The Aldwych

Nadia Minkoff London, founded in 1988, is a quintessentially British brand designing high quality accessories using the finest leathers, innovative techniques and vintage inspiration. London was definitely the inspiration for Nadia's latest leather collection with each of the beautiful bags named after iconic London districts; The Belgravia, The Bond St, The Regent St. and this scarlet beauty, The Aldwych, which was actually named by yours truly!

The over-sized Aldwych clutch in London red is my perfect bag; simple, modern, roomy enough for all essentials without being cumbersome and it can be worn with evening dresses and jeans alike. The bright red adds a delicious pop of colour to any outfit. 

I styled a very off-duty look with my bag & a pair of towering metallic heels; the accessories immediately dressed up an otherwise casual ensemble.

Emma Manley's silk 'Hive' blouse in clay has a perforated leather bodice; the leather is hand cut with a scalloped edge. It features gold button detailing down the front, a collar-less neckline, 3/4 length buttoned sleeves and the back of the blouse sits slightly longer. The jeans are by Current/Elliott, a great Boyfriend style (also blogged here) and the shoes are a stunning Gladiator style from Dior.

Get The Look:

Bag: Nadia Minkoff 'Aldwych' Clutch in London Red (coming soon; get similar here)

Blouse: Manley 'Hive' Blouse in clay

Jeans: Current/Elliot 'The Roller' Boyfriend Jeans (similar)

Shoes: Dior 'Extreme' Gladiator Shoes (similar)

LFW: Nadia Minkoff and Nico Didonno

 

The fantastically talented Nadia Minkoff once again accessorised Nico Didonna's stunning Autumn/Winter 2014 catwalk show at the Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, Shaftsbury Avenue, London.

Come Into The Garden Maud

Twenty8Twelve's 'Denise' dress is the perfect mix of elegant and edgy. I bought it a few years ago and I loved it so much I got it in two colours; in a beautiful green/gold colourway and this classic black. In darkest ebony silk-georgette, the Denise empire line dress features a romantic lace ruffle collar, lace flutter sleeves, pintucked pleating to the front, a concealed zip to the back and silk lining.

I wasn't planning to blog about this dress to be honest; I was simply wearing it under a great coat from Antipodium that I was photographing for a post (see here) but I love these photos & I adore the dress so it seemed silly not to share it with you. Teamed with my favourite flats, this is such a cute, easy to wear combo! 

I was reading Tennyson by the wishing well at Waggoner’s Wells in this shoot; this is the beautiful poem he wrote there in 1863:

Flower in the crannied wall,

I pluck you out of the crannies,

I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,

Little flower—but if I could understand

What you are, root and all, and all in all,

I should know what God and man is.

And yep, I'm pale, tan-less, translucent in these blog photos; this is an incredibly rare occurrence and I can't promise it will ever happen again! It might though. Maybe.

Get The Look:

Dress: Twenty8twelve 'Denise' Dress in ebony (similar)

Shoes: ASOS 'Marky' Brogues in black

Photos: Kate Carpenter

Please Sir, I Want Some More

I discovered Emma Louise London's wonderful designs completely by accident one day when I was flicking through a magazine. I have a lovely little collection of her gorgeous dresses now. Known for her signature shift dresses and great prints, Emma's timeless designs are a great addition to any girls wardrobe.

My favourite piece from her AW13 collection (now on sale at Little Black Dress) is this oversized t-shirt dress; in a dramatic black/blue colourway, the dress has loose elbow length sleeves, a cotton jersey back and a 100% silk front. The famous Oliver Twist quote turns a sweet, simple dress into a fun, cheeky, stand out piece.

Like all Emma Louise London designs, this dress is incredibly comfortable and easy to wear; it can be dressed up or down, worn with heels or flats, with jeans or thick black tights. It has endless styling potential and can be worn all year round, regardless of weather. 

I paired mine in look one with a great pair of over-the-knee boots. These Stuart Weitzman boots were a great investment; I am living in them at the moment. I added my black satchel and a berry lipstick to finish off this cool, comfy look. For look two I simply added black tights and a cute pair of comfy brogues.

Get The Look:

Dress: Emma Louise London Dickens Quote T-shirt Dress

Boots: Stuart Weitzman '50/50' Over-the-Knee Boots

Bag: Cambridge Satchel Co Classic 11" Satchel in black

Sindy Disco Pants

These amazing gold trousers, designed by Natalie B Coleman, caused such a stir in Ireland when beautiful Sharon Corr wore them on TV's The Voice Of Ireland (styled by super-stylist to the stars Ingrid Hoey). 'Gold Trouser-Gate' featured in every newspaper & magazine and social media sites went into meltdown discussing them. The story was huge, so much so that Sharon has subsequently framed her fabulous trousers & hung them on a wall in her home!

People either loved or loathed the golden trousers. I loved them and I still can't believe it's taken me so long to get a pair! I have them now though so all is well in my little fashion bubble.

The very aptly named 'Sindy Disco Pants' are definitely not for the faint hearted; in a fabulous, metallic gold they are a statement piece with a capital S. They feature two side pockets, a low rise waist, upturns and a front zip & slide fastner. I can imagine a cool, rock & roll 70s chick wearing them at Studio 54. They don't need accessory-overkill or blingtastic tops or indeed anything to distract from them. Is there anything that could distract from them? I don't think so.

I styled my pair with another great Natalie B Coleman piece, the cool, asymmetrical Ostrich Head top (also blogged here). A simple pair of black shoes completed my outfit and off I went for a curry night with my Husband and a group of our friends. The trousers caused a bit of a stir in the restaurant where one woman asked if she could touch them! I actually let her!! I might have to buy myself a pretty frame and follow Sharon's artistic lead!

Get The Look:

Trousers: Natalie B Coleman Sindy Disco Pants (similar)

Top: Natalie B Coleman Ostrich Head Top (similar)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'Very Prive' Peep-toe Shoes in black

Making Your Mind Up

We went to a very glamorous black tie Christmas party at the weekend. Yes, a Christmas party, in January! An absolutely inspired idea! The venue for the Do was Foxhills in Surrey; we stayed over & had the most wonderful time luxuriating in our beautiful surroundings.

For such a special night, I struggled to chose between the two dresses pictured above (I'd actually whittled my choices down from five to two so it could have been much worse!). In the end I chose the maxi dress as I felt it best suited the beautiful venue. I wore my hair up, a big change for me and I loved it.

Both dresses are long ago buys from High Street favourite Karen Millen and both have been lovingly worn a number of times over the years. The shoe options I had for the night were funky studded Louboutins for the silver dress and classic black Louboutins for the maxi. The bag is the iconic Red Lips bag by Lulu Guinness. I came this close to finishing off my outfit with my wedding tiara; I'll never know what stopped me!

Get The Look:

Maxi Dress: Karen Millen Maxi Dress in red/black (similar)

Short Dress: Karen Millen Prom Dress in silver (similar)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'Pigalle' Studded Shoes

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'Very Prive' Peep-toe shoes

Bag: Lulu Guinness Red Lips Clutch