Matt & Natt

My absolute favourite brand for bags at the moment is Matt & Nat. Ever since getting a gorgeous grey Marais bag for my birthday at the beginning of the year, I have been keeping an eye on and drooling over every new collection that emerges.

And Matt & Nat are also doing their bit for the environment - every bag they produce is partially made from recycled plastic bottles (for more information on this please see here)

Here are some of my favourites:

Asos.com are also now stocking a small range of Matt & Nat bags, as are Revolve Clothing.

Wellington Boot Obsession

I found out not long ago that I am lucky enough to be getting a free ticket for Glastonbury this year :o) I'm very very excited, but at the same petrified about the camping/toilets/lack of showers. I have focused all of this fear into my latest obsession - wellies. Not being the type who is often found in muddy fields or campsites, I have never owned a pair of wellies... until now. Since yesterday, I am now the proud owner of a pair of Hunter boots in Aubergine (of course, with a staple festival accessory like a welly it just HAD to be purple). There are loads of cute patterned wellies around that I checked out, but (probably slightly irrationally) I decided I wanted Hunter ones as they are the only welly brand I had heard of so obviously must be the best quality. Wouldn't want to get a holey welly and wet toes halfway through the festival now would we? But on my research travels, I discovered a few great websites for all your welly needs...

www.discountwellies.co.uk - This is where I bought my Hunter wellies. They sell a few different brands, and Hunter wellies in a huge range of colours. They are also priced at £39.95 instead of the RRP of £55. I ordered my wellies on a Wednesday afternoon and they arrived recorded delivery on Friday. Fab!

www.asos.com - They have a fantastic Festival section on the site, selling all the essentials from Solar Showers and Dry Shampoo to Denim Shorts and Ponchos. They do also stock a range of wellies, from brands such as Cath Kidston, Hunter, Ju Ju and their own brand. If you go to the Outlet section of the site, they also have last year's styles at discounted prices.

www.wellieart.co.uk - This really is the place to go if you are looking for funky wellies. They stock all sorts of patterned, bright coloured and even metallic wellies, from a range of different brands. Not a dull green boot in sight.

www.wellieboots.com - The biggest range of wellies I have ever seen, ranging from serious Leather Shooting boots to funky festival wellies and children's boots.

I am loving...

... ASOS Outlet. I know I have mentioned this before, but they have some fab stuff (once you search through a leetle bit of rubbish). My faves at the moment, some of which will be winging it'sway to me shortly:

American Retro Horse Print Top £28

Arrogant Cat Silk Spot Dress £41.50

Arrogant Cat Harem Pant £24.50

Mischa Barton Handbag £32

Sass & Bide Dress £95

All at www.asos.com/red

The latest addition to my wardrobe...

This Matt & Nat Marais bag was my birthday present from my boyfriend :o) I had had my eye on it for aaages, and it does not disappoint in reality!

I then bought these Nine West boots in the never-ending House of Fraser sale. Was a bit of an impulse buy, but they are very lovely...

Going a bit batty...

Following on from my previous post about my new batwing cardigan, batwing sleeves have been on my mind a bit. I never used to be sure if I liked batwing sleeves. Having always been a fan of the kimono sleeve, batwing sleeves just looked a bit odd to me and I think I had seen too many bad examples of batwings. It’s all about the proportions – there’s always the worry that it’s going to make you look like you have very short arms, or a very wide body. But recently I keep coming across batwing tops that I really like the look of. I think I prefer the look of kimono sleeves, but batwings do have the advantage of being a bit more practical and not dangling in your dinner! Here are some lovely batwing tops I have seen recently:

From French Connection:

From Urban Outfitters:

From American Apparel:

The latest addition to my wardrobe...

...is this gorgeous Antik Batik batwing cardigan from Net-a-Porter.com. It was one of those things that the first time I saw it I knew I had to have it - luckily I didn't see it until it was in the sale! So far I have worked out it goes perfectly with skinny jeans and heels, and looks fab with a black mini dress, tights and flat boots. Yum!

I Heart Legs

So it's not long until Valentine's Day... Time to get all those red and pink clothes out and cover everything in hearts! Personally I despise Valentine's Day - and not because I'm single as I'm not - I just don't like the idea of being romantic because we're told to be. I'd rather go for a nice romantic dinner because we feel like it at a time that suits, that will probably end up being much more romantic when you're not surrounded by a whole restaurant full of couples also being "romantic". Not to mention cheaper when the prices aren't hiked up specially for said couples.

Anyway, rant over. And despite my dislike of Valentine's Day, there is something deep inside me that really likes the idea of all the girly hearts and red and pink decorations. Strange as I'm not normally a girly red and pink kind of girl. But check out the range of Valentine tights on mytights.com. Celeste Stein, known of course for having a huuuuge range of different patterned tights, has come up trumps with some lovey dovey leg adornments. My personal favourite is the rose pattern, although I am far too chicken/they are far too colourful for my legs.

Emilio Cavallini is also providing some Valentine's legwear - in the shape of some nice subtle hearts-up-the-back-of-the-leg tights, as well as some very cute heart print ankle socks:

Sparkles

I've never been a fan of sequins. I don't think I own a single piece of sequined clothing. Don't get me wrong, sequins can look great on the right people - I often see sparkly people and get a bit jealous that they can pull off sequins when I don't even want to try.

Having said that, there's something about sparkly sequins that I find almost mesmerising. To look at. Not to wear. But I found some sparkly things that are pretty to look at (yes I do spend far to much time looking on net-a-porter, especially considering I'm not likely to buy any of the below):

But then I came across this Miu Miu cardigan and it reminded me of all that is wrong with sequins...

In my dreams

I came across this Burberry Prorsum mac while browsing on net-a-porter.com -I love how simple yet beautiful it is, and how it looks like a jacket with a skirt when really its a coat all along. Unfortunately, and especially in the skint state I am in right now, the price tag of £1,757 is slightly off putting. Keep dreaming...

I am loving...

... Morphine Generation tees. So far only on a visual basis as I have yet to try them out for real, but I have an inkling that this may be happening soon.

I think I may have to order this Burnout Tee and Silk Dress from Bunnyhug.co.uk:

The online shopping continues...

Goodbye sales!

It’s time to wave goodbye to the January sales :o( I will miss you online sales - although I will have a lot more time in the day if I don't have to keep looking at the same websites over and over again to make sure the things I have my eye on haven't gone/new things haven't been added to the sale. I discovered last year a lot of shops secretly keep their sales going on for much longer in store without advertising it. Sneaky hey? A few lunchtime trips to the shops are in order this week I feel...

For all year round discount hunters, asos.com has a relatively new (to me anyway, I only noticed it a couple of months ago) section called Asos Red, which stocks last season clothes at discount prices. I bagged myself some Earnest Sewn jeans for £35 and an Arrogant Cat dress for £25 :o) it’s worth a look at www.asos.com/red. On top of that, I am already excited about the launch this spring of outnet.com, the new discount designer website from net-a-porter.com founder Natalie Massenet. Bring on the bargains!

Vintage Virgin

I have always been intrigued by vintage clothes. So many times I see a photo and think "Wow that's a gorgeous jumper/dress/bag, I wonder where it's from?",and it turns out to be vintage. I also love the idea that vintage clothes are one of a kind and can really make an outfit look unique. However, I am a little bit wary of buying anything vintage except scarves and bags. Part of the reason is that I am unsure of the best places to buy vintage, and I also want to make sure I am buying quality pieces (without spending huge amounts of money!). When I have looked around popular vintage shops in London such as Rokit, all I seemed to find were cute flowery tea dresses, frumpy "old lady" dresses, and lots and lots of plaid shirts. All of which would be perfect for other people and look great on them, but are just not my style. I did come away from Rokit with a black denim skirt and a stripy scarf, but was nevertheless a bit disappointed that I hadn't found anything more. I think it's about time I get serious and overcome this fear of buying vintage clothes, so I have set myself a couple of challenges: Firstly, to buy something vintage from eBay. Secondly, I want to find something from a specific vintage shop, either online or in a "real" shop. The third challenge is to check out some of the various vintage markets in London and try and find something there. I'm sure that all of this is all old hat for a lot of people who regularly scour the markets, but I still need to work up to it! I'll let you know how I get on...

The latest addition to my wardrobe...

One of several purchases last weekend (making the most of the sales!). This cardigan from Urban Outfitters is turning out to be both comfortable and really versatile:

Photo from UrbanOutfitters.co.uk

They wear it well...

I'm a big fan of the Olsen twins' style for their unique looks and the way they put outfits together. Mary-Kate in particular switches seamlessly between her signature Bag Lady-esque look and glam evening wear. There's something a bit mysterious and intriguing about Mary-Kate and Ashley that just adds to the whole look - and their two different styles complement each other really well . I'm also a big fan of the twins' two clothing lines The Row and Elizabeth and James. Their designs look like they reflect their personal styles, which is probably why they look so good wearing them and take every opportunity to show them off:

Ashley in Cashmere tunic and leggings from The Row

Plaid jacket from The Row

"Tokyo" top and blazer from Elizabeth & James, "Motorcycle" pants from The Row

Ashley in The Row and Mary-Kate in Elizabeth & James

Orange parachute dress from Elizabeth & James

Picture credits: Nitrolicious, mary-kateandashley.com

One Woman, Four Cities: Paris

I know this is probably old news to anyone who has opened a magazine in the last month or so, but the Lady Dior ad just keeps catching my eye. The stunning Marion Cotillard is the perfect choice for Dior's 4 part ad campaign titled One Woman, Four Cities. Part 1, set in Paris halfway up the Eiffel Tower, shows that Marion is not only a great actress but has a natural modelling talent as well. The styling is spot on; the slightly dishevelled hair, the quilted bag and what you can see of the gorgeous skirt behind it. Bring on part 2!

Your skin will love you for this...

I don’t often come across beauty products that I could not live without – I’m normally one to chop and change quite regularly and try out new things. I have one exception though… Veld’s Aloe Ferox Pure Pulp is the best beauty invention since Touche Eclat. Pure Pulp was the first product launched in the UK from Veld’s, the French company founded by Joyce Musy. It is made from the Aloe Ferox plant from South Africa, known for its soothing and healing properties. This product is aimed at all ages and apparently has anti-aging effects (my skin is too young to know!), but they recommend several different uses for it. I personally mix it with foundation, which sets the foundation and makes it look lighter. Whatever foundation you are using, this smoothes everything out and keeps it there all day. Seriously, everyone should try this but only if you are willing to use it for the rest of your life as you will not want to stop using it!

For more info or stockists please see http://www.velds.fr/en/

Givenchy Pre-Fall 2009 Collection

I love love love the Givenchy Pre-Fall 2009 collection. Riccardo Tisci has done it again with a combination of sleek, simple dresses and jackets, fur, sequins and all of course with his signature gothic touch. The colour palette is predominantly blacks and greys with a few pastel shades, which makes thhe whole collection tie in together really well. I want it all!

Some highlights: