Investment buy: Loafers

Clutch: £45, Samantha Warren. Jumper: H&M (old). Patent loafers: £575, Christian Louboutin (borrowed for this shoot). Suede loafers: £280, Isabel Marant. Bra: And Other Stories (old). Sunglasses: £135, Prada.

I have always been a fan of high to low dressing, but when do you decide to take the plunge and make the investment? Loafers have been big on the scene recently but it takes me a little while to decide to invest. First off, a flat shoe is always a good investment for me – Jimmy Choo leopard flats, Tabitha Simmons leopard boots – all my most worn shoes in my wardrobe. And all can be easily worn with a H&M breton top and Topshop jeans for an added hit of fashion.

I also generally have a pricepoint cap. I never spend more than £350 on a designer item (and less if I can!) – and it is a rare occurrence. I bought these Isabel Marant loafers for London Fashion Week, they are £100 less than the Gucci ones and they are so comfortable I haven’t really taken them off – I can see these as a casual travel slip-on with skinny jeans and shirt but equally with cut-off denim shorts and crew-neck in an Alexa kind of way…

Wearing my loafers on repeat. Jacket: Gap (old). Shirt: £39.99, H&M. Dungarees, H&M (old but buy similar here). Shoes: £280, Isabel Marant

And I had just sent back a Cos coat costing £140 for a refund – so that was half the cost there. Plus working in Barbados, St Lucia and Fashion Week for 3 weekends meant I had money left over where I wasn’t going out on the weekends…which led me to thinking – why do we ALWAYS justify purchases?! I suppose in the current climate, we feel guilty for spending money on ourselves – but I’m pretty sure men don’t do this. I asked 5 fashion friends how they justify a splurge, and realised it’s definitely something we all do:

“My purchase self-justification depends on many factors. It might be as simple as how many takeaway coffees or lunches I HAVEN’T bought that week, which therefore means I’m completely entitled to buy those amazing shoes. Or if I’ve sold a few things on eBay, then OBVIOUSLY I can have an online splurge, because it’s practically free. But I keep eBay and affiliate earnings from my blog in my PayPal account, allowing it to accumulate over a period of time. Then when I do want to splurge, I can do it guilt-free because it doesn’t impact on my current account!”. Follow Erica on instagram here.

Anneli Bush, editor of Annelibush.com

“My rule is, one in – one out. Whenever I sell something on my Tictail shop, I put the money aside into a separate account, which goes towards my wish list. More recently as we´ve just bought a new house, a lot has been going towards interior pieces, the most recent being a pair of Lee Broom crystal light pendants (which I was equally as excited about, as my new Dior sunglasses last month!)”. See Anneli’s instagram (and lustful interiors) here.

Chloe Forde, Fashion Assistant at Red magazine 

“ I am able to conjure up a never ending list of justifications, when buying a slightly pricey item. I am currently lusting after a Gucci cross body bag and my justifications range from the not buying anything else until the summer, passing it down to my invented /unborn daughter and it looking great on Instagram! “

And then Bonnie Rakhit, founder of The Style Traveller, puts us all to shame borrowing a dress instead of splurging on something new:

” During fashion week it’s hard not to get caught up in a huge spending spree the week before the shows. This year I had a little help from a great online hire-a-dress company called ChicByChoice. It was super easy, I rented a gorgeous burgundy lace Self Portrait dress RRP £308 for just £50. I also got to try it on in two different sizes and got to keep it for 4 days. It’s my new ‘go to’ way of wearing designers pieces without having to fork out hundreds of pounds. perfect! ”

Maybe it’s because of this blog, but I always feel I have to justify my purchases even more (which is fair enough – my blog is about living on a budget!). But in truth, I actually paid off the final statement of my Credit Card this month and am now totally debt free, so I felt an indulgent moment was in order. And I love them.

The moral of the story, then, is basically [if you have the money] ‘Life is short, buy the shoes’.