beautiful bargains!

Yesterday I set out on a grand shopping expedition. I had a very clear aim. I was to buy a pair of black heels and a slip to complete a very important outfit.

Four hours later, I had tried on practically every pair of black heels in the shopping centre and concluded that it is impossible to buy a pair of heels which are the right colour, style, height, comfort level and price. Impossible. I also discovered that plain beige slips are impossibly rare and only ever come in hideous material, with lacey additions, in huge sizes or cost over £30 (the last one which I am coming very close to buying because there are no other options).

Just as, dehydrated and with burning feet, I decided to give up, a pair of earrings caught my eye. I had almost bought them at £22 several months ago but decided that the price was too high for the material/product. But now they were reduced to over half price and, with an expectant wallet which had not been used at all, I snapped them up. I reasoned that I had a shopping trip planned for today as well, to a very different sort of shopping area, so I would find my slip and shoes there.

Whilst I don't have a slip to make it decently opaque or shoes to make it less overly decent in length, I do have earrings which match my dress perfectly.

Today, I set off to Brick Lane, beautiful location of vintage shops, markets and independent boutiques without an Office shoe shop or John Lewis underwear department in sight. Still, I saw plenty of shoes. Even now that my specifications had widened to metallic as well as black heels, and even wedged sandals, another four hour trip yielded no shoes (for the same reasons as before). I wasn't really expecting to find a slip, and with my friend reluctant to enter the lingerie boudoir shops, there was no chance.

But again, just as, with severe blisters and sweating like pigs, we decided to head back for a film and Starbucks, I convinced my friend to go back to a shop we had briefly visited about three and a half hours earlier. I struck (non-shoe/slip) gold.

Area 142 is a pop-up shop. I don't really know what that means apart from that it is temporary and contains samples of beautiful fashion majorly reduced. Some of it was damaged, but mostly it was very, very bargainous. Sadly my lovely friend has none of my shopping stamina so I had all of ten minutes to buy

There were a few huge crates of designer denim, all for £20, but in small sizes. I couldn't really be bothered to squeeze into some thick winter denim in today's tropical weather, but these shorts looked bigger and are made of wonderfully thin denim. They fit great and Maje are (according to the shop guy) a famous French designer brand which I should really know about - especially considering I have a style blog. The last thing I need is more denim, which I live in already. But what the hell.

I immediately zoomed in on this second purchase the first time I entered the shop. I realised yesterday that I probably needed to add 'bag' to my shopping list as I do have a lack of evening bags. I almost bought a couple of bronze bags in Topshop yesterday but am so pleased I held out. I am in love with my new glitzy bag, which is also a complete bargain at 1/5th of the original price. My mum has asked me to give it to her after I wear it on Monday - she also wants to 'share' the shorts.

Um, maybe, if you were willing to buy me heels or a slip, Mum!