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!
French Sole Sale A/W 2014
Tag: London Sole
FFF’s Christmas Gift Guide: Christmas Flats
French Sole SS15 Press Day
Last week I was invited to pop along to the French Sole press day for spring / summer 2015, held at the beautiful Brown’s Hotel in London! Needless to say, I was in shoe heaven – kudos to creator Jane Winkworth and her team for creating some fantastic collections for next year. There were three main themes for next year’s French Sole selection, and by far the most feminine and romantic was Floral Daze.
A Month in Pictures: August 2014
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Plaster Pink Mulberry Lily and tokidoki for London Sole Donutella Heart flats
It’s my 400th post, so to celebrate, I thought it was time for a very special edition of bag ‘n’ shoes, featuring two of my favourite brands: Mulberry and French Sole!
Restaurant Review: Boulangerie Victor Hugo Southampton
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.
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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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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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)
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