Visiting London Fashion Week

Hi everyone! This week is of course London Fashion Week , with over 56 catwalk shows and 20  presentations taking place and over 120 UK and International emerging and established designers showing at The Exhibition-certainly this is a very exciting and innovative time for all concerned!

 

Living only 40 minutes away by car or train, I thought I would go get my exhibition pass on Friday, do some people watching and pop into Oxford Street for some shopping too. Yesterday I had been  invited to attend the Bloody Gray designer showcase of film and installation so myself, eldest son and husband drove down and parked up at the Embankment for the afternoon at Somerset House.

 

 

 

I wore a B-Side satin varsity jacket, River island faux leather panelled leggings, black stud boots from PrettyLittleThing.com, thrifted Marks and Spencer black crepe and satin shirt, Chanel handbag

 

 

 

My invite, blogger exhibition pass and my goody bags

 

 

The Bloody Gray interactive digital AW13 presentation is featuring British and International designers. Martina Spetlova, Jane Bowler, Jayne Pierson, Tom Van Der Borght, Bas Kosters and Barbara Alan are showcasing their collections in an interactive digital environment:

 

 

On the first floor in the Portico Rooms was a perfect pitstop to people watch whilst enjoying a glass of champagne!!!

 

It's always great when you see and meet people too-my eldest son Chris the photographer on the left and his good friend,  freelance stylist Rickardo Mattocks-Maxwell were in attendance yesterday.

 

I was beyond pleased to finally meet the wonderful Pearl Westwood  and her lovely friend Lawrence. Pearl is in full attendance at London Fashion Week for TK Maxx and Style etc magazine- you must check out her style blog for the best up to date LFW news, street style shots, shows and 'what Pearl wore'-she continually looks dynamite in her Vivienne Westwood outfits!! 

 

 

For me, London Fashion Week attendance was a lovely experience to people watch, watch the presentation that I'd been invited to, have a leisurely browse and refreshments at Somerset House and generally breath in the fantastic atmosphere of everything going on! I so admire the press, buyers and bloggers who attend all the shows, you certainly need endurance and stamina and it is of course a truly amazing experience to be part of it- I had my little slice which was  more than good enough for me!!

 

I am linking my LFW outfit post to the lovely Patti at Not Dead Yet Style. I hope you all had a great weekend and have a lovely week ahead!

Thrift Inspiration..........Doing it Asprey style

A structured handbag should be a must have for any woman's wardrobe-they add a chic look to any outfit, giving it a more formal air without looking like you've tried too hard.

Asprey's of London was founded in 1781 and they opened their flagship New Bond Street store in 1847. In 1862 it received it's first Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria, swiftly followed by its second one from King Edward VII in 1889.Since then they have produced fine jewellery, leather goods and silver ware to Royalty around the world.

 Asprey received the Queens Award to industry in 1975, celebrating 200 years

In 2006 Asprey celebrated it's 225th Anniversary by receiving it's own Coat of Arms

In May 2012, the company collaborated with Katie Hillier to design a collection exclusively to Asprey and she continues to consult on their current collection for Spring/Summer 2013.

 Featured here is the Morgan Day Handbag in Sapphire Crocodile, a truly stunning bag which is available online for £15,800:

 As you can imagine, completely out of my price range-so was I pleased then to find this lovely vintage Asprey handbag last month for £15,795 less than the one above in a neighbouring town's Sense charity shop:

This one is in a midnight blue and has quite a few compartments too. It's style is fairly similar to the Hermes Kelly bag, another iconic brand which I unfortunately can't afford either!!

Still I do now have a structured vintage handbag to add to my collection and it's style will inevitably stand the trends of time and be wearable for decades to come.

What style of handbag are you hoping to add to your handbag collection this season- will you be wearing a vintage number on your arm or are you looking for something more modern?

Images:Asprey

New Summer Shoe Boots from Topshop!!

Hi everyone! After ordering a pair of Zara beige suede ankle boots online last month that proved to be no good, I was still on the look out for some light coloured boots or shoes that would be perfect for Spring/Summer. Browsing Topshop online a couple of weeks ago, I saw these Grits slingback Western shoes and really wanted to order them, but held back.

When I think of an item on and off following seeing it, I know this is a good sign that I do really want it, so I succumbed and ordered these on Sunday.

They arrived yesterday and they are a perfect hybrid shoe/boot, with the on trend cut out/strap detailing at the back PLUS they are leather PLUS they have studs and PLUS the colour is perfectly Summer!!

I will wear these with all my different style jeans and I've been wanting an off white pair of shoes to go with my Chanel jacket to enable me to wear it more often.

So here are the shoes which I absolutely love:

 Oh did I not mention the cute gold toe cap too? 

I was wary about the heel height as they are 4 inches, but they feel really sturdy and solid on so I have high hopes they will be fine.

What type of shoes or boots are on your radar for this coming Summer season?

ThriftMyStyle Outfit Post....Khaki and red style

 Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend-the weather is still so cold but we have been lucky where I live in that there has been no snow-as yet!! Out and about this weekend I thought I would wear my latest purchase, my khaki camo leopardprint and rose print scarf- mixing my two favourite winter colours of khaki and red. It was only £4 from Primark and is my current favourite scarf-I've worn it a few times already.

I am also wearing my khaki cap by Nobis which was a Christmas present from eldest son, my khaki H&M fur lined parka jacket and my trusty Pavers boots.

As you can see I've added some pops of red to my outfit-my red cross body saddle style bag and my red leather and leopardprint gloves from Marks and Spencer which were bought last Autumn.

As much as I love black I am drawn to adding some colour into my outfits for winter and it's hard to beat red. Khaki is one of my favourite trans-seasonal colours, it is so versatile and stylish in my opinion.

What are your favourite colours for winter?

I am linking this post to the lovely Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for inclusion to her wonderful Visible Monday  posts.

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead!

Swimwear from Sweetpea Swimwear

Hi everyone! I wanted to introduce you to the gorgeous swimwear collection by Sweetpeaswimwear.com, a relatively new company which offers the finest vintage inspired swimwear.

The range aims to capture the essence of elegant bathing on the European Riviera's in the mid 20th century and all the pieces are designed using fabrics sourced directly from France and Spain.

They are the deluxe choice for anyone wanting to project some unique glamour into their bathing this Summer and each piece is made with the finest attention to detail and to the highest quality possible.

With prices starting from £145, these suits are not only unique but offer designer styling that are all made in England too:

Posy swimsuit, £160

Dahlia bikini, £145

Sweetpea swimsuit, £170

Tulip swimsuit, £160

Wishing you a great weekend, keep warm and cosy!!