Thrift Inspiration, J Brand LoveStory Style

January is a lean month for spending on clothes, so I thought I'd re-evaluate my wardrobe for what I felt I could use regularly and to make sure I don't spend out on anything unnecessary.

Over the last couple of months I've given a few pairs of jeans away to the charity shop, styles I didn't feel suited me anymore and more importantly those that didn't fit me properly in the waist and leg.

So as a natural jeans lover I was keen to track down some replacements. This season, it seems anything goes in the jeans department-bootcut is back, boyfriend style and skinnies are still in, wideleg and 70s are in trend as is the new skinny flare style.

I have like these for a while, these are J Brands Lovestory, available at Net-A-Porter for £230:

So with some inspiration in mind, I was happy to find these in my local Sue Ryder charity shop midweek on my way to work.

They are Levis jeans and are a low rise, with skinny fit to the knee and a gentle flare to the ankle and in my favourite 34'' length too-for only £4.95 I had to snap them up.

The material is so soft and they have a stretch to them ensuring a perfect fit-these are going to be in my outfit of choice this weekend for sure!!

Its so hard to get a perfect fit in jeans, so these will be a firm favourite of mine and a good basic investment for my wardrobe.

Will you be wearing jeans this season-if so, what style, cut and colour are you going for?

Thrift Inspiration, From Selfridges Kate Moss Style

On our outing to London on Sunday, we had a nice browse around Selfridges and I came across the book section within their WH Smith concession. The array of Fashion and Style books was amazing, I could have pitched up on a sofa for the rest of the day, lol!!

The book that grabbed my eye was Kate Moss Style by Angela Buttolph. I had a flick through and liked what I saw, but sadly didn't feel like parting with the full book price of £19.99 for it.

So I was very pleased to win it on ebay last night for only £2.2o-thats more like it and the seller is going to send it by recorded delivery so I can track it-I get virtually all my purchases sent by recorded delivery from ebay now as for the extra pence, you're generally guaranteed delivery of your item this way.

I saw via Amazon there are good reviews for the book, I'm a fan of Kate Moss anyway and her style and although the book is a couple of years old, for less than the price of my monthly Vogue or Elle, it was worth buying!!

What Style book is on your radar-that you have already or intend on purchasing?

Thrift Inspiration, In Oscar De La Renta

Kimonos are very much in trend at the moment and are such pretty versatile pieces to own.

Here are a couple of my favourite ones from Topshop, currently available to buy now:

Topshop, £55

Topshop, £35

I was fortunate to thrift my own kimono two summers ago, its a vintage Oscar De La Renta gown from the Salvation Army charity shop

They are a perfect cover for evening wear, lounging, swimwear or over a cami top and denim cut offs. Have you got a kimono gown already or be investing in one?

Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Lunch at Selfridges for less than £10

On Sundays if we've nothing planned, hubby and I generally look out for the boot sales open and then go for either a country drive or a drive through London afterwards, with lunch thrown in.

Today we went to a fairly local boot sale and I bought a Beatles album on cassette for 50p and a Soul To Soul 80s album on CD for 50p.

We weren't there long, so we went off for our usual drive and we ended up driving through Camden, past Regents Park and London Zoo and parked up on New Bond Street for a spot of lunch and some window shopping.

We headed to Selfridges and browsed through the designer handbags and in the Hermes section, I picked up a free Catalogue and cheekily asked them for a bag to put it in! I'm sure many passing shoppers thought I must be quite fortunate to afford a piece of Hermes so soon after Christmas, lol!! I'll be using the bag for my vintage and designer scarves.

We went to the Food Hall and ate at Eat, sandwiches, nuts and tea and coffee for less than £10-bargain!! Refreshed, we browsed back through the departments of Rolex, Prada and Louis Vuitton and picked up their latest Catalogues too-they are so well made and not bad for a bit of freebie browsing material!!

We then took a leisurely stroll up South Moulton Street back to the car and a nice leisurely drive through Westminster, along the Embankment and past the Tower of London.

London has to be my favourite place and living so close to it is an added bonus, I'll certainly be visiting again in the near future!!

What is your favourite city or place in the country, do you get a chance to visit it regularly too?

Thrift Inspiration,

One item that is forever in style is the classic boucle tweed knit Chanel jacket. Every year it is reworked into the style of the season, but where this is a classic, the shape generally is the same. This seasons jacket features three quarter sleeves, embellishment around the collar, cuffs and front fastening and is in the classic box style.

These jackets look equally good as part of a suit or with jeans, as seen below.

My find is from Summer last year and I've not worn or shown it, so I thought I would now. It is by Escada and I believe from the late 80s and was from the Cancer Research charity shop.

The photos don't do it justice, it really is a gorgeous wool jacket with lovely black and red sequin and pearl embellishment and three quarter sleeves.

This will go with jeans for a casual look or for a smarter look, then maybe a black pencil skirt and silk blouse or a silk tea dress

What unworn pieces will you be wearing this Spring and Summer?