Lovely things for sale - Chanel, Max Mara and YSL on the cheap!

Moving seems to inspire the urge to cleanse in even the most hoardy of hoarders. And for me it's been like shedding a skin, I've got rid of enough stuff to fill most people's lives already. However, with a clothes habit like mine there's always something more that could go and so it is with these pieces. Sad as I am to bid adieu to designer clothing, they deserve a better life - one in which they will get worn instead of sit in storage or at the back of a sad Argos plastic rail being ignored. Like the not-always-bright person that I am, I have decided to get rid of some decidedly wintry pieces just as it finally feels like its time to start thinking about sandals and flippy skirts. So I thought instead of putting them up on ebay and getting less than they are worth, I would offer them to you, my beloved blog readers, for cheaps with the knowledge that they will go to a good home.
I apologise that my photography leaves a little to be desired and hasn't captured any of the vividness of the colours properly, especially on the YSL, but hopefully it will give you some idea of what each piece is. Please do email me and make me an offer if you can't afford the prices I'm asking. I take cheques or paypal and postage is £2.95 per item. Plus you'll also get a surprise bonus gift (but don't get too excited, it might be a perfume sample you hate).
Also, I promise that all the funds raised by the sale of these items will not be spent on anything at all sensible.

Item 1
Here we have a beautifully thick chocolate vintage velvet pencil skirt by YSL, with, and this is very important to people who like them as much as I do, nice pockets on the hip.

The label says Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche and the size label says 44, which is some sort of code for roughly a 12, although I'm happy to be proven wrong. I'm not an expert on these things, but I'm fairly sure this skirt dates form the era when Yves was still doing the designing and it's cut beautifully.

Measurements when laid flat are; waist 15"/38cm, hips 20"/51cm, length 21"/53cm, depth of pockets (very approximately) 9.5"/24cm
I'm asking £50, but if you fall in love and really can't afford it send me an offer.

Item 2
You know how the 90s are back? Well I can guarantee you that these emerald green and black Chanel shoes were there the first time round and have some pretty amazing stories to tell. They weren't originally mine, but belonged to my best friend B's incredibly glamorous mother who is still incredibly glamorous in a completely effortless Jane Birkin kind of way (no make up required).

They're still in good nick, the elastic in the straps shows no signs of deterioration and the stitched CC logo on the front is perfect with no scuffs to the leather around the toe, but we no longer have the box and the soles are a bit worn.

They're a size 41, which is a true UK 8.
I'm asking £100, and I promise to spend at least some of it on more Chanel.

Item 3
Originally part of a skirt suit that I found on one of my early-morning bargain hunting expeditions, this Max Mara Weekend jacket is a bit of a classic piece, but how many fitted wool jackets does a girl need? It is a bit sad to break it up from the skirt, but that's just how life is sometimes. Unless you are desperate for a matching wool tweed check skirt suit and want to offer me more money accordingly, I'm keeping the skirt.

Anyway, the jacket is a bit of a find. Obviously it's made in Italy (a country that makes great clothes and disquietingly pervy young men), but it's a bit like what would happen if an amazing deisgner saw a Harris Tweed jacket at some hunt in the English countryside and though, I could make that MUCH better in some lovely shades of deep warm brown and brick red. Which I suppose is probably what did actually happen. This also has great pockets.
The label says size 38, which is a pretty true 12 I believe.

Measurements when laid flat are: shoulder to shoulder 16.5"/42cm, chest 18.5"/47cm, waist 16"/41cm, hips 19"/48cm
The asking price is £70, but I will consider swapping for something equally lovely.

All of these together would make an amazing outfit, if you don't mind rocking a bit of a royal family look. Just add headscarf. However, I would recommend not doing that unless you want some pretty odd looks or Scott Schuman or some other hopeful with a camera to follow you around Broadway Market.
If you would like to buy things from far, far away (i.e. outside of the UK) drop me a line and I'll let you know what the postage costs will be.

Fashion week armour on a budget

So, it's the day before London Fashion Week kicks off and I am off work sick. When colleagues come into the office coughing and sneezing I know it's only a matter of time before I am as sick as a dog - whatever anyone has got I'll always get it worse. I think my colleagues think I'm a wimp, but I can't help it. It's all very frustrating, especially because it's been happening a lot recently, even more than usual.
I'm starting to feel more like a functioning human being this evening, but the skin around my nose is red and raw from sneezing, my eyes are watery and my face is puffy and spotty. Forget trying to wangle invitations to shows and parties - I'm more concerned with not looking like cack.
Being stuck at home wrapped up in blankets yet again, and with JFK on the other side organising an exhibition in Japan, I've been reviewing some recent purchases and planning my armour for the shows I've been invited to.
The chief weapon in my arsenal is a pair of ludicrously high dove grey suede, lace up platform ankle boots.  They were a complete bargain, drastically reduced in the sale (the black version was still full price), and will ensure I can see everything from the back row by making me about six foot tall.
I'm planning on dying them black after their first couple of outings, as the grey suede will get dirty in seconds. I've been wearing them while I've been lying on the sofa and pottering about the house to try and gauge how painful they're going to be after a few hours on my feet, and they are going to hurt. A lot. But I think it's worth it.

Carvela Skittle boots

I'll be wearing them with, among other things, a pair of black Acne pre A/W 09 Jasmine trousers - an ebay bargain - with a slouchy claret coloured oversized Nicole Farhi knitted jumper layered over a black silky Cos vest.

pic via Acne Studios

And to top it all off, my new trophy, a huge dark green silk vintage Chanel scarf, another bargain from the Cabbages and Frocks Saturday market in Marylebone.

This whole outfit cost me less than £100. This makes me feel good.

Quote of the week - courtesy of the Dior press office

So, it's couture week. Emotions are running high. Chanel reconfirms its greatness. Galliano proves once again that he is "wacky" and "eccentric" but still capable of creating beautiful covetable and wearable pieces. And someone has a hissy fit.

This year's hissy fit comes from Armani who is upset that Galliano (allegedly) moved the scheduling of the Dior show and messed with the timing of the Armani show. Quell horreur. As my friend over on Layers and Swathes has mentioned before, Armani is verging on becoming irrelevant now, even though this is only his first showing at Paris couture.

The point of bringing this up is to illustrate just how perfectly catty the French can be when it comes to, well, anything really, but especially all things fashion related. I really love them for this, although I wouldn't want to live or work full time in that kind of atmosphere - far too much pressure.

The Dior reps' response to Armani's whinging? "We think it's not elegant to comment."

The other thing that has been cheering me up today, and boy do I need some cheering, is the return of Osman Nosse's A Cat is a Cat, one of my favourite blogs of all time. I'm not going to explain what Nosse does, I'm going to show you instead. Here is his post from today;

I emailed him to ask if it would be ok to repost his work on my blog and got this response - "bloody hell I thought that email was from Anna Wintour and I was going to get 'got' for mocking YSL." (Note, this is funnier if you know my real name.)

New Year's Resolutions

I have actually managed to fulfill pretty much all the New Year's resolutions I made last New Year's. This is wrong. New Year's Resolutions are meant to be things you will actually never do, aren't they?

Let's be honest, New Year's resolutions should have become declassee by now. Haven't we all had enough of setting ourself challenges that will make us feel guilty or inadequate for the next 12 months? 

Apparantly not, if the diet pages in Grazia are anything to go by.

My list from last year was quite ambitious but not massively exciting - pass driving test, learn a foreign language, write more outside of work and other boring things. So this year I am going to make things more interesting.

Resolution 1/ Take a photography course - let's be honest, my pictures for this blog could do with a bit of work. Plus my dad has lent me a Canon EOS to play with and it would be nice to be able to take it off automatic and have something more than a colourful blur to show for my efforts.

Resolution 2/ Own some Chanel (see previous post)

Resolution 3/ Eat less - self explanatory but hardest to achieve

Resolution 4/ Meet more designers

Resolution 5/ Stop being intimidated by fashion parties and try to go to more of them

There are others, private ambitions that I won't share here because then I will just feel like an idiot if they don't come to fruition. 

The past year has had its ups and downs for all of us. But the fashion industry has had a particularly rocky year and, I think, is also in need of some serious resolutions that will help it move forward...

Resolution 1/ Please stop describing anyone over a UK size 6 as 'curvy'. It's insulting and alienates large numbers of women whose wardrobes could really benefit from some industry input. 

Resolution 2/ Take business classes. I don't think I need to list the number of companies that have gone under thanks to this recession, but some of these could really have been avoided with some proper business management. 

Resolution 3/ Move on from the 80s already.

PLease feel free to add you own in the comments box below. Hope you all have a lovely evening tonight and a very fruitful, satisfying and well-dressed New Year. 

A few last words

So the packing panic is over, the bags are full to bursting and I, with my effortless sense of timing, have lost my voice. My chest feels like it is full of tiny little burny things that get excited when I breathe in. On the plus side, this time on Friday I will be in Goa.
I'm afraid I have no idea what my access to the internet will be like, so cannot promise to be a regular blogger until my return at the end of December. Please bear with me.
In the meantime there are three things you need to know.

1 - The Sonia Rykiel for H&M lingerie is actually as good as it looks in the ads. I loved it, which marks a first for me and highstreet/designer collaborations. Just wish I'd got there earlier when they still had my size left in the things I wanted. I bought two lovely translucent loose-fitting silk chiffon vests, one in a pinky shade of nude and the other in black, which I will layer over each other or wear over my bikini.

2 - This is good;

(Tra Tutti Coco Chanel-O-Mouse, $39.99, via LibertyLondonGirl)

3 - My favourite blogger Belgian Waffle will be selling rude biscuits at the Bust craftacular this weekend. I am beyond sad that I won't be able to attend and purchase baked goods that insult me, but not sad enough to miss out on Goa I am afraid. However, if you are in London, please go and say hello from me.

A new discovery - Seconda Mano, 114 Upper Street

For a compulsive charity shop fan, ebay shopper and jumble sale connoisseur like me, regular wardrobe clear outs are very important. Many of my friends have reason to be thankful for this, because usually I like giving things away to people I know will enjoy them rather than faff around on ebay.
But in the last couple of years, as my fashion knowledge has evolved, I have become far stricter with my shopping habits and I have also begun buying things to sell to help cover my costs. This can be quite hit and miss. Ebay is a pain in the backside and can be unpredictable - some gorgeous designer clothing won't even sell, let alone sell for what it's worth.
The easiest way to sell designer clothing is via clothing exchanges, but many in London don't exactly offer a fair deal. The worst culprit is the clothing exchange in Notting Hill where they will offer you £30 for something they will sell for more than £100. Which sucks. And they won't take anything they deem too 'classic' or by niche designers.
But, if you don't mind waiting for your money, there are some who will sell your unwanted designer clothing and accessories on your behalf with a 50/50 split.
My new favourite, Seconda Mano, is on Upper Street in North London. The shop itself is hidden away under a Giovanni's hairdressers at number 14, but the window is filled with incredible finds including a hot pink Chanel suit jacket and a brand new swoon-worthy Chanel Cocoon bag.

Downstairs is a virtual treasure trove of lovely things, today overseen by a nice man called Adam who gets almost as excited as I do about Christopher Kane.

I have just added some of my own pieces to their stock, including a vintage 70's emerald green satin YSL cummerbund, pale blue perspex Stella McCartney Belt and a pair of gorgeous black silk wide legged Jasmine Di Milo trousers which are sadly too short for me but will look spectacular on the right person.
This is my new place to sell on my best pieces. And might also have to be my new place to go to treat myself when the sample sales, garage sales and jumbles let me down.
One day when I have my own house and don't have to have such regular clear outs, I'd quite like it if my basement looked a little bit like Seconda Mano.

Oh, and did I mention the shoes...