Category: Accessories
London Retro at Glasses Direct
Recently I was approached by Glasses Direct to try out their free home trial service for London Retro – and considering I was already in the market for a new pair of glasses, I jumped at the chance!
Friday Lust List: SW Corkswoon Wedges in Bisque
Any self-respecting Duchess of Cambridge fan like myself should have a clear opinion on two of her most divisive shoe choices: the ubiquitous nude L.K. Bennett Sledges, and the blue suede Corkswoons from Stuart Weitzman. Personally, I love (and own!) both pairs, so when I was idly browsing Stuart Weitzman’s EU site and saw that there were a bisque pair on sale, I jumped at the chance to nab them!
Breton Stripes: A Forever Classic
If you describe your style as classic or preppy, you should have at least one Breton style top in your wardrobe! The Breton top is a classic and has been popular with the fashion set for nearly a century, after Coco Chanel introduced the top to her fashion collection in 1917.
The original, classic Breton top was worn by sailors in the French navy, was introduced in 1858, and was supposed to feature 21 stripes for Napoleon’s 21 victories. The lore surrounding the Breton top also states that the stripes were selected so that a sailor would stand out in the sea if he fell overboard! Breton tops are most classically defined as navy and white, although red and white is fairly usual alternative. These tops have been worn by Audrey Hepburn, Kate Middleton, Marilyn Monroe, Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot, and Alexa Chung, to name but a few. Taking stock of my wardrobe recently, I realised that Breton stripes had become something of an obsession, so I decided to do a post featuring a few of my current favourites!
Friday Lust List: Red Suede Heels from L.K. Bennett
Red suede heels have become a point of obsession for me, and once I decided I wanted a pair, I started to get a serious case of The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon – they kept appearing everywhere, and I found myself pinning, liking and stumbling across dozens of gorgeous outfits featuring them! Then, when I saw a pair on Tatiana’s Instagram, I knew I had to take the plunge!
When I saw these gorgeous Fern heels in ‘salsa’ from L.K. Bennett, I had to snap them up right away, especially considering there was limited stock on the site!
Friday Lust List: Alexander McQueen Reptilia Print De Manta Clutch
I’ve mentioned on this blog before how much I love McQueen’s De Manta clutches, which debuted in his final collection, Plato’s Atlantis in 2010. One of the final items designed by McQueen himself before his death, the python De Manta bag holds a special place in fans’ hearts, and was subsequently difficult to come by. However, thanks to the launch of Savage Beauty (the exhibition of McQueen’s work) at the V&A (going tomorrow, so excited!), the piece has been resurrected once more.
This is where my avid collector’s itch begins to bother me – although there’s absolutely no reason for me to own this clutch, as it’s not my style and doesn’t fit with anything in my wardrobe, I still really want to get my hands on a piece of McQueen history. I’ll have to reluctantly pass on this one, but if you’d like to partake, you can pick it up from the V&A’s own site here (priced £465). They have a whole range of Plato’s Atlantis goodies (in my humble opinion, the De Manta is the crown jewel of the entire range) here, as well as some gorgeous skull pieces here – which, as we know, is one of the things McQueen is most famous for. (I’m resisting the urge to purchase the skull bracelet here, considering I’ve just recently bought new Kate Spade and Stella & Dot bracelets!)
Anyway, I’ll leave you with my two favourite McQ accessories which I’ll be wearing with pride at the exhibition tomorrow – my ocelot print De Manta in twill, and some black suede pointed flats. If you want to find out more about how to see Savage Beauty at the V&A, follow this link for more info, and book tickets here!
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Friday Lust List: Jewellery With a Hint of Game of Thrones
Everyone loves Game of Thrones, right? You know I do! Like The Hunger Games, it’s one of those franchises that captures my imagination and features some amazing food and fashion! It’s always in the back of my mind, so it’s no surprise that when I saw these beautiful pigeon grasp rings from Tessa Metcalfe at London Fashion Weekend, the first thing I thought of was Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons!
French Sole Sale A/W 2014
You guys know my heart belongs to French Sole, right? Every year during the sales I try to play hard to get, but alas, I’m always tempted back in by the bargains. Check them out for yourself here!
Autumn Colours: tartan red and Mulberry gold
An ode to the De Manta Clutch
Ever since I booked my tickets for the McQueen show at the V&A museum next year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what to wear. Yes, it’s shallow on one level, but at the same time, as a fan of McQueen, I feel like it only makes sense to take something from the label with me when I go to view the exhibition – as a sign of respect more than anything. However, I have a couple of pairs of McQueen shoes, a skull scarf, my Swallow bracelet – but no bag. Like many people, I really love the knuckle duster box clutches, and I also have a soft spot for the Heroine bags, but they’re both out of my price range! When browsing through the collections online, though, I came across the gorgeous shape of the De Manta clutch, and decided that it would be the perfect bag to accompany me on my trip!
The De Manta bag made its debut in Alexander McQueen’s final show, Plato’s Atlantis, in spring/summer 2010. The collection was inspired by the concept of mankind returning to the sea following an environmental apocalypse, and many of the most striking designs showcased silk screen snake prints. The python clutch in the top left is one of the final items designed by McQueen, and as such it’s a pretty special piece. The shape of the clutch is unique indeed – it’s inspired by the shape of the manta ray, and the two folded corners are held in place by magnets. To open the clutch, you fold the flaps out and the zip is free to open completely. I just love how simple this is, yet how elegant it looks!
On the right hand side is the ocelot print clutch in twill from 2012, which is much hardier and therefore more fitting with my lifestyle! Perhaps my favourite two clutches are the middle two (all of the final four are current season), which are perfect for spring and summer – the lace/crochet print (yes, that’s a print!) silk bag on the right is sublime, but the floral print bag is the one that really caught my eye. At the bottom, we have on the left a feather print design, and on the right, a patchwork design, both in a heavy black and red which suits a bolder colour scheme! All of these clutches are the large size (there are also ‘mini’ sized De Mantas) and retail at £325. However, I may have located a cheaper, second hand ocelot clutch… More on that if/when it arrives!
What do you think of the De Manta clutch? Which one would you carry? And, do you own any McQueen bags?
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