Online shopping is evil. Most people have come to the erroneous conclusion that because my last job took up so much of my time, I couldn't possibly have had the time to spend it on anything. They obviously don't know me very well. Firstly, I don't need much sleep, or, rather, I do, but I hate sleeping, so it's a moot point. Secondly, I am an Internet whiz, meaning, I know exactly where to go in order to feed that shopping monster inside me and how to sort of maximise my pound, if you count getting something at a discount saving!
What's the point of this post exactly? Well, nothing much, really, other than to show off the fruits of my shopping travails which I'm proudest of. This is, in essence, the 2011 edition of my favourite pretty things.
Dresses
My year in eBay bargains tends to be dominated by a single designer in any one year. 2010 was probably Nanette Lepore, while 2009 was definitely the year of Alaia and Herve Leger. 2011's turn was Alexander Wang. First off, the one dress which I am most proud of is this hooded goddess dress (right) as seen on none other than Rihanna and Cindy Crawford. I wore this for my birthday drinks last week, combining it with a pair of Comme Il Faut tango shoes, purchased on my first trip to Argentina. The venue - a secret basement bar - was a tad on the dark side, but I got loads of compliments, even more when the boyfriend surprised me with the largest black forest cake in the world and a trio of balloons. This was something I chanced across on eBay and thought, "Wow, this is so me!". It's black, it's short but not too short, it's fitting, it's draped and it's unusual (you can wear this hood up or hood down).
The next Alexander Wang dress (left) I picked up also happens to be short, mini and black. Fortunately for me, it looks very different and is just as eye-catching. It does take quite a lot of guts to wear this, simply because a mid-riff cut-out is not immensely friendly to those with even the teensiest bit of flab around their mid-section. Now, I'm definitely not perfect, and, according to the boyfriend, I actually do have one of the flattest stomachs around (for a non-model, non-athlete), but even I was too shy to show this off the one time I've worn it (stupidly enough, at the beginning of November, so I was a tad chilly).
Dresses
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| Alexander Wang hooded goddess dress |
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| Alexander Wang sporty cut-out dress |
The next Alexander Wang dress (left) I picked up also happens to be short, mini and black. Fortunately for me, it looks very different and is just as eye-catching. It does take quite a lot of guts to wear this, simply because a mid-riff cut-out is not immensely friendly to those with even the teensiest bit of flab around their mid-section. Now, I'm definitely not perfect, and, according to the boyfriend, I actually do have one of the flattest stomachs around (for a non-model, non-athlete), but even I was too shy to show this off the one time I've worn it (stupidly enough, at the beginning of November, so I was a tad chilly).
Shoes
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| Topshop Ambush boots |
I don't tend to buy shoes on the Internet, unless I've tried them on elsewhere. The shoes I've bought this year and loved both happen to be from Topshop. Why they're here on a post titled "online shopping is evil" is because, if it hadn't been for the Internet, I would never, ever, have noticed these shoes. Going in reverse chronological order, first up is a pair of pistol boots from Topshop (right) which are almost identical to a far more expensive pair from Acne. I got this at 20% off, thanks to a promotion Stylist magazine ran with Topshop. These do make my legs look fabulous (though, to be honest, I do have some killer pins), and I love boots which aren't too hard to walk in. Also, they look great with the pair of metallic skinny jeans I picked up a few weeks ago... my first pair of skinny jeans ever. I guess all that Power Plate and dance must have paid off!
I absolutely love these Topshop Laney sandals. They're incredibly nautical and are also quite hard to match. They've very summery, yes, but, gosh darn it, I just love the red. And if it weren't for In Their Closet (an absolutely awesome blog which, if it doesn't increase your spending by at least 100%, then you have far greater willpower than I do), I wouldn't have chanced upon these. I don't spend all that much time in the shoe department, after all! In all fairness, I have only managed to wear these once as I spent most of summer out of London, where I discovered people in Singapore simply don't wear heels these high. And the day I wore them, I got to take some fabulous fashion poseur photos on the bench outside St. Ali. Heh.
The SPLURGE
I have bought far more this year than just these four, sadly for my wallet. The one big splurge this year, however, hasn't been an online purchase. It was a purchase of a beautiful stone (or grey/lilac) cowled Red Label by Vivienne Westwood dress from Start after I had my hair cut and coloured in September. I walked in (wearing this dress, very similar to one Princess Catherine wore), saw it on a hanger, tried it on, and bought it on the spot, despite the fact that I wouldn't be able to get a refund, just a credit note if I changed my mind. I love how it's constructed; it's not just a dress, it's a work of structural genius.
Truth be told, there have been other splurges as well, though less expensive then this one. But, because the first one that springs to mind happens to be a purchase from Made By Niki, a truly wonderful lingerie brand, I don't think I should show it to you. I'll merely link to it instead. I have acquired a few bargains from here as well (as ASOS sometimes has significant discounts), so it all evens out!
I'll end off here. I blame the fact that I haven't been working for over three weeks now and have no Christmas functions to go to for this overload of girliness. I have nowhere to go to show off my dancing and fabulous dress sense! NOWHERE. *sobs*
Move along, folks. Nothing more to see here!
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| Topshop Laney sandals |
The SPLURGE
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| Red Label by Vivienne Westwood dress |
Truth be told, there have been other splurges as well, though less expensive then this one. But, because the first one that springs to mind happens to be a purchase from Made By Niki, a truly wonderful lingerie brand, I don't think I should show it to you. I'll merely link to it instead. I have acquired a few bargains from here as well (as ASOS sometimes has significant discounts), so it all evens out!
I'll end off here. I blame the fact that I haven't been working for over three weeks now and have no Christmas functions to go to for this overload of girliness. I have nowhere to go to show off my dancing and fabulous dress sense! NOWHERE. *sobs*
Move along, folks. Nothing more to see here!
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