February's "shop more wisely {but no less avidly)" thread

[LetThemEatCake]

Ladies, welcome to Spring

Tracey - Claudia EL is the March issue - maybe I got it early as came by post via subscription.

Hells - it was the indigo ones I liked - am hoping they'll come back into stock or I may brave Harvey Nicks in Bristol.

Here was my last link to the hobbs nw3 trench jacket

Oh good - I'll keep my eyes peeled - I do love Claudia's look.

Tracey- that hobbs mini trench looks very nice. I also like the look of the NW3 twill blazer. Am veering towards something short and cropped-ish as know it suits me.
Would never have thought of hobbs tbh.

evening from South London ladies

Choo have a lovely evening. Sounds like the kind of restaurant dh would love. Not so good for me though It bugs him because buying, cooking & eating food together used to be a big part of relationship and he just can't get his carnivorous head around veggie food in the same way.

Luckily we both still like wine

btw, I too have been compared to Halle Berry. By dd when she was about 20mo, pointing at the telly shouting "that mama, that mama!" It was Catwoman. The scene where she is all tangled hair, ferally slurping tuna from tins. Still, it was Halle Berry and beggars can't be choosers.

Everyone much better here, no more puke, kids ate a good dinner & went to bed no probs. I feel fabulous after a 40min run. All good!

GW hope you have a lovely evening out.

no no GW - black rats are NOT dry clean - handwash only!! or, as esher says, in a knoted pillowcase on delicates cycle

Esher - I definitely suit cropped jackets and that hobbs one was very cropped and fitted so flattering. Only noticed it as I perused the whistles section in John Lewis. They've cunningly put the nw3 stuff between reiss and whistles.

LTEC - glad everyones better and well done on your run. DH away last night and not back till late tonight.

LTECakey hope your family are all ok now. Don't wish yourself sick - to get all the exercise and good food in you have managed with such a small LO and 2 others is brilliant. You're almost there the healthy way!

Esher I am so pleased you'll be wearing your Black Rats to the HV. That's my kinda woman .

I used to work in Canary Wharf too (worked in high end construction/Olympics 2012) but based at Barclays Capital. It'll be two years since I stopped work in March and I love not working.

I agree the chinos are kind of cheggings. I love my jeggings but they are all a bit high on the ankle for me to wear with sandals I think. There isn't enough excess material and ruching at the bottoms. Going for the pink is a major departure colourwise for me bit I thought I could wear them with the graduated nude top? Maybe not .

After 20mo my dd seems to have weaned herself off bf and I need to treat myself to something lovely to mark the occasion (apart from new underwear) The Rick Owens jacket is not a contender!

Georgina I don't like any of the sandals sorry. I think they all look a bit mumsy. I had a pair of tan Next wedges a few years ago that looked great and were very comfy.

Thanks to MrsJuan and DressageNut for the colour info.

Roary I loved being pg and got happier the bigger I got. I bought loads of clothes in late pg thinking I'd wear them afterwards and never did. Some of them were too big but I also felt different and wanted an excuse to go shopping for new stuff. The Travelwrap sounds like the best idea by far. Everyday luxury and you'll remember once you've had the LO that you treated yourself with it when pg iyswim. (I'm very sentimental)

Choo if you look even vaguely like Halle Berry you're one blessed woman. She is stunning.

I like Gauchos but any of you are in SE London you need to check out Buenos Aires in Blackheath (got to book) but it is sublime. One of the owners was a paparazzo in a previous life so if the company gets boring you can spend some quality time checking out his photos that adorn the walls of the celebs in their finery!

M&S flats - someone asked who'd got them - 'twas me. I like them but they are a bit wide. I do have very slim feet but I decided to keep them and wore them last week and they're really comfy. Think I may need to invest in an inner sole but they are nice for the price and look dearer.

Carciofi - I wondered from your name if you were/spoke Italian. I love carciofi! I have family from Calabria & Umbria but I was born here though I then lived in Bologna for a few years, then Naples and Siena. We go back about every 2 months and for a month in the summer. Dd is bilingual too. [proud mamma emotiocon]

Night all.

MM

MM - did you see the jacket I linked to for you? Its very lovely.

Do you speak italian to your dd all the time? It must take some dedication - I've seen bonsoir's threads about ensuring her daughter is bilingual to see it takes a lot of work.

Tracey sorry I missed it! Thank you. I think LTEC linked to it too. I do like it I just wanted something a bit softer I think. I'm dithering about it though & think I may order it to try it. Thanks again.

Yes, when it's just us 2 we only speak Italian but as a family we speak English. It can be tiring but it's natural really though I am sometimes tempted to stray into the Italo-English a lot of my bilingual friends speak which uses the easiest words from either language. I find my English is getting worse which is crazy. I got the best degree I could in English & read masses. I think it coincides with not working too.

Enough about me!

Busy day here too - but a good one as I'm feeling thin today so dug out a bright red fitted jumper dress I bought from Warehouse last autumn but never wore. Have accessorised with leopard-print scarf and am wearing black tights and flat, slouchy black leather boots. Quite pleased with the overall effect and wish I'd started wearing the dress sooner!

mrsjuan I love the Bex dress and there are tonnes of them on eBay. I think there are a few different versions in blue although which ones are genuine I couldn't tell you! Worth a look though.

hana did you find any nude shoes? I got a 15% off code from Dorothy Perkins today and they have some lovely ones although they might be a bit on the high side? Didn't look to see if they were leather or not though.

LTEC wishing you a good night's sleep!

What do you all think of this? I've just ordered it to wear with skinnies or rolled-up boyfriend jeans, a vest, nice necklace and either ballet flats or turqoise patent courts I bought last year.

Oh glad you've seen it - still prefer the rick one though .

I love italy - we've been to ravello a couple of times and just adored it. Had dinner at palazzo sasso on my 30th and it was one of the best nights of my life.

Went back with ds1 and lordy - how different holidays are with dcs.

MM, I love all those places. I spent 6 months in Siena as a student. That's great that your dd is bilingual. I must try and teach dd a little Italian (she can say ciao and has an Italian name!) but then she'd learn all my mistakes.

Esher, I know what you mean. I am in SW6 which is a bit Boden/Sloanie (I do like Boden but not the whole package!). I think it may be too small, anyway.

I was also in the City, I love being home with dd but I do miss the salary sometimes (very shallow of me, I know ).

Tracey, I like the NW3 jackets.

Time for wine now, I think.

Oh my goodness! I stopped mid-post to have some peaches and ice cream and when I finished and posted, I found I'd missed tonnes. Will now catch up...

Peaches & cream. Mmmm.

Tracey you're so right though Italy is great with kids. Ravello is stunning. We are thinking about going to Antigua for dp's birthday in spring. Went 4 years ago for the holiday of a lifetime. He's desperate to return but I think he's a bit deluded about a beach holiday with a wonderfully lively 2yo.

Carciofi my dd has an Italian name too. I love names with vowels at the end.

Can I tell you all a secret? I bought a lottery ticket for the first time ever. Do you know why? To get the Rick Owens jacket.

Ah yes, I miss the salary too.

Ooh, will keep my fingers crossed for you Sat. But not too hard - if you win, DH can't! And I need him to because I don't buy a ticket

Perhaps you could merely win hundreds of thousands?

Oh dear what a fast moving thread!!

MM - gorgeous red Choos!!

Esher - am ex-City, too, and had some fun evenings at Coq d'Argent. Great venue choice!

Tracey - congrats on reaching goal weight! I don't have scales but the mirror says I am still weigh (ha ha) off.

MrsJ - went and exchanged Marthas today so now have one long (for heels) and one short (for my beloved ballet flats and havaianas). But am confused - should I be wearing skinnies? And which ones??

Navy dress - great idea, such a flattering shade. And as it has more prim image than black, you can go for a saucier style. Had navy maternity evening dress and loved it. Will add navy dress to shopping list. Btw liked the French Connection dress, but I like a short tunic dress.

Grey Next jacket - lovely! Completely understand normally loathing Next. I detest it, too. Boxy, mumsy clothes. Yuck. Am fighting against sensible nanna outfits but a bit lost in this new SAHM world! Esp as still portly from DD almost 8 months ago .

sorry to butt in with a quick question - we have just booked our annual Easter pilgrimage to Cornwall with our friends, where I am usually miserable because cold. This year I have my North Face Arctic Parka, however, and dh wants to ensure that my feet are also warm, dry and happy so is agitating to buy me these - what do you all think? Should I let him?

Or suffer the cold and damp and get him to put the ££ towards those pink Choos??

Bunny - that is a genius idea about 2 pairs of Marthas - I might try some petite ones on as the regular ones are fairly long on me anyway and will get scruffy round the bottom very quickly if I wear them with flats. Might also get some black ones for work!
I have got skinnies (republic I think) but I don't think they are very flattering on me so only wear them on nights out and thin days which are both extremely rare since having DD! Our daughters must be a similar age. Mine is 8 and a half months now. I honestly don't know where the last 4 months have gone. (The first 4 dragged )

We were planning to go to Italy in October but now have a wedding to go to instead so it will have to wait until next year. DH is a big city break fan so wants to go to Rome. Would that be madness with a 2 and a half year old?

Tracey - well done on the weight loss. I need to get my arse in gear as my sister is getting married in June and I have a size 10 bridesmaid dress that I need to look good in. The annoying this is I lost loads of weight when DD was tiny mostly due to stress but now I've relaxed a bit I've put it all back on again.

Cakey! - glad to hear the Cake family is on the mend. Err are those shoes not Uggs by another name? All sheepskin shoes are wrong IMO, but maybe that's becUse have been scarred by a childhood in Australia seeing Shazza and Dazza down the local mall in their trackies and Uggs.

oh god totally Bunny - Skinny's warehouse, anyone? No, no am not am Uggs-or-their-cousins-wearer, not in public - but this is for a caravan holiday, lots of mooching about in the dunes.

Jeans tucked into my boots will look daft as my boots are not caravan-styley
Jeans not tucked in and worn with trainers will get wet in a second

so....?

Hell I'd do it (although prefer cream or tan to black) but I have a pair of chocolate ankle-length Uggs and (don't tell anyone ) I wear them in public!

Any opinions on my blazer or do you all hate it and are being polite because I've already ordered it?

Do you know, Cakey, if it's just for one holiday why don't you buy cashmere socks and tuck jeans into your existing boots, thinking "who cares, I am getting Jimmy Choos" w the money you saved? I wouldn't buy shoes I didn't love just for one holiday. But I would buy heavenly heels, even if I wore them only once.

just scrolled back to see your blazer Fleecy - 'tis not at all me but the sort of thing I would see on someone else and think "tres chic"