Ralph Lauren's Ricky World Tour

Designed in 2005 and named after his wife, the Ralph Lauren ‘Soft Ricky’ handbag is one of the label’s most iconic and popular pieces.  To celebrate its success, Ralph Lauren’s giant ‘Ricky’ bag, that took a month to create and measures 1.8m high and 1.5m wide (so maybe juuuust big enough to fit all my stuff in!) begun its world tour last September, travelling to New York, Tokyo, Paris and now… LONDON.  Yes, that’s right, the ‘Ricky’ has landed at the Ralph Lauren New Bond Street store and I paid homage to the XXL accessory last week while it held court at Ralph Lauren and Vogue’s fun, cocktail-fueled shopping event in support of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

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Above:  Accessorising my Zara top, shoes and statement necklace, and my new H&M embellished scuba skirt (available in store, RRP. £39.99) with my grandmother's aquamarine cocktail ring and my Lulu Guinness lips clutch (available HERE, RRP. £325.00) which I momentarily swapped for a gorgeous, coral-orange 'Soft Ricky.' 

Above:  Bag smoochin' with super stylist Martha Ward.  Below:  My great buddy DJ Izzy Lawrence and the delicious, rainbow-coloured Ricky bag biscuits to take home.

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Below:  The multi-coloured Ralph Lauren 'Soft Ricky' bags available HERE (RRP. £1750.00)
#OneInEveryColourPleaseRalph!

 

 

Debit Buy: Zara's Rubberized Effect Sunglasses

I’ve been enjoying my sky blue Rubberized Effect Sunglasses from Zara (above, on the way to pick up the keys to my new HOUSE – hence, the shocked/excited/confused look!) ever since the sun put his hat on, albeit briefly, earlier this year.  Although now sold out, Zara have just brought out this sea green pair (below right) which are just as awesome and affordable.  A summer must have methinks.  Available HERE (RRP. £15.99).

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Keira Knightley Recycled Wedding Dress

Keira Knightley was the epitome of a bridechiller this weekend, wearing a dress she last wore in 2008  (above right)  when she married Klaxon’s keyboard player James Righton in an intimate, low-key ceremony in the South of France last weekend.  To be fair, Keira's ‘something old’  was a Chanel Couture blush pink bustier tulle gown which I’m sure most brides would also choose to re-wear if one were just idly hanging about in their wardrobes!  Accessorised with wayfarer sunglasses, Chanel pumps and jacket, Keira looked amazingly relaxed, down to earth and ultimately, very cool.  Congratulations!

The 2014 Met Ball

This week the biggest A-Listing schlebs and schlebrutants gathered on the footsteps of the Metropolitan Museum for the 2014 Met Ball, hosted by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and co-chair, the belle-of-every-ball, SJP (below, in Oscar de la Renta).  The dress code this year was ‘White Tie and Decorations’ to compliment the current Costume Institute's retrospective of the Anglo-American couturier Charles James.  As always, there were some style-winners and some style-misses… and then a whole new level of OMG! ('Oh Met God!') established by Kim Kardashian last year (HERE) and owned this year by a criminally dressed Kate Upton… #WhenBadDressesHappenToSuperHotWomen.

Below:  Fresh, relevant and so-very-freaking-fash, these three TLC style-faves NAILED modern elegance in a sea of pouff...  (L-R):  Marion Cotillard wore a classic Dior shape made from a modern, dark ink blue material accessorised with one enormous Chopard diamond earring and an orange power pout. I'm not crazy keen on her Dior Haute Couture heels but they certainly don’t distract from the over all ‘Ooh La La’ of her look.  Emma Stone looked perfectly pink in a two-tone Thakoon dress, carrying a Tod’s clutch and wearing a Disney-princess messy side-braid. Youthful and HOT.  A controversial choice, but I adored Alexa Chung’s ice blue, crunchy taffeta Nina Ricci dress.  Only Alexa, in her bejeweled shoes, with her un-done hair and rock’n’roll nonchalance, could make this dress with its multi-bow accents look so damn cool. 

Below:  Models Suki Waterhouse and Stella Tennant both looking WOW in Burberry.  

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Below:  There was definitely a trend for classic black and white gowns on the Met Ball red carpet this year and my favourite of these was actress Anna Kendrick's modernly elegant peekaboo J.Mendal dress worn with Graff diamonds and Brian Atwood heels.

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Below:  Couture Couples! Three beautifully dressed ladies with three mighty dapper accessories...  (L-R):  Beyonce looking mysterious and flawless in a beaded Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci gown with husband Jay Z, Diane Kruger looking lovely in lavender in Jason Wu for Hugo Boss dress with her boyfriend Joshua Jackson, and blonde bombshell Blake Lively in a glistening champagne Gucci gown with husband Ryan Reynolds.  

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Below Clockwise (L-R):  35 year old Katie Holmes actually hurt my eyes whilst channelling ‘Belle’ from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in this Marchesa dress. More beastly than belle.  Kate Upton in Dolce and Gabana.  OMG! O.MET.G! This is comedy-bad. WHO is responsible for dressing this majorly hot woman as a frumpy, buxom Austrian barmaid, complete with bonnet?!  Shoot them.  Lupita Nyong’o looking a little more fancy-dress than party-dress in Prada.  With a string of red carpet wins this year, I’ll let her off for this less than elegant flapper dress fail.  Reece Witherspoon looking a little too kitsch and way too ‘Legally Blonde’ in this pink Stella McCartney dress for my liking.  Maggie Gyllenhaal in a Valentinokaftan. A kaftan.  This has nothing to do with Charles James, and no place on the red carpet.  Rita Ora (can we please stop trying to make this woman ‘happen’ now?!) flashed her underwear throughout the evening in garish Donna Karen Atelier and a pair of thigh-high strappy heels. Classy as always...  Aaaand breathe TLC!

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Swanky Lash & Brow Bar

I was recently invited to Swanky Lash & Brow Bar on the Portobello Road, one of two salons (the other being in Kensal Rise) owned by sisters Sophia Chrifi-Alaoui and Donia Chrifi-Alaoui.  Perfectly placed opposite some of my nearby Notting Hill faves (Pizza East Portobello, Meli Melo and Lowry and Baker) this vibrant and affordable salon is usually chockablock full of loyal regulars (I advise booking) and I could easily tell why… With a room full of talented beauticians and real characters, you would be hard pressed to find a more personable, chatty and buzzing environment to get pampered. 

 Arriving early (yes, this sometimes happens!) for my mani-pedi, a treatment Sienna Miller recently raved about to Vogue, I got my eyelashes tinted.  After this, Sneeha, one of Swanky’s more hilarious employees, suggested I also had my eyebrows threaded; a quick and relatively painless treatment I always seem to forget about yet find so effective.  I found it hard to keep still whilst listening to Sneeha’s amusing stories and jolly giggles but luckily the results revealed otherwise!  

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My manicure and pedicure was made far easier by Donia (above right) speedily helping me decide which colours to wear (a usually agonizing procedure for me and any poor technician waiting).  I went for ‘Tiki Tiki Laranga’ gel polish for my hands, and 'Where Did Suzi's Man-go’ from the latest SS’14 O.P.I range (above left) for my toes.  Two weeks down and both tips and toes are still going strong.  I have been hapilly able to show them off the last two weekends running; in Cornwall over Easter (below left wearing my Zara slides) and at a friend's wedding (below right wearing my Topshop jumpsuit, Zara Sunglasses, Monica Vinader stack rings, Astley Clarke locket and my customised Bags By M Book Clutch) and just in time for the sun to make a much-appreciated appearance.  
​Thank you Ladies, I'll see you again VERY soon! 

Musical Moment: Daft Punk ft. Pharrell and Nile Rogers ('Get Lucky')

French veteran electronic duo Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter ofDaft Punk have teamed up with Pharrell and Nile Rogers to deliver THE song of my Summer.  Currently at number one in the British charts, it doesn't get any better than this... 

HAWT: Leslie Mann in Monique Lhuillier

Hawt = A late 1940's and early 1950's acronym for "Having A Wonderful Time."
Now the word is used on the internet as slang for something reeeeally hot.

I made it no secret that my favourite look from last September was the two-piece ensemble from Monique Lhuillier’s stunning SS’14 collection.  I was so excited to see that one of my favourite actresses, Leslie Mann, was the one to debut this show-stopping outfit on the red carpet at the LA premiere of her latest comedy ‘The Other Woman’ (which I naturally can't wait to see… DG however, may need some convincing/bribing!)  The bright pink, silk, strapless bandeau top and voluminous, poppy-red, floor length maxi skirt looked incredible on the cute-as-a-button actress, who accessorised with Oscar Tiye ‘Cleopatra’ heels and a punchy orange pout.  HAWT!

 

Sophia Webster for J.Crew

British shoe designer Sophia Webster’s hugely anticipated SS’14 capsule footwear collection for J.Crew is just as playful as you would imagine, yet happily more affordable than the designer’s own branded styles.  

Comprising thirteen bright and kooky pairs of heels priced between £240.00 to £525.00, this magical collection oozes personality.  Jenna Lyons, J.Crew's creative director said of the collaboration, "Sophia's shoes are like miniature sets - a beautiful world for your feet to spend the day in." 

"I was delighted when Jenna [Lyons] approached me to design a collection for J.Crew,"said Sophia. "The brand has a real sense of fun and colour that I love and I think that my designs compliment their clothes well."

See HERE to shop the collection. 

Hello There: Olivia Von Halle

Above:  I was utterly spoiled at Christmas when DG bought me a pair of gorgeous Olivia von Halle silk Coco Pyjamas (RRP. £330.00).  Unfortunately however, all my other pyjamas now pail into insignificance and I only want to wear these silk ones (...high maintenance much?!  Yup.)

Olivia von Halle launched her own luxury nightwear brand in 2011, inspired by the silk pyjamas Coco Chaneland her contemporaries wore in the 1920’s. The beautifully cut pyjamas in an array of stunning prints are now a firm fashionista favourite and are available in over thirty stockists including Harrods and Net-a-Porter.  You can even get them monogrammed These should be high on every girl's wish list - Trust me!
"Why have cotton... When you can have (OvH) silk...!"

Below:  Olivia von Halle's AW'14 collection inspired by Tsarist Russia in the early 20th Century.  Oliva has said, "on a trip to Moscow I was captivated by the extraordinary opulence of the buildings and the way a new generation of women such as Mira Duma and Lena Perminova were putting a chic modern spin on traditional Russian style." 

Oh, and another thing:  Olivia got married in 2008 wearing a pink skin-tight catsuit (awesome) and has a dog called Bathtub (who I am mildly obsessed with on Instagram!) 

 

 Olivia Von Halle, Olivia von Halle Silk Pyjamas, Silk Pyjamas, Harrods, Net-a-Porter, The London Chatter, Tsarist Russia, Opulent,Sleep Wear, Silk Sleepwear