The moral of this outfit is: be patient. It will save you money.
I have wanted a proper tweedy coat for years. Years and years. I'm positive I've talked about it on here before. So last year I thought I'd bite the bullet and just buy one. Yes, it would be expensive, probably very expensive, because lovely as they, they are definitely not cheap. But there are certain things that I'm prepared to invest in and I know that a really well made coat will last for years and is worth paying the money for. Off I went to Burghley - mostly to watch the cross country action but also to have a good rummage around the hundreds of shops there - where I discovered that a) even if Dubarry do give out glasses of fizz to browsing customers, you really need to be tall and thin to suit their clothes and b) the coat I really liked best from the hundreds of different ones in all the other shops cost £450. Eep. I went home empty handed and decided that I'd try various options to find a cheaper one this year.
Then whilst chatting to one of my colleagues, he mentioned that his son knew a supplier somewhere in Lancashire that could get nice tweedy coats for a fraction of their RRP (don't worry, it's definitely all legit). Bish, bash, bosh. Mine for £80. It's probably even a little bit nicer than the £450 one. Hurrah!
Charity shop afficionados and thrifty types may throw their hands up in horror at spending £80 on anything. I would probably have done the same in most situations but I really wanted this coat and it's lovely, so there.
As for the second moral of this outfit (well one would just be shabby), it is: if you see something you like in Dorothy Perkins, never pay full price for it. They're always having sales and 30% off weekends. The jumper was snapped up in the sale and was on a buy-one-get-one-half-price offer as well. The shoes were just in the normal sale some months later but I was very pleased to find them - they're the same as the black heels that appear so often on here.
Posh coat - sourced with a little help from lovely Norman
Jumper & heels - Dorothy Perkins sale
Necklaces - H&M
Inappropriately short skirt - Next clearance
It looks a normal length on the hanger, honest it does. Then I put it on and spend all day doing this:
Marilyn, I am not.
Ooh, I love your jumper and shoes :) And I agree - holding out for sales is definitely the best way to do things! ♥
ReplyDeleteSarah ^.^
you rock the tweed.....loving the shoes, make your legd look fab!!
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with an £80 coat - you saved £320, lets look at it that way! Lovely jumper and I like your layered horsey pendant look a lot x
ReplyDeleteGood post. I really like those necklaces. I haven't been into H&M for ages - I'll have to take a look sometime. I know what you mean about DP's. They're great for sales and offers
ReplyDeleteBeing patient isn't something I'm good at but what an amazing bargain. £80 for a coat like that is too good an opportunity to miss.
ReplyDeleteI'm constantly getting caught out by DPs, buying things at full price and then receiving an offer code, so annoying! Seems I should definitely work on that ole patience thing eh?
Love the shoes and the layered necklaces.
A proper quality coat that will last years and years, an investment piece indeed. I do love your outfit here Alex x
ReplyDeleteI REALLY like those shoes. Lord love me suede and a stacked heel. I also don't buy from high street until the half-year sales, and even then I like to apply a bit of game theory to the purchasing process. I thank the shopping gods for buy-one-get-one-free sales at Topshop and DP!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Is the house at Burghley worth seeing out of an equestrian context?
A from A + B in the Sea
Definitely worth £80!
ReplyDeleteI love those orange shoes so much! Serious shoe envy
xx
emsipop.blogspot.com
Absolutely agree about Dorothy Perkins! I recently got a dress that was originally 45 for 12 and it is now one of my favourites. I am glad you are happy with your coat, may it bring you many years of joy!
ReplyDeleteWhen you think that with a bit of looking after, that coat will last longer than you or I, what is £80? A bloody good bargain in my book.
ReplyDeleteOoh love your coat, totally worth it when you've lusted after one for years I think :)
ReplyDeleteohh the necklaces are gorgeous and i love the jacket it looks great and will last such a long time i thinkits worth £80 :] x
ReplyDeleteLove the coat, and you have to love having to the right connections.
ReplyDeleteAs for the horror some might have at paying that much for the coat: Remind them that saving money by enjoying charity shops, sales and things means that you can afford to buy things you want that are more expensive.
My friends find it hilarious that I take a couple of hours buying my train tickets for the month on pay day, to save £4.20 per trip but that I would happily spend £50 on a meal at my favourite restaurant once every couple of months. By pissing about with my train tickets on pay day, that £4.20 adds up to just about £50 a month. £50 to do what I want with, including eating fantastic food that I love or buying a train ticket to London for a weekend, or even buying a rather nice new dress/shoes/handbag... because I didn't have to give it to the horrid man who services the station ticket office and who let me have a YP rail card discount at 0958 because you can't use a rail card until after 1000.
Good work on the coat! I like your pile of necklaces as well, and the skirt...well I feel your pain. When I wear a skirt I basically have a nervous twitch with pulling it down.
ReplyDeleteDon't remind me about the fabulousness of DP! I've been avoiding it for ages so I don't buy new things. Ah it's too late...I've got the website open now...