New Clothes For Old - Travel Packing & Snow Clothes

TUESDAY: 1960s Wetherall of Bond Street wool cape (charity shop, 2004); Vintage fake fur scarf (belonged to my mum); Sheepskin hat (charity shop, 2010); 1970s high heeled wellies (jumble sale)

After what seems like an eternity - but in reality was only six days - the snow is finally melting and I can't wait to chuck the wellies back into the cupboard of doom and unleash the maxis and precarious platforms. Much as I love cheeky mini dresses and brightly coloured tights, I feel far more me in a floor sweeping frock!

WEDNESDAY: Trashy yeti coat (charity shop, £3); Me-made Mini dress made from vintage Tricel using a 1968 dressmaking pattern; Barbarella belt (Birthday present); 1970s Welsh wool baker boy cap (charity shop)

As I mentioned on Monday, it was time to start the travel packing. As usual I emptied out the holiday suitcase I keep on top of the wardrobe and unleashed the heady scent of incense and wood smoke, the aroma of India deeply ingrained in my clothes from years of visiting. I'm taking a few old favourites including my Dollyrockers maxi skirt and the Chelsea Girl block printed wrap-around but, after losing weight, some of my travel staples are looking distinctly saggy. I'd broken my trusty Havaianas flip flops at a festival over the summer, my bikinis were well past their sell-by date, my vintage polarised sunglasses were scratched to buggery and also, as I'm travelling to an area that doesn't see many Western tourists, I've got to consider cultural sensitivities and cover my shoulders. Luckily I'd had a bit of a clear-out, stuck some stuff on eBay and done surprisingly well including these £2 Red or Dead glitter shoes I'd bought back in September. They went for £50! So I had spare cash to fritter!

What to do? Sit yourselves down, long-time readers. I went on-line and bought some stuff! I managed to find a pair of brand new Havaianas flip flops on Ebay for £3. While waiting for our India visa photos to pop out of the photo booth in Boots last week I'd tried on the most amazing pair of sunglasses but at £80? No way. Jon photographed the bar code and I managed to track down a brand new pair on Ebay for £20. I know I've got about a million pairs of sunnies but I really do need a good polarised pair when I'm in India.

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Next up, bikinis. Usually, at this time of year, the choice is pretty poor - full price glitzy things from the big companies or strange looking Chinese imports from Ebay so I had a look at the website of the Manchester-based company website who use internet legend Baddie Winkle as a model and found a couple of dreamy string bikinis for a tenner apiece. They arrived within 24 hours of placing my order and fitted perfectly.

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I know there's loads of elegant looking older women on the internet but Baddie Winkle's the woman for me.  Just look at how much fun she's having. I want to be just like her when I grow up. What a genius idea to use her to advertise clothes rather than some scrawny, miserable looking teenager. It certainly worked for me, I'd probably never have looked at the website without her at the helm!

As an alternative to the too-big skirts I usually wear to walk to the beach in Goa I fancied a dress I could throw on - like the rainbow maxi I wore daily in Corfu back in June but in darker colours that don't show off the dust - I do wash my clothes when I'm India but I'd washing that dress every day. India's for adventuring not wringing out frocks in the shower. I also needed something lightweight with sleeves for exploring Gujarat. I'd toyed with my Adini maxi (HERE) but decided it was too precious to take and also considered the amazing Hawaiian maxi Goody sent me (below) but as the cotton is such good, heavy quality, I worried it would tip me over my internal flight baggage allowance of 15 kg (but the more I look at it, the more I'm tempted to take it, I could always travel in it). I'd searched on Ebay but all the suitable vintage options were ££££ and the last thing I wanted to do was shell out a fortune and ruin them trawling around India.

So, with a maxi dress with sleeves and a lightweight, dark-coloured maxi that slips on and off with no fussy fastenings on my virtual shopping list I visited another website, a company I'd previously dismissed as being cheap and nasty but, after I'd bought a pair of their bell bottoms in a charity shop, I was pleasantly surprised at the fit, the fact that they were manufactured in the UK and, on checking their website, that they had a transparent ethical policy. A day later, both dresses arrived (plus another I was tempted with at the last minute, perfect for swanking around the hip and happening joints of downtown Mumbai), two were perfect, the third too big - but luckily there was a smaller size left in stock and I was able to return it for free. Did I mention that all three were reduced to clear and cost me in total, with next day delivery, just £24?

Aren't I naughty? Let's just hope the new stuff doesn't fall apart after a month of dragging it around the subcontinent.

Here's the final cut. Obviously there's sandals, bags and jewellery to be added to the pile but just looking at it makes me squeal with excitement. I'll show it you in more detail soon.

It's Wednesday and it's my favourite night of the week, rum and The Apprentice. I'm hoping the rest of the snow has been washed away by the rain by the morning, we've got a boozy lunch date tomorrow.