Fabulous Friday: Black Friday Fashion

Happy Black Friday!

Have you braved the madness in the shops? Or are you waiting in the queue to get access to a website? Either way everyone is out to grab the best deals in the preparation for Christmas.
This Friday's post has brought together a few fashionable items that I feel are worth investing in on this discount day! Of course this is a mere drop in the ocean of what's available out there but these are my favourite winter picks, which I feel are great wardrobe additions. Don't hang around!

1. Topshop Fairisle Yoke Jumper: £25 (was £36). I love love love this jumper! It's very festive and appropriate for the time of year, but it's traditional so will last you through many winters to come and still look on trend! A great price at £25 too.

2. Zara 70s Doll T-shirt: £15.99 (was £19.99). Super cute and a bit Moschino-esqu! Although the reduction isn't huge, this T-shirt is a great piece to update your basic t-shirts with.

3. Cooperative Teddy Coat in Navy: £77 (was £110) Available at Urban Outfitters. This coat is so now! Fluffy and soft but in a classic navy colour which makes it a little more versatile than the pastel colours we are seeing elsewhere. A reasonable price  for an investment coat too!

4. Zara Chain Detail Boots: £47.99 (was £59.99). These boots are so classic and at less than £50 you can't resist them! Classic black with subtle chain detail around the heel. These are too good to be left in the shop!!!

5. Urban Outfitters Faux Fur Pom Hat in Brown: £14 (was £28). I love the vintage feel to this UO hat. The faux fur looks real and the cute pom on top adds a bit of fun to a more formal looking hat than your average fluffy pom pom knitted hat.

So what do you think? Let me know what deals you manage to get! There's loads out there but don't go crazy!

The following are also offering amazing deals not to be missed!:

Asos: 20% off

Banana Republic: 30% off instore

Boden: 30% off

Cath Kidston: 15% off

House of Fraser: up to 40% off

Kurt Geiger: 20% off until midnight Sunday.

Miss Selfridge: up to 50% off

River Island: 20% off between 11am and 3pm today

Tobi: 50% off

Warehouse: 25% off

Whistles: 25% off

Wildfox: 20% off

Selfridges: 20% off

Good luck and Happy Shopping!

Fabulous Friday: Woodland Weekend

As I've been seeing so much amazing fashion around lately, I thought it was about time to make a weekly post to incorporate everything I'm seeing and loving in stores and online right now. Sharing your finds is the best way for everyone to stay up to date and by seeing what others have found, you see things you wouldn't have seen by yourself. So here's my first weekly fashion instalment, and this one has a toned down woodland theme! Foxes are one of my favourite animals (and my boyfriend's all time favourite animal!) so have always had a special place in  my life (and wardrobe!), and I just love that country wood feel. It has been all over the catwalk but as catwalk shows and magazine photoshoots really go to extremes with themes, it's sometimes hard to think, 'how would I wear that in my everyday life?' So here's some picks that are easy to work in to your wardrobe to get the look.

1. Wildfox fox knitted jumper £180. This is so easy to dress up or down. Casual with jeans and boots or dressed up with a faux fur scarf and boyfriend coat. Available from Selfridges here.
2. Shoe The Bear Walker Leather Faux Fur Boots now £98 (was £175!). Super comfy and snug with their furry lining. Perfect for country or city walking! Available at Asos.
3. Vanessa Camel Tailored Coat from Missguided. Missguided has been getting lots of attention from the girls at work, and as I've never ordered from them before, I thought I would have a look. This camel coat really caught my attention for its smart look and its great price (£34.99!) so this is definitely going in my basket!
4. Marsha Fox Jumper from Joules £69.95. A great fun jumper for the winter season which is mixed with camel hair, silk and cotton. Looks super cute with a shirt underneath!
5. Penton Faux Fur Scarf also from Joules in Bear colour. At only £24.95, this is such a style steal! I was in the store the other day and overheard a customer say how soft and good quality the fur scarves were but at such an affordable price compared to competitors! This scarf will look amazing over a coat, dress or jumper.

So that's it for this week! If you're not all about foxes or real looking fur, there are some great alternatives with character jumpers- dogs, flowers and ducks are all out there, and there's some gorgeous coloured fur around in blue, green and wine. So what do you all think? How would you wear this look?

Enjoy your weekend, be it in country or city!

Market-ing

Again, it's been a little while, but here I am again.
I've finally got some time off work- a whole week! I feel like Christmas and Birthdays have come all at once.
So I'm filling this week with all the things I've been wanting to do, that I used to do when I was at university and had all that spare time (students, you really do have a lot of free time..!). Plus all my friends are away (thanks guys! well jel.)

Yesterday, I visited a couple of old haunts which I realised I haven't been to for about 2 years.
One of these was Covent Garden.
'What!?' I hear you say? Yes, I live in London, I work next to Covent Garden. But when you work there everyday, you actually don't get to SEE it.
So that's what I did, I visited Covent Garden.
I had a fab time wandering around the flea and antique market at the Jubilee Market Hall. There were so many great stalls. I'm a massive fan of vintage jewellery so I was in my element with many of the stalls there, and there were some of the highest quality designer pieces I have seen in a while, from Chanel and Dior to Trifari. They were exquisite to look at and were safely banked in my mind memory for when I'm earning millions ;)

One stall I found had some great vintage designer treasures, including a Balenciaga logo bag (next on my wish list!), but it also had an array of French Sole ballet pumps all new and waiting for new owners.
Much to my disappointment there were none in my size, however, there was a pair of denim boots. They fitted me perfectly, were brand new and were a bargain £45. (RRP £200, check the website ladies!).
I couldn't have been happier with my new boots, and I will certainly be a returning customer, as the stallholder is a regular.

Boots: French Sole
Scarf: Silk from Camden Market

I then spent the afternoon at Camden Market. This place used to be a regular stop for me. Alot of my friends weren't really into Camden, so I'm quite used to roaming the market streets here by myself.
I have to say though, that when I got there, I was disappointed.
Where had all the good stuff gone?
Granted, it was 2 years since I had been here, and there had been a couple of fires in this time, and of course things change, but really?
I have never seen so many stalls with the same mass manufactured stuff. My heart sank as I went around the stables market, as this as my favourite part, just seeing printed t-shirt after printed t-shirt.

After I really thorough search I finally found a cute little stall that satisfied what I was after. It had great dresses and tees that were wardrobe staples, but in the end I decided on a scarf. A simple black scarf. I know it sounds boring but I find that what I tend to do is see basics in black, white and grey, and I shy away from them because I always think I have loads of things like this. It turns out I don't so I decided to get something I both needed and wanted. (Isn't that a first!).

All in all, I was happy with my day out marketing around, but couldn't shake my disappointment with Camden. I hope that it will rise again to be the individual place it used to be, and that this is just a phase...

What are your thoughts? Are markets not what they used to be?

Westwood Ho! Stockport Vintage Village Fair

Eros Handbag with
Linda Farrow Sunglasses

Yesterday I made a return to the Vintage Village in Stockport. I always love a visit to VV- be it just to browse or to sell. I haven't been there since November so I was excited to see the old market hall again. I was even more excited because the theme of this month's fair was dedicated to British designer Vivienne Westwood.

Customers and stallholders alike were dressed in tartan, and punk inspired pieces, and there were many lovely ladies showing off their Vivienne Westwood + Melissa Shoes (including me!).
I was attending this fair as a stallholder, with my vintage clothes and

accessories 'business', 'Eclectique Chic'. I'd decided to have a mid-season sale to move some stock on in order to make room for new beauties. This proved a successful tactic- who doesn't love a sale!?

I had loads on offer, Valentino, Escada, Balenciaga, Celine, Dior as well as Westwood, and some great unnamed vintage pieces as well as vintage high street names and boutique brands- fashion to suit everyone.

Vivienne Westwood Tie

My first sale of the day was a Vivienne Westwood red tie which my dad had given me to sell from his ever-growing tie collection. The man I sold it too was looking super trendy, wearing a black shirt with leopard print collar (of which he informed me was from Topman!). I was very pleased to have kicked off the day with a sale of a Westwood design!
A highlight of my day was selling a Dior beauty brooch- it was super cute with a bow and said 'Christian Dior'. A very nice guy bought it as a treat for his girlfriend- I hope she loves it.
The market also had a visit from a Steampunk group (I had to google that when I got home...) but they looked great. The image is Victoriana/ futuristic inventions. I got chatting with a very nice couple (who were dressed more towards the Victorian half of the definition) of which the lady had a full-on bustle part of her dress, and the gentleman had a spectacular embroidered coat.
Of course, I could not finish my day without a purchase! On top of my normal haul from Stuart Thornley Cake Design (best cakes ever!), I'd had my eye on these fringed boots from Mint Vintage all day and after some hints to my very kind boyfriend, they were coming home with me!

Leather Fringe Boots from Mint Vintage

Thanks to the organisers of Vintage Village for making each fair so different and enjoyable!

Vintage Village is on every second Sunday of the month in Stockport: www.thevintagevillage.co.uk
Mint Vintage on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MintVintageManchester