January 20th

Last year I kept a record of everything, or almost everything, that I bought or acquired.  I made some rules for what to record. If something was acquired that was a replacement for something I already possessed it wasn't counted as long as I disposed of the original item immediately.  So if I bought two pairs of new tights and threw two holey pairs in the bin nothing was recorded.  However if I bought two t-shirts and then threw some t-shirts away three weeks later this did get recorded.   I tried really, really hard not to buy anything unnecessarily and I tried not to impulse shop.  Stating the bleeding obvious this was a lot easier if I didn't go shopping or read stuff on line that recommended clothes to buy.

So starting with the clothes I bought in 2015 the first thing to note is that I singlehandedly kept Marks and Spencer's in business.  This is rather alarming as recently M&S have struggled with their clothing offer and it was generally agreed by fashionistas that 2015 was an especially bad year when it came to the general fabulousness of the clothes.

I bought the following items:

1.    Plain Navy Dress from The White Shop -  I always feel slightly out of place in The White Shop not being from the Home Counties and never having voted Tory.  Having said that I have managed to buy some really good things in it.  This dress was not one of them.  I bought it in the sale and it's quite flattering but it is too short.  Fitted at the top the skirt flares out and I always feel slightly mutton when I wear it which I don't do very often.  I shall eventually get round to selling this on eBay.  A bad buy.

2.     Navy Trousers - I went into M&S to buy a denim skirt and I grabbed these on the way to the changing room.  I tried them on and immediately realised they were the best trousers ever.  I didn't look at the price and when I went to pay for them discovered they were, by M&S standards,  very expensive.  They came from the Autograph line and are made of silk and wool and I have worn them to work at least once a week for the last 6 months.  I have searched M&S to see if they came in any other colour but never found them again.  A really excellent buy.

3.    Denim Skirt - Another M&S buy.  I wanted a knee length casual skirt and ended up with a below the knee pencil skirt style which is OK and suitable for work.  A reasonable buy.

4.     Black Strappy Shoes - I had to go to a formal dinner for work and was forced to buy dressy up shoes.  I bought the least horrible cheap pair I could find from M&S and wore them to the dinner and haven't had them on since.  A bad buy.

5.    Blue Loafers - while in the shop buying the other shoes I spotted these blue loafers which were expensive.  I was worried it was a terrible mistake buying them.  It wasn't.  I love these shoes and they are still in fairly good nick despite constant wear.  An excellent buy.

6.    White Cotton Aertex Shirt - Margaret Howell sells beautiful, classic English clothes that could come from almost any era.  In the summer they had aertex blouses which could have been worn by posh schoolgirls in public schools in the 1930s.  I loved them but couldn't justify the price so bought a substitute from Muji's mens department which made me look like a woman wearing a man's top.  Within a couple of weeks I donated this to the charity shop.  A very bad buy.

7. and 8.  Two Cashmere Mix Sweatshirts from Uniqlo - I blame Belgian Waffle who wrote about losing one of these and alerted me to their existence. As soon as I read about them I wanted to buy them immediately because a) I love cashmere and b) they were hugely discounted.  I didn't regret buying them and wore them a lot.  A good buy.

9 and 10.  Two White T-Shirts Uniqlo -  I bought these to wear on my walking holiday.  Dirt cheap and really nice fine cotton.  An excellent buy.

11.     Stan Smith Adidas Sneakers - I rarely succumb to fashion trends but I really wanted these and as there were none to be had in England I ended up ordering a pair from Germany via eBay.  I've worn them quite a lot but the truth is I don't totally adore them.  A reasonable buy.

12.    Denim Dress from Cos - serviceable dress which is good for work.  A good buy

13.    Blue Raincoat from John Lewis - I have been wearing the same raincoat for ten years so it was time to buy a new one.  I knew what style I wanted so I was really pleased when I found exactly the coat I wanted in good old John Lewis.  This was the most expensive garment I bought all year and I expect this coat to last for a very long time.  An excellent buy.

14.      A Grey Cotton Cardigan H&M -  when walking in Spain and Portugal I totally misjudged what the weather would be like and I brought the wrong clothes.  It was very hot and I was away for a fortnight with only one skirt.  In a tiny town in Spain I tried to buy a skirt and went into H&M.  I guess it was about 15 years ago that I last bought anything from this shop.  I couldn't find a skirt but I spotted this cardigan which was unbelievably cheap and very nice.  A good buy.

15.       A Fuchsia Pink Cashmere Cardigan from M&S  - I  spent ages deciding whether to buy this or not.  I'm glad I did.  An excellent buy.

16.     A Pair Of Black Leggings - another M&S buy.   I had to get them in a hurry for my yoga class and they really aren't very suitable for yoga.  A bad buy as not fit for purpose

Considering I was trying really hard not to buy anything this is a fairly long list.  I estimate it is about 50% of what I would buy in a normal year.  I bought lots of discounted items and a high percentage of work clothes although as I am now so old, I don't really have work clothes any more  but rather every day clothes.  I thought more about what I bought and I spent less money than usual but ended up with more garments that I really like.  I am shocked at how much stuff I got from M&S.

Tomorrow a list of all the clothes I gave away.

 

 

Comments

[amanda]

I bought a heavily discounted grey cashmere cardigan in the M&S sale which I love but … it has the security tag on it:( I called them and they were "oh we don't know what to do". Now watching YOutube videos on removing tags and feeling like a shoplifter

[carolbaby]

I love these posts and look forward to the next one.

My first encounter with M&S was in Hong Kong this time last year. I bought two unbelievably cheap (like < AU$15) cardigans of amazing quality.

I have taken your lead and have been recording everything I've purchased this year (sans food & such) - it is quite terrifying, but has yet to stop me.

[Waffle]

This has made me wonder where the hell my Uniqlo sweatshirts are. I did indeed lose one, but I replaced it and have two knocking about somewhere but WHERE ARE THEY. I don't regret them either, they are excellent. Also, you can blame That's Not My Age, because I got the tip from her.

[Waffle]

(Went straight upstairs and found them. Hurrah! Consider yourself instrumental in the first cheering thing that has happened to me after a very shoddy morning.

[Liz Woodbury]

I covet those blue loafers.

[Doris McGreary]

I used to buy Boden clothes but have really gone off them and now, like you, buy quite a lot of M&S, the Limited Edition range or Autograph when I have a 20% off voucher. Sometimes when shopping with my daughter I am talked into buying things from Zara, occasionally regretting the purchase afterwards (pig-skin tan waistcoat - what was I thinking?) But actually the best and most comfortable trousers were from there.

[Naoise]

Im quite a fan of your stan smiths!