DESIGNER Vs.SUPERMARKET

Anne C here.  I have previously told you that I am a complete impulse buyer. I can go into a supermarket for a loaf of bread and a pint of milk and come out with a jacket and two pairs of shoes!

We all have a certain style of clothing which we gravitate to – and I often find that I either buy the same garment in different colours or I buy virtually the same item over and over again with only minor differences.

So looking through my wardrobe recently, it struck me how many pink sweaters I own (and I've just bought this one from Monsoon too).  In fact I have two pink jumpers which are very very similar – except that one is a beautifully soft merino wool sweater from DKNY and a silky pink version from H&M.  They certainly look very similar, but the DKNY version cost a staggering ten times the H&M version – and looking at how they have worn, I am not convinced that the designer version was the better buy - particularly since looking at the label I discovered it was made in China.

                                                                                                                        THE DKNY SWEATER

I have worn the H&M silky sweater several times and it has washed and worn very well – I have even worn it on the blog, and it looks as good now as it did when I first bought it a couple of years ago.  The DKNY version however has only been worn a couple of times and it is badly pilled on the hips and sleeves where the two have rubbed together - and if I am being really honest, the shape doesn't really do me any favours!

To note that I also have the same scarf in orange, emerald and a deeper pink!

      THE H&M VERSION 

Which brings me to another couple of items I bought which are identical in style, though different colours, but which cost vastly differing amounts!

The pink silk top was bought from TK Maxx at a cost of around £16.99 and the bright blue silk version, which is slightly longer and has a chiffon hem, but cost £75 from Phase Eight.  I wear both equally and have no complaints about the quality of either items – both have been washed and look as good as new, but I rather think it validates my claim that you don’t have to spend a fortune to look good.

For the record, my necklace is from Simply Devine Hats, I have had the pink earrings for about 20 years, and the watch is Emporio Armani, which I have also had for a while, but a similar one is available here.

                         BLUE SILK FROM PHASE EIGHT 

The above photo was taken in Santorini last year, and I have teamed the top with black cigarette pants and accessorised with a fabulous necklace I bought in Thira, blue sparkly earrings from Yuza, and bracelets from a wedding fayre!  The sandals are my holiday staples from Marks and Spencer, which were bought in the sales a couple of years ago and which I also have in taupe.

I own indigo jeggings from Marks & Spencer and similar ones from Florence & Fred at Tesco – and I can’t even tell the difference between them until I look at the labels. I also have T shirts from George at Asda which have washed and worn well, while I look at the tee I am currently wearing from M&S and have spotted seven of those pesky teeny little holes down the front that looks as if I have moths (I don’t think I do!)

A word of warning though - the fit is not always true to size.

I was lucky enough to be a guest at a wedding last year and saw a dress I really liked in Coast, but it went out of stock before I could buy it – and I had already decided which hat I would wear with it!  I spotted a pretty dress in an identical colour, although the style was quite different, but still as nice, so I bought it – cost £40 from Wallis.  Then the original dress came back in stock, so I bought that too – at a cost of £149. (It is now available again this year in beautiful shades of mint, navy and silver grey). The Wallis dress is accessorised with rose quartz earrings bought in Vietnam and watch as before, while the Coast dress is accessorised with hat and earrings from Simply Devine (as before) and bag from Dewsbury Market!

                                                                                                                            THE WALLIS DRESS

COAST DRESS 

Don’t get me wrong – if I see an item which I love and I can afford it, then I will buy it

So now I have both dresses, and I wore the more expensive one to the wedding but was it worth an extra £110? Probably not (although I do prefer it).

I also have a couple of lovely black coats which I wear equally.  My latest purchase was an unlined Joseph Ribkoff ¾ black jacket with a stylish cowl neckline which cost around £300, and another is a fully-lined satin-look black evening coat with a wider cowl collar, bought a few years ago in M&S for around £100.  Although not quite identical, both are more of a style suitable for evening wear, at vastly different prices. But perhaps my favourite piece is a beautiful black Max Mara (similar style to this one) wool coat – bought at my local charity shop for £16.95!

Anyone need a wedding guest with a pink dress??????