. I remembered a few days later when those too had also gone down to half price in the sale, a couple of weeks after Christmas. So in total I ended up with over 20 gorgeous jumpers, in all different styles and colours for on average £25 each from And Other Stories and H&M. This is what i call smart shopping!
You can’t beat a classic Zara roll neck, I have them in all colours and usually each year they bring them out but with different details on the cuff, for example pearls or gold discs as fake buttons. A roll neck looks stunning under a fur, or tucked in to a skirt or with jeans and a belt, with a blazer over the top.
Tops
This is a funny one as I don’t have a typical go to for a nice top other than Zara – suggestions are welcome! I do love a backless top as I think they are sexy without being trashy.
I love a Plain T-shirt – Primark for fitted or Zara for a loose / over sized fit. Rosemunde do the most beautiful vests edged in lace.
Bodies have become so popular and perfect to wear underneath a suit, or with a pair of leather leggings. House of CB do many lace ones, Zara have a great selection as do AQAQ.
Shirts
I love an oversized men’s shirt worn with a belt it’s always a classic go to and always makes me think of Carrie Bradshaw after her sleepover at Mr Big’s house, it also looks good worn with a short jumper and leggings or tied up at the waist with jeans or shorts. So if you don’t have a boyfriends you can borrow, Marks and Spencer is the next best option.
Blouses
Never Fully Dressed do the most amazing silk printed blouses, another brand that has recently been doing good sales! The styles are beautiful, but the quality isn’t anything amazing considering they’re priced at around £60, I would always wait for the sale!
Stay tuned for Part TWO XOXO
Emma Mack MUA 