Chanel 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition - Part I

On Sunday I travelled up to London to catch Chanel's 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. I had been looking forward to the exhibition ever since details were announced in August. I whiled away the three and a half hour bus journey by immersing myself in the latest edition of 'Vogue' and doing some online retail research on the Acne 'Pistol' boot.

Anna Wintour

Charlotte Casiraghi, model (and grand-daughter of Grace Kelly!)

I had never been to the Saatchi Gallery before, but it was easy enough to find my way there from Sloane Square tube station, by going in the opposite direction to the crowds of people walking towards me with their 'The Little Black Jacket' posters clutched in their hands! Not surprisingly given the area, and the nature of the exhibition, I also spotted more than a few Chanel 2.55 bags. As I am a lover of all things Chanel, I am sure  that you won't be surprised to discover that the 2.55 is firmly at the top of my handbag wish-list.

Sofia Coppola

Scarlett Utzmann Huynh, daugher of Carine Roitfeld's assistant

I loved the exhibition. It is such a simple concept, but executed with a combination of style, humour and sophistication. Although of course one would expect nothing less from Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld. I had seen some of the images before on the internet, but they were no substitute for seeing the images on a larger scale. The photographs were very simply presented, which allowed you to focus on the individuals in the photograph, and how they were wearing the little back jacket. One of the things that I loved about the exhibition was the diversity of the individuals in the photographs: men and women; small children and older ladies; fashion designers and rap stars.

Waris Ahluwalia , actor

Elizabeth Olsen, actress

Everyone visiting the exhibition was allowed to choose one of three posters: Georgia May Jagger; Lily Donaldson or Astrid Berges-Frisbey. I opted for the Lily Donaldson poster, as I liked the combination of the sophisticated black jacket with the punk styling. Judging by the number of bored-looking boyfriends and four year old children in the queue clutching posters, I think some people managed to get all three posters. 

Lily Donaldson

Last Sunday was supposed to be the last day of the exhibition, but it has been extended due to popular demand. The exhibition will now run until November 4th. I would highly recommend it.

Acne Pistol boot v Topshop Mighty

A boot that is as perfect for the daily commute as it is for an evening out? A boot that manages to be extremely comfortable whilst also being bang on trend? Yes readers, I have found the boot in question. I give you the Topshop 'Mighty' boot. 

Topshop 'Mighty'

I stumbled across this pair of boots online whilst I was searching for the Acne 'Pistol' boot. I have seen numerous people on Twitter raving about how versatile they are, and great cost-per-wear value etc so I thought that I would do a bit of retail research to while away a bus journey to London. Sadly I didn't have the necessary £380 to invest in a pair. However it seems that I am not the only one, as my online research unearthed a dupe pair from Topshop - the 'Mighty'. I was still undecided as to whether I actually NEED more footwear in my closet, when I took a tumble at Victoria station. My heeled boots were damaged slightly and not really advisable with a bruised ankle, so I took it as a sign that I needed to purchase some footwear with a slightly lower heel if I was going to be wandering around London all day. Step forward the 'Mighty' - retailing at only £45.  As I had £35 in TopShop vouchers I only paid £10 for them!

I have only had them two days, but I am already certain that these are going to get a LOT of wear. I live at the top of a hill which normally necessitates wearing a pair of ballet pumps or smoking slippers on my way to work. Either that or allowing precious extra minutes in the morning to walk to the station if I am wearing heels. However this morning I was practically sprinting down the hill in these boots. Just enough of a heel to give some height, without being impractical. I am already considering purchasing another pair, as I hate it when a favourite previous season item finally gives up the ghost and goes to fashion heaven. The Acne 'Pistol' might have been the one to catch my eye, but the Topshop 'Mighty' has definitely won my heart!

The original Acne 'Pistol' boot

St David's Cardiff Catwalk Shows

This week is Cardiff's first ever Fashion Week, with lots of different events going on around the city centre. As part of the event, the St David's Cardiff shopping centre will be hosting free catwalk shows all weekend.

The shows will give the centre's stores an opportunity to show some of the most stylish looks from their A/W 2012 collections. There have been some great new store openings in the centre, e.g. Vivienne Westwood, so style-savvy shoppers should be in for a treat! Shoppers will be able to take advantage of  a range of exclusive discounts and offers throughout the centre by picking up a St David's cheque-book at one of the fashion shows.

Here are the show times:
Saturday - 11am; 12 noon; 1pm; 2pm; 3pm; 4pm & 7.30pm
Sunday - 11am; 12 noon; 1pm; 2pm; 3pm and 4pm


See you on The Hayes!

Korres Japanese Rose Shower Gel and Body Butter

I am a big fan of Korres products, with their Vanilla Plum range being a firm bodycare favourite, so when I saw these Japanese Rose products in my local branch of TK Maxx at 50% of the RRP, I couldn't resist snapping them up.  One of the things that I love about these is that the rose scent is not too over-powering, which I find can be the case with some other rose-based products. The body butter is fantastic on areas such as elbows and knees, which can be prone to dryness. 

The shower gel contains wheat proteins which form a protective film on the skin, which helps skin to maintain its hydration levels. The body butter contains shea butter and quince extract which are both known for moisturising and softening the skin. Sunflower, almond and avocado oils nourish the skin, which helps in relation to maintaining the elasticity of the skin.

If you are not lucky enough to find these in your local TK Maxx, then you can also find them at Look Fantastic and Feel Unique.

All For Eve Body Scrub

I love my 'All For Eve' red lipstick and nail polish,  created by Daniel Sandler and Sophy Robson respectively, but for some reason I have never tried any of the other products the brand offers. 'All For Eve' products have been created to raise money for the 'Eve Appeal', which raises funds for research into gynaecological cancers . 'All For Eve' was set up by George Hammer, the man who brought brands such as Aveda, Urban Retreat and Ruby & Millie to the fore of the beauty industry in the UK. This was in response to the loss of his sister in law to ovarian cancer in 2008.

However I have now added to my 'All For Eve' collection by purchasing the body scrub (£7.50), which has been created by Urban Retreat. I don't know about you, but for me, body scrubs can be really hit or miss. They are either too grainy and so irritate the skin, or are so 'gentle' that they don't appear to do anything, making them completely pointless. However, I think I might just have found 'the one' for me. When I first opened the pot, the scrub's creamy texture made it look like a rich body lotion, and so I was doubtful as to whether it would really deliver as a scrub. However, I definitely wasn't left disappointed, as this scrub not only got rid of my dry skin, but also delivered a micro massage (courtesy of the jojoba beads) and left my skin feeling as soft and smooth as if I had applied moisturiser. For me, this product is a total no-brainer: supersoft skin at a great price AND helping charity at the same time. What is not to love? The question is, which product to try next?!

Whistles Outlet

Paying just £40 for dresses originally costing £280? Luckily for my bank balance that isn't too good to be true! One of my most recent online shopping discoveries is the Outlet section on the Whistles website. I am not sure why it took me so long to purchase from it, as I have found some of my favourite pieces (eg. my Whistles 'Tessa' dress) in the sales in my local Whistles concessions. I think that these will be really versatile, as they can be worn casually with flat leather sandals, or dressed up with a pair of heels. It might have taken me a while to find it, but now that I have, I will definitely be paying the Whistles Outlet a return visit! At the moment it has accessories starting at only £8, so it is definitely worth checking out.

Tia Silk dress - Was £130, now £20

Pandora Silk Print Dress - Was £150, now £20

Lou Lou Muses features on The Frugality

Just a quick post to let you know that today I am featured on one of my favourite blogs, 'The Frugality'. I was really pleased when the lovely Alex (who you might remember from my 'Lou Lou Chats' feature) asked me for my top tips to stay stylish on a budget. And here is what I had to say..........

La Dolce Vita: My trip to Italy

For the last two weeks I have been enjoying the many delights of Italy: working my way through my ‘to read’ pile in the sunshine; beautiful scenery; shopping; delicious food (and wine), and spending time with family. I had a fantastic time, so therefore it  was a bit of shock to the system returning to British shores, to be met with grey skies and the all too familiar rain. My holiday has given me a lot of food for thought for future blog posts, but in the mean time I thought that I would share some of my holiday snaps with you.

Top Row (L-R): Monterosso, Cinque Terre; Velva; Portofino sculpture park

Bottom Row (L-R): Santo Stefano Ponte, Sestri Levante; Louboutin red Vespa

Top Row (L-R): The mountains around Velva; a tired me after a day walking around Portofino; Portofino

Bottom Row (L-R); Portofino; Vogue Italia