Category: websites
It’s All in the Name..
Just under a week to go before the school gates once more swing open and a sense of routine returns. Sigh. Just enough time to get feet measured (Charlie – two years younger – is now the same size as Bella..could be fun) and to work out whether I can still squeeze them into their old uniforms without too much amputation et blood shed. The curse of this part of the holidays, as it is every year, is then labelling everything – except I now have a solution: Last year I wrote a post about Stamptastic, the ingenious stamp with the magic ink that works on everything from Clothes to swimming hats to rulers…a year on, and I can confirm that a) it’s brilliant and b) my original stamp is still going strong.
It’s now an essential component in the battle against time versus brains cells and the lost property box.
Laters, Kate 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
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
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
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
Morden Hall Park x
My book club book (due for discussion next week) is H for Hawk, a memoir by author Helen Macdonald about raising a Goshawk in a time of grief. So it was pretty thrilling to go to the Morden Hall Park Country Fayre on Bank Holiday monday to see live birds in action.
Morden Hall Park is a National Trust property right at the end of the Northern line where the river Wandle, the river used by William Morris to power his factory, flows powerfully through.
It’s a place that manages to marry urban and country in seamless unity..and this Fayre was no exception.
A barn owl flying over one of Charlie’s class mates.
Full of people but still far from the Madding crowds, there were salt of the earth stalls like this man, quietly making the most beautiful and realistic flys for fishing.
In the grounds blacksmiths and basket weavers were practising their fine arts.
There was even time to catch bubbles..
With miniature steam trains, ferret racing, dog shows, lots of animals as well as traditional stalls..and not so traditional ones…it was a genuinely great and unexpected day out.
But that’s the nature of Morden Hall Park – they really like to embrace the wild. In July they’re holding a Big Camp weekend with the opportunity to set up an overnight camp in the same field that Lord Nelson tethered his horse whilst he fished in the River Wandle and two days of ranger led activities with dinner cooked on a camp fire and story telling. Just gutted we’ll be away…next time Rodders, next time..
Laters, Kate x
If the Shoe Fits..
There was no transitioning..suddenly London hit spring and we’ve been bathed in sunshine all week. It’s the sort of weather where you want to loll on fresh, green grass and let your voice get weary from talking, not smoking. In honour, I wore my first official pair of summer shoes yesterday – my two year old pair of Swedish Hasbeens, and admittedly the walking was spliced between cycling and chasing the kids on the common..but there were no blisters at the end of the day. Result. But these beauties do need getting used to with their distinctive dry-bone no-give wooden soles – like the best things in life, they need time to wear-in. In Sweden, long before it became a trend, they’d do this by wearing them with socks – it allows the leather to give a little extra whilst avoiding the rubbing…and you can’t find a nicer pair of socks than these at Free People.
It takes it away from the Japanese school girl look and gives it back to nature and folk dancing..a technical and aesthetic tour de force.
Laters, Kate x
Doll Face x
I saw this first on a friend’s Facebook page (thanks Sarah Dezille) and found it incredible on so many different levels. These are the Tree Change Dolls – face-overs given to unwanted Bratz dolls by the artist Sonia Singh from Australia. Using simple nail polish remover and eucalyptus oil, she removes the original paint..and re-paints new faces. The dolls are then re-dressed in outfits handmade by her mother, transformed from something ready to be thrown away..to a true Cinderella moment…it boggles the mind to think they once even shared the same gene-pool..
Sonia was just doing this for fun..then she uploaded a few pictures on her dolls to Tumblr..and the effect went viral..
It’s not surprising..she’s created something so simple, so innocent..and for me, captured something utterly nostalgic and precious. Inadvertently her dolls have opened up the debate on the sexualisation of children and the increasing speed with which they now grow up. For me it’s less about that – I wouldn’t tell Bella not to play with a Bratz doll. But I love how something so simple can radiate an even stronger power: After years of drink, drugs and bad hair extensions, these Bratz have a new lease of life away from their whirling, high-energy, high-pressure existence and are now embracing and thriving in the type of life I’d like for my kids..
And there’s nothing to stop anyone else from having a go – there’s various Youtube films made by Sonia showing how to do it yourself which I thoroughly recommend..but I rather like her first film, explaining how it all started:
I think they’re wonderful, and hope, over the Easter holidays to create some UK versions with Bella (although I ‘d be perfectly happy just to find a quiet corner and do it by myself…)
Part of the appeal is that the eyes and expressions remind me so much of Sasha dolls from the 60s and 70s. A doll I never had but coveted – my best bud Ella had two! Not only did they have such enigmatic faces, but their wardrobes were to-die-for too..
(I’m sure it was my first experience of the power of clothes..)
It always amazes me how life works in cycles…Tree Change is the old-fashioned calm at the heart of the modern life storm…and I love it!
Laters, Kate x
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Toes..
On Tuesday I went to the rather exclusive Westbury Hotel in Mayfair for the PFLM London Shoe Show where there were all sorts of stands offering tempting delicacies of the sole variety – See by Chloe, Jill Sander, Paco Herrero to name just a few…but there was only one label for me….Claire was there with Air and Grace..and most importantly her new designs, literally hot off the factory floor….Meet Woodstock, the sophisticated over-the-knee boot you’ve only dreamt of (see this post here) complete with block heel, super soft black suede, the perfect elasticated cling and an inspirational, funky fringe running the full, graceful length…pure genius.
(Woodstock will also be available in tantalising tan. I drool…)
The new Coachella’s are also a sight for sore eyes..
The leopard and snakeskin offerings are an exquisitely menacing set of shoes, primed and ready to strut street style..
And the pumps are all ready for the summer sun…the nude and stud combination should be an illegal high…
This was also the first chance to see the new Air & Grace sole..Claire’s trademark feather is now a cunning tread, with the potential for a starring role in any detective drama..
There are so many reasons to be excited about this label: A courageous, talented woman ready to take on the world and prove that art and commerce aren’t mutually exclusive, with a product that’s sassy and stylish and super-intelligently combined with the soft stuff of snug bedding beautifully translated into utter joy for feet…
I can hear mine sighing…
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 