Marni at H&M - the day it all happened!

So today is the big day we've all been waiting for: the collaboration between Marni's creative mastermind Consuelo Castiglioni and H&M would finally open to the masses.

I had been debating whether to take my chances online or in store and decided that queuing early-ish should give me a good chance obtaining the coveted necklaces & dresses I've been obsessing about. Tweets and reports of people camping out the night before and stories of rampages during the last designer range's launch (Versace) had me doubt whether I'd stand any chance but as I have a full-time job, the camp-out method wasn't really an option. As the stores opened at 9am, I decided to get there for 7am. Early but not the middle of the night. I chose the Manchester Market Street store as it's close to work.

On my way there I read that the London Oxford Street store had people queuing around the block and expected the worst. Imagine my delight and surprise when I turned up at my target store with only about 20 people queuing! 

 

The queue at 7:30 

Not only weren't there too many shoppers, they also proved to be a nice crowd and we chatted exchanging more and less mad shopping stories.

I couldn't help but think what my dad would make of all of this. ("You queued? For clothes?!") Having grown up with a great grandad from East Germany and remembering that I probably queued last at a shop when we were visiting him in the 80s, waiting outside a bakery in the hope of being able to purchase some bread, I had a bit of a chuckle myself.)

Co-queue-ers...

 ...and including me.

 

Ok, this has to stay here as a comment was made re. the tracksuit...

At about 8am a couple of very polite security staff came out, explaining the rules ("up to menswear first for 10 minutes, then, for your allocated timeslot down to womenswear, you've got 10 minutes to make your selection, only 1 item per colour & size, then you can try on or pay" - *deep breath*) and that we'd receive a wristband indicating which timeslot we'd be allowed to shop in. Shortly after that, we received said wristbands (9:10). We were allowed into menswear just before 9 (I decided to get a shirt for my boyfriend, let's see what he'll make of it) and then wandered down to the womenswear section. We formed a very orderly queue ("guided" by what can only be described as a cattle pen) and watched the first group frantically finishing their selections ("2 more minutes").

"No photos!"

"Queuing-Pen"

Then it was our turn. As the group was relatively small (20?) it wasn't too bad, even though the Marni area was small, there was plenty of stock. Bar bumping into people, there were no major incidents. After the 10 minutes were up we were given the option to try on before we buy. Staff were incredibly helpful and polite (big thank you at this point!) but as the next group were snapping at our heels, I only tried on a few things about which I hadn't been sure anyway and then made my way to the till with everything else. I will have to try on these properly at home and make my final decision. H&M grants 7 days returns for the Marni items - a departure from the usual 28 days.

Anyway, so what did I buy?
3 necklaces
2 cardigans
1 skirt
1 top
2 dresses
1 collar
... and a men's shirt

I shall try and report tonight what's for keeps and if I 'done good!

(btw: I wanted to take some more pictures in the store but was told that it is not permitted as "it's branding and we don't know what you do with the photos". Hm...)

Anyway, let me know if you went Marni mad!

Wednesday Lunchtime Treat!

Another week, another Wednesday. Are we nearly there yet? My week is no *not* going well and pure sanity sake, I am going to have a mental break.  Right, any decent offers?

Miss Selfridge

Free UK Next day Delivery - Ends 6pm tonight!

ASOS

5 days left to join ASOS premier for just £9.95 a year (normally £14.95) - Ends 12/03/12

Brandalley

Some fab brands such as Reiss, Whistle & Lipsy!

Better stop dreaming and get back to work!

Enjoy

xx

Wardrobe Spy

I don't have a huge amount of precious jewellery. Just a couple of little silver pieces and a gold & garnet necklace and ring passed down to me by my grandmother. I do wear these items usually at special or family occasions. Or when I have a day, where I need that extra bit of luck.

I do, however, have quite a big collection of costume jewellery. So much so, that I had to come up with a system: long-ish items get hung on nails, which I affixed to the inside of my wardrobe.*

*note: if you do this, make sure there is enough space between your clothes and the hooks and pick nails/hooks that won't snag delicate fabric!

Smaller items get stored in clear muji boxes.

But even though I do have all of those, I tend to go back to the same few pieces and I'd probably divide them into two groups.

Plastic Fantastic

• Black scroll necklace, blue & red bows, cream dog broach and the silver star all from Zarah Voigt.(I discovered her a few years ago when wandering through Copenhagen. She did some pieces, which could definitely be referred to as Tatty-Devine-esque, though I am not sure, who came first.)
• Turquoise rose ring and peach bauble necklace from Primark. 
• Bambi, see-through beads and chain necklace from Topshop.

Love Metallics

• The collier with the green velvet ribbon is from Ligia Dias.
• Bronze collier with pink leather band from a little stall in Covent Garden (sorry, little stall, I forgot...).
• Flower-borach from Zarah Voigt.
• The multi strand/multi colour necklace is from Accessorize. (see me wear it here)
• I think the semi-precious necklace was from Pandora.
• Mixed bauble necklace from Miss Selfridge.
• Chain necklace from Topshop.

I usually probably under- rather than over-accessorize (sometimes I am simply in such a rush that I, shock-horror!, forget in the morning) and I don't have a hard-and-fast rule for which piece I wear with what. I do like to contrast accessories with the clothes I wear though, so I might put on a girly dress and pair an industrial looking necklace with it. (Dad: "Are those washers in your necklace?!" Me: "That's Ligia Dias, Dad!") In that very same way I might combine a pretty, girly necklace with a laid-back outfit.

But then again I might wake up tomorrow and just grab something that completely contradicts the above...

A New Way of Shoeshopping?

***UPDATE***

SHOESCRIBE JUST LAUNCHED!

07/03/12

Heard of Yoox? Sure! It's long been one of the go-to places of cut price designer gear. 

Well, the clever people of Yoox are about to launch a shoe-only site:

There are currently just under 80 brands and designers on offer, from Acne to Giambattista Valli, from Hunter to See by Chloe.  

Browsing for just a few seconds, I stumbled across all these lovelies:

images from shoescribe.com

But Shoescribe is apparently not just your average shoe e-tailer. (Of course not.) It looks like what's on offer is, for an annual subscription fee of £119, you will receive a host of added value services such as free shipping, shoe repair, customer service representatives who will call you if any assistance is required and "a fairytale present on your birthday". 

 

Well, as those lovely Yoox - sorry - Shoescribe - people put it:

"shoescribe.com is the online destination
dedicated entirely to shoes
and everything that surrounds them.
It’s a place where you can browse,
shop, discover, inspire and be inspired."

 

And with some nicely written editorial content, a slick-looking website, pleasing images and - clearly - the right idea about customer services, what's stopping you from joining right now?

Ah, actually, you won't be able to jump on that ride just this minute as the site hasn't launched yet. However, I have it on good authority that the grand opening is imminent. In fact, a little (twitter) birdie told me within a day's reach.

In the meantime follow them on twitter (@shoescribe), befriend them on facebook - and keep checking back!

Mary Katrantzou - missed her at Topshop?

So I had completely missed the launch of the Mary Katrantzou Collection into Topshop and by the time I realized it had happened, all that was left online was a pair of printed trousers, a floral tee and a scarf.  As nice as those are, I just felt that they are completely lacking Katrantzou's genius way of clashing prints.

Imagine my delight when Moda Operandi dropped me an email this afternoon, inviting me to the Mary Katrantzou AW12 trunk show.  

I love fashion. I like pretty clothes. I am happy when I find flattering clothes. I adored Katrantzou's collection when I saw it on the catwalk (well, when I saw Vogue's pictures of it). But this time the collection actually made me smile.  There is something about the colours, the unashamed joy of playing with clashing prints, a bit mad, yet totally pretty. Genius.

Most of these are completely unattainable for me but a dress at just under £1200 suddenly doesn't seem so mad but like a good investment, right?

Gleam Coat $3960

Spooner Top $4320

Fitted Cake-A-Flake Dress $1185

 Expandit Dress $23755

Tik Tok Knit $1440

Better start saving up or skulking through those Topshop stores...

What I wore today

Really?! I actually wasn't going to do this. The whole: "this is what I pulled out of my wardrobe and this is how I look in it". Partially because I actually don't tend to like myself in photographs (to the extend that people ask "were you there on that holiday?!"), partially because I always think people who usually do share what they wear with the rest of the world via the www are so much cooler than me.

Anyway, as much as I have enjoyed writing about where I like to shop, which collections I am drooling over and what I enjoy to wear, I thought it was getting a bit too... theoretical. So here I am, posing strangely in front of a temporarily re-located mirror, trying to get my outfit in, trying to leave the mess around me out - without it looking too obvious that this is exactly what I'm doing.

Aaaaanyway. Because what actually matters is, what I did wear today.

Right, then:

Dress, Whistles (think AW11)

Cardigan, H&M (SS11)

Belt, Reiss (SS11)

Boots, LK Bennet (AW10)

Watch, Swatch (??)

Necklace, Accessorize (??)

As it was rather cold I wore black opaques & boots and also a thin black long sleeve top underneath (can't remember who that's from).

Even though I am not wearing anything new from this season, I think this dress works great referencing the tribal trend and the belt gives a bit of pretty pastel colour. Besides that, you know that I simply love multi-tonal jewellery!

So have a good dig in your wardrobe and find some gems that are bang up to date - then mix in that latest purchase! ;)

What to do in 2012

Thanks to the V&A, the FTM and various other museums and galleries, there is never a shortage of places where you can remind yourself that fashion is more than just clothes. Worthy of an exhibition. Worthy of an auction . Worthy of a major event.

2012 has a few fantastic highlights lined up - even when ignoring LFW! Below just a selection of which ones I would like to attend - whether I can, will largely depend on work commitments and funds...

First up, there is Manolo Blahnik sharing his aesthetic genius at Bath in Fashion on 29th March. In a talk with Ian R. Webb, he'll share his views on fashion, his life story, his inspiration.  This is then followed by an autograph session.

As I live and work in/near Manchester, I am particularly excited about Manchester Fashion Week. From 9th to 14th of April designers will be showcasing their talent and I hope that this will help to continue put Manchester on the fashion map! Sign up now for updates.

More shoes? From 1st May to 9th July you can catch the Christian Louboutin Exhibition at the Design Museum. We are being promised a celebration of "Louboutin's career to date... twenty years of designs and inspiration".  I am particularly exited about the fact that we won't only get to see gorgeous creations on plinths but we'll be able to see behind the scenes, as the master's design process will be explored and revealed - basically from the first idea to production.

Want a look behind the scenes of another truly iconic design house? From 8th to 27th May, you can turn your attention to to another name that has lovers of leather goods all over the world swooning. The Royal Academy of Arts' Leather Forever Hermes exhibition will give a unique insight into the company's history, the goods they design, and into the process of how these iconic pieces are being crafted. Hermes is even bringing a number of their own craftspeople. Should you then wish to take away a "little" memento, you could splash out on one of the four unique bags designed by Hermes to celebrate the exhibition.

Got some spare cash? Fancy some really iconic pieces once worn by the (even more) iconic Daphne Guinness? Well, you're in luck. After having exhibited part of her personal dress collection at the Fashion Institute of Technology last September, she is now going to auction off 100 pieces at Christie's, with all proceeds going to the Isabella Blow Foundation. The auction itself is scheduled for 27th June but even if you can't possibly entertain the thought of forking out a ton for a piece of fashion art, do take advantage of the preview. The Daphne Guinness Collection will be open from 23rd to 27th June at Christie’s.

Towards the end of the year (never too early to plan) the V&A will be treating us to their Hollywood Costume exhibition. The exhibition will run from 20th October 2012 to 27th January 2013 and it is said to explore "the central role costume design plays in cinema storytelling" and will present us with more than 100 of the most iconic movie costumes from across a century of film-making. Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz? Tick. Indiana Jones? Tick Jack Sparrow. Tick. Darth Vader? (Not kidding!) Tick. Oh, and - of course - Holly Golightly. The very fact that Darth Vader's outfit will be featuring might mean that dragging your boyfriend to this one could be easier than you ever dared to dream.

So get your diary ready and plan in time for some serious inspiration!

Oh H&M, oh Marni - I can't wait!

I probably won't be giving you any news by saying that in not even four full days (= 4xsleeps!), H&M will be launching the Marni at H&M collection. 

Frankly, you must have been living under a stone if you've missed their campaign. That beautiful video, directed by Sofia Coppola makes you not only want to wear (read: buy) the entire collection and dig out your Roxy music collection (Avalon never sounded so good), it also makes you want to emigrate to Marrakesh, and take up a life of saunter around in silky dresses, lying on pillows and looking moody in the candlelight.

The wait is almost over: the collection will finally launch on 8th March 9am, online as well as in store. 

I am still debating whether to take my chance online or whether to brave the crowds at a store. I am currently leaning towards queuing up outside the Manchester Market Street store. After several of the Designers @ H&M ranges had been abused by ruthless ebay resellers, H&M has laid out the rules very clearly: one size per style and strict queuing system with 10 minutes time for each group. I just hope that turning up early in the morning will secure a coveted shopping spot. If I do go, I shall report back with some snaps of the crush!

Anyway, my current wish-list will probably have to be edited down somewhat due to a rather limited budget - so these are my favourites:

My absolute I-have-to-have-and-can't-live-without are definitely the necklaces, I have been lusting after a Marni necklace for years! Wish me luck!

Dramatic Silhouettes

Complete and utter shame on me for not having heard of Haider Ackermann before (or simply not remembering his name). An amazing collection with feminine and strong silhouettes, a play on textures and cuts that's as witty as it is classy and sumptious colours.

It's not like he's a newcomer. Interned with John Galliano, launched his own label in 2001 and showed at Parus Fashion week in March. He has apparently been named as one of the possible successors for Galliano at Dior. 

So really: shame on me!

Spring Florals 2012

"Florals. In Spring. Groundbreaking."

I know. Miranda is right: there is nothing radical, new or surprising about doing florals in spring. And yet, I am very excited about the choice of superpretty floral-prints on the highstreet.

Below are my favourite picks.

Spring Florals 2012

£30 - Dorothy Perkins

£30 - Dorothy Perkins

£24.50 - Dorothy Perkins

£79 - Reiss

£27 - Dorothy Perkins

£110 - Reiss

£30 - H&M

£13 - Monsoon

£20 - Topshop

£40 -ASOS

£16 - Monsoon

I know I'll just need a pretty little top to wear with my jeans, a romantic dress for all-over "I feel pretty" and shall try to clash a couple of different prints!

Let me know what you are doing!

Too much of a good thing?

I need to have a serious rifle through my wardrobe, major clear out and re-organisation. There is also a clothes rail in storage, things hanging in my boyfriend's closet, drawers and boxes full of stuff.

How can I otherwise justify to buy more?!