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the queen’s jubilee = british sales!

May 31, 2012 in fashion

This weekend marks the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and to celebrate, many of my favourite British retailers are putting on some smashing deals. Here are a few I know about – if you know of any more, leave a comment!

Anthropologie: It’s not a British brand but shoppers using the EU site get the benefit of 30% off a selection of tea-party appropriate items until Tuesday. My pick is the Inkjet Halter Dress (now €126.40) or, if you can pull it off, the sunny Cascading Waves Dress (now €176.80).

ASOS: Our favourite British online retailer is offering 20% off selected brands until 9am Wednesday. There are so many items to choose from, including a range of British inspired items like Motel’s Union Jack Dress (right).

Dorothy Perkins: The cheap and cheerful high street store is offering up to 30% off everything. My favourite bargain is the Blue Butterfly Shift Dress (now £25.20)

Reiss: A favourite of the newest royal, Reiss is offering 10% off everything today only. Even better, the discount coincides with the addition of some new sale stock as well as the free shipping offer. I’ve already snapped up the gorgeous Rita Dress (now £95.40).

Whistles: Another of the Duchess’ picks is currently offering 20% off dresses. The Clara Lace Pleated Dress (now €185) would be perfect for high tea.

Keep calm and carry on? Not likely with these bargains! Happy shopping!

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in the news: vivienne westwood’s QEII collection

April 22, 2012 in fashion, news

Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her diamond jubilee this year and in her honour, Vivienne Westwood has created a capsule collection inspired by some of the Queen’s most memorable outfits.

Fear not, though – Westwood’s dresses are not inspired by the Queen’s recent, brightly coloured outfits with matching hats. The muted palette and signature Westwood draping makes these inspired-by dresses perfect for a new generation of royalty (I’m looking at you, Duchess of Cambridge!)

The dresses, and matching jewelry collection, will be available in Vivienne Westwood stores from May. See Grazia to find out more and to see the full collection.

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in the news: kate spade is hitting london

August 31, 2011 in fashion

It seems every week lately, I’ve been writing about another US store that’s making the Atlantic leap to launch in London.

Kate Spade has announced it will open two London stores in September, with one on Sloane Square and the other in Covent Garden.

The store started off with a pop-up store last year and must have been pleased with the results. London ladies will no doubt love the beautiful offerings in the store.

I’m so excited to have another of my favourite US stores a little closer to home and I have my fingers crossed that the store will be open by the time I make my trip across the Channel next month.

Some of my favourite items at the moment include the City Light Lillith Skirt, Tromp l’oeil Valerie Jacket and the Leopard Dorothy Dress.

London girls – are you excited about the arrival of Kate Spade?

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in the news: victoria’s secret expanding to uk

August 22, 2011 in fashion, news

British ladies, prepare to get your knickers in a knot – American lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret is headed for your shores!

The underwear darling is the latest in a string of recent trans-Atlantic expansion announcements including Anthropologie, J.Crew and Forever 21.

Victoria’s Secret’s London flagship store will open next year on the corner of New Bond Steet, with another 2-3 stores in the London area.

The brand will then expand across the UK before potentially continuing to grow internationally (Aussie girls, could you be next?)

What do you think about the news? I’m a big fan of the brand and will definitely be stopping in on my cross-channel shopping trips!

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what’s on: the duchess’ wedding dress exhibit

August 8, 2011 in fashion

I’m back in the real world after a lovely summer break and I have so much to share with you.

Let’s get back into the swing of things by talking about the exhibit of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, which is currently open as part of the State Rooms tour of Buckingham Palace.

I know I’ve been a vocal fan of the Sarah Burton-designed Alexander McQueen dress since the moment Kate Middleton stepped out of the car at Westminster Abbey, but the craftmanship on the dress needs to be seen in-person to be believed.

For starters, the lace work is incredible. Four different laces (some up to 50 years old) were sewn together to create one unique lace pattern for the dress – but you would never know because the 2mm stitches joining them together are impossible to see.

Visitors also get the opportunity to see the Duchess’ wedding accessories up close, including her veil, shoes, jewellery and Halo tiara. The wedding cake and a replica of the wedding bouquet are also included in the exhibit.

The Queen was quoted as saying the display itself was “horrible” and “horrid” due to the lack of a head on the mannequin and I’m inclined to agree the display itself looks a little eery. I don’t have any photos of my own due to the Palace’s strict anti-photography policy, but you can see the Queen and the Duchess checking out the exhibit above.

If you’re planning to be in London before 3 October, I strongly recommend you take the time to do the tour. The dress itself well worth the entry fee of £17.50 but you also get a peek behind the walls of the palace to see the Queen’s beautiful entertaining areas. Tickets are available through the Royal Collection (and don’t forget to convert your single-entry ticket to a one-year ticket by getting it stamped at the desk in the gardens – that way you can go for free next year!)

If you can’t make it, you can check out the Royal Collection’s microsite for a zoom-in view of the dress and accessories.

PS Another royal wedding – that of the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips – took place last weekend. While the bride and her footballer husband looked very happy, I wasn’t particularly enamoured with her Stewart Pavin dress. She’s such a beautiful girl but I thought her dress didn’t really do anything for her. What did you think?

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