Category: summer dresses
Dusen Dusen..
I’m heading to Greece today..I can’t wait. The children have already been out for a week and I’ve missed them. I’m in need of a cuddle from my daughter and a cheeky word from my son. I wish I had one of these dresses from Dusen Dusen to travel in..
Fun, and just on the right side of flirty.
Laters, Kate x
Mochi x
There are many kinds of happiness in the world..I’ve just spent an utterly lazy, child-free weekend with the husband that I refuse to regret as I look aghast at the weeks to-do list, slightly lower down that list of love is my passion for beautiful embroidery and textiles..which is all the more ring-starred when it can be married to intelligent, bridging the distance fashion.
Mochi is a brand whose identity lies deep in the love of ancient embroidery and needle craft. It was set up by Palestinian Mochi Ayah Tabai to produce visually stunning, wearable clothes that celebrate world-wide stitching communities.
Handcrafted by local artisans in their own countries, Mochi isn’t a melting pot of ideas but an acknowledgement of what each culture has to offer, from Jaipur, Palestine, Thailand, Uzbekistan to Hungary, all items produced are claimed under their own makers.
A top from Palestine, so easy with a pair of denim shorts.
A summer dress from Jaipur, ideal to dress up or dress down.
Shorts from Uzbekistan.
A crop top and skirt from Thailand.
They appeal to my love of the past, of inherent quality and the deep vein of romanticism I have running though my middle.
It’s a refreshing change from the polyester re-runs of the high street…we can have more, pay less and think we’re clever…or we can just put up our hands and say what we really love.
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
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
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
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
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
So Far..
The plan this sumer is to find the perfect beach dress within a reasonable budget, made with the ravishing timbre of towelling. Apart from the lux offering of Lisa Marie (sigh), this picture above represents the biggest research success so far – it’s called a surf dress – which makes total sense: practical and for a purpose. The downside is that it’s not symmetrical (sadly I’m a sucker for 2 patch pockets or one large, central kangaroo pouch), it’s from Australia and personally, I’d like a longer version. But the price is good: £47.43 plus postage, so if anyone’s interested it comes from here. Now I know these dresses are a genre I’ve looked at other surf dresses, but infuriatingly, they’re either made from fleece, covered in logos or they don’t have the v-neck..and that v-neck is crucial…it’s what stops it from being a sack.
Then I thought: just concentrate on the utilitarian shape – what’s appealing is the boxy shape with the neck-line and the pockets..which is just like a painters or fisherman’s smock…then elongate for a dress.
And they’re pretty totes-amaze just as a summer top..imagine with a pair of cut off denim shorts?..this one is from..wait for it..Amazon! at £27.48..bargain..! The lacing is divine..as is the pocket.
I think they would work..except I can’t find a pattern..
These are my top pattern picks so far..a possibility..
Liking the pouch..worried the shapes not square enough..and it’s a vintage 6-8.
Would ‘A’ work in towelling??
Slowly it’s starting to make sense – it’s good to highlight what you love and want..but it’s still a work in progress..
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
Vita Kin x
I’m a sucker for a boho dress with a folksy feel..the bigger the sleeves, the more intricate the embroidery, the greater my little heart beats.
And Vita Kin with her vyshyvanka dresses hits all the spots.
She’s become an fashion sensation purely through her instagram account, marrying the craft crush of her native Ukraine with artisanal cool and easy, wearable bohemian chic.
It’s a bit like wearing your great-grandmother’s favourite linen (particularly if she was Ukranian) down the street. But the pin tucks are edible, the lengths are to die for with en pointe colours and glorious needlework…and the pockets are perfectly placed.
When asked if she wanted to build a fashion empire Vita Kin is reputed to have replied ‘Of course, not. What I want to do is to lie on the beach on a sunny warm day and sell my creations through Instagram. My terms are 100% payment pre order, a 21-day wait for production, paid shipment, and 2 sizes to choose from. I don’t really care about anything else, I really don’t… I can’t even imagine having a factory or anything like that … I’d rather spend my time thinking of new designs...’ How refreshing.
It’s a high risk way of telling a story – there are many opportunists out there more than ready to jump on the band wagon and copy her designs. But no-one can deny it’s her works that fly out of show rooms and have long waiting lists..it’s rumoured that Matches will have some in in August – but chances are they’re sold already. Sometimes less is more and quality can stand for itself. And why does everything have to result in world domination? Sometimes the greatest power to dazzle is with what is simply there, beautifully done.
I don’t just likey. For me it’s the fire pit of timeless love. Forever…
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 