Looking back at last year's September and October Buyer's Archives, it's clear that the start of autumn is always a time of spending for me. It makes sense, I guess: the new season's clothes are all out in the shops, looking ever so tempting, and as it turns colder you realise that for some inexplicable reason you charity bagged most of your warm cardigans in spring (true story).
This year shows no sign of bucking the trend, particularly because I needed to replace my winter boots and coat. And when I say "needed", for once I actually mean it: the H&M boots I bought two winters ago have started to become rather too porous to water, and after selling last year's vintage coat find on Instagram I also needed to replace that. But first, the fun stuff...
Mustard longline cardigan, Sainsburys £22
My office is freezing cold, so this mustard yellow cardigan of beauty will make for a winter of feeling snuggly and warm.
Polka dot skirt, Fat Face £15 (no longer online but may be available in store)
I've been eying this polka dot beauty up since it first went into shops, but had no intention of paying full price. So literally the minute the Fat Face sale email appeared in my inbox, I was on the website to snap it up. I actually think I'll wear this more in summer than winter - I'm quite particular about the length skirts come to when I'm wearing tights (basically, the shorter the better!) - so it'll go to the back of the wardrobe ready to be rediscovered come spring. Also, it has pockets!
Black corduroy pinafore dress, Primark £12
Last November I bought a black denim pinafore dress from Dotty Ps, impulsively sold it on Instagram when I didn't wear it much, and have regretted it ever since! Being a strange combination of short, massive boobs and long body, I've struggled ever since to find a replacement. This corduroy number from Primark has been in my wardrobe for 5 days and has already been worn twice, so I won't be making the same mistake again.
It's blue, it has polka dots, it was always going to come home with me, let's face it. Despite the fact that I actually don't wear polka dots all that much at the moment, I still can't seem to resist them. However, it's actually a tad too large for me, so it may be destined for an Instagram sale at some point.
Navy blue duffle coat, La Redoute £22
I had a great duffle coat from La Redoute which, after a number of year's wear, finally gave up the ghost last winter. I've been keeping an eye out for a replacement ever since, and so when I saw this one in the sale for £30 I grabbed it. As I already had an £8 credit on my account, it set me back just £22: not bad for a winter coat. And as I just sold my vintage duffle coat on Instagram, I'm leaving this off the total for October.
These are the boot holy grail - cut low and close-fitting on the ankle, small chunky heel, completely plain black with no extraneous detailing. They'll hopefully see me through the next couple of winters, paired with printed dresses and thick tights.
Dr Marten shoes, Rubbersole £77 after 25% discount code
I perhaps, strictly speaking, didn't need both new boots and new shoes. But after spending months coveting a pair of these classic 1461 DM shoes, I couldn't resist after I found a whacking great 25% off code for Rubbersole. They've turned out to be surprisingly comfortable to break in and should last me for years: £77 well spent, I reckon.
Total for September: £54.98
Total for October: £104
Total so far for 2017: £480.06
Total this time last year: £552.82
So I'm still (just) on target to spend less than £600 this year and, despite the outlay of new shoes, boots and coat, keeping below last year's spend too.
Look out for the #buyersarchive hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to see the other bloggers taking part.
Love that mustard cardigan, and the duffel coat! I know it's this is a pathetic thing to moan about but I'm so fed up of not being able to buy new clothes atm - winter stuff is my favourite but having no idea what size I'll be is making purchases a bit pointless. Still, it's good for my bank account I guess... This post has reminded me to look in TK Maxx more as well, I always seem to forget it exists.
ReplyDeleteThe mustard cardie and other items made me giggle as I thought, "Surely you JUST sold a corhuroy dress like that!" and lo and behold....
ReplyDeleteThe docs are lovely! I totally think they are worth every penny!x
Lovely buys Janet. I'm particular about skirts and tights too, the longer a skirt gets the less I want to wear tights with it, although it is sometimes necessary to wear tights under a maxi for warmth, you'll never see me in a short skirt without at least 100 denier covering my legs.
ReplyDeleteI think shoes and boots, and coats, are things worth investing in, those DMs will last for ages.
xx
I love everything you've bought! Especially the mustard cardigan, although I now own three mustard jumpers so I really couldn't buy it ... Although a cardigan is different to a jumper
ReplyDeleteLove the yellow and the pinafore dress looks great. I really want one but haven't yet seen a shape of pinafore which would really work on me. They don't tend to have very full skirts.
ReplyDelete