Throughout the Autumn and all over Christmas I kept gazing at this picture wishing it was me sifting flour next to a cosy Aga in this pretty frock. But if you too get the Brora catalogue you'll know that for me this outfit is the stuff of dreams.
£135 is just not within the realms of my charity shopping budget, so I've consoled myself with thrifted blouses and lucky finds for a couple of quid. The Aga is years out of reach too sadly. But I must admit to secretly longing for this beauty, even the name "40s dress in Hawthorne & Indigo" made me pine, me with my wartime housewife fashion sense.
And then someone, or rather the nice Brora people, had a Sale. A massive, huge, great big, enormous sale and for forty five of my carefully saved and squirrelled away spends (a third of the original price), this beauty became mine. Oh joy, oh rapture! I know I am supposed to be revelling in the goodness of self-denial but my resolve is weak dear readers and I succumbed.
One of my favourite epsiodes of The Good Life is the one where Tom decrees he and Barbara deserve a pagan rite - well this is mine. A one-off and it feels marvellous. So much so that I wore it to the cinema this afternoon (a little overdressed perhaps but who cares, it was dark) to see the King's Speech with my mother-in-law.
I might not take it off!
62 comments:
Nor would I, that dress is beautiful and you look lovely in it! It is always worth spending money when you really love something.
Karen x
Sometimes it's good to get what you want! You look perfect in that outfit :)
Oh I'm so pleased you got it in the end, what a bargain. And it really was worth waiting for, you look good enough to be in the catalogue next to that Aga!
Ooh its lovely (but e-gads its expensive). I have an Aga but I dont have a dress as pretty as that to wear next to it, just a pinny. I love the Good Life series. I think its where my love of having a range in the kitchen came from as I wanted an oven like that even as a child. Glad my Aga didnt need de-rusting and polishing like Barbaras range did as I wouldnt look as cute as she did with black lead on my nose (quite the opposite infact LOL!) X
Your dress is beautiful and suits you so well. Although I don´t know you, I´m happy for you that you got the dress of your dreams that makes you so happy. Enjoy it!
What a lovely dress. It looks great on you!!
Enjoy your weekend!
Lieve groet, Madelief
Love it! I really need my wardrobe revamping. All I ever wear is jeans. Seriously that is it! I have nothing pretty or feminine at all. It is very sad. x
ooh it's lovely :)
Well done you. You look gorgeous and not overdressed at all, everyone else is underdressed. Like you I kept the catalogue to look longingly at that and a green cardi (for over £200) I liked a lot. Dream on, but not for you Steph.
X
What a lovely dress for a bargain price. Like those beads too!
June.
gorgeous dress.. it was obviously made for you so would have been incredibly rude not to buy it.. especially at that price aswell!!
its a lovely outfit.. and the type you can wear summer and winter.. so quite a bargain really!!1
havnt heard of this make before.. thinking i may now have to take a look even if its just to have a look at the pics for inspiration!!
I love this dress... I tend not to wear dresses too often... although I've said I'm going to make an effort and start wearing them again... A dress like this would be a good incentive! You look fab in it! Eagerly awaiting your next post. Lx
Gorgeous dress, such pretty colours. I wonder who can afford £135 for a dress in the current climate? Dev x
oooh beautiful and perfectly dressed for the kings speech I think
xx fee
It's darling and adorable and so perfect for you! Love it!
Loved the King's Speech too!
And still hoping to find the right yarn so I can share my tea cosy project along with your delightful blog...
Happy Weekend to you!
Joanne
Very pretty dress and really suits you. It looks like quite a simple dress - surely you can turn your hand at making one? :-)
What a lovely dress and fabulous bargain. And you look fantastic in it to boot - top marks all round! x
You look beautiful in the dress. Aren't you glad you bought it? :) Thought you might like to know that my mum had a look at your blog the other day and she loved it. She doesn't usually comment so I though I'd tell you myself.
Have a lovely Sunday,
Anne xx
oh it looks beautiful in every way! I adore the colours and it looks like it is made for you! x
Oh that dress is so pretty , it looks perfect on you :0)
I succumbed to a red cardigan yesterday( £6 primark) , in the hope I might find something similar in a charity shop :0)
Jacquie x
Such a beautiful dress, and it suits you so well, worth every penny ;o)
I too long for an Aga, but sadly if the wallet could afford it the floorboards wouldn't stand the weight! I do have three Aga cook books that I read longingly though - sad or what?
By the way I love your new header photo.
Beautiful dress! And it suits you!
All the best things are much longed for and squirrelled for! So happy you got your dress :D
I went to see the Kings Speach yesterday too! Mr.Lane and I giggled at the trailers as we have a Roman tradition of giving things the thumbs up or down whilst glancing at each other from the corner of our eyes! We are silly!
Happy days, Sarah x
you look lovely darling! jennyx
Tea dresses are so expensive (it's the same in Kew, Boden, Toast et al). You got a real bargain!
What a bargain - It looks beautiful on you.
Julie xxxxxx
What a lovely dress! The print and colours are quite Japanese in style (me thinks!). Very nice and even better price. It looks great on you. x Pati
You need to spoil yourself sometimes. I love the way you've accessorised it too.
Tracey
what a lovely dress !!!!it looks great on you!!!!!!
have a nice week,
hugs regina
Thats such a pretty dress on you- love the pattern- very vintage looking ;0)x
i wouldnt want to take it off either- i bought a beautiful dress in my local tavistock market and ive been wearing it lots- and it was a maternity dress originally- didnt realise til after id bought it, but looks lovely anyway ;0)
best wishes steph x
x kazzy x
You look very stylish indeed Steph, infact I wouldn't take it off either.
Enjoy,
Bertie xx
1st: The dress looks fantastic on you! It suits you perfectly! Great for the spring as well as the autumn.The necklace matches it very well, too.
2nd: Sales are an amazing opportunity to get what you put your eyes on but couldn't afford it before.I got myself a floral shirt, and I was so happy, that I posted it, just like you did!
http://fernskonto.blogspot.com/2011/01/sales.html
3rd: I've been told the movie is great. What do you think?
Lovely photos, as always!
Have a nice week and...don't take it off!
Beautiful dress its great when you get something you really, really want and have waited for isnt it. Much more satisfying than getting is straight away and much better for the purse too. TTFN Debs X
Hello there - I've just found your blog and have so enjoyed the last ten minutes or so reading and admiring your photos. You look lovely in your dress, which you were obviously meant to have! Your thrifty philosophy is right up my street and you're proving you don't need to spend loadsadosh to be happy. And you have plenty of lovely things around you - surely "plenty" is more than enough!
What an absolutely gorgeous dress, you look fabulous in it, I love that dress o much :) xxx
You couldn't miss a bargain like that now could you. It really suits you. You have to spoil yourself sometime and if you can't be good to yourself, well life would be worth living.
Oh that dress is just gorgeous Steph. I should wear dresses more as I do love them. I just never really go anywhere that merits wearing a dress! Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book and just do it!
And well done on getting a bargain!
Ruth
Lovely! I recently had something that I pined for but was totally out of my reach go on sale and there's no better feeling! Well, maybe a few. But it's still good.
Steph - that is such a beautiful dress and it suits you perfectly.
Happy weekend,
Nina xx
Have you considered sending one of those pictures of lovely you in that lovely dress to the Brora company?
Go on, do it! That company deserved to see a real life beauty wearing their clothes.
xo
it looks lovely! it beings true meaning to, good things come to those who wait (for sales!). Enjoy.
What a lovely dress.It suits you perfect!!
happy weekend
bettina
Steph, I admired it from afar too. so very,very LoVeRrLeY.
It's very 40's looking and such a pretty colour combination.
You look Gorgeous, good things come to those who wait as they say! xx
I love this dress too and also ordered one from the sale. Alas, however, my body was too large to fit inside and it's now on its way back to Brora. Feeling like a blob now and very despondent.
Fab dress - and you look great! I've bought White Stuff dresses in the sale and I just wear them whenever - they make me feel really good! Wasn't The King's Speech amazing? Loved it!
What a lovely dress!!!! Penny splurges are GOOOOOOOOOOOD!
oh my gosh, that dress is amazing! i am super jealous, it looks gorgeous on you. and well done for getting it on sale, i always end up missing the good stuff!
gorgeous outfit!!!! So glad you got it! And I LOVED the King's Speech!! Great movie!
Would you mind my asking what camera you use to take these great pictures?
Gorgeous dress, and absolutely the right thing to watch The King's Speech in!
Always worth keeping a look out on eBay for Brora items which people are selling on - you might find a bargain there too!
Beautiful dress, perfect for you, you look stunning.
Carol xx
you look lovely!!!! everytime I see your blog i just want to come back to live at the country!!! :D
Oh its lovely - I love Brora dresses but you are right they are so expensive - there sales are great I bought some suede boots for half the price real bargain.
What a lovely blog you have - hope you don't mind if I add it to my favourites.
Jillxx
You deserve a treat, after all it is your one weakness, Hee Hee!!
Love Helen x
I love a sale! I have the same relationship with White Stuff. It's nice to look at in the catalogue, but sometimes, just sometimes, if they drop the price right down...
Love that dress!!! It looks so great with your red beads!
I love that dress soooo much so that I have just been very wicked and bought it with some o the money I am supposed to be saving towards a camping trip this summer! Oh well, next month will have to be extra tight...it's extremely rare that I would buy myself something new and boy was this a bargain or what? I have longed for many a year for a tea dress and just hope I look at good as you in it xox Enjoy wearing it!
It is a very sweet dress, I'm so glad you were able to purchase it. Good for you! Spoiling yourself occasionally never hurts, I think.
Hugs, Cindy
Lovely dress - good for you getting such a terrific bargain. Hope you have lots of happy times wearing it.
Oh that is SUCH a good dress. That forties print is perfect and the red cardigan highlights it beautifully. Now all you need is a tea dance!
There's something to be said for patience. You look lovely. My New Year's Resolution, if you will, is to wear more skirts and dresses instead of spending my time in jeans.
I do love a great bargain story! You look fabulous in your new dress. I would wear it all the time too - it's gorgeous. I have loved reading about your other bargains too in recent posts. I hope I can have that much success when I hit my local op shops tomorrow! Have a lovely week.
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