Snows on it's way, wrap up in this seasons best knitwear!

Knitted Jacquard Cardigan
Where: Topshop
How Much: £45
Colours: Rose and Cream

Hello beautiful Knitwear, I think it is fair to say this is the best cardigan I have seen this winter, absolutely lovely, so of course |I bought both colours!  Its a wool mix so very soft, the best thing is it is not too over sized, I am quite petite and all the sweaters this season are coming up huge, this one is a great one though if you are vertically challenged as it sits just above the hip line.  All stores have sold through on both colours but they are still available in some sizes online.  Although colours are named rose and cream they would be better under charcoal grey and burnt orange!  Enjoy, hope you can still get one, buy today or tomorrow before the snow comes!

Purchase of the Day!

Flock Heart Pussybow Blouse

Where: New Look

How Much: £22

Colours: Light Mocca

Now here's the deal, I am not a big fan of New Look but this season they are hitting the spot, lots of luxury fabrics and very on trend.  Their Limited Edition collection is great and so are some other pieces in store with this pussybow being my current favourite, the photo doesn't do it justice which is a real shame.  A sheer fabric in a quiet mocha with the cutest little black flock hearts, this is going to be a major player in my wardrobe.  Team with hareems and pumps for work!  New Look seems to struggle with fits from time to time but this is very good for them, so good fit, good fabric, good shape at a bargain price, lets face it you'd be paying £45 for this in Topshop!

Lanvin hearts H&M!

What a day, yesterday I attended the launch of Lanvin hearts H&M's launch, the launch of the quirky collaboration set to make every Christmas party a little more colourful this season with it;s shocking pink and canary yellow dresses.  People were queuing in hoards when I arrived and that was three hours before opening!!  Once the stores had opened there were still queues of an hour and once in store there were time restrictions on the department.  H&M have done designer collaborations before with people like Jimmy Choo, Vicktor and Rolfe, however it seems this is the most popular yet.  If you visit the store today you would probably question what the hype was all about as you are unlikely to find anything by Lanvin left in stock, by lunch time Regents Street had only accessories left and many store had completely sold out by close.
It was talons at the ready in store with fashionistas kicking off over the last size 8, so many people opted for online purchasing however the website ended up going down all morning! For me it was all about feeling the product and the experience, I needed to be there.  With the stock averaging at around £100 a piece it was a pricey H&M shop and made harder by the no trying on rule!  With the time constraints, no fitting and only being allowed to buy one item of each style it is thought they'll be a high influx of returns come the weekend so if you missed out yesterday make sure your free at the weekend!

Purchase of the Day!

Grey Slouchy Belt Trousers
Where: Miss Selfridge
How Much: £38
Colour: Grey

Love these trousers, a cross between a peg leg and a hareem they are on trend but easy to wear.  A good transitional piece to take you from day to night.  Although they are called grey I would pin them more at a dark green.  The cheap belt is not a winner, my advice, stop at a charity shop on the way home, I have no idea why Miss Selfridge do this, River Island are guilty of it too, adding a cheap accessories - it scores no points and ends up cheapening the whole item, rant over!  The trousers are lovely and very comfy!  Another plus is that they are full length, so much is cropped at the moment but with white ankles its not a good look!

The day faith questioned fashion!

As I sat in church and the pastor talked about the unimportance of worldly goods it got me thinking.  Was I shallow, am I a bad person for having an unusually passionate interest in fashion, had I been putting clothing before family and friends?  I felt guilty and all of a sudden my brand new cardigan felt scratchy and sinful.  I tried to think of the most important things in my life, the days that really counted, I was worried that my head would be filled full of trips to Vivienne Westwood, Topshop and Urban Outfitters, however when I got down to it the memories that go down as the most important in my life. it appeared that I was not quite as cold hearted as I had first thought.  My head filled with images of my wedding day, the night I met my husband, the days my baby brothers were born, first days at new jobs (there's been a few!), my girls trip to Thailand, the night I met my best friend, my eighteenth birthday.  What quickly struck me was that my family and friends could never be replaced with a piece of fabric or a stiletto heel, although there is a few ex-boyfriends that I'd exchange, a New Look basic would do!  Seriously though it became apparent that fashion obviously played a bigger part than I ever could have imagined.......... it seems I can remember every outfit I have  ever worn, I am not talking wedding dress on wedding day  as I reckon most can recall this but literally every outfit!  My husband and I went on 6 dates the week met, can I remember where we went??..........no..........can I remember what I wore??......... of course!  Be it the baggy red and black jersey dress which was slightly too big for me I was wearing the night I met my husband, the barely there pink dress I wore at Buddha Bar on my 18th, the All Saints Beaujolais dress I wore when my brother Logan was born or the two seasons too early floral shirt I was wearing when my other brother Ben was born or the very very awful fitting PVC trousers I wore on my first non school uniform day at Upper School (not such a trendsetter back in the day).  So it seems that the path of worldly goods and relationships is more intertwined than one would think and  rightly so.  For me fashion is a hobby, my past time, I would imagine for a golfer, a diver, a flutist, some of their most memorable and important moments would be when they were at one with their hobbies.  I think with that in mind it is fair to rethink the lack of depth associated with shopping and that its importance as a past time should be considered as it creates not only memories but confidence.  So next time you feel guilty about shopping think again, there are no health risks associated with it, you will still make it to heaven, you are bound to feel better about yourself after it, just because you like to buy pretties it does not make you less of a person!  Slap on some red lipstick while your there and you'll feel more of a person than you have for ages!  Shopping is just some lighthearted fun, as long as your not spending cash you don't have!  So I guess I'll meet you at Oxford Circus tomorrow at 9! 

Purchase of the Day!

Truly Madly Deeply Three Vices Slouch Pocket Tee
Where: Urban Outiftters
How Much: £28
Colours: Grey Marl

Love this Tee, as someone who doesn't drink, smoke or have caffeine it is somewhat ironic!  However the rest of the world are off to rehab so what better way to face your vices than with it printed across your chest.  Really great fit Tee, baggy oversized fit, a must for slouchy days off!  This has quickly become my fav tee and is certainly going to be worn to death!

Ten minutes in Topshop!

As I walked out the shop I broke into a sweat and started seriously considering my finances......... How had I let this happen, a week before payday £160 left in my account and now a week before payday and nothing!  So ten minutes ago I was feeling good about myself I had budgeted well this month with almost £40 per day to spend for the next five, enough for the train, lunch and a small treat daily, well done Hayley............ But ten minutes in topshop and it's all over!!
I popped in for my little treat, today was gonna be hair clips, they didn't have the ones I wanted, I heard my head telling my body to leave but my body stood strong and decided that looking at the hosiery would be a good idea.  I knew what was about to happen, it always does when I look at hosiery........... The hosiery is next to the petite section, that's when it happened!  I saw her out of the corner of my eye and goodness me she looked good, a new dress, 'hello, you'd look amazing in my wardrobe', chatting up a dress that's what it has come too! I can still hear my head saying no but before I can think about that my arms full of hangers and I'm already half way to the fitting room.  I pray they won't fit so I can get out of there.  They fit all of them! This is where my conscious kicks in, 4 dresses is absurd, but 2? Well that's practical it'll cover both weekend days, right?  So right now I'm holding two dresses both £38 pounds which is bad enough really but then it gets worse, the shoe department sucks me in, literally it feels like a vacuum pulling me towards the pretties, it's too late I've looked there's no way I can't buy, plus those boots would look incredible with my new dresses!  So there you have it - 10 minutes, 3 items, 180 pounds = 0 cash in the bank!
The crazy thing is this is a regular occurrence, I almost know it's gonna happen but I can't stop it!  One saviour is that splurges like this help me to feel human, like a sky drive, it introduces risk and spontaneity into my life.  I regularly splurge and feel no guilt but at least when it is close to payday it makes me weigh up what I have done and I can proudly announce that riddled with guilt I will return these items first thing tomorrow morning!  Question is what have I got to wear to return things in............ That new dress and boots would look great!