Tag Archives: shopping
Best buy: The Hanro vest
Trending for spring: boyfriend shorts, sheer-panelled skirts, barely-there bandeau tops… Um, not in my world they’re not. On rotation in my wardrobe right now is the same thing I’ve been wearing since last September – an endless cycle of jumbo cardigans and polo necks, underpinned by a lifetime’s supply of Hanro vests. Where would I be without my Hanros?
My go-to Hanro is the ‘1601‘ in black or white, made famous by Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut, but otherwise worn by thousands as a pretty spaghetti-strapped vest that works under any weight or sheerness of top. I wear mine under T-shirts, jumpers, silk shirts and sheer blouses. And if it does get properly balmy, you can wear one on its own too.
The adjustable-strapped V-neck vests (and short sleeve tops, my other Hanro addiction – seen on Kate Moss, above) are made in Switzerland from mercerised cotton, wool and silk. Some are trimmed with filigree embroidery still produced in Swiss factories. They’re not cheap – the 1601 costs £29 for the cotton version – but they’re beautifully made and absolutely last. Cost-per-wear wise, they’re a very good investment.
[Images: Kate Moss by Corrine Day for Vogue]
A ToyWatch for the festival season
Here’s something different from ToyWatch and I like it a lot. It’s a watch-friendship bracelet hybrid and all I can think is, why hasn’t this been done before?
The watch face is clean and classic, a nice contrast to the busy South American-inspired patterns of the woven friendship bracelet. These are pitched ‘for the festival season’ but I can’t imagine them going anywhere near a muddy field, can you? Much more suited for lazy days in the park with a Pimms, or a clubby long weekend in Ibiza.
Anyway, they sell for £125 and are stocked at Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and ToyWatch… Continue reading
What’s in your man bag?
Who knew that men cared about what’s in other men’s man bags?* Well, it seems Mr Porter cares. This week there’s a feature on stylish, influential men and their ‘everyday carry‘ (kind of). Naturally, I’m all over it. Of course, it helps that Mr Porter has photographed the feature in typical house style – that means styled to perfection, with the latest desirable tech and grooming goodies in place. Continue reading
Buy it now: Chanel Les Beiges
This Chanel Les Beiges sample has been sitting in its box for weeks because I was too scared to use it. I’ve never used bronzers because I don’t know where to position them, but I finally couldn’t resist this sand-hued compact (a first for Chanel) and went for the plunge.
Verdict: Peter Philips has triumphed again with this elegant Healthy Glow Sheer Powder (with SPF15) which has barely perceptible golden specks that very subtly catch the light (I used shade 30). I’ve found the best way to use this is to be confident with the brush; swish it in a swooping figure-of-three type action along the side of the face from brow to chin, then a bit over the forehead and nose. The results are so impressive – a natural, outdoorsy ‘wellness’ effect.
I think this is going to be my hero product for the summer although the only downside is it’s quite heavily scented so that’s something to get used to. It’s selling fast but Selfridges currently has all the shades.
Buy it now: Spring picks
I’m cautious with spring shopping as I don’t like to get too optimistic about the weather. So with the Fendi sleeveless blouse there’s a Thomas Tait leather jacket and to accompany the Theory shorts, an Ostwald Helgason sweatshirt. The Dries Van Noten lace-ups are an all-year-round option, as is the Chloe ring. (P.S, you might like to know that there’s free shipping on full-price merch over £100 at Farfetch until Thursday…)
ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT:
TOP: Olympia le Tan bag; Dries van Noten shoes; Fendi blouse
MIDDLE: Ostwald Helgason sweatshirt; Chloe ring; Theory shorts
BOTTOM: Thomas Tait jacket; Marc Jacobs Dot eau de parfum; Topshop platforms
Buy it now: How Moda Operandi is monetising the Met Ball
Right, now that Vogue Festival is out of the way, the next Vogue event to diarise is the Met Gala, coming on 6th May. Especially if you’re a celeb-loving fashion fan. The red carpet arrivals at the Costume Institute benefit will be livestreamed next Monday at 7pm EST on the Moda Operandi, US Vogue, Samsung and Metropolitan Museum of Art websites. Continue reading
New Russian talent at Avenue32
It’s been around for less than eighteen months but Avenue32 is powering along in its quest for etail market share. It prides itself on scouting new talent, not least from further afield than St Martin’s London, New York and Paris. This is an interesting video spotlighting three of its Russian designers – Vika Gazinskaya, Vassilisa and Vilshenko (The sound quality’s not great but stick with it). Continue reading
Buy it now: my edit for Other Shop
Do you know about Other Shop? Oh yes you do, it’s the store formerly known as B Store. But that’s no more and in its place on Kingly Street we have a brand new entity, comprising a shop of lovingly-chosen goodies (many by new-to-market designers), an online store, plus an own label with a DRG-friendly unisex aesthetic – fittingly called ‘Other’.
And oh look, I’ve done a guest edit for them! Some of the names sold at Other Shop are well known (in fact, owners Matthew Murphy and Kirk Beattie have nurtured many of them from the start). Examples: Peter Jensen, Christophe Lemaire, Our Legacy. Others are recent graduates or just not very shouty brands. Continue reading
Laurence Airline lands at Agnes & Lola
Oooh look: some of the spring shirts from menswear brand, Laurence Airline have just landed at Agnes & Lola! Perfectly timed to coincide with this weekend’s promised heatwave (er, where it is btw?), I spotted them at the MAN trade show in Paris last June and loved the distinctive prints and colours… Continue reading
Meet Christian Louboutin’s Madame Mouse
I’m not-very-secretly relieved to see the demise of the monopoly of the ‘plat-heel’ shoe. Those overstated stilettos with a stacked platform (also known as stripper heels) have just become ubiquitous on the high street to the point that it’s almost impossible to find high heels with normal soles. Well that’s slowly changing. Continue reading
