Category: Style
Jane Birkin and her bag x
Iconic, ironic and rather wonderful…..
Laters, Kate x
Style Icon x
Cooking..
Damn it’s hot. Feverishly hot enough to melt a bottle..or poach an egg in an unsuspecting armpit..really unpleasant.
It’s hard to find anything to wear that doesn’t stick or itch. The best thing would be a large,cool lake or natural swimming pool but unfortunately my wardrobe’s not large enough, neither is my wallet.
I have found these kimono’s ..
They might not cut it on the school run..
(All kimonos from South Beach Official)
But will be perfect with a large hat for wafting on holiday.
And at only £18, they’re a bargain..
Laters, Kate x
Elina Linardaki x
I didn’t go to Glastonbury this year..but if I had, I would’ve worn a pair of these beauties by Elina Linardaki. (Until it rained of course, and then they’d transform into a pair of hunter wellies, because that’s just how magical they are).
I could do with a pair today..last week it was tights and scarves..this week temperatures are set to hit 36 degrees. London in this kind of heat is not good, we seem to specialise in the really heavy, oppressive variety that saps the very life from your bones where 36 on the thermometer feels more like 46. It’s partly because we’re just not equipped to cope..lots of glass, no shutters, no air con, no swimming pools, just a sprinkler in the garden. We have Prize Day at the kids school today and thank God it’s no blazers, but no doubt we will all gently boil.
I’ll be sitting their, quietly sweating away…dreaming of leather gladiators and a beach….
Laters, Kate x
A Green Summer x
Is there a place for fast, wallet-friendly fashion?
Can you really have your cake and eat it?
Monki would certainly like to think so.
There’s nothing in this post that costs over £50.
But this is a Company with principles..their Care Label represents their ideals regarding organic cotton and their better cotton initiative which is to ensure the cotton they buy uses less chemicals, less water and gives the people involved in production more benefits. It also stands for their Code of Conduct, which all their suppliers must comply with, to ensure decent working standards and conditions for the employees of their suppliers. And finally it’s a promise to minimise the impact of fashion, both in production and regarding landfill, by re-using existing materials and re-cycling them into new cotton, polyester and wool.
With designs like these…..it’s cream teas all round..
Laters, kate x
Wool and the Gang x
Wool and the Gang was born to find the best way to produce fashion..namely by hand…your hands..(or if you’re really nervous..someone else’s)
It’s a quirky, sustainable reaction to the fast fashions of our generation that says stop, think..and make something special that lasts whilst reducing stress and improving dexterity.
You can either purchase complete kits to make yourself..or a separate price is given for a ready made item where you can support fellow ‘Gangsta’s’ by buying their handmade pieces.
There’s different levels for various abilities..and options for men, children and the home too…even crochet.
Wool is a favourite yarn, but they also work with fashion factories to repurpose their fashion waste into new yarns to reduce landfill.
Clever eh?
It was founded by three women: Designers Aurelie Popper and Jade Harwood met while studying textile design at Central Saint Martins in London, after which they went onto work at Alexander McQueen and Balmain. Third member is Elisabeith Sabrier, former model, world traveller and yarn lover.
It’s the kind of stuff you you really want to make.
And now there’s no excuse..
Laters, Kate x
So Wright..
The news around the world isn’t great at the moment. Condensed down, the underlying message I’m hearing is that big things don’t work (Didn’t we learn anything from the Romans?). And yet the drive to continually make everything bigger and supposedly better runs deep, because if you don’t…you’re a failure; The economy has to grow, companies have to grow..countries, even religions all want to expand till they become these slow moving bloated beasts that eat up everything in their way, with no joined up thinking except feeding this thirst for size and dominance. It’s a big day for Greece today. I don’t know what the right answer is..I’m not sure there is one, except maybe they should never have joined the EU in the first place. But it seems to me that things are becoming more and more about power plays than people.
Thank God for the whimsy of fashion….and the joy that is Linda V. Wright, former model and fashion editor, born in Texas but oh-so far removed from a rodeo riding stetson toting stereotype.
Now living in Paris and running her own shop, Crimson Cashmere,
She’s a lesson in graceful, chic yet expressive dressing.
Like the world’s best perfumes, she’s layered in classics all with subtle, different flavours.
(All pics from pinterest)
You want to sit down with her at a striped bistro table in a busy Parisian street and ask, is this really all possible? Can life really be this easy? This sassy?
Laters, Kate x
Rogue Brogues..
I’ve never been a smoker – I have an issue with burning money to ruin my health..give me a strong glass of red instead and I’ll down it in one revelling in the knowledge it’s allegedly good for my heart. It’s pretty much the same with high heels..why spend a small fortune on objects of torture that look better on the page than on my feet?
Which begs the question, why heels? – and if they’re so fabulous, why don’t men wear them too? Are we women trying to prove we’re a more advanced gender because we can?…or is the joke really on us…
And then there was Heelgate at Cannes this year (which happened after the festival organisers had announced it had made efforts to address the gender imbalance between male and female directors) where women were turned away from the red carpet for wearing flats. Of course, that there was ever a heel code was swiftly denied. But they can’t deny it happened...(At the next A-lister-red-carpet-celebrity-fest I’d love to see parades of women in Docs and men in stilettos all proudly strutting their stuff) (What’s the chance of that?)
The truth, as it generally does, comes down to choice – if heels rock your world, pray indulge and gorge on the many wonderous designs available. If flats are your thing, then all these from Rogues may well float your boat.
They’re designed by Katie Harland, who wanted a shoe that was both functional and full of character. She describes them as ‘A love child from the colour and comfort of trainers and the craft and credentials of brogues.’
They’re simply built from 3 pieces of leather with a choice of neon laces.
There’s a slight platform sole in white, a low cut on the ankle and a narrower fit at the toe.
They hit that magical sweet spot of being cross-seasonal, wear with anything for any event…including running for a bus.
The only shoes I now possess are those I can dance in. On that basis…who’s hidden my credit card?
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
Me & Em..
I know I have friends for a reason! This site – Me & Em – with it’s tantalising array of lustful towelling, was pointed out to me by the wonderful Galliana D’ovey, High Priestess of Retail Therapy..
The navy one!..hides the stains..and a snip at £58!
The pockets are top banana..
For those with legs like a supple silver birch, they also have retro-inspired shorts and hoody sets..
And most nostalgic of all..a towelling playsuit!
Spoilt..
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 