Category: Designer Brands
Bummer Bag x
Bumbags got a bad rep in the eighties. I can’t think why.
The nineties weren’t much better..
But away from the neon and laughter, there’s a functional aesthetic desperate to get out. I have the bag in this picture – it’s by Hipstersforsisters – and it’s a true, top totty wonder. With it’s chain, it can be unclipped and turned into a crossbody, or removed entirely to transform into a clutch. A slam-dunk three-in-one-no-brainer.
Now I’m after something a bit bigger, in brown leather with more pockets to carry passport, phone…and cash..to take to Greece. I’ve left it a bit late in the day, but I’m hoping I’ll still find something…
without having to raid the last penny of the piggy bank for this Row bag sadly costing more than the holiday!
Laters, Kate x
Summer Lovin’ x
The weather in the UK has yet to settle down. The majority of the hurrying figures I saw this morning on my way to school were wearing thick tights and scarfs, held tight against the wind. Give it two hours, the sun could be shining and all those layers will peel off in the time it takes for a corn kernel to pop in a hot pan. It’s confusing and disappointing and makes me dream of consistent kingfisher blue skies, warm, heavy air and the compelling rasp of cicadas.
If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d head straight to Christophe Sauvat and fill my battered leather backpack with all his summer wonders…summer dresses to float in..
Summer tops to laugh in (a glass of rose in one hand, a good book in another…)
And shoes to die for.
We’d pile into the car, fill the petrol tank to brimming and head for the coast…
And keep driving to the sun..through France, stopping wherever to indulge in gastronomic delights to tantalise the tastebuds..or just to admire the view.
Then on to Italy, to visit friends and wrap them up with us in our hedonistic cloud..nostalgic for the past..loving the present.
Before heading to Greece, to pitch a tent and live a completely free few months, brown, barefoot and under the stars, knowing that the best things in life are the simplest.
A girl can dream…
Laters, Kate
Sun Rocking..
If you’re wanting to uncover your inner Bond girl this summer, Australian label Duskii – designed for swimmers, surfers, divers, sailors and beautiful beach babes – maybe just the one for you..
(This style plus others are on sale NOW at Net-a-porter..)
(Unfortunately the perfectly pert buttocks aren’t included)
If you’re liking the neoprene look but not the designer price tag, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel with southbeachofficial.com and their range of bikinis.
They’re not in the same league, but at £28 for a set…it’s hard to go wrong.
If you’ve got it. Flaunt it.
Laters, Kate x
Lemaire x
Who can say no to effortless, elegant Parisian chic?
Lemaire is a collective led by Paris-based uber pair Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran who appear to feed off style instead of calories.
Their aim is exceptional everyday clothing heavily influenced by the atmospheric, historical, heady, cosmopolitan mix of Paris.
Expect deceptively simple pieces in modest, natural materials, updated to modern with a different kick and swing. It’s a palette that oozes cool from catwalk to couch.
There’s a sophisticated allure that’s hard to define.
It’s full of evocative elegance with the sense of languid air, white wine spirtzers and hazy, long days watching the world walk by.
(All pics from Lemaire)
Impossible to resist, undeniably covetable…
Laters, Kate x
Style Steal x
Cashmere: That hint of luxury associated with both sophistication and artisanal cool.
Now there’s a new label on the fashion block – run by a woman, Marielle, and based in London, Wyse London offers refined classics with a modern edge that really sing.
So simple..but check out the cuffs.
…And the elbow patches..
Or this take on a slouchy well-loved sweatshirt..
The beauty is in the cut, the details…and the price..you can fall, and considering the quality..not be caught by it…they range from £130-150.
I want to do this and eat them up.
Laters, Kate x
A Modern Old Soul..
Atlantique Ascoli started with a quest to find the perfect blouse and using an innate confidence in simplicity and with a lightness of touch came up with a genius collection of seven pure white shirts..one for each day of the week. Each had a different hint of vintage and all had the suggestion of a well-run laundry and the smell of hot iron against soft, worn cotton. Now she’s expanding her palette..
The lines still remain classic, pragmatic and lovely..
Non-fussy yet feminine.
Discreetly charming with crisp lines and delicate gathers but there’s more choice in colour and style.
(All pictures from Net-a-porter.com)
It’s the stuff dream wardrobes are made of..the sort of clothes I wish I could cut out and keep. Instead, I can just gulp at the prices, admire the aesthetic and take the inspiration to look at my own wardrobe with new eyes – to see if I actually have 7 days worth of outfits..and for the UK that means 7 for sun..and 7 for rain…and maybe find out where the holes are…
Laters, Kate x
A sense of summer ..
Summer…lazy days, turquoise skies, a sense of freedom so good it can’t be legal…and all this captured in a ring…
It’s the work of Ileana Makri, a native Greek who brings the lilt of a folk song and the suggestion of a mythical tale to her work..but who’s also not afraid to explore the modern symbols of life.
There’s a wit and clarity to her work. You want to wear it for a smokey night on the tiles..or with bare feet and sunkissed hair..
I’ll take the sunkissed hair option every time..
Laters, Kate x
Bags of room..
Another summer 2015 obsession..finding a large, bright yellow shopping tote in soft, malleable leather..the type of bag you fill with all the detritus the sweet summer heralds..sun tan lotion, cotton scarves, umbrellas, sunnies, flip-flops..a picnic to feed the 5,000…a vat of gin..
This one by is top of the picks so far..by Modalu, hand cut and stitched in Somerset by highly skilled artisans it justifies it’s over three hundred pound price tag..but….it’s hard leather..and I can’t justify the expense as I want to change it..but that deep blue interior..mwhahaa!
The inspiration is Anya Hindmarch’s new 2015 sticker bag which is pure giggle and wink.
In homage, I’ve been collecting various patches (do you call them patches??) to make my own.
I just need the bag in a sensible price bracket – why’s it so hard to find a very simple leather bag like this..but in yellow?..you wait..next year the shops will be full of the buggers..until then, the hunt continues..
Laters, Kate x
Self-Portrait x
I’m in the running for a posh frock because sometimes you need an outfit that ramps it up a little for life’s big events. The skill is finding that special something that won’t then die and lie discarded like an unwanted snake skin in the dark recesses of a wardrobe, festering with the pungent smell of a wasted fortune.
Self-Portrait, based in London and led by designer Han Chong lives and breathes those type of slightly exotic pieces..the ones that turn heads but can then be bundled into a suitcase and worn with a pair of battered (as in old, not fried…) flip-flops in the summer sunshine on a sandy beach..
He’s also keen to marry contemporary design with affordable prices, which floats my boat..and his attention to detail is impressive.
(All pics Self-Portrait and Pinterest)
Modern with a fit-for-combat edge, it’s a label that still manages to be feminine, graceful..and most importantly..very desirable..
Laters, Kate x
Life’s a Beach.. x
My personal crush with Lisa Marie Fernandez started last year with her delicious towelling cover-ups. This season she doesn’t disappoint…easy, breezy summer dresses with perfect proportions and edible edging.
There’s more cheeky towelling..
(All Lisa Marie Fernandez pictures from Matches and Net-a-porter)
And the cutest bikini ever..Fernandez manages to walk that sophisticated but essential line between utilitarian and chic…in a fabulous pair of gladiators with no sign of foot-slap or lace louche…
I still love the whole idea of towelling as summer clothes. Why isn’t it more popular? It’s the summer beach dress that’s missing from my wardrobe..that sense of something warm and cuddly to throw on when you’re trying to eek out the last few hours of a perfect summers day, that magical time the dusk starts to draw in and shadows lengthen and a g’n’t tastes especially good..I’ve looked for cheaper brands but there’s very little..unless you’re a child…never thought I’d be jealous of childrens’ clothes…but take away the polka dots and I am.
This is the second year I’ve lusted after the impossible, so this time I have a cunning and devious plan because where there’s a will, there’s a way. Watch this space..
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 