A MATTER OF ESPADRILLES

Back again for the summer are espadrilles, a type of shoe that has long confused me due to a syndrome commonly known as 'Blinded By The Label'. As I entered the shoe department of Harrods not long ago, the vermillion red ponyskin Celine espadrilles immediately caught my attention; as I ran over to pick them up, and consequently began convincing my boyfriend (and myself) that I needed them in my life, he immediately responded 'nice.. but they really are only espadrilles, as in rope and rubber.'

His completely factual response brought me back to reality; It's extremely low-cost production material - Exhibit A: Primark Basic Canvas Espadrilles at approx. £5, proves to us truly how inexpensive it's wholesale value must be, vs. Exhibit B: Celine Ponyskin Espadrilles at approx £490, which makes my savings account and general conscience die inside. But people seem to love them regardless of the production cost vs. actual cost dilemma; Valentino's covetable style in lace seem to sell out consistently and are already in their second season of production, along with Chanel's logo stamped canvas style that have proven to be similarly as popular amongst bloggers (and i'm sure the Celine ponyskin style will be equally as popular as the weather improves).

Above are some of the most covetable espadrilles I have found so far for SS13, from Celine to Stella McCartney to Valentino. The best bank account friendly equivalent I have found thus far is the Zara Camouflage pair in the left column, also in ponyskin and under £40. What do you think? Are luxury espadrilles by a designer something you would invest in? Or are we really only blinded by the label in this instance?

Left Column: Chanel Navy Canvas Espadrilles (in store only), Celine Leopard Ponyskin Espadrilles (in store only), Valentino Black Lace Espadrilles, Zara Ponyskin Camouflage Espadrilles, Celine Vermillion Red Ponskin Espadrilles (in store only)

Right Column: Valentino Red Lace Espadrilles, Prism Leopard Canvas Espadrilles, Stella McCartney Neon Espadrilles, Christian Louboutin Striped Espadrilles, Prism Leather Espadrilles

MATCHES SS13 PRESS DAY

Sorry for the lack of posts! Work has been consuming my life recently, but I did manage to get out to attend one very exciting invitation that I have been meaning to share with you for over a week; the Matches SS13 Press Day at their lovely home from home, No. 23.

Needless to say it left me feeling super excited for all of next seasons pieces (and similarly very depressed as I wanted to leave with all of it!) See my favourite picks below; Louboutin accessories, loafers and brogues by Fendi and Kenzo, and neon jewellery and prints everywhere inbetween! Thank you for having me Matches! (and thank you iPhone 5 for saving me when my DSLR busted 5 minutes before I got there.)

I need this Givenchy clutch in my life now. I can see these being everywhere at forthcoming fashion week street style shots, cue TommyTon!

In love with these Diane Kordas lightning bolt pieces, black diamonds!

Kenzo loafers!! I say no more. 

Amazing new summer denim by the very best; Paige, J Brand, Current/Elliot and more!

How cool are these Fendi brogues?

Stacks of eyewear! I want the Pierre Hardy clutch at the bottom!

One of my favourite trends from the press day, all for androgyny! 

Beautiful McQueen clutches, as always. 

Love this MSGM dress, the neon print is really wearable.

Spot the insanely cool Louboutin stud iPad accessories! 

And to save the most coveted until last... the infamous IM sneakers are back again! Stars on the Bekketts this year! What do you guys think?

GILES X MATCHES

My Hallowe'en at No. 23

Last Thursday I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Matches' beautiful home at No. 23 Welbeck Street, for the preview of their collaboration with Giles Deacon, (on Hallowe'en no less!). The rooms within No. 23 were transformed to create the perfect Hallowe'en scene, from the decorations to the food to the waiters it was a setting so appropriate for the Giles x Matches collection (check out the dolls in the bird cage for one).

Giles has designed a capsule collection of dresses, accessories and homeware; including linear T-shirt dresses, sundresses, chinaware and notebooks, all of which are hand-drawn illustrations based on a series of dolls created by the designer. 

My favourite pieces had to be the iPad case and the dresses; love the digital print and the colours!

The Giles x Matches collection is available from the 13th November at Matches Online. Until then, keep checking out the amazing designer pieces dropping online each day! (Warning, add to basket syndrome may occur.)

ADD TO BASKET

The most enjoyable way to avoid doing any kind of work.

Procrastination at its best.

Saturday morning, adding all my favourite pieces from this season into my imaginary online basket because the prospect of being able to do so is so much more fun than actually going into stores and realising you can't afford anything that was in your imaginary online basket  (cough, Givenchy pony skin wedges bottom left, cough). Shopping online has never been more appealing, with thousands of sites offering us the easy access to luxury brands, without the awkwardness of being in store and having a sales assistant breathe down your neck, whilst you think of a million excuses why you don't want the item (when you really, really do). Thank god for the endless list of online stores which allows us as much time as we want to make a decision and never judges us for returning something. The relationship is good.

Things I added to my basket today (in an attempt to avoid doing any work possible, of course) included these Topshop boyfriend fit jeans, a real priority for me seeing as I put on my favourite skinny jeans yesterday and managed to rip them having hoiked them up by the belt loops (either it's been five years and they've had their time, or I need to stop eating at the Soho Breakfast Club and MEATLiqour, more on that later.) Back to the jeans, these Isabel Marant western jeans have been hovering in my Matches basket for some time now but have sadly not yet made it to the checkout. They are great though, and would be dreamy with this grey alpaca wool sweater from Cos. More dreamy sweaters include this Opening Ceremony red and white honeycomb one, which i've justified go with nearly all my 'bottoms' in my wardrobe, and this Burberry Prorsum Owl Tee which will go under all these dreamy sweaters.

Retro sneakers are making a huge comeback; having seen too many people in Nike Blazer's i've now got my eye on these New Balance 966 burgundy sneakers. The Golden Goose ones are a great alternative to Converse, (i love the metallic elements on them) but are quadruple the price tag.
Also love this Topshop Boutique orange/navy jacquard dress, looks a lot like this Opening Ceremony one but for a whole lot less! The same Topshop style also comes in joggers and a pencil skirt.

As for the accessories, I'm after this navy/green tartan/square style one from Cos, to wear with absolutely everything. Same goes for this Aamaya by Priyanka necklace, Isabel Marant cuffs, and Delfina Delletrez ring which is the most interesting design i've seen yet; she also does earrings exactly like this, not to be confused with a ring. See here.

MATCHES DESIGNER INSTALLATION #LFW

I was so over the moon excited to be invited to the 'Matches presents London Designers' launch the other week at their store in Marylebone. The event launched an exclusive showroom installation which showcased and stocked the best of their London men and women’s collections. All the pieces showcased were either by a London-based designer, or one who shows at LFW; from Stella McCartney, to McQueen, to Osman, the installation was beautifully presented, showing just how many amazing designers Matches have worked with over the years. The event for the entire store was set up like an open-spaced gallery, but with a lot more fun! With incredible technology assets including Lyst.com's very own station, and the Hackney Collery Band playing outside, the whole atmosphere was an amazing start to LFW. Guests included Giles Deacon, Harold Tillman, Caroline Issa and Tallulah Harlech, (to name a few!) and it was so lovely to meet some of the amazing UK and International bloggers there too! 

Matches remains to be one of my favourite shopping destinations, they always bring in new covetable designers each season before anyone else, so I'm always looking forward to see what they'll do next! Click after the jump to see my favourite picks from Matches this season.

Matches Fashion; My AW12 Picks!

(from left to right)

Acne Ruth Jumper

Isabel Marant Blooper Sneakers

MSGM Firework Skirt

Opening Ceremony Leather and Tweed Jacket

Richard Nicoll Orange Dress

3.1 Phillip Lim 'Ka-Pow' Sweater

SHOE LOVE

Shoe dreaming; some of my favourite picks for this week.

1. Valentino Rockstud Heels (here)

2. Isabel Marant Studded Pumps

3. Charlotte Olympia Dolly Shoes (here)

4. Gianvito Rossi Fringe Suede Pumps (here)

5. Gianvito Rossi Beige Suede Pumps (here)

6. Givenchy Hagfish Sandals (here)

isabel marant sneakers

I've been looking for some sneakers for ages, so when Isabel Marant's 'Bekket' sneaker came out last year i had my eye on them all the way through to the new 'Willow' version for ss12, which i finally caved for and bought last week. It comes in a number of colour-ways, but i stuck to my instincts and went for the all beige ones as i thought they'd go with more. My favourite part about these shoes is the 3 inch hidden wedge, its such a practical shoe and yet still gives me some height, hurrah! They're a great day shoe that will take you from autumn right through to the summer; as shown in the Matches Lookbook they even look cool with shorts and skirts, (although as its 2 degrees outside i will be firmly sticking to skinny jeans for now!)

I also need to say a big thanks to Mandi at findmeamuse blog who helped me locate a pair of these in my size (as they were sold out within hours!) check out her blog for more Isabel Marant pieces i can only dream of owning!

Have a good day everyone!

 WHAT I WORE:

WILLOW SNEAKERS BY ISABEL MARANT

TOPSHOP LEIGH SKINNY JEANS

TOPSHOP RIBBED CREAM KNIT

ZARA COAT

CELINE BOSTON TOTE