Category: Bags
Tiger, tiger..
High on my wish-list for Xmas was this little baby (I can resist everything, except a bit of kitsch..and possibly the odd coat..and a bright red cardigan..or 2) And what a joy he’s been – everything that great design should be: Functional, beautiful and desirable..
Open him up and hear him roar..
Laters, Kate x
Dancing Queen x
There’s a theme emerging: Timelessness is now, meaning pick something from the seventies..and it will immediately look cool and new..
Saddle bags (referring to handbags..), flares, midi denim skirts, large sunnies, colour and wacky print..it’s a heady combination..
And Gucci – a stalwart of the fashion world, but not a label that hits the hip headlines – has captured the look to perfection..
Beautiful, strange and compelling..
But already feels familiar..
With a little touch of acid..
(All photos Gucci)
Makes we want to hit the nearest vintage shop. Pronto.
Laters, Kate x
Bags of Time…
Good advice I’m thinking…
Laters, Kate x
It’s Not You, It’s Me..
I love a brand that scoffs gently..it also helps if they’re independent, based in London, slightly mad and run by 3 ferocious, tongue-in-cheek, epigrammatic gals.
Its not me its you was started by Billi, Jems and Kitty in 2012.
Everything they produce is made and printed by hand in East London.
In a world where it’s too easy to be suffocated by a toxic brew of Vacuous style and pumped up plastic their italian leather crafted with care is a pot of gold at the end of a shimmering rainbow…complete with whimsy and fantastical animals..
Visceral, witty and flawlessly presented, they’re a class act.
(I secretly reckon this one reads ‘Kate loves the fearless’..just for me…)
I snort at them..and raise my glass..that’s a few more presents ticked off the December list..
Laters, Kate x
Stamp of Style x
Using badges and logos..not invented by Marc by Marc Jacobs but cunning all the same…
A rather delicious collection of fonts and styles married to the perfect boyfriend jeans..just add a smile and a killer pair of heels..
Penelope Chilvers has also got in on the act, although is hers a more traditional, preppy version..and the meanings are meaningful..I’d love to be able to buy the patches individually..
Also to be found on her boots and shoes..
Anya Hindmarch has pushed the creative boat out even further in her own offering of luxury-retro-street. Inspired by stickers from her school days, the graphics are embossed onto the leather in a three step process. Utterly edible.
But the real joy is that this trend has it’s roots deep down in freedom of expression and do-it-yourselfs.. you could just follow your heart and DIY your own fashion statement like Fun in the Making..
Or cover a Louis Vuitton bag like the courageous Sue. Because the truth about badges and patches, despite what the designer brands would have us believe, is they’re really about individuality and being unique in a stylish and remarkably accessible way..now, where’s my needle and thread?
Laters, Kate x
Bags of Style x
My lovely old battered Mulberry bag holds a very special corner of my heart……quality, practicality and just gets better and better with age, like the best things should. Inspired, I now have my eye on the Messenger bag……a decidedly cool classic……
Laters, Kate x
Paula x
Paula Cademartori is an eclectic combination of Italian and Brazilian and it shows in her unconventional, covetable designs..
They’re the smile and perfect foil for the darker colours of the coming winter..
Or just for a love of life and colour..
(photos from pinterest)
Mi piace!
Laters, Kate x
Dream Team x
Young British Designers started with a small group with a real thirst to pursue a brave new vision for design and has kept on growing.
It’s pure British design with it’s inbuilt ability to understand the rules..and then break them with a smile.
They don’t care about age – you could be 70 and a new designer with flair, the youth is in the brand. They acknowledge there’s limited experience, but YBD want to give young designers a chance on a retail stage.
And it gives us the chance to see the emerging talents – even spot them – before their ascension to the land of Fashion Gods and silly money.
Which means there are loads of things to look at – men’s included – it’s not about one voice, one style but a rich smorgasbord of everything brought together, everyone made stronger by the other’s presence.
And they’re have an awesome sale at the moment – including these 2 coats..just in time for the coming colder season…
Laters, Kate x
Baggage..
Love a boho bag me….and Essentiel Antwerp have a heart pounding range…and they’re having a great Sale..temptation hey..
Laters, Kate x
Weekend Wanderings..
On Saturday Fairy, Bella and I headed to Shoreditch to the Jumble and Pearls vintage and more sale at the Book Club. (A fab cafe in it’s own right with loads going on…and it’s own table tennis table..)
Shoreditch is an eclectic, buzzing, creative, urban area with stories and something different round every corner. Looking with eyes wide open is a must.
(I was thinking of you, Su..loved the retro letters..)
Opposite the light shop was this fairytale-like Reclamation Yard…we were immediately sidetracked (it doesn’t take much..). Set in an old church it was like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia…..
I didn’t think so much space existed in central London…
In my dreams this old French haberdashery unit is pride of place in my kitchen holding bowls and plates..and anything else..
We were at Jumble and Pearl to see my wonderful cousin Nathalie (her story here) and see her new merchandise for Sam Says Enjoy Life.
(My sister swears by these bibs and is always being asked where she got them from)
I also had Bella’s portrait drawn by the lovely Jenny Robins.
I’ve always fancied having a wall of framed ‘street art’ portraits of the kids, drawn across the years, seen with different eyes and marking their growth into adults.
Jenny has said she’ll help, so this is the first one…I like to think the finished collection will be like an Installation in it’s own right..
We headed home, very happy with my purchase from Nathalie – one of her new up-cycled denim bags, perfect to hold in style the daily detritus I manage to accumulate and lug around.
I particularly like the pockets..that little bit of embroidery is heaven.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 