sneakersmartinisandsequins

What is it about designer labels. Why do I get sucked in. It’s taken me a long time. I couldn’t afford them when I was younger. I still can’t get my head around how people in their 20s are rocking a Gucci Soho!! I bought my first Designer bag when I was in my 30s, and it was a gateway designer. More high end high street than catwalk must have, but gets you addicted so you move on to the class A’s. I bought it as a reward for a promotion, still the best promotion I’ve received because of the way my then boss delivered it. She knew I was my own toughest critic, and gave me a massive confidence boost.

I’ve always wanted beautiful things, but have had to learn to wait for them. I wish I could be shadier and beg, borrow and steal them, but the one and only time I stole something was from primary school. A small marble egg from the weighing table. My Mum found it in my bag and demanded to know where it was from. I crumbled under the interrogation, I would make a rubbish spy. I was marched back to school (that walk only Mums can do, with your arm pulled straight up in the air, about to pop out of its socket) made to give it back and apologise, that was the start and finish of my career in crime.

I think that love of shopping started with Birthday and Christmas trips for new outfits. (My Mum always had amazing clothes too, unfortunately she is tiny and I’m basically a giant so all of those amazing 60s and 70s outfits went to waste!! Not really fare). So I could pick a new outfit to wear for my Birthday and Christmas parties. Oh there were some classics, luckily before the rise of social media so most can remain hidden.

Loving the beads and the classic bowl cut in this one, and that is a very dubious Father Christmas.

But it involved a trip out, sometimes to London and often with a stop off for cake, with milkshakes to start with and later Champagne. So that’s it, an event means you have to go out buy something new and make a day of it. They are a reward, or a treat for a special occasion. It’s the law.

There are certain pieces that I do become obsessed with and have to talk myself back from the edge. Chanel still stays out of my reach for now, while I can’t decide what I’m doing with my life and my apartment back home keeps sucking all my spare cash. And no Annette, you don’t need the Givenchy purse belt, no matter how beautiful it is, you couldn’t even fit your phone in it!!

But my 40th was a turning point for me. I saved up enough to buy one epic designer bag, and ended up with two for the same price. Clever shopping really.

And although I would have much rather kept my appendix, and spent the money I’d saved for my trip home on dinners and drinks with friends, which it was meant for. Spending a week in bed means I finally have the McQueen Scarf and the Gucci Belt. A slight appeasement from a very disappointing trip.

Now is any of this stuff more important than family and friends, of course not. But it isn’t a choice, loving this stuff doesn’t make me love them any less. I’ve said before, fashion is art. You either love it or you don’t. So no judgment here if you don’t care about it, but no judgement in return that I do x