So, it turns out I come from a long line of hoarders. My grandma recently needed some help clearing out her house, and my dad reported back that she had approximately seven million skirts. Rich coming from my dad, by the way, because the man has a very impressive collection of coats and jackets than spans across four cupboards in the house. My brother has a bit of an ASOS fetish, but swears up and down he only buys things when they go into the sale, but the amount of packages that arrive at our house seems a bit suspicious. So, in honour of my family and wanting to respect their traditions, I’ve bought myself some more clothes.
I’m such a sucker for being tempted when I’m scrolling through Instagram; I constantly click on posts when I spot someone wearing something I love. I found myself on the New Look website after spotting a couple of girls looking fabulous in a couple of New Look pieces, and unfortunately, on this occasion, my willpower wasn’t strong enough to prevent me from clicking the ‘checkout’ button. I had such good intentions to just have a look, and then carry on living my life. I haven’t actually spent money with New Look since I worked for them in 2016 - I genuinely don’t go in the shop and I genuinely don’t have a habit of looking on their website. But it wasn’t to be! I ended up with a couple of bits which I love, so take a gander at what I’ve bought myself this time…
Black Floral Jersey Puff Sleeve Mini Tea Dress | £19.99 | Size 8
I’ve wanted a tea dress in this style for the longest time, and I think this one is so perfect for my body shape. It’s crazy flattering with its puff sleeves and frilled skirt. The puff sleeves give a bit of shoulder drama, and are really comfortable despite the elastic which creates the shape. It’s a beautiful mini-length which, miraculously, is still pretty mini on me despite being 5’2’’. It cinches in at the waist and then flares out, creating a really flattering hourglass silhouette. I also really adore the v-neck cut; I’ve been searching for a neckline that adds a bit of femininity to my lewks. I’ve been obsessed and fixated with the 90s square necks, so this one’s a really nice change and I think it adds to the femininity of the dress.
I was a bit like ‘huh???’ when I took it out of the bag. I was expecting it to be black and white [which it does kind of look like, to be honest] but it’s actually black and beige. I really wouldn’t have bought this dress had I known it was a black pattern over a beige-base, but now it’s here and I’ve tried it on, I really do love it. I’m a monochrome lover and I don’t wear many colours at all, and if I did, it certainly wouldn’t be beige old beige. But when it’s on, it looks more like a black and cream/off white dress, and I think it’s really lovely. The fabric itself feels like lovely quality; it’s quite a far cry from some of the bog-roll-masquerading-as-clothing I’ve bought off Shein in the past. I’m definitely going to be layering this over a high neck top so I get some wear out of this in the cooler months; I think it’ll look so cute over some tights. But it’s also going to be a lovely and effortless throw-on dress for spring that looks really girly. Obviously I’ll be pairing it with chunky boots! But I’m super impressed.
Petite Black Leather-Look Teddy Lined Aviator Jacket | £55.99 | Size 10
First things first; when I took this out of the bag I had to quickly check I hadn’t inadvertently wandered into a public urinal. I hadn’t. But. This. Jacket. Smells. Like. Piss. It smells like the aroma you get wafting into your nostrils from the men’s loos in Spoons on a Sunday afternoon. Stale and offensive. And pissy. This is the second faux-leather jacket I’ve had this year, and both of them have had this really strong, strange smell. I don’t know whether it’s to do with the material or how they treat it whilst it’s being stored in the warehouse, but lordy lord, it do be whiffy. Nevertheless, I’ve currently got it airing out on my clothes rail, and in all honesty, the jacket is so perfect that even if it stank of actual diarrhoea I’d still probably wear it. It came with all the metal wrapped in tissue paper for protection; lovely stuff, and a load of film protectors. This was nice, because this is the first ‘expensive’ coat I’ve ever bought from New Look. I’ve had a few of their twenty-ish-pound jackets in the past, but this is one of their *nicer* ones.
This jacket is super beautiful though, and I’ve seen it featured on lots of my favourite instagrammers’ feeds. The teddy lining is a lovely, neutral cream colour and the main black outer jacket has a realistic faux-leather look with a pretty lifelike sheen. I absolutely adore the exaggerated collar because it makes the jacket look extra cosy, and the teddy-accents on the bottom of the sleeves and the base of the jacket makes it look warm and luxurious. I got this in a size 10, and to be honest, I maybe maybe maybe could’ve gone up to a 12, because it feels as though I’ll only be able to get a single jumper underneath - which may be all I need as this jacket does feel like it’ll be good and warm. But I do like a slightly oversized-looking winter coat to allow for more layering. Oh well, I still think it fits me and looks well-proportioned on my body. I was super pleased to find this in the Petite section, as well as the regular fit and Curves fit, so nobody is left out. I sometimes find that the sleeves of coats can be quite long on me, and I’ll always purchase from the Petite section from shops if I can. I am properly in love with this jacket though; it looks and feels expensive, and I think it’ll go well with so many outfits over the coming months. It was a bit of an investment and my final coat-purchase for this autumn/winter season, and I’m really happy with it.
This is the first time I’ve ordered with New Look in years, and I’m really really pleasantly surprised. I actually love the items that I’ve bought - and they feel like so much better quality than some of the bits I get from other online retailers. Sure, I spent a little more but I am a firm believer in ‘you get what you pay for’, and I know that I’m going to wear the dress and the coat to absolute death. Coming to an Instagram feed near you!
Lots of love,
Jasmine x
