Will I never ever ever learn....
...that if you see something and you like it - there can be no procrastination. Because these days, in fashion terms, the word procrastination essentially means "you're a freaking idiot, buy it or it will be sold out".
With each shop now having about a billion seasons a year (I may be exaggerating a tad), the turnover of stock is verging on weekly (ok that again is a slight exaggeration but it's really not that much more than that).
There is no more "it will be back in stock" as there's just different stock.
And this even applies to - dare I say it - supermarkets. I have at last submitted to the Gok. Last week, on my ill thought out and ultimately hideous supermarket hellscapade with the three brats, I caught sight of the new Gok range and was truly surprised. In the past, I've honestly thought it looked "ok". There was one black knot front dress that I kept meaning to try but never got round to (hence with hindsight I couldn't have liked it that much.... no regrets)
There were quite a few, this time round, that I thought hmm yes, I can see how they'd be popular but not my personal bag. However I then caught sight of two that I thought, call off the dogs - they could be a perfect dress to have hanging in the wardrobe for a Saturday night dinner with friends or The Husband, swanky lunch (which I never go on but just in case eh?)......... But obviously the thought of trying things on with the three of them........ (ok so I will admit I did attempt to but nearly lost my mind after 45 seconds in the changing room which is essentially a large MDF human size box in the middle of the supermarket. That echoes. A lot. What on god's green earth was I thinking? Clearly I was swept up in the ooh nice dress moment and had lost leave of my senses. Mission aborted.) They had them in my size. I planned to come back and try them on another time. FOOL.
I did though manage to pick up a corker of a smoother. My ridiculously black figure hugging "I can see you've eaten a peanut" midi dress from Patrizia Pepe is frankly unwearable for more than 3 minutes (how long I can hold my stomach in for) without a body shaper. I don't generally wear one and so a full on Spanx job at a squillion quid wasn't on the agenda. But an under your normal bra, to mid thigh smoother for £12 from Sainsburys was just the ticket. Clearly this look just gawjus in this photo.... I honestly couldn't take a photo of me in it without clothes on. That would be plain bad. And make people feel more than just a little sick.
Yes, it looks absolutely TERRIBLE in this photo but honest to god, it is the underwear garment that dreams (dreams which involve a flat stomach, pert bum and lifted boobs - it goes under your bra and seems to hoist your bra up, in a good way!) are made of. I have tried to link online but you can't buy Sainsburys clothing on tinternet. Missing a trick but there you go.
However back to far far more exciting things - the dresses. I managed to make a sneaky trip today on the premise of searching for a Jake & the Neverland Pirate Bucky ship for RR3 for Christmas for Santa to give him. (not even Santa can find one and so he's delegated the job to me. Joy. The proverbial rocking horse poo Christmas present that is all the small chap wants. I don't even think I've left it that late?! Apparently yes.)
I digress. Firstly, as in my experience, press pics are all well and good but on a normal person they can look, well, different, are photos of me in the dresses.
Now here in lies my feckwittedness. Obviously my size, which had been there last Thursday was no longer there. Probably something to do with there now being 25% off all clothing. Result! Well, yes if there is something you actually want to buy.
So here I am with a size larger than I would normally wear. Not bad to be honest, but frankly too big. Baggy at the top and it does neither me nor the dress any favours.
WIthout further ado, the Black Ponte Peplum Dress - £45, currently £33.75. I really wish I could describe how fab the fabric of this is. Thick - well ponte - but good quality ponte. With a fantastic Gok stylee suck it all in undergarment attached.
And here is the press photo. Needs to be very figure hugging rather than loose as it is on me as you can see above.
I have hopefully though, found one in my size at a not ridiculously miles away (ie ridiculously miles away) Sainsburys which I shall be racing to tomorrow afternoon. All may not be lost... I shall report back. Oh and yes, with regards to the spending ban, I've decided that this will fit neatly under the heading "grocery shopping". That old chestnut again. Seriously though, for less than £35, this is a complete no brainer of a dress for the Christmas season.
The other one I had my eye on was the Lurex slash neck dress. I love this and would have bought it in a heartbeat if a) they'd had it in my size and b) more importantly, the slash neck hadn't been itchy on my throat. Within 2 mins of having it on, my neck was itchy and red from the lurex thread. Now I am going to try this on again if they have it my size when I treck to the other Sainsburys to pick up (they've promised me they've put it aside...) the Ponte Peplum dress. Hopefully it may have just been that particular dress? Far more likely it's my odd shaped throat. Darn it. Has anyone else tried it on? Here I am again in a too big size.
Here is a much better view of it. You can't see the fantastic double vent detail at the back of the hem - just lovely and again £45 with 25% off.
I will definitely be looking at some more Christmas dresses in the next week or so. Not that I like the term Christmas dresses per se but I'll explain more on the relevant blog.
Having said that, personally I don't see the need to look any further than the two above - were I in the market for a new dress.....I simply can't resist at less than £35. I admit defeat. And I was doing so well too. Ho hum.
So a quick round up of what I've been wearing for the last two days in this hideous deluge of rain. By all accounts we've got off fairly lightly where we are - my thoughts are with those who haven't been quite so lucky xxx
Photos from Monday were taken by the four year old. Suffice to say, I don't foresee a photographic career on the cards.
Wine jumper - Dorothy Perkins
Grey Baxters - Topshop
Buttermilk leather trench - Vintage from Greenwich Market
Brown clog boots - Sanita
Wine check scarf - H&M
Chestnut Lily bag - D&G
Brown & Black striped dress - S'Nob de Noblesse
Chocolate leather biker jacket - All Saints
Leopard print scarf - Louis Vuitton
Brown clog boots - Sanita
Wine wrist warmers - H&M
Chestnut Lily bag - D&G
Tomorrow I shall mostly be tracking down my Sainsburys dress - fingers crossed. The odds on this going badly wrong are high. The chances of me actually finding the Sainsburys are low to begin with. I will report back... Oh and a treat Christmas trip to London with RR1 for an evening at the theatre. Matilda here we come!
The lurex dress is gorgeous!! I think Avril has the black dress...good luck on the hunt for them tomorrow! I always get palpitations when I'm desperate to get my hands on something like that - so drive carefully lol:)
ReplyDeleteYeah I think I've seen this on Avril too. I love peplum dresses, they're great for hiding the ole 'mum tum' or the food babies that I inevitably end up with after a christmas dinner. I have learnt my lesson on snapping things up when I see them too, I have missed out on too many gorgeous things so now if I can't get trying it on I just buy it anyway and take it back if needs be. Love the stripey dress on you I have a similar skirt but it always looks too dressy so I'm going to try a look similar to yours with it.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, Kat, you certainly need no body shaper! What I'd give to have add extra inches to my height and a few inches taken away from the entire body. The peplum dress is stunning. Believe it or not, I've never ever shopped for clothes at Sainsbury's. I order all my grocery online so I've yet to actually wander around the supermarket. But for £35 (!!), this definitely requires a second look.
ReplyDeleteOh the many times I have driven miles in stormy bad weather to get to that one piece of clothing I just can't live without! It's always worth it ha! That black dress is amazing and I can imagine will look even better in the correct size. I'm gona check out all the sainsburys in a 20 mile radius( lets be honest more like 50) to me until I can get my hands on one for the party season. It's such a classic it will work for an occasion for years to come. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteNow I'm just jealous cos there's no Sainsburys in Dublin!!! But that dress is stunning on you and I've also seen Avril wearing a few bits from Gok's range including skinny jeans that look fab. Good luck on your search today ... hope you find it. (Body shaper? You? Do you realise how many of us long to be as tall and slim as you??!!)
ReplyDeleteI've been a bit "meh" about the whole peplum craze as I think it just draws attention to the wrong area of my body but I do like the look of these dress and to think they're from Sainsbury's! Jealous of you going to see Matilda - it's had great reviews. Love your clog boots but are they comfy??
ReplyDeleteI have a 3/4 sleeve black peplum dress that I love and I have a couple of dresses from Sainsbury's that are not too bad, this one http://www.crankymonkeys.com/blog/march-style-birds-beads/ and this one http://instagr.am/p/PO6mlZtWjk/
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That slip should come with a health warning!!!Ventured to local sainsburys last night (on the pretext of grocery shopping) and nearly had to call for help from the changing room to extricate myself from the slip!!! I am not sure the poor 17 year old boy/man supervising the changing rooms would have ever recovered from the ordeal so basically had to dislocate my shoulder to get it off! Didn't actually manage to get it on so can't vouch for its effectiveness (I was trying the medium size and normally wear a size 12!!!!)
ReplyDeleteBought the lurex dress though and very pleased with it.
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ha ha!!! too funny:-) lpve the blog too kat! helen ..cork
DeleteAlso love the clog boots!! Where did you get them Kat? Dresses both look fantastic on you, totally get the extra little trip to get them.
ReplyDeleteI so love that Louis Vuitton scarf. Srsly. And it seems that it works well with a lot of things you wear; well worth the investment.
ReplyDeleteI'm just making a foray into scarves myself (and picked up a couple of nice ones in Dorothy Perkins of all places [not shopped there since I was hugely fat years ago!] http://www.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=1&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33053&storeId=12552&productId=8209142&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208728&parent_categoryId=208607&pageSize=20 and http://www.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=41&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33053&storeId=12552&productId=5829484&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208728&parent_categoryId=208607&pageSize=20 as well as having a couple of plain ones - a nudey-beige cashmere one actually from Kashmir and a deep purple angora/lambswool one from Hobbs 2 years ago) but seem to utterly fail at putting them on to make them look normal in any way. Do you start at the front, wrap around the ends to the back and then to the front again? Or start at the back and vice versa? Or fold in half and pull the ends through the loop? Or start winding around your neck near one end with the end in front and hope you don't run out at the back or have a longer-than-useful bit when you finish winding? Whatever I do just looks -weird-.
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Love the Gok dress! I managed to find one in my size and with 25% off - it's a fantastic fit and the peplum part if quite subtle - i.e. not all the way around as some are (if that make sense?)
ReplyDeleteAgree with another comment above about slip sizing though - I am usually a 12 and the medium (all they had) would barely fit over my knees!!! Did you have to size up or did I just come across a freakily small medium?!