The East End Thrift Store

Last weekend the Boy and I decided to give the East End Thrift Store a visit. Its been over a year since we last went and we weren't disappointed. What was once a loft room stuffed with junk is now a showcase of their best vintage finds. Downstairs you can still find amazing bargains for £10 - and if you're looking for a snowman or reindeer intarsia jumper btw this is definitely the place to go - but upstairs is now like an Aladdin's cave of clothing delight.

I tried on that yellow, blue and red jumper and was about 30 seconds away from buying it before shoppers guilt (and my mothers voice) kicked in and I reluctantly put it back on the hanger, so if you were the lucky person who bought it - good on you!

 We then ventured to Brick Lane to have a look in Beyond Retro and some other stores before I declared myself to be 'vintaged-out' much to the Boy's amusement and we headed back west to the more 'modern' world of Topshop. Not before however seeing this bendy bus completely mounted on the curb and making a horrendous mess of trying to reverse.


A good day all round.

Something woolly this way comes

There was something a little different about Savile Row this afternoon. Some crazy person decided that it would be a good idea to lay down some grass and bring sheep to this famous street. Which crazy person I hear you cry? Well that would be HRH Prince Charles. 

He wants us to all use real wool which will apparently help us to look good and save our planet to boot. But eco-postulating aside, it was a novelty to have these beautiful fluffy beings going about their daily business, complete with farmer and sheep dogs.

So buy wool everybody, its warm, wonderful and the Prince of Wales wants us to keep it sheepy.

Keep your eye out for other events in conjunction with National Wool Awareness Week. 

Snow is falling...

Ok, so with the Indian summer that we are supposed to be having this weekend, this jumper seems wildly inappropriate. But with 78 days until Christmas (not that I'm counting) and the promise of yet another freezing winter, I couldn't help smiling to myself when I saw this in Zara today. 


Crazy intarsia jumpers are set to be a big thing this winter (when it finally arrives), or so the magazines tell us and this one is just like nanna would have knitted (not mine, but somebody's I'm sure).


With reindeers and Christmas trees adorning both the front and back of this topper, its set to have a very short shelf life - unless you're into post 25th irony when its February- but for a shopper that is all about the here and now, I think its utterly adorable.


I hope to see everyone wearing something this silly come the end of October and if this one takes your fancy, you can but it here for £29.99


Now get out there and start snow dancing.

Fringe benefits

Its that time of the year again. As soon as it starts to get cold enough to wear hats and snoods and the rain makes my hair frizz uncontrollably I get the urge. So here it is, my annual fringe cut.


I give it six months of bi-weekly hold-your-breath-in-case-they-cut-it-too-short trims before I give it up again to grow it out in time for summer, but for now here it is in all its blunt and thick glory.


Whoopa. 

My first ever Chanel purchase (and a couple of monkeys)

I accompanied my mum to the Cambridge biannual glass fair on Sunday and while she perused the selections by Whitefriars, John Walsh and various other design houses that mean nothing to me, I managed to find a name I recognised amongst the crowd.


A rather lovely gentleman was selling these vintage Chanel bottles for £5 each, but thanks to my charm and sparkling smile(or something like that), he threw in the bigger one for free.


Its not quite a 2.55, but not bad for a first purchase. I can't stand the smell so I've never bought the perfume - also I am fully aware that owning the fragrance does not a designer owner make, otherwise I'd be boasting a selection of Viktor and Rolf, Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier goodies (I wish).


My See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil monkeys are apparently from the 1930s, but as I found them and thier price particularly charming (£4) I decided to add them to my newly created perfume bottle collection.


So far I have three....

Is that roadkill on your head?

Theres nothing better than posing in front of random brick walls in a busy Guildford on a Saturday afternoon. 

Other than feeling a bit silly, I just wanted to share my new purchase with the world. A hat that would make a Russian Tsar proud - Topshop £20.

The rest of my look:

Coat - Borrowed from the boy, Jumper and Shorts- H&M, Necklace - A present from Love From Hetty And Dave (Blog post to follow)

Guess what shoes I was wearing?

Hello New Season

Love.Want.Need

Ashish has gone all Francais on us with his new range for Topshop and created an awesome range of basics - with added ooh la la. (Sorry, couldn't help it) 

This is my personal favourite, comfy, grey (very important)and makes the right kind of statement ('hello'- genius).

£60 www.topshop.com 

Put a hat on it

I have a thing about little hats. I don't own a single one, just the usual beanies and winter warmers, but If I were to get a little perching one, it would certainly be this one. My head is notoriously adverse to head gear, but in order to complete that barbershop quartet look I was clearly going for here, I think that this fabulous topper from My Sugarland should be top of my wishlist.

Photograph courtesy of the fabulous Abi from www.iamabimarvel.wordpress.com

Photo editing by me and the wonderful Picnic and Picasa!

Eltham Palace Art Deco fair

Decided to have a mother daughter day on Sunday and what better way to spend it than going to an Art Deco fair at a gorgeous 1930s mansion. As neither of us could drive (me - no license; mum - bad arm) we threw ourselves upon the mercy of the Bromley bus system and miraculously it came through. 

Two uneventful bus journeys later and we found ourselves at the beautiful Eltham Palace. A settlement that can be dated back to the 1300s and once counted Henry VII as a resident, only the great hall is still present from those times. In its place is a spectacular residence built by some very rich people in the 1930s and boasts an enormous dome, wood panelling and general Art Deco amazingness. No surprise then that they decided to hold the fair there.

After perusing all the (very expensive) offerings, and being stopped from buying some 1940s satin and lace shorts (someone might have died in them according to my mother) we decided to tour the house then finish the afternoon with a spot of cream tea. Lovely.

Top knot... Top not?

My attempt at something kooky, cute and avante garde...

I think it was a mild success, but then again I may be in denial about a monumental fashion fail.

My mum certainly thinks so...

Also here is a quick shot of what I was wearing yesterday. The black velvet blazer is a gift from The Boy's grandmother. Its 1970s Jaeger - I was very excited when she insisted I take it home with me.

Oh and I know I wear those shoes in nearly every photo... but they're so damn comfortable!

Northern Adventure

Hannah Zakari

I can't even begin to describe the amazingness that is Hannah Zakari. I don't remember exactly how I found out about it, but for years now I have found myself regularly logging on to check out the cute as candy merchandise.

This is the perfect got-to place for super kitsch jewellery, playful prints and everything in-between. Originally set up by jewellery designer Rachael Lamb as a platform for independent jewellery makers, there is now a stand alone store in Edinburgh and a revamp of the online shop just around the corner.

Brands to watch include:

• *Michelle Chang* Her tiny silver skulls are amazing, perfect for delicate layering.
• *Cosas Minimas* These fabulous prints have a child-like innocence that makes them utterly adorable.
• *Eclectic Eccentricity* A collection of vintage and contemporary pieces inspired by a love of knick knacks and cute finds.
• *Kate Wilson* Her birdie illustrations won't fail to make you smile.
• *Mary Mary Handmade* Smiling lollies and sloths in sterling silver... Need I say more?
• *Miso Funky* Singlehandedly bringing the art of cross stitch to the twee lovers in the world.
• *Custom Made UK* Cute quirky pieces that pride themselves in being a little different, but completely fabulous.

Once you log on your biggest problem will be deciding how many things you can get away with buying a month!

Check it out here!

Prowling the urban jungle

Meet my Mulberry Faux-Lexa

I thought that it was about time that everyone got to meet my *cough cough* Mulberry Alexa shoulder clutch.

Okay, so for those eagle-eyed Mulberry fans out there you can probably notice the instant fail when it comes to my *almost* perfect copy. Yes - as my sister very kindly pointed out: a) the clasp is too shiny, and more importantly b) lacking that iconic mulberry tree.

I forked over £4o (talked down from £80!) on a rainy night in Thailand and haven't regretted it once. Its real leather, has monogrammed lining, real buckles at the front and even if it wasn't bought for its lookalike qualities is a very chic bag in its own right.

I won't be wearing it into the Mulberry shop any time soon (cringe) but I'm just glad that I've managed to get a piece of the Alexa pie - even if I can't stand its namesake.

Along with my faux-ban clubmasters my counterfeit portfolio is beginning to look a little more impressive.

Check out the real version here.