Category: Fashion
Stunning Shibori..
(From Fausto Puglisi Resort 2015)
There’s a quiet revolution happening which originally had it’s routes in Japanese culture but for me will always sing of the seventies: Shibori tie dying.. 
(From Fausto Puglisi Resort 2015)
But now it’s far removed from flower garlands and hippy communes and is steadily seeping it’s way onto the catwalk..
(From Fausto Puglisi Resort 2015)
Even Michael Kors Resort 2015 can’t resist..
From MiH jeans who have a particularly fine range this season all in glorious indigos.
But the joy is this is something that anyone can do – especially with inspiration and advice available all over the web:
I love this video..I want to be there and play!
One of the best written tutorials I’ve found is this one from Honestlywtf, making all sorts of shapes and techniques look utterly effortless and astonishingly beautiful..imagine these as individual napkins on a summer table… 
Or doing these techniques on a dark denim shirt with bleach instead of dye?? And I’ve just looked….and Honesltywtf have a tutorial for that as well!
Suddenly I really, really want to get my hands dirty….
Laters, Kate x
Geo-caching..
Ever heard of Geo-caching? Nor had I until a friend mentioned it..it’s an app that basically uses GPS to find treasures hidden by others all across the world (over 2 million and counting). We used it for the first time on our little holiday..First you see a map that marks where the booty lies, then a compass points you in the right direction and counts down the metres to your prize.
The pleasure is it leads you to unexpected places..the journey is half the fun..
Our trail led us to this memorial dedicated to Airmen from World War 1.
You get within 10 feet of the treasure..then you have to start looking..
Success!
Inside was a log book to mark your discovery.
And then you can choose a prize – as long as you’ve got something to put inside as well..we left some dice! Then it’s time to return it to it’s little hidey hole for another explorer to find..
It’s a fabulous way to add an extra spin to a day…any day!
Laters, Kate x
A Cut Above x
How to describe the Lanvin 2015 Resort Collection?…An incredibly seductive grace without a hint of bodycon or skin…
Bows in clever, contrasted black and white that call out and tempt.
Lines that flow and suggest.
Little hints at the past – like this outfit looking as if it has stepped out of Renoir painting dated 2015.
Red, white and black..who would’ve thought they could look so colour-blocked chic..
Now with a flash of dusky pink, like a slice of lemon in the perfect cocktail.
(Those shoes!)
Oh to look like this, striding down the street, ready to take on the world..
(The jacket! And quilted!)
It’s a Collection that strikes a powerful note with a myriad of stories – elegant, super-chic silky illusions..but still always up for a sneaky gauloise behind the bike sheds with smudged bright red lippy and dancing eyes…
Laters, Kate x
The Tooth Fairy x
Up there with Father Christmas is the parental joy of being a tooth fairy: There can’t be many times in your life you’re allowed to flutter about a room to offload and collect your special cargo. Except it’s never as simple as that..particularly when the tooth is accompanied by a secret letter..
Job one: Wait till child is asleep, creep in, sneak letter out from under pillow..
2. Compose response on bits of tissue paper with fancy writing, chuckling at your own cunning and ingenuity..
3. Decide to take it a step further – find leaf from the garden to wrap letter and money in. Seventh heaven! (Husband shakes his head in despair..)
4. Head to bedroom. Move stealthily towards bed.
5. Disaster! Drop tiny letter from leaf somewhere on dark floor near bed.
6. Flee out. Find torch app on mobile phone. Enter bedroom again.
7. On hands and knees eventually find letter under bed, but knock the Furbie next to the bed in excitement of success…it springs to life, dancing and singing.
8. Run to the door with errant Furbie clutched in hands.
9. Wait 30 minutes before returning to complete task.
10. Stupidly leave effing Furbie on own bedside table. Effing Furbie proceeds to wake through the night. Effing Furbie gets thrown down the stairs…
Then a few days later I found this in the garden, under a bush:
It reads..Dear Pretty One, Please may I have a magic necklace so that I can turn myself into a mermaid with a turquoise tail…
Rod, own back…
Laters, Kate x
How Very, Very..
Rachel Comey Resort 2015: She is her own brand. I never thought short sleeve jackets would crawl back into trend, but this is kiss worthy.
Set in an unfinished apartment, this shoot says these clothes work any place, any where.
Managing to combine artisan cool with subtle lyricism, ankle boots with a jumpsuit..a stand-out silhouette with uber-appeal.
Historical references resonate – I recognise these jeans. It’s fresh yet it feels familiar and satisfying, like it’s the next part of an ongoing conversation.
Each out fit is complete with a lust factor in every item right down to the shoes – it would be all to easy to underestimate the power of this.
You want to touch it and see how it moves.
Ultimately, you want to wear it.
Laters, Kate x
Monochrome Magic x
There’s something about a black and white striped pencil skirt (This one from Burberry Porsum)
But then it doesn’t look bad in blue and blue either….
Laters, Kate x
True Love x
The best designers speak in code and invent a creative force to be reckoned with..weaving ideas through every Collection like white silk ribbons through a babies bonnet.
The See by Chloe Resort 2015 is simple with a punch, demanding attention with subtle references and feminine flair.
Is that a Chore coat I spy there?? And the trainers are to die for..the width of the stripes = perfection.
Soft detailing, easy structure..
A geekiness that brightens the eye.
Red, white, and blue for the patriotic…but balanced with coral and black. Cunning.
Like a go faster stripe on a trouser? Why not on an elegant puffed sleeve?
Urban cool and easy living..romancing the margins.
A Collection so smart it makes your head happily spin.
Laters, Kate x
THE RESULTS! x
Pray silence for the Grand Announcement: This vintage lipstick case plus my favourite red lipstick will be travelling off to the talented and amazing Winner of the inaugural Design Your Own Espadrille Competition. The judges found the decision incredibly hard – the competition was fierce and the standard high and many had sleepless nights agonising over their choice…but we do have a result…the design with the most votes was……..drum roll please.…..
No. 4! Which was by………me! So I’m handing it on to the next successful original entry which was…..roll those drums..
No. 5! By the lovely Vasiliki Machaira at Delightfully Peculiar! Huge congrats to you, you are our first ever winner!
To reveal the identities of the other entrants…No. 1 was made by none other than the irrepressible Julie at Vintage Attitude! Who else?!
No 2 was made by…me again!
No.3 was made by the wonderful Amanda at Sew Deputy who I hope has signed up for the next BBC Sewing Bee..
No.6 was made by me, Bella and Charlie.
And No.7 was made by the talented Virginia Romo at virginiaromo.com – I still want to know how you did your design – was it with a bleach pen? But then how did you do the colours??! I think this design got swamped by all the larger photos as the beauty is in the very fine detail…
A Big round of applause and a huge thank you for all those who took part – you are all stars! And congrats and a flowing bottle of champagne to Vasiliki! Now…who’s for a large, cold, bubbly glass?!
Laters, Kate x
Early Summer Flowers x
One of the hardest things I’ve found as a parent is the relentlessness of it – it’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With young children even on a ‘holiday’, unless you have the luxury of child care, there’s no time off – the scenery may change but the demands don’t..in fact they’re exacerbated if you’re by water and they can’t swim..or applying sun tan lotion to a moving target..or cursing the lack of toys as the rain comes down..or wondering where the nearest pharmacy/doctor is..or suffering a hangover with a child bouncing on your head at five in the morning..no matter how beautiful the place there’s still meals to sort, cleaning to do, shoes to find..teeth to brush.
But now that Charlie is five, we seem to be turning that parenting-at-the-rock-face corner. And this holiday sort of proved it.
We wanted to know if we could find a back to basics, out on your bikes type of nostalgic freedom where we could let the kids roam free without a care in the world.
We based ourselves in a little holiday park where cars were banned, where there was an indoor swimming pool (although they still had to be accompanied to swim) a tennis court and a small playground and told them they could come and go as they wanted, even (this was the big one) out of sight…they wandered, made friends, played football, played tennis….and we sat outside in peace and quiet and read!! Unheard of…I finished a whole book!
The truth is modern day parenting has made the world smaller, more tense, less happy till it’s almost no better than pretending to sleep. Really..we don’t need the blister. Which doesn’t mean it’s easy to let go – we’ve all read or seen the horror stories. I just believe we need to do it and we need to do it more – freedom, boredom, security, love and benign neglect is a potent combination.
Which didn’t mean we didn’t do things as a family….we did. We just weren’t permanently chained together….there was room to breathe.
It helped that it was such a comely spot. I’ve rarely seen so many abundant, rampant wild flowers..
With lots to see and do.
Frog spotting..
A true holiday for ALL the family….We’ll be going back for more of the same.
Laters, Kate x
Espadrille Competition – THE ENTRIES! x
I was lured away by summer flowers and a lack of Internet – but what a post to come back to! The first ever Design Your Own Espadrille Competition!! This was a bit like a drive through the dark on an unknown road with no idea where it would lead, but with a trembling hand on my fluttering heart we have a truly wonderful selection of entries and I’m utterly thrilled and delighted! A huge thank you to all who took the time and talent to take part (for now you’ll remain anonymous..but not for long)
So feast your eyes on these beauties..and then vote for your favourite..the choice is yours!
Vote for Number One if you love the quirky and avant garde..
Vote for Number Two if this pair tickle your fancy..
If you l’amour this cheeky little number, vote Number three!
If geometrical design floats your boat, vote Number Four!
Number Five makes your heart beat faster? Vote!
For a splash of neon, vote Six!
And if you think this delicious pair are a cut above the rest – vote Number Seven!
To vote, please name your favourite in the comments below….the winner will be crowned on Wednesday..
Laters, on tenderhooks, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 