Kaiser Chiefs Live at Burberry

I’m the first to admit that my music knowledge is poor at best but even I’ve heard of the Kaiser Chiefs. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I like them and may even have a few of their tunes on my largely abandoned iPod. Anyway let’s be honest, when Burberry invites you to a champagne fuelled gig at their A-MAZING Regents Street emporium you RSVP “oui” regardless of who’s playing.

Christopher Bailey and his talented team have taught me a fair few things this Spring. Firstly there was the London Fashion Week revelation that head to toe latext could be elegant. Don’t believe me? Well then check out Burberry’s oxblood trench coat and playful, peek-a-boo pencil skirts. And last week my beloved Brit brand rekindled a long-forgotten love of live music. Of course it helped that the Kaiser Chiefs are fantastic (and the lead singer had more than a hint of Ryan Gosling about him) but most of all it was just so much fun dancing around watching a band give it their’ all on stage.

My party pal, Millie and I managed to wangle a great spot on the balcony that not only afforded us a great view but also placed us in prime position for champagne refills. The real genius, or rather luck, of our choice only came to light when lead singer x (or as I prefer to think of him, the English Ryan Gosling) came charging upstairs during I Predict a Riot and performed most of the song standing right next to us! We danced, we drank, we sang along and we didn’t have to make any conversation whatsoever… All in all it was a lot of fun and after weeks of press days, meetings and mingling and cocktail parties, it was exactly what I needed. Some say a picture is worth a thousand words but we all know a video’s that bit better so here you go…

Love Ella. X

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Parties Leave a comment

Burberry

SS13 Handbag Hot List: Designer Edit

Now this post has been a while in the making, three months to be exact. I thought it might be slightly premature to start thinking about new season styles when they first started arriving back in January but by late February/early March – AKA the official start of Spring/Summer – fashion week madness had taken over and spending an hour or so writing about handbags just wasn’t on the cards. While SS13 doesn’t look like it’s planning on making an appearence in London anytime soon (bitter, moi?) if there’s one area of our wardrobe we can keep in time with the fashion calendar without risking hypothermia it’s our accessories. So, without further ado, here’s my pick of this season’s hottest handbags…

Mulberry Willow Tote in Mint Classic Calf, £1500, click here to buy

It’s mint green, it’s Mulberry, how could I NOT be in love with this bag!? To be honest I’m more than mildly obsessed with their entire SS13 collection thanks to Emma Hill’s plentiful application of mint green, broderie anglaise and some particularly inspired gecko print. This bag ticks every box for me. So delectable I want to swallow it whole and it’s roomy enough to fit camera, iPad, magazines and various British summer essentials (i.e umbrella, suncream, sunglasses and a scarf).

3.1 Phillip Lim Blush Snakeskin Mini Pashli Satchel, £755, click here to buy

I don’t need to tell you my feelings about the 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli satchel. In a recent interview I may have admitted that one of my life ambitions is to own one in every colour. Despite that statement making me sound like an idiot, I stand by it. This understatedly luxe blush snakeskin mini version has sole out practically everywhere, ergo I now want it even more.

Marni Polkdot Bags. Left £725, Right £660 click here to buy

Marni is one of the few brands that simultaneously manages to do tongue-in-cheek quirk and pared down elegance. I’m not sure quite how this is even possible but Consuela Castiglioni manages it with a canny combination of cleaner than clean lines and playful polkadots… I’m sold.

Louis Vuitton Alma BB Monogram Bag, £900, click here to buy

Generally speaking, I’m a big bag kinda girl. Or at least I thought I was until Louis Vuitton released their “mini” collection. It’s pink, it’s shiny, it’s adorable beyond belief and I want it a LOT.

Burberry Blaze Bag in Metallic Snakeskin & Vinyl, £1795, click here to buy

One of Burberry’s most fantastic and no doubt highly profitable qualities is the inherent practicality of their products. Then again, it’s also a high fashion brand and fashion folk have a well known weakness for things that are deeply impractical and unashamedly in-your-face. This bag is both and that’s precisely why I love it. Possibly not as useful as a trusy trench coat but my, isn’t it shiny?

Sophie Hulme Black Leather Satchel, £500, click here to buy

As those of you who haven’t spent the past few seasons living under a rock (or somewhere without deparment stores on a internet connection) will definitely know, Sophe Hulme is one of the hottest young design talents in London right now. Sophie scooped up the Accessory Designer of the Year prize at the British Fashion Awards last autumn and her latest array of utilitarian yet playful bags are surely proof that the best is yet to come.

Anya Hindmarch Maxi Zip Satchel in Bluebell, £795, click here to buy

Rarely do I not crave pretty much everything Anya Hindmarch designs and this seasons Pomp and Pleasure collection was no exception. I absolutely adored suing their Maxi Zip satchel in bluebell during Fashion Week last month and very nearly cried when I had to return it to its rightful owners. Friends and family if you’re reading, my birthday is June 19th…

Smythson Eliot Large Tote, £1395, click here to buy

Oh Smythson, you do know how to tempt me. Not only does the Brit brand deliver most exquisite (and unfeasibly expensive) stationary, over the past couple of seasons they’ve seriously upped their handbag offering. Case in point, the elegant Eliot tote which currently features highly on my wish list.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Burg Boxer Medium Zipped Bag, £375, click here to buy

My first EVER designer handbag was from Marc by Marc Jacobs and I’ve used it pretty consitently since I got it for my 19th birthday almost 3 years ago now. I think it’s safe to say that Marc is a genius and everything he touches, including the latest accessories for his mainline’s super sweet little sister brand, turn to sartorial gold.

Miu Miu Craquele Tote, £870, click here to buy

Given my current state of ~~largely~~ entirely self inflicted brokeness the likelihood of me ever owning a Miu Miu handbag (or any of the bags on this list for that matter) grows slimmer by the day. Obviously that doesn’t stop me coveting their girlishly playful yet exquisitely chic styles.

Personally I can’t play favourites with these beautiful bags. I want, no I NEED them all! Which one would you pick?

Love Ella. X

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Shopping 3 Comments

Lets talk about SEX baby…

I apologise in advance if the title of this post is a smidge misleading. I’m not actually about to reinvent myself as a London based version of the original petite anglaise (who I hadn’t heard of when I named my site, just FYI) and start blogging about bedroom antics. The subject of this post is, of course, fashion. I think it’s fair to say that in recent years, dressing fashionably and dressing seductively haven’t always gone hand in hand. Flatforms, midi skirts, Peter Pan collar blouses, cocoon coats, paisley print pyjama bottoms… All recent uber trends that didn’t exactly scream S-E-X. Since the world began to tire of bodycon some time around 2005 (I think?) more and more designers, especially those of the contemporary, independant variety, seem to have opted for androgyny, minimalism, power prints and other less obviously saucy styles instead of in-your-face raunchiness. This season however seems to have ushered in a new appreciation of shameless yet stylish sexiness and no collection conveyed it better than Jonathan Saunders’. For AW13 the talented Scot looked to “pin up girls and porn from the 1950′s” to deliver an array of PVC confections with enough cleavage on display to make more prudish FROW-ers blush. Of course Saunders combined his cinched waists and low necklines with masterful craftsmanship, painstakingly handcrafted fabrics and a healthy dose of cutting edge cool but still the message was clear, sex appeal is back on the sartorial menu. And it wasn’t just Jonathan who vamped things for autumn, in fact far from it. As you may have spotted in my London Fashion Week day 4 diary, one of the boldest hits of kink came from none other than Christopher Bailey who re-imagined the iconic Burberry trench coat in latex of all things! In New York I saw an endless array of short skirts, sheer panelling, peek-a-boo lace and lashings of leather while Prabal Gurung’s military inspired collection had a distinct Miss Whiplash air about it.

From left: Burberry, Prabal Gurung, Jonathan Saunders & Jason Wu AW13

In theory, I’m not the biggest fan of such attire. You’ve no doubt noticed my penchant for all thing blouse related and let’s be honest, frilly pop socks and ditsy floral prints (two of my other favourite things) are probably about as unsexy as it gets. But as is so often the case in life and in fashion, my preconceived notions about what I do and don’t like went straight out the window when I saw on the aformentioned shows. After all, ANTIPODIUM managed to work skater dresses, collars and cardigans into their “Sex, Lies and CCTV” collection! While I’m probably not going to be rocking a high shine corset anytime soon (but hey, never say never) I suspect I’ll be adding a few PVC pieces to my wardrobe come autumn… Will you?

Love Ella. X

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Fashion 1 Comment

Jake Bugg Live at Burberry

We may have been to Sketch, Buddha Bar and one or two (or three) other establishments in between, but last week’s party line up was far from over at 9pm last Thursday. Our final after dark destination was none other than Burberry’s spectacular Regent’s Street flagship where they had decided to hold an invite-only Jake Bugg gig. Few brands throw a fash bash quite like Burberry and their latest knees-up was no exception. A-list guest list, endless amounts of (really good) champagne and one of the hottest new music acts around playing live… I mean, what more could you want from an evening!?

Amber Le Bon, Becky Tong and Zara Martin also made the journey there from the ZEO ‘do, making me feel a little better about my own incessant party-hopping. Other “OMG” attendees included actors Bonnie Wright and Jack Whitehall plus Cara Delevigne and the ever-wonderful Christopher Bailey. After having a good, old fashioned boogie to Jake Bugg’s set I dragged the bf (who had a baptism of fire into the London fashion circuit last week, poor thing) off for a tour of the AMAZING interactive store during which, much to my delight, he declared his desire to own a bit of Burberry himself! Even more delightful was the fact that the SS13 collection had arrived so I got to spend an extremely happy half hour ogling those fabulous metallic trench coats. There’s not that much more to say about this particular soiree except that, like every other Burberry bash I’ve attended, it was a lot of fun and vast amounts of champagne were consumed. Just check out the video of Jake Bugg performing…

Love Ella. X

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Parties 1 Comment

Weekly Wish List: Boxing Day Sales Edit

My one rule for sale shopping is buy classics. Think timeless, qood quality pieces not last seasons’ uber trends. I know this sounds like a no brainer but on more than one occasion I’ve given in to the attraction of FINALLY being able to afford that seasonal statement piece I’d lusted after since August and regretted it later. I’m a totally militant shopper, something to which many of my friends (and several post-shopping trip ex friends) can attest. But determined and single minded though my retail habits may be, I have never braved the Boxing Day sales. By the time Christmas is over I usually find myself lolling around in a state of bloated, pickled laziness and the idea of queueing outside Selfridges and then entering a scrum so hectic I’ll most likely leave with something utterly bizarre just doesn’t appeal. No, when it comes to the end of season sales online shopping is where it’s at. With this in mind I’ve spent the morning browsing the best Matches, Net-a-Porter, My-Wardrobe and Avenue 32 have to offer to bring you my own personal edit of the Boxing Day bonanza… Happy shopping!

1) J.W Anderson Waffle Knit Sweater, was £496 now £249, click here to buy
2) J Brand Denim 811 Coated Skinny Jeans, were £260 now £182, click here to buy
3) Church’s Burwood Studded Brogues, were £350 now £245, click here to buy
4) Mulberry Snake Effect Bayswater Bag, was £1100 now £770, click here to buy
5) Christopher Kane Cashmere Leopard Print Scarf, was £650 now £325, click here to buy
6) Smythson Leather Heart Keyring, was £50 now £35, click here to buy
7) Theory Yaisa Leather Sleeve Jacket, was £360 now £252, click here to buy
8) Burberry Wool & Cashmere Blend Beanie, was £150 now £105, click here to buy
9) Diane Von Furstenberg Large Tonda Clutch, was £293 now £146, click here to buy
10) Carven Bow Detail Suede Pumps, were £320 now £160, click here to buy
11) Yigal Azrouel Evergreen Leather Skirt, was £555 now £389, click here to buy
12) Equipment Brett Silk Shirt, was £211 now £105, click here to buy

Love Ella. X

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Ella Catliff in Shopping Leave a comment

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