Gunwharf Quays is my local shopping outlet, and whilst it doesn’t have as many luxury brands as Bicester, it’s still an amazing place to shop.

If you’re after some Kate Middleton style, it’s also a great place to pick up replikates!

Many of Kate’s favourite shops and brands are here, including L.K. Bennett, Barbour, Hobbs, Jaeger, Ted Baker, Links and Ralph Lauren

I popped in to Gunwharf for a quick pit stop this weekend, and here are some of my finds!

This awesome Ted Baker jacket in silver was a special sample priced at £80. Unfortunately it was a bit creased and didn’t photograph well, but it had a beautiful shape to the back.

Ted Baker is an excellent place to get really gorgeous party dresses or frocks for the races.

Another great outlet is L.K. Bennett. I’ve purchased many a great item in here, including a teal Jude jacket (£60) and a pair of black suede Harper pumps (£115). Highlights today included a black Davina dress (Kate has worn one in teal under her Jetta jacket – like the Jude) for £150, and Sledges in beige, gold and black glitter for £115.

I spent most of my time in Hobbs though – I love the brand and the physical stores, but let’s just say their online service leaves a lot to be desired… But let’s stick with the positive for this post!

There were a few items in here from the current mid season sale, including plenty of items in the same Dalmatian print that Kate wore in Southampton (hers was a collarless coat). The Niamh top was there in blue and white for £28.

There were also trousers, a scarf, and a cardigan (£50).

As the Dalmatian mac that Kate wore is long since sold out, these are great replikating options which use the same print! There are even shoes – the Lexi open toe court for £49 and the Bea ballerina, £35.

My favourite replikate from Hobbs is the Myra wedge, in navy suede (£49).

They also had the mushroom version, which was incredibly tempting!

Hobbs Outlet stores can be found at Bicester, Braintree, Canterbury, Cardiff, Cheshire Oaks, Kildare, Portsmouth, Swindon, Walton-On-Thames and York. Track them down at http://www.hobbs.co.uk.

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Mulberry Exotic Tweed Lily and Mulberry Signature Pumps

February 20, 2014February 22, 20144 Comments

I’m totally in love with my new Mulberry Lily in exotic tweed! I first saw it on a couple of blogs last year and was completely intrigued by its gorgeous orange and black stripes and tweed fabric. So when it appeared in the outlets, I snapped one up!

At the same time, I also couldn’t resist these gorgeous pointed Mulberry signature pumps in the sale!

They came in a hot pink box (my other shoes from previous seasons came in a dark maroon box) and have matching hot pink interiors too!

They also have pretty little gold Mulberry logo studs at the back.

And they also have a fair amount of toe cleavage too…

And I love the gorgeous profile!

One last look at that gorgeous postman’s lock:

Check out Mulberry’s range online at mulberry.com. You can find lists of current outlet stock on the Mulberry subforum at Purse Blog here. If you see anything that takes your fancy, you can phone the factory stores and they can post items to you for £8! (Bicester: 01869 322 822, Shepton Mallet: 01749 340 583, Cheshire Oaks: 0151 356 8904, York: 01904 611 055). Happy shopping!

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: London Sole Leopard Love Heart Flats and Hobbs Lanesley Bag

November 8, 20133 Comments

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?