Black Turtle Neck, White Pointed Flats

I'm wearing:
Quilted jacket - H&M (similar here)
Turtle neck jumper - Michael Kors (similar here)
High-waisted jeans - Topshop
PS11 Leather flats - Proenza Schouler

What I Bought at the Tatty Devine Sample Sale

Tatty Devine is a store that, for me, epitomises British style and design. It's eccentricity is equal to it's beauty, and with every item being handmade in London you know you're supporting local businesses in the name of rocking some awesome jewellery. I have a few pieces from them already and they are the stand out pieces in my accessories collection. So when the chance of a sample sale came up, I was extremely excited to get some bargains. I completely underestimated how popular the sale would be; when I turned up at 12.30pm the queue was already around the corner from the Brick Lane store. Luckily I had taken my Kindle with me, and the lovely fans of Tatty Devine made for some wonderful queue buddies, supplying me with water and a famous Brick Lane Beigel!

When the time came for me to go in (it was a one in/one out situation), I headed straight to the back where I'd been tipped off by the staff that some of the amazing eyelash sunglasses were still sat. My hands were actually shaking when I grabbed a pair, I've wanted them forever and couldn't believe I was getting them for a quarter of the price!

I may have gone slightly overboard with what I got, the bargains were just too much to ignore. I managed to nab the beautiful La Luna necklace which I've had my eye on for a while, plus a necklace from the planetary collection and an enormous leaf necklace which is mental but let's face it, necessary.

Yes, I queued for near on three hours, but there were still so many bargains to be found and the staff were all so friendly and helpful. I'll definitely be heading down again next year, but this time I'll be there at 9am with the intention of being one of the first to dig around.

Did you manage to get to the sample sale? Let me know what you managed to get if you went down!

Oxblood Leather

I tend to stick to leather on shoes and jackets, but that's not to say I don't love leather trousers, tops and skirts on other people. When roaming around a sample sale recently I found an amazing Alexander McQueen leather skirt which I had to have in my life.

Top: H&M
Leather skirt: Alexander McQueen

I've got far too many things in oxblood and I know it's not exactly great for Spring, but Winter is going to roll right back around again and I'm determined to get a lot of wear out of this beauty.

I wore it for the first time to a filming at the BBC, the last ever in fact, of a new sitcom by Spaced star Jessica Hynes. The show is called Up The Women and will be shown on BBC4, so keep an eye out for it!

What do you think of leather skirts?

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5354905/?claim=fft46z9wnt8">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Life: February 2013

Life has been so hectic recently, I haven't had any time to do much let alone blog which is disappointing, but here's what I have had time to do last month. More blog posts to come soon hopefully!

Dita von Teese signed bowling pin at All Star Lanes
Amazing food at Pitt Cue Co
Cocktails at the Experimental Cocktail Club
Valentine's Day cocktails with the girls

Cheer up post-its made for me at work
My housemate trying to flip pancakes
My February read given to me by Pink Julep
My sample sale Miu Miu boots!

  

All the glittery shoes at work
Chocolate milkshakes at Byron are a meal in themselves
Getting my hair did
NYFW inspired nail art

Let It Be at the Savoy Theatre with Vogue Alchemist
Cocktails a-go-go!
Pancake Day feast
Filming with Alex Loves for O2

How to Survive a Sample Sale

Moving to London was a revelation for me in shopping terms. I'm not talking about the little boutiques and independents that are hidden down unassuming alleyways, or even the big well known markets and shopping streets as all of these can be seen on any visit to the city. Any savvy London shopper will tell you that the best bargains can be had at a sample sale, that rare event where a brand needs to get rid of all of their excess stock that may be used, damaged or left over from the sale. 

Usually held in a town hall or boring looking office blocks, I've been to some brilliant (and awful) ones for brands including Urban Outfitters and Accessorize, as well as designer brands, and you really can get some unbelievable bargains. 

Some recent sample sale bargains include Pierre Hardy, Swedish Hasbeens, and Miu Miu boots!

Here are my top tips for surviving a sample sale:

Have an idea of what you're looking for
By the time you get in it's likely clothes will be on the floor, sizes won't be in their allocated areas, and there will be more left shoes than right. Go with an idea of what you want rather than aimlessly rummaging through everything with the vague hope of finding something or anything.

Don't buy for the sake of it
I found an amazing Alexander McQueen leather dress recently and picked it up quickly before anyone else nabbed it. Then as I walked around I started realising that I had only picked it up because it seemed like a good purchase. It's never a good purchase if you're not going to wear it!

Take a bag
This isn't a civilised shopping experience most of the time, and there aren't baskets or sales assistants. I've ended up with armfuls of stuff that I've been hardly able to carry and seething with jealousy at the clever woman who brought her Tesco bag for life. 

Plan your arrival time
If you get there first, you're in with a greater chance of getting the best quality bargains, and things that are more likely to be on trend now. However, if you get there late you can benefit from final reductions and offers as retailers don't want to take anything back with them.

Don't expect brand new
These items are likely to have been used in photoshoots or window displays, or have been returned as faulty. It is highly unlikely that you'll find a brand new, never worn item, so go with the expectation of having to sew up a hole or put up with a small biro mark. It's a small sacrifice to pay to the bargain gods!

Do a second circuit
I took my boyfriend to a sample sale recently (his first) and he quickly said that he couldn't find anything. After convincing him to do a second circuit while I still rummaged, he ended up getting 3 pairs of shoes for about 1/5th of their retail price. People put things down or you could purely have missed something the first time around, so go back just in case.

To find the best sample sales I recommend signing up to your favourite retailers' newsletters and Twitter feeds as they are often announced online. I also use http://samplesal.es/, which is specifically for London sales.

Shopping: Almost Famous Sample Sale

It's been a while since I hit a sample sale. London is full of them but they're often ridiculously busy and at times of the day when I'm at work. This one was almost directly across the road from my office though, so a lunchtime hit was perfect.


Almost Famous can only be normally only be found in selected House of Fraser stores, but they have a flagship store on Percy Street, W1 that stocks their entire range.  

Normally priced £100+ for their selection of day and evening dresses, tops, knitwear and accessories, the sample sale had shoes from £15, tops from £10 and other similarly priced bargains.


I picked up this dress for £30. 

                          Front                                                            Back

I don't really wear evening dresses anymore, not the sort people go out in on a Saturday night anyway, as I'm not that type of person. But I could wear this day or night depending on the accessories or shoes I put with it.


This top was only £10 (excuse the fact it's straight out of the bag and not ironed!).

It has slightly padded shoulders which I love, and the style and mesh panelling are perfect for the sports luxe trend I'm struggling to suit.


Don't worry if you missed out on the sample sale this time, you can also shop Almost Famous at their online store.


All photos property of Shopped and Dropped, do not re-use without permission.