Intriguing...

Sorry for the tiny fuzzy photo, but a friend of mine sent this to me the other day and I just had to share it with the world. I'm so excited that I can barely contain my glee! Will Santa be dressed up in a twinset and pearls? Will there be elves in heart-printed platform heels sporting cool slogan tees? There isn't much information provided, but a quick internet search has informed me that not only will she be decorating the windows (eee!) but there will also be all manner of kitsch gifts to buy for oneself - the loved ones may get a look in if they're lucky.

Double take

Remember those amazing Luella hairbands? I completely missed the part of the summer sales where they were reduced to £30 (probably due to reminding myself that that is still an awful lot to spend on hair accessories), but Miss Selfridge has come to the rescue of my designer knock off loving self with this jaw-droppingly similar copy for £6. Right down to the heart shaped button in the centre, its all a girl needs to add a little embellishment that could fool even the keenest Luella fan.

(Yet another) Luella sample sale

Just as I was beginning to believe that a Luella sample sale was a rarity, last week I was faced with the dilemma of a sale that was boasting actually really really huge reductions. I know that every time I go to these I'm faced with the dilemma of reduction + designer vs bank balance, but I seem to always manage to justify the expense in my shopping addled brain.

This time was no different, I went a little mad truth be told, but I walked out with a veritable feast of goodies thanks to blagging my way into the exclusive press morning (yay!). In the cold light of the following day however, only two of the actual purchases are still as attractive as they were whilst surrounded by their brothers and sisters with £25 labels.

My purchases are as follows (for those of you who are interested):

• A coral/ white purse - very pretty, a little large, but I will use it.
• A floral and black striped SS08 blouse (was actually on the runway!) - a little small on the bust...
• A white Gisele bag (above) - Gorgeous soft white leather, have already dealt with the biro mark on the back, and am waiting for the rain to stop to actually wear it.
• The absolute best piece, and the cheapest at £15, a one-of-a-kind batman print hoodie, a sample in the true sense of the word as it was never put into production - amazing!

One-stop Luella

So Luella is now online. I received the email this afternoon and immediately rushed to have a look. It is a veritable feast of Ms Bartley's offerings, with helpful categories like "Psychedelic Wonderland" and "Wonky Factor" which display the beautiful oddities of her collection.

The Brook Street store in a nutshell, a huge amount of her SS09 looks are available to buy, the only exception being the shoes.There's no sale rail option yet, and as expected it is all very expensive, but I'm sure it will draw many an admirer to fork over £400 for a skirt.

One thing I've noticed, as her popularity grows, the clothes are becoming more and more unwearable. She is playing away from classic pieces, a route which many designers are taking at the moment, and dancing right into the hands (and wardrobes) of many a celebutante-come-cool-London-scene-kid. And if her Autumn looks are anything to go by, its going to carry on like this for the forseeable future (Thigh-high golden boots anyone?). But there is no denying that her creations are breathtakingly beautiful, if only to be marveled at and coveted from the pages of a magazine.

Log on, admire and by all means buy the extremely beautiful "Polly" dress (above), but don't expect to find something that lasts more than a season - fashion is fleeting daaarhling, and none so fleeting as Luella.

Guilt-free shopping

Whilst taking a trip down Brick Lane, a friend and I were ushered into a sample sale after a whispering in our ear told us that they were stocking Luella.

Much to my delight, the selection wasn't terribly old and was terribly cheap. Funny really, how when you don't have money, somehow there's always a little to spare for designer wear. Even my boyfriend who rarely understands the significance of such brands gave me the encouragement I needed to spend £30 on a tweed riding jacket - completely guilt free.

Had I spent it on something from Topshop or six things from Primark, that high street guilt would have crept up straight away. But not in this case, that gorgeous piece of Luella is mine and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was the right thing to do. I feel as though I have discovered the meaning of life - did I say life? I meant fashion.

When the high street comes through...

Yes. These Saharas by Topshop do resemble the Luella heels I'm after quite impressively. Vintage inspired and will go with any number of outfits, from tea dresses to jeans. So they don't have the exact colours I wanted, or have cute cut out hearts, but they are definitely a copy that I may have to sink my teeth into...

Irrationally wanting a pair of these...

Oh so cute! There are no other words to describe them really... if i find a spare £280- £320 i'll be popping into Luella very soon...