When my friend told me a new French cafe had opened in town, I had to rush down there as soon as possible to test it out! Boulangerie Victor Hugo (or BVH, if you’re going to be cool about it) is located down town, past the Bargate and just past Zen and La Lupa.
Tag: French Sole
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Mulberry Exotic Tweed Lily and French Sole King Bulldog Opera Slippers
Ever get so obsessed with a pair of shoes that you memorise the item code? Meet French Sole’s AN52 – the King Bulldog Opera Slipper:
These were specially made for London Fashion Week, and as soon as I saw them I fell in love. I love dogs and I love black suede slipper shoes – I practically lived in a pair of studded ones from Topshop two summers ago! However, at £190 I wasn’t in a rush to purchase them, thinking I could wait for a discount code or something similar… Until I realised they were sold out in my size online. So I contacted FS to ask about restocking and was told… NO RESTOCKING!
I was confused – hurt, despondent, depressed… Obsessed. I stalked the page hoping for a return in my size, until eventually I gave up. For about a day. After that, I called customer services to check – one more time – and although they had none in the warehouse, the wonderful person on the other end of the line offered to ring around for me and eventually tracked them down on King’s Road!
From there, they offered to post them out, and the rest, as they say, is history. Personally, I think these are a great alternative to the much-loved Charlotte Olympia kitty flats – which are adorable, but I’ve always been more of a dog person!
As these are my current favourite shoes, I had to pair them with my current favourite bag – the exotic flame tweed large Lily from Mulberry.
Can’t get enough of this bag, it’s truly my favourite and gets a lot of use!I thought the orange and black would be limiting at first, but it actually fits in pretty well with the rest of my wardrobe.
You can find the Bulldog slippers online in limited sizes at French Sole’s site here. The tweed Lily may still be in stock in some of Mulberry’s outlet stores – you can find a list here.
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Bags ‘n’ Shoes: Lamb 1887 Agnes Clutch and Bronze French Sole flats
Yet another new English designer for me – this time, it’s Lamb 1887, which is a reasonably priced label that has been seen on a few celebs (Pippa Middleton, Millie Mackintosh, Diana Vickers etc).
The studded leather clutch comes with rose gold hardware, and a detachable chain.
It also has some cute detailing on the bag, including the Lamb logo:
And another logo on the zip:
The bag is a good size, although because of the flat shape, it’ll be tricky to fit things in that aren’t, well, flat!
I paired it with an older pair of French Sole flats that I picked up from a warehouse sale a few years ago.
The neat thing about these flats are that they’re lined with some faux fur, making them perfect for those days where you want to wear flats but it’s still a bit nippy!
I also thought that the bronze went pretty well with the rose gold and black of the leather. Also, I haven’t had much of a chance to wear these yet, so when I realised there was a bit of a match, I jumped at the chance!
As you can see, my love of chain and leather straps is continuing at a healthy pace – and detachable straps are just so handy for turning an everyday smart bag into an evening clutch bag.
The interior of the bag has a lovely beige suede interior, with a handy zip pocket section for holding your cards or blotting paper and the like!
I purchased the Lamb 1887 Agnes bag from Atterley Road, which is a great retailer with an amazing edit of some great brands – perfect for picking up smart day wear, work wear and the like! You can also purchase it directly from Lamb at their website here. The bag retails for £150 and also comes in beige.
The French Sole shoes are no longer available, but you can visit their website for more in similar styles and colours here.
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Nautical and Nice
It all started with those pointed Dale flats from L.K. Bennett… And then the French Sole nautical collection. And Modalu’s nifty fabric Riviera tote with that amazing navy and white stripe… Pretty soon, I was obsessed with all things nautical, and, well, it was pretty much only a matter of time before this happened:
On the top row we have the aforementioned Modalu tote (£75), and next to that, the Soho grab, also from Modalu (£89). If leather is more your thing, Modalu also do this amazing azure blue Artemis shopper, which is one of my favourite colours this season (£199). L.K. Bennett also have a couple of really cool nautical totes this season – at the end of the top row is the Hoxton canvas tote (£175), and the cool and quirky Lytham St. Anne’s canvas beach bag (£95, one of a series of three) starts off the second row on the left. Save your pennies with the simple chic of this navy striped tote with rope handles from Next (£20), or treat yourself to Kate Spade’s Welcome To Brighton bag (£130). Rounding out the bag selection are two clutches – on the left is L.K. Bennett’s embellished straw Evie clutch (£225), and the right is Kate Spade’s nifty Terrace Drive Abbett clutch (£245).
On to the shoes! On the top row we have French Sole’s red pointed Penelope flats (£180), then L.K. Bennett’s azure Connie espadrille wedges (£160). The L.K. Bennett team are mad for gosgrain this season, because they have several offerings that make use of the striped ribbon in a variety of colours – each of my selections is available in various bold striped patterns. Next to that on the end of the top row of three is another nifty pair of French Sole flats, Henriettas with a rope pattern that dances across the toes (£160). On the bottom row on the left are a pair of slingback pointed toe flats from Next (£26), another pair of simpler Henriettas from French Sole – I couldn’t resist the rope bow! – (£150), and then a peep-toe espadrille wedge from Next (£34). Finally, a Marlene block heel sandal from L.K. Bennett (£175), and those shoes that started it all, the Dale pointed toe flats, from L.K. Bennett (£150) – available in navy and white, azure and white, and raspberry and white, and all in that gosgrain finish I love so much!
Do you like to channel a bit of nautical style in your wardrobe come the sunnier seasons? Without doubt, nautical style is always in fashion during spring and summer, and I’m a sucker for it every time! Considering that it always makes an appearance on the shelves, it’s a smart investment to pick up a few nautical accessories to mix and match – you’ll probably find you end up using them year after year. Do you have an old favourite you like to bring out?
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Bag ‘n’ Shoes: St Patrick’s Day edition – French Sole and Mulberry
Happy St. Patrick’s day everyone! I don’t usually get into the swing of this celebration (my Irish heritage is non-existent, sadly!), but it was the perfect opportunity to break out two of my favourite items!
You all know I have an obsession with Mulberry and French Sole, so it seems pretty fitting that I have a pair of shoes and bag from these two companies that match pretty well, and are perfect for the celebrations!
I absolutely adore the velvet ostrich finish on these French Sole flats that I bought on my factory store visit last year. So far it’s been too cold to wear them out, but I did manage to bust them out for a relaxed New Year’s Eve party! They’re so comfy, and they look very plush indeed.
And here’s my beautiful emerald green Lily in micrograin calf – absolutely lusted after for over a year and bought in the Harrods’ cardholder sale late 2013. I just love the simple shape of the Lily, and the adjustable strap. (This Lily is still available at Mulberry for £750 here)
It’s a classic shape which means it’ll never go out of fashion – and it can be dressed up or down for any occasion! Did I mention the adjustable strap is awesome? Because it is! I have a massive thing for chain and leather straps at the moment.
Happy St Patrick’s day everyone! Are you dressing up or wearing green today?
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
It may be wet and windy here in the UK this year, but that’s not going to stop me enjoying Valentine’s Day! I hope everyone has a lovely day with people they love – be it friends, family or that special someone!
Today, I’m going to be pairing my favourite French Sole leopard spot flats with my Mulberry Valentine’s clutch, with a slick of Dior 999 on my lips and fingernails, wafting on a cloud of Jo Malone’s Red Roses (such a beautiful, romantic scent!) and with a box of Prestat choccies waiting for me at home. I’ll be having lunch with my friends and parents, and having dinner with my husband. Can’t think of a better way to spend the day – and, bonus, I’ve already done my exercise and finished reading A Storm of Swords. It doesn’t get any better than this!
What’s your favourite way to spend Valentine’s Day? Any dinner plans? Do share!
Shop the Sales 2013
What with work, socialising and shopping, I’ve barely had time to blog recently – but don’t worry, because that is set to change! Back to regular posting, and back to my weekly bag ‘n’ shoes posts, too!
Meanwhile, here’s a taster of the sales goodies I’ve been hauling in over the past month – some of them are much coveted items whilst others are ‘I-can’t-resist-a-bargain’ impulse purchases…
I have a weakness for glitter, gold and French Sole, so when these Henriettas went in the sale for half price (£60) I couldn’t resist. The navy ones were also on sale for the same price, and I told myself that I was being restrained by not buying both… Then at the weekend, my husband and I happened to go into a French Sole store where they had the navy (bottom left) in my size, so I claimed another pair as a Valentine’s Day present! Just have to wait until February to wear them, but I’ve been taking them out of the box to admire them every so often…
The Mulberry gold dress in the centre was down from £495 to £75 in Bicester Village, and I couldn’t believe the price tag at first. It’s a beautiful shimmery soft gold, very pretty indeed.
Another Bicester bargain, this Alice Temperley scarf was just £22 and has a lovely neutral shade to it.
The dress on the far left is a green wool dress from Cos, which I first saw at the lovely Lilac Pages blog. I love the shape and so I stalked it until it went on sale on Christmas eve. It actually didn’t arrive until early January though!
Another ‘patience is a virtue’ purchase is the Great Plains Palace Wrap coat. I have a picture of this pinned to my noticeboard by my desk and was eagerly awaiting the sale. When it was reduced from £140 to £110, I gave up a little bit, but then it was reduced to half price and I snapped it up immediately!
These Mulberry signature heels are divine, and although I was really after the flats, I consoled myself with the high heels and bought the McQ by Alexander McQueen suede biker flats on the right as well…
The central green Anya Hindmarch clutch is the bargain of the century for me. Originally on sale for £595, I found it at Bicester for £50. It plays ‘Deck The Halls’ and is adorable, but sadly, you can’t even fit a lipstick inside it! I’m happy with spending £50 on it though, it’s very quirky.
Finally, the bottom right purchase was my final and most extravagant. A half price exotic tweed large Lily in flame from the Mulberry outlet store. I saw this bag months ago on a style blog and fell in love. It’s also been carried by Jennifer Lawrence – and who doesn’t love a bit of J-Law in their wardrobe? Anyway, it’s probably my favourite Mulberry bag to date, and I’m thrilled I managed to scoop one up.
So, have you been shopping in the sales? Pick up any bargains? Let me know!
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: French Sole Silver Sparkle Henrietta Flats and Wilbur & Gussie Navy Charlie Clutch
Finally, there’s time to post about last week’s bag and shoes combo (don’t worry, I have a special one lined up for this week!). Again, this continues the saga of the French Sole Factory Shop visit last month (read about it here)!
These are the third pair of my epic haul, and they are very slightly translucent, with a reinforced area around the toes for added strength. The shoes are dotted with gorgeous silver sparkles, and have a muted navy trim. Because they were samples, and had no box, they were actually £20 instead of £25! I paired them with my favourite Wilbur & Gussie clutch (although it has plenty of competition, I LOVE W&G!), the raw navy silk with the beautiful ship fastening! (This style is currently unavailable, but you can browse the Charlie clutch range here.)
Because of the diamantes on the clutch’s ship clasp, and the gold edging, you can match it to silver or gold accessories, which is handy! As you can see, I usually carry it by the strap handle, which allows you to dangle it off one wrist at a jaunty angle…
I love these silver strips on the heel of the flats too.
I also love the way the muted colour scheme creates a really subtle look for the Henriettas – the opaque material is also really unusual and great fun. Although the sparkles work well for the holiday season (indoors, of course!), this kind of look would also be terrific for a balmy summer night too!
The clutch – well, what can I say? The Charlie clutch in gold was carried on tour by the Duchess of Cambridge, and her sister, Pippa, is often spotted with a W&G clutch under her arm. Given my fondness for nautical accents, how could I resist this one – especially when it combines two of my favourite colours, navy and red?!
Related articles
- Pippa’s Christening Accessories Include A Beaded Hat And A Bunny Clasp Clutch (shefinds.com)
- Bag ‘n’ Shoes: French Sole Quilted Red Henrietta Flats and Accessorize Alessandra Satchel (foodfashfit.com)
- Shopping Alert! French / London Sole Factory Shop Visit (foodfashfit.com)
- Bag ‘n’ Shoes: London Sole Leopard Love Heart Flats and Hobbs Lanesley Bag (foodfashfit.com)
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: French Sole Quilted Red Henrietta Flats and Accessorize Alessandra Satchel
The Great French Sole Factory Shop Haul continues – this time, with the incredibly festive looking pair of red Henriettas with white trim! The main body of these flats are quilted, but the toe is nubuck, which makes them look really pretty, but is a bit of a nightmare if you’re going anywhere that’s a bit damp!
However, there’s no denying that white and red seem made for Christmas (thanks, Coca Cola!). And, I paired it with one of my favourite bags, my red Alessandra satchel from Accessorize, which my friend Lisa bought me for my 30th birthday. You can purchase similar bags from Accessorize here: they’re one of my favourite companies!
Attached to it is a little Parazul charm I bought on holiday in the Caribbean. Parazul are one of those companies you see everywhere on a cruise, but at the time there was no way I could drop $100s on a bag, so I bought myself a little charm instead. On the shuttle back to the ship, one of the crew started cooing over my shopping bag, but his face completely dropped when I showed him what I’d actually bought! Still, I like it! And, as well as being a reminder of my holiday, it’s also a nod to my family’s shipbuilding heritage too!
And, finally, my nail varnish is Goldeneye by OPI – in my opinion, the best bright gold varnish for the Christmas season. Perfect if you want to get into the holiday spirit!
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: London Sole Leopard Love Heart Flats and Hobbs Lanesley Bag
Here’s the first reveal of shoes from the epic French Sole factory shop visit I had last week! As you may remember, I came back with a massive haul, so I’m pretty booked up with my plans for these posts for a month and a half! I also hinted that they were very festive in their design, but I have to say, these are probably the least festive of the batch, which is why I decided to wear them first…
I almost didn’t buy these ones, but I couldn’t leave the shop without them in the end! These are from French/London Sole’s spring/summer 2012 collection, specifically, their Valentine’s range. I remember seeing them at the time and thinking they were really pretty. The material is patent olive green leather – which is another reason I busted them out this week – it’s been raining almost every day!
One of my favourite pairs of French Sole shoes are my classic leopard ponyhair flats with red trim, so I had to get another leopard print pair – I would have loved to have had FS on the heart (or even my own initials!) but LS is good enough for me, especially when they were just £25! I paired the shoes with my trusty black Lanesley bag from Hobbs, which is a versatile satchel style bag with a Mulberry-esque postman’s lock, top handle, and cross body strap. It’s my nod to the now sold-out Polly Push Lock Mulberry satchel – which of course, I would love to own, but alas are now rare as hen’s teeth and considerably more expensive!
Ah, monograms! I’d love to have a pair of personalised, monogrammed smoking slippers from French Sole! I’m thinking MS G would look pretty cool! What do you think of monogrammed shoes, or items with logos on them? Dig them, or find them too flashy?
Food, Fashion and Fitness 