tooooo many tights!

Well the weather can't quite decide what it wants to do with itself right now: one moment I'm rejoicing at the nip in the air meaning I can break out my chunky knits and the next I'm scrabbling to peel off the layers lest I melt into a little puddle on the floor. BUT seeing as it's October and technically it's meant to be Autumn/Winter now I thought I would pay homage to one of my favourite cold weather accessories.

Wolford A/W '11 Bonny Dots

Tights tights tights: streamlining legs, shutting out the cold and reducing shaving costs for the female masses since the Sixties. Since then designers have experimented with patterns and prints to jazz up this simple staple, and this season it seems as if they've gone mad for extravagant leg dressing. In terms of premium hosiery, the first brand that always comes to my mind is Wolford, well known and loved in the fashion industry for its high quality product and high fashion designs. Unfortunately at around £30 a pair, those of us on a budget are somewhat loathed to click 'Add to Basket'.

That's why I was delighted to find so many alternatives on the high street, still on trend but with a much more convenient price tag:

Gipsy Big Spot Tights from ASOS - £8!

These Gipsy tights available from ASOS are a dead ringer for the Wolford Bonny Dots, and a darn sight cheaper at only £8! Cuter than a basket of puppies and kittens and simple enough to pair with several of this season's other trends without looking like you're a sandwich short of a picnic.

Next Navy Medium Spot Tights - £6.50!

Next also offer their own take on the polka dot pins, but they've also incorporated a twilight blue, an intoxicating favourite with fashion houses this season.

H&M Houndstooth Tights - £2.99!

My personal favourite after trawling through several websites and high street shops, these extravagant houndstooth tights from H&M are a complete bargain at only £2.99! Talking from experience, they look KILLER with a slinky, high-waisted pencil skirt and blocky, platform heels but they'd also go great with any number of this season's Forties inspired pieces. (N.B. The above image is of the Wolford Cheryl tights, H&M are rubbish and have not put their version up on their website, but it is almost identical except for the nude panels which are a very sheer black on the H&M product.)

Next Black Star Tights - £6!

Another popular name in the hosiery game is of course the dashing Henry Holland, whose collaborations with Pretty Polly have frequently been the focus of my style envy. This season he has snatched the A/W '11 star print trend from the skies and sprinkled them over a pair of his famous tights. Though not quite as dear as Wolford at £14.99, it's always good to look after the pennies, so you may want to opt instead for Next's version for only £6!

And finally, though not necessarily a trend for A/W '11 I felt I had to share a surprising discovery I made whilst shopping yesterday: fishnet tights are a frequent favourite of mine for nights out, but blow me if they aren't hard to find on the high street for a reasonable price! I know you'll all be screaming PRIMARK at your computer screens, but unfortunately for a girl with a little more cushion for pushin' around the derriére, the fit is truly awful. So imagine my surprise when I spied my faithful fishnets in Wilkinsons for just £2 a pair! Plus the fit is fantastic, who knew?

Wilko Fashion Tights - £2!

That's it for another post lovelies! I really am trying to get round to my supermarket beauty buys, hopefully this week will prove slightly more productive, and I hope to do a budget nail colour/design video too! In the meantime, leave me comments if you buy/own any of these tights and let me know what you wear them with!

last night ASOS saved my life!

It's been TOO long, but I'll get straight down to it!

ASOS is having the most UH-MAZING sale right now and if you don't take a look you're a fool, a fool I say!! (A little strong, but it is an absolutely incredible sale!)

I'll keep this brief as I do have two more, much better posts coming soon, but I just wanted to share two of the fantastic little finds I scooped to prove to you how good it is!

Cheap Monday Very Stretch Skinny Jeans - £31! (RRP: £45)

I was going to hold out until next month to buy a pair of classic blue jeans, bite the bullet and possibly invest in some Levi's ID jeans, when lo and behold, in the ASOS sale I find a pair of perfect indigo beauties in the one denim brand that I know fits me like a glove. For all those curvy girls out there with more cushion for pushin' but smaller on the waist and lower legs, Cheap Monday has served me so well that they are now the only jeans I buy (and I have 3 pairs!!). They may not be as purse friendly as your average pair from Primani, but they will make you look and feel like your pins have just stepped off the runway - parfait!

Jonathan Aston Mock Suspender Tights - £7! (RRP: £10)

Now some people may be screaming '£7 for a pair of tights?!' but I will say this: much like my Cheap Monday jeans, my other leggy love are my Henry Holland suspender tights, in which I feel like a woman (/high class escort - c'mon, we've all seen Secret Diary of A Call Girl and thought about the money/killer wardrobe) but bless them, I think they need a little rest from their faithful service, and dear Jonathan has provided a gorgeous alternative. They also come in S/M/L so none of this One Size trauma for the more curvaceous!

I WILL get round to my other two posts, one is a charity shop haul and one is a make-up review so watch this space and in the meantime get a little ASOS sale in your life!