Sunday 29 May 2011

KnuckleDuster....

As you have already seen I have a real love for MCQ design, and one of my favourite items is the knuckle duster bags, one of which has been sported by Nicola Roberts in the past. I particularly like the one shown below, but at £1265 it is WELL out my price range. 


Alexander McQueen Knuckle-duster lace-covered satin box clutch available from 


The mixture of sweet and girly lace is perfect with the knuckle duster, mixing up the styles, like many of McQueen's designs this bag combines the beautiful and innocent with the violent. 

Whilst shopping for the millions of presents I have to get this month, I stumbled across this little gem in Bank.
at £29.99 it is certainly more affordable, and rings on top are not dissimilar to those on the MCQ bag. It was very comfortable to wear and I intend on buying it asap. 

I also know that River Island have produced bags in this style in the past, although have none at the moment, so that might be a shop to keep an eye on if you like this style! Plus they may appear on ebay and alike! Plus there are a whole host of bags in this style on Ebay anyway!

The thing that I think it great about this style is not only can you incorporate a bit of McQueen style into your wardrobe but it is bang on trend for big rings and also the multi finger rings that are all over the shops at the moment.

This was just a quick post because i wanted to share this little find. 

Happy Shopping!
xKx

Tuesday 24 May 2011

A Little Bit of Crochet...

My pride has had to take two almighty hits this week, admitting I actually quite like two things which I have teased my mum about for years. Firstly, last week I had a musical awakening to the Smiths, a band who I had mocked my mother for liking constantly and have referred to, for the last 10 or so years, as "depressing". Secondly, I had to admit that I actually quite like quite a few of the crochet items hitting the shops right now. This was particularly painful to admit as my mum and I have a running joke about just how much she loves "a little bit of crochet", much to my disgust.

Missoni's crochet items are actually quite gorgeous and they are not the only label producing crochet pieces, in fact so has Stella McCartney, Oscar De La Renta, Anna Sui and Versace to name just a few. The high street have certainly not been blind to this either, the shops are currently filled with crochet and handicraft style items at very low prices.

One of my favourite items comes from Missoni Mare, their Cadice Crochet-Knit Triangle Bikini, as shown below...
(Missoni Mare 'Cadice Crochet-Knit Triangle Bikini' available from http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/111028 for £230.)

I must when I think of crochet I do not think of swimwear, but it does work perfectly! Its gorgeous colours and geometric patterns are typical of Missoni style and are in my opinion gorgeous and perfect for the summer. The retro colours and pattern fit perfectly with the rise of 70s style which seems to be happening again at the moment, yet this bikini remains modern and stylish without being in anyway a throw back.

But if you don't, like me, have £230 to spend on a bikini, as per usual the high street have offered up a whole host of alternatives.

Whilst shopping in my local Tesco i stumbled across this gem, the F&F Zig Zag Print Bikini Top and there corresponding bottoms, available in both blue and pink. The design is certainly reminiscent of the Missoni bikini and the shape even more so. At only £8 for the top £6 for the bottoms, its very easy on the purse too.

New Look have a very similar style bikini in at the moment, the pattern is slightly different and actually reminds me of marbled paper, I really like this pattern and it is low cost at £12.99 for the top and £7.99 for the matching briefs. They also offer the same design in a tankini, although admittedly I don't like it as much.

H&M have not failed to deliver either offering a similar style in four colours orange/white/blue/purple, the top is only £9.99 and bottoms for £7.99. The bikini also comes in a variety of shapes including tie-sides and a more fuller shape in the briefs and the top comes in triangular and bandeau styles. I think these bikinis are a real find.

These were just a few examples of crochet style bikinis available across the high street at the moment, and there are certainly plenty more!

I may not have thought that swimwear and crochet would work, but I didn't believe the Smiths and I would either, but here I am writing this singing along to There is a Light That Never Goes Out.

"To die by your side,Well the pleasure, the privilege is mine"

Happy Shopping!
xKx

Wednesday 11 May 2011

The Big JC...

...and not the guy in the sandals and sheets. Little girls dream of ponies and Prince Charming. Big girls dream of gorgeous heels. I am of course talking about Jimmy Choo, shoe god extraordinaire. This blog post stems from the lust of a good friend for a particular pair of Choos, which I instantly fell in love with as soon as I set eyes on them. These £650 angels to be precise...

Jimmy Choo, Lace and Patent Platform Patent Toe Sandal, £650.
Image taken from http://www.jimmychoo.com/pre-fall-11-collection/faith/invt/114faithlap/.




If I  had £650 to splash right now these would almost certainly be a front runner but, as always, I do not. A particular love of nandos, indian food, magazines and other small spends that mount up horribly prevent this, as well as all the bills entailed in living on one's own.
The truth is, as soon as I looked at them they reminded me of one of the nicest pairs of shoes I have ever owned, they were my go-to pair and perfect for any occasion. Unfortunatly, somehow, I lost one on a messy night out for a friend's birthday, it was never seen again.


The high street is full of lace shoe options at the moment and most shops have them in some form or another, with almost every style from court shoe to welly available (I kid you not, lace print wellies)! So if you, like myself, adore these girly yet sophiscated heels you might wonder, where might I find shoes in a similar style at a lower price? Let The Style Liberation Society answer that question for you and offer the following selection of pairs which I particularly like...


Phase Eight offer these peeptoes, but still quite pricey at £89. I'm not so sure about the sequins but i do like the satiny trim around the edges. The only other detail i might fault is the beige of the heel being on show apart from that I think they are very sweet.They are very much in-keeping with Phase Eight's style, elegant but not too showy. There are no details on the item of how high the heel is, but they dont look massively tall. Perfect perhaps for a slightly older shopper or someone not quite as stable on skyscraper heels.
(http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_54510+750224050_-1?breadcrumb=Home%7Etxtlace%7EWomen%7EShoes+%26amp%3B+boots)


Next have the most adorable flats in black lace, and althought not heeled i will definately be considering these as a future purchase. (http://www.next.co.uk/shopping/women/shoesandboots/80/4?extra=sch&n=women&pid=973-712). At £23, I think they are reasonable. Their style is one which could lend equally well to daytime, perhaps with an A-line skirt or for a less dressy evening event like a meal or low key, dressed down clubbing. These are great to inject a bit of Jimmy Choo style into everyday wear.


Debut has these, more fun than elegant heels for £32.(http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_050010457260_-1?CMP=OTC-GOOGLEPS) I love the more modern style to the lacey panels but the corset style back gives them a more gothic feel than many people would wear.


If you dont have the money to spend on shoes, or you will be ostracised by a loved one for bringing anoth pair home, lace tights are simple but effective way of introducing lace into your clothing without going the whole hog. I have recently seen lacey tights in Primark at their usual dirt cheap prices, but i particularly like these Daisy Lace Tights on ASOS for £10 (http://www.asos.com/Asos/Asos-Daisy-Lace-Tight/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1261244&SearchQuery=lace%20tights&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=3&clr=Black).


Happy Shopping!
xKx


Monday 9 May 2011

All Hail McQueen.

I am going to start in my comfort zone for my first real post. I have lusted after a McQueen skull scarf for years, but at over £100 I have never been able to bring myself to splash the cash on one.  McQueen design is hugely popular at the moment. His untimely and sad death last year and the whole world seeing THAT dress at the royal wedding from the McQueen designer Sarah Burton, has made him a household name and his design the focus of enormous attention. Apparently more popular than I anticipated.. the Harrods website greeting me with this message when trying to view a 'Pure Silk Skull Scarf'...

"Thank you for visiting our website today. Due to high demand this item is temporarily unavailable."

McQueen's beautifully macabre designs are something I adore and are being copied across the high street at the moment. My guess is that following the wedding, shops will soon be a-wash with McQueen-esque skulls and lace sleeved dresses. So here are a few of my favourite items gracing the shops right now which seem to have drawn inspiration from the late great MCQ.

Scarfs:
-River Island currently have a variety of skull print scarfs and 'snoods' at around the £20 mark. My favourite is probably their 'white skull devore scarf' at £21.99, not an unreasonable amount for something you could wear summer and winter alike. (http://www.riverisland.com/Online/women/accessories/scarves--gloves/white-skull-devore-scarf-604855)

-Miss Selfridge similarly have several skull scarfs at an even lower price of around £14. This scarf, in my opinion is particularly good for achieving the McQueen look, http://www.missselfridge.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33055&storeId=12554&productId=2408001&langId=-1&categoryId=&searchTerm=skull&pageSize=40. The light material, playful colouring and inclusion of flowers are perfect for this style, particularly if you want to replicate designs such as MCQ's 'Skull and Rose Print Scarf' available on Selfridges' website at £285.

I am sure if you were to take a trip to your local market or if you could get to Camden, you would be able to get a scarf dirt cheap, I did this years ago and paid all of £3 for this gem...


Skull Rings:
 If you love this ring http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/113279, you might like these...

-I recently spotted some really chunky rings in Rockit on Brick Lane and other vintage stores around London, at £15 they are reasonably priced and great fun. (http://www.rokit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=NB-0014-0019)

-Dorothy Perkins provide an even cheaper version but still gorgeous at only £9.50 (http://www.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33053&storeId=12552&productId=2137371&langId=-1&categoryId=&parent_category_rn=&searchTerm=skull&resultCount=1

-Topshop's own alternative even comes with similar stones in the eyes for only £10. (http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=2317085&langId=-1&categoryId=&searchTerm=skull&pageSize=20)

Happy Shopping.
x.K.x

Mission Statement.

I am fed up of crying over the pages of designer's websites and sites like net-a-porter at all the beautiful items my student budget can't stretch to. I want to look for cheaper alternatives to achieve the same look and I believe they are out there. They say that after the latest designs hit the catwalk the highstreet rushes to produce the same styles, but I believe that alot of the time the right items are already out there, it is just a matter of finding them!
Yes, alot of magazines already do this, but they, quite frankly, often look nothing like the look they are trying to achieve, so I am going to give it a go and post my results on here...

Designers lovingly create each outfit as a piece of art and this should be available to all....