A day in Bicester Village

Hi Lovelies,

I should have warned you earlier about the weather this week. It is mainly due to the fact that my lovely husband had booked half term off! This absolutely always happens - he is like a Rain God. And it has made planning what to do with our time off a little bit difficult!

Yesterday we went to finalise our Wedding Anniversary party details (gulp, it is only 10 days away now) and then we took the girls to Creams Cafe for a decadent (sickly but great) Ice cream lunch. It is an Italian Gelato restaurant that opens until Midnight every night, and serves only desserts. Now this is never a bad thing …….

Strawberry & Butterscotch Waffles anyone ……..

The desserts were absolutely awesome.

So today, we braved the weather for a trip to Bicester Village in Oxfordshire.

It was misty, cold, and it genuinely felt more like a February day rather than almost June.

The last time we went it was very uneventful so I have put off returning for a couple of years, but it was much better this time around.

Jimmy Choo, Saint Laurent, Dior, Prada, Westwood - they were all really well stocked.

Last week, the British Designers Collective opened too - this is a pop up shop full of some beautiful pieces from different designers - Ellie Goulding opened it this year.

They had lots of Mary Katrantzou pieces, and I fell hard for a Peter Pilotto Dress

(which was reduced from £1425 to £405)

But I was very aware that the S/S 2014 sales are literally just around the corner,

so I sadly left it behind.

Valentino is by far the stand out store at Bicester for me. Being up close to such incredible pieces is mind blowing.

BUT, and it is a very large But 

(or should that be - a very small butt)

They are all sample size pieces …………...

Sob

It is hard to fully realise how slim a model really is until you are faced with rack after rack of non forgiving and definitely non stretchy UK Size 6 to tiny 8's! There is nothing bigger.

It is enough to make you sob (and reach for a piece of chocolate)

The SAs are lovely - they don't sell many dresses obviously as the pieces are so ickle and therefore

limit the market immensely, but if you are teeny tiny a Valentino dress can be purchased here from £500 upwards - many of the pieces are available at the main stores in other sizes - but sadly for over 5 times the price!

Here are just a few of the pieces that were in the store today

Some from this summer & some from S/S 2013.

This one closed the Valentino show last Summer - It is right at the front of the store

Sigh ……..

Mulberry has had it's first drop of Willows in.

A huge turn-around for them, as this bag was originally never going to go on sale.

Even shareholders were not allowed to use their discount for it.

Today was an extra 10% off, so you could get the mint or nude for just over £800 and then get

a further 10% off of that price.

The incredible peach and white ostrich ones are also in stock (they have ostrich handles and ostrich leather on the front of the clutch)

£1155 now (they were originally £1650)

Hope you are having a great week.

Thanks for reading.