A/W09 nearly over - which items have you had the most wear out of, and which were a waste of money?

[LetThemEatCake]

good buys for me:
Ash trainers - am so glad I bought two pairs, one black, one silver
Isabella Oliver cable cosy - have worn it to death
North Face parka thingy - has reconciled me, somewhat, to the cold
cashmere wrsitwarmers - warm hands without being slippy on the steering wheel
cashmere Travelwrap - just too lovely for words

waste of money:
long black boots - have hardly worn them, will ebay them in the next few days
DKNY cosy - gorgeous but too flappy, drives me mad, but would love to wear it sans children (say, 2020??)
Boden Henley dress - the buttons didn't come down far enough for bfing, have sold it now.

how about you?

best buys-

black cashmere mix coat

decent brown heeled brogues from Jones £££ but will last

A mixture of scarfs, woolly and otherwise to add to dull tops

waste of money-

not any really...have tried not to buy too much crap this year

Lots of wear from a purple monsoon sweater dress, kookai long cardi and monsoon long puffer coat.

Didn't buy anything I didn't wear this winter. Oh actually no, there are some purple stilettos still in the box.

Oh I forgot worst buy was a waterfall cardi which made me look HUGe all that extra fabric hanging down. Funnily enough the wshing machine ate it in the week so I've chucked it out.

glad about the kookai long cardi, google

Best:
Hobbs suit at less than half price in the sale.
Paul Costelloe coat (bargain suit above meant I could also buy the coat!!)
£30 dress from TK Maxx - has been worn to bits!
£2.50 black cardy from Action Cancer.

Worst:
Jaeger top - which stinks of BO, no matter how well it is washed, and how clean I am

i mostly wear it indoors but i love it.

Best -

Hobbs cotton,silk, cashmere mix plain black v neck jumper (my first purchase from Hobbs and I love it);
M&S Autograph cashmere mix and merino blend tights - lovely and soft and warm and don't go saggy at the knees;
3 quarter sleeved scoop neck t-shirts from Limited Collection in black and in white - live in these.

Worst -
t-shirts from Gap: terrible quality so I Oxfamed them after about three washes;
dd's school shoes from M&S ladies' section: awful quality, full of holes and already need replacing.

Best:
My Oasis jeggings (4 pairs and counting ) I hated the jegging but even dp commented on how nice these look.

A £10 grey M&S waterfall cardigan I wear all day in the house

Good bras - having myself measured and spending some money on good quality underwear made me feel fantastic and drop a dress size.

A Vero Moda thin shark grey shirt which sort of hangs down at the front and looks beautiful.

A La Redoute dress I bought in all 3 colours. Hangs perfectly and looks a lot more expensive.

My la Redoute boiled wool coat which I am totally and utterly in love with and has replaced my Max Mara coat for daily wear.

My studded shoeboots.

Worst:
Anything from Next. I have no idea why I continue to buy things from there.

A bright pink and black Vero Moda swingy dress I ended up with 3 of. It will never be worn and makes me feel when I see it.

My tan boots I was so excited about but have worn twice because they don't go with anything

A grey cashmere dress and cardigan combo from Max Mara I loved and look awful on

A small fortune worth of beauty products I was seduced by and will never use.

Best - 2 Wallis dresses in black and teal which look fab and make me feel instantly smart, yet comfy
a red slouchy handbag £20 from TKMaxx, should have been £95

Worst - can't think of anything - but I am pretty skint so don't do impulse buys really

Best:

Long waterfall cashmere cardigan from Pure which I have worn and worn and still looks fabulous

Mid-calf brown boots from Duo

Knitted wrap dress from Boden in green, warm and lovely. Have had tons of complements.

Pashmina shawl

Worst:

Knitted henley from Boden, the fit is v.strange and not at all like the cotton henley which I had in the summer and loved.

Black knee-high boots from Fitted Boot Store which I ordered in September and am STILL waiting for! And now I can't get hold of them or get a response to e-mails. Not amused.

Good buys:

TopShop Baxter jeans - in fact need replacing as worn so much
Duo Bern boots - worn pretty much every day
White Company long winter white open cardigan - just lovely
Bright pink pashmina from john lewis -perfect size

Bad buys:

Anything from bloody boden for me - in fact am returning a few things with their agreement as quality after washing so utterly crap.

Best

• amazing Thomas Wylde biker boots. Crazy crazy price but were a gift and I have worn them practically every day. They make everything look wonderful.

• A philip lim parka with shearling gillet (detachable)

• splendid & vince tee shirts. Expensive but have worn and worn.

• A boden denim mini skirt - sounds horrible but somehow is just the right length to make my legs look good.

• a puffa jacket by some french make - somehow the cut stops it from looking michelin man.

• a beautiful paul & joe black dress. Hid all my fat bits and made the other bits look amazing.

worst:

• Some very high heeled shoe boots. Looked amazing on - but only if I stood still. Cannot walk in them without looking like a man in drag. Will have to sell (though I love looking at them and imaging one day I will work out how to walk in them!)

• j brand jeans that still don't fit (they will one day)

Best:

• Brora cashmere dress - major £££ but I've always found brora cashmere outlasts EVERYTHING else if you look after it, and it has barely been off my back and makes me look thin (which is no mean feat)
• M&S tights - the autograph wool ones are super cosy for endless hours walking with the pram

Worst:

• Fat face jeans - lose their shape very soon after washing (could wear old gap ones for a couple of days without them getting saggy and soft), and slip down onto hips leaving fantastic muffin top
• cheap M&S t-shirts - lose their shape, colour, everything. Am still on a mission for the perfect t-shirt. used to buy Splendid, but can't justify it any more

Ooh Hells - link to your biker boots please.

I've just bought an american vintage t-shirt and am hoping it will be fab - am sick of throwing away crap t-shirts that lose their shape after being washed.

Hopefully - your brora dress sounds fab - any idea when their sale starts?

tracey - I got them a while ago...I think they've gone now. They were crazy money but luckily we (well DH) got a big discount - otherwise I would have found it impossible to justify

Brora dress does sound fab. Will look out for sale.

i promised myself no more spending so better avoid this thread - it's too tempting!

tick
next jeggings( the mateiral tyupe)
that grey sweater dress
H and M long sleeved toght and therefore warm ts for layering

Uniqlo heat tech tops - very warm and good for layering
Gap denim mini
Bearpaw 'Ugg' boots - keep my feet warm whilst watching dd at netball matches and dog walking

No bad buys as I can't afford mistakes so have been v. careful!

Brora sale is starting 11-12th of January I believe - have my eye on cowl neck jumper and long v-neck jumper

I've had lots of wear out of:

• Mulberry Bayswater bag
• Monsoon blue/navy paisly print tunic dress (bought in summer sale but great for layering all year round)
• Monsoon chunky navy cardigan coat (also bought in summer sale, live in sad provincial town so a lot of stuff comes from there!)
• Brown Hobbs flat stretchy side boots
• Black Sainsbury's top long sleeves/ crew neck - washes amazing well and it only cost £3 or something.

-Jigsaw fine wool scarf with glittery / gold thread bits woven through the end.

• Boden pink spotty scarf
• Wolford grey tights, warm, strong / long lasting and go with everything
• Mulberry silk shawl, worn lots over Christmas
• Mulberry knitted empire line dress (all Mulberry stuff from outlet I hasten to add, I live in the back of beyond but it does have Mulberry factory close by

Bad buys:

• Any 'top' - unless stretchy long t shirt type garment. Have decided I am too weird a shape for normal tops.
• Hobbs wool skirt with side pleat. Felt uncomfortable, ebayed it.

Oh - I bought some Wolford tights from TK Maxx and they are fabbo. Don't think I could bring myself to pay full price though, especially as the M&S ones are so good.

Best buys:
Uniqjo +J polo neck merino dress and fuschia puff sleeved merino dress
Heattech stuff (also Uniqlo) flippin' brilliant
Ted Baker plumage print silk dress
Pure cashmere stole
Pink suede gloves
Toast knit tunic dress

Worst buys:
A Toast dress that's gorgeous on, but then I remember that it's dry-clean only and I have 2xtoddlers and I take it off.
Uniqlo +J jeans

tracey I always wash my American vintage stuff on a delicates/ handwash cycle. I think you'll not be disappointed. Where did you buy it from?

Best Buys:

DKNY Cozy in black - has been everywhere with me
SFAM Jeans - great colour and fit
Christian L Miss Tack shoes in Patent Black - WorkWardrobe staple
Leaves of Grass Blue Maxi Dress - cost a fortune,worn once, but lots of compliments.
Cashmere Bed socks - don't do cold feet.

Waste of Money

Christian L Miss Boxe Wedges - can't be bothered to wear them in spend most of their time in the box.

GOOD:

black biker boots from GAP - worn nearly everyday with dresses/tunics aswell as jeans, so comfy

black flattering puffa coat from H&M for the school run

wool square scarf from Kew with purple and orange spots/stripe pattern - has lifted so many of the too numerous black/charcoal things I own

this dress as default going out option

levante wool rib tights - not as expensive as falke but lovely and soft. Very "TOAST" ad campaign.

Oasis jeggings in black

GAP black/grey checked empire line shirt dress

BAD:

Oversized cable knit beret from H&M - LOVE how it looks, got lots of compliments but god it makes my head ITCH !!! Trying to decide if buying the Pure/Brora spenny cashmere version will cure the itch or be the same

charcoal grey sweater dress with a zip from TopShop - s'okay (and only £25 reduced) but have come to conclusion that black/grey next to my face is too draining on me, it's also a bit batwingy

this american vintage tshirt - I got it in white and it is RIDICULOUSLY transparent and looks rubbish layered over anything else so am using as a £50 undervest!!!

Most things that didn't work went back - have probably sent/taken back more than I've kept this season.

LTEC - I got this one.

It does look lovely on.

So what purchases are we planning for next season?

I've bought a lovel mac and scarf from Comptoir des Cotonniers. And have resolved to buy less but more wisely/better quality.

Am quite excited to see what Halston Heritage and Isabel Marant are like when they hit netaporter as have seen lots of press about them.

I'm also coveting some nude patent shoes for spring/summer - am aware am about 2 years behind on this though.

eshermummy- I have a Pure cashmere oversize beret and can vouch for the quality. Lovely thick fabric in a fine knit and not at all itchy.