Style Saver.

First and foremost.

So we've made it.

2013.

The world didn't end, I managed to avoid putting on 16 stone in mulled wine weight and my festive period was just the right mix of relaxing and party filled. All in all I've had a pretty satisfactory start to the year of my lucky number. No, not 2013 - that's a bit obscure - 13 is my lucky number so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for bigger and better things coming my way.

I'm still on the job hunt and have now entered the last month of my inner city living. Having lived in the centre of Manchester almost constantly since I was 18 the extended move back home will feel a little suburban at first I'm sure but with access to a car I'm sure I'll not be away from it long.

And so we've come to that time of year again - the sales. Not one to ever bow out of such tantalising flurries of discounts I immediately looked at my favourite brands; and then teased myself with some others knowing full well that with my next wage slip out of reach I couldn't go anywhere near some things even at their sale prices!

I'm not one to brave the crowds, partly because I can think of nothing worse that trying to snatch the last scarf from under someones nose and partly because I enjoy the time with my family too much to give it up to angry shoppers and frustrating queues. So it's online for me!

First it was Zara:

I've needed a good pair of riding style boots for ages but never found quite the right pair for me. Well, it turns out if you chuck a load of studs at some leather that'll pretty much float my boat and as they were down to a jaw-dropping £40.00 it was a no-brainer really. I mean £40.00 for leather boots? C'mon!
(They're sold out now...sorry!)

I'd really like to be able to style these a little something like the lovely Annette Tang from The Versastyle (above) and not always plump for the safe ensemble of jeans, jersey top, statement necklace and parka so maybe a post on how many outfits I can pair them with will be up soon.

Then it was Vero Moda (via House of Fraser.)

I have a friend who every time I see her looks great. And every time I ask where that dress/shirt/jumper/skirt was from as I'd love a similar one/pair/seven the answer is almost always Vero Moda. How this brilliant gem of a brand has stayed off my radar for so long only serves to make me feel a little ashamed of myself for not giving it it's dues sooner.

But I have taken the plunge and made my first purchase - a beautiful silk-feel top with animal print sequin detailing on the sleeves. It's a great piece as it gives a day time outfit a glam punch or popped on tucked into a skater skirt and some killer heels and you've got a great bar outfit too.
It was £28.00 and is now a mere £14.00 but with limited stock you'd better snap yours up quickly! Here.

Then it was my-wardrobe.com.

Like the boots I have needed a good pair of black jeans...well, forever. I only own blue denim pairs which I love and wear religiously but it seemed time for a black pair to enter the fray and Michael Kors has sorted me out.

I love the zip detailing at the ankles and that all the metal work is gold. I'm much more a 'gold' person than a 'silver' one so these are just my dream pair. They fit like a glove, are the perfect length for flats or heels and, so far, have received a compliment from nearly everyone I've worn them in front of. Not bad for a week old pair of trousers.

They were £110.00 which is what you'd expect from premium brand jeans but they were down to £77.00 and with an extra 10% off on the particular day of purchase. These are now sold out too I'm afraid but my-wardrobe.com has a ton of similar pairs and today's an extra 25% off so get clicking.

Those are my three main joys this year but here are the others I've been taunting myself with. Enter Zara (again,) Michael Kors (again,) and Mulberry.

As you can tell I'm quite the animal print fan.

The boots were £79.99 and are now £49.99. The jumpsuit was £215.00 and is now £86.00 (but, thankfully, is no longer available in my size.) And those shoes...oh, those shoes...were £425.00 and are now a snip (ha!) at £255.00.

I've been after the Mulberry shoes for months now and am praying they are discounted again as, at the moment, all sizes are still in stock so they appear to be a bit of a niche item.

Here's hoping anyway!

En Mi Bolsa

I can hardly be accused of being someone who unpacks quickly at the end of a trip. Desperate to hang onto that holiday feeling I spend most of my first week back staring at my suitcase and working out how long it is until it's actually needed again. (Answer: depressingly long.)


And I'm no better with handbags I've used while away. My Mulberry Tillie was my most used one and when I came to empty it last night I thought of my post some time ago about handbags contents so this is a sort of part 2 of that. A holiday edition if you will.


Take a look inside...

So I like options of necklace and flat shoes if my feet get sore - what of it? The rest seems fairly self explanatory but it would appear I used the tube a fair amount. Still finding tickets in pockets and other bags even now!

What Lies Within.

Yesterday I had a very special delivery to work.

Not long ago I turned 26 and my parents asked what I wanted. For a long time I've been in search of 'the perfect black bag' and a little while before my birthday I discovered it - at the S/S '12 Mulberry preview evening.

When I mentioned it to them I didn't for a second think they'd help fund it. But they did. And it arrived yesterday. It's safe to say I'm in love.

This morning as I was transferring all my worldly possessions into it I was reminded of an article I'd read in The Telegraph about an exhibition just opened at The Serpentine Art Gallery in London. Artist Hans-Peter Feldman has offered a group of women £400 to spill the contents of their handbags for all to see.

A woman's bag, I think we can all agree, is a veritable jungle of what may appear as junk to the rest of the world but is in fact a collection of items one wouldn't be able to get through the day without. That...and a taboo thing to look through.

With this in mind I decided to empty my new Evelina and share my content with you all...

• Gloves and umbrella - well, I do live in Manchester, remember.
• Mulberry tote bag - easy for rolling up and getting out when picking up bits and bats on the way home.
• Make up - I have this odd fear of someone throwing water in my face and stripping me of my war paint at some point in the day so always have a small kit with me.
• Fashion mags - high end and high street (a lot of my labels get press in Look so it's a weekly must)
• Molecule 01 perfume from Liberty
• Manchester voucher book - who said there's no such thing as a free meal?
• Purse and contents - small coins, drivers licence, bank card, discount card, gig ticket, dry cleaning ticket, cobbler ticket.
• iPod - currently on my millionth listen of The Black Key's El Camino
• Small silver charms - these are, in a way, my most important possession. A gift from a friend, each one means something different and represent my overall well being.
• Keys

That's pretty much it...but like I said - the bag's a day old. By next week I could have a world map, hammock and some fruit in there for all I know.

What's in yours?

A Very British Summer, Mulberry Style

Yesterday evening I had the lovely honour of being on the guest list of the Grazia and Mulberry S/S '12 evening at Mulberry's Spinningfields store in Manchester. Having been to their A/W '11 evening with Stylist magazine I was keen to go again and was thrilled when I found out I was.

The S/S '12 campaign for Mulberry is based around the British seaside and they couldn't have styled last night any more fittingly. A Mulberry ice cream van to greet guests (these should be obligatory at all seaside resorts, non?), helium baloons, a 'grab a bear' machine and a tombola (the prize? A new bag worth £1000...I didn't win. Hmf.)
Even the food and drinks were in the same vain - mini fish and chips, mini hot dogs, pink lemonade and raspberry champagne. Ok, the last one's not so seaside-y but who can turn down fresh fizz in a stylish martini glass? Not I!

The new collections looked incredible - the aptly named Travel bags are beautiful -  a sort of updated Alexa and available in brilliant colours and fabrics. There is also a new collection called Cookie which is more a new finish on the old classics - a scalloped edge to the Bayswater and Lily styles, mostly.

(the Travel day bag - and the website still as my photo wasn't the best)

I went with a colleague who also joined me at the Emu event I attended a few weeks back so I knew she was as much into the goody bag side of the evening as I was but we'll get to that..

I'd like to show you how lovely the drinks looked. I can only assume the 'Ding Dong' signs dotted about were to indicate the level of hotness of the male waiters handing out said champagne because, oh my, were they.
I'd have tried to sneak a photo but I felt, after several fizzy glasses, that my stealth photo skills would have been about as ninja like as a cow with concrete boots on. Shame - real David Gandy-esque stunners.

When we left the event I went to my favourite restaurant in the area (Chichettis) and pored over the contents of my canvas S/S '12 bag. Happily they were equally fabulous to the A/W '11 contents.

They included some lovely Mulberry stickers (I almost wish I was 17 again so I could cover a school folder in them) and some very on trend Revlon makeup. The nail varnish (Sweet Tart) is a cross between and hot pink and a neon pink and has really brightened up my mitts. It doesn't go on brilliantly and took 4 coats to even out but it's worth it for the end effect. The lipstick (Fuchsia) is again, a great colour and feels great on my lips - soft and moisturising. There's nothing worse than a lipstick that's a great colour but dries your lips to within an inch of there lives. Barry M, I'm talking to you!

There was a plethora of other goodies but the list is too long so I'll just pop a pic on of a few. (New Grazia, postcards from the S/S photoshoot, 'Mulberry' rock - yes rock, lookbooks etc...)

You might remember at the last Mulberry event they gave out fox masks in their goody bags so I was excited to see what head wear we'd have this time, and I needn't have worried. Super British word glasses. So I'll leave you with them (and me (left), and Vicki)...Enjoy.