Halston and Hasbeens and Harems, oh my! Wise and avid gals this way, please!

[PlumSykes]

Wonder how quickly we'll fill this one?

aaawwwww Cakey
I missed you all too - kept coming across things in fashion magazines and thinking must post and tell the others about blardy-bla.

I remember you linked to the tshirt ages ago but it wasn't available for purchase until sometime whilst I was away and now is sold out.

No sign of the mythical Gap leather shirt either then I suppose?

Feeling a little bit twitchy as haven't bought anything for at least 10 days (I was on holiday ) and DD2 has already broken up for Easter, DD1 breaks up Wednesday so can see no prospect of any rl browsing for the next couple of weeks

Blossoming - are there some funny conditions attached to that Outnet discount code you posted ? I have already filled my basket but it doesn't seem to be working for me and I can only justify the purchases if they are 20% further off

Fleecy I feel EXACTLY the same as you, i.e. not having a 3rd would be one of life's regrets, but v unlikely to regret a 3rd babu after their arrival! I have a bit of time too - its my big 4 0 next summer and a 3rd would be the best birthday present ever

I know you've all gone frugal for a day or so, but please don't let that stop you looking and linking...gets me through the day with a three year old and five month old at home

I drove past a shop in the peak district yesterday (that's about as close as I get to RL shopping atm) and saw a gorgeous black and white striped maxi, which had a slightly drapey top and graduated from black on white to white on black. It looked veh expensive. Anyhoo, I remembered name of shop all the way home, looked it up, saw the brands they did and found it....here

£50! Seriously, it looks soooo much better in the flesh, so will order and see how it looks. Should be lovely with denim jacket and glads.

Other things that have caught my eye:
this

this which could be the answer to your fear of structure Cake.

But, swoon of the week for me goes to this Hussein Chalayan dress

So far, nearest I can get for less is this

Hope you all have a grand week!

Fleecy and Zembo - my dh was a bit about going for dc3 too. We had dd and ds1 16 months apart and I think he was a bit knackered by it all. We agreed to wait to 'decide' until ds was 18months old ... not entirely sure what happened but got a surprise BFP when he was 13 months old Was a shock, but with hindsight am really glad it happened that way as I think discussions would have gone round and round in circles. I knew that I wanted another (although maybe not quite so quickly!!) and Dh wouldn't have it any other way now. So I say - go for it!! even if you (or they!) don't realise that you are!!

Fleecy hope you are feeling better and big hurrah to MrFleecy for his sterling effort yesterday

spider don't you worry, am not going frugal in the slightest - link away!!!

Morning all

esher....lovely to have you back and the place looks amazing. Oh to have a tan - I bet you look delicious.

I'm feeling very blurghhh as I managed to bash my arm on a wooden step so very grumpy and in pain (though marginally better than I was yesterday).

MS - links are good however frugal we are feeling. The more the better.

Zembo and fleecy very at talks of a dc3. I would love one but my sanity couldn't handle more of the inevitable bedrest I'd have to do.

As predicted DH went to Marsha's favourite stomping ground - Liberty and came home with lots of lovely stuff (for himself!) which gives me license to get a few bits but I'm too grumpy. I'm sure that soon will pass.

Tracey - is Bea giving you any rest yet?

Cake glad to hear DD is better. Did you do any RT to help in your hour of need? I don't know if I missed a post with lots of purchases

Well it's been an eventful few days in the grumpy household. DH has been working all weekend and then I had an asthma attack and ended up in A&E at 3am this morning (hospital gowns are so unflattering!).

LTEC - please put me out of my suspense, are you going to wear the rats to your parents evening? It would be the wise thing to do because the more you wear the rats, the cheaper the cost per wear. Which is always my way of justifying pricey purchases. Oh, and I saw a nice maxi in the window of primark the other day - halterneck, black with pink and orange pattern and wondered if it would fit the bill

esher - glad you had such a great holiday.

MM - so sorry for your loss

Am feeling in need of a little RT and thinking about a denim dress that I could just chuck on with glads or flip flops (too mutton??) like this and this but worried the second is a bit short.

Or is a demin dress just too dull for words?

Ooh Hells how exciting for your dh!!

I love the men's stuff. It's so lovely and they have slightly ironic cardigans there. Swoon. I'm sure the model dad wears all stuff from Liberty, slightly trampy dishevelled but vair expensive. Or is your dh's taste more clean cut?

roman good luck today!!! knock 'em dead lovely!

grumpy yes think I will wear the rats tonight and thanks for the heads up on the maxi - will try to check it out before going away this w'end

I have a denim dress by Lover, wear it lots with flip flops

hells no links but I did a big list of Zara purchases on saturday . Your dh owes you one!

grumpy, hope you're feeling better now

so, I would love to wear maxi dresses but fear that at 5'3 I would look like a child in my mother's clothes, or pregnant, or worse! I think you have to be reasonably slim and or elegant or tall to get away with them and I am currently not feeling the first two and will never be tall!

Denim dresses look lovely with sandals or flipflops, especially now denim is very much on-trend.

So I was trying to be good.. but the thing is that when there are discount codes floating about for online shops, well, it feels like I'm not spending any money so I buy things I totally don't need just for the sake of it, have just bought, while BFing and watching sky news (oh the glamour) this and this, v boring top and also dress like this but different wording on front which may be somewhat muttonous and these plain black ballet pumps and these as well

I really have to stop! Any of that wise?

I really love this whistles dress but sadly I think it recently was in grazia and has sold out in size 10, and I also like these but not sure I could walk properly in them..

oh dear, must.stop.shopping...soon....

esher, it says 'visit the outnet.com/instyle and enter InStyleExtra20 at checkout'. HTH.

LTEC, pleased you have decided to go for the rats for tonight. You'll look great!

On the talk of new babies, SamCam expecting again after losing Ivan last year has made me start thinking about it too. This time last year when I was expecting dc3, I was SO broody for another one again. Then I had a 1 in 6 high chance of downs syndrome from the blood tests and had an amnio, which scared the living daylights out of us, but miraculously, it turned out fine. Logic says, we should be grateful for our two healthy children. Dh mentioned at the weekend that we should start thinking about it. Thing is I'm already 39.

So, weather today, absolutely horrific. But I was warm and dry in this. And on sale now too. Sure is ugly though!
My feet got wet though in the fly mols. Disappointing.

Sorry to hear about you being ill reallygrumpy - hope you are having a restful day today.

vin - I liked all your links (couldn't see the Whistles one tho) - good W&A shopping session I say!

Is Hanaflower away - don't recall any posts recently? (OWW waves to HF if reading this!)

Had one of those days yesterday! DH knocked a cup of strong black coffee off of a high chest of draws in our bedroom and somehow it ended up covering the entire wall - from ceiling to floor - which at 10m high, is no easy task! Wall ruined and carpet a mess too! Still, the upside is the bedroom gets re-painted I get to have a wall of wallpaper behind the bed which I have been after for ages. Perusing the Fallow & Ball catalogue now for paint ideas ideas! Do any of you have wallpaper? Was thinking of the Erin range from LA with maybe a v pale duck egg blue or sage green paint. Guess I would need v plain bedding to avoid it all looking too busy. It will turn out to be one very expensive cup of coffee!

DH would quite like a third but we've both agreed not to. DS2 was one of a twin (as am I) but his sibling was subject to 'disappearing twin syndrome' and didnt develop past 10 weeks - which is very common in twin pregnancies apparently. DSs are both lovely but so full of energy I don't think I would be able to cope if I had twin boys as well - and I just get that feeling that i am destined only to have boys! I know its selfish on my part and there is no guarantee I would have twins but DH agrees (especially after having DSs on his own if I have a WE away!) so its not a big issue in our marriage etc and he only gets a little bit broody if holding other peoples newborns - which is very cute of course and does make me think twice too!

Vin - loved all your links (I too couldn't find the whistles one though). I have the AV top and the bloch flats. Both of which have become real staples. The bloch flats are the only ones I have found that are properly comfortable.

Also as LTEC often reminds our A&W petite ladies - Nicole Ritche is very tiny and she looks amazing in maxi dresses.

I like the DVF shoes but suspect they would be horrifically painful.

Marsha - "slightly trampy dishevelled but vair expensive" is a mightly fine discription of my DH. He is as far from clean cut as you can get really (other than he is clean )

Cake - you will have them all jealous as you swan about in your rats. I bet you will look amazing.

Blossoming & OWW - completely understand the logic of both your DC3 thoughts. I always get that 'well I need to count myself lucky' - though that does sometimes stop me from doing things that maybe I should. who knows the right answer.

OWW - you poor thing. What an utter PITA! I am looking now at my 'stony ground' wall from Farrow and Ball which looks much better than in does in the sample. I do have one wall with wall paper but cannot remember where an earth it's from. I'll try and find out as it is pretty good.

grumpy - have you seen [[http://www.next.co.uk/shopping/women/casual/30/2?extra=sch&n=women&pid=714-467&exclude=00AY00%7c00 A00&returnurl=%2fsearch%3fp%3dQ%26lbc%3dnext%26uid%3d979286725%26ts%3dv8%26w%3ddenim%2520dress%26af% 3d%26isort%3dscore%26method%3dand%26filter%3dsubset%253a4201%26nxtv%3d000%26nxti%3d0&bct=%26quot%3bd enim%20dress%26quot%3b this dress] it fits the denim dress bill but a bit different too...

I had a spree on asos last night and ordered
hasbeens!
this tee
bit muttonous?
this oversized top in black
tea dress

wonder if any of them will be keepers!

oh dear, should preview

denim dress link again for grumpy!!!

Hullooooo...just back after a holiday en famille after an op ! Was a bit poorly but better now...Anyway, holiday was lovely...(cottage in Dorset)...gorgeous cottage but not exactly all that relaxing...oh well. You can't have it all (shame)...DH did his v best...bless him! Upside was...DS and DD shared a room in sweet little twin beds...and totally surprised me by sleeping like logs all night, I mean, no giggling or anything! Wow!

Finished off on way back in Bath, shopping for DC's AGAIN! DH has promised me shopping weekend v soon, as I think he felt sorry for me!! (Milk it, milk it!!!)....

Must be the 40 thing, but have gone and had blonde highlights into my once naturally golden-ish locks...channelling a much younger, and polished look....quite happy with them, but wanted 'expensive looking', know what I mean? By which I think I mean more Ash than Trash- Anyone understand this/got the look I mean?

have just read back properly through posts - grumpy so sorry to hear you were poorly and subjected to unflattering gown!!!

ooooh vin lots of avid, lots of wise going on there ... there are a few of us with that AV l/s tee, it's a good buy ... absolutely love the death squad dress (not muttonous at all!!) and the shoes are both great. Which Whistles dress did you mean?

blossoming we lost our first dd bc of a "fatal chromosomal rearrangement" ... dd's nuchal was fine but ds1's gave me 1 in 6 for T21 (and I was only 34!!) Had a CVS (horrid) and of course he was fine. But last year, despite ds2's nuchal being 1 in 7000 or something, I just couldn't rest until I'd had a CVS. Part of me would love another child, but the other part says that I just can't go through all that uncertainty again. Getting big, sleepless nights etc - no problem. The anxiety is what kills me.

OWW what a day!! you need a treat

Fel1x how exciting, a big ASOS package to look forward to. I was just perusing my "save for later" list this morning .. hmmm. Make sure you report back!!

Dolce good to have you back, sorry you were a bit under the weather - I think 'relaxing' hols might be a thing of the past for the next few years, no?

Is there anybody else on here who finds ballet pumps really uncomfortable? And if so, have you tried the Bloch ones? I bought these (or very simliar) last year and found they went baggy roud the sides very quickly and gave me shooting pains in my feet. Undeterred, I treid these DKNY ones in black which are much more comfortable. I'm now wondering whether to risk a Bloch pair...

Interesting demin dress Fel1x; hopefully there will be somebody who has tried it and can give a report.

Are any of you lovely ladies wearing blue denim jeans at the moment, and if so, what with? I'm really struggling to find everyday tops to wear on those days when only jeans will do. I can't do marl grey or anything hangy and shapeless, sadly.

And I sympathise with how hard it is to decide whether to have DC3. I am in a similar position re number 4...

blimey - how did I miss that grumpy! So sorry you had that.

buggied - yes - I find the bloch pair very very comfortable.

thanks LTEC - yes, definitely those days are gone for a while..!!! ...Never mind...on the plus side, I think what with the poorly bit (yes, hospital gowns are v embarrassing and unflattering to boot, grumpy!!!), and blustery hikes along Dorset beaches carrying the weighty Phoebe, combined with being on-the-go ALL THE TIME, I have managed to shed some more weight...and so am just a few pounds under my original !! Ta da!!!

I am going to invest in seriously cool jeans, like NOW!

Plus I want a blazer, and some tanks to wear with jaunty shirts...Spring c'mon! Ooh, and
some blooming fetching nightwear...I still am looking...
as I am still looking for a house. We have decided to buy a holiday cottage in Cornwall, am so excited. Can't wait to fit it out!

hells- Nicole Ritchie does indeed look splendid in maxi dresses! How could I miss that? (maybe she buys childrens ones) but yes, I have a renewed sense of approval for maxi dresses. Best thing is- no need to worry about horrendously pale legs (so pale they are almost blue, not pretty, need attention)

Fel1x- good avid shopping in big exciting parcel! report back!

My goodness the whistles site is rubbish, this is the dress, that has sold out... I have to go to some ridiculous overdressed lunch thing in a few weeks (ergo, reasonably hot) with PILs who hate me and have no idea what to wear! I would probably be happiest in a black dress but not sure that would be a good luck on a hot sunny lunchtime.... have lots of pretty silk floral skirts/dresses but they're all rather slightly too small at the moment

3rd DC.. hmm.... DP wants lots, I am not so sure myself. I have had 2 DCs but sadly only DS is with us, we lost DD when she was 1.5, last year. DP very much wants another one but DS is quite small and I am meant to be back at work part time very soon.. and I need to go back to finish my training.. so hmm..! I have been pregnant or breastfeeding almost non-stop for the past 3 years. I think I am happy waiting for a while but he is quite a bit older (well, a lot older) and piling on the pressure to have another one which will totally mess up not only my career but also my SHOPPING HABIT

luck look! All this talk of shopping has made me oblivious to what I type!

Dolce, v exciting! Holiday cottage in Cornwall sounds like fab idea and would be loved by DCs, presumably no need to fly there either, and in summer it's so sunny

vinauchocolat, so sorry for your loss.

Vinau - so so sorry.

Vin - so sorry for the loss of your daughter. Its so sad how many losses there have been on this thread .

LTEC - am glad you're wearing the rats tonight - have fun! Did you see my recommendation for the st tropez every day?

Dolce - A holiday cottage sounds good - are you still looking for a main home too? We're still looking but unfortunately everything we like is about twice our budget .

Have finally just ordered these in nature as have found nothing else I like the look of so much and think they'll work with jeans/trousers/dresses.