Wednesday 27 November 2013

Gorgeous Gifts for the Animal Lover this Christmas

With Christmas looming, I thought I'd post a few of my favourite animal-themed gifts. From gorgeous trinkets to the cutest of cookie jars - hopefully this will satisfy your animal-loving loved ones this Christmas.
Fire & Ice Jacket - £185 by Unreal Fur. Available at Spotted On Celeb

Alex Monroe Bumble Bee necklace - £150. Available to buy at Liberty

Orange Pigeon Wall Lamp by Thorsten Van Elten - £72. Available to buy at Liberty



Rabbit Cookie Jar - £68. Available at Anthropologie

Poodle Cookie Jar - £68. Available at Antropologie

Hippopotamus Leather Foot Stool - £430. Made to order by Omersa

Thursday 21 November 2013

Topshop gets Personal

Today, I kind of "stumbled" across Topshop's personal shopping service. By stumble, I mean, I always knew it was there but never actually booked an appointment. I've no idea why, seeing as I am the most impatient shopper when it comes to queuing...whether it be for the fitting room or cash register.

So having 'popped in' on my lunch break today (I needed to honest!) and not really having a great deal of time, I cheekily thought I'd ask the girls at the personal shopping desk if I could use one of their fitting rooms and sneakily bypass the snake of a lunchtime queue.

Firstly, in the personal shopping department, you do not use changing rooms. You enter a numbered suite m'dear. The girls were so accommodating and offered me the full personal shopping service. They started a suite for me whilst I continued to browse the shop and kindly offered to dive back on to the shop floor to find alternative sizes for me.



The suite was so very different from your average changing room. White, with wall to floor mirrors and so spacious you could swing your Birkin round a few times. Individual rails allowed me to space out the dresses, skirts and jumpers I'd taken in with me, without having to battle with multiple racks.


The communal space was beautifully and comfortably dressed, with sweet nicknacks, bottled water available for customers and clothes mood boards...just to entice you into another purchase or two.


The best part of the whole experience? Its absolutely free and available at Topshop stores in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester.

Click here to register and make an appointment. By signing up, Topshop will also reserve you key pieces and send invites for exclusive previews. What's not to love?




Wednesday 20 November 2013

David Gandy Nude Pictures for Dolce & Gabana

Words can't quite express the reaction on my face when these pictures arrived in my inbox.

The rather beautiful David Gandy has been photographed by Mariano Vivanco for the new Dolce & Gabana ad...actually...I'm not sure my words are necessary on this particular post.

All that IS left to say is D&G - thank you and to my Exsoterics..."enjoy!"




Friday 8 November 2013

J. Crew - London Store Review

Yesterday, J.Crew London opened its doors to media and bloggers for a sneak-peak at what it has to offer.

Having literally just come back from New York and having visited as many J. Crew stores as possible, I wondered whether there even COULD be anything left for me to buy, but from a store design point of view, I would never have missed the opportunity to take a look before the throngs of people descend.

On entering, we were greeted by mannequins dressed in all-shades-of-blue outfits but with a positively British vibe... the ticker-tape covered telephone box helped.


As well as seeing pieces that I'd seen on my recent trip to New York, I was delighted to see rows and rows of print and colours adorning J. Crew's immaculately made shirts, including ones made in collaboration with our very own Liberty.



The store lay-out was perfect. Rails of "have-to-have-that" pieces were inter dispersed with glass cases full of eye-catching statement necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Everywhere you looked, there was yet another treasure trove of goodies to feast your eyes on.


Did I buy? Well....yes I did. Its so hard not to in this shop, and this is precisely why J. Crew will become the highstreet fashion staple of many a Londoner, now that it's arrived. It provides you with quality staples that will last for years and are worth paying the extra £ for. But it also offers classic pieces that are adorned with a bejewelled 'edge' here or a rhinestone-clad collar there.

J. Crew has got it right in that it creates wearable pieces that can be worn as stand-alone items, which are enough to turn heads and create a talking point. But those same pieces, bejewelled, printed or otherwise can also be mixed and matched in so many ways, that they look different on everyone.

I'm definitely kinda happy that its arrived!

Merino wool sweater: J. Crew
Necklace: Ek Thongprasert
Shirt: Gap

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Highstreet Fashion Mecca Coming Soon - J. Crew finally hits UK shores this week

I have long kept J. Crew my New York fashion secret. For years and 25 trips to the Big Apple later, I would head to the Lower East Side, drop my bags off at my friend's apartment and literally sprint to the nearest J. Crew store.

There are a multitude of reasons for this complete highstreet fashion addiction. First and foremost, when you buy J. Crew you are buying into an aesthetic....but its one that isn't dictated to by trends, one that allows you to individualise, to clash, to streamline... to everything!

My most recent J. Crew purchase

A trip to J. Crew never disappoints. While slightly pricier than your average high street shop, you can be sure that quality fabrics are bestowed on the simplest of T Shirts to the most luscious coloured brocade skirts and trousers.

Since Jenna Lyons joined the company, she has added beautiful statement jewellery that could pass as an exclusive Ek Thongrasert necklace without the hefty price tag.

So with the London store's imminent opening, I am excited to have it on my doorstep but slightly miffed that the secret's out. Either way, the clothes' ability to be mixed and matched in the most individual way avoids the matchy sameness of a Topshop or Reiss even. Excited? Me? Most definitely!