In the past we have always visited the Bond Street flagship store and wow it is amazing, three floors of pretty, sexy and luxurious underwear.  It gets madly busy on a Saturday and is worth going on a weekday and the earlier the better, like when it opens at 10 am.  We love the toilets by the way; do check them out if you go.

​​But we had heard that they had opened in Reading so as Emily also had some Top Shop and Zara vouchers to spend we thought we would try it out on the basis that it is only a 30 minute drive and we don’t have to pay high train fares to get there. 

I love VS underwear, I much prefer the shape of the pants and there is so much more choice, even their everyday t-shirt bra’s come in interesting colours. Since discovering VS when they arrived in the UK I have pretty much ditched Marks & Spencer my previous staple and if I have still bought from there I usually regret it. The ‘Rosie for Autograph’ range is gorgeous but it just doesn’t translate to every day. Whereas despite the model figures at VS being unattainable for most of us I do find that their underwear does suit me – I am a size 10-12 and a 34C so not slim but not well endowed either so I can only talk for those of you that are similar to me.

But there is a downside – I found out that they don’t keep matching pants with bra’s so you might spot a bra you love then you begin the search for the right pantie and vice versa.  I did start to get a bit frustrated but there is usually a very willing sales assistant to help (they write down your choices and size on a card for you to take away with you), you can try everything on in very luxurious fitting rooms and they are on hand to get different sizes or help with measurements. Lighting isn’t great as I found out last year when trying on bikinis – motto - only go shopping for a bikini when you have had a spray tan!

So I added to my basic range with another t-shirt bra and comfy pants – I already have the set in bright pink and steel grey so I now have a metallic navy. I also bought another lilac lacy set ‘Body by Victoria’ which has multi-way straps so lots of options. I like the subtle padding; there are lots of different options, from none to serious boosting! And I’ve converted Emily too, she loves the Pink range for the younger lady and I tend to look out for special offers on the bras so that it makes it a little more affordable!

I will be 50 at the end of 2016, how did that happen?  I don’t feel any different to when I was a teenager, just more experienced at life!  So the inspiration for my blog is to record my journey as I approach and move through this next era in my life.

Let me tell you a bit about me!  I am married with two children, Alex is 18 and Emily is 15, we live on the outskirts of Marlow, a beautiful town on the River Thames.  We have an old Victorian cottage in the woods that we renovated about 20 years ago from quite a wreck and I gave up work to be a full time mum when Alex was born.  About 8 years ago my husband set up his own business and I helped him for many years, I had to teach myself a bit about bookkeeping and running a small business but having previously been a PA/Secretary, my organisational skills were up to the job.  Three years ago I decided that I’d had enough of working with my husband – it’s not an ideal situation and whilst I am sure it suits lots of couples, it didn’t suit us.  So I took a back seat and leave most of the day to day running to him and a wonderful office manager.  Which freed up some time in my life!

I love being at home, I enjoy running the house and being here for the children, despite them being so much older now, I believe they need me here just as much.  I am lucky to be able to be here for them but I fully appreciate that isn’t always possible. 

I also adore shopping – by heading to the high street or online, I love putting things in my basket, although I don’t always ‘check-out’ and I love reading some of the many fashion blogs that inspire me and help me find the perfect outfit.
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Marlow has a great High Street and we have many of the big, higher end brands represented now – my favourites include Mint Velvet, Jigsaw, White Company and Sweaty Betty.