Dress: Whistles, Coat: Vintage, Bag: Mansur Gavriel, Boots: ByFar, Beret: Vintage
I love sale shopping. I love the thrill of the hunt, I love the justification ('omg it's less than half price and there is one left in my size, it's fate', 'It's twenty quid, it'd be rude not to', 'I'm basically saving money getting this' are just a few i've declared over the years) and I love the proud feeling of finding an excellent bargain, BUT I think the most valid point here is - do I actually love what I'm buying?
The same goes for sample sales while we're on. Again, I am an avid fan for all of the above reasons however afterwards I usually get home, eager to unpack my new additions before realising actually, do I really want/ need this? Or was I fooled into thinking it was an essential since I paid seventy percent less than it should have cost me? I think the key thing we all need to remember here (myself absolutely included) is that it's not a bargain if you didn't want it in the first place. The older and wiser (debatable) I get I'm definitely putting a lot more consideration into sale purchases. Did I want it at full price? Had I swooned over it in the past? Will it work with my wardrobe and can it be worn time and time again? 'Oh well it's the style i wanted just It's bright pink, but I could make it work, right?' Wrong. If bright pink is not a colour you would ever normally go for then chances are the regret is going to set in with this one he minute you leave the store. I must admit, sometimes paying full price for the 'classic' is the only option.
Now don't get me wrong, I still do and will continue to love a sale buy/ bargain. I'm just raising the point that you shouldn't feel like you have to go mental just because something is on sale. If I look back over the years through all my sale buys (well, more of a think back because of course, you guessed it, the masses have since been moved on through Depop/ ebay) i'd say approximately 40% of my finds are still going strong. Not a great stat. This sale season I have tried to be a lot more considered with my spending, only snapping up the bits I either wanted full price or I think will work well in my wardrobe and stand the test of time. This here Whistles number is case in point. I had seen it in the summer and loved it but at £150 I couldn't really justify paying that for essentially a high street number, so when I spied it in the sale down to £40 and in my size, I hit buy quicker than Usain Bolt's 100 meter sprint. It may be a 'Summer dress', but it definitely works now in Winter with a tight and ankle boot combo, so for me, the ideal sale purchase. I also picked up the Alexachung dungarees in my last post in the Net-A-Porter sale too and can guarantee that they will be with me for years to come, a classic 'Rachael' piece. So yes, I will always love a bargain (won't we all?) but I really am trying my best to action some much needed self-control when it comes to sale shopping and be better with the bargains I choose.
Rachael
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