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:
a raspberry pink cashmere mix coat, cheers me up every time I wear it.
3 meters of silk in cream, oyster and pale pink, got my mum to sew them into sleeveless tops which I wear under my collection of (ebay) cashmere cardigans.
These boots in black, they are so comfy I can run in them
A Missoni scarf in all the colours I love.
Topshop Baxter jeans
Kurt Geiger trainers, v like LTECs Ash ones but in gold sort of python skin leather, love them.
A small vintage navy chanel style bag which I can wear across the body style, just fits purse phone and keys.

I can't think of any mistakes because I think long and hard before I buy anything!

I hate DKNY cozys flappiness too, always wear them ballet-wrap style.

Forgot about a beautiful Lanvin-esque dress from All Saints, waiting to see if it will be reduced in sale so I can get it in another colour.

Verity Oooooooh I love those Bertie boots but my size out of stock.

Sheet, I got mine in House of Fraser or try Berties own site, they are fab boots!

A good year for me.

Two Sonia Rykiel dresses, one with stripes and cherries one with stars which I wore up to 7 months pregnant practically every day.

A Theory cashmere grey and bright yellow trim cardigan

//a Ralph Lauren wool wrap thingo

Two Vanessa Bruno wool dresses, one mustard, one navy.

Sonia Rykiel skirt and jumper with bees yesterday - New season.

Took back yesterday an A.P.C coat and Eley Kishimoto jumper so have a credit note, Will buy new season shoes probably.

Sooo much better than two years ago whence I bought some bad G Goodman boots I can't wear and other stuff, and it's all wallowing in wardrobe.

I wear my DKNY cozy either with a thin patent belt (at empire line height) or with the flaps tied in a knot behind my back a la All Saints deconstruction bustle (or so I think ) or as a loose wrap when I am wearing my cross shoulder bag which keeps it in place.

BTW, I have 2yo DTs. It's too flappy to wear loose definitely.

Verity - thank you v much. Have now found them on H of Fraser website and cheaper and in my size.

Best:

-leather leggings
-Stephen Sprouse LV leopard print large scarf
-oversized jumper/tunic
-Uniqlo long underwear
-James Perse tee shirts
-black ankle boots
-Zadig & Voltaire long jumper

Worst:

-Tara Jarmon jumper (snagged the first time I wore it)
-Christian Louboutin super high heels (lovely to look at, impossible to wear!)

SofaQueen - do you have satin sheets?

That's fab sheet, they're a good buy

My best buys:

Boden straightleg indigo jeans - very flattering, no muffin toppage, no builders bum on bending down - they sit neatly on hips. Ditto Boden straightleg cotton crops in white.

Boden biker jacket in brown. An everyday staple that I can't be without.

Variety of items from Hush - Henley dress in Old Rose, Henley merino top in Vivid Blue, wide leg roll-top trousers. All beautifully soft and good value. Perfect for days when you really can't be bothered but still want to look "put together".

Zara slate-grey silk-knit dress.

Top Shop navy sequin jacket - very vintage Chanel rather than vintage Cilla - current cost per wear is a tenner....which means I wore it 6 times in December alone.

Top Shop long sleeve tees - very fine knit, gorgeous colours and look great layered.

Top Shop "natural" leopard print shawl - tis the best LV copy I have ever seen and cost a measly 15 quid.

Jigsaw navy blue silk shirt - have worn to death - is one of those pieces which works for day or evening.

Worst Buys:

Toast dress in Jan sales - tis gorgeous but really is a bit "office" and I am a SAHM.

JL own brand opaques - absolutely terrible quality and lasted less than 30 minutes.

can we have links for the wonderful La Redoute buys? because I can never find anything on there! thanks

Beautiful La Redoute coat. Love it love it. I wear it with dresses, jeans, jeggings , skirts etc.

This is lovely but need to lose a bit of weight for it to look how I want it to

Have this in all 3 colour ways and really like it. Very easy to wear and gets lots of compliments.

hi mm - I like your la redoute coat, v stylish. I imagine the boiled wool to be a bit felted in texture is that right?
I had been looking at la redoute boiled wool coats and was rather taken with this for Catherine Zeta Jones style haughty sashaying about in big shades type moments.

Did you see the thin layering tops I linked to on your thread, mine arrived today and sadly I think they may have to go back (might keep the long turtleneck) as too big.
The vanessa bruno cardigan was nice though but not sure whether to save my pennies towards another Major coat purchase in the sales.

Also for some inexplicable reason I feel the need to purchase a Mulberry handbag, a choc brown roxanne to be precise . Can't remember if you were a Bicester afficionado - do roxanne's ever come up there do you know or is it full price or nothing for what I'm after?

Monkey's Mama - how do you wear / style the shirtdress? It looks a bit like a night shirt in the catalogue pic (sorry!)

EsherMummy - Mulberry outlet do often have Roxannes, but finding them in a natural colours (i.e. brown or black) can be a challenge, as those colours tend to get snapped up faster. I did manage to get one last (er this, just still) year as I live near to an outlet so can pop in every other day quiet often

Mrs SB - I ordered MM's recommended la redoute shirt dresses and although I thought the material and colour of the checked one was lovely I sent them back as shape did absolutely nothing for me - far too baggy and shapeless and I ordered the smallest size (6x8) - am usually a size 8 - so I would recommend sizing down.

I thought as much re the roxanne - just have to save up I guess. Out of interest, by how much is a roxanne usually reduced at Bicester?

Also, as you live near Bicester could I ask you, do you think now-ish is a good time to go or is stock better once sales have finished and remaining stock has been shipped to Bicester or do they have same sale stuff as in main stores?
Am thinking more the top end stuff like handbags and (Maxmara) coats.

Eshermummy, I live near the Shepton Mallet outlet in Somerset, not Bicester. I think any time is as good as another here, as they seem to have a steady stream of stock at all times, and while it's all reduced (sometimes at 70% off) they have extra discounts on top at 'sale' times (i.e. now and in summer).

My Roxanne was £194 ish IIRC, but it had an extra reduction as was 'faulty' (but no fault visible as had been repaired by factory).

I don't know if all outlets have a 'faulty rail'; I think quite a lot of bags are still made at the Somerset factory, so they may get a higher level of 'rejects/ seconds' as opposed to last season stock.

That is an amazing price for a roxanne Mrs SB am v
Sorry for assuming your location - I always forget about the Somerset outlet, I think you are right though that the bargains are heaps better than at Bicester.

Happy New Year !!!!!!

HNY to you as well!

Good luck with hunting down your Roxanne - you could always try phoning Shepton. I know some people call them daily hoping for a particular style, they are v helpful and don't mind! They will post out to you and you can pay by card over phone.

Thanks for the recommendation re Topshop tees,Tulpe,I wear their vests and tees in summer but have yet to try the long sleeved ones.
Also re Boden straightlegs. Boden wideleg trousers/jeans fit me well,but quite fancy a 'fresher' look for 2010!
Although may only buy the £12 Marks ones if they are as good as people say.

Veritybrulee - love the sound of your pink cashmere mix coat. Where was that from? Could do with a pop of colour in my wardrobe...

am loving this thread although it could cost me a fortune.

for me :

best - Baxter jeans, breton style tshirt from Jigsaw, floral scarf from M&S, short, fitted quilted jacket (similar in Hobbs) from local garden centre !! , Duo boots, navy cardigan from Hobbs

worst - couple of tops from White stuff with 'winter white' background which drain me terribly. must stick to true white near face.

Georgina - what I love about the Boden straight legs is that they are straight without being loose and they therefore look like skinny jeans without:

a) carrot effect to your legs

and

b) they are very gently shaped at the top so although they sit on your hips they cannot ride down like regular fit jeans, iyswim. But this means they are not mumsy whereas I suspect the 12 quid M&S jeans are quite high rise.

i tried the Boden straight legs, tulpe, but returned them as they were a very strange fit around my calves