Nautical style and hearts: Duchess of Cambridge visits South Wales

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Get the Duchess of Cambridge‘s South Wales style with this cute Valentine’s themed pink heart scarf from Beulah London: bit.ly/3b9HGyj. Priced at £95, 10% of the profits go towards helping end modern slavery. (Thanks to @labelsforlunchfor this!)

Her dress is from Zara, a past season item. Her coat is called the Bianca, and still available from Hobbs, currently on sale: http://bit.ly/398q2cw. She also carried her ruby red small Darley bag from Mulberry in croc finish, and that item is actually on sale now here: http://bit.ly/3b9NaZH.

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Pleated Leopard Print Skirts: Apparently the Must-Have of January 2020!

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This week, the Duchess of Cambridge began her early years initiative in earnest, at the Ely and Careau Children’s Centre in Cardiff. Part of her ensemble was a Zara leopard print pleated skirt, which was on sale for £9.99, but sold out almost immediately.

If you were after pleated leopard print skirts, though, I have plenty for you! Apparently this is the must-have fashion item of the season, which I had no idea about… And, because it’s so popular, there are skirts in a variety of different price ranges as well, from £34 up to £169!

Leopard Print Skirts

Ralph Lauren Leopard Print Skirts

Black Friday for Royal Watchers! Strathberry and Missoma discounted

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It’s Black Friday time! As usual, some of the Duchesses’ favourite retailers have some great pieces at a discount.

First off, let’s look at Strathberry, home to three bags carried by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. They are:

At Missoma, everything is discounted with the code VIP25 or BF25: check their range out here: http://bit.ly/37D6Bsf. Here are some of the items worn by the royals; the first by Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and the rest by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

 

 

Get Royally Lippy: Charlotte Tilbury Puckers Up For The Crown with Your Lip Service

You’re not surprised to hear that I am an absolute sucker for anything to do with royalty and my favourite makeup brand, are you? When The Crown debuted on Netflix in November 2016, like everyone else I was enchanted by Claire Foy’s charismatic portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. And, like everyone else, I coveted her perfectly gorgeous raspberry-coloured pout. Charlotte Tilbury, queen of the makeup trends, released a limited edition lipstick called The Queen, inspired by HRH and with exactly the kind of rich, deep, raspberry colour I was after.

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The V&A’s new look: Exhibition Road Quarter launch 

A day before its official opening by Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, I was invited along with a handful of journalists to view the reveal of the brand new Exhibition Road entrance to the V&A Museum in London. A project seven years in the making, the new entrance brings the museum right into the bustling heart of Albertopolis, the cultural learning centre envisioned and coaxed to life by Prince Albert.


At the launch, the practical nature of the new entrance was revealed – an increase of visitors numbers from around 1.5 to 4 million per year meant that the current entrance was under strain, and the new Exhibition Road entrance was sorely needed to not only accommodate the influx of guests, but to also consolidate the museum’s place amongst its neighbours.

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FFF’s Fashion Stories: March On!

March is a weird month – it’s still freezing, but the sun is shining… from inside it looks warm enough to frolick coatless in the grass, but when you finally get outside you realise you might just need to add a scarf as well…

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My dieting and workout regime is continuing well – I’ve currently lost a stone and a half, despite all my restaurant reviews… To keep myself motivated I’ve been creating fashion flatlays with some of my old clothes, because I know it’s just a matter of time before they fit me again. This is an old ASOS dress (seen on me here), paired with my beloved Chloe Drew, and a new pair of shoes from ASOS. These were purchased as a pretty good replikate for the Duchess of Cambridge’s Gianvito Rossi Suede d’Orsay Pumps. As of writing, the Penalty pumps are still available in most sizes, for the bargain price of £32!

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Oscar De La Renta Platinum Lamé Cabrina Pumps: Channel Kate’s Style for Less!

On 27 February and 17 March, the Duchess of Cambridge wore some incredible high heels from Oscar De La Renta, with a gorgeous sparkling effect. The shoes are available here. (Sign up for 10% off!)

Platinum Lamé Cabrina Pumps Oscar De La Renta Continue reading

Umbriah3 high heel slip on loafers Nine West, replikate for Tod's fringed leather pumps

Christmas Day Replikate: Fur Scarf and Burgundy Brogues

Replikating Kate’s 2016 Christmas Day outfit…

Hold onto your hats, this is another one of those Kate-fashion posts you didn’t ask for…

On Christmas day 2016, the Duchess of Cambridge and her family attended church near the Middleton family home. Not being royal, or in line to the throne, or important or special in any way, I was lounging around on the sofa eating chocolates at the time, wearing a terrible oversized Christmas jumper. Kate, meanwhile, was wearing a gorgeous ensemble of browns and reds – the perfect festive church-going outfit, which was chic and elegant, as well as thrifty! With her old Hobbs Celeste coat (which I’d never really warmed to), she wore a pretty red faux fur scarf, and accessorized with her red suede Mulberry Bayswater clutch, and her red Tod’s fringed leather pumps. See the wonderful What Kate Wore’s post about the outfit here.

I waited for an ID… And waited… Turns out everyone else was enjoying their Christmas day, while I was obsessively checking and double checking my Twitter feed. So, I decided to try and ID it myself, with my first stop being Really Wild Clothing, which definitely carries similar pieces. Nothing there, and nothing at Helen Moore either… So, I decided to Google ‘red faux fur collar’ and the first result that came up was this listing for an ASOS Faux Fur Mini Slot Through Collar.

ASOS faux fur mini slot through collar as seen on Duchess of Cambridge Christmas Day 2016

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Finally Organised! My Love for Stackers

This might be a familiar problem for some of you: storage. More to the point, intelligent, expandable storage. Until recently, I didn’t think such a thing existed for jewellery. My collection was relegated to fancy boxes and knick-knack trays and spread all over the house. If I wanted a pair of earrings, it was potluck as to whether I’d find them. I actually lost a necklace and a pair of earrings I loved for two years and only just found them, tucked away neatly inside a washbag in a drawer I haven’t been in for a loooong time.

I’ve only started collecting jewellery properly in the last few years. Before then a pair of novelty studs was about as far as I’d go to jazz up an outfit – these days I have some beloved pieces I always wear, and loads of lovely little baubles I wear in rotation. Items like these classic Ulu earrings from Shelley Silversmith are practically irreplaceable as far as I’m concerned – most of my pieces have a story or a meaning to me beyond just going with an outfit, or something that caught my eye in a shop. If you’re spending a lot of money on jewellery, it’s usually an item you obsess over for days, and research thoroughly before buying. So where to store your precious items?

Enter Stackers! I couldn’t believe it took me so long to find this perfect solution for jewellery storage, but since I’ve found it I’ve become obsessed – and it’s really lovely to see my entire collection in one place, too. Just as with your wardrobe, there are classic must-haves with jewellery (pearl bracelet, diamond studs, etc), and trends or styles you may not even have realised you followed until you really step back and take a look at what you keep on buying. Having everything in one place not only helps you organise yourself and stops you losing things, and but it also makes it easier to curate your collection as well.

The great thing about Stackers is that you can house as small or as large a collection as you like, and you can add to it as your collection grows. Because I’m such a hoarder, I knew I had to go for the Supersize (the range is also available in mini and classic), and as everything in my bedroom is white or green, I selected the white with stone interior. Just like a jewellery shop window, my collection is now on display – and doesn’t it look gorgeous?! The range is also available in mink, vanilla, purple, soft pink, black, cream, red, duck egg, and dove grey with either mint, coral and antique rose.

As I get new items, I love to rearrange everything, and since I first purchased my Stackers, I’ve already added to it a couple of times as I’ve unearthed old treasures and bought new ones. In my stack I’ve got the lidded supersize stacker, £39.95 (which also comes in rose gold… ahhh, £41.95!), with a 41 section stacker and an 11 section stacker (both £29.95), which is much deeper – and holds a hidden secret…

 

Inside, you can hide the perfect travel companion – a cute little matching travel box, which you can store ready to use whenever you need it.I asked Stackers if they’d be kind enough to send me the travel box and the 11 section stacker so I could show you how they work – and they were so lovely that they did! Before, when I travelled, I’d tuck my jewellery into makeup bags or zipped sections of my handbag – with earrings getting tangled and strands of necklaces getting all tied up. Then, when I arrived at my destination, there was nowhere to put my things, or a way of checking everything at a glance. Now I have my own travelling jewellery wardrobe, and I love it! I’ve already used it twice – once on my flight to Japan to keep all my pieces safe while I slept (blissfully!), and once on a weekend away with my friends to the country.

I love the fact that while I’m not using it, I can keep it stowed away neatly, and still usefully storing things. The travel case has four small compartments and one large one, with a helpful dividing wall to keep everything separate. The travel box is priced £12.95 in a variety of colours – I won’t be parted with mine!

Check out the Stackers range here, and the supersize collection here.You can see the range of travel boxes here.If you’re finding it all a bit overwhelming, they’ve even made a handy tutorial complete with video here.

You can even purchase home accessories like storage for eyewear, or jewellery wraps, or a handy pocket for the side of your bed, here. I’m currently campaigning for Stackers to release a makeup storage solution – because it’s half as good as their jewellery one, it’ll revolutionise my collection!

Do you have a Stackers collection? Tell me about it in the comments!

 

 

Birthday Fun: Favourites This Week

I love October because it’s got all my favourite things – Halloween, the start of autumn… and my birthday! This year I went to an escape room in my home town before a meal at Mango Thai Tapas – the escape room honestly wasn’t that brilliant, but it did inspire me to try out my own!

My husband got me a beautiful pair of Monica Vinader earrings – as seen on the Duchess of Cambridge (naturally!). They’re my first pair of MV earrings and I absolutely love them – the packaging is gorgeous! (You can find the earrings online here.)

October is also the start of the party season for me – from here on in it’s three months of birthdays, celebrations and family meals. It can be difficult to find something sophisticated and low-effort to keep your guests happy in the time between when they arrive and the start of the festivities, so I was really excited when The Fish Society offered me some sturgeon pâté to try! It’s so handy to keep in the cupboard and bring out as a canapé! I heaped it on crackers with a slice of lemon, and Alastair Blair, founder of The Fish Society suggests serving it on Melba toast with a sliver of dried tomato – or for a luxury touch, some grains of caviar! Find the pâté here and the caviar here – and check out their gift section too for some great ideas for Christmas!

I’ve been spending a few days in London recently, mooning around Jo Malone counters and wishing I could nab one of those gorgeous advent calendars… But, they cost £280 and are sold out – my credit card breathes a sigh of relief!

I’m also still thrilled about the Halloween afternoon tea at Lancaster London – they have regular themed teas throughout the year so don’t worry if you missed out! Find them here (you won’t regret it – the head chef, Ben Purton – is a genius!)

Another tradition at this time of year is to head to Fortnum & Mason to check out their glorious Christmas room… I have to get some of the themed felt decorations; there are so many gorgeous London ones I just need. I mean, how can you resist?!


And while you’re there, go to the basement to check out their glorious food hall – if you pop in late there are some great reductions… let’s just say I came home with some reaaaaaally good ribeye!