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At this time of year, my thoughts usually turn to my ever-expanding waistline and my new post-Christmas wardrobe. I say usually as even though I’m hitting the gym big time to shed those Quality Street induced pounds, I’m not buying anything new. What’s more, I’m not buying anything new until April!
I mentioned this a while back in an earlier posting, but when I told my family and friends they all sniggered. No-one thinks I can do this but I’m out to prove I can. It may be my only New Year’s resolution but it will help improve lots of things in my life:
1. It will save me lots of time! Instead of shopping, I can go to the gym and get rid of that expanding waistline.
2. It will help save the planet. Ridiculous as it may sound, if everyone stopped shopping, the world would be a better place. We’d have less landfill (the result of impulse buying that £8 dress from Primark, wearing it once and chucking it out) and would cut down the carbon footprint (produced by the factories that make the clothes and the airplanes that transport them from China or wherever to England).This latter point is the real reason behind my resolution. Well, that and the fact I already have a wardrobe bulging with clothes. So once, the shopping ban is over, I’m going to try my hardest to buy only ethical and environmentally-friendly clothes. I though this would be a struggle but I don’t think it will be.
Aside from vintage clothing, Urban Outfitters has a great section called Urban Renewal, which basically features clothes made from old clothes. Plus, I’ve unearthed a plethora of fabulous earth-friendly fashion sites such as Ciel, Adili, People Tree, Equa and the Ethical Superstore, which stocks all manner of fabulous products.
Ooo, it’s all so beautiful and sustainable and I can’t wait to go shopping! If only, I didn’t have another 4 months to wait – sigh.
I really love Christmas but there are some things associated with the festive season that I really dislike - bad office lunches, cheap mulled wine, having to endure Noel Edmonds on the box on Xmas morning and Secret Santa. I’ve really never understood this office tradition. Personally, I buy presents for people I know and care about. Picking a random name from a hat and purchasing something under a fiver for them is not my idea of spreading Christmas cheer. Bah humbug to one and all.This year, it’s even worse. Not only do I not actually know the person I have to buy a present for, but I’m buying for someone who has to be a fashionista (well nearly everyone in this office is). AND I’ve got to get them something for under a fiver – sigh! What does one buy for a fashionable bod on the cheap? These guys get huge press discounts so buy everything they want. Although I did hear one particularly annoying writer chirping on about how mummy was buying her a Mulberry bag. She is some rich mummy!Anyway, after fretting about this issue for a while I decided that at the end of the day, the whole premise of Secret Santa is that it’s – um – secret, so if my present is duff, I don’t care.In the end, I did the thing that every Secret Santa buyer does – head for the fashion mecca that is Urban Outfitters. They have a range of great stocking fillers and cheapie gifts and surely because it’s from UO, it must be slightly fashionable – non? I’ll let you know how said gift went down later this week!Other great places to try for cute, cheap and quirky gifts are:ASOS – fab celebrity-tinged gifts for fashion conscious colleaguesKitsch – cool and kitsch stocking filler ideasAccessorize – a great range of cheap and cheerful accessories and jewelleryEclectic Eccentricity – a totally unique range of cheap and unusual jewellery, perfect for the more quirky Secret Santa receiver
... discover a fashionable new breed of dog. I'm torn between a puggle (a pug mixed with a beagle) or a goldendoodle (a golden retriever mixed with a poodle). The days of the small it dogs are over!
