Anya Hindmarch's Mini-Mart

Supermarket shopping will never be the same again. Anya Hindmarch has only gone and opened a mini-mart on Mount Street. The pop-up shop is jam packed with Anya's own brand of irreverent humour... and rumour has it you can even treat yourself to a 99 ice cream whilst you're there. Does shopping ever get better than that? I think not! Frosties and Daz have never looked so desirable...

At £1350 for a Tony the Tiger Ebury tote or £995 for a Bourbon biscuit clutch prepare to spend way more than on your average grocery shop, but to sum these bags up in two words... They'rre Grreat! Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

Your Next Swimsuit?

In amongst the bills and begging letters came a more welcome sight on my doormat today - namely a catalogue full of Next's new season offerings with a voucher for £10 off an order or £25 or more at next.co.uk - now that's nothing to sniff at, especially when I saw the impressive swimwear lines! I love this 50s style halter neck one piece. Not only is it affordable at £30 but it is available in sizes 6-22 (a much better size range than many other stores). If you prefer seperates, you can buy a bikini version in the fun floral print or mix and match with trusty black - and there's even a choice of co-ord cover-ups including a matching kimono, shorts and A-line dress. Now I just need to book a holiday somewhere nice and sunny!

Next Swimsuit, £30

Get Lippy at Debenhams

Pucker up that pout and slick on your favourite shade - it is National Lipstick Day after all.

To celebrate Debenhams are offering £5 off any lipstick you buy online today! You'll find MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent and many more of your favourite beauty brands, so what are you waiting for? The only trouble you'll have is which shade to choose...

Monkey Madness

You would be forgiven for thinking Zoe Saldana was doing her bit to promote Dawn of the Planet of the Apes working the red carpet in this monkey print dress - but no. This was actually the premiere for Guardians of he Galaxy which I know involves a gun-toting talking racoon, but I'm not so sure about primates.

Anyway, back to the dress... the ruffles on this 70s style Valentino number might well be disguising a baby bump, or for that matter maybe not, but at least the quirky print can distract everyone for a while.

We've seen a fair few other animal prints of late, but nothing quite like this. Maybe the cat's no longer leading the pack, the dog's had its day and it's time for some monkey madness?

Weird or wonderful? Would you wear Zoe's monkey print dress?

Shopaholic Sale Buy: Topshop Bag

Yes, I've been splurging in the sales again - and once again it's the Topshop sale that's come up trumps. I'd had my eye on this tile print bowling bag for a few weeks before it went in the sale, so I'm really glad I held out now.

I always used to think that if you liked something in Topshop you had to buy it there and then because more often than not it would be entirely different stock out on the rails by the time the sales came around - but finding this little gem with £10 off has proven me wrong.

It's not actually part of the main summer sale, but a highlight of the 30% off Summer Essentials promotion - and that means it could shoot back up to full price any day now (so it was worth getting soaked in a thunderstorm on my way home in my book). Better get shopping if you want this bag swinging off your arm this season...

Loopy for Loom Bands

It's the summer craze that's taken the world by storm after making the leap from the schoolyard to the streets - of course I'm talking about Loom Bands! I'll confess that when my 8 year-old nephew first asked me to buy him some I didn't know what on earth he was talking about, but now it seems like the whole country has gone loopy for looms - and not just the kids. Everyone from the Duchess of Cambridge to David Beckham has been seen wearing Loom Bands, so I quickly hopped on the band wagon a couple of weeks ago and enlisted my nephew to teach me how to loom with the best of 'em. I'll tell you now it's addictive, but I'm not sure I'd ever attempt to make anything more adventurous than a bracelet - say a Loom Band dress for example - but that's just what two loom-mad  ladies from Wales have gone and done. Yes, Helen Wright and Kathryn Burnand have hit the news for making a body-con dress from more than 20,000 of the brightly coloured plastic bands - not only that but their creation has attracted a bidding frenzy, finally selling for £170,000 on eBay. Maybe I should rethink that comment about not attempting to make anything adventurous after all...

*Since writing the above I've heard that the eBay buyer has sadly pulled out of the sale, but I hope the ladies still manage to make a mint from the project they only ever hoped of making £50 profit from.

Shoes Glorious Shoes!

I love, love, love these shoes! If you ask me a good pair of flats are a girl's best friend. You don't need to totter around on uncomfortable heels when shoes like this make such a big statement. These super chic pumps with zip front detailing look like they might cost a pretty penny - but don't laugh when I tell you that you'll get change from £30 at M&S. It's true!

 

 

 

Available in half sizes it's easy to find the perfect fit and they've even been endorsed by the UK Society of Podiatrists. Insolia Flex® makes walking in flats more comfortable by ensuring your foot is correctly placed within your shoes, and improving the natural rotational movement of the ball of the foot - so they really are a treat for your feet in every way. And at just £29.50 a pair it would be rude not to buy the red ones too...

M&S Pointed Pumps, £29.50

A Peek Inside the Royal Wardrobe

Our preoccupation, better make that borderline obsession, with royal fashion is nothing new. It didn't start with Kate's Issa engagement dress, or even Diana's see-through skirt. Let's go back to Elizabeth I...

Last night Lucy Worsley gave us a whistle-stop tour of fashion at the royal court from Tudor times to the present day in BBC Four's 'Tales from the Royal Wardrobe'. My verdict? I only wish there was more to come - the subject being well worthy of a series rather than just a one-off programme! Like it or not fashion has played its part in history, giving monarchs a way of representing themselves to their subjects as well as conveying important political messages. Just take Good Queen Bess - it would have taken her over 2 hours to get dressed (with a lot of help) when one could argue she had more important state business to deal with. But it was time well spent when she made such a big impression. Her clothes were loaded with symbolism - and not just jewels to show wealth and power. There were pearls for purity, snake motifs for wisdom and then those rather creepy eyes and ears embroidered on the dress in the famous rainbow portrait as a sixteenth-century version of Big Brother's Watching You.

Fast-forward and you get the frivolity of the Cavaliers making a bad impression on the people, as did the excesses of George IV and his 28 white waistcoats plus countless shirts and cravats, and then there was Edward VIII who dressed for too 'slang' for royalty. It is the Queen who has come up with a successful and appropriate royal 'uniform' which is elegant and formal without being stiff or showy, a bright colour so that she can be picked out of a crowd, and above all, not slavishly fashionable. And there we have it - 500 years of royal fashion in 50 minutes!

It's easy to forget fashion is not always as frivolous a subject as it might first seem but this programme made a good stab at converting the 'fashion doesn't change the world' tribe. It's fair to say we can rely on Lucy for more fun historical dress-up in the future.

Fearne's Glastonbury Faux Fur - Found!

Glastonbury may have come and gone for another year, but at least we can look back over the best dressed festival-goers for a spot of style inspiration...

The unpredictable British weather makes dressing for Glasto a particularly tricky business, but one person who had the right idea was Fearne Cotton, who opted for an oversized vintage denim jacket embroidered with flowers and a fox - but it's that jumbo faux fur scarf which really caught my eye so I've been on a mission to track it down.

It turns out lucky Fearne's got her paws the Multi-Vixen scarf by Helen Moore (£120). It is actually part of the A/W'14 collection but if you just can't wait till winter 'm pleased to tell you it is now available to shop ahead of the launch as a limited edition.

Helen Moore is the go-to brand for high quality faux fur items whether you're planning a Snow Queen style winter wedding or going to Glastonbury. Lovingly hand made in the UK with exquisite attention to detail, you know you're snuggling-up in something special whether you opt for the faux fur hats and gloves, muffs and huffs, collars and cuffs, or choose from the stylish selection of scarves, shrugs and stoles .

Shopaholic Sale Buy: Topshop Top

Many of the Summer sales are already on and just begging to be shopped. Last week I made my first port of call was Topshop, after my sister had beaten me to it and been showing off all the bargains she'd bagged on the very first day of the sale. I may have been unusually slow off the mark, but I still managed to get my hands on this top - even if it meant I had to push and shove with the best of them on a busy Saturday afternoon.

This checked top looks great with jeans, but the silky material makes it smart enough to dress up with tailored trousers or a pencil skirt for work. So there you have it - versatility that will bring the cost per wear down to mere pennies!

Topshop Checked Top, WAS £32 NOW £15