Mary Portas: reshaping the retail landscape
Posted: August 19, 2011 Filed under: bags, easy style, London, retail, shopping the highstreet | Tags: Cinnamon Creative, Clarks, fashion, House of Frasier, Karen Cinnamon, Mary & House of Frasier, Mary Portas, Radley, Whistles 5 Comments »Mary Portas’ new shop at House of Fraser opened yesterday, in the department store’s Oxford Street flagship. The aim is to cover a market that is both obvious and badly served: the over 40s. Inspired by her own frustration with how women of that age group are treated by the industry – they pretty much become invisible – Mary took matters into her own hands. Expect a mix of clothes designed by Mary herself, edits from her favourite High Street brands like Whistles and a handful of collaborations with brands like Clarks and Radley. And it’s the Radley collaboration that has caught my eye.
Compton: a slouchy tassled hobo
Holloway: an easy to carry cross body saddle bag
Gracefield: a boxy grab or shoulder grab
Shopper: a contemporary and functional tote
Mary worked with the British brand on a limited edition handbag collection that comprises four ranges: Compton is a rather trendy tassled hobo, Holloway an easy to carry cross body saddle bag, Gracefield is a boxy classic, and Shopper is a functional tote. Every bag is made of beautiful leather and sports exceptional detailing such as heavy stitching, bombardier piping, oversized zip pulls, and hand woven tassel fringing. Some models are available in goes-with-everything black but I love the more colourful ones. Orange is obviously a colour of strategic importance in this case but I think it will be great to brighten up any outfit, too. There’s also plenty of middleground with brown, blue, teal and cream. The range truely offers something for everyone.
The line is available at ‘Mary & House of Fraser’ on Oxford Street, www.radley.co.uk and the microsite www.houseoffraser.co.uk/MaryPortas. The later happens to be designed by my friend Karen Cinnamon of Cinnamon Creative. She is a very talented graphic designer and branding expert who has worked with New Look, Marks & Spencer, organic clothing line Saf, London Fashion Weekend and many more. With all that retail & fashion experience she was definitely a great choice and I love the final product.
Trends On Friday: She’s a Lady
Posted: July 29, 2011 Filed under: accessories, bags, classics re-imagined, shoes, shopping the highstreet, trends | Tags: Asos, Balmain, Cacharel, fashion, French Sole, Joan Holloway, L'Wren Scott, LK Bennett, Mad Men, Miu Miu, Repetto, Roland Mouret, Stella McCartney, Topshop, Valentino, Zara 2 Comments »
The inspiration: Joan Holloway/Mad Men
Mad Men has finally caught up with us. There has been talk about the show’s influence on fashion ever since it became popular but it wasn’t until this season that the effects were felt on the runway as well. In a way Joan & Co have only been the catalysts. For Henry Holland or Jeremy Scott, there has been a Christopher Kane or Phoebe Philo. Judging from what I’ve seen when I previewed the fall collections and from what starts being delivered to the shops, there is no denying that lady-like dressing is back.
Lady-like. That’s an awful term. But I cannot for the life of me come up with a better description. To me ‘lady-like’ sounds boring and conservative. But believe me when I say that this is in no way true for what’s to come in the autumn. It is, in fact, quite the opposite of the dreaded work section at Warehouse (Sorry, Warehouse! I love you but not that bit.). Or don’t believe me and go see for yourself:
The designer version: Repetto flat €190 at repetto.fr, Cacharel top $295 at lagarconne.com, Balmain belt £499.47 at luisaviaroma.com, Valentino glove $395 at net-a-porter.com, L'Wren Scott bag $5,500 at barneys.com, Miu Miu pump £345 at net-a-porter.com, Stella McCartney coat £1,435 at matchesfashion.com, Roland Mouret dress £1,230 at www.brownsfashion.com
Links for the designer version:
The highstreet version: French Sole flat £90 at asos.com, chain belt £17.99 at zara.com, pussybow blouse £30 at asos.com, glove £20 at topshop.com, city bag £39.99 at zara.com, pump £195 at lkbennett.com, coat £119 at zara.com, dress £46 at topshop.com
Links for the highstreet version:
Out with the Old, In with the New at Zara
Posted: July 5, 2011 Filed under: shopping the highstreet | Tags: asymmetrical hem, capri trousers, coat, fashion, flower blouse, miniskirt, overcoat, sequin, tab sleeves, two-toned sandals, wide-legged trousers, Zara 2 Comments »With the sales well underway, the new collections start flowing into the shops. Zara gets it very right as always. They really are the best highstreet store out there (Sorry Topshop!). Here’s what I liked from their new stuff:
Capri Trousers £19.99, Studio Overcoat £119
Wide-Legged Trousers £49.99, Flower Blouse £25.99
Miniskirt with Sequins £79.99, Top with Asymmetrical Hem £29.99
Blouse with Button Tab Sleeves £25.99, Two-Toned Sandal £49.99
Blouse with Button Tab Sleeves
Summer Sales – ALL SAINTS Edit
Posted: June 24, 2011 Filed under: retail, rock 'n' roll, shoes, shopping the highstreet, summer sale | Tags: Agena, All Saints, Bell, fashion, Kei, Theta Leave a comment »
Agena dress was £65 now £45.50, Bell maxi skirt was £45 now £22.50, Theta heel was £165 now £115.50, Kei dress was £165 now £82.50
A few more updates from me before you run out tomorrow morning to battle it out with the masses. What would I do without All Saints? They just make my little black heart sing. As you might have gathered, I love dark, edgy stuff but I don’t want to look like a teenage goth from Camden High Street either. All Saints fulfills all this. There’s always a fair amount of draping and black and grey and boots and deconstruction. All for a reasonable price. I love that even when they do colour, they work with tones I can get behind because they are so muted. This time I won’t get into why I like each individual piece that I’ve picked. They all just represent what I like about the brand and generally go very well with my personal aesthetics. That’s all 
Summer Sales – WHISTLES Edit
Posted: June 23, 2011 Filed under: retail, shoes, shopping the highstreet, summer sale | Tags: Adelsha, fashion, Fregene, Gaby, Olivier Theyskens, Rick Owens, Roxanne, See by Chloe, Whistles Leave a comment »
Adelsha military jumper was £85 now £45, Roxanne peplum frill skirt was £125 now £60, Gaby plain rayon jumper was £80 now £40, See by Chloe Fregene open toe was £290 now £190
Right, to cap the day off, let’s see what tickles my fancy at Whistles:
I have yet to meet a military inspired piece of clothing I don’t like and this jumper is no exception. I love the slim cut and the subtle button detail. Perfect for a slightly chilly summer night or indeed a cloudy day. The peplum skirt seems to foreshadow what I think will be another trend for early 2012. Alexander McQueen just showed a collection chock-full of peplum skrits (although theirs are much longer) which should be enough to kick off variations on the theme. The Gaby jumper seems very light and a lovely cover-up for slightly cooler temperatures. The shoes. Hm. I seem to have missed something. Since when does Whistles stock See by Chloe? They’re great. The perfect level of chunkiness. The ankle strap is unusual and interesting. Kind of reminiscent of Rick Owens. I think they’d be nice with Olivier Theyskens’ slouchy trousers and cropped tops.
***Please be patient with those links. Whistles is great, their website is fun but it’s also quite hard to work with.***
Summer Sales – REISS Edit
Posted: June 23, 2011 Filed under: bags, retail, shopping the highstreet, summer sale | Tags: Duke, fashion, Gabby, Python, Reiss 1 Comment »
GABBY over size silk top was £95 now £47, DUKE canvas shoulder bag was £149 now £89, PYTHON mesh tank was £89 now £53
I’m on a roll, people! Churning out posts like nobody’s business. Reiss is another firm favourite of mine and it was almost Zara-difficult to edit down what’s on offer. But ultimately, I ended up loving the following:
The cream and black Gabby top looks light and loose enough to wear in the heat. I’m in New York now where the temperature has dictated what I can and cannot wear for weeks now. It will look laid-back yet put together with denim cut-offs, a straw fedora and gladiator sandals. The canvas bag in the middle of the picture is structured yet looks light and summery. The pink top I’d team up with nude tones to jazz up an otherwise monochromatic outfit which is a major trend this summer.
Summer Sales – ZARA Edit
Posted: June 23, 2011 Filed under: bags, retail, shopping the highstreet, summer sale | Tags: fashion, Ines de la Fressange, Isabel Marant, Zara 1 Comment »
Blouse with neckline bow was £22.99 now £17.99, triangular clutch was £29.99 now £15.99, skinny trousers were £39.99 now £29.99
Finally! The Zara sale has started today. The discounts may not be as great as at other retailers but I always feel you get better design and quality here.
I love this very feminine bow blouse which will be amazing with skinny trousers or a pleated mini-skirt. While I always preferred large bags I recently got into small ones worn across the body. This boxy little number is too cute and similar cobalt blue hues were featured strongly in Resort 2012. If you’re after an Isabel Marant inspired look on a budget, I strongly suggest these skinny trousers. I’m not sure if they are ankle-length or if they’re just rolled up for the photo. In any case, this is how you should wear them to achieve the look. Pair with kitten heels and a little jumper.
Waxed jacket was £79.99 now £59.99, pleated chino trousers were £25.99 now £19.99, velveteen blazer was £79.99 now £69.99
I had a strict 4-pieces-only policy until I got to Zara. It’s just too good and after a lot of back and forth, I finally managed to wiggle it down to six.
Someone once said to me that I have an English upper crust idea of how to dress when in the countryside. That might be true, I just don’t agree with the ‘upper crust’ bit. I do love a well-worn Barbour jacket and classic Hunter wellies. So it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that I picked this waxed jacket at Zara. The red trousers pretty much sum up the silhouette I’ve been enamoured with for quite some time now. Cropped somewhat loose-fitting trousers with booties are one of my go-to outfits. Sometimes I wear the combo with a t-shirt, sometimes with a blazer. Finally, the last item is a blazer with a turned up collar. It reminded me of a picture of Inès de La Fressange (one of my, if not THE, eternal style icons) that I saw recently. She was in New York and was photographed wearing a jacket with a similar collar and looking the epitome of chic. Any style tip I can get from her, I happily take on board!
Unexpectedly, this post went in a decidedly French direction.
Summer Sales – TOPSHOP Edit
Posted: June 22, 2011 Filed under: bags, retail, shopping the highstreet, summer sale | Tags: All Saints, fashion, Hermione de Paula, Reiss, Topshop, Whistles, Zara Leave a comment »
Wrap front shorts was £28 now £15, Black Angel print mesh dress was £220 now £110, black frame punchout bag was £25 now £12
This one will be the last one for today and tomorrow I’ll start with Zara working my way up to mid-range retailers like Reiss, Whistles and All Saints. Anyway, let’s have a look at Topshop:
Brilliant light-weight shorts with an interesting cut. These are still very simple and an absolute steal at £15. The Black Angel dress reminded me of Hermione de Paula who I adore. I’d wear it as a cocktail dress. The bag I chose because I think it’s an interesting take on frame bags. It’s very versatile and could replace your messenger bag if you grow tired of it every now and again.
Summer Sales – WAREHOUSE Edit
Posted: June 22, 2011 Filed under: retail, shopping the highstreet, summer sale, trends | Tags: fashion, florals, flowers, minimalism, stripes, Warehouse, white jacket Leave a comment »
70s suit jacket was £85 now £45, floral shift dress was £50 now £30, asymmetric t-shirt was £50 now £30, stripe column dress was £40 now £10
Looking through more online sales, here’s my Warehouse edit:
My love for white blazers is well documented on this blog. That one seems very clean and classic which makes it a great sales buy. Florals will make a return next spring and we still have all summer ahead of us to wear this dress. Stock up now! Yellow, silky, asymmetric and almost 50% off – what’s not to love? A stripy day dress in a classic silhouette for £10 is hard to beat.
Summer Sales – ASOS Edit
Posted: June 22, 2011 Filed under: retail, shopping the highstreet, summer sale, trends | Tags: Asos, Asos Premium, fashion, Helmut Lang, Olivier Theyskens, peg leg jeans, The Only Son 1 Comment »
ASOS PREMIUM Dress with Front Drape was £80 now £40, The Only Son Panelled Blouse was £125 now £75, ASOS Twist Front Calf Length Jersey Dress was £36 now £15, ASOS Stitch Pleat Panel Peg Leg Jeans was £30 now £20 - all at asos.com
Navigating the sales can be tricky. Swayed by low prices many of us end up items they don’t love and in some cases never wear. The key is to focus on what you want to get. In my opinion staples like t-shirts should be on everyone’s list. It’s the perfect time to fill any gaps in your wardrobe. Is there a trendy piece you’ve been ogling for weeks but the price was a deal breaker? Go for it! Also consider things you will want to wear for seasons to come. Pieces that won’t be out of date come spring. True, we still have about 3 months until we know what designers suggest we will wear next summer. But the pre-collections have just concluded and usually they give a very good clue of what’s to come. In this spirit I have combed through Asos (and a few other retailers) and will reveal my sales picks over the next few days.
My Asos Edit
Asos is vast. It’s taken me ages to go through everything and even longer to wiggle my list down to four choices. But here they are!
The red dress I picked with the pre-collections in mind. One of my observations was that red (along with orange and yellow) will act as an accent colour. Pretty much in the same way as neons do this season. The cut feels very modern and I think this dress will work on many body types.
The blouse for me sums up the existing and ongoing minimalism trend. As this is something the pre-collections featured as well, I think we’re in for another couple of seasons.
This draped dress reminded me of one that I saw at the Helmut Lang preview the other day. Due to its colour it will work nicely throughout autumn and winter. It’s quite thin so you can pile the layers on.
Those jeans! They may appear to be an odd choice but they remind me of one of my favourite designers at the moment: Olivier Theyskens. His clothes usually have a lot of slouch and I love this laid-back silhouette. I saw a jean very similar in colour to this one in his showroom the other day (the cut was not too far off either). His version is suuuuper-soft and luxurious but I think that one is a nice alternative. Pair with Chelsea boots and a cropped jumper!
Stay tuned, more sales to come!
***Oops, looks like I forgot the links last night. I’ve now updated the post with them.***
