Being the bargain hunter I am and having only charity shops and car boots as my sanctum, it is just that little bit harder to find ''that specific something''. I know men always say, 'you don't need another new dress, just wear what you wore before'. Which seems sensible but how horrifying for us to repulse their idea of being seen in a dress you last wore to a big occasion that everyone saw you in. Like we're not a celebrity or something... but they don't need to point out the obvious. Every girl wants to walk into a room and feel famous.
So towards the end of last year and the build up to Christmas, I had in mind something special for Christmas day, bearing in mind I had no income and the little money I was earning from my small massage business, wasn't stretching far enough. I went out shopping with the Mother in Canterbury, for a morning coffee and almond croissant-the usual, then a browse through the shops helping mum finish her Christmas shopping. One shop I rarely buy from but love to browse the sale rails is Miss Selfridges. It's one of those shops you find a rare gem in. I was rummaging around the sale dresses and found a gorgeous coral and lilac striped dress in a thin cotton material, quite see through. luckily I had a nude slip at home to wear underneath. I thought it was going to be over priced even for the sale, but it was a grand total of just £7 and my mother kindly treated me as an early Christmas present. Such a lucky girl.
My New Years dress is an entirely different story. Once again, browsing through the local carboot, searching for that one thing to jump out at me, I came across two girls, vintage looking, squat at the end of their boot with a large clothes rails to the side of them. I sieved through the items like I was taking my time reading a good book and came across a lovely black dress, another LBD to my collection. It was open at the back to allow bearing of the skin, with a halter style front and it was longer at the back creating a floaty weightlessness to the skirt, a style I really liked. The dress still had the tags on and strangely enough it was originally from Miss Selfridges like my Christmas dress. The girl only wanted £5 for it, but at the time, having recently lost my job, I couldn't justify buying it. I told my boyfriend about it when I later bumped into him scrounging through tools, a true mechanic at heart. Anyway, he wanted to see it and then the next thing I knew he was buying it, another little treat for me. Money well spent I say though. I couldn't ask for a more perfect boyfriend, almost 5 years later and the love is still sparkling...... Alright, enough of the cheese.
So, basically, hunt through your local charity shops and never knock a carboot. There are great bargains to be had!
