Christmas came early thanks to Lanvin x H&M

I was convinced the massive queues outside H&M at Oxford Circus this morning would mean everything would have sold out in minutes, so I wasn't expecting to find anything when I wandered into H&M during my lunch break. Was so pleased to find the pouch which was in my wishlist and bought what appeared to be the last one on the shelf. Happy early Christmas to me! :)

All I want for Christmas (and my birthday)

Interrupting my Puglia memories by compiling a little list of wishes. A girl can dream. :)


Clockwise from top: Tsumori Chisato for Petit Bateau top, Reiss pom pom scarf, The Flavour Thesaurus, pink KitchenAid Artisan Mixer, Lanvin for H&M pouch

That lace skirt from Coffee House

L: As seen in Coffee House. R: On Queen's Wardrobe. Pictures from Dramabeans and Queen's Wardrobe

I've been getting back into Korean dramas recently, and my new favourite is Coffee House. One of the lead characters, played by the gorgeous Park Shi Yeon, has quite an interesting wardrobe. The one that really caught my eye was a casual-feminine mix of T-shirt and pretty lace skirt (above left).

Quite by accident, I was browsing Queen's Wardrobe and came across a very similar lace skirt (above right). I've gleefully ordered it and am now waiting for it to arrive so I can recreate the look.

P.S. I long for these Miu Miu-esque Mary Janes!

iPhone cases

The new iPhone 4. I wants it! Picture from Apple.

Well, I've decided. My next phone is going to be an iPhone. I've already registered my interest, and can't wait to get my hands on it. The next thing to do is of course to find a cute protective case. Uncommon has a collection of great artwork which you can customise to fit your case. I'm really impressed that they've already got cases for iPhone 4 that should be available for order soon. These are some I like:




Horse and boat, Bird, Starfish, The flock, Strawberry, Chirping birds

If you're feeling a little more flush with cash, Grove has a series of bamboo cases which they can laser-cut your preferred design on in 3 different colours of wood.



Top image: Customised case, Bottom: Tree, Birdland, Deer

All I want for Christmas (and my birthday)

The 'wanting things' itch has hit again, and what perfect timing!

1. Magic Mouse, Apple
2. iPhone 3GS, Apple
3. iPhone leather holder, Mulberry
4. Shakoha boots, FitFlop
5. Wool beret, V&A Museum shop
6. Kozyndan posters, V&A Museum shop
7. Teacup & saucer, Esther Coombs

Jeffrey Campbell shoes

I've been reading quite a bit about Jeffrey Campbell shoes on blogs, and was curious about them. Are they really that comfortable? Would love to get a pair to test that out. It's so difficult to find good-looking heels that are comfortable.




All images from SoleStruck.com

Tight for winter

Now that winter's on its way, I've gone a little tights-mad. In the space of 2 weeks, I've bought 3 pairs of tights.

The first pair I bought was these House of Holland for Pretty Polly tights (right) because I liked the over-the-knee sock effect. Also, those little houses? Too cute.

And then serendipitiously, after clicking through the Chanel S/S 2010 slideshow and falling in love with the lace-up-effect on the tights, I came across these Wolfords with a similar look, with the added bonus of ribbon which you can tie around your calf. Of course I had to buy them.

Finally, while browsing online, I came across these beautiful gold Sphinx tights from Bebaroque. On sale too. There was only one option - click and buy.

I know, they're all black. I really should branch out to more colour.

Swarovski USB keys

I went to Paris for a long weekend to catch up with a friend who was there for work, and also of course to eat and participate in les soldes. While there, I came across these squee-worthy Swarovski USB keys. They come in three colours - black, pink and white. The only downside? They don't come cheap: US$180 or 150 euro each. Ouch.

Ruben Toledo for Penguin

I'm always a sucker for prettily illustrated book covers, and will readily admit that there have been times when my choice in buying a book has been led purely by how much I like the cover.

Fashionologie reports that Ruben Toledo has taken on illustrating the covers of 3 classic books for Penguin: Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and The Scarlett Letter. This has gotten me really excited. With the assurance that the covers look fantastic and the stories within are equally fantastic, I've placed my pre-order for Pride & Prejudice (despite already owning the book) and Wuthering Heights on Amazon.

Mulberry to cure grouchiness

Latest purchases from House of Fraser (L): Bayswater tote in metallic silver, (R): Mitzy purse. Pictures from Mulberry and Net-a-porter

Beware going for some retail therapy while grouchy on your lunch break.

Guilty pleasures (while at work)

Michelle Obama's look book, via NY Mag



Pretty pictures with charming captions on It's Pretty Good


Stylish outfit pictures from new blog crush Park & Cube


Online shopping at ASOS. Much time and ££ have been wasted here.
Left: latest dress purchase, Right top and bottom: Want & need - sequinned ipod/camera holder and Steve Madden sandals

A classic trench coat

On the left: double breasted trench coat , on the right: classic double breasted trench

I had some spare time this afternoon, so I wandered into Harrods for some window shopping. I managed to persuade myself that I didn't need another matching set of Calvin Klein underwear, and was smugly leaving the building when I walked by the Burberry concessionaire. On a whim, I tried on the classic double breasted trench (pictured right), and am now in serious love. 

Having always wanted a classic trench coat, am thinking this is probably the best time to buy one, since I actually live in a city that requires some trench coat-wearing. Now that I'm at home, I've been looking through the Burberry website and am completely flummoxed by the variety of choices in trench coats. How on earth does one tell them apart? Case in point with the two coats above, what's the difference?

New accessories love: Uterqüe

All images from the website.

While looking through The Cherry Blossom Girl, I found this link to a new accessories label: Uterqüe, owned by the Inditex group, which also has labels like Zara, Massimo Dutti and Pull & Bear under its stable. The designs seem to be very much in keeping with the Zara / Massimo Dutti style philosophy, and judging by what I can see by the web shots, don't seem to be of shabby quality either. I can't see prices on the site, but am guessing they won't be entirely cheap.

I'm loving almost everything I see here. They don't seem to have a shop in the UK yet, and I'm seriously plotting ways to get myself to Portugal just to check them out. And of course to get a summer holiday in as well.

White walls no more

Clockwise from top left: Hello May from AshleyG and Drew, I Like Your Bow from Belle & Boo, Yoshitomo Nara prints from eBay

I couldn't stop thinking about pretty pictures for my room, so I did a little online shopping on eBay and Etsy. As you can tell from my picks, I've gone for sweet, girly and dare I say it, rather childish in light summery colours. I can't wait for them to arrive!

Actually, if I was spending freely, I'd also be getting these fantastic Yoshitomo Nara postcards and these adorable glasses.

If you'd like to find out a bit more about the artists I've bought from, you can visit their websites: Belle & Boo | Kitty Genius

Get mugged

(L): Pantone mugs, (R): Penguin Classic mug

If you have any designer or writer friends, these mugs from Pantone and Penguin Classics will probably make them very happy. I just love the bright colours, and think they'd be the perfect office mug to keep me happy at work.

Not interested in shopping? Pfft

All images from American Apparel. Colours pictured are Orchid, Pomegranate and Royal Blue.

Remember when I said I wasn't interested in shopping? It seems the drought is over. I happened to poke around the American Apparel site recently and found the Le Sac dress, which can be worn multiple ways. The only limit? Your creativity, and I suppose, the ability to swathe yourself in fabric without it looking like a sack.

Methinks a visit to my local AA shop is in order this weekend. This would be the perfect dress to wear this spring/summer. Now the only decision: which colour to get?

Commes des Garcon for H&M

I was rather surprised to see quite a lot of the Marimekko collection for H&M still in shops a month after it launched, and so I can't help but wonder if there will be a mad rush for the Commes des Garcon collection once it reaches the shops on Nov 13th. My only worry is the quality and stitching - H&M isn't exactly consistent on that. I'll have to see.

You can see the full collection at Nitrolicious.

Even a trip to the supermarket can be dangerous...

...because I found the Comptoir des Cotonniers shop 2 doors down and went in on a whim. I came out with this lovely dress and a brown leather belt.

The shopping bug bites

Ugh, I'm agonising over whether I should get any or all of these 3 dresses I saw while wandering around Regent St yesterday:

• Grey strapless sack hippy dress with pockets (hmm the description doesn't make it sound very attractive), £55, Cos
• Black empire line dress, £39, Cos
• Yellow and black floral print silk dress, £75, Banana Republic

Gaaaah.

I'm a winner!

Image taken from eBay listing.

This is what glee looks like.

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