Wednesday 30 October 2013

The Mighty Purse that Charges your Phone!

Forget the Higgs boson, this is the scientific breakthrough we've all been waiting for... yes, finally someone has invented a clutch bag that can actually charge your phone!

Gone are those nights when you loose your friends in an impossibly busy bar and can't even call a taxi home because - surprise, surprise - your phone is out of battery.

All that drunk texting and Instagramming of selfies sure saps up some juice - but now we'll always be able to write that late night status update without a worry. Mighty Purse have come to the rescue with their range of cute leather clutch bags (pictured left, £84.99), complete with charger and enough room for the essential cash, cards, keys etc. A Mighty Purse indeed!

Monday 28 October 2013

Cream of the Crop

If white is for weddings, is cream the colour for christenings? Well it certainly looked like that was the case at St James Palace on Wednesday, as Kate, Pippa and Camilla all coordinated their cream outfits with little Prince George's christening gown.






















George's christening gown is in fact an exact replica of the silk and lace outfit commissioned by Queen Victoria during her first pregnancy in 1840. Worn by each of her nine children in turn, as well as by successive generations of royal babies, the once white silk gown has turned cream with age and is now deemed to fragile to be worn.

As for the Duchess of Cambridge, she once again turned to McQueen for her frill-fronted cream suit, whilst her sister chose a perfectly coordinated cream trapeze coat by Suzannah Crabb (£750).

Friday 25 October 2013

Addams Family Value

We're hurtling towards Halloween faster than a witch on a rocket-powered broomstick, so better stock up on sweets and start planning a suitably scary costume. I'll confess when I saw this contrast collar blouse for £10 at Primark my first thought was how very Victoria Beckham - but now looking at it puts me more in mind of Wednesday Addams.






















What? Wednesday's still a style icon - and she had that pout perfected long before Posh came along! For the easiest (and cheapest) costume ever all I'll have to do is plait my hair, crack open the white face paint and wear this blouse with a black skirt. There's just one problem - my Nephew thinks this blouse makes me look like a nun and bursts out in uncontrollable laughter every time he sees me wear it, whilst my Nan says I look more like a strict school ma'am. Charming! You can always rely on family for a good insult. I'll start working on my unamused scowl...

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Kate Spade Spell Check

When I read that Kate Spade's latest collection of accessories had been inspired by a love of books, libraries and academia I couldn't have been more excited - that is until I saw the spelling...
































Have you spotted the glaringly obvious error? Yes, it should be Austen with an E if they're referring to the author and not the state capitol of Texas! Oh dear, better call the copy editor.

Spelling errors aside, a library index is a lovely idea for a quirky handbag - but it's guaranteed any book lover who's bought the bag without giving it a second glance is not going to be happy, and at $298 purchasing the 'Required Reading Index Organizer' is one pricey mistake to make.

Monday 21 October 2013

Kelly Looks Lovely in Lace

Kelly Clarkson may have failed to get Jane Austen's ring on her finger, but she looks blissfully happy now that Brandon Blackstock's put a ring on it.

It was revealed that American Idol winner Kelly and Blackstock had tied the knot when she tweeted the news: "I'm officially Mrs. Blackstock. We got married yesterday at Blackberry Farms in TN, the most beautiful place ever!"

As for the dress, the bride wore a beautiful gown by Temperley no less.Pipping designs from Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier and Marchesa to the post (or rather, alter) the v-necked, lace 'Jessamine' dress is from the Iris collection won out in the end. That's the same collection Made In Chelsea's Millie Mackintosh chose her 'Bluebell' wedding dress from when she married Professor Green last month.

Looking at Temperley brides it comes as no surprise these wedding dresses are so popular. As for Kelly's 3 back up dresses, that's a bride's prerogative.

Friday 18 October 2013

Booty Call

Looking for the perfect pair of winter boots? Problem solved!

Far sexier than the 'man repelling' DMs and heavy tread boots we're seeing everywhere this season, these monochrome lace-ups from Faith still have that sought after 90s vibe - but with the addition of a block heel and pointed toe.

I'm soled (sorry bad pun) - especially seeing as they've got 25% off at the Debenhams Blue Cross Sale this weekend!

Faith Lace-Up Ankle Boots, WERE £65 NOW £48.50 at Debenhams.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

It Must Be Love

When reality star Lauren Conrad took to Instagram to announce her engagement to William Tell this week she probably expected everyone to be dazzled by the suitably huge diamond on her immaculately manicured ring finger - but that's not what has caught everyone's attention...


















A picture may be worth 1000 words, but just to make sure the world knows she's in love, Lauren chose to spell out her feelings by wearing a Sydney Evan 'love' ring alongside her engagement rock.

Stealing the limelight from that sparkler, it's a 'love' ring every girl now wants on her finger. The 14 carat gold and diamond set ring sells for $860, and has already been spotted on the likes of Rihanna, Lily Collins and Sarah Jessica Parker who are all fans of Sydney Evan's jewellery - but there are more affordable options out there too. I love this Sterling silver ring from Little Treasures (pictured left), WAS £70 NOW £35 at Amazon.

A 'love' ring would definitely make a quirky alternative to the traditional diamond engagement ring.

Monday 14 October 2013

Wool Week Knits

Knitting needles at the ready - Wool Week is here! From 14th-20th October all sorts of events will be taking place to promote the Campaign for Wool, including free fashion knitting workshops at the Oxford Street and Edinburgh branches of John Lewis.

However, if like me you just end up with a tangled mess every time you attempt to knit something, you could always take the opportunity to buy some new winter woolies.

The 'Wool School' initiative has seen fashion and textiles students from around the country competing to have their knitwear designs sold at stores including Topshop, M&S, Brora, Barbour and Jigsaw - so look out for the winning designs inspired by knitwear traditions of the British Isles when they go on sale this week.

As for me, I've just picked out this bright blue and red jumper from the Jaeger Outlet (pictured above, WAS £150, NOW £35)

Friday 11 October 2013

Poppy Appeal

With just a month to go until Remembrance Day it's time to pin a poppy to your lapel. Every year I buy I paper poppy to wear, but I usually manage to either lose it or crumple it within the space of a day - but at Jon Richard they've come up with a great alternative...


In support of The Royal British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal they're selling poppy cocktail rings. Embellished with red crystals, the poppy rings both look stylish and show your support for this worthy cause.

Available to buy now from jonrichard.com as well as at selected Debenhams stores nationwide, the rings have an adjustable band to fit everyone and come gift boxed - but most importantly £3.60 from the sale of each £12 ring will go straight to The Royal British Legion so they can continue their valuable work with both serving and ex-service personnel of the British Armed Forces and their families.


Monday 7 October 2013

Kate Moss' Miss Whiplash Moment

Do you reckon Kate Moss has been reading Fifty Shades of Grey? I think she's more of a The Beautiful and the Damned kinda gal myself, but either way it certainly looks like she's developed a penchant for whips! This is the second time in as many months Kate's been spotted sporting this whip in hand belt. I don't know where she found it but I'm hoping something similar will feature in her new collection for Topshop.


Yes, that's right - if you haven't already heard Kate Moss has been welcomed back into the Topshop fold with wide open arms. After a three year break, Kate is set to return with a new collection for the high street giant in April 2014 and speaking of the partnership Philip Green said: "I am personally thrilled that Kate wanted to come back to Topshop to work with us again. The first time around was such a lot of fun, and she has been sorely missed". Here, here! In my eyes Kate can do no wrong - but maybe that's something to do with her being a fellow Ms Moss.

Friday 4 October 2013

Isabel Marant for H&M

Now I'm no Mystic Meg but something tells me there is going to be one very long queue down Oxford Street come 14th November. There may still be over a month to go until Isabel Marant's highly anticipated collection for H&M finally goes on sale, but that doesn't stop us doing a little forward planning now does it? Images of the entire range have been released so we can start to take our pick from the Parisian cool collection. There are the oversized boyfriend blazers, skinny jeans and jogging bottoms we'd expect from Marant - but with prices from just £14.99 for a pair of earrings! Here are two of my favourite looks...















































Left: Tribal Print Jacket, £199.99; Red Trousers, £69.99; White T-Shirt, £24.99; Embellished Shoes, £99.99

Right: Grey Coat, £99.99; Black Jeans, £59.99; White T-Shirt, £19.99; Brown Suede Boots, £99.99

The Isabel Marant collection will be sold at just 250 H&M stores around the world, so be sure to check where you can start queueing!

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Brooch The Subject

For a while it's been hard to find any nice brooches on the high street, so for me it's usually a case of wearing pins that have been passed down through the family or else scouring antique fairs and charity shops for new additions to my collection, as these places always seem to have a ready supply of good old fashioned cameos and the like.

On a mission to prove that brooches aren't just for grannies, or old fashioned for that matter, I've currently got a Wedgewood blue cameo proudly pinned to the lapel of my pink winter coat. Said brooch always manages to attract comment - but not always for the right reasons. For instance, take the time I ventured into my local supermarket...

I can only assume the checkout staff had been given strict instructions to try and make polite conversation with every customer because, let's face it, why else would a teenage boy remark on a brooch? His exact words were: 'That's a nice brooch. You don't often see girls wearing brooches. Maybe it's because they're so old fashioned.' Oh dear! Thankfully I wasn't buying much so I could smile and leave before the poor boy dug himself into an even deeper hole. Heaven forbid he had asked what I do for a living! I suspect he meant well and never intended on suggesting I was wholly unfashionable, but he did hit upon a salient point - why is it more girls don't wear brooches?

Well, maybe the new selection from Topshop will help give the brooch a better reputation. I particularly love these two designs (pictured above, £12.50) - the spiked one is very Mawi don't you think?