My Danish bargain…

I was in Copenhagen for work last week and had a great time as always. The weather was stunning, even though it got a bit too hot actually – I thought I was going to pass out when I arrived at the SAND showroom it was so humid and after having a sip of pink champagne when our meeting had finished, I was drunk instantly (I am a very cheap date!). Thank the Lord for Lee Stafford’s Poker Straight Dehumidifier spray for my hair – it was actually looking pretty decent considering… I definitely recommend it (visit www.boots.com)! 

I arrived a bit early for my first meeting so I had some wandering-around time. I thought I’d have a look for a couple of summer bargains to add to my Ibiza wardrobe (I’m not going until September but I’m trying to plan ahead – as by that time there’ll be faux-fur coats and ski jackets in the shops!). I headed to Vero Moda (www.veromoda.com) where I tried on some very “Scandinavian” trousers that I thought looked pretty cool (big harem-style things with pockets in a crazy print) but I looked like a maniac in them! They were far too baggy in certain areas but tight in others – not a good look unless you’re 17 or Danish (I don’t know how they get away with them but they really do)! I headed across the street to a shop owned by the same company as Vero Moda, called Pieces, a jewellery and accessories brand that also sells some seasonal clothing. Everything was very well-priced and they had some great summer stuff which was perfect, just what I was looking for (Pieces is stocked in some Vero Moda outlets in the UK – for more info have a look at their website www.pieces.com). 

Anyway, I bought a very flattering/wearable black cotton throw-on dress for the equivalent of about £16, a scarf and a necklace. The scarf was one of those giant tube things which is meant to revolutionize your wardrobe. It’s basically a large sheet of jersey fabric (it was about £26). I was drawn to the colour initially as it was a bright limey-yellow, which I love for summer. I also thought about how rubbish I am at packing “lightly” for holidays and that it might turn out to be a multi-functional piece for Ibiza! 

The instruction card offered 8 ways on how to use it… my brain could only handle 4. Undaunted, I approached an assistant with a view to creating a fabulous looking Grecian dress… She appeared even more clueless than me… What a challenge I thought!

So with my willing model Fiona, who also happens to be a garment technologist for Debenhams, surely between us we could master all 6?? 

This is the label that came with the "multi functional scarf".... we skipped the first 3 - I think everyone knows how to drape it around the neck! Next....

We folded it in half and then using a belt under the bust we lifted up the top layer over her shoulder and tied it at the back...

Stepping into the tube... we tied it at the back of her neck and draped the front. Using a belt added a bit of shape...

We folded it in half and twisted it around her neck... maybe best for over a bikini as when she walked it was completely open at the front!!

One of the easiest... we draped it around her and tied it over one shoulder... it was somewhat exposed at the side though!

I really like this one... We folded it in 2 and using the belt to secure it, pulled the top layer to the side, to create the ruched top part. We secured it at the back...

Who knew you could have SO much fun with a piece of fabric - the possibilities were endless, we found about 14 ways to wear it that weren’t on the card… And hey, even if I wear it only as a scarf, I think I’ve had my money’s worth out of it already! 

P.S. I found a smaller, but similar item in American Apparel called the “Circle Scarf” which was £30 - have a look at www.americanapparel.net. Have fun and get draping… And thanks for your help Fi!

June in Barca

 

I’ve just spent the last 13 days in sunny Barcelona and I’ve had a brilliant time. It was my first visit so there was much to do… museums, beaches, bars, restaurants and shops. Despite having been warned at least a hundred times before we left “beware of pick-pockets” my father was robbed within 48 hours of us arriving, which rather took the shine off the place somewhat but after a hilarious/terrifying trip to the police station, which was almost the busiest place in town – we decided to forget about it and embrace Barcelona for all its worth. Wow, Barca as it’s often referred to by the locals really was a fab place, even though it got somewhat “dubious after” dark… One evening on the way back to our hotel my father who was accompanied I might add in close proximity by myself, sister and mother was scarily propositioned by someone on “Las Ramblas” and I have to say that we weren’t exactly sure whether they were a man or a woman!

Of course in-between multifarious robbings, propositioning and general sight-seeing I had to look around the shops a bit and it was summer all the way. The sales hadn’t really started unlike here at home, but then with temperatures in the late twenties and thirties, who needs to discount summer clothes! I have to say that I found their Department Stores somewhat disappointing – they certainly don’t have a Harrods or Selfridges equivalent, nor do they have the choice of High Street that we do. One of their main shopping streets Passeig de Gràcia was quite mixed up brand-wise having Kookai next door to YSL, which I couldn’t get my head round, but what they do have is some lovely boutiques and Desigual was literally on every street corner. You don’t see Desigual very much in the UK but I was very impressed with what I saw – the clothes were fun, colourful and very well priced (www.desigual.com).

A lovely summer outfit from Desigual

Custo Barcelona was looking pretty cool too (another very common store in Barca) – they had some fun cotton jumpsuits in different prints, not for the faint hearted though – they were a bit Katie Perry, covered in lipsticks and crazy things! And at £200 ish I wasn’t sure just how many times I could wear a lipstick-covered jumpsuit (www.custo-barcelona-store.com)!!

Custo Barcelona - on Las Ramblas

 This t-shirt is from the Danish brand Numph (www.numph.dk), I loved the giraffe and sequined glasses and at only 22 EUROs it was a bit of a bargain!  I found it in a great shop off Las Ramblas called Rag Shop (http://barcelona.salir.com/rag_shop). They also sold the brand Sugarhill Boutique, which is featured in Look magazine (12th July issue) – they have very cute dresses in amazing colours (www.sugarhillboutique.com).

Numph t-shirt... I loved this!

Barcelona had lots of funky shops down the side streets and my sister bought some amazing floral printed light-weight cotton harem trousers for £13 albeit from a fairly weird-looking place with scented joss sticks hanging heavily in the air (they’re the kind of trousers your girl friends would say “Oh wow they’re amazing”, but boys would say they looked terrible!)… My mother picked up multi-coloured bum-bag and asked could she get away with it for holidays – I said no, as it looked like something my bohemian piano teacher from the 80s would have worn!! However, if you wanted to buy a pair of sunglasses for £5 it was the place to be, they were everywhere. My sister bought 2 pairs of “lookey-likey” ray-bans one bright green and the other hot pink for £10!

So when you’re off on your hols over the next couple of weeks to somewhere in the Euro zone, nip down the side streets and grab yourself some fashion bargains and if you can’t find any then don’t be tempted into buying just for the sake of it. Personally, with the EURO being as it is I’d rather spend my money at home, as it goes further… plus, if I’m being honest, I’m done with summer shopping. Now I’m saving for my Autumn 10 wardrobe!

A couple of my Barca tips…

Eat – Monk (www.monkbarcelona.com), Pau Claris, 92 (Reserve for after 10pm as it’s dead before hand)

Drink – CDLC (www.cdlcbarcelona.com), Passeig Marítim, 32 (right on the beach, perfect for people watching)

See – La Pedrera de Gaudi, Paseo de Gracia, 92 (a must see from the famous architect Antoni Gaudi) and of course it goes without saying the Sagrada Familia. We nearly passed on this one having been told it was empty inside… er… I don’t think so.

Plus a photo of my favourite shop window (www.louisvuitton.com)…

The window of Louis Vuitton on Passeig de Gràcia looking stunning as always!

 

I can’t do that online…

 

I was in Copenhagen last week, which was lovely as always. If you’ve never been – it’s one of the cleanest and most “perfect” places I’ve ever travelled to. Spotless pavements, impeccably polite citizens and everyone speaks English (thank The Lord… as Danish is one of the most difficult languages I’ve ever heard and often sounds like the Danes are messing around speaking gobbledygook!)…I was there for the sales meeting of a brand I’m doing some work for called SAND. (For a first visit to the city don’t arrive on a Sunday unless you like ghost towns, because it’s deserted and a bit weird – I live in London, so when a city centre city has only 2 people on the main street, I get freaked out and you start to wonder if everyone knows something you don’t!!).

© Deanpictures | Dreamstime.com

 Anyway, I didn’t spend much time on the “streets” this visit as I was there for work (and a fair amount of “play” – we had a wonderful private dinner in a fabulously kitsch café with our own Michelin-Starred chef, it was amazing!). I did, however, have an amble down one of Copenhagen’s key shopping streets en-route to the SAND store and I was very surprised to see an Urban Outiftters… and later that day I also spotted a Karen Millen in Illum, one of their department stores! I was surprised because I’ve always thought that the Danish dressed quite differently to we Brits and I’ve always considered Urban Outfitters to offer a very London type of “look”. That checked shirty, chunky boyfriend-cardi-wearing, multi-chained with a clock hanging off, quirky yet pretty mainstream type of dresser!  

The Danish have always been way ahead of us in certain areas fashion-wise, particularly on the trouser front – they’ve always loved harem type pants – and actually crops of any sort, with crazy pockets, ties/the kitchen sink dangling from them! I’d certainly never really thought of them wearing Karen Millen! But I haven’t been to Copenhagen for nearly 4 years and things have changed… In fact retail has become much more globally linked with the emergence of on-line cyber-space! Brands which would have been relatively unknown out of the States or the UK, for example, have been popping up everywhere.  

 At the fabulous dinner I was at, I had a really interesting conversation with one Danish girl (who was 19) about how she loved home-grown brands but also how much she liked the likes of ASOS and Topshop (before, unless you’d travelled to England, you probably wouldn’t have heard of them but now because of the internet everyone with access to a mouse and an interest in fashion has!).  When I was last in Germany, ASOS was brought up during a conversation over dinner – and 6 people out of a table of 8 had shopped there. No wonder I read last week that on-line retail sales for ASOS were up 17% on last year!  

© Michal Bednarek | Dreamstime.com

But I must admit that I’m not that into on-line shopping… it’s not bad for summer stuff. However, I always feel that if I’m making an investment wintry purchase like a coat or something – I really want to try it on in person. Plus, to me, half the fun of shopping is the trying on and feeling the fabric – also I’m often in between sizes on things and I have to try them on in both sizes to decide which fits best – I can’t do that on-line!  

So, as much as I think on-line shopping is oh so conveniently wonderful, if you’re time-poor or if you’ve got babies and can’t get out – I would never want it to replace actually “going shopping”. Now I know obviously I’m slightly biased as I wouldn’t have a job if shops didn’t exist – but also if you shop on-line you never really know if a style is the right one for you, because you haven’t tried anything else on to compare? To me there is nothing like browsing in Butler and Wilson (the amazing jewellery store – www.butlerandwilson.co.uk), going down the escalators in Topshop Oxford Circus (as long as it’s not too hectic) and seeing a sea of clothes just ready for me to immerse myself in… witnessing in person the stunningness of a Balmain jacket (www.balmain.com) on the 2^nd floor in Selfridges  or simply picking up an amazingly bargainous item in H&M that I spotted in the window. Shopping on the web just can’t possibly be the same! The e-tail phenomena has been unbelievable over the last couple of years – the rise and rise of the likes of net-a-porter has seen internet sales hit the roof. However, in the words of my 19 year old Danish friend, “I do hope on-line doesn’t get too big, I still want there to be shops in the future!”…. I totally agree.

Noughties to teenies…

I watched a TV programme on Thursday night about shopping in the “noughties”. It was discussing the idea that during the 00’s there’d been a shopping revolution of sorts in the UK, when suddenly everyone who’d previously only bought “designer”, started shopping on the High Street too. Kate Moss was happy to design a collection for Topshop, Giles for New Look, Jil Sander for Uniqlo… even Coleen designed a collection for George at Asda, which would have been un-thinkable 10 years previously. The decade was about wearing your expensive designer handbag with… basically anything – your look no longer needed to be head-to-toe designer to be “en Vogue”… And to me London has been at the epicenter of this revolution. 

It started me thinking about whether it had been the same in other fashion capitals of the world, which are ever so good at doing “designer” but to me, not as successful at the lower end of the market. I love the Via del Corso in Milan, Avenue Montaigne in Paris… Barneys and Bergdorf’s in New York – the same as I love Bond Street and Sloane Street in London, but where’s their Oxford and Regent Street equivalent? 

London Oxford Street Christmas Lights © Patrickwang | Dreamstime.com

The fact that Topshop has opened in New York, speaks volumes to me, as there was definitely a gap in the market for such a store… And this is the same gap that I notice when shopping in many cities of the world. How many pictures are there of Olivia Palermo and Whitney Port (yes I am obsessed with The Hills and The City – and yes, I know I’m too old!) wearing Topshop, as though it’s the coolest thing in the world – they don’t seem to be able to get enough of it. But think about it – where would we be without being able to pop into Warehouse in our lunch-hours to grab a glittery number for that evening, for example? We are so lucky to have the likes of Oasis, River Island, Topshop and Urban Outfitters (I could keep going)… And I don’t think we realise it. 

Ignoring our current exchange rate situation as a reason not to spend (and if in the US, forget buying brands such as Abercrombie and Polo which are obviously very well priced compared to at home) – if you want a decent going-out dress for say £100, how easy is it to find one?  As I’ve found that on the whole everything’s either expensive or horrendously cheap – there’s very little on offer in between and their “High Streets” are practically none existent. In the UK, whether I’m shopping in Liverpool or London, if I want to spend £50 or £500 on a handbag I have choices. And in a way I feel like I’ve been spoilt by how much we have on offer as when I’ve been away recently, I’ve been tempted to buy very little. 

This however hasn’t always been the case – as I used to LOVE shopping when I went away… I’ve been going to Munich every summer since I was born, due to my father’s business. When I was younger I would break my neck to buy “early” birthday presents there (it was usually July and my birthday isn’t until mid October), as everything seemed so different compared to at home. There’s a shop called Loden Frey (www.loden-frey.de) that I remember going into (a kind of Liberty/Fortnum & Mason/grand “old school” department store type place) and being beyond excited at the prospect of getting, among other things, a pair of navy blue woollen culottes and a white sailor style blouse with a big navy blue bow (this outfit seemed so chic and stylish in Munich, yet when I got back home I felt like a maniac!). My friend Kate who was with us called her parents to “send more money” as the store was not at all cheap and she wanted early birthday presents too – her birthday wasn’t until the end of March the following year! My mum would always go mad for their jackets and come home with new purchases (several of which she still has to this day – as they were so expensive she won’t part with them… I have tried to remove them from her wardrobe many times, but they always seem to make it back in somehow!!). 

Something else I bought in Munich… (People reading this from my year at school will remember this one) was… are you ready?? Ok – deep breath… A white shell suit covered in a luminous scrawl and a matching top and skirt – because it was the exact outfit Monica Seles won Wimbledon in, back in 1993 (I was a bit tennis mad at the time)… I spotted it in a department store and I had to have the whole ensemble “as an early birthday present” of course (gosh I sound like a spoilt brat!). Well, when I got on court (back at school) for the annual summer tennis tournament, did I think I was the “coolest dude” on court or what (most other people just wore their school gym kit…)?? The whole outfit was complete over-kill but it had the desired effect as I won the tournament (I was ok at tennis but I think because I was channelling Monica I couldn’t NOT win – even though looking back it was more likely that I blinded my opponents so they couldn’t see the ball, with my “dazzling” white outfit!!).

Patricia Field shop window in New York

Maybe for me, shopping when abroad seemed so much more exciting back then because of my age (for the above “ensemble” I think I was 12 at the time). Or was it because there was less choice at home than there is now (as it was “pre the High Street” as we know it!)? It was probably a bit of both – but when I was recently in New York for example, I barely bought anything… apart from the day that I went to the Patricia Field shop (owned by the stylist from SATC) and spent a small fortune (it’s like being in a giant dressing-up box – I loved it! Have a look at their website www.patriciafield.com – but be warned, I bought my sister a white gold “Carrie necklace” on-line and the shipping costs from the States were extortionate – and it barely weighed more than a fruit fly!!)… Aside from that, really I only bought make-up, which for US brands was bargainously cheap (my mother and sister did get some Abercrombie stuff but only really because we had to go in to check out the models on the door)!

 So for me New York, Paris etc… they’re fabulous cities to shop in if you’ve got some cash to spend… but I believe there’s no-where like London for bridging the gap between the likes of Primark and Prada (and if you’re looking for something more one-off there’s plenty to choose from too). So as we begin this new decade of the “teenies” – I wonder what the next 10 years will bring for us shopping and fashion-wise… probably a move to more ethical shopping, even more on-line shopping? Who knows – all I know is that I still hope there’s a bit of “sweetie darling” fabulousness in there somewhere…!!

Fur coats and fireworks

I returned from my fun-filled New Year’s trip to Munich on Saturday feeling somewhat jaded (those Germans really know how to “party” and if you’ve never been I thoroughly recommend it!). As the majority of my 4 days away were spent in a bit of a hung-over daze, our activities during daylight hours were fairly low-key (Munich comes awake at about 1am!) but I did partake in one of my favourite “sports” – people watching!

The residents of Munich are a pretty chic breed on the whole and due to the cold weather the winter “fashion parade” was in full flow. There was an abundance of fur coats, hats and boots – in fact they looked like they’d raided the set of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” (another thing I noticed was that “Moncler” puffer jackets were everywhere www.moncler.it/)… It’s funny that when my sister and I wore our (faux) fur coats on NYE we looked more like we were working the streets! Why is that?? I find it so annoying that we just don’t seem to be able to dress for the cold like our foreign cousins! Maybe it’s because we don’t have as much call for “full on” winter ensembles as they do (salopettes don’t count!) – even though this winter the snow and ice does seem to be hanging around in the UK more than usual so that if it becomes an annual occurrence maybe we’ll need to “up the winter fashion ante” in the future.

© Mshake | Dreamstime.com

Something else our Continental friends do better than we do is D.I.Y. fireworks! At midnight, as 2009 turned into 2010, we spilled out onto the Munich streets with our German friends, clutching champagne glasses to view the amazing firework displays that were lighting up the sky (it was so cold that I had to prize my hand off the glass when we got back inside!). At one point my sister was handed a sparkler and piped up “Aren’t we supposed to wear gloves?” She’d obviously watched too many of those government-sponsored adverts on UK tv warning us to avoid having our hands burned off by holding sparklers gloveless!! Our German counterparts were so much more relaxed about fireworks in general. They were going off at both ends of the street where we were standing, shooting into the sky at all angles. Compared to what we’re used to these days in the UK the sky was like some kind of war zone (all I was thinking was “where the heck are all those rocket sticks going to come down??”). The last fireworks I watched were at the Clapham Common Bonfire Night display in London and they didn’t let us within about 500m of the action – just in case!….. (I must add that on NYE I actually was hit on the head by what appeared to be a used firework wrapper but I’ve lived to tell the tale and everyone around me found it completely hilarious at the time!)… 

Anyway, one thing I was very happy to have with me in Munich was my new Ugg boots (www.uggaustralia.com). I had managed to last without a pair up until the Monday before Christmas when I was in London and it really snowed. The weather forecast had said there might be a light sprinkling so I carried my “faux” Uggs with me just case (I actually bought them in Munich a couple of years ago, from a hilariously cheap shoe shop appropriately called “Tack” – even though that’s very unfair to be honest because they’d lasted pretty well considering they’d only cost 6 Euros). Anyway, in London, I got off the tube where I was meeting a friend and when I emerged from the station I couldn’t believe my eyes – I might as well have been stepping off a plane in Lapland, such was the snowy scene in front of me. It was so lovely and Christmassy… however, walking in it was another matter. I put on my “Tack” boots and began trudging through the snow. Instantly I remembered something…the memory of “a horrible wet feeling”. It had happened last March when I’d worn the same boots to Sainsbury’s in the snow – after putting my foot in what I thought was black snow – but was actually a deep black slushy puddle!! My boots were SO soaking when I arrived in Sainsbury’s that I had to insert plastic bags into the boots (classy!) to put my feet into as they were completely soaked and I was squelching down the aisles! Afterwards I’d sworn to at least buy some Wellington boots for future snowy expeditions… However obviously I’d forgotten as here I was again, last week, squelching down the road – my boots so heavy with water this time that my feet turned completely inwards as I walked! 

So after this experience I’d decided that I would get some water-proof boots to take with me to Munich. I knew the obvious choice was a pair of Uggs – and to be honest I don’t know why I’d never invested in a pair before. Well actually I do – it’s due to the fact that everyone has them, which kind of put me off!! And also people wear them in the summer with denim mini skirts to go to Blockbuster for example, as though they’re slippers (I know this kind of outing feels like a “slipper” type shoe is appropriate but Uggs… in July!!). Please!

"Bind" Ugg boots

Anyway, I decided I’d be sensible and go to Ellis Brigham (the outdoorsy shop www.ellis-brigham.com) and get some practical black après-ski-type boots…. However en-route I slipped into Kate Kuba (www.katekuba.co.uk) “just to have a look” and spotted some rather lovely black Uggs (that were different to the “slipper” variety and more substantial and “booty”). In Ellis Brigham I found a perfect pair that didn’t make my size 8 feet look too horrendously huge. However, when I walked in them they squeaked a bit… the guy selling them to me said “Well as long as you don’t work in a library…?” What? Forget a library – I didn’t want to sound like a giant mouse when walking in them down the street! But really I was thinking how nice the Uggs were – so yes, off I went back to Kate Kuba to get them and I SO made the right decision!

They are possibly the most comfortable boots I’ve ever had. They’re the “Bind” type that are laced up the back, with molded rubber soles (I cut off the dangling beads that hung off the laces – they were very annoying and reminded me of dreads!). Lots of places appear to have sold out of the black ones and only have the tan ones left, but I found some on the Office website: (www.office.co.uk). At £200 they’re not cheap but as I kept telling myself they’re an investment. And at least I won’t have to resort to plastic bags in the future!

 P.S.

 An Ugg store has just opened at Bicester Village so you can get fabulous boots at even better prices – plus there’s a Moncler store too (www.bicestervillage.com)! That’s your wintry wardrobe sorted…