the wind is in the sales

Hurrah for sales! I love digging through the dregs of the past season for treasures I might have missed, or found too obnoxiously priced to buy at full price.

Also, I feel especially triumphant when I pick up things that perfectly fit the mood for the season to come - on a dime.

So last week, when the Mango sale kicked off the sale season (Zara and Topshop will follow), I happily joined the hordes to scoop a few good buys.

And the spoils were good.

Black skinny trousers have been on my wishlist for sometime, but they're just as hard to find as the perfect skinny jeans (which took me a year).

So imagine my joy when I unearthed these-

These magically trim my hips, lift my butt, and add inches to my legs, all for a mere $49! They're not quite the Stella McCartney tuxedo-esque versions I want so badly for spring (forever, really) -

But I like the street, casual vibe they have, plus they're comfortable as leggings. I see myself wearing them well into the next few months, or even the entire year. It's good to get out of jeans.

But I still can't get myself out of my other favourite item of clothing: shorts. And I add my third pair of the year to my collection -

I've been wanting slouchy, short-but-not-tiny, black shorts like these ones for ages. I have sleek knee-length city shorts, breezy white linen ones, beige American Eagle ones to slob about in, and so on, but not the perfect slouchy shorts, like these Sari Gueron ones -

Happily, I spotted these at Mango, and they were a steal at $36! There were racks of them, in black or white, and I don't understand why no one wants them. I love that the waist is higher so that I can tuck in a nice flowy blouse for a change of look if I feel like it.

Plus they're nice and loose, and anything that I can squat down in without embarrassing myself is a good thing.

Finally, I scooped this dress that had this gorgeous print -

I love a vaguely-retro inspired print, and this dress is in a great fabric that gives it shape, so it doesn't feel like the flimsy-cheap Far East options. I love the ruched detail on the sleeves, I love anything with a three-quarter sleeve, I love the elegant neckline, and it isn't too mini like most of the frocks elsewhere, and not too long to be frumpy. It even lives up to my it-must-be-able-to-be-worn-with-flip-flops rule.

It is, in short, the perfect addition to my burgeoning collection of printed shifts (the only things I wear in a print). Not cheap at $66, but worth every penny. Anything is worth every penny if you love it enough.

It's amazing how the dress has become so ubiquitous in my wardrobe - I remember growing up in an era of separates where dress = special occasion. The dress is still a core component of the spring collections, and shifts are pretty common enough so I dare say my little buy won't go stale so soon.

I think my buys will carry me well into the next season, though I wished I could find the perfect Marni-esque shift like this Marni -

Or a simple loose white top like this, again from Marni, to go with my skinny pants (why is loose = babydoll/empire/smocked these days?) -

That would make my new year.

Still, it's just one sale down, and more to come. I need not lose hope...

Pictures from mango.com; style.com