TABI

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Wearing: Alexander Wang shirt, Ann Demeulemeester skirt, Margiela tabi boots
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I finally got my hands on some tabi boots! I was a little worried as Margiela only goes up to a 7/40 (WHY), but they actually fit well. They’re leather on the inside so I’m sure they’ll stretch out a little too. The white leather tabi’s are still on my list for dreamy-all-in-white-outfits, but I think these brown hessians will get a lot more wear. Perfect transitional Summer to Autumn boots! 

INTERIOR DECORATING

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In order of appearance:
5. Fresh Peonies from Columbia Road flower market  6. Ann D ankle boots  7. Christopher Kane jelly clutch beside Encens magazine
8. Rupert Sanderson batman-esque heels    9. Petrol Dr Martens    10. Ann Demeulemeester triple lace boots
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Finally my room is becoming how I want it to be, much to my boyfriends begrudging tones, the shoes shall be on display! Even though I’m moving house in a couple of months, I wanted some shelves that could fit into the tiny spaces I have left; when I stumbled upon this one on Achica, I couldn’t believe my luck! It’s the perfect minimal design I was looking for, easy to put together, and the perfect size to put shoes, accessories and even floral displays on. 

I can tell I’ll be changing it up every few weeks, right now it’s acting as my shoe overspill – new sandals that are dreaming of sunnier climates and winter boots that are bringing me crashing down to British summer reality.

TAKING TO THE HIGH SEAS

What can you do when you cancel a sailing trip in March due to bad weather and rebook in May, only to have the weather fail you again? Well you do it knowing you can’t trust that’s it’s ever ging to be on your side! Timberland had invited us to go sailing, testing out their new Formentor sailing gear (you’ve never seen me look so good!) We were sailing out the port of Portsmouth in two teams to learn the ropes, swab the decks, man the crows nest etc, the weather was pretty grim and once we’d got out the port we were thrashed from side to side – this could have just been because Laura was behind the wheel, mind you. We learnt how to tack in and out, turning the sail in the wind which was quite difficult; steering was my forté, pretty much like driving a car and when your standing at the center back you don’t feel the waves thrashing you from side to side so much! After two hours on the seas, we settled down for lunch and a much needed glass of wine, before heading out to race the two teams around the harbour. Donna and Graham were naturals at the helm, trying to persuade the team for press trip number two out in Mexico.. I can dream!

To talk about the actual sail-wear, I was impressed by the formentor shoes. They allow water to flow in and out with drainage ports in the bottom. I’m planning to test these out when I get back to Devon, I think they’d be perfect for climbing over the rocks, as I usually fall into a rock pool or two. I’ve just booked a week down there at the start of June so excited for some country air!

Thank you to IPR and Timberland for inviting me out for the day, and to the rest of the team for such great company!

BREAKFAST WITH SWEDISH HASBEENS

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Wearing: Yohji Yamamoto jacket, 2nd Day tank, Nicolas Andreas Taralis skirt, Acne trousers, Converse trainers, Mimco bag, Dominic Jones and Backstage rings
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Last week I had the chance to meet the founder of Swedish Hasbeens at Selfridges for the launch of their pop up store. It was so much fun, with a whole choreographed dance of girls bending into insane positions and flying through the air with ribbon sticks! It was the perfect way to show off the new SH collection, still with a hint of clog but mostly inspired by the classic bowling shoe. Emy, the founder of the iconic shoes and I could not have been more oppositely dressed she was telling the story of the beginnings of the brand; when they started in 2006 it was hard because everybody was having a black moment, now the world is more accepting of colour and their business is thriving, I suppose I’m still stuck in 2006 then! 

This is one of my more casual looks that I’ve been living in recently, loving my new shoes from Mr Porter! Michael actually pulled Alexxsia aside at the launch to double check if I knew I was wearing trainers, I love them ok? Now to get my hands on some of these bowling babies!

ACNE BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

I’d been meaning to do this Yellow Door press day/Acne post for a while, but after getting my new camera I stashed my old one out of sight and only just found it, it’s memory card full with last seasons press days. It must be my senile old blogger age, but I thought better late than never; plus everything you see here is available to buy now! Which is always a plus.

The leather jackets and shoes from Acne are always my favourite and this season, I fell in love particularly with the white leather pieces and the platform shoes, I’m in love with Ivania’s suede pair more than the blue silk, and even more with these mid calf boots. I found one style to be a bit of a Simone Rocha rip off (the high heeled brogue) but other than that thumbs up all round.

 I warn you there may be more of these belated press days to come (sorry!) but I do quite like seeing the garments and accessories without a body to cloud your judgement; pure design appreciation is what I’m after.

NICOLAS ANDREAS TARALIS SS12

I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without knowing about this guy but I discovered Nicolas Andreas Taralis randomly this morning, whilst trawling through the final markdowns online. You can watch the video to this collection on his website and watching the way the clothes move, will make you fall in love for sure. The concept for Nicolas is simplicity; clothes stripped back to their most natural form. I’m not talking about this specific collection, which has sci-fi influences but the general aesthetic. The styling is so paired back it feels like you can wear the pieces right off the runway. I’ve been hunting to find better images for the SS12 shoes too, but above was all I could find. Still totally amazing, of course but I want to see more of the knee high white cut out boots!

SHOES FOR SHOW

A couple of weeks ago, whilst is was absolutely bucketing down with rain, I ran down Brick Lane to catch the opening of the new Shoes for Show exhibition presented by Javari.co.uk. I’m afraid the exhibition isn’t running anymore (sorry about that), but it featured shoes that were quintessentially designed for their beauty and not for wearability. It’s hard to pick a favourite but mine might have to be the Pugh shoe designed for Beyonce’s Girls video, and how amazing is that last picture of Mr. Ferragamo?