Thursday 18 February 2016

What I bought in the sales 2016...



I didn't just buy half a dress....

Between seeing family over the festive period, a few personal shops between Christmas and New Year and lucky wardrobe angel clients using their Christmas Gift Cards, I didn't have the luxury of a full day to go and browse the sales in January like I usually do. Wouldn't change it for the world, however, The Wardrobe Angel business is booming!

Here's what I did pick up in January....

First up -

Midi dress - I have been after a midi dress for ages. I had seen one on the Atterley Road website but with no sizes 6 or 8 left I was left despondent so the search continued. Since getting married last year I have opened myself up to the possibilities of 'big'dresses and the one I found lurking on a sale rack in Banana Republic in Trafford Centre certainly fitted the bill. The store was closing down (boo! They had a great petite section! You will be missed, BR!) but they had 40% off sale prices to sweeten the deal. So the Heritage Dress (below) was picked up for £17.99 down from £110 originally. It is awesome - two deep pockets in the skirt, beautifully cheeky cut away front and constructed in a wonderfully dense cotton.  I need to get it taken in at the sides, and up on the straps, as I have a slightly short torso, but that'll be a £10 outlay at most. I'm going to layer a black cashmere jumper and a leather jacket over it so I don't freeze to death.


It's a massive, full skirted thing of beauty.


Zara Jumpsuit - £14.99 down from £29.99.  All you need are shoes and jewellery to complete a jumpsuit. Wardrobe Win. I find they are great for work - I can be cleaning out a wardrobe on my hands and knees and in that situation a pencil skirt just won't work (believe me, I have made that mistake once or twice...) so I need clothes where there is loads of room for manoeuvre but still look super cool.



Joseph Trousers - I've been upping my wardrobe label game in the past year: MIH jeans, Baum und Pfungarden dress to name 2 pricey but "worth it" items. However, I still bought a fair amount from Zara BUT this love affair was not destined to last. The Zara trousers I bought last year in the sales gave up the ghost in November - bobbled, dye fading at a rate of knots and the stitching coming undone on the hem. I read an article in the Telegraph about what fashion editors wear - mostly navy and mostly Joseph it turns out. So I bit the bullet and headed to Harvey Nicks in Leeds to try on some Joseph goodies and yes, there is a reason why I can see the trousers especially are a favourite with fashion's top women - the FIT. Superbly flattering, fantastic weight of fabric and considered detailing - inset pockets, neat zips and fastenings, basically nothing too bulky. Being my frugal self I went home and ordered some from eBay for a wallet friendly £14.99.

And finally..


Vintage t-shirt - I spend a lot of time advising women and men what to buy and wear. Occasionally I lose sight of what I like to buy and wear so last month I sat down and wrote a list of all the things I feel awesome in: vintage, logo t-shirts and sweatshirts, big necklaces, structured jackets, black, 80's inspired stuff, jumpsuits, fur. Then I hit up eBay to find some gorgeous logo beauties. I found an amazing MTV sweater for the princely sum of £0.99 and bought this super cool t-shirt (above) for £15 from Cow Vintage in Manchester. The t-shirt got an added seal of approval when my 3 year old nephew, Ben, said "that's a cool t-shirt Auntie Stephy." Rock on, Ben!

So mostly basics really! What did you buy in the sales?

Stay wardrobe happy....til next time x

The Wardrobe Angel


Sunday 7 February 2016

Things I'm looking forward to in #February



Well, 7 days in and I thought - what AM I looking forward to this month...?

1. Pancake Day. Nuff said.

2. Retrospectively my first networking event in London town! I know! This gal took herself off to the bright lights and went to a Hubdot event on the Kings Road. Hubdot is a brand new way of networking built on connections. Instead of the usual "I'm Stephanie, I'm The Wardrobe Angel" intros which go down at most networking events, Hubdot encourages you to connect through storytelling. The event was magical - loads of food for thought and I heard some amazing stories including one from an 85 year old woman who asked us to ...


"remember the value of who you are rather than the value of what you have amassed"


3. The launch of the Bird Board Power Team website. I'm a member of this Power Team and man! This group is powerful. The monthly meet up encourages us members to put on our 'Big Girl Pants' when it comes to business. Check out the Bird Board Twitter account by clicking here. So case is point, I just emailed someone with the words "with all due respect" and sent a piece of work back to them. My big girl pants are ON.

4. I'm going to my mate Sue's house this week for tea AND cake. I am so on board with this.

5. Rich and I have nearly finished decorating. We are 1 sofa, 3 blinds and a couple of lamp fittings away from DONE. The stretch goal is end of Feb. (The more realistic goal is end of March when said sofa will arrive.)

6. Finishing up my "What I bought in the sales" blog post. It's coming!!

Til next time...stay wardrobe happy x

The Wardrobe Angel