Junction 32 Outlet Village is somewhere I visited a lot when I lived in Leeds and used to snowboard regularly at Xscape, but I’ll be honest, it’s not somewhere I’ve visited that much since I moved to Sheffield so I was really surprised when it took me under an hour to get there. Just a quick jaunt up the M1 and a couple of junctions on the M62 and I was there.
When I used to visit I would be with other people and we’d mostly spend our time in the Billabong store in case we could pick up something for the snowboarding we were about to do so I was quite excited to be there alone, and able to explore. I do my best shopping alone when I can mooch about at my own pace and I don’t feel any pressure to buy things. In my head I had all these great intentions to hit up the Nike shop and buy new ‘get fit for the winter’ gym gear but as soon as I arrived those intentions we out of the window – there were just too many other things calling to me.
I did start out following my good intentions though, I headed to The Nike store but it’s right next to Levis and who can resist the call of denim? I’ve long been after a new pair of skinnies. In my head I have a vision of a pair that fit perfectly on the waist (i.e no muffin top) aren’t baggy on the knee and are super skinny on the ankle. The holy grail of skinnies I believe. I’ve heard that the Levi Curve range might fit this trifecta of requirements but alas it’s always been a little out of my price range, the outlet prices however are a bit more affordable. Unfortunately, after trying what seemed like EVERY SINGLE pair of jeans in the shop on (to everyone in retail, I refolded them properly) I found the style I wanted but the size I needed was the only one not in stock.
But I did spot the cutest plaid shirt dress that appealed to my autumn snuggles. I tried it on and I was instantly sold. No faffing. No trying on something else. This was it. Plus, I think after all the trying of jeans the sales assistant might have killed me if I’d not bought anything!
With my dress in hand I headed back out into the drizzle to continue my shopping. I had a mooch around Mango, a little hunt in Le Creuset for something to match our green pans, I may or may not have popped into the Thorntons shop for a little sustenance too. Then I found myself drawn into Clarks by the promise of winter boots and it didn’t disappoint.
My current brown boots are falling apart, but much loved so I was overjoyed to find a pair of brown, fleece lined, ankle boots, in just the right size on the shelf. They’re distressed, they’ve got buckles and straps and they don’t have much of a heel – which is perfect! They’re actually remarkably similar to a pair I’d taken a photo of on a recent wander around town. And so comfortable too! I wore them all round Berlin last weekend and they are just so comfy. Plus they were an absolute steal at £50!
I also picked up some cute individual pieces cutlery to use as photo props, some American sweets for Jim and some Arizona Green Tea – it’s my favourite and so hard to come across. But mostly it was just nice to take a couple of hours away from everything to have a bit of a relaxing shop and update my wardrobe a little too.
What have you picked up for Autumn? Tell me your must have purchases!