And here we are, at the end of June which is officially the point where the summer season ends in British retail. You’ll notice that most of the new drops coming in have long sleeves and autumn hues… my Inbox is full of December related stuff but I won’t say the word yet! I think you become less tolerant of fashion’s rush as you get older and perhaps find yourself more in touch with the seasons outside your window than the ones on the style pages (mind you if I do that I’d be dressing for March!). For just about everyone else in the UK, now is the time when you really know what summer clothes you want to wear and what gaps there are to fill – plus the sales have started so there are bargains to be found. If you start a quest you’ll notice that a lot of the retailers’ websites are particularly hard to navigate at the moment, mostly because they’re having extra security engineering done behind the scenes. So I’ve done the hard work for you and today I’m going to take you through the Summer Sales 25 – what’s worth buying?
Before I do that though I just want to thank everybody who supported my preloved sale last week. I sometimes feel as if fewer people read my blog these days and then I do something like that and the site crashes which reassures me that you’re still out there. It’s been all hands on deck here this week to process everything and you should all be receiving your parcels now. I’m always a bit worried when the men in my family are involved in identifying and folding clothes to be sent out but hopefully you’ll all receive the right pieces and they’ll be neatly packed up. There are a few bits and pieces left so I’ll leave the shop open for a little while before I do the final tally and close it again until the next time. For now though, I’ll run through the best buys in the sales so far.
Summer Sales 25 – what’s worth buying?
Clothes that you’ll wear again and again
I know I often talk about these bretons which, in my opinion are the best that you can buy but they’re rarely in the sale. Right now though they have 40% off in most colourways and they’re organic from a Corp B – definitely a good investment. I find they’re generous so I always size down.
To those of you in the south complaining about the heat, spare a though for the northerners who are still in cashmere! Seriously though, the summer sales are the best time to look for winter bargains – and these cashmere jumpers are half price in various colours… if you move quickly.
This has been sold as a summer dress but I think it needs reframing as beachwear, it’ll come out of your bag relatively uncreased when you’re ready to head to the beach bar. The navy isn’t reduced yet but the pink and white versions are half price and still available in long as well as regular lengths in most sizes.
If you’re looking for a beachwear option without the trim then this is 50% off too with long lengths available and it also comes in bright blue, black, olive or green with a pattern.
Most of the pieces that I chose from my Boden edits have sold out but the dramatic linen wide leg crops are almost half price and even less in the chambray shade.
This knitted co-ord is now in clearance too, don’t forget how versatile something like this can be with options to mix and match both the top and skirt with other pieces in your wardrobe.
If you look carefully you’ll notice archive pieces as brands start to clear their inventories. This is a great trans-seasonal dress and I love the blue version of leopard which is always a bit easier to wear than the classic tan and black although that’s available in the sale too. Half price.
The 70s flared jeans that I’ve worn such a lot are in clearance although with their 5 star reviews, they’re almost gone.
My favourite tee from last summer is now in clearance – it has to be the ultimate slogan for introverts everywhere. It’s made from lovely, well weighted cotton in exactly the right shade of summer navy – size down though, I’m wearing a small here.
We’ve talked a lot about the merits of the cutwork blouse that has taken over from broderie anglaise this season. This one has all of the merits of the ‘stay-up’ sleeves and it’s half price but selling fast. If it’s gone in your size, you’ll find other options here.
If colour’s more your thing then try this, also half price and the perfect shade for wearing tonally with denim or as a contrast with white jeans.
Also 50% off in white, pink and green.
These wide linen palazzos are currently available in most sizes in clearance with the natural shade less than half price and the vest top is there too, also in yellow or sage green.
There are some good offers on classic trainer styles which hadn’t been added to the navigation when I started researching this. They’re being discovered now but there are still good buys if you’re quick. You’ll find more options here.
And it’s no surprise that retail’s perhaps most esoteric collab is now half price in the sale. The quality is undeniable although you have to be brave to wear it, these shoes however are just fab. Find the rest of the collection’s sale pieces here.
Tasselled loafers – 50% off
The last piece of apparel that I’m going to suggest to you is this little leather crossbody which is also half price in navy or green. It has a beautiful lining and it’s such a great buy, it’s hard to understand why it’s been reduced by 50%.
Good beauty bargains
Not many beauty sales have gone live yet but this is a really good buy. A full size Advanced Night Repair with eye repair and night cream thrown in – reduced to clear. If you like the amino acid cleanser then there’s a bigger set here, also reduced to clear, along with a few daytime equivalents here.
It’s hard to know why this is in clearance as it’s such a cult product but the Relax Light is marked to clear as well.
And here you have the best everyday mascara that money can buy (in my opinion). Both a full and handbag size for less than the price of an ordinary one.
Esoteric bargains
There’s no other word for it – these are random things that are great value. I’m starting with puzzles, there are so many lovely ones in clearance, buy them for rainy days or as gifts for later in the year. Full games and puzzles clearance here.
There are crazy offers for pet lovers, sadly some of the best have sold out over the course of this week but if you’re looking for high quality pet accessories, now is the time to buy. There are lots of different Barbour outfits at far less than half price such as this raincoat and there are lovely pet beds too – you’ll find them all here.
And that’s it for today. Next week’s post will be a midlife lately catch-up although I don’t have many photos and some of you have noticed that I’ve been a bit flat. This weekend feels like a milestone though, we’ll be driving over to Leeds to pack up the youngest’s student house and bring everything home. He still has another ten days to wait for the results of his finals so it isn’t quite over – but for us it’s the end of ten years of university to-ing and fro-ing… and paying!
So, for now, we have two of them back in residence… Mal smiles ruefully as he thinks back to the two years of empty nesting that we had – and I loved it too… but I also remember how hard it was to let them go. It feels like a gift to have this extra time with them, especially as I can feel them flexing their wings, ready to fly again. So I won’t complain about the trainers by the doors or the ever empty fridge… life is moving on but this summer’s hiatus is particularly precious.
2015: goodbye to number 1
2020: goodbye to number 2
2021: goodbye to number 3
