Bicester Outlet VillageIt was a toss between shopping at Bicester Village and sightseeing at Stratford upon Avon (I love Shakespeare and the English countryside) and of course shopping won. I can sightsee when I'm 50, but shopping at that age wouldn't be the same.
Reading papers in the train
Pulling out of a station along the wayTook a train from London Marlebone with Chiltern and arrived an hour later at Bicester North. Then I bought a return ticket on the shuttle for the Outlet Village and arrived just as they opened the boutiques.
Bicester NorthThis place is paradise. Burberry, Hugo Boss, Celine, Timberland, Ferragamo, Dior, Bvlgari, Samsonite, Monsoon, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein...to name but a few. I worked the (one and only) credit card quite a bit there and crossed my fingers each time that I hadn't passed the limit. Left the receipts in a pile on the floor near the bed but the Hub didn't seem to have noticed them. You be my witness that I haven't been hiding them.
A few shopping bagsI couldn't find my trench coat not even in this Burberry store (though got a few nice stuff for Baby Girl) and I couldn't find anything I like chez Dior. A pity as most of the bags and wallets were discounted between 30 and 80%. But I found a pair of the softest and most comfortable flat shoes (Audrey as in Audrey Hepburn) at Ferragamo and a few really nice silk dresses at Monsoon. I went crazy at Polo (buying for the kids) and finally had to stop as I didn't have enough hands nor money and had to make my way to the train station or I would miss my train back to London. One thing I love about the UK is that you can almost always find a size 12/14. Read in the papers that most people there either fit into size 6/8 or wear 16/18. I am not difficult with leftovers.
Audrey flats from FerragamoGreat day spent shopping and it made my cold Roast Duck Rice lunch that I finally ate in the train back all the more enjoyable. I will be back at Bicester, maybe the next time with Hub. The man needs some new clothes and they have Saville Row tailors there..
Glad you had a great time in London, should plan another one!
RépondreSupprimerHave you tried going on Ebay to get your trench coats from American outlet sellers? Euro is appreciating very nicely against the USD at the moment so you will have savings if you pay in USD. I saw your sizes for a couple of brand names particularly DKNY, there was one with a lovely hue of light blue with slight metallic sheen to it. Want me to put up the link if I find it?
Back here in Spore, its even harder to find good quality trench coats at affordable prices, its almost like looking for needles in a haystack! I stopped looking at Gap, Mango & Zara outlets a few years back as their retail prices for trench coats were about SGD200 plus which I find a rip off since its not even brand names.
So, this year, I started my quest by going online. So 2 months back, I decided to use ebay for the first time & I scored! OMG! I should have been on ebay much earlier. An American outlet seller was selling DKNY trench coats double breasted traditional military style type, made in Guatemela, yes finally Not made in China, for an unbelievable price of USD29.90 excluding postage. Extremely good quality & a silky texture as its a combo of cotton & polyester & is water resistant. Fits me perfectly!
I bought 2 DKNY trench coats from her, beige & black. Total per piece inclusive of postage & currency conversion is SGD71.78. Incredible deal. I don't think DKNY sells it in Spore for that price but I seriously doubt they have such designs stocked here either.
Now, I can wear it for vacation overseas during the spring & autumn days.
Ahhhh! You got the shoes! Nice, nice, nice! I love their current season of wine red and burgundy shoes. Don't dare to step into any of their boutiques because I know I'm going to walk out with something. Saving resources for Hubs' birthday next month...
RépondreSupprimerJ, can't wait to read about your Hub's birthday :-). Burgundy is a great colour indeed, I wouldn't be able to resist either.
RépondreSupprimerAnon, I don't really need a trench coat but I feel the need to buy one from Burberry. It's one of those inexplicable things. Like Hub said it'll probably be nearly a thousand euros to be kept in the store room and attracting moths, but I think it's one of those few things I feel I must get or do at least once in my life. At least this one is mentionable :-)
RépondreSupprimerI can't buy from Ebay outside Europe as Italian customs are very very strict. I've been so taxed the last few times I did so I'm quite scared now.