Week twenty-eight

I've always thought I'm a little bit of a contradiction when it comes to money.  I would say that there is an element of frugalness in me - I've always been quite good at saving and yet somehow I'm terribly frivolous, especially with clothes.  If I see a piece of clothing I like I find a way to buy it. 

So I was very excited to go to 44frocks at the weekend, the quintessential girlie party involving trying on cheap designer dresses, drinking champagne and eating cake.  Yes perhaps a tad cliched but who the hell cares and what a load of fun it was.

It was started last year by Laura Henson after she was made redundant from her job.  She made a rule for herself that for 6 months she would not buy a single piece of clothing unless it was in the sale.  She  started going to sample sales and realised that there were some utter gems to be had and soon started buying from all the top lines and getting a hefty collection of her own to sell to others.

I arrived with my friend Steph to a flat in Notting Hill and we were greeted by Laura herself, who is just the most sweet and lovely girl. No sooner had we put our bags down, she plied us with champagne in vintage tea cups and hummingbird bakery recipe cupcakes.

Then of course, there are the dresses.  All delicately lined up and ranging from sizes 6 to 16 from designers such as Joseph, Diane Von Furstenberg, DKNY, Marc Jacobs and a whole lot more.  There was such a nice atmosphere while all the girls stood casually browsing each one and chatting to their mates with some good tunes on in the background.  I was a little disappointed at the selection as many of the dresses were a bit too straight and classic - nothing that was really standout or something I absolutely had to have.  But, then again, Laura is doing the sensible thing by catering for a general type and will no doubt continue building up the collection.

I did try one dress on though and it was really fun being the centre of attention for a few moments while I got the opinions of every one in the room - thats something you don't get so much when in a shop changing room.  People are a bit too closed and in their own space when out shopping but here it was just so casual and friendly.

There was also a really nice selection of handmade jewellery on sale and of course I bought a necklace as I couldn't leave empty-handed.

Basically these parties are such a nice way to spend a couple of hours with some girlfriends and its something a little different to do.

Laura now has a permanent spot for a 44frocks boutique that is in Wapping and she runs the parties once a week in different locations all over London.  She's always on the look out for new homes and venues so its a great way to meet people and make contacts by hosting the frock parties at your homes.

All the details can be found here - I recommend you get in touch - if only for the phenomenally made icing on the cupcakes.

Next week I'm going on a street art tour.  As many of you know something extremely close to my heart, so I'll be watching with a discerning and scrupulous manner.