topshop – Style Me H

It’s happened, they’re here! There’s no escaping them and no matter what you do or who you are, they will find you and stalk you, even haunt you in your dreams. They’ll be there first thing when you wake up and last thing at night, they’ll probably keep some of you awake. They’re a constant drip, a form of water torture, they catch you unawares and lure you in and whatever you do you must not look them directly in the title!

That’s right people it’s the sale emails! The smails! They’re coming at you thick and fast and even Murray couldn’t bat them away quick enough. It starts innocently enough- the first one is exciting – &otherstories you had me at &. You caught me when I had a coffee – you also enticed me with your VIP pre-sale. I mean I like your clothes, I really do – and I can’t bear the thought of there being something I need in my life (that I didn’t even know I needed) and it selling out the next day when you launch the ACTUAL sale. So, yeah I’ll browse your VIP pre sale and stick it on the credit card (making sure I’ve bought enough to get the free p&p because you all know how we feel about paying that extra £4.95) Oh and guess what a full price dress fell into my basket too – how’s that even happen? It’s the curse of the smail that’s what! Somehow all those savings on the sale items add up to the cost of a new dress – hmmm weird.

&Other Stories Coffee Bean Maxi Dress
https://www.stories.com/en_gbp/clothing/dresses/maxi-dresses/product.floral-print-maxi-dress-blue.0493476004.html

HM turned up next, like literally a couple of hours later – another VIP sale and extra discounts for HM members club. I open the smail with my eyes half closed, squinting at the pics, grimacing, almost praying I don’t like anything as the images load. Phew its ok, nothing grabs my attention – apart from the whopping 30p member discount I have accrued! Think of the damage I could do with that!

And now I’m dreading what’s coming next…..I check my emails, shitting myself its going to be Zara or Topshop…I dont think my JL Partnership card can cope with that today. OMG, I cant believe it, its the school uniform shop – smailed to say 10% off everything – I mean come on!

Its ok, I have no need for any more school skirts, my card gets to have a break for the night. But here’s why sales and smails are a problem for many. We get excited at the thought of a bargain, we succumb to fomo, we want to look like that amazing influencer we follow on the gram and we think by grabbing a bargain we will instantly be transformed. But the reality for a lot of us is we panic buy and throw these things in our baskets willy nilly (what a great saying!) and whilst you may think you have a bargain, how many of us truly give any thought as to whether it’s going to work hard in our wardrobe? Do you even know what is in your wardobe? Be honest can you even SEE what is in your wardrobe?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no saint. I mean I caned some serious money yesterday but I made considered purchases (trousers in a colour that I know will work with a number of tops I own, jeans that are high waisted in white which when summer arrives will also work with the same tops plus I need white bottoms for my daughters carnival and I am NOT donning a pair of white leggings! and a tshirt that I just loved – and I do love a tshirt – I’d say its my signature look. But the full price dress – yeah you got me there – I fell in love with it and couldn’t help myself – the only excuse I have if it does fit, is it’s my birthday next month and I often get clothes and just tell people I’ve already got my pressie and they give me the cash! Cheeky but true.

I don’t know about you but I personally hate trawling the sales in the shops. It’s good to know what suits you and what’s missing in your wardrobe so when the smails arrive you are ready. It’s great if you have had your eye on a piece for a while and unlike me have been saving for it and waiting for it to be reduced – altho this can induce panic trying to find your size! And I would always, always recommend buying staples in the sale – your favourite jeans, a quality blazer, a classic white shirt, a winter coat, decent boots and trainers, a suit. There are some items that are worth investing in and if you get them reduced then lady you are winning!

But beware of the smails. They’re like gremlins – they turn up all sweet and innocent but you start looking at them and feeding them after midnight (late night in-bed shopping is the most dangerous kind there is!) and before you know it your clothes have multiplied, your wardrobe is bursting at the seams, you have buyers remorse, can’t think what you were even thinking and try to fix it by buying more clothes to go with the clothes you bought after looking at the smail – just before you fell into the high street sale danger zone!

Leopard print is basically a neutral…if you don’t agree then you’re probably not 40 or a shopaholic. Or you have been living in a cave for the last two years – probably with a leopard, in which case, you win – you already have the ultimate accessory and have no need to read this!

It won’t surprise you to hear it started with shoes, well boots to be precise. You’ve got to love a bit of JL online sale browsing – that’s John Lewis btw – and that’s ‘by the way’, btw. I’m the girl no-one wants to buy for anymore – I’ve all the accessories a girl could ever want and pretty much shop ALL the time – so I get vouchers for birthdays and Christmas. Cold hard cash would be preferable but for some reason people don’t trust me to actually buy something rather than it disappearing into my overdraft – I mean it’s not like anyone has ever put money into my account for oh I don’t know, let’s say my husbands birthday, so he can get something he wants and I spent it….

So, I “spotted” these boots (see what I did there) – I mean technically they’re Cheetah but other than speed they’re basically the same animal as a Leopard right?

2464b11c98dd3ceb58d3b5574ed9edc9-boots-beige-senso — Senso ‘Cheetah’ print boots – AW16

They were the only ones left in my size and I took that as a sign – altho I do that a lot, even when all the other sizes are available, but they genuinely were the last pair. And that’s when FOMO set in – the fear of missing out. I need them even though they scare the hell out of me and not quite sure how I will style them but I have a feeling I’ll figure it out! And to me at least – if I use my vouchers they’re free!

They arrive, I love them, its easy to style them – they go with everything. BUT…man they are a statement and way out of my comfort zone. Am I seriously going to wear these on the school run? I call it a big pants moment – you know they look fine, but you’re shitting yourself as all you can think about as you walk the 20 metres from the car to the school gate is that they are so ‘out there’ you pretty much look like you are taking a leopard for a walk.

And for those who know me, just incase you’re thinking – she drives to school? Yes I am the mum who lives closest to the school, as in a 15 minute walk, and if you have a problem with it I am more than happy for you to try and get my daughter dressed and out the door in anything less than two hours – which granted you can probably do because you’re not shopping online at the same time (and then signing your kids in late and writing that in the late register as the exact reason for their tardiness – ooh good word H!) BUT and this is the truth – you’d then have to ask her to walk there – good luck with that!

So, back to me walking a leopard to school – you seriously won’t believe what happened – absolutely frigging nothing! You see, turns out not everyone is looking at your feet nor you as a matter of fact H. You’re not that important and neither are your leopard print boots.

Except they are…

They’ve started something…and the more I wear them the more they just blend into the background. People start commenting OMG I love your boots where did you get them? And it gives you a boost – especially when you’ve been stuck in maternity clothes for what feels like forever. And before you know it I have a leopard print bag, belt, ballet shoes, jumper, shirt, trainers, skirt – make that two skirts, but not a dress…

H&M Sale Top SS18

Until now.

I picked up my &otherstories dress from the Pharmacy – yep the actual Pharmacy – no joke. Nowhere near as funny as picking up my leopard mules from Alligator storage – surf and turf shopping anyone?!

&otherStories

And it’s this that led me to the coat…I swear on my big pants I only went onto Google to get the picture of my mules ready to show you on Insta in the morning – mainly because they were still sat in the boot of my car and I didn’t want to go out in my nightie to get them (even tho the husband was asleep and I could have got away with it had my son not been building Lego in the front room – and there was a 100% chance he’d have shouted “stop buying clothes mum” and that would have woken the beast – and by beast I mean my daughter – the one that doesn’t do walking – yeah she doesn’t do mornings full stop.

So there I am at midnight or thereabouts – I am a secret midnight shopper – I need quiet time to shop. I can’t find the shoes – they don’t come up if you search leopard mules – wtf? So I search leopard print – and up it comes – the Ganni coat – for £98. I already know leopard is a neutral, I already know how I’ll wear it, I already know it’s a wardrobe staple and it’s a great price and I’ll wear it forever and who are you actually trying to convince H – its midnight and everyone is asleep and you’re talking to yourself.

What I didn’t know is everyone else is thinking that too (at midnight, talking to themselves, secretly shopping whilst everyone is asleep) – and there are only size 8’s and 10’s left – you SEE – do you SEE how it happens?! Its a bloody sign I should have it – its my size and I don’t have to decide if I need a 12 or a 10 or worry about buying both and the faff of sending one back and its my size and they’re selling out fast and I NEED one and why was I even on here in the first place?

screenshot_20180817-223858_samsung-internet — GANNI

It’ll be here next week – I’ll probably miss the delivery and have to pick it up from Alligator storage again – and just for a laugh I’m gonna wear ALL my leopard print clothes.

You can NEVER have too much…and if you do…there’s always Zebra…

Or snake…

Or Alligator!

Here’s some links for you to take your own Walk on the Wild Side

Mwah x