Tommy Hilfiger House of Fraser Manchester Shopping Tips

Today is the final day in my Lily Kitten x Tommy Hilfiger Takeover series. This week, I’ve been sharing with you my pick of the Tommy Hilfiger 30th Anniversary collection, my Autumn Winter ’15 collection wish lists and an Outfit of the Day with three items I picked up at my local Tommy Hilfiger at House of Fraser, Manchester.

As part of this, today’s finale will be a sharing of my top shopping tips – feel free to use this whenever you go shopping, or if you fancy any of the items I’ve shown you this week, you can grab a 15% discount off Tommy Hilfiger at House of Fraser Manchester ’til 23rd November just by saying you’ve read this.

Staple items

Although as a fashion blogger I am prone to being a little sucked in to trends – hey, it’s part of the job! But something i always consider when going shopping is staple pieces. For Autumn and Winter this is especially important, as although I own tons of different dresses, I often find myself slipping into a jeans-and-knitwear rut as soon as it starts getting a bit chilly here in Manchester.

To combat this, look out for staple items that you can build a wardrobe around – think a good pair of high quality jeans that you could wear every day, a thick neutral jumper that will keep you warm and go with anything, and a practical yet chic pair of boots. When I went shopping at Tommy Hilfiger in House of Fraser, there were tons of these items to choose from which made seasonal shopping really easy.

Try it on

I love a good online shopping spree, but when you want to spend a little more money and get something you just KNOW you will wear and love, in-store shopping trips really are the one. There’s nothing better than trying on a couple of items until you find one that fits just right, and when you’re investing in a designer brand such as Tommy, you want to make sure you’re spending your money wisely. I tried on loads of different things when I visited the brand – what might look ok on the mannequin might look great on you, or visa versa.

I actually ended up choosing a 30th Anniversary jumper that was folded on a stand and only really came to life once I saw how it looked on. Plus, trying it on whilst your there will save time and money in the long run; how many times have you bought something, took it home, tried it on, not liked it and then thought – nah, I’ll just keep it because it’s too much effort to take it back. Well, look after your pennies and make sure you try your items on whilst your in the shop!

Consider colour ways

Tommy Hilfiger take pride in grouping their collections together in store, for instance, all of their varsity style items will be shown together, and then their neutrals will be shown in another area. I kinda showed this in my AW15 wish lists. This makes picking out whole outfits really easy, as you can select garments that you KNOW will look good together.

However, if you’re just choosing one or two things, think about the colours you already have in your wardrobe at home and how they might go together. You don’t want to pick out something that’s neutral when all the clothes you have at home are bright or patterned – for example, I opted for a navy blue jacket as I knew that I had a lot of bold primary colours that would compliment it.

Investment pieces

You guys know that I’m not afraid of picking up a bargain for an on-trend item that I might only wear once or twice before donating to a charity shop, however, you also know that I am happy to spend a little more on investment pieces. You know, items that you know will last you a long time and carry you through multiple seasons. I always consider coats, shoes and handbags investment pieces; I will always wear these three items every single day and so I would rather spend a little more money to know they will last a little longer, rather than spend less money and have to keep replacing them.

Tommy Hilfiger is a great place to find such items – I particularly love their range of coats (this grey peacoat I tried on is such a classic colour and fit). As well as choosing a ‘coat-i-gan’ jacket myself, I also picked up a tote handbag, knowing that these two items are versitile enough to see me through AW15 and into SS16, and high enough quality to last me for a few years yet.

So kittens, I hope this gives you some pointers of what to look out for when on your own shopping trips. In the mean time, please feel free to share your own shopping tips in the comments below, or tweet me your pointers! Remember, if you fancy any of the items I’ve shown this week during my Tommy Hilfiger Takeover, you can still get an exclusive 15% discount off the brand in House of Fraser, Manchester, by mentioning my name up until 23rd November. 

I really hoped you guys enjoyed this Lily Kitten x Tommy Hilfiger Takeover Week in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger House of Fraser Manchester – it’s something a bit different, so would really love to hear what you guys thought. Thanks for reading and your support, and I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Enjoy!