Fishing and Shopping. And AllSaints.

I found over the Christmas period when I didn't go shopping, I didn't buy as much. I say I didn't buy as much (I bought a couple of bits online) but I can honestly say, I think I would have been tempted by more if I'd been out and about "playing" in the shops. So there's a lesson for you - if you want to stop shopping, don't go in shops. Rocket science it is not.

I went out to "play" on Tuesday morning which seems to be my time slot for going in to Leeds under the premise of going to the fish market to buy some lovely fresh fish for the Grumps - this is the fishing bit. And to also do a reccy on what has hit the shops this week - this is the .... shopping bit!

So I shopped my wardrobe and dragged out an old jumper from Jigsaw. This is actually one of those jumpers which is supposed to have a bedraggled scrunched up finish to it. After you've washed it, you're supposed to twist it and knot it to make it retain the wrinkles (yes really). I'd actually assigned this to the bed pile to be worn on a chilly night but then I put it on the other chilly evening and I thought - hey this isn't so bad - we'll move it back to a daytime slot and see how we get on. And the verdict ... it's going back in the bed pile after a wash.

Jigsaw jumper (old)

Primark vest (old)

New Look jeggings (old)

Pied a Terre boots (guess what? old!)

Rare thing on my clothes - a bow.

So here I am with the jumper on and my Primark thermal vest top. Quite a pretty vest top for me and it even has a bow on it which is a bit of a rare thing for me. I let the bow stay on because (1) it was actually quite a neat bow and (2) it wasn't sewn on wonky and (3) it does me good to give in to my inner girl every now and then. I have a morbid fear of being deemed girly so have this irrational habit of chopping tiny bows of clothes.

And bearing in mind there is still some snow on the ground outside and I don't want to catch a cold (arghgh - I've turned in to my mother!!!), I stuck on the obligatory scarf. This camouflage Zara one seems to be my current favourite and has appeared previously along with some other outfits.

Just as rare - skinny things on my legs!

The old Pied a Terre boots were pulled on but once I put a foot out of the door and went flying I swapped them for my Ugg Kensingtons which have much better grip. My old Primark parka was also dragged out of the coat wardrobe (yes there is a wardrobe wholly dedicated to outerwear) and given its first outing of 2013. So lots of old stuff coming out of the wardrobe today which I am telling myself is a good thing. It also means that the styling has stood the test of time and I chose wisely. Or it means my tastes haven't changed. Or I don't give two hoots if it's fashionable - I like it so I will wear what I like regardless. 

It's grungey but I like it!

 (to the tune of LMFAO's I'm sexy and I like it)

So not an ideal outfit if you want to try things on but I had no intentions of trying anything on today except for a pair of boots. I have an absolute love affair with boots. It's only come about in the last few years as before that, I was a pretty shoes girl but since becoming a mum, I just wear boots. And my latest boot obsession is this pair from All Saints.

Allsaints Dark Grey Jodhpur Boot

Okay - not very exciting but just really nice and simple. And classic? What did you expect? To be honest, you don't read my blog for me to tell you the latest trends because I have no idea what they are. I'm just telling you what I like and these boots are the kind of thing I wear! And when I buy boots like this, I find that I wear them for years and years and years and it's an investment buy to me. These are in a lovely dark dark charcoal grey. I can not tell you how long I have been searching for the perfect grey boots. I just never told you guys about it - a girl has to have some secrets! I had a look at the Kir Royale boots from Whistles and they were beautiful but too smart for my everyday look but these Allsaints ones are just perfect. I wish I could show you some lovely detailing on them, some studs or just some kind of detail but these don't have anything and that's why I like them because that way they blend beautifully in to any outfit. The toe is long enough to be elegant because there is nothing I dislike more than when you get a boot which is so blunt at the front, it makes your foot look stunted - I find this happens a lot with boots which are high but the front of the boot has not been aligned and proportioned well. If you want a really good read on the search for the perfect ankle boots (in this case the perfect black ankle boots) have a look at this post from Defne from Nomadic D. This girl did her research and some. There's a girl after my own heart in the quest for the perfect boots and understands that if the boot fits, you buy it. Errr ... I mean, you just know!

By the way - has anyone popped in to Allsaints recently? I would never have dreamt of looking in there for a pair of boots until Beth from Style Guile blog showed some boots from All Saints which she picked up. So I popped along to the website to have a look and was pleasantly surprised by what I found along with the discovery of the boots. I have this preconceived idea of them only making the distressed lace up military/army type boots from a few years back which were so popular and the fact that all their clothes look a bit post apocalyptic. Yes a lot of what they do still fits that mould but there are some also some lovely looking pieces in their collection which you wouldn't think of as being Allsaints depending on how you pair them. What I did see in there were some black jeans in the perfect faded wash, some beautiful printed tops and some lovely boots. Although the decor of the shops may seem a little intimidating for some people, again a bit grungey and dark, don't let it stop you from going in and having a look. There are some very wearable and covetable pieces in there ... I picked out a few here in my first Polyvore set. I spent a traumatic hour or so on Polyvore (I'm a bit behind the times but thought it was about time I went there trying to pull this together but I got there. 

Post apocalyptic? I don't think so.

Lucon Jumper, Buckled Jodhpur Boot, Cole Ashby Jeans, Yori Denim Jacket, Jackson Tote Bag

Anybody made some surprise shopping discoveries like I did recently? Any new shops uncovered?