Recent Treasures

I love the act of treasure hunting; of collecting new finds – large and small – which make us smile. The arrival (at last) of warmer days and springy loveliness has me instinctively moving outdoors and foraging for flowers, smiles, and twinkly trinkets along the way.

Here are a few of my newest treasures to have found their way into my home: the perfect little blush pink patent bag and creamy bow heels from Mulberry (regular readers will know how I love the brand so) that make me feel instantly more summery when I slip them both on; a new gilded edition of one of my favourite books (the perfect story to read whilst lounging on grassy riverbanks beneath the shade of a tree); a new fragrance (and matching shower gel) that smells like a summer garden in a bottle; Chanel’s shimmery peach sorbet-coloured Frisson for my nails; playful brooches and precious charm necklaces which have already been on high rotation since joining my jewellery box.

Top-Bottom: Mulberry ‘Lily’ bag; Jennifer Loiselle ‘oui’ brooch from Bottica; The Great Gatsby; Philosophy ‘Summer Grace’ perfume; vintage gold present bow brooch (found on ebay), Alex Monroe gold lucky clover charm necklace (a gift from the Clever Boyfriend) and diamond heart necklace from Anjolee; Chanel ‘Frisson’ nail polish; Mulberry bow heels.

What treasures have you been collecting?

Love, Miss B xx

London Fashion Week: Giles Spring/Summer ’12

It’s that time of year again: Fashion Week is rolling into all the fashion capitals and I am so excited to say I’ll again be taking a few days leave from the day job to go to London Fashion Week.*

To get in the spirit of things (ie. sleep deprivation and high heel torture mixed with the thrill of being at the shows beside my fashion heroes), I’ve spent the afternoon looking through all my photos from last season. Which is when I realised that despite having had the privilege to attend all my favourite London shows (Mulberry, Burberry, Erdem, Giles, Mary Katrantzou, Jonathan Saunders and Christopher Kane), I haven’t yet shared any of my photos other than on my Tumblr photo diary, which is just plain selfish of me.

Set in the looming Victorian Gothic Royal Courts of Justice, Giles’ Spring/Summer ’12 show was the kind of spectacle that beautifully blurred the distinction between fashion and theatre. From feathered silk swan lake-print gowns and laser cut silver leather skirts to show-stopping crimson concoctions and brocade ballerina dresses; these were not the kind of clothes you to be worn in any ordinary setting. Oh no, these are clothes that simply yearn to be taken to the sort of grand balls that take place in Versailles and end with fireworks, clothes to be worn to the opera by mavens who live in palatial estates, clothes to make indelible memories in.

We don’t all have the kind of life that warrants a wardrobe this triumphant (one can dream…), but that does not make Giles Deacon’s sartorial tour de force any less wonderful. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve never been one to let reality get in the way of a beautiful vision.

Do you follow Fashion Week? Which shows are you most looking forward to this season?

Love, Miss B xx

* From this Friday 17th – Tuesday 22d, I’ll be attending all my favourite shows on the London scene. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram (iPhone) and Facebook for all my live updates!

London Fashion Week: Day 2

Jonathan Saunders’ pastel Stepford Wives; pretty flippy party dresses at Emilio de la Morena (as Olivia Palermo and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld look on)

After the relative calm of Day 1, Day 2 began with a bang (to be precise, an explosion of sequins) in the form of Ashish’s flower girls. After that, we all squeezed into Julien Macdonald’s tiny salon show on Portland Place (which, as a sumptuous added dimension, had been scented with grapefruit candles), to Jasper Conran (all chic coral separates) and to Emilio de la Morena (where I had to resist the urge to go bouncing up to Olivia Palermo who was sitting beside me at the pre-show reception).

There was no such thing as ‘time for lunch’, so off we raced to Jaeger, House of Holland’s riot of candy pastels (where we got a sneak peak backstage before the show), to John Rocha and to Vivienne Westwood, who this season held the show in the Smithfield Market (I loved that the sounds of market stalls and the smell of fish could literally be smelt on either side of the runway – it made the whole experience feel so very authentically ‘London’). Jonathan Saunders’ pastel prints were the perfect follow-up to his flawless show last season (so much so that they deserve their own post at a later date), while Issa showed a carnival of girls from Ipanema.

Dame Vivienne Westwood skips down the runway with her girls for the finale; embellished silk mesh body-stocking dresses at Julien Macdonald; sequinned flower girls at Ashish.

I can’t wait to show you days 2 and 3 – my favourite days of the whole week.

Love, Miss B xx