Bicester Village Haul ft Fendi, Barbour, The White Company and Jack Wills

On the hunt for a Prada purse, I recently visited Bicester Village on a sunny Sunday to see what was new in at one of my favourite shopping spots.

Halfway between Birmingham and London, I met my London-based friend there for some lunch and retail therapy.

Here's what I bought:

Jack Wills

The first shop to tempt me to part ways with my hard earned, I've managed to lose my navy hooded jacket and decided to take a look and see if I could find a replacement. I quickly picked up a bargain plain grey marl jumper for £19 and blue hooded jacket for £32 in Jack Wills. Bargain.

The White Company

Next up, I headed to The White Company for some serious interior and home inspiration. I dream of a White Company bedroom but for now, I consoled myself with a candle and candle lid. Although it is pretty pricey for a candle, they are fabulously scented and on the wish list for any candle connnoisseur along with Jo Malone and Diptyque.

Barbour

My favourite find of the day, I managed to pick up a Barbour jacket at the newly opened Bicester Village store. I've wanted one of these for years and never quite been able to justify it, but after trying on a few styles, I managed to find a Barbour that just seemed to suit me better than any I've seen before. Mine is green rather than navy, which is what I thought I'd end up buying, and I haven't worn it yet thanks to our long summer. However, as soon as the rain comes I'll be in this!

Fendi

Last but not least, this was a little bit of luxury! I love the Fendi brand and to me, it conjures up images of Italian glamour and luxury. Although I was tempted by a bargain 2Jour bag, I settled for this adorable Fendi stripe make up bag instead.

And the Prada purse? Well, I picked up all of the above for less than the price of a Prada purse at Bicester. Although I did manage to pick out a lovely style in a timeless colour, I still felt that I should maybe wait until next time for the big splurge.

Happy shopping!

January 2014 shopping collective plus Selfridges Sale Bargains!

As you guys have probably noticed by now, I do love a good Primark spree. I nearly made this another Primark Haul but as I've actually been shopping elsewhere this month, I decided on a collective haul.

Black devore shorts-Primark, black ruffle top - Primark, black metallic thread skirt- Warehouse, nude ballerinas - Office and cream pashmina - Amazon

First up, this little lot. The nude ballet pumps were a sale bargain from Office that I picked up for just £6. OK I admit, I don't really need them but I do think they'll come in handly in summer as I always think black shoes look heavy in the sunshine. The black velour/devore shorts are from Primark at just £5! I really wanted to wear them for work but they're just a little too short sadly but I'm sure I'll wear them out when it gets a bit warmer as I love shorts on a night out. The black ruffled top is again from Primark that will be for work also. The black metallic thread skirt is my favourite part of this haul from Warehouse. I've worn it a lot already with a different Warehouse top and it fits like a dream. Lastyle, the cream pashmina scarf was a ridiculous £1.77 from Amazon. I keep losing my scarves so this is great as I don't need to feel guilty.

Primark dresses

Yes I love wearing black! Now we've got that out the way, just check out this black and peach contrast dress. I know the picture doesn't do it justice but it's a dead ringer for that celebrity favourite Philip Armstrong with its structured nip and flare shape and almost neoprene fabric. This is going to come in handy for my next big evening event. The other black dress is a waffle type fabric with faux leather cap sleeves that also came with a belt. At around £13 each, you can't go wrong.

I've left the best until last with these designer denims from Selfridges. J Brand and Citizens of Humanity jeans retail at around £250. These beauties however were, wait for it, £20 each! As you can imagine, I literally grabbed these when I saw them on the rail. At less than the price of a pair from Topshop, this has got to be the bargain of the century! The J Brand pair is shredded at the knee so I'll be waiting until summer to wear them (brr!) and the Citizens of Humanity pair is a tight fit which will be great for going out. Back to Primark, the white long sleeved top is a wardrobe basic to wear under my gillet, the grey t shirt is perfect with a statement necklace (another of my obsessions) and the contrast zip top is actually from M&S and looks great with black jeans.

Phew! Did you guys get anything in the sales?

Bicester Village Cath Kidston Haul!

I realised a few weeks ago that it’s been months since I’d been to Bicester Village. I usually go a few times a year, so I decided a visit was long overdue.

Cath Kidston Overload! - Cath Kidston cowboy mug, towels and cowboy notebook

Heading out on the train to Bicester North, we took a taxi from the station and started off in Dior in search of a designer discount. 3 hours later we’d been into almost every shop there! With stores including Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Ralph Lauren and Jimmy Choo, you could literally spend the whole day there and come back with some heavy bags and a light wallet.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories from lucky people who have nabbed shoes for £50 or a bargain T Shirt for a tenner, but sadly I didn’t manage to join them.  Despite my determination to take home a designer bag or pair of shoes, in the end I only splurged in Cath Kidston.

Although there were some beautiful purses in Mulberry, Dior and Burberry, all with huge discounts, I decided I didn’t need anything just yet as I’m still using my Michael Kors set. So instead I got everything in the picture from Cath Kidston for £20!

I wanted some new towels for my bedroom and the hand towel and face cloth were just £9 and £2.50. My favourite Cath Kidston print is the Cowboy so I had to get the mug for £3.50 and notebook for just £5!

We stopped off for lunch at Villandry and treated ourselves to a lovely meal as we wouldn’t be home till late. It was so nice to just relax and enjoy a leisurely lunch and we decided to push the boat out as we’d been so good and resisted the urge to splurge!

Even though we didn’t buy much, I still had a great day and really enjoyed some mother daughter bonding whilst eyeing up some seriously gorgeous bags, shoes and clothes!

What was the last thing you bought at Bicester?

Primark Haul – Pastel Skinnies, Aztec T Shirt, Military Dress

I’m forever spending a small fortune in Primark, I just can’t resist it when they consistently bring out such on trend pieces at great prices.

This is a real mixed bunch of items but here goes starting with this black body con illusion floral dress. Super stretchy, it actually works well to hold you in and give a clean line (when worn with Spanx!) I love the colours and tropical print on this and it’s perfect for wearing on summer nights. Next to it is this super short pair of super cute shorts.  The ditsy floral print makes it so much more interesting than black but just as wearable, and they too will look gorgeous in summer with sandals and a plain top.

Next these almost matching 1960’s short tunic dresses. Check out those collars. Love.

This pair of sleeveless tops will be great in summer (dreaming) with leggings and jeans, but until then they’ll have to work with a black biker. The Aztec one is my favourite but you can’t beat a Rolling Stones rock top.

The pale pink skinnies might just have been a bad idea, but we’ll see how it goes!

Lastly, here’s a whole load of accessories for your visual delight! I swear I spend more on accessories than clothes. Scarves are quite often a big part of my outfit, and these Alexander McQueen esque skull print scarves will liven up any outfit. I live in pumps and this oxblood colour will add some colour to my wardrobe.  The bracelets (Pandora style bracelet for £3) and hair bobbles and pins are self explanatory!

Where do you guys tend to shop when it’s time for a new wardrobe?!

Sale Haul – Biba keyrings and Bodum travel mug

I didn’t really get much in the sales this year, to be honest I think they’re overhyped as there’s sales all year round anyway. But here’s just a few pieces I picked up last month.

I adore Biba and would own at least one handbag, one clutch bag and a couple of dresses if I could.

For now, I’ll satisfy myself with these luxe Biba keyrings. I recently went to a wedding and saw a guest with what I thought was a Biba bag. After admiring her and asking her about the bag, she shared this great idea with me. It was in fact a Topshop clutch with a Biba keyring! I’m shamelessly going to do this with my black studded clutch!

You might still be able to pick one up at House of Fraser if you’d like to try it out for yourself.

Boring but necessary, this Bodum travel mug in cheery purple. Perfect for gals on the go haha!