Lust List: Mulberry Brights

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Let’s play a game. The game is called ‘You Are Enviously Rich’, and the aim is to pretend you can afford anything – anything – from your favourite designer du jour. You may have already played this game, but called it by a different name. Like, ‘Heart Break Lusting’ or ‘Fury Surfing’. Or ‘Green-Eyed With Envy’. Or even ‘Who Can Afford This Stuff, Really?’. It doesn’t matter, I’m sure we all enjoy the game the same…

At the moment, I am still in the grip of my Mulberry fangirl phase – and drooling over the label’s new offerings for A/W 2013. As I am but an apprentice to the Mulberry ways, I am hesitant to make statements with any confidence, but I believe I am in love with two new additions to the Mulberry family. Or at least, I think they’re new – but who can be sure of anything in this crazy world?

Mulberry Brights

How could you pick a favourite between the two of these beauties?

First, let us consider the elegant golden clasp of the Small Suffolk – a well proportioned, comfortably English bag, adorned with no nonsense and frills, but supremely self-assured in its simplicity. Perhaps, one might say, this bag is too simple – but surely, only if one were of the lowest intellect and completely devoid of style. For what this bag lacks in gaudy panache and attention-seeking embellishments, it makes up for with its achingly sublime emerald leather – a colour that shouts more loudly than any extraneous pockets, flaps or straps ever could. The Small Suffolk need not dance for your amusement – you must dance for her, for she is a lady. And she costs £1350. But, for that, she is yours forever.

But, don’t stop there. Observe, if you will, Primrose’s confident curves, and her daring – some might say, overly complex – postman’s lock fastening, which has a hinge. A hinge! Admire her flaming red leather, contrasting elegantly with her gold furniture, and weep. For you know that £1200 for a bag is probably too much. Is it? Is it really too much for this bag? “Yes,” says the bank manager. A tear falls down his cheek. “Yes, my child.” His eyes close, and you both take a moment to mourn… And to wonder when the next Mulberry sale will be. And to maybe do some sums, because surely that’s only £100 a month for a year, which actually sounds pretty reasonable when you’ll be using it every day. EVERY DAY.

And what do bank managers know about fashion, anyway?

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Bicester Village: Chic Shopping at Bargain Prices

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Bicester Village text

One of fashion’s best kept secrets is Bicester Village – a shopper’s paradise located in Oxfordshire. Part of the Chic Outlet Shopping group, the Village is home to luxury brands like La Perla, Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Temperley London, Anya Hindmarch and more – along with high-end high street stores like L.K. Bennett, Hobbs, Ted Baker, Reiss, Links of London, and French Connection. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather spend the day shopping!

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I recently went for a visit as Bicester Village is very conveniently located halfway between my house and my in-laws’ (near Birmingham), so a spot of retail therapy breaks up the trip nicely…

The Village itself is beautifully laid out – a long walkway lined with shops and restaurants, and it’ll take you a couple of hours at least – at a brisk, no-dawdling pace – to see everything. If you’re planning some serious shopping, you’ll probably want to take all day! There are some lovely places to eat – Busaba Eathai, Carluccio’s, Starbucks and Pret A Manger I can all vouch for, while I’m dying to try out Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts, and the Creperie Angelie and Amorino Ice Cream kiosks.

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Strategy is the key for a successful shop at Bicester – make sure you set yourself a budget, although if you’re like me, you may well blow it on some serious bargains. There’s always something new here as the stock changes fairly regularly, and each company has a different policy about what makes its way to the outlet stores, and when.

Needless to say, everyone will be after something different from their visit. I always like to pop into Jimmy Choo (last seen with some wellies on offer for £50!), and to lust after the gorgeous wedding dresses in Temperley. Scarves and clutch bags are the order of the day in Alexander McQueen, and I just love to check out the huge range of beauty products at the Cosmetics Company Store (including Bobbi Brown!). No visit would be complete without checking out the bags at Mulberry or the scarves (and trench coats!) at Burberry, although with some of the high street stores you’ll certainly find items priced at most budgets.

If you’re a massive fan of the Duchess of Cambridge’s style – as I am (could you guess?) – you’ll be pretty pleased to find many of the brands she’s been pictured wearing all in one spot. If you’re ever visiting the UK, you really need to put this on your ‘must-do’ list – there are even luxury coach services from London, as well as regular trains from London and Birmingham. In fact, if you fancy, you could charter a chauffeur service too – check out the options on the site here. (Of course, it goes without saying that driving there is very simple – it’s just off the M40 and A34, and again, if you want to make your trip even more luxurious, Bicester has just the option for you – valet parking!).

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One of my favourite shops to stop in at is L.K. Bennett, and during my trip I noticed the Natalie clutch and the Maddox wedge (heir to the Greta) on sale, and previously other acquaintances of mine have scooped up some coats the Duchess has worn in both Hobbs and Ted Baker. Sadly for me, I already owned the Natalie and the Maddox (yes, in both colours!), but there was plenty to tug at my purse strings on my visit.

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I came away from my trip with a beautiful Fox Charm necklace from Mulberry (£90 reduced from £150), a red purse from Anya Hindmarch (£61 down from £175, I believe – can’t believe I forgot to check!) and a free – FREE – dotty umbrella from Jaeger, courtesy of my loyalty card voucher. I can definitely attest that that’s one scheme worth signing up for! I would have come away with a beautiful deer brown Lily bag from Mulberry (which was just over £400), but let’s just say I’ve been buying too many designer bags recently and people are starting to notice…! (By that, I mean my bank manager specifically.)

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Sunglasses, eBay / Bondi Font Bracket Necklace, Maqaroon / Tangerine Michelle Top, hush / Grey Trousers, Next / Vectra5 Studded Slippers, TopShop / Lanesley Bag, Hobbs / Bloomingdale’s Charm, Bloomingdale’s / Dog Zodiac Bracelet, Mulberry / Lucky Charm Camera Bracelet, Maqaroon

Bicester Village has recently launched a new campaign for autumn called Touch of Chic, which I’ll post about later in the month – in the meantime, make sure you check out the site for Bicester Village at www.bicestervillage.com to find out more about the brands, offers and services available, including travel information and a list of shops!

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If you’re visiting, get there early to get into the big name shops without queuing (these are easy to spot by the velvet ropes outside!). On my visit I arrived promptly at 9am on a Saturday in the school holidays and managed to get into all the shops I was aiming to without having to wait – but by the time I was leaving, just a couple of hours later, the queue were starting to form. Well, good things do come to those who wait, right?

Find Bicester Village at 50 Pringle Drive, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 6WD. You can also give them a ring at +44 (0)1869 366 266. And, check out the visitor information at the site by clicking here.

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Autumn Approaches: Time for Wellies!

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I’m not even going to pretend I’m not excited that summer is over and autumn is on the way! Autumn is easily my favourite time of the year and it always feels like coming home to me. Crisp country walks in the chilly air and bright sunshine, brand new winter coats, the first hints of red and brown leaves… There’s not a lot I don’t love about autumn!

Of course, I love the accessories that come with autumn and winter – hats, scarves, boots – more importantly… Wellington boots! Here are my picks for the most fashionable wellies on the market, for every budget, from Next to Burberry!

We Love Wellies
As you can see, Hunter still really has the market cornered when it comes to luxe rainy-day wear for your feet – but Joules has some amazing offerings. I think the Evedon wellies with the ribbon are my favourites! Do you have a special pair of wellies for splashing about in the puddles?
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Highclere Castle: Home of Downton Abbey

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Last weekend, my folks and a couple of friends and I all piled into a car to head to Highclere Castle, home of Downton Abbey! I actually live just 40 minutes up the road from the location, but it’s so hard to get tickets – we actually booked ours in February. It’s been a loooong wait.

When we got there, it was drizzling, and surrounded by mist – which was very atmospheric, but not very good for photos. Unless you wanted photos of atmospheric drizzle…

Misty mosaic

The neat little folly was called Jackdaws Castle – basically designed to look nice from the castle rather than do anything – it didn’t even have a roof! I didn’t remember it from the show, but my friend recognised it from a scene with Lady Edith and a certain imposter who turned up as a patient at the Abbey during the war…

Misty mosaic 2

Unfortunately, photography is banned inside the castle, so I don’t have any pictures of Countess Grantham’s bedroom or the lovely foyer, but we did have a trip around the gardens I can share with you – by the time finished touring the house and the excellent Egyptian exhibit, it had definitely brightened up!

Gardens mosaic

I definitely recommend going if you’re a fan of the show – for one thing, it’s really neat to see how it all fits together in real life. And who could resist having their photo snapped at Downton Abbey? Not me, that’s for sure!

Downton outfit mosaic

Kitten Cateye sunglasses, ASOS / Blue jumper, Hush / Dog friendship bracelet, Mulberry / Black and copper friendship bracelet, Links of London / Rose gold cherry blossom sweater necklace, C/O Maqaroon

Tickets for Highclere Castle can be purchased in advance from the website here. The summer season is currently sold out, although tickets may be available on the day subject to capacity – best time to try your luck is 2pm. £18 gets you an adult ticket to see the grounds, the Egyptian exhibit, and the castle interior. Tickets for just the grounds are also available at a cheaper price.

If you’d like to see any of my photos in more detail, check out my Flickr set here!

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Wilbur & Gussie: A/W 2013 picks

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My love of Wilbur & Gussie started after I saw a certain Duchess carrying the Charlie Gold Glitter clutch on tour in Malaysia. Of course, I had to nab myself one (with a 10% discount for my first order!) and it wasn’t long that before I knew it, I ended up with a Coco clutch in black velvet with an elephant clasp, and my personal favourite, a Charlie in raw navy silk with a red and gold ship on the fastening. So, I think it’s fair to say I’m a bit of a fan…

With that in mind, I rounded up some of the best bags in Wilbur & Gussie’s current collection – with a nod, of course, to where it all started for me!

Wilbur & Gussie selection A/W 2013
There’s just something about those quirky designs – the clasps, the fabric – that make me love Wilbur & Gussie… And of course, the fact that the name of the company is based on the founders’ (Brett Tyne and Lucy Lyons) pets is just awesome!
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Mapo Dofu Recipe

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Mapo Dofu montage 600

Mapo dofu is one of my favourite Chinese dishes, but if you’re not familiar with authentic Chinese cooking, it might come as a bit of a surprise. Most of the Chinese food we encounter here in the west comes to us by way of the takeaway and local restaurant, where families from the Cantonese region cook their specialities – subtle stir fries, noodles and light soups. However, as you can probably imagine, in a country with millions upon millions of inhabitants, the cuisine actually varies enormously, and this dish is fairly indicative of its origins in the Sichuan province. Sichuan dishes are popular on takeaway menus, that’s true – but although real Sichuan dishes are as spicy as their western namesakes, translated to our soft palettes via the Cantonese migrants, that’s pretty much where the comparison ends.

I can’t say I’m an expert, but I have learned a lot about Sichuan cuisine thanks to Fuchsia Dunlop (namely Sichuan Cooking and Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper). One of the recipes I’ve adopted as a staple is mapo dofu. I’ve tweaked it quite a lot from the original, which incorporates a great deal of oil (which is delicious but sadly far too calorific for me!) so I decided to share the recipe here.

Mapo Dofu text

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mapo dofu has a great, colourful history, which starts with the name itself: ‘ma’ meaning ‘pockmarked’ and ‘po’ meaning ‘old lady’. ‘Dofu’ is another translation for tofu, so the recipe’s name translates to mean ‘pockmarked old lady’s tofu’. Legend has it that this lady, Pockmarked Old Ma, used to make this incredibly spicy dish in her restaurant – and it was so hot that it would make the diners sweat! My version is certainly not that spicy, but the inclusion of Sichuan pepper certainly gives it an interesting feeling in your mouth – this spice is known for its numbing and cooling effect, so if you’ve never tried it before, go cautiously!

This recipe serves two people.

Ingredients text

  • Approx 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
  • 1 block firm tofu (approx 340g)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 200g minced beef or pork
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp chilli bean paste
  • 1 tbsp fermented black beans
  • 250ml chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp water
  • Bunch spring onions
  • White rice to serve

Method text

First of all, prepare the Sichuan peppercorns by roasting them in a pan until fragrant, then grinding in a pestle and mortar, You want to save 1/2 tsp of this powder to sprinkle on the top later. You can skip this and buy ready ground Sichuan pepper if you can get it, but it won’t be as fresh. However, the peppercorns themselves will stay fresh for a long time, and can toasted and ground to order – I always have some in a tin on my fridge!

Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch squares and poach in simmering water gently to give it a silky texture.

Wash and drain your fermented black beans.

Heat the oil in a wok, add the beef or pork and garlic, and stir fry, breaking it up, until the meat has coloured. Now add the chilli bean paste and stir fry for about 30 secs. Add the fermented beans and stir fry for a few more seconds.

Pour in your stock, then add the drained tofu gently so as not to break it up. Add the soy sauce and sugar, then taste for seasonings to see if anything else is needed.

Simmer for 5 mins, and slice the spring onions on a steep diagonal whilst it’s cooking.

Add the cornflour mixture a bit at a time, mixing gently until the sauce thickens to the tofu. You might not need all the mixture to do this.

Put your rice into the bottom of each bowl, the pour the mapo dofu recipe over the top. Sprinkle over the Sichuan pepper and spring onions, and enjoy!

Mapo Dofu mosaic

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In search of… The Perfect Slipper Shoe

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Ever since I saw the debut of Issa’s amazing collaboration with Banana Republic, I was intrigued by the Zebra striped kimono dress – even more so once I saw it in this picture – and with these beautiful shoes! Once it sold out, well… I was even more certain I wanted one!

Luckily, I’ve managed to bag myself one of these dresses (and not by paying scalpers on eBay – a lovely Facebook friend offered to post me a Tall version from the US), so now I just need to track down similar looking shoes. I really love the idea of slipper shoes, and this version with high heels just knocked me for six. I still haven’t found a simple pair of black velvet slipper shoes at a price I like, with the heel height I’m after, but in the meantime, I’ve found some interesting options online…

In Search Of The Perfect Slipper Shoe
Which would you pick?
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Hush picks for A/W 2013

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Hush launched their new A/W 2013 collection today, and in order to celebrate, I thought I’d share my top picks from the new range!

Hush picks for A/W 2013

First of all, I love this Open-Knit Poncho in Cappuccino:

How gorgeous is the sloppy, cosy look of the knit? It’s great that you can throw it on over skinny jeans and still look fabulous and chic, despite putting in minimum effort…

The Dolman Sloppy Joe in Marine shows how great hush are at creating very loose fit styles that still look amazing and flattering on:

I also heartily recommend the Sloppy Joe dresses too – very simple yet so snug! I own one myself in dark grey and I wore the heck out of it last year!

I’ve had my eye on the Felted Wool Dress for a long time, but I suspect it wouldn’t do too well with my skin, which is very sensitive to wool fibres (even cashmere!). However, I adore this beautiful new colour in the style:

It just screams Christmas! It’s also available in black – how about that for a LBD with a difference?

Marine and Burgundy are both big colours for hush this season, and the Heart Stitch Jumper looks amazing in both colourways:

It’s very reminiscent of another one of my favourites last year, the Moss Stitch Jumper Dress, another hush staple that I barely stopped wearing all season.

Hush have also launched two beautiful new shirts for A/W (and I’m a massive fan of my chiffon shirt from the summer sale, so I’m sure I’ll be picking one of these beauties up at some point…). The first is the fairly pricey Classic Silk Shirt in Powder and Black:

They are also offering the collarless Freya Shirt in Powder or Pearl Blue:

This version is a much more affordable £45 (compared to £140 for the silk), and is made of viscose.

I also see some great potential for styling options in the new range of accessories, particularly the Cashmere Leopard Shawl (again, I own a similar, lighter version from a past season which I’ve worn many times), and the Jersey Snoods in Black, Cobalt, Grey Marl, Marine and Shadow (£29.50) – although I wish they did a burgundy too. High on the lust list is the Studded Wrap Bracelet in Pink (or Petrol, both gorgeous!), and of course, you can’t get through winter without a good hat – hush’s Cashmere Berets are classics.

The launch of this range also coincides with the 10th anniversary of hush – and a new look for the company, including a brand new website. All looking very slick, I must say! Happy anniversary hush – here’s to many more to come!

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It bags: then and now

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Stuck on deadline last week, I spent most of my spare seconds thinking about designer bags…

I daren’t speak for all women, but I think it’s fair to say that most fashionistas have at least a few dream bags in their sights that they’d kill to own one day – even if it’s a far off fantasy. For some reason, I started thinking about the bags I used to lust after when I was younger, versus the sort of bags I really love now. It’s not surprising that my taste has changed after all these years!

IT bags
Looking at my list of hallowed It Bags from my youth (well, if eight years ago can really be considered that long ago – I’ve certainly come a long way since!), it seems as though I only really started lusting after designer bags around 2006, which is when the Chloe Paddington reigned supreme and the Fendi B Bag was just launched. I actually ended up buying a Paddington which turned out to be a fake (I’m fairly sure it’s fake but I’ve never authenticated it – if something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t – although it wasn’t that cheap to start with!). I just absolutely loved the padlock closure and the thick chunky leather look of the bag, although I never could decide whether I liked the brown better than the black… The Dior Saddle bag is pretty timeless, although I couldn’t find a good picture of the sort I lusted after, which was the gaucho style distressed version, coated in charms. Designed by John Galliano, the bag certainly isn’t as timeless as it was thought to be at the height of its fame, around 2007, although I’d still make room for it in my collection! The same goes for the Fendi B Bag, which was pretty polarising when it debuted. But I still have a massive soft spot for it, with its huge oversized buckles! Some colourways, such as the one above, really don’t do it for me, as I think the design works better when it’s allowed to speak for itself. Subtle one colour designs really work for the B Bag. Since then, it’s been eclipsed somewhat by the Fendi Spy – not sure why, but I’ve never really fallen in love with that one!Compared to my mid-2000s style, my current style is a lot simpler. It’s certainly evolved into (I like to think, anyway) a more sophisticated and classic look – but I think that’s fairly indicative of the way high fashion is going. I absolutely love Mulberry’s now retired Polly Push Lock bag in midnight and brown leather – the combination of the two is refreshing yet classic, and I love the simple lines of the satchel style bag. I’ll always love a good satchel! My new found love of Mulberry also shows in my selection of the Lily – in particular, this beautiful emerald green colour in micrograin calf skin. The adjustable length of the strap, which can be doubled to make it sorter, or left longer, makes it a versatile bag, and there’s just something about the contrast between the gold furniture and the rich green that makes this combination lustworthy to me! And finally, that old classic, the Chanel 2.55. I used to be the type of girl who couldn’t understand all the fuss over this quilted beauty – to me it seemed old fashioned and a bit twee. But maybe it’s through repeat exposure, maybe it’s just my natural style evolution, but this is one designer bag I would certainly love to own one day – although it seems highly unlikely considering that they sell for £2.5k new at the moment, and not much less second-hand! I guess I’ll have to make do with my Jaeger Kate bag until then…

Do you have a wish-list of It Bags? Has your taste changed over the years? I’d love to know what bags you lust over now, and how you think your style has evolved!

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