Expose Those Toes

The winter boots have been packed away and I'm determined not to wear socks until at least 1st September - yes it's time to get an express pedi and expose those toes.

If you're not quite prepared to give up your favourite Converse hi tops for a pair of strappy gladiator sandals just yet then these shoes are just made for you.

No, your eyes don't deceive you - they're a classic pair of Converse with the toe cap chopped off and go faster stripe air holes! What's more, they even come in thong and flip flop versions. These have to be the perfect summer shoes.

Converse Gladiators, £42 Bank

Tie Dye For

Who'd have ever thought the hippie earth mother favourite that is tie dye could take you from boardroom to beach to bar? I certainly didn't - until now...

When I was at Sixth Form the Young Enterprise club came up with the idea of selling tie dye t-shirts in a bid to raise funds for the yearbook and prom - sadly I don't think they actually sold any (although feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). The thing is tie dye has always had a slightly bad rep, only really appealing to surf dudes and hippies, but with this whole 90s revival going on at the moment it's currently riding on the crest of a wave.

Celeb swimwear favourite, Vix have a tie dye bikini that will earn you serious style points on the beach this summer, whilst Boy by Band of Outsiders have taken the somewhat surprising step of unleashing tie dye on to tailoring - but somehow it works.

Of course the high street is flooded with more affordable options, and I love the ASOS Cold Shoulder dress, £28 (pictured above left). It also comes in Curve and Maternity styles, so it looks like there really could be a tie dye option for everyone.

Two-Piece Swimwear
Pumps

Radioactive Belts Recalled

And the surprise news story of the day: ASOS have had to recall a batch of radioactive belts after they tested positive for traces of Cobalt-60.

49 of the studded belts have already been sold to ASOS customers in 14 different countries, but at least the online purchase method should make the buyers easy to track down, as the belts manufactured for ASOS by a supplier in India would prove a real health hazard to anyone who has been in contact with one for 500 hours or more.

What are the chances, ey? Well, apparently it could in fact be quite common! In the report from Project Purple Flower reprinted in The Guardian it reads; 'Unfortunately, this incident is quite common occurrence. India and the far east are large consumers of scrap metal for their home and foreign markets. During the refining process of these metals, orphaned radioactive sources are sometimes accidentally melted at the same time. This in turn contaminates the process and traps the radioactivity in the metal as an alloy.' 

A spokesman from ASOS has said that; 'ASOS continues to work with the relevant authorities and is in dialogue with the supplier and the factory workers involved to ensure a satisfactory outcome.' But whilst that's all very well and good, we're still faced with the question how many other potentially dangerous products are out there that we don't know about? Once again we're seeing the importance of where our goods are sourced from. As high as the demand for fast fashion is, health and safety ranks far higher than getting a cheap product.

Kate Bosworth for Topshop

If you're still feeling a little bit deprived from the loss of Kate Moss for Topshop then you'll be pleased to hear that the high street favourite has recruited another boho babe by the name of Kate...

It has been revealed that 'friend of the brand' Kate Bosworth has offered her 'creative input' - if not design skills - on a summer festival project, which aims to combine the attitude and energy of British festivals with the image of the California girl in a 16 piece capsule collection. Kate was even snapped at Coachella wearing a scallop-edged top and shorts combo from the collection (pictured left with Michael Polish).

Speaking of the collaboration Bosworth said; 'The design team and I though a lot about the festival season, and, particularly with this collection, a lot of it was about the California girl... obviously the perfect place to wear it was Coachella.'

Kate's fiance Michael Polish has even been roped in to direct the promo film. Looks like we can expect plenty of plaid shirts, denim cut offs, embroidered waistcoats and, erm, angel wings.

Literary Gems

A bookworm to the very core, I'm delighted to see fashion designers starting to appreciate the beauty of vintage book covers - none more so than Olympia Le-Tan, whose book clutches are flying off the shelves fast despite the hefty £1035 price tag. Well, nothing screams collector's item quite like a quirky clutch bag!

Depicting literary classics, such as Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre as well as rarer editions like The Lure of Long Beach (pictured above), at least we can say they're still a whole lot cheaper than buying an actual first edition of the text - but there are more affordable options out there...

A quick search on etsy is all it takes to find literary gems transformed into clutch bags at prices ranging from £50 - £100.

Personally I love the idea of finding my favourite novel transformed into a bag, so I'll be on the lookout for a Pride & Prejudice one - but The Great Gatsby (pictured left) has to be one of the most sought after titles available, what with Baz Luhrmann's extravaganza of a film adaptation now on the big screen.

They make a great talking point - I just hope people will be inspired to read the stories behind the bags rather than using one to stash away their copy of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Chelsea Flower Power

100 years on since the first Chelsea Flower Show the annual horticultural event still has the power to pull in the crowds. It's even been suggested that this year's ticket sales have been given an extra boost thanks to Prince Harry. A show garden has been designed by the prince's charity, Sentebale - so a guest appearance is pretty much guaranteed girls! You might even spot a few more famous faces - or at very least their garden gnome alter ego...

Whilst floral fashions change over time there's one garden ornament that has always been banned from polluting the shades of Chelsea - that is until now. Yes, the humble garden gnome has been given a reprieve for one year only as part of the centenary celebrations. Some have even been given a celebrity makeover for the show (can you spot Elton John?) and will be auctioned off for charity at the end of the week. Go on, give a gnome a home. This coming from the girl who used to keep one on a bedroom bookshelf in case it should get damaged out in the garden! Well, flowers aren't just for flowerbeds.

Take the spirit of Chelsea with you wherever you go with floral footwear. I love the LK Bennett Vintage collection of floral print pumps, strappy sandals and kitten heels. Prices from £150.

Star Gazer

I've just finished reading the Richard & Judy recommended read, A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore. The supernatural tale of an 18th century star gazer and his adopted daughter is linked to the present day through a trail of family secrets and haunting dreams - but it's a mysterious necklace of seven stars set with diamonds that has the power to unlock the past and bring people together.

As soon as I saw this marcasite Star Gazer bracelet at Oliver Bonas (£34) it took me straight back to the pages of this enjoyable novel.