Black Friday is it a spending trap?

Our inboxes are jam packed this week with Black Friday offers. We are being hit, right left and centre with ways we can save money if we spend, spend, spend.

Not so very long ago, Black Friday sales would mean queueing up from early morning on the street, waiting for the doors to open, then elbowing our way into the shops to fight for the greatest bargains. Thankfully, thanks to the online shopping experience, grabbing a Black Friday bargain can be a little more comfortable. No need for early alarms, no need to wait patiently in the cold, it can all be done in the comfort your own home, in your pyjamas if you see fit and it will be brought to your door a few days later - how civilised!

So now we get to whether it is right to encourage spending on certain days. Personally, my belief is that we should buy what we want, when we want to. Everyone gets paid at different times, we shouldn’t buy things we don’t need just to meet a free delivery spend. I find all these tactics to make you spend are a little bullying - we are smart, independent women and we can do what we like, when we like, or that should be the case.

However, Black Friday is a thing and you either go with it or get left behind. Therefore, this Black Friday, I would like you to consider where you choose to spend your well earned cash. Do you choose to spend it with a major retailer who is bulk buying at huge discounts to service the Black Friday binge or will you support the small business, who will genuinely give up a major chunk of their profits for that short period, to reward you for keeping their business alive?

You will get a great discount this Black Friday from Planet Tasteful, you will get an amazing 40% off everything from Friday 29 to Monday 2 December (not the 1st as mistakenly put on my email - trust me, I have a lot on my mind!) With this huge discount, I’m afraid, I do have to put in a condition of any items purchased during the discount being non returnable. Why? Because small businesses can’t cope with huge amounts being ordered and all sent back, especially mine as I pay for the postage and returns are a cost to me for a sale that never materialised, but also, I don’t want to encourage wasteful spending.

So this Black Friday, enjoy the thrill of grabbing a bargain, but make sure it is something you love and will wear again and again - she said in her Planet Tasteful vintage shirt from 2021! Treat yourselves, consider the items that are made from recycled materials and that will ease your conscience even more, but more than that, think who deserves your spend. Will Amazon or any of the major retailers be thankful to for you personally choosing them????

I will leave you with that thought.

Use code BFNR24 between 29/11/24 and 2/12/24 to receive a fabulous 40% off!

Style Trends Autumn/Winter 2024

I can safely say that I am NOT someone who will wear the latest fashion trends, no matter what. For a start, not all of them will suit me and I may not even like them! I prefer to be aware of what is super fashionable and work on my own version. I’m not or neither claim to be a stylist, I’m a shopper, just like you are and my job at Planet Tasteful is to help my fellow shoppers find things that they love that may just work with the season’s trends.

Leopard print is hot for Autumn/Winter 2024. Leopard print can be a bit marmite, you either do it or you don’t, I never find anyone in between. Leopard print has gone from being thought of as a bit brassy and tacky, for those of you old enough, think Bet Lynch/Pat Butcher, a symbol of girl power, thanks to Scary Spice to designer chic, thanks to Dolce & Gabbana and Celine in their 2024 collections. Leopard print is classed as a neutral, so it’s up there with your black, beige , grey and navy in your “go to” basics. I follow Trinny Woodhall of What Not To Wear fame and she is a fan of leopard on leopard, (sometimes on more leopard!) It’s worth checking out her style videos as too much doesn’t always look like too much! Planet Tasteful will help you rock the leopard style trend with the Animal Basic Blazer, Wild World Jumpsuit and Touch of Leopard Forever Wrap Dress. Remember leopard print can also be colourful, so you can do it in brighter colours with the Pillar Box Wrap dress in red and pink leopard print.

Florals make you think of Summer, but they are still cool for Autumn/Winter, so that’s great news that you can go from sandals to boots with the same outfit. The Met Gala was bursting with florals, although none of them every day wearable, Nicki Minaj and Demi Moore both worked this trend. Florals can be delicate and ditsy as in the Oopsy Daisy Dress, which is a classic wrap dress, which could easily be layered up for Autumn/Winter or more statement, think Ted Baker as in the Eden or Forever Floral dresses. If florals are not for you, you can introduce the trend with some jewellery, scarves or handbag charms, which are another huge trend for this season. Check out www.goldieaberdeen.com for gorgeous Daisy Baroque Pearl Earrings and www.sarahharan.com for joyous handbag charms and accessories.

I’m delighted to find that we are all going to be crazy for capes this season as this is one of my wardrobe essentials. Capes and ponchos are such a sophisticated cosy extra layer, whether you are at a BBQ or a ball. From day one, the Frilled Edge Cashmere Mix Ponchos have been best sellers at Planet Tasteful, they are such good value for money and you only need to buy them once and you will wear them forever. If these are not for you, create a cape effect with a pashmina or scarf, hang your Basic Blazer on your shoulders. There will be more options coming soon at Planet Tasteful as we head nearer to Autumn/Winter, so watch this space!

Sheer fabrics and mesh dresses started to creep into our wardrobes last year and the good news is that they are still hot, hot, hot for Autumn/Winter 2024. The Kardashians, Hadids and Jenners have happily adorned Instagram in underwear showing sheer dresses, the rest of us will more likely embrace these lightweight fabrics in more ruched styles, giving us the on trend fabric but with a bit more coverage. The Harper One Shoulder Mesh Dress is the perfect solution to following this trend, showing a tasteful bit of flesh while being covered up. On the High Street, Zara does the sheer trend really well with chiffon and tuille. If sheer gives you the fear, soften your neckline with a chiffon scarf or tie one to your work tote.

Another trend that is going to be big and one that I think is tricky for those of us over 40, is the Babydoll trend. Think puff sleeves, 80’s peplums, puff balls and cutsie frilled short skirts. I love a statement sleeve and I’m not adverse to a puff sleeve on a more structured garment, like the Eloise Zip top. The Ava Snake Print dress ticks the Babydoll style trend and worn with knee high boots makes the Babydoll more rock chick and equally wearable teamed with trainers. Embrace this trend with a statement sleeve, a ruffled hem or some delicate jewellery if your puffballs are well locked in 1980 something!

So whether you are a trend follower or like me a trend adaptor, you should find solutions to suit you at Planet Tasteful or check out my recommendations of great places to shop.

Awards and Rewards

Wow! What a spell it has been. First of all, I hear that I’ve been shortlisted for an Athena Award by Business Women Connections Aberdeen in the Fashion and Beauty Category, next minute I find my name on Business Women Scotland’s Top 100 entrepreneurs to watch list.

For me, it’s recognition of the leap of faith that I took to start my own business, during the most uncertain period I’ve ever lived through, the first national lockdown.

It’s all very exciting, I’ve bought my tickets for the ceremonies and started to consider what to wear, for me, just being named in the first place is a win.

The real rewards for me are my loyal following of regular customers up and down the country, who see Planet Tasteful as their “go to” for a new outfit. The women who approach me when I’m out for coffee or at an event and recognise me from my Facebook videos, telling me they love my stock and look forward to seeing the new stuff as it comes in. Receiving photos of customers in my outfits at weddings, on cruises, on TV or at family occasions they will look back on forever. These are the real prizes that make my heart sing daily.

So when the winners are announced, who ever they are, I feel I’ve got my prize many times over.

Every Day Occasion Wear

This month, I want to discuss Occasion Wear – not as in evening dresses and mother of the bride outfits, those outfits that cost 10 times the amount you would spend on any day to day item and wear only once, I’m talking every day occasion wear – dressing daily for the occasion that is life.

We’ve had a tough 2 years, we all had to retreat into our houses, either to work from home or experience the world of furlough, (a word many of us didn’t even know existed until March 2020).  Suddenly sharp suits and shifts were swapped for pyjamas and spiked heels for slippers and trainers.  We couldn’t get our hair done, we missed our beloved beauty appointments and we slowly started to convince ourselves that it didn’t matter (as no one saw us), and just as we learned the furlough word, we coined a new phrase in our daily vocabularies, “what’s the point?”, which could be followed with any of these statements –“I’m not going anywhere”, “no one sees me” or” no one else is bothering”.

It's true that we’ve never had less reason to put effort into an outfit than during the pandemic, however on reflection, how many of us can look back and remember how amazing we felt wearing the same few pairs of pyjamas all day on rotation?

Fast forward to 2022 and the trend of new trend of Dopamine Dressing, which means dressing with the intention of boosting your mood, as colour, style and texture can all have psychological associations.  Getting out of your comfort zone when it comes to clothes can also trigger dopamine release.

But does what we wear really have the power to boost confidence, increase wellbeing and positively impact our mental health?

I’m no scientist, but I can certainly relate to how good I felt in my wedding dress and how I felt buying something new to wear to an interview gave me a better chance.  So why do we allow ourselves to experience that feeling on so few (pardon the pun) occasions?  Why don’t we desire that feeling every day?

I’m not suggesting that we all go immediately from leggings to full on sequins (although I do like a tasteful sequin), but we can take baby steps and make a conscious effort to check in on ourselves that our outfit of choice gives us that feel good factor.  Sometimes the addition of a bright scarf or a change of handbag can make all the difference. As someone who has always leaned towards being overdressed (probably for confidence), learning how to Dopamine Dress casually and comfortably has been an education, but it absolutely can be done. The discovery of Magic Trousers has helped with that!

I would also recommend ignoring all the non-existent rules.  There is no law that you can’t wear a lovely Summer dress on a nice day unless you are going somewhere.  There is no Mum/Grandma/dog walking/working from home uniform that you need to adhere to and there will be no speeding fines if you decide to take your outfits up a gear if the result is that you feel better or more confident.

I watched Good Morning Britain recently and they were chatting with Bowel Babe Dame Deborah James’s podcast partner, she commented that they couldn’t be any more different, while the interviewee always dressed as if she was ready for Glastonbury, she said Dame Deborah always dressed as if she was about to step on to a yacht. Even as her days slip away from her, she looked beautiful in her gorgeous Summer dress accepting her Damehood from Prince William, when the whole country would have understood if she had chosen to accept it in her pyjamas.

So back to every day occasion wear.  The clothes that (unlike the bridal gowns and evening dresses) are minimal cost per wear.  The clothes you can wear every day that will up the ante and bring confidence.  The clothes that with a wee bit of thought, will put a virtual rainbow above your head on a dull day.

Hopefully, just like the sudden disappearance of the word furlough from our language, so will our desire to protest, “what’s the point?” and we will be rotating our scarves and sequins, not saving anything for good and dressing for the occasion that is life.