Wardrobe additions

Minor (okay major) spending spree last week when up in Newcastle. I love shopping in smaller cities outside of London - much less stressful and exhausting than trying to navigate Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon (actually I haven't done that for a while, it really is a nightmare). Newcastle is particularly great as they have a John Lewis and Fenwicks right next to each other and the Fenwicks blows the Bond Street one out of the water. It is stocked full of delectable brands such as Max & Co, DKNY and Reiss and also has a good selection of denim and footwear.

So anyway I was in Newcastle, planning to buy some new jeans to replace my increasingly indecently ripped J-Brand skinnies - but of course when you're out to buy something, you can never find it. And so it was that I returned with a delightful silk maxi dress by Gerard Darel, and a stunning black fitted winter coat from Max & Co.

I have to say the maxi dress blows all of my other maxi dress out of the water (with the possible exception of the blue Warehouse Grecian halter neck I wore for a wedding recently, which was a dream to wear). It just fits so well, hangs beautifully and is actually flattering on the boobs unlike some of my other cross-over top ones which do something very wierd to their shape. It was expensive but I'm hoping I'll get lots of wear out of it this summer and future ones.

The coat I am a little bit in love with. I haven't owned a black coat for quite a few years now - the past few winters I've relied on my burgundy wool (well probably wool mix) coat from Primark - which actually gets quite a few compliments despite it only costing £25, and a navy full length wool coat which I purchased from a charity shop for about £15 - I love it but it's always been a bit short on the arms. The Max & Co coat is just divine though - it's a little bit gothic, a little bit piratey, very sexy in my opinion. I love the wait it is so fitted at the waist then flares out dramatically and elegantly, almost like a dress. It's pretty snug so no thick polonecks under it this winter, but I can cope with that. I'm almost looking forward to cold weather!