Topshop Outlet bargain of the week: £5 shoes!

Hi guys,
...Well technically, they're actually £2.50 shoes, as they were £5, buy one get one free. So as well as the shoes, I also picked up an embroidered T shirt for a fiver. Then for £7 I got two simple silk shell tops: one in vibrant red and one in teal blue. Perfect for smartening up jeans and knitwear. But it was the shoes that were the biggest bargain, especially as they're leather, and bang on trend:

I really love this: they're a slightly more feminine take on the classic brogue, but the lack of laces means they look less chunky and more stremlined, making for slender calves (unlike the bulky leg look I often get with traditional brogues). The colour is a lovely milk chocolate brown, and they were just made to be teamed with tea dresses and tights (which is actually how I'm wearing them today!) I still can't believe how cheap they were!

This week in the Topshop outlet (I went in on Saturday) there were lots of shoes and trousers, but not a massive supply of dresses. The jewellery stand had been newly refreshed though (all the jewellery is £1.50 bogof) The girl behind the checkout told me that they are expecting alot of new stock in over the next fortnight though, as they will be getting everything that is in the current Topshop sale (exciting!)

If you'd like to check out the Topshop outlet for yourself, it is in The Broadwalk Centre in Edgware. Be warned though: it is a very small shop, and there often isn't a great deal of stock, so it probably isn't worth travelling too far to visit (I live just a 10 minute drive away, and it is next door to my local Sainsburys, hence my constant visits!)

Love, Tor xx

PS - If you haven't already, I would love it if you could take just two minutes out of your day to vote for me in the Westfield Bloggers Competition. I'm currently in third place so I need your help (and probably a miracle!) to win!

Topshop outlet in the changing room: November edition

Hi Guys,
Thanks to some ill/well planned holidaying (depending on how you look at it!) I have a lot of leave to use, and am only working 3/4 day weeks between now and Christmas. This meant that on Monday I had the perfect opportunity to head to the Topshop Outlet whilst it was quiet, and try a few things on:

Excuse my terrible hair in these pics, I had been wearing a hat! The first dress was silk and chiffon and a bargain for £15. The floral top I wasn't so fond of, but again it was the bargainalicious price of £7, and would be perfect for summer holidays. It isn't all just summer clothes though. There was also some great outerwear to be had:

The leather sleeveless jacket was a bargain: originally £160, it was in the outlet for £30. The other jacket is from the Ashish diffusion line and was £80. Bare in mind that you get a BOGOF with these prices, so that effectively halves them. Because I have the two expenses of the wedding and Christmas to pay for, I resisted the lure of these lovely jackets (and believe me it was hard!) But then I was faced with something I couldn't resist:

These great khaki harem trousers were £5 (making them just £2.50 when you factor in the BOGOF) They're exactly what i've been looking for to wear on the plane/at the airport enroute to my honeymoon- yes, I am that organised and I do plan that far in advance! I plan on wearing them with a black vest, snake skin sandals and long line super-light grey cardigan: completely covered up but still lightweight and cool. For my free item I picked up a beach kaftan (also for a fiver) to wear over my bikinis.

I've said it before and i'll say it again (because I don't want anyone to be disappointed on my account) but the shop is small and the stock is hit and miss: some days I want everything, some days I can't find a single thing to buy. However if you're in the neighbourhood it's definitely worth checking out!

Love, Tor xx

River Island sale part two: The changing room edition

Hi Guys,

This morning Mike and I popped to Brent Cross to get his hair cut, and whilst he was being primped and pruned how could I resist another pop into River Island to check out the sale? (last week I went to Oxford Street, so I reasoned the stock might be different) And I was right: it was! The extra half price off sale ends tomorrow, so if you're interested in checking it out you're running out of time! Alot of the clothes in the sale are summery, but that's a bonus for me as I need supplies for the honeymoon. There's also a lot of stuff perfect for Christmas parties if you're looking for something new on a budget.

Here's what I tried on:

Sequinned jacket: original price £59.99, price today £12.50

I really loved this jacket (yes, I bought it!) as it's the kind of thing you can throw over a plain boring cotton dress, such as above, and turn it into a party look: it jazzes up anything! I also liked the matt-ness of the sequins and the soft cotton lining.

Embellished dress: original price £49.99, price today £10

Loved this beautiful dress with the embellishment on the waist. It fit beautifully and had great gold thread running through it. (Yup. I got this one too!)

Blue dress: original price £34.99, price today £7.50

I had such high hopes for this Alice in Wonderland blue dress, but it looked awful on: it was far too short, and tight on the boobs: as soon as i'd zipped it I had to unzip it straight away. A shame, as it was a bargain!

Leopard print dress. Original price £34.99. Price now: Still £34.99!

OK, so this wasn't in the sale, but I liked it so much I had to try it on! Loved the pattern, the skater skirt, and the fact that it had sleeves. This would be the perfect dress for my work Christmas party, which is a lunchtime affair: you can't throw on your finest party frock for lunch!

Have you checked out the River Island sale yet? What did you buy? Tell me all about your bargains!!

Love, Tor xx

Skip the coffee, buy a manicure!!

I get excited every morning when my Wahanda newsletter arrives in my inbox (yes, I am that sad!) But, you know, what's not to get excited about? This website has revolutionised my (previously barely existant) salon life: You can get your hair cut for less than half the price, spa days for less than the cost of a lunch date, and I am seriously holding out for a teeth whitening one in time for the wedding...

....But today I had to snap the deal up before they realised they'd made a mistake! Any £20 beauty treatment for just £2!? That means a beauty treatment for less than a latte, a sandwich, or the standard tube fair home! I got the London deal, but it is also available in Birmingham, Manchester, or Leeds. In London, £2 will get you one of the following: a manicure, a pedicure,
eyebrow/eyelash tint, and a whole load of waxing!

And if you want a treatment that's a little more expensive? Well then you can have it, and pay the difference! I'm going for the 30 minute city pedicure: a nice treat for my seriously neglected tootsies. You can only buy the deal today though, so time is of the essence. Give up that extra coffee from Starbucks (you really don't need it anyway!) and get pampered instead!

Love, Tor xxx

I found a Topshop outlet store!

Hi Guys,

I'm afraid this is another Capital-focused post for my London readers (or readers planning a visit to London), but it's just too good to miss out on: On Saturday, quite by accident, I found a Topshop clearance store! (EDIT: Which is in the broadwalk centre in Edgeware. right next to the station (northern line, zone 5) I can't believe I forgot to put that in in the first place!)

There wasn't a mountain of stock, but a quick google search shows that in the experience of other visitors, this isn't a usual occurance and the stock is normally plentiful. Despite the lower-than-normal stock levels, I did manage to pick up a bounty of treasure: 4 tops, 1 dress, and 1 pair of trousers for £27! That works out at just £4.50 per item! And when you bear in mind that the average rrp of these garments was £35 each, that's quite some discount!

By now i'm sure you're all desperate to see what I got for this miniscule price. Well here is the photographic evidence:

I am actually wearing this top as I type this post; this is what I wore to work today. The top is from last season (A/W08/9) but the tassles make it bang on trend. It is in a very delicate knit perfect for teaming with a long sleeve top for this time of year (as i've done here) or with a flimsy vest when spring and summer finally come around. This dress is billed as swimwear, for throwing over ones bikini like a glamour puss, but I think its more versitile than that! As we all know, although I advise others against it, I love wearing black and this seems like a more summery take on my usual black dress. And bird print is still very much in vogue on the highstreet, even at full price (see how i'm still not-very-subtly gloating about my huge discount!) I loved this top when I saw it at full price just a couple of months ago, but didn't think it worth its £40 price tag. Nonetheless, I love the eighties style built up shoulders, the neon fireworks pattern and the way it nips me in at the waist. Yum!

Eeek! Black bra and white top error!!! This top has obviously spent an afternoon on the shop floor (although when I went in to be fair, everything was tidy and nicely laid out) but at £5 BOGOF, I didn't let that bother me; a quick spin in my washing machine will get rid of the teeny tiny stain on the front and this top will still be perfect for me to wear to work meetings when the sun is shining (are you noticing the summer theme!?)
Although they look like demin, these trousers are actually made of medium weight cotton, making them perfect for wearing to work with tailored tops when the warmer weather comes. I know its hard to believe but these trousers were £3, buy one get one free. That means they worked out at just £1.50 to me!!
And finally this lovely specimen. Recognise it? Thats because it is the tie dye dress I picked up in the january sales in Assymetric top form.

With this my summer wardrobe ought to be complete, and yet I know as well as you do that i'm just going to keep going. And i'm still hunting for those perfect shoes.....

Love Tor x

Oh, big PS - If you saw a coat or jacket in Topshop this winter that you know would be perfect for you next winter (you clever plan-a-headers you!) then get down to the Topshop clearance centre now. There was a rail full of winter coats at just £20 BOGOF and ripe for the taking!

The £1 Rule

Hello friends,

I have danced around it in previous post but I'll say it loud: I'm broke. Not la-di-dah o!noI've only got£45beforepayday broke, but the real hardcore broke where the letters are red and the phone is your enemy. Christmas therefore is going to be something of a sedate affair. I've painstakingly bullied and alienated my friendship circle down to 3 people so as to save money on potential Christmas presents. I'll make new and better friends next year - cheaper ones with fewer expectations!

The sad story of my financial situation is pertinent to this blog in that today we're talking about the joys of super-bargain shopping. When I was less broke, I used to shop frugally and fabulously from ebay.co.uk and the world was verily my vintage and cheap designer treasure trove. Now, the rule is: if it's over £1, I can't have it. This isn't the nicest position to be in but it does give one the chance to put on their cheapo Columbus hat and discover new worlds of bargains (no, I will not think of a better metaphor). Here are two recent finds:

Dress#1 Severe Grey Tunic with additional pretty-pretty - Primark (£1)

I picked this up today whilst searching desperately for the final component in my boyfriend's birthday present. Though Primark's men's range is nauseatingly skaterboi and not at all in keeping with his style, I was pleased that this fine garment, previously £12, had been marked down to a much more reasonable £1. I enjoy these things: ( 1)the pussy bow, (2)the ugly charity shop pattern (3)the puffed sleeves (4)the whorish length. If you're looking for a designer comparison, I'd say it's very Anna Sui A/W 2007. All I need is a big long cuddly cardigan, a fluffy hat and I'm good to go. Also, blue shoes. I definitely need blue shoes:

Dress# 2 Ice Ice baby - Vintagey Christoper Kane - £1 at Romanian Children's Hospice Charity Shop.

This picture is blurred not because of my inept camera focusing but because I am GLIDING AT UNIMAGINABLE SPEED. I just wanted you to know. This dress makes me look like a figure skater with a tiny little waist, the kind of waist you'd be proud to show off at a Canadian icerink. I love this dress with its huge skirt and tight bodice - if I stretch my imagination the littlest bit, I can say it's reminiscent of Christopher Kane's A/W 07 collection:

If you click on my photo and squint super hard you'll see that I even wore my fake Swarkovski bling necklace to add to the illusion. It too was £1 and from Topshop - here's a better picture:

Y'see? I am well cyber goth, me. Designer up to the eyeballs.

Don't contradict me, this shit is what lets me sleep.

Your pal,
B.