Hunting For A Bargain? Three Dresses And A Bag I’ve Found In The Summer Sales

I love a bargain and try my best not to impulse buy because I have learned it usually leads to costly mistakes. I also know that, having a budget to work within, also helps. I have been selling quite a lot of clothes on “Vinted” (a UK-based selling app), so I thought it warranted a look around the summer sales for a wardrobe refresh.

One of the items I was looking for was a stylish summer bag. I came across the Macrame zip-top shoulder bag from Accessorize back in April. It really caught my eye. It was originally £45.00, which is not overly expensive. But I decided to wait and see if it was eventually reduced. I have just managed to buy it for £22.00 – which is a steal. It’s that adage……you must be willing to walk away from something until the price is right.

Because of the huge changes in our shopping habits, we are mostly buying online. I love having a look at the new seasonal collection online, which is what we are seeing, now, as the new Autumn/Winter items begin to filter through. I’m still “old school” with regard to walking around a store and having a good old browse. I would never have chosen this bag from its online description, for instance – but, the minute I saw it in the shop, I loved it. Online purchasing is convenient but trying clothing on, in store, saves so much time and energy. And, I am not keen on lugging huge packages to the post office to return items – such a hassle, don’t you think?

The sizing seems to be the biggest problem, buying online, as it varies with brands. I have sometimes ordered the same garment in three different sizes. This usually happens when I haven’t had the chance to try the garment on or if there are no customer reviews to guide me. It is like feeling in the dark. I find customers’ comments so useful regarding style, size, and the quality of the garment. It makes the buying experience easier to gauge.

When looking at the desired item, whether it is a bargain, or not, I always ask myself – do I have anything similar which I don’t wear and has been festering in my wardrobe? – do I love it? And, so important…. have I got other items which can be styled with it? And, then, of course, will I wear it?

My three bargain dresses

The first two of my three dresses are in the current sale (River Island) and the third dress is from the Mango Outlet. I bought the Mango dress way back in the second lockdown for a stupidly low price of £12.00, reduced from £49.99. It is a great colour and I love the throw-on-and-go style. But, I have not worn it until now, because its “waftyness” wasn’t quite right on me, a few years ago.

This flowing dress style wasn’t sitting right on my shape at that time. My bosom changed the flow of the dress, making it billow out from the top, hence it did not look very flattering and kind of lost its “flowy-ness”.

I’m pleased that I didn’t return it because, now that I have gone down a few dress sizes, it feels better. There’s room to swish around, now, and it’s a lovely dress.

All three dresses are midi/maxi-length, which is my favourite. I had seen both River Island dresses on social media and “Who, What, Wear”, which is a daily newsletter I receive. It features various fashionistas’ advice regarding new collections from various brands and outfit ideas, as well as giving beauty advice.

When I tried both River Island dresses on, it was a definite, “yes”. The red and white dress is a firm favourite and I’ve worn it many times, already. The bandeau dress was £49.00 reduced to £28.00 and the ankle-grazing gingham dress was also £49.00, reduced to £35.00.

Gingham seems to be one of those prints which never goes away. I have a black and white gingham top, but, I have never worn a dress in this pattern! Love the puff sleeve detail and style of this dress. It’s never too late to try anything new. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, please. I would love to hear from you.

Until the next time.

Alison x

My Sale Dresses plus a few ideas

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post.  All items are my own.  Like most blogs, this post may contain affiliate links (from which I might make a small commission if you make a purchase). This helps towards the running costs of my blog.