LFW: Sophia Webster

I love Sophia Webster shoes. Cute, candy-coloured and a little bit silly, I absolutely adore them. I’m so annoyed with myself that I didn’t go to the sample sale before Christmas. I was super skint and trying to be good. I wish I’d been bad instead.

However, after seeing Sophia’s London Fashion Week presentation, there is no way I’m going to pass up the opportunity next time around. These shoes are incredible and the presentation itself was fabulous, with just a little hint of ghetto fabulous.

Set in a pink palace of a hotel, the 90s R’n’B tunes I was devoted to as a teenager (and still now to be honest) pumped away as girls with hair to their bottoms and the highest of heels adorned with pompoms, floral embroidery and snazzy colours, relaxed in bubble baths, sat about reading on their beds, strutted through corridors and posed in cleaning cupboards.

A beautiful collection of seriously fun shoes, it’s hard to pick which ones I love best. But, I’m a sucker for a bit of fluff, so I’m sure the strappy sandals with pompom detail or those marabou-lined floral booties will be pretty high on the list.

The sun came out today and it couldn’t be better timed for this pretty, colourful collection of must-have shoes.

All pictures Vogue.co.uk

LFW: House of Holland

Bold, bright and right up my street, House of Holland never fails to disappoint and is always one of my favourite shows during London Fashion Week.

Always a fun story to be told behind the collection, this season’s offering was ‘Debauched Debutantes’, so promised a pretty raucous party, and boy, does Henry Holland know how to throw a good one.

Hosted in the Old Sorting Office in London, fallen chandeliers were strewn across the runway and models in rainbow sequins, lipstick motifs, spots and stripes and cute peek-a-boo moments were the girl gang which crashed the party.

Even the ‘quieter’ looks were fabulous. I loved the black cocktail dress with pouffy tulle hem and the silver two-piece was amazing too, and if I’m ever going to wear a bomber jacket, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be a purple one emblazoned with lippy. Failing that, I could always refer to type in fur collared fuchsia coat.

As if I didn’t already, but House of Holland’s show makes me really wanna be in Henry’s gang during AW14!

All pictures from Vogue.co.uk

Christmas Party Outfit

It’s the Reiss Christmas party tomorrow night and here’s what I’m planning to wear. Excuse the fuzzy iPhone pics (I must start using a proper camera).

The Anthropologie dress is a silk organza prom dress shape with a cut-away back and high neck with a HUGE bow to finish things off – I love it.

I’ve decided to carry my little sweetie bag; a cute vintage purse with pink beading I picked up from The Changing Room in Wells.

My favourite part of the outfit though, was my Charlotte Olympia sample sale purchase, which I was pretty chuffed about in a previous post.

I can’t wait to get my glad rags on tomorrow night.

Purple Purchases

This Sunday I went to the Clerkenwell Vintage Fair. I’d wanted to go for absolutely ages (it’s on once a month), but I’ve never made it before now.

So, with a spare Sunday ahead of me, there was only one way to spend it; having a wander and maybe being tempted by something pretty. Housed in Old Finsbury Town Hall (£4 entry), the fair is spread out over three large rooms and also has a cute tea room, if a sugar hit is required.

I mooched about and flicked through the rails of beautiful vintage pieces, but it was a few purple items which eventually caught my eye.

Firstly, these rather snappy Gina court shoes in lavender. They looked barely worn and were priced up at £22, so I slipped them on and success – they fit! The lovely lady offered them to me for £20, so they were mine.

Next, was a perfume bottle I’d noticed on my first trip round the fair. The perfectly round shape appealed to me and so did the violet-hued glass. I thought it would make the perfect Christmas present.

Fairly modern for a vintage fair, this 1960s/70s piece of Caithness glass is something of a collector’s item, so I was chuffed to pick it up for £18. Plus, the lady on this stall offered me a free ticket to next week’s fair at Chelsea Town Hall, and Clerkenwell again in the new year. Vintage stall holders are so nice!

I was feeling happy with my purple purchases when Victoria came to meet me with her gorgeous little puppy, Foxx. Vic bought a beautiful black lace and silk 1920s dress, which we dubbed ‘Twenties Goth’. I think she’ll be sporting this one at Christmas parties (with her many pairs of buckled boots).

So off we trotted to the pub with our vintage buys and a feeling we’d enjoyed a Sunday well-spent.

Hello Kitty

Last weekend I was at home for Wells carnival (an annual event that always warrants a trip back) and went shopping with mum. Whenever we pop into town we hit up the vintage shops on the hunt for goodies and this weekend we came up trumps.

I found a new ‘pet’ for the house in Lost & Found; a cute little pink kitten! Isn’t she lovely? And a bit of a bargain at £8.

Whilst I was at it I came across this vintage Christmas wrapping paper – covered in kitties too. I loved it so much I snapped up two rolls. At £1.50 each, I think it will make the perfect wrapping for kitten-loving Hollie and Hazel’s Christmas presents.

So all-in-all, a weekend of shopping dominated by cute vintage cats. Sounds good to me.

DIY Pink

This summer I finally went pink after a long time debating and extensively pinning to Pinterest. I became a pink lady at Bleach in Dalston and really loved it, but it didn’t last very long (sob). In fact, it was probably only a few washes.

Bleach recently launched hair dyes in Boots, so it seemed like the perfect chance to give it a go at home. Gulp! So, I went for it. Cue rubber gloves.

I haven’t dyed my own hair since I was about 14 when I had a serious obsession with henna and reeeeallllly wanted red hair, so I was a bit nervous, but the whole process was actually pretty stress-free. I shampooed and towel-dried my hair then donned my rubber gloves (in pink) and massaged in the whole bottle.

The towel took a bit of a battering, but the dye is pretty much like pink blamanche, so doesn’t drip. I then just had to wait 15 minutes until I rinsed it out.

The bath looked like a strawberry milkshake as I washed out the dye and I could see that it had tinted my hair, but didn’t look very vibrant.

The colour I had bought was Rose and is intended to be a pale pink and used on very light blonde hair, so I wasn’t expecting dramatic results. Once dried the result was pretty, but not very pink. It had more of a peachy hue which was really cute and washed out pink highlights on my blonder streaks.

When I had it pinked at the salon, the stylist used a darker pink on the tips to give it a stronger colour, but I actually rather like this washed out look. The picture doesn’t show it off brilliantly, but despite the fact my pout is pinker than my hair, it’s sweet – and not bad for a fiver!

Pinkspiration

The constant obsession with pink hair isn’t fading… Here are a few of my fave pinkspiration images from my Pink Ladies Pinterest board.

As you can see, I’m liking them with a blonde vibe!

Giddy Up

I’ve been eyeing up this horsey candlestick from Anthropologie, for a little while now, and decided to go for it this week, when I received a voucher for free delivery.

Unfortunately, my little pony had sold out online, so I trotted down to Regent Street and found my filly in store. That’s free delivery and a little exercise. Tick, tick.

Doesn’t she look sweet?

I noticed she had a chipped hoof, so I asked for a new one, which the store didn’t have, but the lovely sales assistant offered me 10% discount instead. Sold!

So off I went with my new found friend and some Vila Hermanos candles*.

I’ve set her up on my tea trolley (a brilliant charity shop find, which I love), and I think she looks right at home.

What a great way to cheer up a rather dreary Tuesday.

*There’s a cute story behind Vila Hermanos; they supply candles for catholic churches in Spain, and have been producing their 100% natural wax candles in very small batches since 1908. They’re meant to be great quality, so I’ll be interested to see how they burn down – will keep you posted.

My Sample Sale Strike

I’ll admit it, I’m not the most confident sample sale shopper. I like the idea of snaffling a designer bargain, but the reality of all that sartorial argy bargy totally puts me off. It’s exactly the same with sales shopping, I just can’t handle the crowds or the aggression.

However, this week I dug deep, sharpened my elbows and made my way to the Charlotte Olympia sample sale. As a huge fan of her tongue-in-cheek, vintage-inspired shoes I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity, as the £400+ price tag means I can usually only admire from a distance.

After hearing about the sale on their Facebook page, I had my sights set on a pair of signature Kitty flats, or powder pink pom pom heels, or red suede court shoes with parrots in the caged heel (yes!), or a teddy bear handbag… need I go on?!

Although none of the above were actually present at the sale (boo), I didn’t leave empty-handed. Check out these little beauties! Showgirl shoes, for sure, and I love them. What do you think? Not bad for £75.

I’m imagining they’ll look pretty foxy with a pink sequin skirt and bralet top I’ve had my eye on from Topshop, or they’ll instantly pep-up a little black dress, or how about with a pair of cigarette pants or boyfriend jeans (not that I do those, but for the girls that do, it’s a winner).

Most likely to be debuted at the Reiss Christmas party, I hope they’ll serve me well on the dancefloor. They certainly look like they’d perform a pretty impressive hot shoe shuffle.

Crushing On: Tara Starlet

For those of you who know me well, you’ll know I love a vintage frock. Or coat. Or anything really. Especially if it has a late-Fifties/early-Sixties vibe. That’s my steeee.

So, imagine my delight when I stumbled across Tara Starlet, a British fashion brand based in east London, which creates beautiful vintage-inspired clothes from scratch in the UK. Fabulous. Not only is it right up my street, but it’s literally made down the road and is a far cry from the mass-produced clothing found elsewhere on the high street. Tara’s pieces aren’t one-offs, but they’re mighty close.

Although I’d heard of the brand previously, it was only late this summer that I really took notice and ordered myself an outfit, for my lovely friend Sara’s wedding. I opted for the Lucia broderie anglaise full skirt and bralet top in lipstick red – under the suits category (love that it’s referred to as a suit).

Wow, what an outfit. I bloody love it! Admitedly I was nervous. I’m a size 14 girl, so was a bralet top going to be a good idea? Was the world ready for my midriff?! Well, luckily all was ok, as my short body allowed for just a small glimpse of waist to be exposed where the top and skirt met. Phew.

So, after this success, I looked to Tara Starlet again for the new season. I coveted the Girlfriend coat in pink and placed an order the minute it was in stock. Despite its unrivalled cuteness, the coat just didn’t look right on me (gutted), so back it went.

However, I’m not giving up. My next Tara purchase will be the Marina dress in navy and white gingham taffeta, as modelled by Tara at London Fashion Week. This slash neck Fifties-esque frock has a deep low back (super sexy), three-quarter sleeves and a full, puffy skirt. I will wear it with some clashing colours, maybe an embellished angora knit to ramp up the vintage feel, or with a fur draped over my shoulders.

Watch this space… coming to a wardrobe near me very soon.

P.S. Don’t the other wedding belles look beautiful? Especially our blushing bride.