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by Ellen
I'm not exactly sure how or why, but recently I ended up shopping in Camden Market on a Friday afternoon. Now, if it was a Saturday and I was 15, armed with my weekly allowance and the desire to purchase my first Nirvana smiley face hoodie, this would make more sense. But surprisingly, Camden Market isn't all that bad for buying stuff other than tins with suspicious looking leaves on them and cheap silver jewellery.
I wasn't shopping with anything in mind, but managed to find a shoe shop with about 15 pairs I wanted straight away near The Stables. Then I parted with £15 for a striped wrap-over dress, and even found a few coats which would be good for winter.
I can't remember the last time I actually looked around the wares in Camden Market, let alone actually bought anything. Obviously there was still the requisite abundance of New Rock boots and PVC trousers, but with enough rummaging and patience, there were more than a few gems.
by Nicola
The good men of Britain responded in droves to our feature Summer Fashion Faux Pas Men Should Avoid.
“People should dress as they wish, and there are a million shades of opinion and style around the planet. A clutch of self obsessed 'fashun' journos who probably also dismiss everyone else as 'naff' in every respect should simply shut up.”
“Well I find this a bit strange! People are different and they like to wear what they find nice. Why should it be distressful for others if I wear sandals with socks or without it?”
"Get out of London and get a life".
“This is aimed at a very small group (albeit with no dress sense) but it 'don'ts' at many things that a lot of young guys (I'm not trying to say all) can successfully pull off.”
Valid points – having seen Mr David Beckham in white sports socks and pool shoes, STILL looking amazing, it proves just about anything will look good worn with a bit of confidence. (At the risk of sounding shallow, his gorgeous legs helped).
Elsewhere, the bra size debate is still irking some…
“I would very much like to know why it is that you can make bras for the average lady but not for my size. I am a 32-34 GGG and would like to know if you are making of bras for bigger chested ladies - or do you not care about our needs? You only need to stretch a little more fabric.”
Of course, MSN Shopping does not manufacture any garments but it will be interesting to see how consumers respond to new plans to charge extra for larger bras. Should consumers pay more for that extra bit of fabric?
Let us know your thoughts.
by Ellen
Like a lot of people I'm itching for this washout of a summer to be over and done with so I can well and truly get started on A/W fashion. Aside from a big winter coat, which I'm going to spend months choosing, the other essential I'm really lusting after is a pair of good quality leather brogues.
I'm still undecided as whether to go for vintage or new, but one thing is certain: these aren't going to be a cheap throwaway pair. An investment pair of classic brogues shouldn't go out of fashion, and should last me years to come.
I keep looking at the laced shoes on Yoox's site and finding more and more pairs I'd more than happily buy, if only I had the money..
by Nicola
The Great British Summer is generally a blink-and-you-miss-it affair so I never take my holidays during the prime months. What if the rain stopped for a couple of hours and I missed the ensuing barbecues, volleyball and Pimms?
I love jetting off to guaranteed sun when the weather starts to get really miserable here – gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling of smug self-satisfaction. Only thing is, my holiday wardrobe is usually a little sparse by that point. Don’t really want to spend loads on items that will end up in the charity bin, but I can’t lie around the beach in my new A/W purchases either.
I’ve got my shopping list whittled down to these essentials:
For fellow late holiday-goers we’ve packaged up the best summer buys in one holiday style special.
by Nicola
Walking past the Topshop windows in Oxford Street yesterday I noticed that the mannequins were decked out in full-on rockabilly garb – check shirts knotted at the waist, turn-up drainpipes and headscarfs. Like three little inanimate Amy Winehouses.
I feel we’ve moved on a bit from this look (does anyone really check_illustration
want to look like La Wino?) but I am digging all the lovely check that’s hitting the shops just now. Highland fling plaid is doing it for me – this cute check prom dress from Republic Retail Ltd, for example, is the perfect summer-to-autumn transitional piece.
Our favourite men from our recent street style escapades were both sporting check in such a cool, co-ordinated way that it put the girls to shame. I'm a big fan of wearing men's tops so I’ll definitely be trying a red plaid shirt with soft grey jeans next season.
PS: red patent boots = KICK ASS
Men's street style
by Nicola
It's a CREDIT CRUNCH!!! Have you heard? Break out the candles, fix your bicycle and burn that take-away menu, you flash git.
A strange consequence of these shaky financial times has been the stampede for money-saving items such as bread makers. Or maybe it’s just the spate of cookery programs that have replaced the kids’ shows on Saturday morning TV (RIP Wonky Donky).
Anyway, far be it for me to jump on a bandwagon but I have been toying with the idea of home bread-making for some time. Purchasing a machine hadn’t really occurred to me - I was going to do it freestyle, just like my granny.
Changed my mind when I saw this beauty:
Makes wholemeal, multi-grain, dough for pizzas, rolls. It can bake in under TWO HOURS. And (here is the best bit), it “has a 13-hour time delay option so you can wake up to a freshly baked loaf which has cooked overnight.”
To be fair, I do have an amazing bakery two doors down from my house where I can buy anything I want fresh. But where’s the fun in that?
The Panasonic Bread Maker, SD254. Buy it or be a wasteful parasite.
by Ellen
What with the credit crunch and impending recession, a lot of Scrimp or splurge?
features to do with shopping and fashion focus on budget alternatives. Having just done a 'Scrimp or Splurge' feature for the site, it got me thinking about the cost of an entire outfit. Right now mine breaks down as:
Which comes to approximately £82 for my entire outfit (underwear excluded). It doesn't seem like much, and it's not really, but compared to the designer alternative, and amount of wear I still get from the clothes, it's value for money and nothing I'm wearing is from Primark (always worth pointing out). The fact that two things are sale items brings me much more joy than if they were just full priced, yet still cheap.
I find it quite tricky telling the difference between designer and high street clothes when put together to make an outfit, and find it much more effective and stylish when someone can mix the two. One of my favourite, and most complimented on, pieces of clothing is a tulip skirt which was reduced to £10 in French Connection. Clearly, you can be a bargain hunter without looking cheap.
by Nicola
I'm usually a bit behind the times when it comes to gadgets - vinyl has always been more appealing to me, and my mobile phone probably belongs in a museum. As for fashion, '80s-style digital watches and hi tops get the thumbs up, but leggings have got to go. And flouro tracksuits for that matter, not even in the ironic ha-ha sense.
I'm still a staunch defender of my first editon I-River mp3 player. Yeah, the weight has given me serious wrist strain and kids laugh at me in the street but it's now four years old, still works perfectly and contains 20G worth of my undeniably cool music.
Despite not being a gadget-o-phile, I could seriously get into the Nokia N95 sim free phone. It's got internet, an MP3 player, 5 megapixel camera, video streaming and probably weighs a lot less than the brick I'm currently carrying. Am I cool enough for such a snazzy item? Seems like a drastic lifestyle change - it was hard enough making the leap from Ceefax to the internet.
Check out the link below for more retro picks and modern must-haves.
by Ellen
I definitely need help sometimes. Not that kind of help, help with shopping. The arrival of the internet and comparison sites mean in essence, finding a good deal is definitely easier, and within minutes you have all the products you could ever wish for just a click away. While this is great (and far too tempting during a lunch break at your desk), sometimes it doesn't actually make shopping that much easier. There's just too much choice.
Where this is going is really to point out that, what with all the choice, it might be easier to find a great bargain online, but making an informed decision can still be baffling. You might want it cheaper but don't you want to know what you're actually buying, and what you should be looking for?
And, ta-da, MSN Shopping launches Shopping Advice, to solve all these problems. Whether you're looking for a sat-nav or a snowboard, our buyer's guides offer useful and informative advice across a whole range of items including kitchenwares, electronics, tools, sports gear and more.
Don't say we never give you anything....
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