Each August I make a trip to Bicester Village during our annual trip to visit family in Oxford. Sometimes I spend, sometimes I don’t. This time, I did.
The Village is really pretty and has grown significantly over the years. I first came many years ago and can remember lusting over the Mulberry Roxanne when Mulberry was in its very first location – it’s since moved twice. There are so many designer boutiques which house both old and recent (and even current) collections, and they’re beautiful. The Village is dotted with greenery and pretty plants and flowers, and there are cute touches like vintage crepe carts and pizzeria vans, and phones boxes (which right now are decorated in Liberty print to complement the Liberty pop-up shop). There are also plenty of places to eat, but for me it’s all about grabbing a flat-white-to-go from Pret and getting started.
I like to wander around the Village early – when it’s quiet – so I can visit my favourite boutiques and see what’s in store before deciding what to buy.
So where do I go first? Usually to Dior, just to admire the stunning boutique which is truly the prettiest and most luxurious at Bicester Village. That’s one shop I wish I could afford. Then it’s off to the boutiques that I like most, which include Mulberry, Furla, Dolce & Gabbana, MaxMara, DKNY, DVF, and Ralph Lauren. You’ll also find The White Company, Celine, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Givenchy, McQueen, Jimmy Choo, Chloe, Maje, Gucci, Prada, Burberry… the list goes on!
This year I knew I was going to buy something special. Regular readers and followers will know that I gave birth to a baby boy in January, and so I decided to treat myself to something nice to mark the birth of NCM (and how awesome I was in getting him here). Of course, it was off to Bicester Village I went in search of a beautiful handbag at a great price.
I couldn’t decide whether to buy the Sicily bag (Firenze print) by Dolce & Gabbana, a bag I fell in love with this summer for its fun and flirty design, or the Mulberry Lily, which I’ve been coveting for a couple of years. A tricky decision, because the Sicily bag saving was huge – down to £567 from over £1500, whereas the Lily was a saving of £200. In the end, my husband’s advice made the decision for me. He said: “Remember, style over fashion.”
Clever Husband.
So the Mulberry Lily won. Because, even when NCM has grown up and flown the nest, Lily will be there for me, all those years later, to be an old friend and house my tear stained tissues and remind me of the year my baby was born.
I’m Wearing: jumpsuit, Great Plains; bag, Radley; sunglasses, Dolce & Gabbana; shoes, Castaner at Net-a-Porter.
