Primark - Little Gems in the Pocket Full of Fluff.

Primark.  

Love. Hate. Good.  Bad.  Cheap.  Fab.  Gem.  Tat.  PRI-MARNI.  Says it all.

Primark Leeds

Photo Credit : Wiki

What can I say about this oxymoron of a shop which rouses so many strong opinions and I can fully understand why.  It's not a shop for everyone but it has been a godsend to those who have a small purse, big wants and a shopping habit like mine.  It's not for the faint-hearted and the ones with no patience but those who need a quick shopping thrill for about a tenner - you can get it here.

My first experience with Primark was not with Primark but with Penneys in Dublin.  Penneys is Primark in Ireland but of course I didn't know it at the time.  I came out clutching a 5-pack of cotton socks for something like the equivalent of £1 and was hugely delighted with my bargain purchase. Then I went to Jigsaw and blew £55 on a scarf.  Like you do.

Round about 2005/6 - Primark finally arrived in Leeds.  Don't ask me what I purchased, I have no idea but I do remember looking at these £12 military jackets which were apparently selling like hot cakes according to the newspapers. Vogue even featured it as a "Star Buy".  I avoided them like the plague. They looked dreadful to me, the stitching wasn't quite there, the material was a little too creased and cheap and everyone had one in their hands.  That's all the signs for telling you "don't go there" and "leave well alone".  I left well alone.

Primark Military Jacket 2005
Photo Credit : FashionEra.Com

And I think that's a good starting point for shopping in Primark - look at what's obvious, what you've seen everyone else wearing and if you can possibly bear it - just leave it.  If you can't, you're safe in the knowledge that you haven't lost a fortune on a one season wonder.  Look for the little gems which are tucked away - almost out of sight, out of mind.  If you have your ear to the ground and a good eye for what's in the shops - the chances are Primark will have done a version ... just look carefully.  Not everything is acrylic - you do occasionally come across some items made from natural fibres - honest!  Treat it as a shop to pick up some basics - like a pair of plain skinny jeans which are bland enough not to be recognised as Primark.  Pick up your vest tops and your long sleeve tees for layering.  They don't cost a lot and you can have one in every colour!  I don't know if it's because I'm a bit anal about certain things like fabric composition but when I check out an item, I do like to know what it's made of.  If you are aware of this - you have very few excuses for going wrong.  You pick up something 100% acrylic.  It will pill and it will go poufff near a naked flame.  You pick up something in viscose - it will crease.  You pick up something with stripes - you will look like a barcode - just joking - you just need to make sure your stripes align at the seams.  Some basics rules for shopping which apply to all shops and not just Primark alone.

So as you might have gathered - I am not actually slagging Primark off.  I actually quite like the place and that's because I've learnt to distinguish the good from the obscenely bad ... and I don't have unrealistic expectations.  So what have I had from Primark which I have been pleased with?  Quite a lot actually.  Let me introduce you to what I consider some of my little gems in the pocket full of fluff otherwise known as Primark.

1.  Pyjama Bottoms.

You cannot go wrong with the pyjama bottoms in Primark.  Just pair with any of their cheap basic tops and you're ready to go.  The bottoms currently average £5 for a pair and I pick up a pair nearly every season - its got to the point where it's become a bit of a new season ritual.  These are my latest pair from this season.  

Admit it - they look more expensive than £5.

Cheap cheap!  Cheap gag.

They're pretty, they're warm and even have a nice tealy blue velvet ribbon tie.  I'm happy.  You could do worse than to pick up a pair of these along with a pretty top as a present for someone and wrap them up in some of their .....

2.  Wrapping Paper.

Their wrapping paper is actually very good quality.  You know how M&S offer a £1 budget roll of kids wrapping paper which feels pretty cheap and tears easily?  The Primark stuff is better for the same price and has better designs. £1 gets you 6m of their kids wrapping paper.  If you have a lot of kid's parties coming up - it's a godsend.

It's a wrap!

I think that looks okay for mimimum spend.  They're only going to rip it to shreds!

Afterall, when you wrap another toy or book for a small person, do you think they will be looking at the wrapping and assessing it critically wondering whether it came from Paperchase?  I stockpile the stuff so I always have something for all the birthday parties my boys get asked to.  The grown up thicker wrapping paper averages £1 for 2.5m.  Still a bargain in my books.

3. Jeans.

I know what I said about getting a plain pair.  Get a plain pair but it's okay if you want to indulge in something as mad as snakeprint jeans for £14.  I've featured these before in a Favourite Friday post and I still love them.  They somehow managed to get these just right (in my eyes anyway) with the subtle colour and print.  

Subtle - oui?

Testing the waters in teal.

And you could do worse than pick up any of their coloured skinny jeans.  I'm not a big coloured skinny fan - at the end of the day, the black and blues win but I rocked out with a pair of Primark teal ones this year - at least twice.  They had a good rise, neat fit and didn't break the bank.  And coloured denim looks pretty much the same from one store to the next.

4.  Jewellery.

Pick carefully.  Some of it is just a bit too cheap and cheerful.  Some pieces are genuinely good. One of my favourite necklaces (said with hand on heart) is this one which I wore in the Bonjour post.

Chunky clunky.  Not a bit of fake gold in sight.

Looks alright to me.

It's quite heavy but in a good solid way and surprises most people when they find out it is from Primark.  This one was expensive.  It was £4.  Ooooooh.  Pricey.

5.  Scarf.

School Mum Paradise.  The scarves are good but you can guarantee that every third mum or student will be sporting the same one as yourself.  Based on that, I've gradually stopped buying their scarves unless they're fairly plain but one of my favourites is this black paisley style one which cost £3 a couple of years back.  I like it because it's a little bohemian - not boho a al Sienna Miller - but bohemian in an arty farty kind of way.  I like it also because paisley isn't that in and that's enough to make it a little different and sometimes it's good to be different.  

Bohemian ... not boho.

Not fashionable.  Don't care.  Still like it.

The irony is that it is Primark which is helping me to do this with one of their mass produced scarves.  

6.  Padded Coat

I have been wearing this black padded coat for the last 4 years.  It does a good job of keeping me warm down to my knees whilst standing in the school playground.

It's a black padded coat - I can't make this look any more exciting than it is.

Four years on and still going strong.

I remember buying it when I was pregnant with George and wondering how long I could wear it for before I could no longer zip it up over my ever increasing bump.  It's a coat which fits, keeps me warm and .... you can wipe it down.  When George was little(r) and I had to carry him from time to time, more often than not, he would brush his mucky shoes against my coat.  I would go home, get a damp cloth, wipe down. Done.  Good as new.  I keep thinking about getting a "better" coat and have tried on ones from Lowe Alpine, Zara and a number of other stores but I have not found one which fits me better.  That's pretty good for something which cost me just £13.

7. Sandals

These sandals were first featured back in May.  They are actually the predecessors to my beloved Carvela Krimbles which I have also raved about lots.  These are actually more comfortable than the Krimbles and we are talking about footwear here which is more than 1"heel height.  

Still intact and looking not too bad after its' first summer.

Virgin sandals back in May

I kind of stumbled across these on one of the early Tuesday morning Primark visits.  I tried them on, they kind of appealed but they were £15.  Big money in Primark land.  But I bought them anyway as there is always the desk of returns for the non committals like me.  They never got to the returns desk. They were too comfy and went with too much and the cherry on the top was that they made my little legs look a whole inch longer.

8.  Shopping Bag.

It's £1.50.  It is beyond cute and it is cheap.  Ignore the fact that is says Primark down the sides.  I thought it looked like an Aubin & Wills shopper.  It's foxy.

Foxy little number.

You looking at me???

9.  Cotton Cardigans.

Cardigans for £6.  Cotton. Striped or plain.  Loads of colours.  Take your pick.  But ... always undo the buttons and check that the button holes are aligned correctly and nothing pulls in the wrong way. When fastened, they can look all neat and perfect.  Undo the buttons and things go a bit haywire sometimes.  That little mad Chinese woman shaking out cardigans and checking out the trims - that's me.  

All looks neat and tidy up top but ....

.... you never know what horrors there are when the buttons are undone.  

This one passed.

10.  Plain Black Swimsuit.

It's black.  It's flattering.  And I didn't have a fight with it trying to put it on unlike some of the miracle suits I'd wrestled with over the summer.  It's £8.  It has a little bit ruching around the tummy area to "disguise" the bagel belly and it holds my bits in and makes sure they stay where they're meant to. In the swimming pool - no fear!  and that's a good thing.  And no, I'm not going to model for your amusement.

Practical & plain ... but not too plain.

A little bit of ruching to disguise the old bagel belly.

11.  Check Shirt

Remember what I said about looking for a good copy in Primark.  I was fixated by a navy check shirt on the Abercrombie site a couple of years back.  I wasn't too keen on the price tag attached, £68 approx and found the following shirt tucked behind some more "conspicuous" numbers.

Abercrombie Chloe Shirt

I don't have A&F embroidered on the pocket.  Am I bovvered?

This is my version. It's a nice soft cotton, well made and it washes well - can't ask for anything more from a £10-£12 shirt.  It scratched the itch and meant I was able to move on to my next want.  And besides I made a good healthy saving to spend on something else :o)

So, I'm sure there's more gems, I've been shopping there a long time now.  Oh yes there is.  Last one.

12.  Bedlinen.

Not all their bedlinen.  Some of it is too rough.  The Grumps rejected a couple of cheap pillowcases I bought on the grounds that they were not soft enough for his delicate bonce.  He's just the same with toilet paper - don't go there.  But I did pick up this little chambray set for George's bedroom.  

That's pretty cool for a little boy's room without being twee.

George "asleep" with his bear bear (with no eyes)

Fooled ya!!!  

His first duvet set for £16 I think, for his big boys bed.  It's lovely and I think it's quite hip and wouldn't have looked out of place in a Habitat showroom if they still had Habitat showrooms.  Comes in double and kingsize too for big kids.

Okay - that's it.  This wasn't a post about the latest finds in Primark, just a little bit of how to go about shopping in Primark.  If you look through this list - what you will notice, it is all quite generic stuff.  I didn't go for any of the blatantly obviously fashionable stuff which is of the moment and has since dated. I've bought the kind of things which work from year to year.  Just remember at the end of the day, look at the prices you are paying in this shop and then set your expectations accordingly.  That way - you should come away quite pleased with yourself and your little gems.

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Last Note.

• Do not attempt Primark on a Saturday.  Ever.

• Do not attempt Primark with children.  Ever.

• Do not attempt Primark with husband.  Ever.

• Everybody else will be wearing the same thing.  Get over it.