Dress: George @ ASDA
Jacket: Topshop
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Poppies via Sarenza
Necklace: Miss Selfridge
A little while ago, a PR company contacted me asking if I'd like to take part in a styling challenge. The dresses on offer were from George at ASDA, somewhere I'd never shopped before, and the theme had a "party fashion for less" sort of vibe. I think I'm pretty cost savvy with my purchases and so with that in mind, I've put together the most bargain-tastic outfit I have. The clothes aren't all cheap as chips, no, that can only really be said for the dress (a quite ridiculous, I'm sure you'll agree, £14!) but these are the most value for money, biggest sale reductions, best cost-per-wear items I have, surely proving that you don't need the latest, full priced offerings from the catwalk to feel shipshape and party-ready.
Firstly, the dress I received from George is perfectly lovely. It's a flattering, rouched style; comfortable to wear and super bright. I'd say the way the fabric hangs is ideal for curvier girls as it glides over any lumps and bumps. Though I chose it from the selection of (quite frankly, surprisingly nice) evening dresses on offer, I did arrive at the blogging party a bit late and it wasn't my first choice. So when I got my hands on it, I had to go about making it a little bit more me. The colour, for my skin and hair, is absolutely perfect. I think when so many seasonal party dresses tend to go the LBD way, this is a nice change. The dress is sleeveless so the first thing I had to do was cover my arms. This waterfall style jacket from Topshop last winter was my best sale purchase to date. I don't have a lot of patience for sale racks, which is why I like shopping online during January, but I wrestled this beauty off the rails at Westfield last winter and left with a massive smile on my face. If my memory serves me I got it for a bargainous £17 down from £60. It has a silk body and jersey arms so it straddles the line between laid-back and formal. Much like I do!
After I added the jacket I spent a while looking in the mirror trying to work out what was wrong. I looked (I have a tendency to look) dumpy. The only answer was to raise the hemline. I folded the skirt up and pinned it at what I deem "party height". This is definitely more flattering for me as my legs are short, though if I were to wear it on a night out I might opt for darker, more slimming tights.
Because the fabric of the dress is pretty clingy I added an old favourite to detract from my outer wobbly bits. I bought this necklace 5 years ago in the Miss Selfridge concession in Selfridges when I first moved to London. I wear it at least once a week, always get compliments on it and the mirror piece only fell out about three months ago after a very admirable run. For £8 - I'd say that's pretty good cost per wear. Talking of accessories, I caved earlier this week and finally bought the Jeffrey Campbell Poppy shoes I've been tweeting Sarenza about relentlessly for months. I nearly bought them once before for their original price of £92, but luckily (though tragically at the time) they ran out of my size. I saw them for a massive 50% off in the sale and my card details were in quicker than I knew could type. I've never bought a higher end item for more than about 25% off before so I was pretty chuffed with myself. They arrived today and I am in love. Expect to see a lot more of them.
So this is how I party. Casual, you might say. Well, I'm not much into sparkles these days and I like to be understated. How would you style this dress? How do you feel about supermarket chic?
In other news, I'm in dire need of a hair cut. You might be able to tell as I am looking more and more like Doc from Back to the Future as each day breaks. Can any Leeds readers recommend me a good salon?
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