Remember the big black leather Modalu Dickens tote I bought in the sale earlier in the year? The cute horse head envelope wallet is detachable, so I couldn’t resist taking it out with my suede McQ flats, also from the winter sale!
Tag: tote
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Next Two Part Pointed Flats and Navy and White Striped Shopper
Summer for me is always nautical. I love nautical stuff, as I’m sure you’ve cannily realised from my previous posts. But you don’t have to spend a fortune on trends to get something stylish and practical, and one of my favourite places for affordable fashion is Next!
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Modalu Pippa Grab bag and Mint Velvet taupe suede plimsolls
(EDIT: See the end of my post for international availability on the Mint Velvet shoes!)
Pippa, meet Kate. Kate, meet Pippa. Ah, you’re already acquainted? What a coincidence!
I have to say, before this year, I didn’t take much notice of Pippa Middleton’s style. I really like her columns in Waitrose Magazine, and I enjoyed her book, but her fashion never really made its way onto my radar until I picked up a pretty grey necklace from Accessorize I saw her wearing in a Telegraph piece. From there, it wasn’t too long before I fell in love with the Pippa grab bag in shark from Modalu!
I’d been looking for a replacement for my beloved grey tote bag for a while, since the shoulder strap broke. I never thought a grey tote would be so versatile until I picked it up as a (very poor) replikate of Kate’s grey Tod’s bag. So with mine broken, I was open to alternatives, and as soon as I saw the Pippa bag, I fell in love!
It’s a very handsome and practical bag, and it seems impossible to ever completely fill it up! Plus, all those handy compartments and zips makes organising things a breeze. (We’ve all been there, elbow deep in a bag that’s mysteriously swallowed door keys, right?).
Plus, I love the shell motif on the zipper tags too! The Pippa is currently only available in shark (grey) with silver hardware, so I had to go on eBay to find one with gold.
Anyway, onto my other style influence, Kate, most famous as Pippa’s sister – you might have seen her at Pippa’s debut when she was wearing that fabulous bridesmaid dress. Many people don’t realise this, but Kate was actually the bride. I KNOW! Small world, right?! Anyway, Kate’s been pictured wearing her taupe Mint Velvet plimsolls recently on tour Down Under, and as Mint Velvet have announced they are releasing the shoe again at the beginning of May, I thought I’d do a post about them!
As I’ve mentioned before, my shoe size varies from a 6 (39) to a 7 (40), but I most usually take a 7, so this is the size I ordered. They fit a little snugly, and are narrow in the toe, which is worth mentioning if you’re going to order a pair yourself.
They also have a neat Mint Velvet logo at the base of the heel, which I think is how they were ID’d when Kate first wore them!
I wouldn’t call them my comfiest shoe, especially without socks, but I haven’t really broken them in yet. But they are a very smart pair of shoes if you’re looking for something casual that’s still stylish and somewhat dressy. I also think the grey laces are the final touch that really makes the design feel that much more polished!
And of course, they’re the perfect match for my Pippa bag! Thanks, Middleton sisters!
EDIT: Mint Velvet has been inundated with requests for this item since it first appeared last year (originally priced £79). The company has stated on Facebook that they will be releasing the shoes again in stores and online in the first week of May. Excitingly for international customers, who previously couldn’t order from Mint Velvet, the company has also suggested that they will open facilities for international orders soon. However, you will also be able to order directly from House of Fraser, which offers international shipping to the US, amongst other places. (Read the comments thread on Facebook here for my source on this! You can keep updated about the availability of the Mint Velvet taupe plimsolls here on their website. I don’t have a direct link for the item on House of Fraser yet, but the shoes are likely to appear in this section of the site. You can find House of Fraser’s homepage at http://www.houseoffraser.com/)
Find the Mint Velvet taupe plimsolls, now called Bibi, at Mint Velvet here for £89. For international orders, contact Mint Velvet directly at customercare@mintvelvet.co.uk, or you can wait until they are stocked at House of Fraser: http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/.
The Modalu Pippa grab bag is available in a range of colours on their site here. And, here’s a direct link to the bag in shark, my favourite colour! (Pst – I asked Modalu if they were going to bring back the shark with gold hardware and they told me they were not planning to continue production of the shark colour. So, if it’s a shade you like, bear that in mind!)
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Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Modalu Large Dickens Tote and Russell & Bromley New Dry Boots
The lovely Tatiana from Tatiana’s Delights recently posted a great lead for the Modalu sale on her Facebook page, which prompted me to do a bit of investigation – and a lot of shopping! I had a couple of weekends away looming (one of which I’ll be posting about very soon!) and so I was in the market for a smart leather tote bag which could double as an overnight bag. Enter the large Dickens Tote!
In the sale for a fairly hefty discount (although, sadly not any more), this bag is enormous, but it’s not so comically large that you can’t use it as an everyday bag when you have a lot to carry.
It also comes with this nifty, detachable, horse head clutch, which would be great for storing travel documents! I’ve also detached it to use it as a clutch for evenings – it makes the perfect travel companion for the tote, I have to say!
I paired it with my Russell & Bromley / Aquatalia New Dry wedge boots – as the weather gets warmer I’m going to have to retire these trusty boots with a heavy heart, so I thought I’d get some more use from them while I can!
As I live in leggings and skinny jeans, they fit perfectly in my wardrobe!
Also, you can’t go too far wrong with matching black to black!
I’m also a bit in love with the simple design touches that add a generous dash of luxury to this tote. The horse head envelope clutch and the gold Modalu logo…
And these cute shell motifs which adorn the zipper tags!
What’s not to love? I am definitely incredibly impressed with the customer service, the quality of the product, and the speed of delivery, too.
Inside the tote is one large open space with a zip top, plus an internal zipped pocket and slip cases for a phone and papers. On the back of the tote is another zipped pocket, meaning there’s plenty of room for sectioning off your pills, receipts and other important things!
The Modalu Dickens tote is currently sold out, although here is a Google shopping link in case you can find one online. Visit Modalu’s site for more of their products here.
The Russell & Bromley New Dry wedge boot is currently available in most sizes at their site here for £225.
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Bag ‘n’ Shoes: grey tote and River Island skull flats
If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have already seen these awesome new grey flats I bought from River Island in the ASOS sale – perfect for Halloween! I love the pointed toe – I used to think pointed toes were slightly crazy, but I’ve definitely warmed to the look, provided they’re not too pointed at the tips… If I was mathematical I could probably work out the exact angle that hits my sweet spot, but that was never my strong subject at school…
I decided to pair them with my grey tote bag seen in this post – not very exciting, but it is pretty voluminous and handy for carrying my secret weapon… SLIPPERS! That’s right! When I visit folks I take slippers with me, because that’s just how I roll.
If you are convinced of the awesomeness of these shoes, they are still available in limited sizes at ASOS here.
Food, Fashion and Fitness 