18.11.10

Laptop Luxuries.

After owning my laptop cover (as shown in post; A Maxi Debate) for just over a year, I've decided it's time to find a new one. It turned out to be one of those things where you start looking and three hours later you're still looking, only with a dreamt-up price range and necessity for it. One of my stops brought me to Net A Porter, others were just all over Google or ones I've seen in the past, and I couldn't leave Topshop out could I. My favourite has been saved until last, arguably the least practical yet most innovatively fabulous one. I know some are aimed at Mac's as opposed to laptops, but I struggle when it comes to deciding where to stop in terms of practicality, and occasionally reality.



Skull Print Laptop Case, £250, Alexander McQueen



Mariela Printed Laptop Case, £100, Diane von Furstenberg



Crocodile Laptop Case, £1,715, Nancy Gonzalez



Leather Laptop Case, £250, Smythson



Par Avion Laptop Case, £120, Shuk-Yee



Drew Laptop Sleeve, £295, Mulberry



Laptop Sleeve, £67, Hard Graft



Leopard Print Laptop Case, £20, Topshop



Wooden Laptop Case, £220, Reiner Spehl


16.11.10

Vuitton's Gotten Voluptuous.



I'm in love with Louis Vuitton's latest collection. It is probably the clean crisp lines and feminine materials and shapes. Or any of it. This is the ultimate figure envy for me. It actually brings a little tear to me eye looking through the ad campaign. The voluptuous 'curves-in-all-the-right-places' models are perfect. See? There's no need to go to one extreme or another. 









14.11.10

Trio.

My sister gets the keys to her new house this week so I will be an only child from then on. In an attempt to numb the pain Tom and I went to Utility on Bold Street to pick up some house warming goodies which included this ring pull bottle opener amongst a few other things. Only problem is I now want to keep them all.




This shiny number is new in at Topshop and I'm undecided on them. I like them but I don't think I could wear them if I got them for fear of them losing their shine. Plus I think I would rather them have studs or something on them than the buckle. They are going to have to be tried on, I always know for sure then. Aren't they a bit suave for me?



Whilst perusing the accessories in Topman, I picked belt number one up for Tom costing £14. Whilst perusing the menswear on ASOS, I stumbled across belt number two by Barbour for £30. Spot the difference? Me neither.














Quote That.

"There is always at least one beautiful thing in a house full of ugliness that makes you forget the rest.."

- Manolo Blahnik

This was said in the literal context of aesthetic beauty but I think it can be applied to life in general. So I will do just that, focus on the positives, letting the negatives be outshone.

12.11.10

My Magazine Myriad.





Recently, I've had a stack of magazine's waiting to be read, including Harper's Bazaar, Stella and ASOS magazine. Apologies for the photo's, they're off my Blackberry but moving on my findings are as follows;






If Stella magazine had nothing in it bar the photographs of David Gandy, it would have been too much excitement. As it happens, it contained photos of perfection himself, a few funny pages on 'What Every Man Needs To Know', for example, 'Contact us any way you like. It doesn't matter: phone, text, send a f-ing bird, a helicopter or a scuba diver. Just communicate!' and a few pages raving about the restaurant we ate (and B&B we stayed) at outside London. (See post; You Sound Like You're From Landan.)




This 20's-esque photoshoot is stunning, in a bold yet innocent way. The black and white shots here are my favourite. I always seem to prefer black and white photographs. Life is better in colour - pictures aren't. (Most of the time). Whether or not it achieves what it set out to I am unsure as I am not looking at what is being worn, I am looking past them and/or it is simply not getting my attention.


         

Design trio Aqua are on the up and have created the kind of dresses which make you wish you had an occasion to buy a dress for. These clean cut simple styles are my favourite and with the colours bang on trend and a price that can't be sighed at, there's no question about it really. Next time I'm stressing because I can't find anything to wear I know where to go.








Avril Dress £170, Pouch Pocket Dress £80, Wendy Dress £135, all available from ASOS.
 

ASOS impressed me with their 'Christmas gifts for men' page. My favourites were the Timex watch £65, Barbour hip flask £30 and Barbour rucksack £159 (which is already sold out).








Love Renée’s cover and shoot for this months Harper's Bazaar magazine. In my opinion it's far more dark, chic, mysterious and outright sexy than she's used to. Now, I know she isn't Bridget Jones in real life but she isn't this smouldering vixen either.



 


I can safely say Sarah Burton has created something to be proud of regarding her first collection without the man himself. Whilst it is unmistakably McQueen, it has had a feminine touch added. Most importantly, it is as amazing as it ever was.




Flesh Lace Knuckle Box Clutch, £1,285


To scour the internet and come across a Hermès bag that isn't a Birkin is no mean feat. As a result we have to put up with this poor picture;






Hopefully you'll get the gist that this is a beautiful clutch. Without that clasp it would just be a brown suede bag but it has been converted into something else by the asymmetrical finish created by the fastening. It is a stable door bolt that has been transformed by Hermès into something that couldn't be further from its origin.



I was chuffed to find my latest outfit splurge was Bazaar's 'Catwalk to Closet, Cool Elegance' outfit. It also ticked the box of including their 'trophy blouse' for the season.




Harper's Bazaar's; YSL blouse and Ruffian at Browns skirt = £1,409




Mine; silk blouse, leather skirt and premium heels (all Topshop) = £223


I would possibly accessorise the above outfit with the following gold jewellery;




Spiked Hoops, £25, All Saints.                                          




Two necklaces are vintage, hoops as before.


To top this off I was delighted to discover a few of my products in their 'Beauty Hot 100'. This of course rubbed Crème de la Mer products in my face - not literally of course that would be just fabulous, but in the fact I'm yet to be able to afford such wondrous things.



I wrote this post listening to Rihanna's new album, Loud. Favourites? Tracks 6, 9, 11.

10.11.10

Vintage Chanel.








The above are all vintage Chanel by Susan Caplan at ASOS. There's nothing I can say to make you think any better of them, other than I would. Even though there are some quite girly pieces they have an edge that makes them more versatile than that. For example, the necklace is quite a girly thing in itself, with its bag and hat but it's actually a very long and chunky necklace which isn't obvious from the picture. Have a look for yourself, Vintage Chanel Necklace @ ASOS.



Gold Plate Necklace With Bag And Hat Charm, £1,220
Gold Plated Red And Black Oriental Clip Earrings, £450
Two Way Beige Bag, £1,890

9.11.10

Clutching At Straws.



I thought I'd post to share my disapproval of ASOS' £65 see-through clutch. Ultimately, my bag contains clutter. Organised and obviously necessary clutter, but clutter nonetheless. Therefore, I would not like it on show to the world. Equally, I wouldn't like it on show for security reasons. Why would I want to advertise my phone, money, Audi keys? (I wish on the latter.)

I hate to make hypocritical allowances but I would make an exception for Fendi's gloriously studded edition tipping the scales at just over £3,500.




4.11.10

Fashionable Food.

Few things excite me more than stumbling across a combination of food and fashion. The following have been discovered in dribs and drabs and I feel it's about time they earned their own post. To start, fashionable fast food, courtesy of The Coolhunter. 







These lollipops are by Massimo Gammacurta, to keep hunger pangs at bay? His work consists of far more than these edible treats and is truly awe inspiring.   Massimo Gammacurta

                                           


I've saved my best fashion foodie til last (bearing in mind my unhealthily sweet tooth). Here we have couture cupcakes by stylist Lisa Edsalv and photographer Therese Aldgard , it's almost enough to make you not want to eat them.